#baby’s first steddie fic

[skullrockbi]

Steve has a going away present for Eddie before he goes on tour. Rated M for mature. Word count: 1526 brief mention of daddy kink

“I have a going away present for you. I don’t know if you’re going to think it’s weird or not. I’m sure you’ll probably have lots of metal groupies clamoring for your dick. But in case you need a little solo time & some audio assistance.” Steve hands Eddie a tape. There’s no track listing and on the title spot on the cassette it says “do not lose or share.”

“Stevie I don’t think your top 40s sexy times mixtape is going to help any situation.”

“It’s not that. It’s..” Steve blushes and leans closer to Eddie to whisper “sex noises? Like the sound of people having sex?”

“By people you mean you?”

“Well yeah but I’m pretty quiet during most of it.”

“Did you record this in secret?”

“No. That’s creepy! It was done with permission. One girl really put on a show for the tape. I think she was more into the fact that I was going to listen to it later. It’s the beginning of side B.” 

“Side B, got it. Am I going to recognize anyone on this tape?” Eddie cuts his eyes over towards Nancy.

Steve does a half snort type of laugh, “None of this was recorded when I was in high school, dude. All consenting adults.”

Eddie nods and slips the tape into his jacket’s inner pocket for safe keeping. “Thank you for your generosity, my liege.”

Steve pats him on the shoulder before wandering away. Eddie watches him get pulled into the kitchen by Gareth which meant it was the perfect time for Eddie to escape. Nominally the party was Gareth’s graduation party, but was quickly converted into a Corroded Coffin going away party after they announced they were going on tour. Steve and Gareth would be the only people to be concerned about Eddie ducking out early. If he accidentally caught Henderson or Buckley’s eye in his escape, he would just mime smoking. Luckily Eddie was able to flee with no obstacles.

He needs to listen to this tape immediately. Is just beds squeaking and breathy moans? How quiet is ‘pretty quiet’? What type of show was at the beginning of Side B? What if someone said something ridiculous and Eddie starts cracking up while everyone in the band was studiously ignoring each other’s actions. It was curiosity that urged him home. Nothing more. 

Locking his bedroom door, Eddie throws himself on his bed and grabs his cassette player. Steve was not kind and did not rewind his gift, so Eddie pressed play in the middle of the tape. 

“Good for Daddy? Yeah.” 

That very obviously male voice was not Steve’s voice. Eddie drops the player in surprise and his headphones disconnect. Eddie plugs them back in.

“Fuck baby you’re so good at this. Daddy’s perfect little cocksucker.” There was a whiny moan in response and the slick sound of a cock fucking into a wet mouth.

Eddie cannot believe his ears. Maybe Steve and his partner were watching porn for ambiance and the microphone recorded it instead of them. Eddie isn’t really into the whole daddy thing. He stops the tape and fast forwards to the end and flips to side B for the chick who was into being recorded. 

It’s a show alright, but not the show Steve promised. The crackle of the microphone and then Steve’s voice. “Are you hard for me?” Hard. Not wet, not horny, not ready, hard. “I’ve been thinking about you all day, I hope you’re laying in bed naked, ready to follow my instructions. It’ll be like I’m jerking you off.” Eddie pauses the tape and trips over his feet to get his jeans off. Thinking about Steve being the one doing this to him, listening to his instructions, Eddie comes so hard he blacks out.

The next morning Eddie wakes to frantic knocking on the door. Steve’s there looking nervous and shifting side to side. Even during the Vecnapocalypse Steve’s never been this frantic. “What’s up man?”

Steve lets himself into the house and heads towards the kitchen looking around the house. “Is Wayne home?” He pours himself some coffee & sits at the table.

Eddie shrugs, “I just woke up. I reckon he’s out for the day since he didn’t open the door.” 

Steve drums on the table but doesn’t look at Eddie. “I gave you the wrong tape. I realized when I got home last night that you have a copied Wham cassette in your possession, not what I said it was.”

Eddie lets out a huff of air and sits across from Steve. “You and I both know you didn’t give me a Wham tape.”

Steve blushes, “You already listened to it?”

Eddie shrugs and casually admits “Wanted to hear the show you promised on side B. I needed to know if it was actually good or if I’d start laughing.”

Steve is still not looking at Eddie. “Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Laugh.”

Eddie looks at Steve who is looking into his coffee mug like it has all the answers in the world. He wonders how truthful he should be. Obviously if Steve is making these types of tapes he doesn’t have a valid reason to punch Eddie, but that’s never stopped any jocks before. But Steve isn’t just a jock anymore. Steve is his friend. They don’t have that freaky mind meld Steve & Robin have but they’re close. Steve is the first person he told about Corroded Coffin going on tour before even Wayne. Steve knows things about him that he never told anyone about his childhood. Eddie decides to be brave.

“Steve I came so hard I blacked out. There was no laughing. Now I don’t know if there’s an specific intended recipient of this tape, but as for audio assistance for solo time, you get a gold star in gift giving.”

Steve rubs the back of his neck and looks at Eddie. “It wasn’t a girl though, on the tape.”

“I know. It was the hottest guy I know telling me how to jerk off, telling me what he’d do to me if he was with me. I think that’s hotter than some random babe moaning about how wet she is for my dick.”

“But you like girls?”

“You’re allowed to like both Stevie.”

“I know that!” Steve defends himself, “I didn’t know you knew that too.”

“Yep.” Eddie draws out the sound. Steve likes both. Eddie briefly wonders if “Daddy’s perfect little cocksucker” is Steve. And immediately shuts that thought down. Eddie is beginning to spiral thinking about Steve down on his knees for him. Just because Steve likes both doesn’t mean he likes Eddie. Maybe the tape was for a secret boyfriend. He gets up suddenly & starts looking for breakfast. He can make toast. “Do you want toast?”

“Do I want toast? I came out to you and you want to make me toast?”

“Technically you didn’t come out to me, but if you want something a little more celebratory I can scramble you an egg.”

“A celebratory scrambled egg for being bisexual. Sure, I’ll take it. I was up all night freaking out because I gave you the wrong tape and you’re making me scrambled eggs. Okay.”

“Celebratory scrambled eggs, Steve.”

Eddie makes them eggs and toast for breakfast. Steve pours them both fresh coffee and they eat in silence before Eddie can’t resist poking the bear. “Tell me about your boyfriend.”

“I don’t have one?” 

“Well who’s the tape for?”

“Oh! I um sell them to this guy in Fort Wayne. He has like a whole distribution thing. It’s good for quick money.”

“Do you need to give him the tape I have?”

“No. Yours is a copy.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah cool.”

Steve gets up and starts washing the breakfast dishes. Eddie wants to protest but he also really hates washing dishes. 

“I gotta head to work, thanks for breakfast dude.”

“You’re welcome any time, you know that.”

Steve pats Eddie awkwardly on the shoulder and leaves. Eddie sighs a sigh of relief. He survived whatever that was unscathed.

Reaching to lock the door behind Steve, it bangs into his arm. “You said I was the hottest guy you know.”

Steve is walking back into the house and turns to bracket Eddie against the wall next to the door. Eddie said that half an hour ago, had Steve been thinking about it all through breakfast. “If you don’t find anyone hotter on tour can I take you on a date when you get back?”

“We don’t leave til next week, you can take me out before then?” 

Steve’s watch beeps at him. “I really need to go to work.” He bites his bottom lip in determination before telegraphing his movements. He kisses Eddie softly before pulling away. Eddie presses closer to him and kisses him again. 

“Let me take you out tonight?”

Eddie smiles, “I’ll have to check my busy schedule.” Eddie mimes looking through a date book. “Looks like I’m free for you Big Boy.”

Steve laughs and kisses him again. “Good. Maybe afterwards, you can show me how good you are at following directions.”

[roosterbox]

Y’all, I promised. And now I’m delivering. There is absolutely nothing here but fluff. It’s like cotton candy in fic form.

And rest assured, I have sooooooo many other Steddie WIPs to work on. I’m particularly interested in the Time Travel AU. But those might take a while yet. For now, have this lil drop of sweetness.

Now I’m gonna put my phone aside and definitely NOT think about hitting refresh on AO3 every ten seconds 😬

[steddie-island]

sins of the father

@steddiemicrofic Prompt: Stuff | Rating: E | WC: 483 TW: brief mention of homophobia ao3

Dick Harrington would kill them both if he knew what they were up to. Or maybe the universe would take it easy on the two boys who had seen enough pain for two lifetimes, and he would simply stroke out before he could get his hands on them.

Frankly Steve didn't care what his father would think. He only cared about the way Eddie kissed him, the way Eddie's hands felt as they stroked over his ribs and his hips, down his thighs before two fingers pressed to the most intimate part of his body.

Steve loved that Eddie didn't just try to stuff his fingers in. He took his time, got Steve worked up to the edge again and again and fucking again before he finally gave in.

He loved the way Eddie fit against his back. Loved the stretch and burn as Eddie finally stuffed his cock inside of him. He loved that no matter how they did it— slow and sweet with their hands intertwined, or pounding away with hands threaded into hair instead— there was still so much love that Steve thought he could drown in it.

“You seem distracted.” Eddie kissed just below Steve's ear and crooked his fingers, making Steve arch up against him with a gasp. “Does that mean I'm not doing a good enough job?”

“No, fuck no it doesn't mean that.” Steve licked his lips and hitched his thigh up higher, wanting to hold Eddie in place. “'s stupid.”

“It's not stupid if you were thinking about it,” Eddie said. He circled his fingers, rubbing back and forth and making Steve melt beneath him until he was having a hard time finding the words. And just when he knew Steve was right there at the edge, he stopped and pulled his fingers out a little. ”What were you worrying that pretty little head about?”

Steve's flush wasn't just from the way Eddie's fingers had worked him up so quickly. “I was thinking that... my dad would lose his fucking head if he knew what I was doing right now.”

Eddie's nose wrinkled. “Baby, I think you're thinking about the wrong Dick right now.”

“Shut up!” Steve lightly slapped Eddie's shoulder before throwing an arm over his face to hide from Eddie's gaze. “I told you it was stupid.”

Eddie pried Steve's arm away and looked down at him. “No, it's not. It's not stupid, Stevie. Do you want to stop and talk—”

“Eddie, no!” Steve laughed again and shook his head. “No, I want you to stop asking what I'm thinking about and fuck me already.”

“As my king commands.” Eddie let his fingers drag over Steve's prostate, then moved to line up between his thighs once more.

Once Eddie pressed inside of him, as they moved together towards their pleasure, the rest of the world faded away. No one else, nothing else, mattered.

[matchingbatbites]

press here

I wrote another one. Thought up this idea and couldn't put it down. For @steddiemicrofic March prompt 'pin'.

388 words | Explicit | CW: physical restraint, use of "make me take it" for those who aren't a fan of that

“So what are those about?”

“What’s what about?” Eddie asks in return from where he’s hunched over, digging through his dresser, trying to find a specific shirt that Steve is 80% sure is in the dirty laundry. They’re supposed to be going to see some new movie, but Steve doesn’t mind stalling if it means he gets to see Eddie shirtless a bit longer.

“The handprints. You’ve told me about your other tattoos, but not about those.”

Steve’s noticed them before, of course he has. The two handprints on Eddie’s back are stark against his pale skin, like someone’s dipped their hands in black ink and pressed them to his shoulder blades. 

They’re enticing. Steve has fantasized about lining his own hands up with them, of using them as a guide to hold Eddie against the wall or pin him down to the bed. Thoughts that have only increased as they’ve continued to dance around each other, neither willing to make the first move.

Eddie stands up straight and turns to look at Steve with a sharp grin. “Those? They’re so pretty boys know where to hold me down while they fuck me.”

Jesus Christ.

Every filthy thought Steve’s ever had about those marks flashes through his mind, and he���s paralyzed with desire as Eddie stalks over to where he’s sitting on the bed. The tension that’s been building between them is increasing rapidly, the atmosphere stifling as Eddie reaches down to take one of Steve’s hands in his own.

“Your hands are pretty big, Stevie. Wanna see if they match up to mine?”

They don’t match up, but only because Steve’s hands are bigger than the inked ones.

He eclipses them completely as he pushes down on them, pinning Eddie to the mattress as he fucks into him from behind. It’s better than anything he dreamed of, especially with Eddie’s eager babble and the sinful arch of his back.

“Fuuuck yes, that’s it. Make me take it, Stevie, so fucking good.”

Steve groans at the encouragement and snaps his hips harder, digs his fingers into Eddie’s skin and thinks about leaving bruises, leaving his own mark on the man. He wants Eddie to feel the ache later, a reminder of just how good Steve is at holding him down. 

And hopefully, he’ll want to experience it again.

[starrystevie]

make you burn | written by rogersharringtons on ao3

eddie’s kneeling in the corner, naked, his bare heels digging into his ass as his hands flex against his back. the sun is shining through the big bay window, painting the expanses of his pale skin in beautiful rays of gold and shining off the brown leather of steve’s belt tied tightly around his wrists. from steve's vantage point on the couch, eddie looks like the perfect picture of obedience, his head resting slightly against the wall, frizzy curls tumbling over his back, muscles flexing as he tries to discreetly adjust himself into a more comfortable position. steve told him to stay still and quiet so he could read his book and he is, he’s being good, except- “goddamnit, steve, please…” -he can’t keep his fucking mouth shut.

explicit | 7k

tags: modern au, firefighter steve harrington, dom steve, sub eddie, rough oral sex, kneeling, begging, boot humping/licking, spit kink, come eating, puppy play, face slapping, under-negotiated kink, implied consent

written for @subeddieweek !

[vecnuthy]

dine on old encounters

Steddie || G || childhood friends, pre-relationship, brief mention of death of a parent || 5,570 wc ||

Summary: Years go by, but memories of the boy that Steve spent a few summers with at camp still follow him, as does the mystery of the true fate of something of theirs that was subsequently lost. Now, their rendezvous set for a full decade after they said goodbye is the only thing Steve has to look forward to.

Or is it?

Summer camp had been one of Steve's favorite places. Familiar faces to chase around, new faces that became friends. Little Steve found his people every June and was excited to spend a few weeks with them because they went to different schools, so he didn't get to see them, otherwise.

Throughout his childhood, Steve frequently thought about the little boy he met when he was six. Eddie's mom worked in maintenance for the camp, so he got to go there for free, a fact that the little boy giddily proclaimed when they first met. His world of make believe made Steve believe in magic, trust, and true friendship, little as he was. Those initial few weeks proved to be not nearly enough time, but they gave each other paper snowflakes, ran wild, and played Heads Up. Steve always peeked, but so did Eddie, and they giggled when they caught the other's eye.

Their time together eventually ticked down to the end, though. Summer camp always came to a close right when Steve had gotten used to having Eddie, and then he was gone. He missed sharing snacks and the way Eddie giggled at him when Steve tried to drink out of the gigantic jug of ice water that Eddie's mom always sent with him. He missed the make believe that Eddie wrapped him up in, the stories that he would tell with such contagious excitement. He even missed his expressive brown eyes, which had been so sad when Steve fell and cut his knee. 

"Maybe it'll scar!" Eddie said after, gleefully, as he looked at the Scooby-Doo bandaid on Steve's knee. "I've got one, too! We could match!" 

A month after summer camp, Steve discovered that it did scar. Steve wanted to show him, couldn't wait to show him because Eddie seemed so excited. They matched now.

Steve saw him again the next summer. He told the older boy how they were "both seven for two whole months, isn't that cool, Eddie?"

Steve still thought about him a lot, thought about how fun he was. Hide and Seek in the dark was even more fun with Eddie, running from him with shrieks of laughter when he was found, or hunkering down with him with giddy smiles in a tucked away spot when they played Sardines, shushing each other to keep the other campers from finding them and joining them.

Read the rest on AO3

[yournowheregirl]

just as you are by yournowheregirl

pairing: steddie rating: explicit word count: 3.8k

summary:

“What are you looking at, Steve?” Eddie says with a loud sigh. Maybe if he acts annoyed, Steve will get the hint and leave him alone.

“You.”

Jesus Christ, what kind of answer is that?

“Didn’t know I suddenly became a zoo animal.” Eddie snorts.

“You’re not.” Steve says. “It’s just… something’s off about you and I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong.”

OR: Finals week is trying to kill Eddie, Steve is there to help him through it (in more ways than one)

read on ao3

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Fanart of dragon Eddie from my fanfic Hic sunt dracones taking a well-deserved nap in the castle library. Steve lovingly tucked him in, I know it.

Thank you so much for this gorgeous work of art, @sourw0lfs, I adore him!!!

[vankaar]

Eddie twirled on himself to face Steve, throwing his arms around in anger.

"You're telling me that I cannot use my metal songs because you thought that the undead are pretty metal and that filtered in this shared reality and made them impervious to my fucking music??”

Steve shrugs a shoulder a little bashfully, not an easy feat while wearing full plate armor. It's not his fault Eddie pulled him into his weird fantasy mindscape. Steve likes to find the sunny side so he's kinda happy he's not strolling around half-naked anymore. The fur panties hitched like a bitch and he's really glad they were gone.

Eddie stomps around letting out frustration “Shit! Undead that are resistant to heavy metal.. Shit.”

Ok. Steve was man enough to admit that Eddie making him strong enough to bash in Vecna's face by playing that fast Dio's song was impressive.

But he's such a drama queen!

It wouldn't kill him to use something that's not metal, if that means getting out of this with all their organs still where they belong.

“Maybe you could..”

“No, nope! nonono don't say it! I know what you're gonna say, but just–don't. Don't say it.” He groaned with a hand on his face, eyes screwed shut.

Steve shook his head. Dramatic bitch.

The horde of undead was getting near, their moans and the crack of their rotten bones sickening in the silence of the night.

Steve sighed again unsheathed his morning star and started hitting the first undead in range with methodical efficiency.

Swing. Crunch. Rinse and repeat.

“umh.. Eddie? When you're ready– you know, some help would be nice,” he called out while bashing in a skeleton skull.

Eddie let out some more profanities and with a last scream of anger took up his guitar with a grimace. He started playing the first bar of a song, his expression as if in pain.

Steve looked at him with a startled laugh, eyes wide. He knew that song!

“Not. A. Word.” Threatened Eddie with a snarl.

As usual the rithmics, choirs, and all the parts of the song that Eddie wasn't performing got taken up by some local fauna, that seemed to pop out of thin air, with their tiny music instruments perfectly in tune.

It would look like Eddie were in a goddamn Disney movie if it weren't for the drums line being played by their enemies remains, using a couple of femoris as drumsticks.

That would count as metal, right?

Eddie started to sing.

“Sittin' here eatin' my heart out waitin'

Waitin' for some lover to call,

Dialed about a thousand numbers lately

Almost rang the phone off the wall”

Eddie was giving all of himself to the performance, like the pro he was, even if it wasn't his kind of music. Steve loved him a little more as he observed him shimmying his hips to the rhythm, hair swishing around.

It was stifling under the fucking armor.

“Lookin' for some hot stuff, baby, this evenin'

I need some hot stuff, baby, tonight

I want some hot stuff, baby, this evenin'”

The air in front of the undead started to shimmer and warble like the heat haze causing mirages, rising up from the asphalt in the hottest days of summer.

“Gotta have some hot stuff, gotta have some love tonight”

The scene was so surreal that Steve almost got beheaded by a skeleton as the choir made by three rabbit, a badger and a fox sang “Hot stuff” doing the silliest little dance.

He was a little bummed he couldn't give all his attention to his bard only because there were sword-brandishing zombies trying to cut off his limbs.

A pity, truly.

“I need hot stuff

I want some hot stuff

I need hot stuff”

With a thrust of his hips Eddie sent a small magic ball of fire from his guitar. The rippling air around them got lit with a deafening whoosh.

Flames roared high, licking the top of a nearby group of trees. One of his strings started glowing red, a clear indicator of an active spell.

“Wuoah! warn a man, would ya?” yelled Steve shielding his face from the scorching heat. If his eyebrows got singed they were going to have words.

A circular wall of fire sat between them and the horde of undead now. A half dozen of them didn't stop in time and walked right in, exploding in a pouf of sparks and ash. The others took some steps back from the heat and stayed there, looking at them with dead eyes. Swaying slowly. Waiting

“That's a cool trick," stated Steve with a smile while pointing at the barrier with his chin. "..but when the pyrotechnics are gonna fade we're still screwed.”

He felt a little guilty pointing out the obvious, Eddie was doing his best.

“Damn, I was hoping they would be more stupid,” said Eddie, drying some sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his blouse.

“We need a way to make them walk into the fire,” thought Steve, out loud.

Eddie tapped his lip, a mischievous smile slowly spreading on his lips. Steve wanted to grab him and taste that smile so much.

“How do ya feel about being a honeypot, big boy?” winked the metalhead twirling on himself to stop in playing position in front of Steve. Very close.

“Huh?” replied Steve unintelligently. His brain got this bug and it blue screened every time Eddie got so close he could smell him.

Eddie started directly from the chorus this time.

“If you want my body and you think I'm sexy

Come on sugar, let me know, ooh

If you really need me, just reach out and touch me

Come on, honey, tell me so, ooh”

He sang circling the other as he played and making the most over the top, silly, sexy faces.

A pink wave of glittery magic followed in his wake, surrounding Steve. The horde started to make sounds and swayed in Steve’s direction as one organism, getting near the thundering flames.

“He's actin' shy, lookin' for an answer

Come on, honey, let's spend the night together”

Eddie sang wiggling his eyebrow suggestively at Steve who answered with his bitchiest eye roll but was secretly impressed: Two of the guitar chords were glowing now, Eddie was keeping up two spells simultaneously. Not bad for someone that learned how that shit worked just that morning.

As the song continues the undead start to walk into the fire, going up in a popping series of blazers, sounding like popcorn and going out like insects fried in those bug zapper people use during summer’s nights.

Steve was glowing pink instead of violet like those lights but the concept was disturbingly similar.

When the last of the undead was gone, Eddie let out a deep exhale, his guitar stopped glowing, and everything went suddenly darker because the flames went out in a zap of red magic.

Eddie fell on his knees, propped up on his guitar, hair falling into his face. He was clearly exhausted.

Steve knelt beside him putting a hand on his shoulder

“You ok?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, yeah, give me a second. That was intense,” breathed out Eddie.

“Ok”

Steve pulled the other's bangs out of his eyes, tucking the longer strands behind Eddie's ear.

Big round eyes were looking at him with the expression of a deer caught in the headlights and Steve couldn't help himself.

“So… hot stuff, do ya think I’m sexy?” he said using an exaggeration of his most suave King Steve voice.

Eddie’s eyes narrowed and he slapped him repeatedly on the arm in a fashion eerily similar to Robin when Steve was being annoying on purpose.

Steve chuckled.

“You!!! You're on thin ice man– fucking thin ice!- he yelled, his pointer finger up menacingly like an angry teacher.

Steve saw Eddie fight the smile tugging at his lips and counted that as a win.

One day he's going to be braver and kiss this silly brilliant man.

[libraryofgage]

I know it's not the WIP Wednesday yet, but it is my birthday, so I'm gonna share the complete first chapter of Modern Steve in 80s Hawkins for your reading pleasure lmao:

"Now, Steve, you know we support you. Your father and I didn't bat an eye when you came out, and we look forward to meeting whichever nice young boy or girl you bring home. But, dear, violence is never the answer."

The words go in one ear and right out the other as Steve watches buildings rush by outside the window. He’d slip on the headphones around his neck, but Steve knows he at least owes his parents the courtesy of naked ears after they bailed him out. Really, he just wants to take a shower and change into clean clothes after spending a night in jail surrounded by equally sweaty and beat up parade-goers. Don’t get him wrong; the people were great, but the smell was atrocious. He lets his head fall against the window, eyes shutting as he breathes through a bruised rib, split lip, and swollen eye. 

"Steve, are you listening to your mother?"

"Yeah, violence bad," he mumbles, just loud enough to be heard in the otherwise silent car. At this point, he’d even prefer the stadium country that usually plays when his dad drives. 

He wishes he were back in the jail cell, swapping stories with the others who got arrested for fighting homophobic protestors, who started it, by the way. He knows his parents are disappointed in him for fighting (and, even worse, getting caught and potentially causing An Incident for them), but he felt genuinely happy sitting on the concerningly sticky floor in that cell. Even if he could go back to yesterday, he wouldn't change a damn thing after seeing three poor kids surrounded by people shouting the most vile things. 

They had looked terrified, tears crowding in their eyes as they clutched at each other, and Steve had seen red. It was a fucking pride parade, a place where kids should feel comfortable being themselves and seeing themselves in the smiling, laughing faces of strangers whose mere existence proves they’re not alone and they’ll survive. But they were being harassed by people with nothing better to do than let hate shrivel their hearts.

Steve, thankfully, hadn’t been the only one who’d seen red. He’d locked eyes with someone who had top surgery scars and a sash across their chest that read “Queer” in sparkling, rainbow letters. Next to them was a shorter woman with close-cropped hair and a flannel shirt (how she wasn’t dying in the heat, Steve will never know) with a white t-shirt underneath that had “Resting Butch Face" emblazoned across the front. The three of them had shared a nod and marched over to the kids.

He later learned that the person wearing the sash was named Daze (“They/them pronouns, unless it’s comedically appropriate to use something else,” they’d said in the jail cell, winking playfully at Steve). The butch went by Mar; she’d excitedly told Steve in the jail cell how her girlfriend would bust her out only to laugh her ass off when said girlfriend was shoved in by two cops not a second later.

What had followed the nod was Mar and Steve standing in front of the kids, creating an unmoving shield while Daze quickly gathered them close. They smiled at the three, quietly complimenting one’s rainbow hair ribbon while Steve tried to be the voice of reason (he shouldn’t have bothered, but he’s still got a little optimism inside).

The first punch was thrown by the ringleader of the protestors after Mar not-so-subtly implied that maybe he’d rather be partying with them and getting his tongue down some cute twink’s throat instead of holding signs and shouting. She’d taken the punch like a champ, and Steve’s grin mirrored hers when the wonderful, incredible term “self-defense” suddenly became applicable. 

Daze had gotten the kids out of there, keeping them calm even as more people joined in the fight, turning the little skirmish into an all out brawl. It had lasted five glorious minutes before cops finally broke it up, forcing protestors and pride-goers into cars together in zip ties. They had realized that was a bad idea when a drag queen headbutted a protestor for what he called her.

After a night in jail, bonding with his cellmates and writing down numbers with some femme’s spare lipstick on the back of a flier from an AT&T booth, his parents had arrived to bail him out. Steve had taken one look at them, at their business clothes and designer watches and worried, beyond confused expressions, and almost said he’d rather just stay behind bars for now. 

Instead, he convinced his parents to post bail for a few of his new friends, waved off their gratitude (they’d been through battle together, after all), and followed his parents out to the car after a few hugs and promises to make a group chat so they could hang out later. 

“You’re just lucky no charges were filed,” his father says, pulling Steve from his thoughts. 

He sighs, slumping down in his seat. A few seconds pass before Steve admits, “I’d do it again.” It’s the truth; he wouldn’t fucking hesitate to throw himself into the fray again. He doesn’t even know those kids’ names, but he knows they deserve more than being afraid of who they are and the monsters that masquerade in human skin around them. 

His parents glance at each other, a thousand words spoken in the brief moment of eye contact. “Steve, are you…okay?” his mother asks, her words hesitant. “I mean, you can tell us anything, dear, and we’ll do anything to make you feel better.”

Steve bites his tongue, refusing to ask how they’d manage that when they’re barely fucking home in the first place. They have a whole multi-million dollar company to run, so he gets it. They have to travel a lot, and they used to bring him along until just dropping him in Indianapolis sophomore year of high school (right after coming out to them, which he understood but was still hurt by) to have a “more grounded high school experience." Somehow worst of all, they try to make up for it with extravagant gifts and awkward conversations about whether he’s still gay or if he’s decided to be straight for the day.

They’ve yet to fully understand the concept of bisexuality, but this is far better than being kicked out of his home.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Steve says. Because he is. He’s just…tired. 

He’s tired of feeling alone in Indianapolis despite being surrounded by people. He had tried making friends, but everyone is so fucking awkward in 10th grade anyway, and the best Steve could do was embrace the “new rich kid” persona people created for him. He’d soon gained the nickname King Steve, which had only worked to make him feel like he’d somehow done something wrong in living up to their expectations. The closest he’s gotten to feeling like himself, to feeling accepted and embraced, was in that fucking jail cell.

Even worse, Steve is tired of this ache that tugs at the base of his spine and the pit of his heart like he’d find something that’s missing if only he’d just follow the pull. 

He doesn’t know how to explain any of that, though, so Steve just sighs again and says, “Maybe…maybe I could do with some down time. Like, a gap year before college or something. I think I just need some time to figure myself out a little more and decide what I want to do with my life before jumping right back into school. Does…does that make sense?”

“Yeah, Steve, it makes a lot of sense,” his father says, flashing him a tiny smile through the rearview mirror. “So, where do you want to go? Hawaii? Miami? Venice is nice this time of year.”

Steve can’t help a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Nah, nothing like that. I think small town vibes are more what I’m going for here.”

His father just hums quietly, sharing another one of those looks with Steve’s mom. He misses this one, but he’d probably be suspicious of them if he hadn’t. He would have known immediately that they were about to do something absolutely ridiculous but well-meaning but so clearly telling of their ignorance when it comes to how people who aren’t wealthy approach problems.

But he doesn’t see, so he doesn’t know.

And when he looks back on this moment a few months later, after the absolute ride of his fucking life, Steve will think it’s a good thing he didn’t notice. If he had, he’d have said something, and then he’d have missed out on all the fun.

[inklessletter]

It's a love story (baby just say yes) Chapter 4

Read it on AO3

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Breaking down was only a few hours away, when Eddie suggested that it was time to come back home. The strained smile that Steve granted him was hint enough for Eddie to guess that he wasn’t willing to. It wasn’t strange, though, since Steve spent Christmas’ Eve with the Hendersons and his house was currently empty.

No one should come back to an empty house on Christmas day.

Eddie’s voice came out soft and vulnerable when he, mindlessly, invited Steve to spend the remaining of the night with him. If Eddie ever wondered whether it was possible or not to feel both miserable and utterly happy, after Steve’s honest, grateful smile as a response to his invitation he had no doubt at all. He felt like crying, and kissing him, and leaving, and never letting him go.

In silence, they went back to Eddie’s, trying not to laugh when they came into the house (because for some goddamn reason whenever they had to keep it quiet, they usually bursted into an uncontrollable giggling) when they stumbled into Eddie’s room and prepared a makeshift bed for Steve, next to Eddie’s.

There was so much happening inside Eddie’s soul at that moment, looking at the ceiling, with Steve in the same room. There was so much to unpack, so much to explain, and so little time, and all he could do at the moment was curse himself because he was exhausted and he was starting to drift away. But Steve’s presence was so grounding, so unforgiving, that Eddie thought for a moment that he was really dreaming when, in the middle of the night, Steve climbed to Eddie’s bed, and slithered in next to him. 

Eddie turned to look at him, and he could only make out Steve's silhouette under the dim street light outside, behind the not so opaque blinds. 

“Is this okay?” Steve asked softly, almost pleading.

Eddie could only move to his right to make more room for him, nodding.

Steve settled himself under the blankets, facing Eddie.

“You are still freezing,” Eddie whispered, touching Steve’s hand softly with his little finger.

“I’m sorry,” Steve smiled. “I’ll warm up in a minute.”

Eddie considered for half a second what he was going to say, but a voice at the back of his head reminded him that he was past taking rational decisions at that point, so he just opened his arms. “C’mon, come here.”

Steve did not think twice before coming closer, and molding his body into Eddie’s open spaces. Eddie’s skin reacted immediately when he felt Steve’s breath against the soft spots of his collarbone. Steve hummed when Eddie’s fingers went straight to his hair, almost instinctively. And Eddie was so far gone at that point, he didn’t even care about Steve hearing the loud hammering inside his chest anymore. He just exhaled a shaky breath and brought Steve even closer.

After a few minutes, he felt Steve relaxing into his touch, breathing deeply. He did not stop playing with his hair at any moment. He thought he was fully asleep, when Steve spoke again, softly, dragging the sounds, most definitely almost gone.

“You make me feel like it.”

“Like what?”

Steve adjusted himself a bit.

“Like I’m enough.”

Eddie didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

He was so mad. He was fucking furious with Steve’s parents, who’d been leaving him alone in birthdays and Christmases for more than half of his life. He wished he was in front of them right now to tell them how the fuck could they neglect such a kind soul until he turned into someone so afraid of rejection he learnt to push first. He was so mad at them, so mad at anyone who’d been unwillingly contributing to Steve’s self loathing until he could only feel enough when he was shown the bare minimum of affection. 

Steve should know how caring, loving, brave, fun he was. Steve should be aware of the difference between being loved and being needed. Steve should absolutely not be feeling that he needed to sacrifice himself in every way like he was disposable, replaceable, to get love in return. He should not have learned that pain and love are inseparable.

He should have not. 

He should just know—

Eddie eventually fell into a restless, anxious sleep when the sun was rising. 

He woke up a couple of hours later at Steve moving, even the slightest.

Eddie took a deep breath and turned to look at Steve, who was as well waking up.

Through sleepy eyes, they locked gazes. They blinked at each other, and Eddie could feel, rather than see, the soft smile forming in Steve’s lips.

“Hey,” Eddie said.

“Hey,” Steve replied, grinning widely.

Eddie huffed a laugh, watching Steve struggle to keep his eyes open, especially when he resumed caressing his messy hair.

“I’m having a deja vu,” Eddie mumbled, remembering the morning after the party in Chicago a few weeks ago. Steve groaned.

“I’m sorry about that. I was cold, and you’re so warm all the time, and I think I was a little bit drunk, not gonna lie,” Steve said, eyes closed, apologetically.

“You were definitely drunk, you got to that party and went wild.”

If Eddie’s teasing tone showed the huge amount of jealousy and hurt he felt that night, Steve didn’t seem to notice. Yet he opened his eyes and sighed, softening his smile.

“I did, didn’t I?” Steve mumbled. “It’s just—when we got there, nobody—man, nobody knew me. No expectations, no babysitter, no reputation. I felt so free. I was just—just no one,” Steve whispered, locking his gaze with Eddie, again. “I could be anyone. I could be me.”

And Eddie smiled, because what else was he supposed to do? Not feeling glad his best friend actually felt good in his own skin for one night? 

“That’s good, Stevie.”

“Even if I ended up sneaking in your bed while you were sleeping in it?” Steve asked, biting his bottom lip, biting an impish smile.

Eddie rolled his eyes and smiled back, brighter than the sun.

“Even if you woke up so confused and I had to explain to you that it wasn’t me who, in fact, sneaked into your bed,” Eddie replied. 

Steve propped himself up over his elbows, looking at Eddie from above, dangerously close to him.

“I already apologized for that,” he said.

“I already told you that it was okay,” Eddie replied, almost a whisper.

God fucking shit, it was too early, and he was too sleepy to control his reaction to that sudden closeness. Eddie’s eyes landed on Steve’s lips, the same way Steve’s hand removed a string of wild hair from Eddie’s face, stroking his reddening cheek with the back of his fingers: unconsciously.

Eddie’s breathing revved up as he learnt that as much as he rationally needed to stop that right now, he didn’t have it in himself to deprive his body, his lips, of kissing that boy, delivering all the love caged inside that was meant only for Steve. Eddie was such a selfish bastard, and he would willingly deal with the consequences after giving in to his weakness, even if that meant hating himself for ages. At that moment, with Steve slowly leaning in, noses brushing, sharing body heat, lips separated, preparing themselves to fit into Eddie’s as if they belonged there, Eddie felt that hating himself for all eternity in exchange of kissing Steve just once was a fair price to pay.

Their lips never got to meet.

The universe spoke first.

A soft knock on Eddie’s bedroom door, and the voice of Wayne behind it gave them only two seconds to separate from each other before he came in. He looked at the boys, staring back at him, like two deer under headlights, cheeks bright red, before he muttered an apology and closed the door.

It felt like a jar of freezing water tossed to Eddie’s face. He took a deep breath, and dared to look at Steve, who was covering his mouth, holding his breath.

“Eddie—”

“I think you should go,” Eddie chimed in. His voice was strained, shaky.

Steve looked at him, fully lost. After a few seconds, Eddie saw him swallowing around nothing and nodded. He looked at the watch on his wrist.

“Yeah—Yeah, it’s late, anyways. I should have been at the Hendersons about an hour ago, Dustin’s gonna be pissed.”

Steve busied himself, putting on his jeans, jumping into his sneakers. Eddie could do no more than sit on his bed, not saying anything. Just a couple of minutes after, Steve was ready to go, and before he opened the door to leave, he turned to Eddie, hand in the door knob.

“Eddie?”

Eddie looked at him from the bed, dead in the eye, trying to keep his expression neutral, but his raging insides must have slipped through the cracks that he wanted to cry his heart out.

Steve looked at him for a couple of seconds, and then at the room, then back at him. He smiled briefly.

“Thanks for last night.”

That was not what Steve was going to say.

Eddie knew it.

He knew it because even after Steve left, the feeling of the deja vu lingered on his skin, like an echo of a moment that felt a lifetime ago.

***

After Steve left Eddie’s house, Wayne came in to check on his nephew. He didn’t even get to ask Eddie about what he just walked into when Eddie blurted out that he had decided to leave Hawkins, too. 

Even if Wayne tried to talk about it, Eddie did not leave room for questioning it. He just said that it was for the best, that he was right and Eddie had no future in Hawkins.

And Eddie knew it was true. He could not thrive in Hawkins because even if he had friends there, he had no chance of this godforsaken town moving on and letting him exist in peace. And as much as it was hurtful to acknowledge, as much as his friends told him that it was okay, being friends with them was a burden to them.

Steve could not spend his life bickering with the whole town to defend his honor. The kids could not spend the whole highschool associated with him because they had been bullied enough. 

He refused to stain his friends’ reputation in the town in which they were born just because they were friends.

It was not fair that they had to leave, to become anonymous to be someone.

Even more when none of his Hawkins friends were ready to leave.

So what good could it make to tell his uncle that he was painfully, desperately in love with Steve Harrington? What was the point of telling him that he had been a kiss away to change his mind and stay?

He was glad that Wayne interrupted them, he was glad that none of the butterflies got to revive in his insides. He was glad that the love stayed inside his body, even if it slipped through the cracks.

So when Wayne understood that Eddie had made up his mind, he told him that they were leaving January 3rd. 

***

Eddie knew he needed to talk to his friends, he just had not figured out how. He busied himself the following days packing up, and deliberately making himself unavailable, skipping every call from his friends.

Eddie was cooking dinner, absolutely not thinking about how his bed sheets still smelled like Steve when the telephone rang and foolishly, unfaithful to his very own strategy, picked up absentmindedly.

“Hello?”

“You absolute dweeb, I’ve been trying to reach out for days.”

“Robin—”

“You don’t fucking leave your house, I’m on my way. I’ll be there in two minutes.”

“Robin what the—”

She had already hung up.

Eddie had exactly two minutes, as she said to think what he was going to say. There was no point in postponing what was going to happen, and it was no point in not opening the door when she banged at the singsong of “you better open the door, Munson.” 

So he did.

Robin stormed in as soon as she came in.

“Well, first of all, Merry fucking Christmas, you asshole. I tried to call you to tell you that in actual time but you were conveniently busy.”

“I’m sorry, Merry Ch—”

“Cut that crap, Eddie,” she came into the kitchen, following the smell of chicken soup, crossing her arms at Eddie. “Tell me how on Earth you haven’t called Steve yet, I’m dying to know.”

Eddie swallowed around nothing. 

“Did he tell you what happened?” Eddie’s voice came out strained, pained.

“Oh, you bet he did,” Robin stepped forward, leaning into Eddie’s space, with a frown. She lowered her voice, in case Wayne was around. “How did you two dinguses end up in the same bed, almost kissing and then you decide to fall from the face of Earth, Eddie? I thought you loved him.”

Robin wasn’t scolding him, Eddie could tell. She wasn’t angry, she was worried. He could only imagine if she had reacted this way how Steve must be going through this.

Eddie didn’t answer right away, he could only look at the floor.

“Robin, I’m leaving.”

There was a charged silence. Robin did not say anything, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m going to Maine. My uncle and I, both are. There’s, um—I have a job there. At a workshop. Wayne’s got a friend that’s lending us a helping hand, but other than that, no one knows us there. A fresh start, y’know.”

Only when he spilled that out, he dared to look at her. Her mouth was hanging half open, her brows furrowed and her expression, overall, was sad. It took her a few seconds to draw the least convincing smile on her face.

“That’s great news Eddie, oh god.”

She hugged him, at first hesitantly, but after a couple of seconds, Eddie hugged her back. Tight.

He didn’t expect to tell her like this, in a kitchen that smelled like soup.

He didn’t plan that he couldn’t hold back his tears when he was in her arms as much as he wanted to.

“I don’t know how to tell anyone. I can’t—fuck, I can’t do it. I can’t. I can’t, Robin. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.”

“Eddie…”

“No, Robin, I—I don’t know how. I need to leave, but I don’t want to say goodbye. Not to them. Not to him.”

Robin undid the hug and cupped his face, wiping his tears. He was trying to control his breathing. 

“But you need to tell him. You can’t go without telling them. They need to know. Eddie—he has the right to know.”

“Jesus—Jesus, fuck.”

Robin wiped his face a little more.

“Look, there’s a party at the Wheelers. We are all meeting in the basement after dinner on New Years’ Eve, to welcome the new year all together,” she said, with a smile. “You have to be there. I came here to invite you, well—to scold you a little bit, too, since you suddenly disappeared all week, but—Eddie, you need to come, to spend a night with all of us, and tell everyone.”

Eddie took a deep breath.

“You need to tell him, Eddie. Not only that you’re leaving.”

Eddie closed his eyes, like that sentence punched him in the guts. Two thick tears rolled down, and then again, Robin wiped them out.

“I can’t, Robin. I can’t tell him that and bail.”

“But Eddie—”

“Robin,” he cut her. “There is no use in telling him that I love him and then leaving him. There’s no point, it will only—make it worse. For both of us. It’s—it’s better that he doesn’t know. We almost kissed, but that was it. He has—” Eddie’s breathing failed him, and he had to swallow several times to finish that sentence, that came out as broken as he felt. “He still has a chance of being happy here, but not with me. He will forget me soon enough. He’ll start dating in no time. It’s for the better.”

He tried to smile, to make it light. It didn’t feel like that at all. Robin’s eyes were glassy and her lip was trembling.

“You don’t know that,” she managed to say before two tears rolled down her face. 

They hugged again and they both worked on their own breathing. When they broke contact, they were a little bit calmer, but still with their feelings still lingering in their skins.

“When are you leaving?” Robin asked.

“On January 3rd.”

“Fuck, that’s in five days.”

“Yeah.”

Robin punched him in the arm. Hard.

“Ouch? What was that for?”

“You’re leaving in less than a week and you still didn’t tell anyone,” she said, plainly. “You’ll be meeting us at the Wheelers at ten, do you hear me?”

“Robin, I don’t know—”

“Tell them there.”

“Robin, I can’t.”

“I’ll be with you. I’ll hold your hand if you want to, but, babe—”

She was pleading. 

He could not say no to that face.

“Okay.”

Robin hugged him a third time, but she kept it brief this time. She walked to the door.

“At ten, Munson. If you’re not there by five past ten, I’ll swear to you I’ll drive here—”

“You don’t have a license.”

“—and I’ll drag your fucking gay ass there, alright?”

Eddie, for the first time in days, laughed.

“Yeah, alright.”

Robin smiled at him once more and left, without saying goodbye.

***

December 31st came faster than Eddie wanted to. He knocked on the front door of the Wheelers at ten to ten. He was not ready at all.

Karen opened the door, and he politely talked to her for a bit, and said hello to Holly, who, shy as she could be, hid after her mom. She guided him to the basement. He could hear the loud, funny voices of the party before he went down.

They were all there. They greeted him cheerfully when he arrived.

Steve was there, too, talking to Jonathan, with a drink in his hand.

He was fucking stunning.

Eddie’s mouth went dry when their gazes met across the room.

Steve smiled and waved, almost shy.

Eddie mouthed “hi”, and smiled back. Even if his body was buzzing with love with nowhere to go, even if just being there was painful enough to knock him down for days as it had, he could just not look at Steve and not smile at him.

Never.

They had no chance of being alone, though. Too many kids, too many sugary drinks, too many distractions. They played some board games (Dustin and Mike bickering hard, as usual), they played some music and danced a bit, they talked to each other, catching up. 

And in between all that, Eddie and Steve had time to steal glances from each other. It felt a lot like flirting, even if they didn’t get the chance to talk at all.

When Steve bit his lip and looked away, Eddie’s eyes went to Robin, who was staring at the whole interaction. Eddie saw her force a smile, nod at him.

Eddie took a deep breath, and decided to jump.

“Hey, guys—” Eddie started to say.

“Hold on, the countdown it’s about to begin!”

Everyone fuzzed around and suddenly there was no air in the room for Eddie to breathe. Dustin propped himself up in a chair and with his very much synchronized watch, he started the first counting, and then everyone else started shouting with him.

“Ten! Nine…!”

“I can’t—” Eddie muttered, and sorted the kids.

“Eddie, where are you—?” Robin started to ask.

“Bathroom,” he cut her down.

“...seven, six…!”

Eddie exited the basement and trotted to the bathroom through the dark hallway. He could still hear the kids screaming the countdown.

“...four, three…”

As soon as he opened the bathroom door, he felt a hand grabbing his wrist, and pulling him inside the bathroom, shutting the door after him, locking them both inside.

It was Steve.

This can’t happen.

He looked bewildered, his eyes roaming through Eddie’s face, looking for god knows what, but he seemed to find it in his lips.

Steve’s gaze held a question.

Don’t you dare.

There was yelling and cheering from the basement.

“Happy New Year,” Steve said, stepping into Eddie’s space.

Stop him, you fucking idiot.

“Happy New Year,” Eddie replied, breathy, softly, hands instinctively finding Steve’s hair, as if they belonged there.

You fucking, selfish cunt. You deserve to hate yourself the rest of your life for this.

Steve’s lips met Eddie’s for the first time in the Wheeler’s bathroom. And at first, it was barely a soft stroke, unhurried, unashamed. But then, Steve licked the slightest into Eddie’s mouth, and pulled him impossibly closer. Eddie invited him in, and the kiss deepened, and Eddie swore the time stopped.

There was no declaration of love.

They were in a random bathroom.

There was a perfectly good excuse for them to be kissing.

They were welcoming the New Year, as it should be.

There was a gaggle of kids yelling a few feet below.

Eddie was announcing later that he was leaving.

Everything was far from perfect.

But that kiss, though—that kiss was a spell, butterflies resurrecting, a leaking door of his raging jail for love. That kiss was fate changing.

---

@mentallyundone

[fastcardotmp3]

there's blood in my ears (and a fool in the mirror): a writing playlist

✨read the fic✨

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[matchingbatbites]

Part 1

Steve visits Eddie often. He loves being around the other man, loves how kind Eddie is, how funny he is for someone who rules the dead. He seems to love making Steve laugh and is always cracking jokes that send the goddess into giggles.

Honestly, Steve spends more time than he should in the Underworld, but Eddie has so many duties to tend to, it makes more sense for Steve to come to him than the other way around.

It’s nearly a year since he met Eddie that his joy is brought to an end. Steve is summoned to Olympus, is told that his visits are sending the world into chaos.

He didn’t know that traveling to the Underworld would cut the human world off from his magic, that the plants that bloomed with his presence would die off when the connection is severed.

Zeus bans him from visiting Hades, and Steve ignores the smug look on Ares’ face, the pitying looks from Hera and Aphrodite. Not all of the gods are here to witness his humiliation, but there are enough to make him flush with shame, to have him leaving as soon as he's able to.

Aphrodite catches him before he gets too far, her hair and robes both immaculate even as tears stream down her face. “Ares told them where you were going. I tried to stop him, but he’s… bitter. Jealous.”

She takes his hand, holds it between her own. “I can tell that your feelings are true, and that Hades feels the same for you. I wish I could help you, Persephone. You both deserve happiness.”

And like a stroke of lightning, Steve knows what must be done.

He thanks her and leaves Olympus, finds the nearest gate and descends into the Underworld. Cerberus is given three loving pets as Steve passes by, heading to the garden behind Eddie’s home.

The plants have been thriving thanks to Steve’s frequent visits, the flowers are in full bloom and the plants that can fruit are full and heavy with produce. He plucks a pomegranate from its branch, and stares at it as he remembers.

The goddess had found Eddie eating one on his third or fourth visit, and the older had stopped him when he’d gone to grab a few of the seeds for himself.

“You can’t eat anything grown in this realm. You’ll be stuck here if you do.”

Eddie had looked almost sad as he’d said it, and Steve had tipped his head to the side.

“Are you saying you don’t want me around?”

“No! I mean, I would-” Eddie stopped himself, took a breath. “You don’t belong down here. This place is far too dark, too bleak. It doesn’t deserve you.”

And Steve could read between the lines, could hear what Eddie wasn’t saying. He had ignored it at the time, let Eddie be right, but now? Now Steve knows that Eddie is the only one who deserves him.

Call him selfish, but no one has ever treated Steve the way Eddie does, has cared for him so, and he wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days in the Underworld, side by side with the man he loves.

He tears open the pomegranate as a voice comes from the house.

“Steve? I didn’t realize you were here.”

Steve turns to face him, and Eddie’s eyes drop to Steve’s hands, dripping with red as he holds the fruit in his hands. His face pales and his eyes jump back to Steve’s.

“What are you doing?” he asks, taking a cautious step forward.

“Do you love me?” Steve asks in return. Just seeing Eddie has firmed his decision, and he stands, unwavering as he watches the other man pause at the question.

“I do. More than anything.” Eddie seems nervous, but his voice is steady, and Steve knows he's telling the truth.

“If I asked it, would you let me stay? Let me stand by your side for the rest of time itself?”

Eddie steps closer, now in arms reach. “I would. I would not turn you away, even if it meant my life.”

Steve’s eyes don’t waver from Eddie’s as he scrapes a handful of seeds from the fruit and shoves them in his mouth.

The juice is tart at first, but is followed by a delicious sweetness, something that reminds Steve of Eddie himself, and as he swallows, Steve can feel the shift within him.

Hands grab his face and the fruit falls to the ground as Steve grabs Eddie in return, both meeting in a desperate kiss. Magic flows between them, invisible threads tying them together in a bond so concrete, even the Fates themselves could not cut them.

They pull back after a moment, and Steve’s eyes drop to the red smear across Eddie’s mouth, something that is surely mirrored across his own.

“My wonderful little goddess,” Eddie mutters, awestruck as he places another kiss to Steve’s lips, more tender than the last.

“You're stuck with me now,” the goddess responds, sending them both into giggles, and yeah. It feels good to be selfish.

(Later, Steve will cut a deal with the rest of the gods. He will come back for half a year at a time and tend to his duties, leaving his beloved twin Demeter in charge while he’s gone, in exchange for Zeus’ blessing to have children. Zeus will have no choice but to agree.)

-

Tagging @stardustonpages because they respectfully asked for more <3

[spoiledleaff]

there is love in your body (and you can’t hold it in).

Stranger Things | Steve Harrington + Eddie Munson | 9.3K Words | spoiledleaff on AO3

Explicit | T4T FTM Steddie | Menophilia + Menstrual Sex | Oral Sex (Cunnilingus) | Vampire Eddie Munson | Service Top Eddie + Bottom Steve | Safe, Sane, and Consensual

“Listen,” Eddie leaned back from his comfortable position, intent on looking Steve in the eye as they continued this conversation. “I think I know a way to help.”

Steve opened an eye to peer at Eddie, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion but his blood rushed with interest. The baby blue and white sheets below them rustled softly as Steve adjusted himself to lean on one elbow, mimicking Eddie’s own position. “I’m listening.”

Eddie huffed a laugh, adjusting himself so he was situated on his elbows, gently peering at his partner with a mischievous glint in his eyes that Steve knew all too well. Still, he was interested.

“Orgasms help with period cramps.”

Read the rest over on AO3!

♬♪♬ “Hardest of Hearts” — Florence + The Machine ♬♪♬

( this work is unbeta’d. any mistakes are my own, and i hope that they did not take away from your reading experience. thank you so much for reading ♡ )

[sweetcreaturetm]

Steddie to the tune of Maple Syrup by the Backseat Lovers

~~~I still have your picture on the wall

I still have the nightmares

Where I would have to call you to calm down

I still think about you all the time

When I step out of the shower I'm reminded of the night

When we slept in the back of your car

And you left me with a pretty cool scar~~~

It’s 3am and Steve stares at his mirror in the light from his lamp. Well the Polaroid on the mirror to be precise. It’s him and Eddie, arms around each other. Steve in Eddie’s vest and jacket and Eddie in one of Steve’s obnoxiously pastel sweaters. A purple one. He remembers that day they could not stop laughing at Nancy in Robins clothes. Why they decided to swap clothes with their other halves he can’t remember. But he laughs at the memory anyway.

It had been almost 2 years since made it in time to pick Eddie up beaten and bloodied and carry him on his back. About a year and a half since he and Eddie started calling each other to help with the nightmares. Over a year since they became inseparable. And one month and 3 days since they… well.. separated.

Then he remembers the sadness. He feels tears start to build up in his eyes. He remembers why he’s even awake at this ungodly hour. The nightmare. Is it still a nightmare when it’s heartbreak and not fear? He thinks so. It’s always about Eddie now. They used to be about a variety of the traumas he’d been through; the monster that started this, Billy, the Russians, and especially Vecna, more to the point him stumbling on Eddie’s lifeless body. He used to dream that he didn’t get there in time. Those were the ones he would call Eddie for. The reason they fell in love, their middle of the night phone calls. But now the nightmares are different. He still wakes up crying but for a different reason. He wishes he had never agreed to go to Indy with Robin when he thought Eddie was spending the day with Wayne. Now he dreams of seeing Eddie’s fucking van with Eddie and someone he didn’t know. He can’t stop seeing the stupid fucking van. Seeing Eddie laughing with some asshole in his van. Seeing Eddie’s stupid fucking face drop when he sees Steve seeing him in Indy with someone who was very much not his uncle. Someone with a dumb wife beater shirt on that he’d definitely heard of. Christ he needs to stop. He needs to stop fucking crying.

He presses his hands into his eyes. Hard enough he’s seeing those black and white wavy lines when he opens them again. A shower usually calms him down. Clears his mind. Which is exactly what he needs right now. His parents aren’t home. Haven’t been for months now so he doesn’t have to worry about waking anyone.

He starts it as scorching as he can get it. It’s as close to burning that he can stand it might be a little more than he can stand truthfully. It itches. And he scratches as hard as he can. When he stops the scratch marks throb. He loves the feeling. Then when he gets adjusted he flips the knob to freezing. It shocks his system. He feels a rush like maybe this is hurting him. Like maybe he’s doing damage to his already damaged body.

Once out he reaches for a towel to dry off. He runs it over his skin taking in his various scars. His eyes catch on a particular one on his knee. Who would have thought he would have a favorite scar.

Before he can stop himself he’s plunged into a memory. He and Eddie are giggling to themselves as the load the van with pillows and blankets. They’re smoking and drinking in the woods with the doors open to the cool fall air. Neither of them are scared of the woods anymore. Not with the other by their side at least. They’re laughing about something he’s finding it hard to remember. They kiss and they laugh until they decide to close the doors. He’s crawling up to Eddie back against the seats of the van. He’s trying to be sexy and it seems to be working. If Eddie’s face is anything to go off of. He’s smirking but definitely turned on. Eyes sparkling if a little glassy from the weed. When Steve feels a shooting pain on his knee. Looks down to see a stupid random dnd character with a sword Eddie had painstakingly painted to look covered in blood now covered in the real stuff jammed in his knee. With his weed high IQ of 10 he decides to rip it out causing his skin to rip further. He laughs which of course makes Eddie laugh. The cut was jagged and rough but they just bandaid it and call it good they’ve got more important things to do. The first aid kit was in Steve’s car they were lucky to have even found a bandaid in Eddie’s van anyway.

Back in reality he runs his finger over the scar. Still a little surprised it healed so badly. Maybe if they had actually cared about it that night it could have been helped. But he didn’t care that night and he still didn’t care now. It was a permanent mark that he had been happy. That they had been happy. That they had laughed together and loved each other.

He sighs. The shower had been a waste of fucking time of course. His mind was as full of thoughts as before. It seems these days he can’t stop thinking about everything. Even the old stuff. When he was with Eddie the thoughts about how unlovable he was were gone. They vanished the moment Eddie looked at him and told Steve how he felt about him. He never should have believed him.

He gives up on the day before it even starts. He lays in bed while he waits for a reasonable time in the morning. Then he calls Robin to say he won’t be in at work and hangs up before she can ask him how he is. She knows the answer is bad. The answer is always really fucking bad. He tosses and turns tries to sleep but fights it too. It hurts. It really fucking hurts. Not the scars or his eyes or his most recent scratch marks still red and irritated. But his heart. His chest is filled with pain and he just wants it to stop.

The next day after not hearing from him Robin comes over lets herself in with her key that was supposed to be for emergencies. He guessed maybe it was seeing as he hadn’t eaten or drank anything for a couple days. She knew he was bad but maybe not this bad. He cries when she crawls in bed with him. She says “Steve, this is it. I can’t let you do this anymore. We cry tonight and tomorrow we get up and eat and drink and get better”

“How?” he questions “how do I get better”

“I don’t know but were gonna throw everything we got and see what sticks” she tries for light but he knows she’s serious.

~~~Your purple sweater's sitting in my room

I tried to wear it, but I knew that it would smell like you

I saw you dancing at the show tonight

I stood in the back

And I think that we both know why

And I lied

When I took you on a drive

And I said I'd never speak to her

Wish I would have kept my word~~~

Eddie sits on his bed and he’s sobbing but hasn’t realized it yet. He just got home and ran to his room slamming the door not caring if Wayne was home. He had been dragged out to some place on the outskirts of town that Gareth told him some local Indy bands were gonna be playing at. Something, anything to get him out of his house. But that’s where he saw Steve.

It had been one month and 11 days since he had seen him in Indy. He doesn’t think he will ever get Steve’s face out of his head. At first it had been surprise but when his gaze panned to Eddie’s passenger it turned sour, betrayal and sadness overcoming him. Eddie had frozen. He didn’t know what to do how to explain himself. He wishes he would have kept his word.

His mind jumps to the memory of his promise. The one where he told Steve about Rick his toxic bordering on abusive ex. someone he told Steve he would never see again. Not on purpose for his part. He had only gone to his house when the Chrissy thing happened because he knew Rick was locked up. He told Steve about the disgusting things Rick would say and sometimes do to him and then the gifts he would give Eddie and say he was sorry and it wouldn’t happen again. About Rick’s stupid seashell necklace and eternal wife beater shirt he never took off.

It started when Rick sold some weed to Eddie. The next time Eddie came asking Rick said he could make him a deal if he caught his drift. Eventually they were trading rough almost hateful sex for drugs on the regular but eventually that wasn’t enough for Rick so he had Eddie start his own dealing. Rick had this pull that Eddie couldn’t get out of. He had tried so many times. They would end things but Rick would end up on Eddie’s makeshift porch with some stupid bullshit gift and a sweet nothing and Eddie would be right back where he started. Eddie told Steve how much of a spell Rick had over him how he was scared to face him again because he was like a magnet Eddie couldn’t resist. Much to Wayne’s dislike. Not for his sexuality, which had surprised Eddie a little, but of Rick. Wayne always told Eddie he could do better than that lowlife. Hell he was right he managed to snag himself Steve Fucking Harrington. Before he blew it to shit.

He remembers Steve kissing him and comforting him. Telling Eddie that he would never say anything like that to him and he would never touch him like that in a hurting way. Eddie didn’t think other than monsters or Russians Steve was even built for a bad touch anymore. He knew about his past with Jonathan and Billy to Eddie those were justified but even Steve had said he had regretted it so much.

Shaking himself out of it he realizes he’s been crying for at least a few minutes. He breathes deep and tries to stop. He glances around his room his eyes landing on Steve’s purple sweater. He had been denying himself of wearing it. He didn’t want to lose the Steve smell. The fancy shampoo and Farrah Fawcett hairspray he was still using. The slightly musky cologne Steve wore. The scent was slightly marred by his own tobacco smell after they swapped clothes that day. He smiles a bit at the memory but it doesn’t last. It wasn’t his most Steve smelling item that was the yellow sweater in a box in the top of the closet. So he grants himself permission to touch the purple sweater. After all it’s close enough to grab off his dresser. He holds it in his hands and up to his nose and inhales the sweet musky smell. It’s relieving to smell. He can’t believe there was a time when he didn’t have a limit on smelling Steve he just knew it would be there forever.

He thinks about the Steve he saw at the bar. He was slightly skinnier maybe that was his imagination. Maybe he just knew Steve had been punishing himself again as if he should be the one who needed to be punished. He knew he hadn’t seen Steve’s car at his job when his usual shifts were. He knew he probably wasn’t leaving his house. Even when Eddie did see Steve at his job he didn’t do anything. Say anything. Eddie as always was a fucking coward. He definitely saw his hollower cheekbones and he hates himself for it. He hated himself for hurting Steve. He watched Steve dance with his eyes closed a hint of a smile on his face and a beer in his hand. He looked almost peaceful dancing to the music. Eddie had stayed in the back not wanting to even make Steve aware of his presence. He just watched as the music played. But then the bands changed and Steve opened his eyes. Luckily he didn’t see Eddie. He kept watching as he rolled his head on his neck and stretched a bit. What Eddie didn’t see was Robin. She had seen him walk in immediately. With her and Steve’s bizarre connection she was probably acutely aware of anything that might hurt him. And seeing Eddie would definitely be on that list. She had probably dragged Steve out, bribed him with a drink and some music and probably wasn’t expecting Eddie to walk in it wasn’t his usual crowd for sure.

She cornered him at the back of the bar. “What the fuck are you doing here?” She angrily questions him.

“I didn’t know he would be here. Gareth dragged me out here. I’ve been torturing myself as much as he has I can tell you that” he rebuts.

She scoffs “I highly doubt that. You know him you know how bad he can get? Why drag me into it? 'Distract him this one day, Robin' so I do and how did that work out?”

He sighs and rubs his head “I never wanted to hurt him. I never meant for this. I need to talk to him to explain-“

She cuts him off “you’re not talking to him here or anywhere, coward I do see you drive by every day. Even when he’s there you don’t stop. He sees you too just so you know.”

“You’re right I am a coward does that satisfy you to know that I hate myself?” he’s raising his voice a touch to distract from the wobble in his voice.

She glares at him then sighs, “No Eddie it doesn’t satisfy me. It makes me so fucking sad. I want you to both be happy. Like how things were”

He fakes a laugh “well things aren’t how they used to be now are they?” he raises his hands in question when he sees him again. Steve is staring at them over the crowd. Robins head shoots Steve’s direction.

She looks back to Eddie “if you don’t get your ass out of here I’m going to scream and who you think people will believe? Huh? Me or you?” she looks a little sick after saying it. Like she doesn’t want to but would do anything to protect Steve.

He raises his hands in surrender and looks back to Steve who just looks like his heart is breaking all over again. Eddie backs out and leaves. Like he always does.

In his room smelling Steve’s shirt. He makes a deduction. He’s going to talk to Steve. He’s going to tell him what happened and no matter what he’s not gonna run again.

~~~

Something wakes Steve up the day after he saw Eddie again. His brain was still a little fuzzy. He’d asked Robin to give him a word for word recollection of their conversation. He tries not to flinch when she tells him what she said to make him leave. He proceeded to drink four more beers before Robin cut him off. He was already pretty buzzed when he had seen Eddie anyway. Didn’t even think he was seeing him for real. He thought maybe he was hallucinating him. He can’t even remember getting home. He figures Robin had gotten them home. His assumption confirmed by the note on his nightstand with a bottle of pills, a granola bar, and a glass of water. It reads “got your shift covered Dingus. Take the pills, eat the bar, drink the water and come hang when you’re up and around.” But he’s suddenly shaken from his thoughts when someone bangs on his door. Oh yeah he thinks something had woken up from his sleep it’s still early. He looks at his clock 7:23am it reads. He downs the pills and water. The food can wait.

He throws on some old athletic shorts and an old sweater “Be right there” he calls when the person bangs on the door again. It’s probably Dustin. Though he should probably be in school winter break isn’t for a few weeks.

He swings it wide open and rubs his eyes. It’s Eddie. Of course it’s Eddie. But he’s shocked. Why is he here? Why now?

“Hi” Eddie does a little wave. Steve goes to close the door “wait wait!” Eddie reaches out and holds the door keeping it open.

Steve sighs shakily “what do you want Eds?” the nickname slipping out unintentionally.

Eddie seems to notice he smiles a bit “I need to explain. I’m done running. Remember?”

With a slow nod he lets Eddie into the house. He leads them to the living room though too embarrassed to let Eddie see the state of his room right now. Steve sits on one end of the couch. Silently hoping Eddie will sit close to him like he used to. But he doesn’t. He sits at the other end as far as he can get on the same couch. Steve makes a motion with his hand which Eddie takes to mean he should start talking.

“I miss you.” Is all Eddie can say?

Steve sighs and rubs his hands over his face. “Is that it?”

Eddie shakes his head “No, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Steve just looks at him. He doesn’t know what to say. “I don’t know what you want Eddie.”

“I just want you to listen. Please?” he’s speaking softly like he doesn’t want to break Steve.

Steve nods for him to continue. “Okay I’m listening.”

He takes a deep breath “I want you to know I love you, I never stopped. I think no matter what I always will.” He continues “I didn’t mean to see Rick I promise”

“How can I believe that when you lied to me about where you were and he was in your fucking van Eddie?” Steve raises his voice

“I didn’t really lie, baby” Steve shoots him a look at the pet name Eddie goes on “sorry, it’s just. Habit. I was with Wayne. We were in Indy together. I made him go with me to get something for you. And then he made me stop so he could run into some store and” he sighs “stupid fucking rick came knocking on the van door. He was in before I even knew who it was.”

Steve looked at him questioningly and asks “it didn’t look like that. You were laughing. Your real laugh not even that fake ass laugh you do for the kids”

“Would you believe me if I said we were talking about you?” Eddie asks.

Steve gapes at him

“I know how it sounds trust me.” Eddie raises his hands in surrender “but, it’s true. He came in told me he’d heard about me crashing at his place wanted to know what that was all about. I made up some shit I really just wanted him out of the van.”

“So the laughing?” Steve urges him.

“Well, he asked what I had going. What I was doing up in Indy. So I told him” Eddie says suddenly shy.

Steve is so confused “I don’t get it. What were you doing:”

“I was buying you something.” Eddie says plainly.

“Just fucking tell me what happened Eddie. Please” Steve almost whispers.

Eddie stands suddenly pacing around the room almost making Steve dizzy.

“I just want you to know this wasn’t how I planned this” Eddie blurts he’s standing in front of Steve. He kneels. Steve’s eyes are probably wide as saucers.

Eddie pulls out a small box. A ring box.

“Steve-“

Steve stands up onto the couch almost falling over the back. “Eddie what the fuck??”

Eddie stands to steady Steve “Baby, this is what I went to Indy for. I asked Wayne to help me pick it out I also asked robin to distract you. I probably should have given her more to go on but that’s my fault.” He shrugs. Eddie tries to pull Steve down and with a little trying he gets him to sit back down.

“So this was your big joke?” Steve chokes out “the funny thing you and Rick were laughing about? You and me?”

Eddie gapes at him now “Steve no. This is not a joke to me it’s the most serious I’ve ever been. Ever. I told rick I was getting a ring. That I was gonna ask you to marry me. And he asked if I was for real. He didn’t believe me. He said I wasn’t good enough for you. That’s what made me laugh. Because I know we’re perfect together. Perfect for each other.” He’s got tears in his eyes now. He goes on though “but then I saw you. I saw your face. I kicked rick out but it was too late you were driving away. My brain stopped I tried to drive after you but then I remembered Wayne.”

Steve takes a breathy inhale “why didn’t you come home? To me? To explain?”

Eddie sighs and points at his head “Coward. Remember?”

Steve reaches for his hand and pulls it into his lap. “You’re not a coward anymore. Remember” he says in the same tone as Eddie had.

Eddie sets the box on the couch next to Steve and puts his other hand on Steve’s face. “I’m sorry I didn’t come straight to you. The whole way back I thought about what I would say and what you’d say and I psyched myself up too much.” He goes on “Baby, I love you so much I never want to spend another day without you. And I know we can’t get married for real but for me this is real. As real as any paper can say.” He drops his face to hide it from Steve.

Steve uses his free hand to pick up Eddies chin. “It’s real to me too Eds” he whispers. He brings their foreheads together. They breathe in each other for a moment. Before Steve pulls him in for a kiss. Deepening it when Eddie sighs into it. The pull apart and Steve gets a chance to look at the ring. Its plain gold its slimmer and more subtle than his father’s gaudy old thing. He loves it.

Eddie whispers “it’s engraved on the inside” he pulls the ring of its box to show Steve. “E&S”

They’re both crying but they don’t care. Eddie tries to lighten the mood a little “you never technically answered”

Steve chuckles wetly and rubs his eyes “Well you never technically asked me a question”

“Steve Harrington, will you be my husband.”

“Yes, Eddie Munson I will”

“No takebacks!” Eddie proclaims. He puts the ring on Steve’s finger. It fits perfectly. “You better tell Robin before she actually gets me killed.”

Steve truly laughs for the first time in weeks. “I will but I think we have better things to do.”