#but on the other hand... if Vecna wanted to keep an eye on El then

[every-dayiwakeup]

This post by @thatgirlwithasquid made me think, if Billy is in pain when the Mind Flayer is in pain... does it go both ways? If Billy is in pain, does the MF feel it? 

The scene where Billy’s drinking bleach, I personally think he was trying to kill the thing inside him. 

Freedom at any cost, even his own life. 

It makes no sense otherwise, for the MF to force him to drink it. Why kill the host when you’re still occupying their body? That just defeats the whole purpose of possessing Billy. 

Also: 

The creature likes it cold. 

via @local-redhead-bookworm: I wonder if a small part of him was like “oh this bastard doesn’t like the heat? Even more reason for me to go to work.”

[steddiealltheway]

It starts out simple. Eddie notices that Steve sometimes spaces out, but no one really pays him much attention. Usually, he’ll try to enter back into the conversation, and he’ll earn a few eye rolls when he has no idea what anyone’s talking about.

But what really haunts Eddie is the way Steve will sometimes be zoned out with his jaw and fists clenched, looking as if he’s reliving the worst of the upside down. He’ll gradually come out of it, and sometimes Robin will nudge him and quietly whisper if he’s okay, but he just shakes it off.

It’s like he has to appear fine in front of everyone, but Eddie gets it. He’s not sure what the group would do if Steve fell apart.

But a few times, he looks like he’s on the verge of it.

One time, he’s far away enough from everyone that Eddie is able to inconspicuously make his way to the former jock and nudge him. “Penny for your thoughts?” Eddie asks.

Steve startles and Eddie watches as the tension in him increases then slowly releases until he appears “normal.”

Eddie grabs his wallet and sifts through it before finally finding what he wants. A single dull penny.

He hands it to Steve who takes it and starts fiddling with it. He glances back at everyone else to make sure they’re out of earshot before he answers, “I’m just scared that maybe this Vecna creep will return, you know? It’s happened four times by now. How do we know it’s over?”

Eddie takes a deep breath. He’s gone through the same thought process of wondering if he’ll be back. If life will return to hell again. But he can’t imagine what it’s been like for Steve whose done it multiple times.

But he’s been able to logic his way out of his anxiety before. “Well, we have Will who has the whole Spidey-sense thing going on, so we’ll know if he’s back but… remember what El said. She felt it. Like it was finished this time. For good.”

Steve just nods and Eddie sees the tiniest shred of anxiety slip away. “Plus,” Eddie continues, “Can’t let our hero boy do all the worrying or his strength might deplete. How about I do all the worrying and standing guard tonight, huh?”

Steve glances over at him for a second, and Eddie almost thinks he’s going to laugh him off or something. Instead, he lets out a shaky sigh, puts his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, and squeezes. “Thanks, man.”

Eddie watches as Steve pockets the penny and actually heads toward the group with a smile on his face. He smiles and looks around. Time to stand guard.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eddie almost forgets about it, but it’s probably the whole not-getting-any-sleep-because-he-keeps-having-nightmares thing. It’s been a particularly bad week when he finds himself in the Harrington home with all the gremlins and other adults. He wants to be all bigger than life / life of the party, but his energy is gone.

He sits at the kitchen island on a barstool with his head in his hands, staring at the granite slab of the countertop when a hand and something slides into his view.

The hand pulls back and Eddie gets sight of a penny. What the-?

He looks up to see Steve sitting next to him with a small smile on his face. “Penny for your thoughts?” He asks.

Eddie stares at him and feels his heart flutter but he wills that to die down a bit. He shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. Just…” he glances off to see if anyone else is in earshot before continuing, “I keep getting these damn nightmares. Sometimes about… Chrissy… sometimes about random stressful shit, but they just won’t stop. It’s like although Vecna’s gone, he’s always here.”

Steve’s gaze has turned sympathetic as he runs a hand through his hair and looks around before lowering his voice. “I’ve been through the same thing, but I’ve found that it’s easier getting through the night with other people. Don’t tell anyone, but I snuck into Robin’s room for weeks after the whole Russian torture thing. But hey, if you want to crash here with me tonight, I’d be more than happy to have you.” Steve glances away from Eddie and runs a hand through his hair again as a faint blush appears on his cheeks. “Hell, you’d be helping me out too, man.”

Eddie considers it and immediately feels a wave of relief flood through him at the thought. He pockets the penny and squeezes Steve’s shoulder. “That’d be great. Thank you. Really,” Eddie says with a smile and eases himself off the barstool.

He hears Dustin raising his voice in the other room and Eddie says to Steve, “Time to ware out the children.”

Steve just laughs and joins him, but Eddie sees another tiny piece of tension leave his body.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It slowly becomes their thing. Eddie finds himself keeping pennies on himself at all times just in case, but by some strange fate, him and Steve always use that same penny.

Sometimes it pressed into Eddie’s palm, Eddie once throws it at Steve yelling, “catch!”, and sometimes it just appears in one of their vision.

The thoughts range from stupid things like Steve trying to remember if he turned off the oven to Eddie’s Dnd campaign to the overwhelming trauma from the Upside Down seeping into their lives.

Along with the penny becoming a regular thing, Eddie sleeping in Steve’s bed becomes a regular thing too. At first, it’s a bit awkward as they try to find out how much space each of them needs, what side of the bed they prefer, what they’re like in the mornings, and overall just how to be around each other when sharing a bed.

It shifts when one night, Eddie notices Steve staring at the ceiling wide awake. Eddie leans over the side of the bed where his pants are and digs into his pocket to retrieve the penny which he gently lays on Steve’s chest.

Steve glances down and carefully picks it up, twirling it as Eddie watches the coin slightly glint in the moonlight. There’s a deep breath and then Steve is saying, “I was just thinking about what if we… I don’t know. Like… held each other? Or rather, I was thinking that it would be nice to be held.”

Steve sets the penny down on the nightstand which indicates the end of his thoughts but he doesn’t dare turn to face Eddie. But Eddie is already scooting closer to press his body against Steve who instantly curls into Eddie’s embrace holding him as if he’ll escape if he tries to let go. But Eddie would never escape.

And every night they hold each other close with no questions asked and no penny needed.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eddie’s feelings for Steve grow. He knows they’ve been there since the beginning, but with the whole penny thing, it’s like he has the key to all of Steve’s deepest thoughts and desires. He knows that Steve has access to his as well and is just thankful that Steve’s never given him the penny when Eddie’s been staring at him. He knows he can’t lie to Steve, and it may be dumb, but he especially can’t lie with that penny in sight.

So, he says nothing. He keeps holding Steve through the night, comforting him if he’s awoken from a particularly bad nightmare, but usually just laying there willing himself to stay awake as long as he can so he can bask in the sensation of holding Steve Harrington.

Then, one morning as Steve makes them breakfast, Eddie looks at him for a little too long, wondering how he’s been able to live his life without him when that penny is slid into his sight.

Eddie blinks down at it and swallows as Steve looks at him. “You,” Eddie blurts out, “I was just thinking about you.”

Eddie leaves the penny on the table because he knows that’s not enough of his thoughts. Steve turns back to scrape the eggs out of the pan onto a plate and put some butter on their toast before he turns back to Eddie. He doesn’t pry, but through the breakfast the penny stays in sight.

Eddie’s plate is clear when he finally fully answers, “I was just thinking about how much better my life has been since you’ve come into it, and… thank you.” He feels blood rise to his cheeks and finds Steve with a similar blush.

“I was thinking the same about you,” Steve responds and takes their plates to clean them before Eddie can respond.

He knows he’s falling in love with him.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It’s a few mornings later, and Eddie feels someone watching him. It doesn’t feel creepy or bad because he can feel the way that Steve has shifted to lean over him. Eddie opens his eyes slowly and takes in the view of Steve staring down at him with a small smile on his face. Eddie rolls towards his side of the bed, where his clothes are piled up and grabs the penny before rolling back to Steve.

He gently presses it into Steve’s hand who continues to stare down at him with a look in his eyes that Eddie can only assume is reflected in his own gaze.

Steve takes a deep breath and whispers, “I was just thinking that I might be in love with you.”

Eddie’s heart stutters, and he feels Steve’s hand shift to press the penny into his. Eddie smiles and replies, “I think I might be in love with you too.”

Steve smiles all wide and bright in the way that makes Eddie feel like he’s the luckiest person in the world to be able to see it. Then, Steve’s hand is intertwining with Eddie’s and as the penny presses into their palms, they both lean in and kiss, only breaking away when they both break into wide smiles and begin laughing as all the tension drains from them.

Years later, Eddie gets the penny turned into a ring and when he gets down on one knee, all he asks is, “Penny for your thoughts?”

AO3 Link (for @humanityinahandbag <3)

[steddieas-shegoes]

my body is my weapon

for @steddieholidaydrabbles popup event for 'spring'

rated t | 734 words | cw: canon-typical violence, mild blood | tags: self-sacrificing steve, hurt/comfort, getting together

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Steve was good at this, springing up from nowhere, nail bat in hand, ready to protect his found family. It was a natural instinct at this point.

Didn't matter the cost, didn't matter if he was the only one willing. If Vecna wanted to take someone, he could take him.

With Eddie barely recovered from his first bout in the Upside Down, Max still in a coma, and Lucas being glued to her side to make sure nothing happened, the crew was a little short staffed.

But Steve would make sure that didn't matter.

They prepared as much as they could, which wasn't nearly as much as they should. Vecna was strong, stronger than they expected him to be, and his creatures were wearing them down before he even came to fight.

But El was stronger.

As Steve lay on the ground, bleeding more than he ever had before, certain of his life being over, he thought about every time he'd put himself in front of the kids.

He had no regrets, but he wished it could've played out differently.

Hands on his shoulders made him open his eyes, but his vision was blurry and his head was pounding. Probably another concussion.

"You don't get to die."

Eddie? How was he- why was he here? He was supposed to stay topside to call for help the moment he was signaled.

Maybe Steve was delusional in his last moments. Eddie mentioned that he was hallucinating from the blood loss when it happened to him.

"Steve. Keep your eyes on me," Eddie's voice was panicked. "God, you always have to spring into action, huh? Can't wait ten seconds for someone to help."

"Ed."

Steve could make out the outline of his head, but not details.

"'S what 'm good for."

"That's bullshit."

And then everything went black.

Steve's only thought was that he wished the last things he heard weren't those words.

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

His head was pounding again, and the incessant beeping surrounding him wasn't helping.

"If it hurts, don't open your eyes."

The voice sounded an awful lot like Eddie.

"Mm. Thirsty," Steve whispered.

"I got you," Eddie's hand was on the back of his head, gently lifting, while the other must have been holding a cup of room temperature water to his lips. "Little sips."

Steve didn't think much of what was going on. If this was the afterlife, at least he had someone taking care of him.

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The next time Steve was conscious, his head wasn't pounding and he could tell the room around him was dark.

He opened his eyes, slowly taking in the hospital room.

Eddie was asleep in the chair next to his bed.

He looked uncomfortable.

Steve tried to shift onto his side, but a lightning bolt of pain shot from his shoulder to his knee, and he couldn't quite contain the gasp he let out.

Eddie's eyes shot open as he stood from the chair, leaning over Steve to see what hurt.

"Shit, are you okay?" Eddie asked as his hands hovered over Steve's heavily wrapped up body.

"Mhm. Jus' hurt," Steve managed to say, his voice raspy. "How?"

"How long have you been out?" Eddie waited for Steve's nod to continue. "First bit was about three days, then you woke up for a minute yesterday."

"Alive?"

"Yeah," Eddie's tone shifted to something more serious, darker. "But no thanks to you. You're good for a lot more than standing in front of monsters, Stevie. You know that, right?"

Steve shrugged one shoulder. "Kinda."

Eddie's hands gently cupped his face, eyes softening as Steve focused on him.

"You're more than a weapon. You're more than an expendable body. You understand me?" Eddie's voice shook as Steve gave a short nod. "You're my world. I can't see my world end."

"I am?"

"Despite my best efforts of trying to move on from the stupid crush I had on you, yeah," Eddie sighed. "Nursed me back to health and made me fall in love with you."

"Not bullshit?" Steve's eyes felt heavy, but he had to fight it, had to have this talk with Eddie before he passed out again.

"Never. You're everything, Steve Harrington. And when you can keep your eyes open for more than two minutes, I'm gonna kiss you so hard it bruises."

Steve smiled as his eyes closed.

Eddie's hands carried him out of hell and into forever.

[smoshyourheadin]

Hi! Saw that your requests were open and wondered if you’d do something with Steve Harrington and reader where it’s based on season 4 and reader is catching the looks Steve and Nancy give each other so she confronts him and he reassures her there’s nothing going on?

only you

pairing: steve harrington x f! reader

a/n: I LOVE STEVE!! this was rlly fun to write :33 this request is so cute i love him eek!! also this is kind of inspired by the song ‘only you’ by yazoo bc i love that song heheh

it had been a rough few days. the kind of rough that made steve wish he could crawl under his bedcovers and stay there until the world decided to stop falling apart. but hiding wasn't an option when the upside down was causing havoc in hawkins again, and certainly not when nancy was back in his life, running headfirst into danger just like old times.

you had been a solid presence throughout the ordeal, offering reason when everyone else seemed ready to unravel. steve always appreciated you more than he could ever put into words. you were his rock, his anchor in the storm, and he knew he was the luckiest guy in the world to have you by his side.

tonight, the group had gathered in the wheeler basement, trying to piece together the story of the latest victim that vecna had left for them. nancy was flipping through her notebook, scribbling notes furiously, while steve tried to keep up with the conversation. he glanced over at her a few times, mostly out of habit. they had been through so much together that it was hard not to look back on those memories with a tinge of nostalgia.

but he didn’t realize how it must have looked to you.

you were sitting on the other side of the room, comforting el, whilst trying to focus on max’s recount of her latest vision, but your eyes kept drifting to steve and nancy. every stolen glance, every shared look between them, sent a pang of insecurity through your heart. you knew they had history - everyone did. but seeing them together again, working so closely, it made you wonder if maybe that history wasn't as buried as you hoped.

later, after the meeting had dispersed and everyone was heading home, you and steve walked to his car in silence. the quiet stretched uncomfortably between you, filled with words unsaid.

"hey," steve finally broke the silence as he unlocked the car. "y’okay?"

you nodded, but your expression betrayed you. steve could see the worry etched across your face. he gently touched your arm, stopping you before you could climb into the passenger seat.

"what's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft and full of concern.

you took a deep breath, looking up at him with eyes that threatened to spill over with tears. "i saw the way you were looking at nancy tonight," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "and... and the way she was looking at you."

steve's eyes widened in surprise, and then softened with understanding. he stepped closer, cupping your face in his hands. "hey, no," he said gently. "there’s nothing going on between me and nancy. we’re just trying to figure all this out, just like everyone else."

"but you have a history with her," you whispered, looking away. "and i can't help but feel like, like maybe you still have feelings for her."

steve's heart ached at the sight of your distress. he tilted your chin up so you would look at him, his gaze steady and sincere. "listen to me," he said firmly. "nancy and i... we had our time, but it’s over. i care about her as a friend, and that's it. you’re the one i’m with now. you’re the one i want to be with."

he pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eyes. "you’re my present and my future," he whispered. "i love you. only you."

you closed your eyes too, feeling the warmth of his words seep into your heart. "promise?" you asked, your voice small and vulnerable.

steve pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, his expression full of love and determination. "i promise," he said. "i’m all in, with you. and I’m not going anywhere."

you let out a shaky breath, a smile breaking through the lingering doubt. "okay," you whispered.

steve leaned in and kissed you, slow and sweet, pouring all his reassurance and love into that kiss. when he pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours again, a small smile playing on his lips. "no more doubts, okay?"

you nodded, feeling the weight of your worries lift. "okay."

with a final kiss on your forehead, steve opened the car door for you. as you both settled into your seats and drove away, the tension from earlier dissolved, replaced by a comforting sense of certainty. no matter what anything or anyone threw at you, you knew you had steve by your side. and that was enough.

[ataliagold]

Keep Me Afloat

For @astrangersummer week 8 prompt 'ocean waves.' Title from Passenger by Noah Kahan.

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Rating: G

W/C: 1723

Tags: post-Vecna, established Steddie, Steve is self-conscious about his scars, Eddie loves every part of him, minor angst, emotional hurt/comfort.

Summary: Standing in ankle-deep water watching his friends enjoy a summer beach day, Steve looks down at himself and hates what he sees.

___

“You ok?” Robin murmured to him, hand on the small of Steve’s back, on the one small spot of skin unmarred by the now mostly-healed grazes on his back.

“Mmm hmm,” Steve said through tight lips, arms curled over his stomach.

Robin looked at him, eyes falling to where his hands were folded against his sides, against the extensive scarring there. “The kids don’t care, you know,” she said quietly.

Steve scoffed, something bitter and sad. “Yeah. I do, though.”

Ahead of them, the kids were shrieking in chest-deep water, Mike yelling as Lucas dunked him under a wave, Dustin pointing and laughing until he received the same treatment, resurfacing with an angry splutter and splashing water at Lucas.

Max and El were on the shore, Max’s chair parked up on a flat bit of sand, El content to sit beside her and watch their friends’ antics.

Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle were wandering to the other end of the beach, scouting out the possibility of an ice-cream stand down there.

None of them were even looking at Steve, at the state of the ugly scars across his skin, but it didn’t matter.

Steve was aware enough of them for everyone.

Robin dragged her foot through ankle-deep water. “It’s warm,” she commented, tone light. “Do you want to go in?”

He did.

He’d love to swim out past the kids, let his feet lift off the sand, allow the water to carry him out deep until he could just float under the warm sun and not think about anything for a while.

But he didn’t think he could.

Even now, with the water gently pulling at his toes, sucking at the sand below his feet, his heart rate was picking up.

Try as he might, he couldn’t help but think back to Lover’s Lake, to freezing water rushing into his lungs, to the slimy grip on his ankle that had pulled him down to hell.

Swallowing thickly, he shook his head.

Robin nodded, small and sad. “Eddie’ll be here soon,” she said, trying to cheer him up.

Steve managed a small smile at that. Of course Eddie had overslept for their beach day, leading to a rehash of their plans when Dustin had rung Steve complaining that Eddie hadn’t picked him up as planned.

He was arriving now, though – Steve heard the whine of his van coming to a slammed halt in the parking lot even from where he was standing in the shallows.

Eddie tumbled out, towel in hand, and grinned when he caught sight of Steve, raising his hand in greeting.

Steve smiled softly, a wave of fondness rushing over him.

Robin shook her head, rolling her eyes, but she was smiling too. “Here’s your knight in shining armour.”

Eddie tore his shirt off on his way to the water, balling it up and tossing it at Max who responded by grabbing the towel in her lap and snapping it against his ass. Shrieking, Eddie swore, clutching his butt with one hand as he ran the rest of the way over the hot sand.

Eddie wore his scars unashamedly.

They were in full view for everyone to see – the skin on his sides and torso left puckered and twisted, tattoos warped and some unrecognizable where flesh had been stripped. They were worse than Steve’s – the bats had bitten deeper, had had far longer to chow down on him than they had Steve.

But Eddie bared himself easily, confidently, and Steve burned with jealousy.

He’d asked Eddie, once, on a particular night curled up together on the couch when Steve had been feeling small. How he did it, how he didn’t care if people stared, how he wasn’t so…self-conscious.

Eddie had looked down at him through heavy lashes, had brushed his fingertips over Steve’s t shirt above the scarring on his back. “People have always stared at me, Stevie,” he murmured eventually. “Because of my clothes, my hair, because I play D&D, because I’m too loud or too…weird, or because I’m the Devil, I’m a murderer, whatever it is people think…I’ve been stared at and looked down on my whole life, I learnt to stop giving a shit what other people thought a long time ago.”

Steve had tried, he really had. Tried to be more like Eddie, tried to not worry about what other people thought of his appearance. But truthfully…his appearance had always been important to him. He was supposed to be strong, fit, athletic…the King of Hawkins High, once.

Not this pale, gaunt, chewed up and spat-out version of himself.

Eddie reached him with a loud splash, showering cool droplets across Steve’s thighs and stomach. He shivered lightly.

“Sorry,” Eddie panted, “got here as quick as I could. That little shrimp complain much?” he gestured ahead to Dustin.

“Only the whole way here,” Robin replied. “You’re lucky Nance had room in her car for him too.”

Eddie turned his gaze to Steve, smile quickly fading, replaced by a frown. “Stevie, you ok?” he asked gently, squeezing his upper arm.

“I’m gonna go check on the girls,” Robin said, making a strategic exit back towards Max and El, leaving Eddie and Steve alone in the water lapping at their feet.

“Hey, what is it?” Eddie breathed, stepping closer, trying to catch Steve’s eye.

But Steve kept his gaze fixed on the tiny waves, watching them break and recede again. “I’m fine. Just…you know.” He gestured down at himself, then quickly folded his arms back across his stomach.

“Stevie…” Eddie murmured, hands coming to rest on Steve’s arms, not pulling them away but just holding. “You’re with friends here, ok? No one minds, no one’s looking. Well, except me, because you’re my boyfriend and you’re hot as hell and I never want to not be looking at you, but…”

One side of Steve’s mouth quirked up in a smile.

“Here.” Eddie coaxed one of Steve’s hands into his own, tugged him gently towards deeper water. “Come with me, sweetheart.”

Steve followed him, because he’d follow Eddie anywhere.

He sucked in a breath as the water climbed higher, over the top of his waistband, up to his chest.

“Eds,” he said eventually, breath coming faster as the water approached his shoulders. “S’deep enough.”

Eddie stopped, turning to face him, hair falling wetly around his neck. Despite Steve’s half-hearted protest because what if someone saw, Eddie pulled Steve to him, hands resting under the water on his hips, cold thumbs rubbing circles across the scars there. Although he was nervous at being in the deeper water, Steve was a little relieved to be out here, where the water covered his scars completely.

“You’re beautiful,” Eddie whispered to him.

“Eds…” Steve started, looking away.

“No.” Eddie brought one hand to his chin, keeping Steve’s gaze on him. “You are. I know you don’t like your scars, shit, I don’t like my own either. But they’re a part of us now, ok? And you know what?”

Steve didn’t say anything for a moment, but Eddie waited, eyes wide and earnest until Steve muttered,

“What?”

“They mean we survived. We took everything that fucking place could throw at us, and we made it out, and those kids -” Eddie pointed across the water to the boys playing in the waves. “ – they’re alive because of you.”

“And you,” Steve murmured.

“Sure. And me. And I know it’s gonna take some time, Stevie, but please don’t think you need to hide around us. Your scars are part of you, and everyone here loves you.”

Steve took a shaky breath, hand grasping for Eddie’s under the water, holding it tight. “They’re so…they’re so ugly, Eds,” he whispered, looking down at himself.

“Steve,” Eddie said, with a ghost of a smile, “you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Scars and all, sweetheart, so please don’t say that.”

Steve floundered a little for something to say, feeling vulnerable under Eddie’s steady gaze.

“Do you think my scars are ugly?” Eddie tried.

Steve shook his head quickly. “No.” Because they weren’t, not to Steve. Eddie was badass, he’d gone through hell and been on death’s door for way too long and gone through a grueling recovery and Steve had kissed every one of his scars, he’d never dream of calling them ugly. They were Eddie.

“What do you see when you look at me?”

Steve frowned. “What do you mean?”

Eddie leaned in closer, forehead almost brushing against Steve’s. “When you see my scars, what do you think?”

“I think…I think they’re just…part of you, I love you, they don’t…they don’t matter to me,” Steve stammered, a wave of emotion rising up in his throat because he knew what Eddie was doing. “I don’t care how they look, and I love that you can be so confident about them, but I…I can’t do that. With my own. Not yet, anyway.”

Eddie’s brows knitted together. “Try, for me? Just for today. Try and see yourself how you see me.”

Steve nodded slowly. “I…I’ll try.”

Eddie’s smile was reward enough.

Later, Steve lay on the beach bracketed by Eddie and Robin, stretched out under the sun while the kids exhausted themselves in the waves. He’d still tense up whenever someone else walked past him on the sand, still automatically go to throw an arm across his stomach, but that was ok. It was a start, and just the fact that he was lying there with his shirt still off was progress.

Eddie squeezed his hand whenever he could, fed him with small smiles and soft glances, while Robin kept up a steady stream of chatter that helped distract him.

By the time an ice cream run had been completed, by the time Lucas had talked some other beach-goers into borrowing their volleyball net, Steve was feeling…ok. Not his old self, not by a long shot, but it was getting gradually easier to forget about his scars for a short time and just enjoy himself.

And when he leapt into the air to slap the ball back over the net to Lucas, when he turned to see Eddie’s hot and heavy gaze locked on him, Steve even managed a small smirk in his direction.

He’d get there, he thought. Day by day. And Eddie would be there with him every step of the way.

___

[thelastwalkingsoul]

Steve never really 'did' easter.

His parents were always away or too busy. Easter egg hunts were always 'too childish, Steven.' He was usually stuck in the house with a nanny or by himself, or being shoved into itchy clothes and dragged to church. Steve didn't get jealous when all the other kids would talk about their easter with joy in their voices. He didn't get upset that get missed out. It was fine, really it was. Steve didn't care.

So, the year after Vecna, when everything had settled down, Steve had an idea. One that had absolutely nothing to do with his lack of easter celebrations as a child and everything to do with giving the kids some fun.

It's Eddie who finds him filling the plastic eggs with candy. He looks all sleep-ruffled, his hair a mess, engulfed in one of Steve's sweaters. Eddie chuckles as he pours his coffee, coming to lean on the kitchen bench across from Steve. "Does little Stevie want to do an egg hunt?"

Steve knows he means it as a joke, purely seeing the situation and deciding to tease, but it still hurts. He scoffs, "Not me. It's for the kids."

Steve fights to keep his voice normal but mustn't do a great job because suddenly, Eddie's cupping Steve's face with his hands.

"Hey, baby," Eddie croons. "What's wrong?"

Steve drops his eyes to the egg in his hands. "Nothing."

"Don't 'nothing' me. Did I say something?"

Steve sighs, glancing up at Eddie's face. The concern in his boyfriend's eyes is almost too much. "I just- I want to give them something fun."

"That's sweet," Eddie says but Steve can his tactic coming from a mile away. He knows there's more, he's just waiting for Steve to say it.

He huffs, and Steve thinks he must look so childish as he quietly admits, "I didn't do anything for Easter as a kid."

Before he can do anything, he's enveloped by Eddie's warm arms. Steve hugs back, relishing in the comfort Eddie brings. "I'm sorry you missed out on that baby," Eddie whispers in his ear. Steve simply hums back, not wanting to get into it. When Steve pulls back (he's almost always the first to pull back, Eddie lets him decide when he's ready), he's greeted with Eddie's smile. "I believe we have eggs to hide, princess."

They spend the rest of the morning hiding eggs in Steve's backyard. Steve tries to make them actually hard to find. His kids are smart; simply putting a few in bushes isn't going to be enough. It isn't until he looks up to see Eddie scaling a tree that he has to reign him in and scold him. 'I don't want them up trees, Eddie! They could get hurt. So could you!' When the kids arrive, they're surprised, but after a few teasing comments about Steve being such a mom, it becomes a free for all. They're all yelling and scrambling for eggs, leaving Steve and Eddie to watch by the sidelines. He can't help but feel warm inside as he sees El's proud smile and Lucas holding Max's hand as they search. His kids are safe and having fun, which is all he can ask for after the last few years. Even Eddie's getting into it, being a menace as Dustin demands clues and cackling at Dustin's face when he refuses. He comes up to Steve later, leaning close and admitting, "I love watching them loose their tiny minds." Steve just snorts and smacks a kiss on Eddie's cheek.

After dinner, Eddie insists he'll clean up and sends Steve to go shower. Steve caves, kissing Eddie quickly before making his way upstairs. Once he's showered and back in his bedroom, he notices something yellow on his bed. A lone plastic egg sits there, suspicious. Steve opens it carefully, fully expecting Eddie to have put something strange inside. Instead, it's a piece of paper, a clue written in Eddie's messy writing. Steve follows it downstairs, finding another. And another after that. And another after that. It's the closest Steve's ever been to having an easter egg hunt, and he can't say he isn't loving it.

The trail leads Steve to the living room. A pink egg sits on the coffee table. Steve picks it up and opens it, just like all the others. Except this one doesn't hold a clue. Written in slightly more tidy handwriting are two words; 'A Promise'. Underneath is something wrapped in soft red material.

As Steve unravels it, a ring drops into his hand. It's a simple gold band that shines in the soft light. A promise.

"Do you like it?"

He looks up to see Eddie, worrying his lip between his teeth. Steve smiles, tears welling in his eyes. "Eds, I love it." He moves towards Eddie and holds his left hand out. A grin comes alive on Eddie's face. He picks up the ring with gentle hands, sliding it onto Steve's ring finger. Steve moves his hand, admiring how it looks. Admiring the meaning and loving the way he feels immediately branded as Eddie's.

Steve looks up and launches himself at Eddie, kissing him hard. He can taste tears, whether they be his or Eddie's. They kiss soft yet hard, pushing all their feelings into the kiss, only pulling away when they're both breathing heavily. Steve closes his eyes and rests his forehead against Eddie's.

"I love you, Steve. Now and forever. I promise."

Part 1 (kinda)

[brbsoulnomming]

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies Part 18

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | AO3

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Fortunately, Eddie doesn't actually have to participate much once he and Robin make it back to the living room. The best seating seems to be reserved for the injured and injured adjacent, since Max is already sitting between Lucas and El on one of the couches, with Dustin and Steve on the other. Steve scoots over, leaving the middle cushion open for Eddie to claim, and Robin comes to sit on the armrest of the couch by Steve. He drapes his arm over her thigh, and she checks his shoulder with her hip, shooting him a little smile.

He watches them for a moment, attempting to be an adult and sort out what he's feeling about it now that he knows Steve and Robin are soulmates, but after a few moments he concedes that's going to take longer to process than he's got right now.

Everyone else is scattered around the room in various seating - Will and Mike squished together in the armchair right by Max, Lucas, and El's couch, Erica curled up in the second armchair, Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle occupying what looks like chairs dragged in from the dining room.

Conversation goes around in circles. There isn't an active threat forcing them into a quick decision, which apparently means they interrupt each other and veer off on tangents and attempt to solve at least four problems at once.

Eddie's a little too floaty from the pain meds - and a little too occupied with Steve's thigh pressed up right against his own - to join, but it's nice, listening to them. It reminds him he's not alone.

They talk about what to do with Vecna - nothing, for the moment, just continue to let El rest and rebuild her powers, with El and Will keeping an eye on Upside Down things; what to do about the gates still open in Hawkins - regular patrols, no one goes out alone and everyone brings a weapon and their walkie with them at all times; what to do with Hopper, who has apparently been alive this whole time and was being held in a Russian prison after being captured at Starcourt - which, sure, of course, it's not like that's the craziest thing that's happened this week. Some guy named Murray is working with his contacts and they're going to spin a story to present to the Hawkins PD.

Eddie watches Steve out of the corner of his eye when he feels him go tense at that one, sees him shift his hand on Robin's leg so it's palm up. She immediately takes it, lacing their fingers together and giving his hand a squeeze. He debates with himself for only a moment before he lets his own hand rest on Steve's knee, squeezing it lightly as well.

Both Robin and Steve turn to him, smiling at him in a way that makes warmth bloom beneath his ribs - Steve with surprised affection, and Robin with a pleased little knowing. He ducks his head and pretends to be really focused on what the group is arguing about.

At some point, the conversation shifts to what they're going to do about Eddie's situation, and, unfortunately, then he really does have to focus.

He doesn't really want to. They don't really seem to have a lot of ideas other than to get Hopper reinstated at Hawkins PD, to work with Murray to come up with a story to pin everything on Henry Creel, carrying on in his father's footsteps.

It just makes him tired.

"This is a lot of talking for what's essentially wait until everyone's back up to full strength and then we can figure out the details," he says after a while.

Steve snorts next to him. "It's not like Eddie's going anywhere," he tells the others. "He's safe here until we figure it out."

Some part of Eddie - the Eddie he was before all this, who didn't need anyone and was convinced Steve Harrington was a jackass - kind of wants to bitch about being under house arrest at the Harrington palace.

But, well. That part is a fading ember compared to the rest of him that wants to grab onto that and take it as an excuse to make himself at home in Steve's life and never leave. The rest of him wants everyone to just get the hell out already, so he can stop trying to pretend he isn't pants shittingly nervous about finally telling Steve he thinks they're soulmates.

Platonic soulmates, he reminds himself.

It takes forever.

Everyone stays for dinner, and Eddie really wants to be pleased about that, to bask in the sounds of so much life, of bickering and teasing and shouting and a fierce, aching love that's woven into every word spoken and every one left unspoken, into every gesture and laugh and shout. To bask in the way that it includes him, how easily he's been folded into it all, how it makes him itchy and content all at once. To bask in the way it makes Steve come alive, golden and vibrant and looking like he's never been happier.

It's just that it also makes him even more antsy about confirming once and for all if Steve is his soulmate, and every time he sees him light up or look so goddamn fond beneath a bitchy expression, he kind of wants to bite him. Or, barring that, get his hands on him, run his fingers over the words etched on Steve's skin to see if it's really true, what he's heard about. If it really does feel like nothing else when your soulmate finally touches the words they've marked you with forever.

Robin keeps shooting these little looks at him, which doesn't help at all, especially because he catches Steve looking back and forth between them with a little scrunch to his forehead - that only gets deeper every time Steve meets Robin's eyes and she just looks back at him, wide eyed and innocent.

She does loudly mention her curfew multiple times, though, and that she's sure Eddie is exhausted after being subjected to them all day, which is worth the protesting shouts she gets from his Hellfire trio.

When they finally all leave, well. Eddie is kind of exhausted, and he tips his head back to rest on the back of the couch for a moment.

"You want me to carry you upstairs?" Steve asks.

His voice is teasing, but when Eddie cracks open one eye to look at him, he looks sincere.

"Thanks," Eddie grumbles. "But I think I'll try to keep what's left of my dignity."

He does kind of want Steve to carry him up, is the thing, but he definitely doesn't want to admit it. Or to deal with it while he's still trying to figure out how the hell he wants to do this.

Steve looks like he wants to say something scathing about Eddie's dignity, but he holds himself back, and offers out a hand to help him up instead.

"Yeah, yeah," Eddie grumbles, deciding to respond to whatever Steve thought of anyway, just to show him that nope, he can't get away with that.

He does take his hand, though, and leans on him as they walk up the stairs. He counts each step as they go, telling himself over and over that okay, he needs to get this sorted out before they reach the halfway point - before they reach the top - before they make it halfway down the hall - at least before they get to Steve's room, come on -

Eddie plops down onto Steve's bed, silently cursing himself as he accepts the bottle of meds Steve offers him, downs two and hands it back.

"So," Eddie says, because he's an idiot. "You and Robin, huh?"

Steve's brow furrows in confusion, which - yeah, fuck, of course it does, because Eddie literally announced that out of no where, and he focuses on that and not on how cute Steve looks.

"She told me this morning," he clarifies. "About the whole two soulmate thing."

His expression clears up, goes all warm and fond even as he rolls his eyes. "That's what all those looks were about, I knew it was something."

When he looks back at Eddie, his expression is a little more closed, eyes a little wary. "Yeah. She and I are soulmates, and we've both got another one we haven't found yet."

Eddie nods, hoping he's accurately conveying just how cool he is with this. In the grand scheme of things, his maybe soulmate having another soulmate is a whole hell of a lot more normal than everything else that's happened in his life recently. "The same one, you think?"

That gets a small smile. "Nah, we've compared." Steve picks at the label on the bottle of pills, not looking at him. "You don't think it's weird? Or I'm - just greedy, or something?"

He flinches, just a little, because if he's being honest - yeah, if he'd found out a year ago, hell even a few months ago, that Steve Harrington had two soulmates, he probably would have rolled his eyes and called him greedy. Little rich boy taking more than his share, Mr. Popular Jackass who of course has two people destined to fall over him. He thinks back to what his uncle had said to him, before high school, and feels shame curl at the bottom of his gut.

"I think," Eddie says after a long moment, because he's still an idiot, but he doesn't want to run anymore, he doesn't. "That I'm your other one. Your - uh, platonic. You and me, platonic soulmates."

Steve looks - all right, Eddie can't actually figure out how he looks.

"I think I like weird," he continues, because he doesn't know how to shut up. "I think you're so, so different from everything I thought you were, and I'm still a little pissed off about that, man, the Munson Doctrine was sacred and here you are blowing it all up. I think if I had to have a jock for a platonic soulmate, I don't want it to be anyone but you."

Steve's looking up at him with these huge, liquid eyes, now, and Eddie's tongue feels like it's glued to his mouth, and then -

"I didn't miss you before I even met you," Steve says, and Eddie feels the quick prickle of heat around his ankle, and -

"Holy shit," he says, laughing because he doesn't know what else to do with all the feeling bubbling up inside of him, because -

Because Steve'd told him that Nancy was the only person that he'd ever wanted to be his soulmate so bad that he wanted to test it, and it - it's not the same, it's not, and when he comes down from the high of having found his soulmate he's going to realize how fucked he is if he doesn't get over this crush on him, but -

"I didn't think about my soulmate all that often," he says, just so Steve can have the same feeling he does, and then he ducks his head a little, hand tugging his hair in front of his mouth. "Yeah? You wanted it to be me, too?"

Steve quirks a little smile. "Yeah. I really did."

Eddie groans. "Jesus, Steve, you can't just say stuff like that to me."

Steve's smile grows. "Too bad. I'm going to say stuff like that all the time, you're going to have to learn to take it."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck don't think about that, nope, don't think about Steve - his soulmate Steve - telling him how much he wants him and showing Eddie how to take it and - Eddie laughs, feeling it bubble up through his chest, a little bit giddy and a little bit hysterical.

Before he knows it, Steve's huffing out a little laugh, too. "I knew you lied in there with Mike, man, I could feel it. I just couldn't drop my pants in the middle of the living room to check what it was, but when I did, you were going to be so busted."

"I mean, you could have. There were a few people in there who probably would've appreciated the view," Eddie teases. "You might've scarred Mike for life, though."

Steve's lip curls into a grimace, and then they're both giggling again.

"Thanks for being brave," Steve tells him quietly when they've managed to put a lid on their laughing.

Eddie twitches, barely resisting the urge to twist to check to see if he's got a new lie on him. It's just - Eddie hasn't been brave. The one time he did decide to be brave, he nearly died, and people keep yelling or almost crying at him about it, so he's pretty sure they think that was more stupid than brave. "For being what now?"

"For being brave about this," Steve says. "I've kind of wondered if it might be you for a while, just kept telling myself it wasn't the right time to ask."

Oh. All right, yeah, he did beat Steve to it, didn't he? He grins at him. "So when did you first start wanting it to be me, huh?"

Steve rolls his eyes, and for a few moments Eddie thinks he's not going to answer, but then he says, "In the woods, when we were trying to find the gate. After you tried to make Lucas feel better, got him and Dustin distracted."

That - Eddie wasn't expecting that, even though part of him thinks yeah, it would be about the kids. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I suspected earlier. There wasn't a lot that could give you away, but what you said about jocks being violent monarchs - some of your table speeches had similar phrasing."

Fuck.

It's - he'd known, that he and his soulmate would have to talk about why they stopped talking. Known that he and Steve would have to talk about it. He'd just kind of hoped it was another one of those things he could add to his pile of later.

"Steve," he says softly, but he can't think of what to say to continue, and it just hangs heavily between them.

"I know," Steve says after a moment. "I figured that was why you stopped talking to me. That you realized I was one of the kind of people you hated."

He wants to tell Steve that he wasn't, but he's too worried it'll be a lie. Steve was the kind of person that Eddie used to hate - not really because of anything Steve had done, but because of what Eddie assumed about him, because it was easier to believe all the popular kids were the same than maybe some of them were different.

"You aren't," he says instead. "The guy I was talking about - he graduated the year before you - you're nothing like him. You weren't even back when we were in high school. You weren't a bully, man, just kind of a bitch. I was the one who didn't care about the difference."

Steve considers that for a moment. Then, "I'm still kind of a bitch."

Eddie lets out a bark of startled laughter, hand coming up to press against his abdomen. "Fuck, dude, don't be funny, it pulls at my stitches."

Steve grins at him, entirely unapologetic.

Eddie almost hates to ruin it, but - shit, he has to know, and he lets out a slow exhale. "That why you stopped talking to me, because you knew I didn't want you to?"

Steve's grin fades, but he looks like he'd kind of been expecting that question. "That was part of it. But also, I was mad at you," he admits. "Everyone always had these expectations of who I was and who they wanted me to be, and when I saw you talking about jocks and popular kids like they were the enemy, I realized you had them, too. I knew I wasn't going to live up to yours."

"Fuck my expectations, you're better than anything I could have dreamed of." Eddie - hadn't meant to say that, and he spends a quick moment freaking out a little in the back of his mind, because that didn't sound platonic at all.

Steve doesn't seem to think anything of it, though, just gives him a pleased little smile, ducking his head like he thinks it's going to hide how his ears have gone pink.

"It's not like your expectations were that unreasonable, lumping everyone together aside," Steve says. "I could have taken a step back and wondered why it pissed me off that you expected me not to be a violent jackass, but I was too busy getting wrapped up in all that popularity shit. I'm sorry for that."

There's a pause, then, "I'm not sorry for being a jock, though. I like sports, that's not going to change."

"I don't want it to change," Eddie says, but it comes out more like a promise. "You already did a hell of a lot of changing, man."

Steve gives him a little crooked smile. "I guess a good thump on the head will do that to you."

Eddie grimaces. "Upside Down shit?"

"Nah, just Nancy and Jonathan, actually. When Jonathan and I had that fight in the alley, I - I was angry, and hurt, and I wanted to make him hurt. It comes easy, you know, knowing what to say to hurt someone the most. How to be cruel."

The other side of being good with people, yeah, Eddie knows that. He'd never been on the receiving end of it, but he'd heard the gossip about what happened when Steve Harrington got pissed. It's what he meant when he said Steve was a bitch.

"Later, I was sitting with Tommy and Carol, listening to them talk about jumping him as soon as he was released from the station and I just kept thinking - I sounded exactly like my dad in that alley. That's the kind of people that Tommy and Carol were, and that's who I was going to be if I stuck with them."

"But you didn't," Eddie says.

"But I didn't," Steve agrees, giving a little shrug.

Eddie's quiet, in case Steve wants to say more, but it seems like he's done talking about that, because after a few moments he gives Eddie a little smile.

"So I, uh. I told you mine, you gotta tell me yours now. When did you change your mind and decide you wanted it to be me?"

"Oh, uh. Same as you, actually. I didn't admit it until after the first time in the Upside Down, but when we were in the woods, and you looked at me like I was doing something good, and I - yeah." Eddie's pretty sure he's a little flushed, now, and he looks away.

Steve just gives a little hum, and Eddie looks back at him, eyes narrowed, but he can't quite make out his expression. Eddie barrels on past all that, then, not giving him time to do - whatever that face he's making is a sign of.

"I wondered way earlier, though," he adds. "I kept getting stuff about not being all that hurt and not wanting to go to the hospital, and then you'd show up all beat up. Which, by the way, I was really mad at you for, you kept scaring the shit out of me."

"Sorry," Steve says, and he does look reasonably apologetic. "At least I went to the hospital this time?"

Eddie raises one eyebrow, assuming the withering look he gives him is enough to tell him exactly what he thinks about that. "How about you stop needing to go to the hospital, huh?"

Steve looks at him, quiet for a long moment. Then, "You're the one who said I'm a paladin."

"And I already regret it." Eddie nudges him with one knee. "Mike's convinced you're a barbarian, anyway."

Steve makes a face, like he's immediately having some regrets of his own. "Mike's in on this now? I'm still not playing with you guys any time soon."

Eddie grins at him. "Any time soon isn't never, man, I-"

He cuts off as he realizes that this is the second time that Steve has said he wasn't playing any time soon, and it prompts him to remember -

"You lied!" he shouts gleefully.

"What?" Steve asks, caught off guard.

"Hang on, gimme - just let me-" Eddie grunts as he tries to pull off his sweatshirt too quickly, ends up twinging his shoulder, and has to do it more slowly.

"There," he says triumphantly. "Left shoulder blade, it says I'm never going to play this thing with you, man, you might as well stop asking."

Steve wrinkles his nose. "How do you know that was about this?"

"Because you're good at adjusting your words to make sure what you're saying isn't technically a lie, and this fits. I'm right, aren't I?"

Steve is looking at him like - well, like Eddie probably looked at Steve when Steve told him that he knew what it meant when Eddie's face shut down. Like he didn't realize Eddie noticed that about him, and Eddie almost lets himself get tripped up on it, but - no, he doesn't want to go there, doesn't want to let them get off track.

Instead, he just waggles his eyebrows at Steve, who groans.

"Okay, okay. I knew after I said it that those kids were going to wear me down sooner or later, I just didn't want them to know that."

Eddie scoots a little closer, until their knees are brushing together. "Have you played yet?"

Steve tips his head back, like he's looking to the heavens for support. "I played. Erica wanted to practice as a DM, so Robin, Dustin, and I played for her first game. And before you ask - yes, I did have a good time, but I don't really think it's something I'd want to do all the time."

Yeah, all right, that's fair enough, and it doesn't really put a damper on Eddie's glee. It means it's pretty likely that he could get Steve to play for a one-shot sometime, maybe even a short campaign.

If he's honest, part of him was a little worried that he might not look at D&D the same way after all of the comparisons to a campaign he was doing, but no, he feels the same excited energy that he has before. It's a relief to know that this wasn't taken from him.

Steve's tipped his head back down and is looking at him, now - or, more accurately, looking at his bare torso, eyes scanning a clear line from his neck and shoulders down to his waist, and back up again. Eddie's mouth goes dry, and abruptly he feels - self conscious? Hesitant? Some kind of nervous energy, which is stupid, because it's not like Steve Harrington would - but shit, Eddie knows the way Steve looked at him after washing his hair, he doesn't think he was so out of it that he could conjure that out of nowhere -

"Let me get the first aid kit," Steve says, pushing himself up.

And right, yeah, the first aid kit. For the bandages that Eddie almost forgot he was wearing, which is a far more likely reason that Steve was staring at his bare chest, except - well. Except there'd been a hunger in Steve's eyes, and Eddie doesn't think it's just because the guy was so damn eager to change out his bandages.

He drops it, though, reminds himself platonic over and over again until Steve comes back with his massive first aid kit.

Steve strips off his own sweater before he sits back down on the bed, and Eddie doesn't bother to try not to look. Now he doesn't have to feel bad about letting his gaze sweep over every bit of that perfect, hairy chest, eagerly reading any bit of writing he can see, and - wait.

"Can I?" Eddie asks, making grabby hands at him.

Steve looks down at himself, sees where Eddie had been staring - at I love it when coffee is so weak you can barely taste it just below his collarbone - and huffs out a little laugh. "Yeah, sure."

Eddie reaches out, just barely brushing over the words with his fingertips, and Steve sucks in a harsh breath.

"Bad?" Eddie asks, going still.

"No," Steve says. "Just different."

He's going to take that as permission to continue, so he keeps going, rubbing his thumb over If I could have a whole swarm of silverfish in my room, I'd be so happy on Steve's side. Steve shivers, and Eddie reminds himself - platonic.

"Here, let me-" Steve reaches down, carefully peeling off the bandages from around his stomach.

His demobat bites look a lot better than the last time Eddie saw them - less open and weeping, more stitched and healing, which makes Eddie give a soft sigh of relief.

There's ink leading up to one of the bites, looking like it got cut off, and Eddie leans in a little to see it better.

For your mo, it says, and Eddie barks out a laugh.

"For your modesty, dude," he says, lightly touching it with one fingertip. "It caught me. It was for my own sanity, I knew I was going to keep trying to see your writing."

Steve huffs out a little laugh. "I didn't even feel it."

"The gaping stomach wound probably edged it out a little," Eddie teases. "You feel it now?"

Steve's gaze catches and locks on his. "Yeah."

Eddie swallows. "You said it was different?"

Steve hums an affirmative. "From Robin's. It feels different when she touches her words."

Right.

Of course it does.

"How does hers feel?" he asks. He half fears it'll come out jealous, but - no, it just sounds curious, and he realizes that's mostly what he feels.

Curiosity, not jealousy.

"It's changed, but at first it was… fizzy," Steve says. "Like butterflies in your stomach, or drinking a beer too fast. Now it's like - holding hands in the rain, or the first drink of hot apple cider when it's cold. Like coming home."

Huh.

"Poetic," he says, half teasing and half sincere. "What does mine feel like?"

Steve considers that for a moment. "Electric," he decides. "Like static shock, or the moment before a first kiss. Or a metal guitar solo in the Upside Down," he adds slyly, then reaches out for him. "Can I…?"

"Yeah, uh, go ahead."

Steve's eyes scan over him again, like he's looking for something, and Eddie's gaze drops down automatically to his own torso. Which - is covered in gauze and medical tape, and at this point he's pretty sure there's more bandage showing than skin.

"Not a lot of real estate left, though," he says.

It comes out shakier than he'd meant it to, and he sucks in a ragged breath. If at least one of his lies on Steve had gotten cut off, he knows that means a decent number of the words on his own skin are gone.

Fuck.

He hasn't really looked at himself, but now he wonders which ones it is, what words he'll never see again. If it's the ones that he read over and over again, that made him smile so wide when he was fourteen, the ones that made him so fucking angry, the ones that scared the shit out of him. It shouldn't matter, he tells himself, because they aren't meant to have this many words between them anyway. It's supposed to mean there's something wrong with them, that there's too many lies to make things work, but - it's different, it means something else.

It's always meant something else, to Eddie.

"Hey," Steve's saying softly. "Eddie, hey, look at me."

Eddie nods, already preparing to hear Steve tell him that it's okay, that it's better this way, that less words are a good thing, and then looks up.

"I'm not taking my rain check now."

There's a sting somewhere on his lower back, and Eddie blinks at him.

"What?" he asks.

"My rain check," Steve repeats, like it's supposed to make more sense a second time. "To tell you the things I like about you. I'm not taking it right now."

Eddie's mouth goes dry, and he feels like he can't do anything but stare at him.

"I don't think you have a good heart," Steve says.

Lie, blooming over his spine.

"I don't think you're clever. I don't find you funny. I don't think you're really good with the kids. I don't think you're brave."

Each one of them a lie, writing themselves on Eddie's skin forever, and every one of them steals more and more of Eddie's breath. Fuck, if he keeps going, Eddie's going to kiss him, going to ruin this right after he found it.

"Steve," Eddie says, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not proud of you."

"Touch me," Eddie blurts out, sounding a little strangled.

Steve's brows furrow, pupils blown wide as he looks at him.

Eddie forcibly wrangles his thoughts back into some semblance of order. "Didn't you want to…?" he trails off, gesturing at his own torso, jerking a thumb at his shoulder where he knows at least some writing is visible.

"Oh!" Steve swallows, looking like now he's the one who has to get his thoughts back in order. "Yeah, yeah I did."

He reaches out determinedly before Eddie can try to think too much into that, resting his palm flat on Eddie's chest for a moment - right over his heart, and Eddie wonders if he can feel how quickly it's beating, if he - then it slides up, smoothing over where some of his words peek out from under the bandages.

Fuck.

Despite Steve's halting poetry about how his soulmate touches felt, Eddie wasn't prepared for this. It feels like -

It feels like Steve's fingers running through his hair, blunt nails scratching over his scalp, little goosebumps shuddering over his skin. Like hot water washing everything away, strong hands cradling his head in their grip.

"Oh," he breathes out, not really meaning to, but his entire brain has just shut off.

"Yeah?" Steve asks, sounding pleased, and his hand sweeps up, stroking over any bit of soulmate ink he can find. "What's it feel like?"

"Like a hot shower after a week in the Upside Down," Eddie tells him, because that's true, and easier than admitting it feels like when Steve washed his hair for him.

Steve huffs out a little laugh. "Pretty damn good, then," he teases, then pulls his hand away. "Speaking of showers - we should both probably take one before we change these bandages. You want help with yours?"

Yes, fuck yes, he really does.

And yet -

"Nah," he says, and it's not a lie. He knows there's no way he can handle being in the shower with Steve after all this. "I can stand long enough now, I should be good."

If Eddie didn't know any better, he'd think there was a brief flash of disappointment in Steve's eyes. But he doesn't say anything, just helps him remove his bandages, gets out a clean set of clothes for him and gets the shower going.

"I'll be right outside, just yell if you need anything," Steve says before he steps out of the bathroom and leaves the door open a crack.

Eddie takes a few deep breaths before he looks at himself in the mirror. It's… not as bad as he was expecting, really. He'll have scars over his stomach, scattered across his chest, curving up to his neck, but it's no where near as bad as it could have been if the bats had been able to go at him even just a little longer.

He's lucky, in more ways than one.

The shower goes - fine. He manages. He can't really wash his hair, but he gets the rest of him okay, gets to look at Steve's shower products and grin a little at his shampoo and conditioner - Faberge Organics, with honey and wheat germ oil. When he's finished, he even manages to mostly towel off and get dressed, forgoing the shirt for the moment.

He pokes through the first aid kit while he waits for Steve to take his turn in the bathroom, not entirely surprised at how well stocked it is, considering everything.

When Steve's finished, Eddie insists on bandaging him up first, carefully wrapping them around his stomach and trying not to think about Nancy doing this for him in the Upside Down, or what he'd thought it might mean then, or what it means that Eddie's doing it for him now.

It means they're soulmates, and Steve trusts him. When it comes down to it, that's all that really matters.

When he's finished, Steve twists a little so Eddie can spread some ointment over his shoulders and back, hissing in sympathy at the healing skin there.

Steve slips on a short sleeved t-shirt, then returns the favor.

His hands brush over the words on Eddie's skin often enough that he's reasonably sure it's purposeful, especially because they linger on the ones that Steve'd just put on him.

Eddie huffs out a little laugh, more to diffuse the way the feeling keeps bubbling up inside him than anything else. "This a thing for you?" he teases.

To his surprise, Steve's ears go a little pink. "I mean, kind of? It's - nice. I know everyone says that having so many lies is bad, and it's supposed to mean more when you only have a few to touch like this, but…"

He trails off, but he looks like he wants to say more, so Eddie stays quiet as Steve finishes bandaging him up.

"Did you know you can get them removed?" Steve asks after he's done.

There's a surge of panic, and Steve must see it in his eyes, because Steve's own eyes widen.

"Shit, I'm sorry, that - wow, that was really bad timing, I can't believe I just said that when you-" he cuts off, gesturing at Eddie's torso. "I don't want to remove ours, I'd never remove them."

The panic fades, a little, though he still has to resist the urge to cup his hand over his own side, where some of his words are missing.

"I'm okay," he says after a moment. "You can keep going."

Steve frowns, looking uncertain.

"Please," Eddie adds. "I like it when you talk to me like this."

And that's the right thing to say, because it makes Steve light up a little.

"Okay," he says. "Just - let me know if it's too much, okay?"

Eddie nods.

"My parents never had any visible words, no matter what they wore," Steve continues after a moment. "It was a point of pride."

Of course it was. It usually is - that's not something exclusive to the rich. The fewer lies you have, the better your match is, everyone is supposed to want that.

"They always told me to be careful what I said, that my match was going to be someone like them, someone who didn't have lies between them. Said I would be messing up her life if I told too many lies and she had to have a visible mark. I believed them."

"What changed?" Eddie asks, before he can help himself.

Steve gives him a crooked little smile. "When I was like eleven or twelve, my mom got a few on her arm, where she'd have to wear long sleeves to hide them. Never knew what they said, but I saw them. I was… I don't know, shocked, I guess. I couldn't believe what happened. She wore long sleeves for a couple of days, and the next time I saw her arm, they were gone. I asked her what happened, and she just - looked at me, and told me it was nothing to worry about. 'The Harringtons aren't liars, sweetheart, those were a mistake.'"

Jesus Christ.

"I didn't really know what to think at first. But then I heard her and my dad fighting. She was yelling at him about the money she just wasted getting his little mistakes corrected." Steve's face mimics a cold expression, then, a haughty sneer at his lips as he says, "'What good is all that Harrington charm if you can't even get your little bimbos into bed with you without lying? The next time I see any words, that's the end of your trips alone.'"

He deflates, rubbing absently at the back of his neck. "It was like - the cheating wasn't even worth fighting about anymore, but the lying? That's when I started realizing that it was all about appearances with them."

Eddie's quiet for a long moment, fitting all of that into what he knows about Steve - and what he tried to figure out about his soulmate, all those years ago. "She was the one you lied to about being able to handle it by yourself."

That little crooked smile is back. "Yeah, after she started going with my dad on his business trips. I figured out how to handle it eventually. You, uh. You really helped a lot, you know, when you started talking to me. Made me feel like I wasn't alone."

Fuck if that doesnt make him feel all warm and pleased, knowing that Steve had gotten something out of it like Eddie did, even if it had gone sour for a while.

"My uncle helped me talk to you most of the time," Eddie admits. "I think he knew that it was probably going to go south at some point, but he wanted me to figure that out on my own, you know?"

Steve smiles. "Your uncle sounds like a good guy."

"He is," Eddie replies, trying to push past the twisting in his gut at the reminder that Uncle Wayne is out there with no idea what's happened to him right now. "Course, he also called us little jackasses with no impulse control."

That makes Steve laugh. "He was probably right," he says, eyes gleaming with mirth. "Anyway, I, yeah. It's how I figured out I had two soulmates, because Rob got freaked out at all the words appearing on her skin at first. It wasn't until we actually met that we figured out how we both really feel about them."

Eddie's breath catches, mouth going dry. He licks his lips, trying to work up enough saliva to speak. "How's that?"

Steve's quiet for a bit, brows scrunched just a little like he's trying to figure out how to put it into words. "They're a lifeline," he decides finally.

And what the fuck is Eddie supposed to do with that?

"So I just, yeah, it's kind of a thing for me." Steve runs his thumb over a scattering of ink on Eddie's sternum. "I get it."

Nope, no, Eddie is not equipped to handle this right now, not prepared to deal with the shuddering feeling that rocks into him with Steve's touch to some of his words at the same time that Steve just validated every feeling he's ever had about having so many lies splattered across his skin.

He sucks in a ragged breath, and just barely manages to get out, "Thanks. For, uh." Eddie clumsily jerks a hand at himself, vaguely in the direction of one of the lies that Steve had just said tonight.

"Yeah," Steve says, and fortunately for Eddie's everything, that's it.

Admittedly, Steve looks pretty drained, too, and Eddie gets the feeling that he's not the only one feeling wiped from this much emotional honesty.

With his soulmate.

He kind of thinks that exhaustion or not, there might be too much on his brain to sleep quickly tonight, but his brain has also apparently decided it would really rather just not.

It shuts off pretty much the second he's under the covers and flat on his back.

This ended up being the longest part so far, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! We're definitely winding down now - I anticipate probably six or so more parts to this and then it'll be wrapped up.

-----

Part 19

Tag list (always happy to add more!): @vampireinthesun @koibug @estrellami-1 @mentalcyborg @allbimyself26 @questionablequeeries @the-s-is-silent @whimsicalwitchm @a-gae-af-racoon @tinyplanet95 @n0-1-important @velocitytimes2 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @newtstabber @jcmadgirl @roblingoblin285 @lexyvey @paperbackribs @goodolefashionedloverboi @evix-syne666 @raisedbylibrarians @stxrcrossed186 @nightmareglitter @greekgeek24 @starman-jpg @crazyhatlady86 @imfinereallyy @manda-panda-monium @deleataecount @prideandsensibility @chaoticvictorianspirit @maydillydally @disrespectedgoatman @scarlet-malfoy @i-less-than-three-you @hbyrde36 @hallucinatedjosten @dragonsandgayships @arepaconchocolate @g4ys0n @novelnovella @bisexualdisastersworld @ghostofyourvampiregf @scarletyeager @pettrichore @nerd-and-nervous @hiimlevi @queenie-ofthe-void @cinnamon-mushroomabomination

[louloulemons-posts]

Oil At The Coffee Shop IX

Eddie X Fem!Reader

Summary : Eddie tells Reader about the Upside Down, but she still thinks he’s beautiful.

Word Count : 2.5k

Warnings : Not proofread, angst, 18+, SMUT, talks of the upside down, eddies issues, vecna, smutty smut, choking, dom!eddie, oral (fem receiving), unprotect sex(for the love of god use protection), sadness then smut, this part is sad and horny 🫶🏻

A/N : This is my first time writing smut so apologies if it’s awful, also if you don’t want to read it, you are more than welcome to skip it 🤍

Fic Masterlist

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You pushed open the door, letting yourself and Eddie in, flicking on the lamps dotted around. You hung your bag back up, dropped your keys, going to the couch so you could take your shoes off.

Eddie mimicked these actions, hanging his leather jacket up, and sitting down next to you. “Do you anything to drink before?” you asked him. “No, thank you though. I think I should just get it out of the way.”

“Okay.”

“And if it’s okay, could you just let me speak before you ask any questions, you can ask me anything after. Is that alright?”

“That’s fine, anything you need Eds,” you could tell he was uncomfortable, frightened even.

He sighed, unable to begin talking, you took his hand gently. “Take your time Eds, do what you need to do.” He nodded, offering a weak smiled.

“Just before the Summer of 86, something started. It started in my life anyways, it actually began in 83. Anyways, I was a troubled kid, was on my third try of my senior year, barely passing anything.

“I was um … selling drugs so me and Wayne could get by easier. Then one day this girl, a cheerleader, her name was Chrissy, she came up and asked to buy from me. Wanted really strong stuff.

“I didn’t keep it on me, it was at my home. The trailer. So after school we went there … I um …” he paused, taking a deep and shaky breath. You squeezed his hand, rubbing your thumb on the back of it.

“Take your time,” you said softly. He nodded, before taking another breath and continuing. “I went to my room to grab the stuff and when I came back, she, Chrissy I mean … she um … was in some sort of trance.

“I tried to wake her up. Her body was thrown against the ceiling. Something pulled her apart from the inside out. Every bone in her body was broken, her eyes were … I ran. I ran out. I left her there.

“Everyone thought it was me, so I hid.” He continued, explained how Dustin had found him, along with Steve, Robin and Max.

He told you about Vecna, about El. About the two other kids who were killed at the monsters hands, Fred Benson and Patrick McKinney.

He told you about the Upside Down. About the great final battle. Him playing guitar.

“I broke the rope, Dustin was stuck in this world and me in the Upside Down. I ran. I made as much noise as I could. The bats they um … they attacked me.

“Ripped me apart. It’s why I look … it’s why I look the way I do. Vecna was doing the same thing to Max that he did to Chrissy. She barely survived, but she’s a strong kid.

“If it wasn’t for El, neither of us would be here. She killed Vecna, saved Max. She was hurt, but she was alive. Steve, Robs and Nance came back, dragged me to the trailer.

“The doctors saved me. Well El did most of the work. Then … then Hopper came back, vouched for me. It got blamed on someone else, Jason Carver.

“Not everyone believes that. I’m still the town freak. People think that I summoned Satan to destroy the town. I didn’t. I was so scared. Then the earthquakes, the landslides, I was just hoping Wayne made it out.

“I didn’t care if he hated me, I just needed him alive. He’s all I got.”

“All you had,” you corrected, “You’ve got me now.”

“I do? You believe me? You don’t hate me?”

“Yes, yes and no.”

“I was so scared that you’d never want to see me again.”

“I believe you. I’m sorry that all happened to you Eds and I’m sorry people still judge you for it.”

You could now recall the times people looked at him funny, or stopped talking when he entered the room, or when they crossed the road to avoid him.

“I um … I’ll let El and Max tell you their stories, it’s not for me to say anymore. I still don’t really understand myself.”

“Thank you for telling me. You did so well.”

“I-I’m sorry that I had to tell you, but you needed to know. I couldn’t have you see me and not know what happened. That’s if you still want to see me?”

“Eddie you might not think it, but you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. I want to see you, I want to see all of you if you’ll let me. No matter what you’ll be beautiful to me.”

He pressed his mouth to yours, face damp after what he’d just told you. “We don’t have to do anything, but if you want to stay you can.”

“I’d like the company if that’s okay?” he says, almost shyly.

“That’s more than okay. Hey I’ve got Cherry turnovers downstairs, let’s go get some.”

“What time do you have to be up tomorrow?” he asked.

“Shop opens at 9, but the girls get here at 8. I have to finish up stuff so I’ll be up around 6:30.”

He hummed, nodding. “Okay, well I have to get to work too.”

“Okay, now come on. Let’s go get treats.”

He laughed, as you pulled him with you.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You headed into the kitchen and opened up a box full of the turnovers, handing one to Eddie and taking one off yourself. Both of you stood close together, chomping at the delicious pastry.

You smiled at Eddie before you eyes caught something else, “Oh my god,” you said.

“Hm? What?” he asked.

“That’s why you freaked out about the cake! Oh Eddie I’m so sorry!” you said, remembering the small fondant creatures.

“Hey, it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. I was just having a rough day with it. Was dealing with my feelings about you too.”

“Oh yeah? How long have you had these feelings?”

“A while.”

“You’re gonna have to give me more than that Munson.”

“No way!”

“Mean,” you pouted.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Nothing,” you smiled.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Sweetheart,” he said, lifting your chin so you’d meet his eyes, “What did you call me?”

“Mean,” you spoke, voice almost a whisper.

“Am I? Am I mean?” he asked.

“I-I …”

“Come on, what happened to the mouthy girl here a few minutes ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

He kissed your forehead, “It’s sadly too late for that. I’ll show you how mean I can be.” He attacked your lips, holding you close to him. His lips traveled down to your neck, kissing and biting, just like how you’d been doing to him, hours before.

“E-Eddie we can’t h-here,” you stuttered, breathless at the feeling of his lips on your neck. “It’s n-not hygienic.”

“Not hygienic,” he laughed into your neck, “Okay then Sweetheart, jump for me.”

You did as he asked, he caught your thighs, legs wrapping around his waist. “Would your bed be more hygienic?” he asked.

“That does sound better.”

“Okay baby, whatever you want,” he said, stealing a kiss.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

As soon as you made it into the apartment, Eddie was in your room. Dropping you on the bed gently. Leaning up on your elbows you smiled at him. “God Sweetheart you’re so fucking beautiful,” he spoke, climbing onto the bed and between your legs.

Mouths on one another, tongues fighting, but somehow in sync with one another. Hands grabbing anything they could. “Can I take this off?” Eddie asked, playing with the hem of your shirt.

You nodded. “Use your words Sweetheart.”

“Yes.” Sliding off your cardigan first, you raised your arms above your head, letting him pull the shirt from your body.

Sat back on his knees, Eddies eyes were filled with lust. You were the most stunning person he’d ever seen. He began kissing down your chest, leaving marks along the top of your breasts.

“Can I?” he asked, dragging his fingers up to the back of your bra. “Yes,” you say, breathless. Undoing it, the bra was thrown somewhere in the room - frankly you couldn’t care less where it had landed.

“Fuck baby,” he said, taking your breasts in his hands, squeezing them lightly. You moaned out at the feeling. Leaning down, he placed his latched his mouth to one of your nipples. Sucking on it, twirling his tongue around.

“E-Eddie, oh fuck baby,” you cried out as he bit down lightly. Your hands tangled in his hair, pulling on it, he nipped more. “God I feel like I’m neglecting the other, better fix that. Right Sweetheart?”

You hummed in agreement, making Eddie cock his brow. “Y-yeah better fix i-” You didn’t get chance to finish as Eddie already began his attack.

You hips bucked up into him, making him grind down his own. Feeling his bulge grow in his jeans, your hands wandered down, squeezing him through the denim.

With a pop, he let go of your nipple. “Excuse me, what do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “I need you, please I need you,” you almost begged.

“I told you, I’ll give you anything you want. But you called me mean, so maybe I should make you work for it?” You eyes widened, you’d love to take him in your mouth, god he’d feel so good down your throat.

“Oh no, I’ll give you everything. You want me to make you work. Well no can do. You’ll take what I give you.” He began to unbutton your jeans, sliding them down your legs.

There you were, in only panties whilst he was fully clothed. He reached for the edge of his shirt, but hesitated. “It’s okay,” you said, sitting up to kiss his mouth.

Slowly you lifted his shirt up and off of him, there were scars and bite marks everywhere. You could see the doctors had done what they could, but the wounds were deep, ragged.

“You’re beautiful,” you spoke, kissing his chest, right above his heart. “So fucking beautiful Eds.” Your mouths connected again as Eddie climbed out of his jeans, pushing you down on the bed.

Lay in between your legs, his fingers trailed up your thighs. Biting, licking, sucking at your neck, his fingers found their way underneath your panties.

“God you’re so wet, all for me baby?”

“A-all for you.” You moaned when he brushed your clit, he smirked at that, rubbing again. “I bet I could just slide my fingers right in, better take the rings off.”

He went to move his hand, but you stopped him. “Please baby I need you,” you spoke, begging him. “What a dirty girl.” His fingers slid into you, making you cry out, the cold metal stretching you.

“F-fuck Eddie.”

“Already such a mess, better clean up,” he spoke, more to himself than anyone. Making his way down your body, he kissed everywhere he could.

Placing a gentle peck to each thigh, he let his tongue lick your slit. “Fuck!” you screamed, hands tangling in his hair. His mouth latched onto your clit, sucking on it, as his fingers curled upwards hitting that spot over and over.

“F-fu-Fuck .. E-Ed .. oh my god,” you babbled. “Does it feel so good?”

“Mhm,” you moaned.

“I asked you a question.”

“Y-yes, it feel so fucking g-good,” his fingers hit the spot again. “Who’s making you feel so good?”

“You!”

“Who’s that?” You could feel his smirk on you thighs, mouth licking you again. “You Eddie fuck. I’m gonna c-cum, fuck Eddie I’m gonna cum.”

“Yeah baby, give it to me. Cum for me, come on Sweetheart, cum.” You let out a cry of pleasure, clenching around Eddies fingers as you came. Legs shaking, he pressed soft kisses to your clit. Moving his fingers until your fingers weren’t so tight in his hair.

“Shit Sweetheart,” he laughed. You lay there trying to catch your breath. “You good?” he asked. You hummed, “Yeah.”

“Think you can take more?”

“Please,” you said, meeting his eyes.

“Do you uh … do you have a condom?”

“N-no, but I’m on birth control and I’m clean and I .. I trust you Eddie.”

He smiled softly, planting a kiss on your forehead. He slowly slid your panties down, his boxers following soon after. Fuck. You knew he’d be big, but fuck. He was thick and long and … well shit.

“Can you open up for me Sweetheart?” you legs spread for him, allowing him to line himself up. Slowly he slid into you. “F-fuck,” you moaned, he stretched you out so much. It felt so good.

“God baby you feel so good,” he moaned into your neck. Soon enough he was in you, bottoming out. “Can I move?”

“Please!” you cried out.

He did so, starting slowly, then building up a nice pace, nice and deep. You were squeezing around him. He smirked, taking hold of one of your legs, resting it over his shoulder.

Moving again, he was so deep, you could see him in your tummy. Each time, hitting that spot, making your body shake with pleasure. “Eddie oh my god,” you cried.

“I know, it just feels so good doesn’t it, fucking you so nice and deep,” his hips slammed into yours roughly, again and again, making you loose your voice.

You mouth was wide open and no sound was able to come out, eyes in the back of your head as he fucked you hard. His hand slid up to neck, squeezing softly. Rings cool, but sticky as they sat there.

“Fuck baby, I’m gonna cum soon, your pussy’s gripping me so good,” Eddie moaned. “Cum-cum in me p-please,” you begged, voice weak as his hand squeezed.

“Yeah you want all my cum?”

“P-please,” you said nodding, crying out again, “I-I’m gonna cum again baby f-fuck!”

“Cum all over my cock, come on Sweetheart, squeeze that dick.”

You did just that, body shaking, a loud moan leaving your body as you came, eyes rolling in the back of your head. Eddie groaned, thrusting his hips a few more times, “Fuck Sweetheart, fuck fuck fuck fu-“ hot ropes of cum filled you up.

The curly haired man dropped into your shoulder. Both of you breathing heavily. He kissed your shoulder, and neck where his hand had been. “You okay Sweetheart?”

“I’m okay, are you?”

“I’m more than okay.”

He pulled out as gently as he could, making you whine. Climbing up from the bed, you reached out for him, “I’m coming, just getting a washcloth hang on.”

You closed your eyes, listening to the faucet run for a few moments. Footsteps came closer and soon enough a warm washcloth was being rubbed gently on your lower body.

“All clean baby,” he said, kissing your stomach. He slid his boxers back on and helped you into his t-shirt. Pulling you into him, you listened to his heart beat.

“I don’t think you’re mean,” you spoke up, which made him laugh. “Oh I know, but I wasn’t lying when I said, I’ll give you anything you ask for.”

“Kiss me?”

He chuckled, pressing his mouth against yours softly. “I adore you,” he said, making your face flush. “Now Sweetheart, let’s get some rest, we’ve gotta be up early.”

“Okay. Goodnight Eds.”

“Goodnight Sweetheart.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

A/N : uhhhh so i may have got a little carried away 👀

Thank you so much for reading 🤍

taglist : @corrodedseraphine @flawiette @witchwolflea @emxxblog @plk-18 @vintagehellfire @lma1986 @squidscottjeans @eddiesguitarskills @nanas-lasagna @halialex1119

let me know if you want to be added 🤍

[reidingandwriting]

Lover (Steve Harrington’s Version)

Chapter Four: Daylight

“I once believed love would be black and white, but it’s golden”

Word Count: 3.4k

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Warnings: Fem!Reader, cursing, reader once again having bad parents, mentions of past death (Billy), takes place in s4 so Vecna is unfortunately a thing

A/N: This is my favorite of the chapters posted so far so I hope everyone enjoys :’)

Previous chapter / next chapter

Steve had tried so hard to keep you safe. Away from the strange monsters that had been plaguing his friend group, away from the creatures that had made themselves at home in Hawkins. During the fight with Billy, the Starcourt incident, anything to do with the Upside Down… he had tried to keep you away from it. You meant too much to him, he couldn’t risk your safety.

When you first learned about the Upside Down due to Billy, you were… conflicted. You were upset that he hadn’t told you about it, upset that he had gotten hurt several times and you never knew, concerned that he kept getting himself into situations where he would get hurt. He was a protector, he was protective over the teens, Nancy, and Robin; you couldn’t fault him for his actions, even if they would put you into an early grave from worry. A silly part of you felt a little left out that you hadn’t learned about everything sooner, that you weren’t there to help. And he would have kept it that way- had you not gotten closer to Max.

You had always held a soft spot for the redhead, seeing your younger self in her. After Billy’s death, after El and the Byers had moved away, you had taken a more active role in her life. You spent many nights at Max’s trailer when she had rough nights, sleeping on a makeshift pallet of blankets on the floor, ready to jump into action if anything happened. Ready to be her shoulder to cry on, ready to take her for a late night walk or drive to get her out of her head. You were good. You didn’t know love, kindness and affection were strangers to you. But you were full of it. You were the kindest person he knew, you loved hard. He didn’t want to bring you with them to the Upside Down, but he knew- they all knew- they needed all the help they could get. He never imagined Vecna would go after you.

“This is some trippy shit,” you said as you walked with Steve, your hand gripping his tightly. You had just made it to Eddie’s trailer in the Upside Down and as terrifying as the alternate world was, you were fascinated by it. How similar it was to your own world, you know. Minus the massive amount of monsters ready to attack you at any moment.

“That’s one way to put it,” Eddie said as he opened the door and you followed Steve inside, Nancy and Robin behind you. Eddie shut the door with a click and you looked around, pausing when you noticed an odd looking crack in the ceiling. You opened your mouth to point it out when suddenly, a hole in the ceiling burst. All of you screamed and Steve pulled you back as- is that a broom?- dug a hole in the ceiling. Eddie and Steve walked forward first and you let out a sigh of relief when you heard the kids.

Moments later, a makeshift rope had been formed and thrown through the opening. Robin went first, followed by Eddie, then Nancy. Steve watched as Nancy landed on the mattress back in Eddie’s real trailer and once she was out of the landing zone, he turned to you. “Alright, let me give you a boost.” When Steve takes in the sight of you, he feels a panic he has never felt in his life. Your eyes are milky white as you stare ahead and Steve calls your name. Steve is vaguely aware of the commotion from the others as he rests his hands on your shoulders. “Come on, come on, wake up. Stay with me,” he pleads.

“Steve! What’s happening?” Dustin yells and Steve snaps his head up.

“He has her, Vecna has her. Music, I need music!”

Everyone upstairs freezes for a second before they rush to find music. You? Vecna had you? Erica stays at the opening while the others rush off, ready to relay any messages or updates from Steve. The others tear apart Eddie’s room, desperately looking for music, for anything that could save you. The chaos is loud, to the point Steve can hear it below. It’s nothing but background noise as he tries to snap you out of it. He shakes your shoulders, calls your name, begging and pleading for you to wake up. He barely recognizes his own voice, the pure desperation and panic in his words.

“Stay with me, stay with me!” Steve looks up and yells for them to hurry up, watching as Erica runs off before he focuses on you again. “I know you’re in there, I need you to fight. Okay? You have to fight for me, you have to stay. You can’t leave us, you can’t leave me. Not now, not ever.” Steve cups your cheeks, his words coming out choked and he blinks when he feels water on his cheek. His eyes begin to burn and it takes him another moment to process that he’s crying. He couldn’t lose you, not like this.

Steve had never been one for believing in higher powers, the idea of a god in the sky silly to him. At that moment, though, he prayed to every higher being there was. He’d swap places with you in a heartbeat, he’d give up everything if it meant you were okay. If you survived this. Tears were streaming down his cheeks at this point, fingers digging into your shoulders. He had so much more planned for the two of you. Getting your own place together, hosting holidays at your house, eventually starting your own family- an addition to the family you both had found in the teens, Nancy, Robin, and even Eddie at this point. He couldn’t say goodbye to you like this. He didn’t know how he would handle the world without you by his side.

“There’s so much we have to do. We need you, I need you. I love you so much, the kids, Nancy and Robin, Eddie.. We all love you. If you can hear me, come back to me, please.” Steve’s words were jumbled now and he watched in horror as you slowly began to rise. “Hurry!” He screamed.

-

You were at home. How did you get home? “Hello?” You called out as you walked around. You sniffed. Was that bacon? You walked towards the kitchen, brows furrowing when you heard the sounds of breakfast being cooked. You heard voices talking, laughing and you stopped when you saw your parents. Your mom cooking breakfast, talking and laughing with your dad. Your dad reading the paper, fiddling with the radio and humming along to the music as he sipped his coffee. God, when was the last time you had a family breakfast? “Mom, Dad?” You asked. Neither of them responded. “Guys?”

Your mom turned towards the table, carrying two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. She smiled as she sat beside your dad, and you took a seat across from your mom. “Are you excited for our trip today? I can’t wait to be on the beach.” Your mom began to eat and your dad winked at her.

“I can’t wait to see you on the beach.” You scrunched your nose at his comment and your mom turned her head, looking straight ahead at you. She didn’t acknowledge your presence, didn’t even seem to be aware you were in the same room as her.

“Aren’t you glad we never had children?” You felt your heart stop when she asked this and you leaned forward, waving your hand in her face. As good as they were about ignoring you, they never missed an opportunity to make a snide comment or give you a resentful look. Your mom didn’t even falter and if your dad noticed you, he didn’t react to your proximity either. Slowly, you went to touch her hand and you screamed when it was replaced by some monster’s hand, the grip on yours painful. “See how happy we could be without you?” Your mom’s voice distorted as she said your name, the bright kitchen starting to darken as your parents looked at you.

“Maybe we could have been happy if we never had you. Could have lived our lives, enjoyed them. Instead we got stuck with you.” Your dad’s voice echoed in your head and you struggled, stumbling back once you freed your hand. You ran towards the front door, throwing it open and not looking back. You looked around and saw Steve in his driveway, standing by his car and you ran towards him.

“Steve! Steve, oh my god. Something happened to my parents and-”

“Do you think I care?” Steve’s voice was cold, distant, and you felt your heart break.

“W-what?”

“Truly, did you ever think I cared about you?” Steve’s warm brown eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at you and you tried to back away. “Did you ever think you were anything more than a nuisance to me?” Steve took a step towards you. “You were so pathetic, clinging to me during school. No wonder your parents never wanted to stick around, so needy. Always needing to be the center of attention.” Steve’s voice turned mocking and your eyes began to well up with tears. “Oh, the crybaby act. Cry and act like you’re so innocent, like always. You’re a parasite. You take all the joy, all the life, from the people around you until they finally run away from you.” You shook your head and spun on your heel, sprinting away from Steve and your parents’ house. You ran to the end of the road and you were transported to another world. The sky was red and dark clouds filled the sky, lightning flashing in the clouds. You turned around and flinched when you saw a creature, Vecna, a few feet away from you.

“Did you finally realize that you’re the root of everyone’s problems? See how miserable you make everyone around you? See how happy they could be without you?”

“You’re, you’re wrong. My friends love me. I, I don’t make them miserable.” You protested and Vecna chuckled darkly as he walked towards you. You tried to walk away and you yelped as something wrapped around your ankles, causing you to fall. You felt something wrap around your wrists next and you were pulled up. You struggled against your binds as Vecna came closer until you were mere inches from his face.

“Then why did they leave you out for so long? They didn’t want you in their group. You are an inconvenience to them. A burden. You know it, no matter how hard you try to hide it. How else would I know about it?” His words echoed in your head and you thrashed against the binds. They would save you, you know they would. Right..? They just, they just need more time. You can hold out, you can fight a little longer. “Even in your last moments, you’re still trying to convince yourself that you’re one of them. That you matter.” Vecna reached out to your face and you screwed your eyes shut. You didn’t want to die. You needed to be with Steve again, you couldn’t leave him. Leave the girls, Eddie, the kids. You needed them. You thought back on past memories, desperate to buy them more time.

You remembered the day you had met Steve in kindergarten, how clumsy he was and how he still had so much hair, even then. You remembered meeting Nancy in elementary school. You thought back to homecoming, the year you didn’t want to go, but Nancy had convinced you anyway. How you danced with Steve for the first time since you didn’t have a date, and Steve couldn’t stand to see you alone. Your first cookout with the teens, the pool party Steve held a few weeks ago. Your first date with him, your first kiss. All of your memories flashed through your mind, starting to warp from Vecna’s powers and you had started to lose hope. Until you heard it.

I can dim the lights

And sing you songs full of sad things

We can do the tango just for two

Your song. Yours and Steve’s song. You could have cried when you heard the familiar lyrics; he did it. They were going to save you, they hadn’t given up. You tugged at the binds, starting to free yourself. The song continued as you fought against the vines, and you hit the ground with a groan. You jumped up and ran, seeing a misty red cloud ahead of you. Your lungs ached, feet pounding against the ground as you ran, dodging debris from Vecna’s world as the mist began to clear, the outline of Steve becoming visible.

Ooh, love, ooh, lover boy

What to do tonight?

Hey boy, set my alarm, turn on my charm

That's because I'm a good old fashioned lover boy

You heard the slithering of vines behind you and you pushed yourself harder, faster, beyond what you had ever done before and you jumped through the cloud.

Steve heard your gasp before he saw you fall, and he narrowly managed to catch you before you hit the ground. Steve landed on his knees with a thud and he almost sobbed in relief when he saw your eyes meet his. “Oh my fucking- you’re alive.” Steve sighed, the panic melting away. You lurched forward, sobbing as you clung to him, body trembling violently as you cried into his shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey. I got you. It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here.” Steve held you close, one hand in between your shoulders and the other at the back of your head. A shuddering breath left Steve and his eyes closed. You were alive, holy shit, you almost died.

“Steve! Harrington! What happened?” Max’s voice was louder than anyone else’s and Steve forced himself to look up at them.

“She’s okay. She’s back.” You whimpered in response, hands digging into the denim vest he wore as if it was your lifeline and he looked at you. Time to get you out of here. With the way you clung to him, he’d have to figure out a way to carry you and climb out. But you were with him, you were alive. He’d figure it out somehow because there was no way in hell he’d ask you to let go of him. Never again.

-

Everyone stayed at Steve’s that night. Mattresses were drug into the living room, pillows and blankets scattered around the floor; no one felt like separating after your close call in the Upside Down. Max sat between Lucas and Dustin, Erica on Lucas’s other side while Eddie sat on Dustin’s other side. Nancy and Robin sat together, and you were tucked into Steve’s lap. You hadn’t said a word since you were freed from Vecna’s curse and Steve, everyone really, was worried. He didn’t know what you saw there and frankly, he was scared to. He couldn’t imagine what happened for you to have reacted like you did. He happily combed his fingers through your hair, the repetitive motion calming you and him. Your favorite vinyl was playing throughout the house, and Steve situated his sleeping spot by the record player so he could keep music playing all night.

“The quiet’s kinda freaking me out, are you sure these are my friends?” Your voice startled everyone and Steve looked down at you, happy to see a little light back in your eyes. Max and Dustin rushed over, Max pushing in front of Dustin but pausing when she finally got to you. “C’mere, Max.” You shifted so you could face her, and you opened your arms to hug her. You held the redhead close to you, not letting go until she did. You hugged Dustin next, followed by Lucas and Erica. Nancy and Robin followed the kids and you looked over at Eddie, gesturing for him to come over as well.

“We were scared shitless,” Eddie said as he hugged you quickly and Steve shot him a look. “We were!”

“I was too. It was… absolutely terrifying.” You tensed when you felt an arm wrap around you, quickly relaxing when you realized it was Steve. “I could feel him in my memories, warping them. He made me see things that felt so real, made me feel…” You trailed off. “He showed me my parents, happy because I didn’t exist. He made me see Steve, and- I knew it wasn’t real. That none of you were real, but it felt so real. The feeling is still lingering.” Steve’s grip on you tightened and you rested your hand on top of his. The air in the room was thick and you all knew what could happen. Vecna could come for you again. You and Max had both been targeted by him now, and the need to take out Vecna grew. Steve wouldn’t let you or Max get hurt again.

You woke up with a gasp, breathing heavy as you remembered where you were. You weren’t in the Upside Down, Vecna didn’t have you. You looked around the room, the light from the kitchen illuminating the living room just enough for you to see everyone. There were the boys, Eddie, Nancy and Robin, Erica, Max and- Where was Steve? You carefully untangled yourself from the blankets and crept around the living room. You checked the kitchen and let out a sigh of relief when you saw a familiar head of brown hair sitting at the dining table. You walked over to him and punched his shoulder, feeling a little pleased when he startled.

“Asshole. You can’t just disappear like that.” You winced at the panic in your voice and you took a deep breath to calm down.

“Shit, sorry. I made some coffee and… got distracted I guess.” Steve spared a glance at you and you frowned when you saw the puffiness of his eyes, red rimmed and eyelashes glistening with remnants of tears. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into you and a drop of water hit your arm. “I keep seeing you when I sleep. Floating, not seeing me.” Steve’s voice wavered and you rubbed his shoulder, your own eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears. “What was I like? When he made you see me?”

“Steve, you don’t.. you don’t want to know.” He stayed silent and after a moment, you let out a sigh. “You were cold. It was like I was a stranger. Not even; you looked like you despised me.” Your voice cracked. “You said you hated me, too. I was a parasite to you, my family, everyone. And for a minute, I believed it. I knew the real you would never say that, but it was hard to separate the real you from the you Vecna created.” A beat passed. “I really thought I was a goner. All my memories flashed before my eyes, as cliche as it sounds. I was holding onto that, holding onto the happy.”

“Then you heard the music?” Steve asked and you nodded.

“It freed me. My only thought running from him was that I had to get home to you. The person who had taught me what love was. What real love was. Not the shit my parents have, but real, warm love. Golden.” You cupped Steve’s face in your hands and brushed your nose against his. “You are gold, Steve. And that? Those memories of you, intertwined with me, are what saved me. The heart of our group.” You brushed your lips against Steve’s, rubbing your thumbs across his face.

“I love you,” Steve whispered as you pulled apart and you smiled.

“I love you.” You pressed one more kiss to Steve’s lips before you stretched, yawning. “Back to bed?”

“Please.” You and Steve carefully maneuvered around the mattresses and your sleeping friends, getting back into bed. Steve’s legs tangled with yours, your arm around his waist and your head to his chest. Neither you or Steve slept much more that night, but you were comforted in each other. In the presence of your friends. And that was enough for tonight.

[storiesbyrhi]

Witch!Reader x Bat/Vampire!Eddie Munson Series Masterlist The Grimoire The Timeline

Warnings: canon typical violence, horror genre typical violence/some infrequent gore, swearing, animal death, no beta, death in childbirth (mentioned, not described), abusive parents, suicide, spiders/bugs, grief/mourning; light smut; warnings updated each chapter.

Synopsis: No witch has stepped foot in Hawkins since 1845, but when Vecna opens the ground and poisons the town, a voice begins to call to you. Have you been brought back to this cursed place to heal the townspeople’s wounds, to save a hexed bat that always finds its way to you, or to redefine your history with a reunion 150 years in the making?

Chapter Summary: Life goes on. 2994 words.

1986

The calendar looked the same as it had five minutes ago. Yet, you found yourself back in front of it, staring at it silently. If Eddie was home, you would have pretended you were at least there to get something from the fridge the calendar was stuck to. But you were alone to space out and look at the numbers and lines as if they meant something different.

A knock at the trailer door eventually pulled you away from the month of October.

“Oh. Hi!” The boy looked shocked to see you.

“Hi, Dustin…”

“Sorry. Hi. Um. Hi,”

“Hi,”

“Hi. So… How are you? How have you been?”

You looked him up and down. He was as you remembered him, though less sad, but not entirely happy yet either. You stepped aside. “You wanna come in?”

Dustin looked around Forest Hills with hesitation. Neighbours were out enjoying the cooling breeze. The heat of August was gone, September had just finished ushering in just a taste of what October would offer.

“Lots of witnesses seeing you come in. You’re safe,” you told him.

The kid looked back up at you. “Is the…”

You knew what he was asking, but instead of putting him out of his misery, you just raised an eyebrow.

“The vampire. That’s what he is, right? Nancy and Robin told me-”

“He’s not here,”

“Oh. He’s out? But it’s daytime?”

“Yeah. I can turn him into a bat. He’s immune to all that when he’s the bat,”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Are you a vampire expert now?”

“I mean… I am an expert in a lot of the, you know, monster type situations that happen here,” Dustin countered, putting his hands on his hips.

“So I hear. Come on. What do you need?”

Dustin followed you inside the trailer. “I, ah, love what you’ve done with the place,” he quipped as he drew a smiley face in a pile of dirt on the kitchen bench, then picked the leaf next to it up, spinning it between his fingers.

“Don’t touch that!” you squealed too late, grabbing Dustin’s hand and healing him before the Dendrocnide moroides had a chance to take effect.

Dustin’s eyes were wide, the panic sweeping across his face. “What was that?! Am I gonna die?!”

Letting him go, you examined his hand. “No. You just would have been in a lot of pain,”

“Like poison ivy?”

“No, like an excruciating pain that feels like being burned with acid. And it can linger for months. Flare up after years,”

“And you have it just laying around?”

“Well, Dustin, it has no effect on me or Eddie. And I don’t get a lot of visitors.”

He nodded sheepishly. “Sorry… Sorry. I didn’t mean to- I’ll… keep my hands to myself,”

“For the best. But the couch is safe. Sit.”

Dustin sat, picked up a throw pillow and hugged it to himself. He said nothing and avoided eye contact.

“Can I make you a cup of tea?” You added, “Not magic tea,” before he could ask.

He nodded.

You brewed chamomile and honey, took a mug of it to Dustin, and sat next to him with your own. “So, put my mind at ease; no new monsters for me to worry about?”

“No. Nope. Hawkins is… safe,”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

Dustin laughed out a strange cackling sound.

“…Dustin?”

“Sorry. No. No more monsters. Nancy and the others keep telling me it’s done. Finished. Even El says so…”

“But you don’t believe them?” you asked gently.

“I want to. I want to be happy that everything is going back to normal. But…”

“You’re scared. I get it. I really do. I know what it’s like to have the war end and be left to… you know, live. It’s hard. But he’s gone, Dustin. Whatever he was. There’s nothing left here of him. The gates are closed. There’s no way between there and here,”

“But what if there’s someone else? What if there is another way? Not now. But one day. What if we all grow up and have kids and they have to do this all over again?”

Dustin’s hands had begun to shake. You placed the mugs of tea on the coffee table and took his hands in yours.

“If we get stuck mapping out all of the ‘what ifs,’ we never get to move forward. And there are no guarantees. We don’t know if Hawkins gets to be safe forever. We can watch over it. We can hope. But other than that… We just have to figure out how to be okay.”

The boy nodded, tears rolling down his face. You pulled him into a hug.

“I miss them. I miss Steve,” he cried.

“I know. The grief never goes away. It becomes easier to carry though,”

“Can you make it go away?”

Clenching your jaw, you shook your head. “It’s better to remember. You don’t want to forget what love felt like. You don’t want to forget them. If this grief is the price, we have to pay it.”

You held him until he could take a shaky but mostly controlled breath.

“Do you… Do you know if you’re staying in Hawkins?” Dustin asked.

“Ah, yeah actually. Something about being here feels right,”

“If something happens then…”

“I’ll be here. For you and your kids,”

“Are you like, really old?”

You laughed. “Yes. I am. And, I have some other really old friends coming soon too. There’ll be a few of us to keep watch,”

“More witches? Or vampires?”

“Witches. Eddie is the last of his kind.”

Dustin nodded, considering the information. He wiped his face on his sleeve and picked up his mug. He liked the tea; you could tell.

“You can always come here, Dustin. Maybe not literally here here. But to me,”

“Where are you going?”

“Well, can’t have a coven of witches sharing a trailer, can I?”

Dustin smiled wide, toothy, and happy. “A coven?!”

“Yep. My very own,”

“They can come too,”

“Come where?” you asked.

“That’s why I came, actually. But being here reminded me of… Steve…” Dustin fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to you.

When you unfolded it, a black cat with bright green eyes greeted you. It was carving a jack-o-lantern. “Black cats can’t wait to meet you… Golden pumpkins agleam… Owls and bats guide you… To our party Halloween,” you read. A place, time, and date were listed.

“Will and his family are throwing it,” Dustin told you.

“To be honest, I’m surprised all your families decided to stay. Long ago, when my kind fought an enemy here, we left once it was done." 

Dustin shrugged. “Most people don’t know what really happened. Government handed out some pretty big cheques,”

“Most towns are built on graveyards, I guess,”

“Well, on that cheery note…” Dustin stood.

“You’re okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I guess… You should come to the party. And your… friends, if they’re here,”

“What about Eddie?” you asked, almost just for fun.

Dustin walked down the trailer’s steps, looking back at you. “He’s one of the good guys, right?”

It could have been a coincidence, but it was far more likely to be Eddie’s sense of drama. He came swooping by Dustin and you, landing on the coffee table between the mugs of chamomile and honey. You rolled your eyes.

“Is that…?”

“Yes. King of theatre himself.”

Dustin looked at the bat. “Um. Hi. You can come… to the party… but maybe… not like that.”

Eddie chittered and you knew the demand. You cast him back.

“Jesus, man!” Dustin screeched, shielding his eyes. “A little warning!”

You and Eddie both smiled stupidly at each other.

“I think that’s a crime! Public indecency!” Dustin continued as Eddie casually strolled naked to the bedroom, avoiding the burst of sunlight from the open door.

“He’s in his own home,” you shrugged.

“Fine! Child endangerment!”

“Yeah, he’s got you there,” you said over your shoulder.

“I’m going now,”

“Bye, Dustin,” you farewelled.

“Goodbye, Dustin! Nice to meet you, Dustin!” Eddie yelled.

Dustin was on his bike and on his way out of Forest Hills before you even closed the door.

“To our party Halloween,” Eddie read, picking up the invitation. “Well, that’s cute,”

“It is. They’re resilient, aren’t they?”

“All humans or specifically yours?”

“All of them, I guess, but these ones in particular. They just keep going,”

“They do… Will you be attending this celebration of All Hallows Eve?” he asked, letting his voice dip into a Vincent Price impersonation.

“I don’t know. Halloween is so far away. I have so much to do before then,”

“Speaking of, I scouted the whole area out near the forest gate. Not a house or paved road in sight,”

“Yeah? Cool. It might work then…”

…

It would have been a harder task if Hawkins had not recently had major groundworks and construction happening.

“We had to map out everything from here to bloody Fort Wayne!” the woman at New City Hall, Nell, had said. “So, you came at the right time. Now, which part did you want to know about?”

“Over here,” you pointed to a map Nell rolled out. “Near this forest, then out beyond that,”

“Oh, jeez, honey. You don’t want to be heading out there. Nothing good out there,”

“What do you mean?”

Nell sighed. “Well, Merrill Wright was all set to buy some of the land. Expand his pumpkin patch and whatnot. But after all that hullabaloo with the poisoning, then the earthquake… Don’t think he’s thinking on expanding. Take a lot of work to make that land good again… But… Looks as though you’ll be wanting to talk to the Klines…” The way her sentence tapered off suggested talking to the Klines was going to be a difficult task.

“They own all of this? One family?”

“Klines have been in Hawkins as long as Hawkins has existed. Guess they just… claimed it at some point.”

You couldn’t recall any Klines from before, when Hawkins was referred to as ‘the flatlands.’ Rightfully, the land belonged to the Native American peoples, those that coexisted with the land before British and French rule. How the Klines came to own the land was probably another lesson in displacement and colonisation.

“Where can I find them? The Klines?”

“Ah, well, Larry Kline is…” Nell covered her mouth and whispered the next part – “…in the slammer.”

You nodded and tried to look scandalised.

“He had some shady dealings with some… Let’s just say… unsavoury characters. Some bad comrades, if you catch my drift,”

“No!” you hissed, as outraged as Nell expected you to be.

“I know! Poor Winnie… When it all came out, she found out he was cheatin’ on her too. With his secretary no less! She moved right after. Not sure what happened with the land… Probably still sitting in Larry’s name… Maybe the government took it when he was locked up?”

Following Nell’s directions, you drove across town to a law firm that had once represented Larry Kline. They confirmed that all the land his family once appropriated now was property of the U.S. Government.

“And that’s a good thing?” Eddie questioned when you returned home and filled him in on the findings.

“It's... good and bad. Either they won’t sell it privately, and we just use some stronger wards and protections for now. Or, they do sell it to us and we can return ownership to the Native Americans and ask permission to base our coven there,”

“Can’t you just… make them… sell it to you?”

“I mean…”

Eddie knew what the debate in your head was. “A good witch wouldn’t make them,”

“Probably not, no… But, I don’t know if I am a good witch anymore, right?”

“Right. You’re better. You don’t tie yourself to archaic notions of a moral right and wrong,”

“Sure… I’ll think about it. They might do the right thing themselves,”

“They? The government? Of the United States of America? Have you fallen ill?” He pressed his palm to your forehead. “Are these visions from another dimension plaguing you?”

You laughed and pushed him away. “The drama never ends,”

“I prefer the term showmanship. The showmanship never ends,”

“Okay, showman, well let’s get the cards out and see what they say about magically forcing land back, yeah?” An hour later you were laughing at Six of Pentacles and The Chariot. “Can’t get any clearer than that!”

…

The room you were led into was sterile but still had a thick air of toxic masculinity. A family photo of the man, his wife, and children was up high on a bookcase. Dusty and never looked at. A crystal decanter half-filled with bourbon sat on the corner of his desk. No artwork on the walls. A pen with a picture of a pin-up girl wrapped around it, when the cam was clicked, her naked form appeared. He said it was embarrassing, claimed was a gag gift from the 1985 office Kris Kringle, yet never got rid of it.

“We received your proposal. That’s a lot of land you’re looking to buy.”

Resisting the urge to say ‘I know,’ you smiled and nodded.

“What’s a girl like you want to do with all that land?”

What, exactly, is a girl like me like? 

“The land is relatively untouched at the moment. There are neighbouring farms and a few private roads, but it is mostly just woodland and open plains. Hawkins has seen a lot of devastation over the past couple of decades. We would like to see the land taken care of. You know, returned to its rightful owners. Any deforestation or development staved off.”

You knew it was risky mentioning the ‘rightful owners’ of the land but you wanted this man, in all his white-collar sweatiness, to have a chance to do the right thing.

“Hmm… And the ‘we’ is you and your…”

“Collective. We are kind of like a non-profit. A charity. We all have other jobs, but dedicate our free time and resources to helping people and the environment,” you answered, reciting the proposal that he very evidently did not read.

“How does a group of…” He flicked through the pages. “…women. A group of women raise enough cash to make this kind of offer?”

“Campaigning… Bake sales. That kind of thing.” You shrugged and batted your eyelashes. It was a stupid and obvious lie but it fit into the man’s preconceived idea of the economics of women, so he brought it.

“Still… We’re more in the business of innovation. Indiana needs to keep up with the East and West coasts, you see. And, we like to see our proposals a lot more financially sound. There’s no clear way for you to make the repayments,”

“You’re not a business though,”

“Sorry?”

“You’re not a business,” you repeated. “You’re the government. Specifically, the part of the government that is meant to do the right thing for the people and the land, by deciding what happens to the land. Your objective isn’t to make money,”

“Right, but-”

“And, as far as you are concerned, the proposal is financially sound. The money to buy the land is there. What we have free and clear, then the rest in loans not owed to you. So… you’re paid. The hypothetical debt we get into and the repayments don’t concern you at all. That just seems like an excuse to not approval the proposal,”

“Miss-”

“No. Absolutely not,” you interrupted again.

“Miss, I’m going to have-”

From the moment you sat down, your hand had been in your pocket ready for the moment. You curled your fingers to your palm, collecting the dust. “Actually, I’m going to have to do this,” and you blew it in his face. The man froze in place. He couldn’t even blink.

“Okay, you can come out.”

You opened the lid of the backpack carefully sat at your feet. Eddie crawled out and looked around. He flew up and perched on the man’s desk.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you with a bat attack or anything,” you told the man. “He’s just here to watch… And don’t worry about not being able to move. I’ll fix that before I go. We just have some business to attend to first,” you said with a grin that would haunt the man for the rest of his life.

It wasn’t dark magic. It was… morally grey magic used for the greater good.

The man felt compelled, entirely committed, obsessively in support of your proposal. He felt like if he didn’t hand over the land at an insanely reduced price he might die. He would die. Everyone could die.

When you freed his body from your hold, tears rolling down the man’s face from lack of blinking, he coughed hard. He looked at Eddie with a frown.

“Who’s this?” he asked.

“Who’s who?” you replied.

“The…” but your face told him that you couldn’t see Eddie… Maybe he was going crazy. It was the cursed Hawkins land. He had to get rid of it. To you. Yes. Yes, perfect. Sell it off cheap. Get rid of it. And to a charity? Well, everyone would think he’s a hero! A true American hero! Maybe he’d even get a bonus. Yes. Sell it. Sell it. Sell it. “I think I can make you an offer…”

On the drive home, you pushed The Head on the Door tape into the deck and sang along with Robert Smith loudly. When the sun set and Eddie swooped through the open window, you turned him back and laughed when he refused to put on pants.

“Out of curiosity, little witch, would that freezing spell work on… say… you… or me?”

You looked over at him and his sly grin. “Is your mind in the gutter again?”

“It’s always got a foot there. Care to join me?”

End Note: Click here to see the inspo for the Halloween party invitations.

Also, I forgot to say this last time: the reason that Mel, the music journalist coven member, is haunted by Steve is because my IRL bestie @kookygranger (who the character is based on) reblogged a chapter and added her own little blurb to it. Kind of like fanfic of my fanfic hehe. You can read that reblog here. She has now expanded it to be its own entire fic (read here). It deviates from what my characters are doing, so it’s pretty much a Burning Yarrow AU. Obsessed.

As always, I hope you are all well and I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings. xo Rhi

Fic Taglist:  @paranoidmunson  @idkidknemore @paprikaquinn @stardustworlds @loz-brooke @wyverntatty @vintagehellfire @dark-academia-slut @scarletwitchwhore @becks1002 @mrsdollardog @heyndrix @luceneraium @rosaline-black @devilinthepalemoonlite @goldencherriess @iamwhisperingstars @wiltedwonderland @blueywrites @breezybeesposts @jadehowlettthewolf @spikesvamp79 @foreveranexpatsposts @tortoiseshellspells @wingedpeachjudgegiant @stardustmunson @live-love-be-unique @fangirling-4-ever @reanimated-alice @b-irock @gh0stlybunnie @myown-worstenemy-2003 @woozzz @cyberxlust @hiscrimsonangel @buckysbarne @m00nlight101 @word-wytch @spicysix @briasnow-blog @goth-cowgirl-03

All Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @sweetpeapod @thorfemmes  @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob  @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @mel-the-fangirl @eddies-hid3out @siren-lungs @aheadfullofsteverogers @hiscrimsonangel @dashingdeb16 @cultish-corner

[writethrough]

Hello ^^

I saw that your requests are open, so if its okay may I ask for a Eddie Munson x reader? In which reader is trying to escape Vecna but the music stops, so Eddie continues it by singing it for her?

Track Two

(Eddie Munson x Female Reader)

Warnings: Vecna, mutual pining, angst, mean Eddie for a hot sec

Word Count: 2863

A/N: Holy shit, I did not think I'd get this done before the new year. Thank you so much for your patience! This is my first Eddie fic so I really wanted it to be at its best! I loved writing his character and I look forward to doing more in the future. I hope you enjoy!

*featuring "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac*

You had just returned from your accidental visit to the Upside Down. After Steve was pulled in, it didn’t take long for the rest of you to follow. You hadn’t thought it could be more frightening than the first time you were there, but you were wrong. The red flashes of thunder, the vines covering nearly every surface, the knowledge that Vecna could pop up at any minute? It terrified you.

You’d never been so thankful to be back in Eddie’s trailer. Still, your second home felt far from that with the gate in the ceiling.

You had to focus on the positives: you were all safe, relatively—Max was nowhere near out of the woods. Eddie was with you—you could tell he was on edge, but when he met your gaze, he seemed to relax a little. At least he wasn’t alone in that boat house anymore. And you were on your way for supplies. If Vecna wanted to try and take one of you, you weren’t going down without a fight.

Eddie sensed that you were going too deep into your thoughts, so he knocked your knee with his.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, leaning close, his shoulder touching yours.

The corner of your mouth tugged upward. “They’re worth a nickel, actually.”

He whistled. “Wow, inflation’s no joke.”

You giggled—leave it to Eddie to make light of a dire situation.

“There it is,” he said softly, glancing from your mouth back to your eyes.

You rolled them. “Yeah, yeah, you and your dumb jokes.”

“I thought that was pretty clever.” He pouted.

You pushed your shoulder against his lightly. “Wasn’t bad.”

He pushed back. “So, you gonna tell me what’s up?”

You sighed. “Just…thinking.”

“Don’t,” he urged. It still surprised you how well Eddie knew you, even after all these years. It was like he could read your mind. Which, given that El existed, isn’t too far-fetched.

“Can’t help it.” You gave him a sad smile. “Not when all this shit is affecting you now.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “We’ll both be. Long as we have each other’s backs.”

“Yeah.” You tried to sound convincing. “We’ll be fine.”

He wished he could wipe the doubt on your face away. But this wasn’t one of his campaigns that he could erase and start from scratch. This was…This was unbelievable.

Your head tilted, eyes narrowed as you stared at the RV wall.

“(Y/N)?” Eddie asked. “You okay?”

You inhaled sharply, not daring to look away.

“I see it,” you whispered.

His brow furrowed. “See what?”

“The clock.”

—

You had stayed in the RV with Eddie and Dustin, trying to keep your hands from trembling. They tried to convince you everything would be okay, that they would kill Vecna before he could touch you. But their voices muffled as you lost yourself in every scenario.

When your group had piled back in, it was decided you’d make a quick stop at your house to pick up your favorite song and cassette player. None of it registered, though. You were too consumed with your imagination to hear anything they said.

You pulled up in front of your house, both of your parents at work. Eddie led you, Steve, Nancy, and Robin through the front door. Nancy had ordered the kids to stay there. She knew your dad kept survival tools in the basement and figured it couldn’t hurt to have a few more weapons and maybe a first aid kit.

She and Steve went to get that stuff as the rest of you went to your room.

Eddie was hesitant to leave your immediate side.

“(Y/N)?” he asked softly. “Look at me, please?”

You did. Those pretty brown eyes did little to warm you like they usually did.

“We’ve got this,” he said. “Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

You nodded slowly, not quite believing him.

“Hey,” he grabbed your hand, “I mean it.”

His hand in yours drew you back to reality. He always had this innate ability to make you feel better—to make you feel like you weren’t alone. It was one thing that never ceased to impress you. He had never not been there for you.

“Thank you,” you said. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

His lips tilted up slightly. “I do.”

“Oh?” You tilted your head.

“You’d let me take the fall for the murders.”

Your eyes narrowed. “...What are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “If you didn’t know me, you’d believe I was the one who killed everyone. You’d think I was a murderer, too.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, Eddie. I could never think that. Not even if we weren’t friends.”

“You can tell yourself that, but it doesn’t change the truth,” he said, sliding his hand to your wrist.

“Why…Why are you saying all this?” You wanted to rip your arm away, but his grip tightened, forcing you to stay put.

“Because it’s the truth,” he said. “Even if you’re not ready to acknowledge it.”

His voice deepened.

You blinked.

And when you opened your eyes, your room was gone. Eddie was gone.

And Vecna had taken his place.

—

The beginning of your senior year was a week away. The beginning of Eddie’s second attempt to graduate had him anxious. And when that happened, he fidgeted. And when he fidgeted, it was usually through your stuff.

“I need to get you some real music,” he said, pushing aside whatever cassette he was holding.

“I need to get you some real taste,” you quipped, glancing up with a smirk.

He faced you, hand clutching his chest and mouth agape. “Ow!”

You giggled. “Just pick something! You may like it.”

He scrunched his nose. “I may have to if your stash doesn’t get any better.”

Rolling your eyes fondly, you lay down on your bed, staring at the ceiling. The faint tapping of cassette case against case created a rhythm. You were unconsciously moving your foot to it when it stopped.

“Now this, I can get behind.” He held up one of your Fleetwood Mac albums, promptly putting it in your stereo.

“Play track two,” you said, closing your eyes.

The opening notes to the song filtered through the air as Eddie lay beside you, arms brushing.

“You ready for next week?” he asked quietly.

“Physically or mentally?” You turned your head to him.

He shrugged. “Both.”

“I guess. Just not ready for what comes after.” You were always comfortable around Eddie. He didn’t judge you for what you wore or how you acted. You told him everything. Well, almost everything.

He didn’t need to know your feelings for him. They were better kept in a box deep within your heart. You didn’t need to complicate something that was already near perfect.

“I get that,” he said, lying on his side. “I just hope I’ll have those anxieties with you.”

You gave him a soft smile. When he got the news about repeating senior year, he was more frustrated than you’d ever seen him. He wanted to get out of Hawkins, make a name for himself besides “The Freak,” and play music for whoever would listen.

He had come to your house afterward and worked himself close to tears with his head in his hands. You didn’t know what to do, so you talked to him about everything you’d do together as seniors—how you both had another year to be “kids,” so to speak. And that seemed to calm him down. He was just happy he had you with him, a thought he would express many times throughout the coming school year.

“I’ve got you, Eds,” you said, squeezing his fingers.

He gave you a grateful smile. “I know.”

—

“Shit, shit, shit!” Eddie panicked.

“What’s wrong?” Nancy asked as she and Steve arrived in your room. Your whitened eyes were enough of an answer.

“Get her song!” Steve urged, looking at Eddie already searching through your music.

He let out a string of curses. “I forgot she told me she needed a new one!” He held up the cracked cassette. You accidentally dropped it when switching it out and didn’t have the heart to throw it away before you got another.

“What do we do?” Robin asked.

“Does she have another favorite song?” Steve moved to help rifle through your collection.

“She’s literally been listening to this for years! I don’t think she knows other songs exist!” Eddie said, gripping the roots of his hair.

It had been on whenever he saw you. If it came on while you were hanging out in his room listening to the stereo, you turned it up. You threw it in when he’d pick you up. The only reason he knew the song was because of you. The only reason he could sing every word of it was that—!

Eddie scrambled to get as close to you as possible. Standing so he could hold your biceps and look into your whitened eyes.

“What are you doing?” Steve’s brow furrowed.

“I’m gonna sing it,” Eddie said, trying to pump himself up.

“Do you think that will work?” Eddie could hear the doubt in Nancy’s voice.

“It’s the only shot she has,” Eddie said.

This was his best friend. The person he went to with his campaign ideas, when he needed comfort, or when he passed a test—really anything. You had always been there for him. No matter what was going on in your life, if he needed you, you were there. Now, it was his turn.

This had to work—he had to save you. He didn’t want to imagine how he’d make it through life without you. You were it for him. He had a feeling since he spotted you in the hallway wearing a Black Sabbath shirt. Then, he knew for sure when you cussed out Jason Carver for being “the dumbest douchebag with the longest stick up his ass” when he wouldn’t quit harassing Eddie.

His time with you was his favorite. Whenever you weren’t around, he wondered when he could see you again. He’d do anything to make you laugh. He’d do anything to protect you.

He inhaled deeply, slowly nodding to the beat in his head, and then, he sang.

“Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom…”

—

Red lightning flashed all around you, Vecna’s voice the thunder.

“It will be over quickly,” he said, the wet squelch of his feet getting louder.

Vines tightened around your wrists and ankles, pulling you taut against the trunk of them behind you.

You tried to surge forward, to rip them off and run, but your muscles burned, and it hurt to breathe. This was it. Vecna was already so close. There was no way Eddie or the others would save you, especially without your song.

You wanted to smack yourself for not replacing it. You would die because of one little choice to leave it to another date.

At least you got to spend your last few hours with Eddie. Even if it was preparing for Vecna, you still got to be near him—you got to talk to him one last time. You only hoped he’d remember you as you were and not the broken pile you’d be once it was all over.

You hoped his name would be cleared, he’d graduate, and he’d live out his biggest dreams. And stay safe. You just needed him to be safe.

As Vecna stood before you, you settled on an image of a smiling Eddie, that big grin he’d give you when he wanted to play you a song he taught himself. It only widened when you applauded as if you were in the front row of one of his concerts. You could almost hear him saying, “Prettiest audience I’ve ever played for.”

…

Wait…

…You could hear his voice.

But he wasn’t being his cheesy, flirty self.

…He was singing.

“...Well, who am I to keep you down…”

Your song. He was singing your song!

With Eddie’s voice, the air in your lungs fueled you. It was enough distraction for Vecna to glance over his shoulder as a portal opened. That was all you needed.

The vines loosened, or maybe you had a surge of strength. Next thing you knew, you were running. Running toward the portal, running toward your friends, running toward Eddie, standing right in front of you, and singing.

“You can not escape me, (Y/N),” Vecna said, sending the vines after you.

But you barely heard him. All you could focus on was Eddie’s voice and how each lyric sunk deep into your bones and propelled you forward. 

The vines gained on you.

Your feet were sore.

He was right there.

You reached out, and the shimmering tickled your fingertips as his voice faded and a vine slithered around your ankle.

“...When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know…”

—

The new year was just around the corner as you and Eddie holed up in his room for the day. You’d taken a year off to save up some money for college, and Eddie was a few months into his third senior year.

He was furiously scribbling at his desk: a new campaign, he said. You never minded these days. You enjoyed the peacefulness of simply being in the same room as Eddie, doing your own things.

The stereo was set to a hum—background noise helped him concentrate. When the music stopped, you got up to switch the cassette. You knew Eddie’s collection like your own: Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden—if it was metal, it was here. That’s why this new album took you off guard.

You held the Fleetwood Mac cassette up. “When did you get this?”

Eddie glanced over his shoulder. “Last week.” He shrugged. “It’s a good album.”

He turned back to his campaign, hoping his voice sounded normal. He didn’t want you to know he bought it so you’d always have that song with you. He didn’t want you to know that when you weren’t here, he listened to it like you were. He really didn’t want you to know that it had slowly become one of his favorites because you listened to it when you were both together.

And maybe he had imagined swaying with you to that song. He’d light some candles, hold you against him, and wish he could stay like that forever.

But that’s all it was, just some wish.

He could hear the smile in your voice as you spoke. “Looks like you finally got some taste.”

And though you couldn’t see it, he rolled his eyes, a smile on his own lips. “Guess you’re a good influence on me.”

—

You gasped, knees buckling as you returned to your body. Eddie quickly caught you, lowering you to the floor where he pulled you close, one of his legs behind you and the other under your own.

Tears streamed down your face as you curled as best you could into him. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you buried your head in its crook.

You had been so cold there, even though all you saw was red; it was like the place tried to freeze you solid. Eddie’s warm hands rubbing your back pushed the chill in your bones away. His grip was the only thing grounding you, telling you that you were where you belonged.

One of his hands moved to stroke your head. “I’m here. I’ve got you now." He breathed you in. "You’re back, sweetheart.”

He tried to bring you closer, placing his head atop yours and holding you by your shoulder and knees—like he could keep Vecna from grabbing you again.

So, when you calmed and began to pull away, he almost yanked you back to his body.

Once you both rose from the floor, the others urged you back to the RV, Eddie’s arm around your waist.

He took your hand when you sat on the back bench as the rest of the group discussed the plan. Nancy had thought to grab your walkman and headphones, and Max had thrown all her music in her backpack and had a copy of the album you needed.

Your headphones rested around your neck, the song softly playing. You wanted to help everyone figure out how to kill Vecna, but the only thing you could focus on was the phantom vines encircling your wrists.

You kept expecting them to be there when you looked away from one of your friends. Eddie must have noticed you weren’t paying attention, his knee nudging yours as he furrowed his brow in concern.

He knew you weren’t okay. Neither of you were okay. So, he did the one thing he could think of and squeezed your hand before pressing a kiss to your temple.

You leaned into it, needing him more than you could ever express.

“I’m right here,” he whispered into your ear.

You turned your head slightly so your foreheads were together.

“You always are,” you whispered back. As long as you had Eddie by your side, you would fight. You would win. And maybe afterward, you’d tell him you loved him.

[berenwrites]

Closure - Stranger Things - Steddie - G

Rating: G| cw: blood | tags: post season 4, eddie lives, fluff no angst

Prompt: Love is having hope for the future together (acasualcrossfade)

A/N: Written for @steddielovemonth day 12. Sorry I have missed so many days – had lots of ideas, just no umph to actually get them on paper. Feeling more creative today. Enjoy!

Also on AO3 | All My Other Stranger Things Fic

Closure: Rifts & Reactions

Steve grabbed Eddie’s hand as it was offered and let the other man drag him out of hole they had both been in only moments before. He could barely believe it as he staggered to his feet and the fissure behind them groaned as it closed.

“Teams sound off, over,” came over the walkie slung across his back in Dustin’s urgent tones.

“Team 1, all safe, over,” came the first response from Hopper.

“Team 2, all safe, over,” was the second from Nancy as Steve pulled the walkie round to the front.

“Team 3, all safe, over,” he said, as clearly as he could.

He looked at Eddie, battered, bruised, filthy, just like him, and he couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of his throat. It was over, really over this time. Vecna was dead. All his monsters were dead. The Upside Down was sealing itself off without his influence to keep the gates open. And they were all alive.

“Finally losing it, Sweetheart?” Eddie asked as Steve laughed so hard his legs gave out.

He was exhausted, had a three-groove gash across the front of his left leg, luckily not too deep, and he ached all over, but he couldn’t stop laughing.

When they had gone in, Team 1 containing El, to confront Vecna head on, Team 2 to distract as many of Vecna’s monsters as possible, and Team 3 to take out the lab in the Upside Down that had machinery in it Vecna had been using to keep open his gates, Steve had mentally given them about a fifty percent chance. That they had all come through it alive and kicking was simply amazing.

Eddie sat down next to him.

“It’s over,” he said, unable to keep the wonder out of his voice. “It’s finally over.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, smiling at him.

If the rifts closing hadn’t been a huge giveaway, there was something in the air as well. It was as if a weight had been lifted. Maybe a psychic one had been.

“You’re still bleeding though,” Eddie pointed out.

The wounds were oozing a little thanks to all the vigorous movement, but it wasn’t much, as far as Steve could tell.

“Can I kiss you,” was what he decided to respond, gazing into Eddie’s eyes, and watching them go wide and shocked, “please,” he added.

Finding Eddie wandering around the evacuated trailer park in a fugue state had felt like a miracle at the time. His reaction to it had given Steve a clue that he had become more attached to the metalhead than he had admitted to himself before that. Then helping nurse Eddie back to health and to his old self had only deepened the fledgling feelings.

They’d all been focused on only one thing though: defeating Vecna, so he’d put all those things on the back burner. Even when he was pretty sure he’d seen Eddie looking at him the same way, he had pushed them down because there was too much to do.

There wasn’t any more.

“Yes,” Eddie said, and now it was him who sounded like he couldn’t quite believe it.

Steve leaned in, just lightly touching his lips to Eddie’s. It was Eddie that grabbed him by the straps on his combat jacket and pulled him in for a much deeper kiss. Steve revelled in it. They both tasted of ash, but he didn’t care. He never wanted to stop kissing Eddie if he could help it. It was only when a groan was forced from his mouth, and not in a sexy way, when he made a move that had his leg complaining loudly that Eddie drew back.

“More later,” Eddie said and took the walkie from his hand, pulling the strap over his head. “This is Team 3, over.”

“Central here, over,” Dustin’s replied instantly.

“Could do with a pickup,” Eddie said, “Steve’s hurt. Bikes are a no go, over.”

They hadn’t wanted to be seen on the way in, so they’d biked to their entry point.

“Bad?” Dustin came back, completely forgetting the ‘over’.

“No worse than usual,” Eddie replied. “He had to make sure he has some more badass scars, of course, over.”

“This is Team 1,” came over the walkie from Hopper. “Can swing by and pick you up once I’ve dropped off my lot. How urgent is it? Over.”

Steve took the walkie back.

“I’m fine,” he said, giving Eddie a look for worrying everyone, “I just can’t pedal. Over.”

“Got it,” Hopper returned. “Sit tight, I’ll be with you soon. Over.”

“Will do, over and out,” Steve responded.

“This whole kissing thing better not be due to blood loss,” Eddie said as Steve put the walkie down.

“Nope,” he replied, “that just made me brave. Want to kiss some more?”

“Sweetheart, I’ll kiss you forever if I can,” Eddie replied.

“I’ll keep you to that,” he said with a smile, leaning back in, but making sure he didn’t do anything stupid with his leg this time.

All My Other Stranger Things Fic

[ladykailitha]

EddieHawk? *name in progress*

Listen, come closer. Steddie LadyHawke AU. I know, I know, it's been done before but they modernized it.

Picture this.

Sir Stephan as head of the guard for Bishop William (Billy) and they both fall for the beautiful and ethereal Eddie. He is the adopted nephew of Lord Wayne and crowning jewel of the small principality of Hawkins.

Sir Stephan and Eddie know that they can't wed under the eye of Prince Henry (Vecna) and Bishop William plan to run away together and elope.

Max not knowing that her guardian the Bishop is madly in love with Eddie, tells him of their plans thinking that he could help them get away.

The Bishop is enraged that they would even think of running away and with the help of the Prince place a curse on the pair.

Five years later and Robin, who is a thief and escape artist extraordinaire breaks out of the town prison which was said to be inescapable.

Sir Thomas, the new head of the guard and the Bishop's right hand man is intent on capturing her to find out how she escaped.

She just happens to run into Sir Thomas and the guard right where Sir Stephan was trying to make it back to the center of Hawkins to kill the Bishop and he accidentally rescues her.

But in their running, they move farther away from the Hawkins much to Sir Stephan's ire. When they stop for the night, even though there is still plenty of daylight left, Robin gets annoyed. She wants to get away from the bad men after, stopping now does not accomplish that. So Stephan tells her to leave.

Robin weighs the two options and stays with the buff dude with a very big sword. And strangely a beautiful raven.

Stephan tells her that if she sees a large wolf, run away. Don't engage. He will not be responsible if it eats her.

Robin is confused, there haven't been wolves in the area in decades. But she doesn't argue afraid he'll just leave her behind. He also tells her that when the sun sets to lay out the clothing in right saddle bag and do not talk to the man who comes to get them.

So she does what she's told.

Mostly.

She talks to the young man. Learns his name is Edwin, but everyone calls him Eddie. He's sweet and awkward. And if she was attracted to men, she might just fall in love with him.

The wolf appears and Robin is terrified. But oddly Eddie is not.

Come morning, Stephan is back and the beautiful man is gone. Stephan calls to the raven and he lands on Robin's arm not Stephan's. And ooh boy does that cause a stir.

"I'm gay you daft creature!" she hisses, "Go back to your master!"

Stephan laughs for the first time and the raven lands on Stephan's wrist.

But the guard has caught up with them and a stray arrow hits the raven. Stephan is distraught. Terrified.

He rides for miles, hard and fast to a small fortress. It's run by a group of outcasts. Max, El, Dustin, Will, Mike, and Lucas. All run out of Hawkins for one reason or another.

Max carries the heaviest sin by far.

Stephan yells at the gate. "Come down here and help him. Now!"

They all come running and Robin is confused.

While El and Will seek to heal the bird, Max and Dustin feed Robin. She's worried about Stephan. But Dustin tells her Mike and Lucas have him.

Robin catches Will and El covering the body of a naked Eddie with a wound in his shoulder right where the raven was shot. So she gets the truth out of Max and Dustin about the curse that binds them together but keeps them apart. At night Eddie is a human and Stephan a wolf, and during the day, Stephan is a human and Eddie the raven. Never can they see each other.

Robin is upset. That's horrible.

But the Party has a plan. They just have to get Stephan to agree to it.

Come morning the bird is fully healed and they set off again, Max and Dustin following behind. Stephan refuses to listen to their plan and insists his going to kill the Bishop will break the curse.

The bishop is tired of waiting and sends out a wolf hunter, Yuri to kill Stephan.

There is a harrowing moment that night when poor Eddie and Robin think Stephan has been caught in one of these traps, but thanks to the quick thinking of Max and Robin they kill the hunter in one of his own traps.

But it's too close for comfort. They need to end this and fast.

They travel all day, getting nearer to the city once again. When they camp at night, it's near a frozen lake that they had skirted that morning.

Only when the wolf attempts to cross it, he falls in. And with everyone's help and the big ass sword, Robin manages to save the wolf.

In the morning before the sun fully comes over the horizon, Robin makes a lean-to casting Eddie in shadow long enough for Stephan to be human long enough to see Eddie before he fully transforms into a bird.

Robin tells Stephan that she lost the sword in the lake and Stephan in his anger pushes her. She lands on the ground and he sees the great big gouges from where the wolf had scratched her helping him out of the lake.

He apologies and hugs her.

They make it to the town and Max insists that if Stephan waits until the eclipse to kill the Bishop the curse will be broke for sure. But Stephan can't trust her. Tells her to kill Eddie if he fails. If the bells ring, he's failed.

He goes in and with a sword he takes off a soldier he kills attacks Mass.

He kills Tommy but before he can kill the Bishop, one of the guards manage to ring the bell just as the eclipse starts. Stephan is gutted.

But before he can kill himself, Eddie comes running in human.

The Bishop is pissed and tries to kill Eddie with his staff, but Robin slides Stephan's sword to him and he kills the Bishop, ending the curse for good.

*cradles your face in my hands* Do you, you see the vision? Can you? Because I can.

[hbyrde36]

Times Like These (The Anniversary Edition)

CH 1 CH 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8

Chapter 9: Bitter Knowledge

WC: 6741 | AO3 link

Eddie startled awake with his heart racing, the same way he had at least 3 or 4 other times since he’d fallen asleep, thankful that it appeared to be morning at last.

At least he’d managed to get some rest. 

Master of Puppets might have been working to keep Vecna at bay, but its associated memories were excellent fodder for nightmares. He’d spent the night running from horrifying vision to horrifying vision, and would swear that he could still feel the phantom teeth of a swarm of demobats going to town on his flesh—even now as he lay there in Steve’s bed wide awake running hands over his smooth unmarred torso.

Just to check, just to be sure. 

Steve was still asleep, snoring lightly right beside him. Their hands had parted sometime in the night, but their bodies had shifted dangerously closer. As Eddie waited for his pulse to return to normal, he took the opportunity to gaze openly at the other boy in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to do since he’d come back this time.

The early morning light filtering in through the window fell directly over Steve’s face, making him appear to glow with an ethereal light. Eddie first admired his thick fan of eyelashes, fluttering every so often as Steve dreamt. His gaze then followed the curve of his cheek, wishing he could trace every mole and freckle with his fingertips—or maybe his tongue. He longed to kiss every square inch of Steve’s beautiful face, actually. Lastly his eyes raked over Steve’s plush lips—lips that he knew for a fact were exactly as soft as they looked.

With great effort Eddie finally forced himself to look away before he could give in to his impulses and do something stupid and reckless, something he couldn’t take back.

A glance at the clock showed it was 7am, almost a full two hours past the last time he’d seen those flashing red numbers and yet his tape was still playing. That meant Steve had been up at some point—recently, and taken care of it. Taken care of him.

Eddie groaned internally. One night back in the same bed and he was already well past the point of no return—it was official. 

He was so in love, and he was so fucked. 

This was precisely why he was trying to stay away, to keep his heart locked up tight in a box labeled: Fragile! Do not open under any circumstances! 

He’d been falling, known it even before Steve had kissed him goodbye and shook his reality to its very core. Then they’d both gone and died without Eddie finding out what it had all meant. Had it been some kind of confused experiment on Steve’s part? Right up until the moment Steve had called out his name, and touched him with such tenderness as their lips met, Eddie had been sure the other boy was straight. 

Was it all only some shared-trauma-forced-proximity bullshit? Or had Steve, beyond all reason, been developing real feelings for him too?

Well he’d never fucking know now would he?!

Because he was afraid. Too scared to try again in case they lost to Vecna and he had to start all over—too scared to try anyway and risk finding out Steve didn’t feel the same way about him. 

How many different kinds of coward could he be?

A phone rang suddenly and sharply far too close to Eddie’s head, pulling him forcibly from his brooding. Steve jerked awake and sat up, the sound finally rousing him, and in another moment of serious fucking déjà vu, Eddie snatched up the receiver to stop the incessant noise and passed it over without a word.

The last time they’d done this, he and Steve had huddled together up against the headboard so they could both hear Jonathan and El through the phone. Now, Eddie wanted nothing more than to escape, catch his breath, think—of anything else, but most of all to stop remembering in vivid detail the line of Steve's sleep-warm body pressed up against his own. 

Scrambling out of bed he fled to the bathroom, nearly slamming the door closed behind him in his bid to escape.  

He turned the sink on in hopes the running water would mask the sound of his heaving breath as he hyperventilated—bringing his fist down hard against the marble vanity top repeatedly, until pain radiated up his arm to his elbow, then his shoulder. Letting the physical hurt ground him. 

This was so stupid. He was so—fucking—stupid. Why was he even letting this get to him? There were far more important things to be worried about than his fucking feelings. He glanced up at the mirror, frowning at his own pale, drawn reflection. He needed to get his shit together—at least long enough to get through this, to defeat Vecna and hopefully end the loops. There'd be ample time for a nervous breakdown, with a side of wallowing in self-pity, when it was over. 

He washed his face and neck with cold water, and when he felt like he’d pulled himself together enough to face the world again finally opened the door.

Steve said nothing at first. He sat on the edge of the bed drumming his fingers on his knee, a guarded look in his eyes but wearing a tentative smile. Either he hadn’t heard Eddie’s tantrum from the other side of the door, or he was going to pretend he hadn’t. In either case Eddie was grateful to not have to explain, or rather, make something up to explain. 

“The phone, um, it was Joyce,” Steve said eventually. “They got to—well, I'm not sure exactly where they are, but they got there last night and El is already hard at work. They think she’ll be ready in a few days.”

“That’s good news.” Eddie offered, still hovering awkwardly in the middle of the room, trying desperately to act normal.

“And, there’s an extraction team on the way to get Hopper.”

“Really?” Eddie perked up, for real this time. He was genuinely happy to hear it. Getting the Chief back would mean everything to the party, and to Steve. “Shit, that was fast.”

“I know.” Steve’s smile widened as he rubbed the back of his neck absently. “Maybe Owens was the right call for the job after all.”

-

It was another one of those quiet days full of waiting in the build up to the potential end of the world, but unlike before when he’d enjoyed the quiet time with Steve, now it just made Eddie’s skin itch. 

The kids were still at the Wheeler’s, keeping their distance—for his sake this time rather than Steve’s, though the distraction of too many people crammed into Steve’s living room might have been better than this. At least the girls were around to provide some cushion.

Mercifully, mid-afternoon Robin had a sudden need to make a visit home home, asking Steve to drive her and wait while she spoke to her parents and grabbed a few things, leaving Eddie and Chrissy alone for the first time since the beginning of this loop. 

With both of their respective sources of distraction gone, Eddie thought it might be a good time to check in with her. She’d been very quiet all day, even more so than usual, and the dark circles under her eyes hinted at a significant lack of sleep.

He sat down next to her on the couch where she was curled up with a paperback she’d found somewhere, staring at the same page she’d been on for at least ten minutes. 

“Hey, uh, so how are you doing with all of this? It must be a lot.” He asked carefully.

“I’m okay, I guess." She said after a moment, closing the book and setting it down on the side table. "Sleep is… difficult. I was already having nightmares, so that’s nothing new, just exhausting. It’s a lot to process. Robin has been a lifesaver though. She sits up with me when I can’t sleep, and she’ll go on and on about anything to keep me from thinking about it too much.”

Eddie almost laughed. Robin would be happy to know her ramblings were finally being put to good use. 

“I’m really glad she’s been there for you.” 

“Yeah, me too. I feel bad sometimes though, like, this is nothing compared to what they’ve all been through over the years. Robin’s been filling me in and it’s so awful. And you—honestly, I feel like I should be the one asking you if you’re okay.”

“Who, me?” He made a show of waving her off dramatically. “I’m fine, this is all just another week-in-the-life for me.”

“Eddie.” She scolded.

“Really, though.” He clasped his hands in his lap, looking down at them as he spoke. “Like, sure, it’s been hard, but—how many people get the chance at a do-over? Let alone multiple do-overs? I have a real opportunity to fix things here, and I feel like I have to be grateful for it.”

And he was that—grateful, but he was also miserable about the position he’d found himself in, a little bitter about it too. Why was he the one tasked to carry this burden? Why wasn’t it Steve, or Nancy who got to go back, who remembered? Either one of them would have been a better candidate for the job than him. He was the new guy! Nobody! He’d known nothing of the Upside Down until he got dragged into this madness kicking and screaming. 

Chrissy ducked her head down to catch his eye, and as though she’d read his mind said, “You can be grateful and still be mad about it. You’re allowed.”

He grinned, shaking his head. Damn did he love this girl. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Have I ever, y’know before, did I ever tell you what Vecna showed me?” She asked.

“No.”

Eddie had wondered of course, but knew from Steve, and now from his own experience, how personal it could be. 

“It was mostly visions of my parents and stuff. My mom, she’s awful, always on me about everything—my grades, who I spend time with, my weight, my appearance in general actually. It made me–” Chrissy shook her head, blinking rapidly as she seemed to be forcing back tears. “I don’t know why I let it affect me so much, the things she says, her opinion of me. It seems dumb, after all this.”

Eddie reached out tentatively, laying a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a half smile, leaning into the touch as she went on.

“Knowing that I’ve died—that you’ve died, it sorta puts things in a different perspective, like, what you said about do-overs? Looking back, there’s a lot I would do differently now, I think. I don’t even know how I got where I am, really. I never wanted to be popular, I just went along with the crowd, did what was expected of me—what my parents insisted on. It was easier to do that than figure out what I actually wanted, who I want to be.”

“It can be pretty scary, figuring yourself out.” Eddie offered, something he could relate to in a big, big way.

“Then suddenly I’m the head cheerleader, and Jason is captain of the basketball team—and again, it was expected that we would get together, so I did.” She shrugged, letting out a heavy sigh. “I don’t think I ever even liked him, and this whole last week while I’ve been losing my mind not knowing what was happening to me, he never once noticed that I was struggling—not once! When you met me outside by the picnic table, you knew something was wrong within seconds. You cared enough to ask if I was okay, and we barely knew each other!”

Eddie ran his hand up and down her back. “I’m sorry he was an ass, you deserved better.”

She turned to him, a steely look of determination in her eyes. “I think–I think maybe I’m ready now—to be myself, whoever that is.”

“Well, Miss Cunningham, lucky for you I know all about defying expectations and bucking the system. I’d be happy to show you the ropes when this is over.”

“I’d really like that.” 

Encouraged by how freely she shared her experience with him, Eddie found himself wanting to open up too. He hadn’t spoken of his own brush with Vecna to anyone, because who could he tell really? He couldn’t talk to Steve, not now, not anymore. Robin was similarly out, for all sorts of reasons, but Chrissy—somehow he just knew he could trust her.

“Vecna… he was subtle about it when he came after me—at first, anyway. One minute I was standing in the middle of this room talking to Steve, well, fighting with him actually–”

“Fighting?”

Eddie tilted his head back and forth, waffling. He didn’t feel like rehashing those details, it was a moot point now anyway.

“We had a… difference of opinion, not important, but then suddenly he started saying these awful things to me about–” He paused, calculating how much he could share without outing Steve, so to speak. 

“Between you and me—in the last loop Steve and I got, um, very close. We shared a lot of private things with each other. I’m—” 

Eddie swallowed hard. He really was almost sure he could trust her, but that didn't mean fear didn’t sit like a lead weight in his gut when he thought about uttering the words aloud. 

“–Gay, and I haven’t been open with many people about it, but I told him, and he was really great about it.” He smiled to himself at the memory, how quick Steve had been to assure him he was safe, and how unbelievably sweet. “So much more than you’d expect.” 

Suddenly he felt her much smaller hand slide over his, and looked up to meet her eyes.

“I’m glad you told me.” She said, softly.

He pursed his lips, nodding as his shoulders began to relax by small increments. 

“Anyway, Vecna used Steve’s face and voice to say some nasty shit to me about it, and uh, it fucked me up a little to be honest. He also said he knew about the loops now, since he’s been in my head. I guess It doesn’t really change anything, but it’s unnerving as hell.”

Chrissy threw her arms around his shoulders and tugged him hard into her, their faces buried in each other's hair. He’d never been cuddled so violently by someone so small before she came along, it was kind of nice. 

“Is it weird of me to say that I’m happy we’re in this together? I mean, I hate what’s happened—but if it had to happen anyway, then I’m glad I got you as a friend out of it.” Chrissy spoke with her face still hidden in his neck, tone watery. 

“Not weird at all,” he assured her quickly, voice cracking on the words. ”I feel the same way.”

-

Steve and Robin arrived home a while later wearing matching somber expressions. After spending some time at her house they’d swung by Nancy’s to check in with the others, and learned that poor Fred’s body had been found that morning. 

It wasn’t a surprise, but Eddie still found he couldn’t concentrate on much else after learning the news, and he wasn’t the only one. All four of them were pretty subdued as they went through the motions of the night—eating some dinner and killing time until it was reasonably late enough to turn in. 

When the inevitable yawning did begin, Eddie had half a mind to beg Chrissy to switch bed buddies with him. Now that she knew he would never be interested in her–that way–and now that she more-than-likely suspected that his feelings towards Steve were complicated at best, he thought she might go for it. 

But what if his interference ruined whatever was or wasn’t happening between her and Robin? He didn’t want to be responsible for that, and so he said nothing as the two girls trudged up the stairs to their room—he and Steve not far behind.

-

Eddie tossed and turned, still ruminating on what his role in all this was, about Fred and the other victims. He tried to be quiet about it, hoping that Steve had fallen asleep already, but no such luck.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked when he’d adjusted his position for the fifth time. If only he had sounded annoyed or something, then Eddie could have snapped at him that he was fine and been done with it, maybe used the whole thing as an excuse to retreat downstairs to sleep on the couch alone, but Steve, as usual, was utterly sincere, breaking through all his defenses without even trying. 

Eddie sighed. “I was thinking about Patrick. I know Vecna has broken the pattern already, first with you last time, and now with me. But he took Fred just the same, and by that logic Patrick will probably still be next. I—maybe I shouldn't care since he’s one of Jason’s friends, and he was right there with them on the witch hunt for me that first time around, but I don’t know. It feels… shitty to not even try, to let it happen again. It’d be like I’m responsible.”

“It wouldn’t make it your fault.” Steve said.

Eddie groaned, throwing both arms up over his face.

“I just–what’s the point in re-living this shit if I can’t make a difference?”

“Hey,” Steve whispered, rubbing lightly over Eddie’s arm, instantly causing him to break out in goosebumps. "It’s alright, sometimes you can’t save everyone. You helped Chrissy, and if we succeed you’ll have helped the whole town. Maybe that has to be enough?”

Eddie had used the same logic before to make himself feel better where other lives were concerned, but on some level wasn’t that just a cop out? At least the others had gone out to look for Fred, not once had he or anyone else even considered trying to save Patrick.

Eddie dropped the arms from his face, forcing Steve to withdraw his hand.

“But this isn’t like Barb. I know how you feel about—”  

Steve stilled, sucking in a breath.

Shit. 

He’d forgotten for a second. Eddie had all this history in his head—things Steve had shared in different ways, in different times, so many conversations that the other boy would never remember having with him.

“There was nothing you could have done for her, I mean.” Eddie added quickly, relieved when Steve seemed to relax into the bed again. “It was never your fault—but this? I know it’s coming, I even know where it’s likely to happen. I wish I could at least try, but Jason would never let me near him, and even if he did Patrick would never listen to me.”

“What if I went and talked to them? I know I’m not ‘King Steve’ anymore, but I was their captain once, I think they’d hear me out. Who knows, maybe I could help Patrick and get Jason off your back somehow too.

“You would do that?”

“Eddie.” Steve sat up, inching closer, almost hovering over him as they gazed at each other. Time stood still, however briefly, and suddenly Eddie couldn’t breathe. He felt caught, as if simply looking into his eyes had given it all away, like Steve could read his every thought. “Of course I would.” 

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut, rolling over and away from Steve… and his soft looks, and that soothing voice, and all his warmth. 

Steve cleared his throat. “Um, because you’re right.” The bed shifted as he too rolled over to face the other way. “We should at least try. I’ll stop by Benny’s tomorrow night when they might be there.”

-

Eddie woke to find their positions had not changed in the night. They were still back-to-back facing opposite directions, and as far away from each other as was possible to be and still inhabit the same bed. 

Nothing had ever felt more wrong, even if it was necessary. 

His tape was quiet, Steve’s too, which caused a moment of panic until Eddie turned over—gingerly to avoid waking Steve—and found that thankfully he seemed to be deeply asleep and relaxed, rather than rigid and in the throes of a psychic attack.

Eddie slid off the bed and crept around to the other side, carefully restarting Steve's tape as he struggled to swallow around the lump in his throat. Throwing caution to the wind, just this once, Eddie ran his fingers through Steve's hair, desperate to feel it one more time, hoping it wouldn’t wake him. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to Steve’s sleeping form, breath hitching. “I just can’t.”

Eddie left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him and vowed to spend the rest of the day, maybe the rest of this loop, avoiding Steve—as much as he could anyway.

-

It worked surprisingly well. 

So well in fact that Eddie could only conclude that Steve was avoiding him too. He’d glued himself to Chrissy’s side while Steve did the same with Robin, to both girl’s joint annoyance. 

It was all fine enough until afternoon came, and Chrissy decided to throw a wrench into things, as well as take a page out of Robin’s book, and make an appearance at home. It was brave, considering all she’d told him the day before, and Eddie was so proud of her, even if it meant he’d be stuck here alone with Robin while Steve played chauffeur. 

The kids were slated to return that night, wanting to be together as they got closer and closer to the main event. Eddie used that as a reason to keep himself busy and away from Robin’s knowing glare—straightening up, pulling snacks out of cabinets, and gathering pillows and blankets.

“So, I think they’ll probably be back—”

Eddie flinched, startled at the sudden sound of Robin’s voice coming from directly behind him, sending the teetering pile of food packages he had balanced in his arms scattering to the kitchen floor. 

“Jesus Christ—warn a guy.”

”Sorry, touchy. I’ll stomp my feet next time.” Robin rolled her eyes, stooping down to help him pick up the fallen mess. “As I was saying, Steve will probably be home soon.”

She paused, looking at him expectedly.

“And?”

“Anything you want to talk about before they get back?”

“No.” Eddie stared at her blankly, hoping if he gave her nothing she’d drop it.

“So we’re just going to pretend everything is normal, that we’re not all choking on the sexual tension in this house?”

“I don’t know what you're talking about.”

“So you don’t have a huge embarrassing crush on Steve?”

Eddie clenched his jaw. She was baiting him.

“Nope,” he declared, popping his lips.

“Okay, cool.” She narrowed her eyes. “Chrissy then?”

“I think you and I both know she’s not exactly my type.” He admitted.

“I had a hunch, good to have it confirmed though.”

“Is it safe to say she’s more—your type?”

“That would be accurate.”

He flashed her a quick smile. “I had a hunch.”

“Glad we cleared that up.” She said, tilting her head at him. “Steve knows about me, for the record. He’s very… accepting. Just, y’know, in case you ever felt like you wanted to tell him about yourself? He’d be good with it.”

“Thanks, uh” Eddie looked away, wringing his hands. “I believe you, but I–I don’t think I’ll be doing that—not anytime soon at least.”

Robin furrowed her brow, and he was sure she had more to say on the matter but for once timing was actually on his side. They heard Chrissy and Steve come through the front door before she could open her mouth again, and he took advantage of the excuse to walk away and meet them in the hall—though Robin followed right behind him, grumbling to herself. 

The first thing Eddie noticed were Chrissy’s red-rimmed eyes. He worried for a moment but then he saw her broad, bright smile—could see how much lighter she looked, as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. 

She must have confronted her parents. He couldn’t wait to hear all about it, but before he could even ask, there was a sudden knock on the door she and Steve had just come through.

All four of them were immediately on high alert. The kids weren’t due yet, not to mention the fact that if it was them or Nancy, they would have likely waltzed right in. As Eddie watched, something moved past the frosted glass of the door’s sidelight, the blurry shape of an arm clad in the all too familiar green and white of a Hawkins High letterman jacket.

What the fuck? 

Steve waved the rest of them back, catching and holding Eddie’s gaze. He said nothing aloud but may as well have screamed at him to stay away from the door, assuming the role of protector as though they hadn’t spent all day in this weird limbo, not speaking, not even looking at each other.

Eddie didn’t like it, but he took the girls and backed away into the living room where they would still be able to hear whatever was said, but would be hidden from view. 

Steve's feet shuffled, the door creaking as he swung it open.

“Carver, what are you–” Steve began, confirming their unexpected guest’s identity.

Jason quickly cut him off. “I want to talk to her.” 

“Who?”

“Don't play dumb, Harrington. Let me see Chrissy.”

“Cunningham?” Steve asked, projecting very believable confusion. “What makes you think she’d be here?” 

Eddie was mildly impressed by Steve’s acting skills. 

“You tell me—is this your thing now? Couldn’t make it into college so you're poaching other guy’s girls to make yourself feel like less of a loser?”

“What? No!”

“Don’t lie to me,” Jason snarled. “I haven’t seen her since the game on Friday night, and she hasn’t been home once since then, until today. Imagine my surprise when I drove past her house only to see you sitting out front in your car waiting for her.”

“What the fuck!” Steve snapped. “Are you her boyfriend or her stalker?!”

There were grunts and more shuffling as both boys came into view. Jason had his hands fisted into Steve's shirt—backing him up into the wall across from the living room as he forced his way inside the house. 

“Jason, stop!” Chrissy shouted from where she was tucked behind Eddie, Robin at her side. 

He released Steve, whirling suddenly at the sound of her voice, eyes widening when they settled on Eddie.

“You!” 

Jason pointed a finger, body tensing to lunge over the threshold, but before he could move more than a step in Eddie’s direction, Steve had locked an arm around his chest holding him back. He tried to maneuver his other arm around the boy’s head, in some move that Eddie was sure had a name in the wrestling world, but Jason twisted in his hold, easily slipping out of the grip. He was free again, but the effort had drawn his attention back to Steve and away from Eddie and the girls, which, knowing Steve, had probably been his only goal all along.

Steve cocked his arm back, throwing the first punch, to Eddie’s shock—his fist glancing off the edge of Jason's jaw. It was enough to turn his head but nowhere near enough to put him down. 

Jason retaliated, landing a shot to Steve’s cheek and another punishing blow right in his eye—he was going to have one hell of a shiner later, or worse. 

Chrissy screamed Jason’s name again, begging him to stop, and tried to step around Eddie. He stopped her, gently guiding her back into Robin’s arms before joining the fight himself. 

In a few quick strides he was there, catching Jason around the wrist as he pulled back for yet another punch. Squeezing, Eddie put as much pressure around the bone as he could. It wasn’t hard to find the strength or motivation, remembering how it’d been Jason's fault that Steve died last time around.

“That’s enough,” Eddie growled into his ear. 

“Don’t touch me!” Jason shrieked, trying and failing to pull himself out of Eddie's grasp. Panic filled his eyes for a moment, then he rammed his shoulder into Eddie’s chest as hard as he could. 

The hit to his sternum shocked Eddie into letting go, losing his balance in the process and causing him to fall hard on his back to the floor. On instinct he curled himself into a ball, protecting his middle from the kicks he was sure were coming—it wouldn’t have been the first time—but they never did. 

“Get the hell out of here before I call the cops, Carver.” Steve shouted. 

Eddie raised his head to see that Steve had somehow managed to move Jason back towards the still open front door, at the same time Chrissy and Robin appeared at his side helping him up, and the three of them flanked Steve as best they could in the narrow hallway.

“And tell them what? You hit me first!” Jason shouted.

Steve reached up to tenderly touch his already inflamed eye, and winced. “It’ll be our word against yours. Who do you think they’re gonna believe?” He punctuated his point by giving Jason one last shove out the door and onto the landing, spitting blood at his feet—red splattering his white sneakers.

A look of revulsion flashed across Jason’s face, but he stood his ground, gesturing at Chrissy. “I’ll leave when she tells me to go.”

Eddie couldn’t believe it, how fucking delusional was this guy? 

Chrissy gaped, sharing his disbelief, and threw her hands up. “I already told you to go! It’s over, Jason.”

“Chrissy, baby, are you really leaving me for Harrington? Or worse, Munson?!”

She shook her head, nose wrinkling with disgust. “I’m leaving you—for me. Now get the hell out of here, and leave us alone!”

“You’ll regret this.” Jason growled.

“Right now, the only thing I regret is ever thinking you were a good guy.”

With that, Jason finally stormed off to his Jeep, the four of them watching as he drove away until the car was out of sight.

When they were safely back inside Chrissy broke down, gently weeping while Robin held her, assuring her that it was okay, that it was over now. 

Eddie went right for Steve to assess him for damage, and though it’d been a short fight he didn’t look so great. He was bleeding a little from his lip and one of his eyes was rapidly swelling shut.

“Come on." Eddie took Steve’s arm, steering him towards the stairs. He’d gone quiet the minute Jason had left and seemed a little out of it now. "I’ll help you get cleaned up.”

-

Eddie guided Steve through his own bedroom to the bathroom, sitting him down on the closed lid of the toilet—an ironic reversal of roles from the last loop that wasn’t lost on him—and crouched to pull the first aid kit out from under the sink. 

The moment he set it up on the counter the phone began to ring in the other room. He glanced at Steve, but the other boy gave no reaction, as if he didn’t even hear it. Eddie chewed his lip. He would have let it go but they hadn’t heard from Joyce since the morning before. It could be important.

He hurried out to answer it.

“Hello? Uh, Harrington Residence.”

“Oh! Eddie? Honey, it’s Joyce. Sorry I was expecting Steve.”

"Yeah, he’s–uh,” Eddie hedged. “Is everything alright there?" 

“The whole process has been pretty tough on El, but she’s doing well—she's almost ready. Owens wants to make sure we’re gone before that raid you told us about happens. They're flying us to Hawkins tomorrow, as soon as Hopper gets here.”

“No shit? He’s really—they got him out?!”

Joyce let out a soft wet laugh. “I know, it’s unbelievable. I didn’t get to talk to him yet myself, but the Doc swore to me that he’s alive, safe, and on his way here.”

“That’s great news, I can’t wait to tell Steve.”

“How’s he doing? He gets so focused on everyone else when these things happen that he forgets to take care of himself.”

“Haven't noticed,” Eddie mumbled under his breath. “He’s okay, I think. We had a minor… altercation today. Nothing Upside Down related exactly, just regular humans being shitty, but–”

“He got himself hurt, didn’t he?”

“The guy, he was–” Eddie gripped the receiver, shaking his head. “He was going to come for me, but Steve pulled him back. Got his face bashed in for his troubles.”

“Poor thing. You’ll take care of him, won’t you?”

“Yeah,” Eddie forced out through a painful tightening in his chest. “I’ve got him. Don’t worry.”

He hung up and quickly returned to the bathroom, heart dropping when he found Steve now on the floor with his head between his knees, breath coming in short gasps. Eddie threw himself down, kneeling in front of him, running hands up and down Steve’s arms—his skin cool and tacky. 

Fuck, he’d been gone for too long—never should have left him alone like this in the first place. 

“Oh, sweetheart. You’re alright,” Eddie cooed. “Hey, can you look at me—please?”

Steve slowly raised his head, blinking tears away as he looked up at Eddie with his one good eye, the other now completely swollen shut—bruise darkening by the minute. 

“There you are.�� Eddie forced a smile, even though the sight of Steve banged up like this and in tears only made him want to break down too. “Take some slow breaths with me, Stevie. Can you do that?”

He had absolutely no idea what he was doing, only trying to imitate what Steve had done for him once upon a time. 

Steve gave a shallow nod, holding his gaze as they breathed together. 

“That’s it, you’re doing so well.” 

They spent several minutes just like that, the rest of the world outside this room ceasing to exist until Steve was calm and his face dry. 

When it seemed safe to move, Eddie rose to his feet, freezing when Steve’s hand shot out to grasp his. 

“Don’t–” Steve choked out.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Eddie assured him, cupping the unhurt side of Steve's face gently with his free hand. “Just bringing the first aid kit down to the floor here so I can clean you up.”

“Oh.”

Steve let him go, watching quietly as he worked, his eye never once leaving Eddie’s face. 

He tried not to stare back, cheeks growing hot, his own heartbeat thrumming loudly in his ears as he focused on cleaning Steve’s skin and disinfecting the split on his lip.

“You need ice,” Eddie whispered breathily when there was nothing more to do and Steve was as patched up as he was going to get. He stashed the first aid supplies back under the sink, rushing out a quick, “I’ll be right back,” before escaping downstairs. 

On his way to the kitchen he caught sight of the girls cuddling up on the couch. Chrissy’s head was in Robin’s lap and they spoke softly while Robin ran fingers through the other girl's hair.  

He quietly grabbed a bag of peas from the freezer, trying not to disturb their moment, and crept back upstairs. 

Steve was right where he had left him on the floor, looking mildly more himself. Eddie gulped, kneeling again as he held the frozen bag of vegetables up to Steve’s face and tried to breathe evenly.

“Thank you.” Steve said, raising a hand up to cover his, helping to hold the ice pack in place, making his heart race impossibly faster. “And I'm sorry about freaking out.”

“Please don’t apologize,” Eddie said quickly, biting down on his lip as he took his hand away. He sat back on his heels to put a little more distance between them, the proximity beginning to make him dizzy. 

Steve leaned his head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know what happened, it wasn’t even a bad fight, I just—I got stuck in my head I guess, thinking about the last time my eye got fucked up like this.”

“Starcourt?” Eddie guessed.

“Yeah.”

“You know, before it was me that Jason beat the shit out of, but what I didn’t tell everyone during storytime was how, as soon as I got here and you saw my messed up face, you brought me into this room and fixed me up—set my broken nose for me and everything. Then I proceeded to have a full-on blubbering meltdown right where you’re sitting now. I hadn’t even explained anything yet, you had no idea what I was doing here and yet you cleaned me up and talked me down from a panic attack, no questions asked.”

Steve stared at him, frowning.

“I guess what I’m saying is, I’m happy to return the favor.”

Slowly, inexplicably, Steve’s frown morphed into a smile, then into a laugh as he pitched sideways.

Eddie’s mouth dropped open. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what’s so funny, Harrington?”

“I can’t believe you let me set your nose!” Steve exploded, still chuckling. “You’re lucky that was in the last loop, that shit definitely would have healed crooked.”

“But—wait—what?!” Eddie sputtered. “You said you’d done it a bunch of times!”

“No man, I’ve had It done for me before, but I don’t know what I must have been thinking! Maybe I knew you wouldn’t get it checked out so it would be better than nothing?”

“I absolutely would not have gone to the hospital, so you’d have been right about that.” Eddie replied and finally broke, laughter spilling out of him now too. It was so absurd, and maybe it was because they were tired, and it’d been a rough day in a long string of even rougher days, but their mutual hysterics built and built until they were both clutching their sides.

-

By the time they made their way downstairs the kids and Nancy had arrived, and Eddie filled everyone in on Joyce’s most recent call, minus the details about Hopper of course, though he had shared that with Steve. 

For once the pieces were all falling into place, the fight with Jason notwithstanding, and for better or worse, Eddie let himself get caught up in the hopeful atmosphere as everyone celebrated the news that in less than 24 hours their whole group would be together again. 

After a long night of laughter, popcorn fights and a movie marathon, everyone had fallen asleep wherever they landed. Nancy, Robin, and Chrissy on one couch, Eddie and Steve on the other, and all the younger teens and Erica in a giant nest of blankets in the middle of the floor.

Eddie wasn’t sure how long he’d been out when a series of loud bangs pulled him from sleep. He blinked, looking around for a moment confused until he remembered where he was. The living room was still cloaked in darkness, no light coming in through the windows, the sun only just beginning to rise.

It happened again, louder this time, and Eddie realized it was someone knocking—hard. Steve jerked upwards hearing it now too, his concerned eyes meeting Eddie’s. Instantly they were both on their feet and rushing to the door. 

It was too dark to see anything through the glass. Eddie couldn't imagine it was Jason coming back for round two, not at this hour, but Steve was apparently taking no chances—pulling his nail bat out of the nearby umbrella stand as he set his hand on the deadbolt. 

Eddie hadn’t even realized he’d brought it downstairs. 

Steve unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing a thin man with short buzzed hair standing in the doorway. He wore a dirty blue jumpsuit, and what little bare skin showed was covered in a layer of sweat and grime. 

There was something familiar about the man’s face. Eddie squinted, urging his sleep addled brain to get with the program, when suddenly it clicked.

“Hop?” Steve asked, voice trembling as he also put two and two together.

The man—Hopper, looked at Eddie curiously before swinging his gaze back to Steve, and smiled. 

“Hey, kid.”

Chapter 10

Special thanks to @penny00dreadful for being the best beta, friend and cheerleader.

Reblogs are always appreciated, and if you want to be tagged just let me know! I'd be more than happy to do so 💜

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[captainlunaxmen]

Be My Queen

Chapter 3

Eddie Munson x reader x Steve Harrington

This is a repost since the old blog doesn't work anymore. 🥰

Chapter summary: phase two is on. Time to distract Vecna.

Chapter warnings: non-con touching and kissing, violence, trauma, Vecna being a creep. There's a mention of going further than kissing.

With Lucas and Max, I walk around with a lantern in hand looking at the blue lights we spread around until one starts flickering. I take a deep breath and look around at both Max and Lucas, I've never seen them so scared before. I try to smile at them to assure them everything is fine, but I'm afraid they see right through it.

I take another breath and turn away from them, but towards the blue light in the living room.

"Hello?" I call.

The light flickers harder, somehow, so I try again.

"Vecna..? Uh..." I shake my head, correcting myself "Henry? Are.. are you here?"

All of a sudden the light in the living room stops whatever movement and I instantly look behind me confused, but before any, of us, could say or do something the light in the lantern in my hand quivers.

"H-hi..?"

I start to walk around, not sure why, but when I turn back around towards the kids, I find them in a freeze-like state.

"Don't worry about them, my love"

A voice comes from behind me and it stops me. Completely.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting"

I slowly turn around, but behind me I don't find the monster Max described, instead in front of me there's the blonde man from my vision.

He must sense my confusion and walks towards me, I take a step back. Just like he did with the girl, he keeps walking not noticing, nor caring, that he's scaring me.

"I didn't want you to see me like that, my angel." He says once he's in front of me.

I don't know what to say, I'm completely frozen, too scared to do anything other than look at him.

He softly smiles, even though his smile isn't comforting at all, and takes the lantern from my hand. I didn't realise I was still holding it.

After he places the lantern on the ground, he takes my hand and I instinctively flinch, but he just holds my hand a bit tighter.

"There's no need to be afraid." He gets even closer "we're finally together"

I take a shaky breath.

"I... uh... I'm sorry, but.. but I think there's been a misunderstanding... I'm not.." I start, with a broken voice, looking down at my feet.

He puts a finger under my chin, lifting my face to look him in the eyes.

"I know what you're thinking, I know how this must be confusing for you." He says moving one hand to gently cup my cheek, he again ignores me flinching at the contact "let me explain, okay?"

"Y-yes.." I don't know what else to say, the only thing I can think about is that I have to keep him occupied as much as possible.

"They took you away from me." He starts "that day... I wanted to run after you, but it was as if you disappeared. She must've sent you here, just like she did with me... but with new memories."

"Who?" The more he talks the more confused I get.

"Eleven. She did this." He states.

"El..? She's... no.." I shake my head and try to get free from his hold on my cheek, but he suddenly grabs my chin tightly.

"Why do you still defend her?" He asks, his calm voice feeling completely out of place compared to his demeanour "she tried to keep us apart, she still is. But don't worry, one more soul and everything will be perfect. As it should, my queen"

"I don't know you." I say shaking "I... I'm not who you think I am. I'm sorry.."

"No, no, angel, don't say that. I'll help you remember, I promise you"

That promise sounds more like a threat.

I shake my head, to pull away, with my free hand I try to push him away, but he's stronger than me.

"Sshh, my love, there's nothing to be scared of." He shushes me as I walk backwards to put some distance, but of course, he doesn't let go and simply follows me, managing to cage me against the wall.

"I'm... I-I'm not.. her" I insist.

He doesn't answer, he just starts getting closer to my face, his hand goes back to holding my face gently, using his thumb to caress my cheek. The gesture would've been sweet if it was someone else doing it.

I turn my face away from his, but that doesn't stop him. He slowly starts leaving small pecks on my cheek, then those same pecks turn into full kisses that he leaves from my cheek to my neck.

I wait a moment before forcefully pushing him off of me and putting some distance between us.

"I told you, I'm not her" I repeat backing away.

"Don't make things complicated, my angel. You know I don't like it" he warns me.

"I don't know who that girl was, but I can assure you... she didn't feel the same way either," I shout at him.

His eyes turn dark, suddenly, and a devilish smirk appears on his lips. He raises his arm up and with a quick motion he pulls me back to him, I stumble and he catches me. He's holding me by my waist, as close to him as possible.

"You think you can beat me, my love?" He asks in a whisper against my ear "you think your friends are gonna survive? I will win, Y/n, and I will have you"

With that, he pulls back to look at my terrified face.

"I always loved how beautiful you look when you're scared," he says before pulling me in for a kiss.

With all my strength I push against his chest, but he doesn't stop. His kiss is rough and desperate, it's needy, he's been waiting for a long time, I see.

I keep pushing and punching his chest, he doesn't even bulge, he just pulls me closer, moving his mouth against mine and grinding his hips against me.

That's when I feel it.

My eyes widen.

I freeze.

Shit.

I forcefully turn my face away, he lets me so he can go back to kiss my neck and whisper.

"Can't you feel what you do to me? How desperate I get for you, my queen? Let me have you... and I'll be yours" he growls.

"Let me go!" I exclaim falling to the ground to free myself from his grasp.

I get up and start to run.

I open a door, thinking it leads outside, but I find myself in Hawkins lab's hallways.

"No, no, no. Fuck!"

I just keep running.

"You can't escape me" I hear him say. I turn around, expecting to see him behind me, but there's nothing there.

When I find two big doors I push them open and enter.

It's the room with the rainbow fantasy on the walls, the one where I saw him killing that kid...

Shit.

I turn around to get out of there, but Henry's blocking my only way out.

"Stop it. Please." I try to beg.

"Everything is about to get into places, my sweetness." He, again, stalks towards me, making me back away until my back is against the wall and all I can do now is cry.

He wipes away a few tears with his thumb, another sweet gesture that now feels worse than a stabbing.

"Don't cry." He leans closer "I'm here."

He then kisses me again, more gently this time. I don't have much of a choice, but to let him and hope that the others would end him quickly.

I also try to kiss him back, please him somehow, but when I feel his hands travelling down pulling at my shirt, I freeze, again.

He wants to take my shirt off.

"No... no, please I.." I attempt to stop him.

He completely ignores me and simply tugs at my shirt harder.

All of a sudden he disappears from before me. I look around, confused. I find Henry in the air fighting to get free from some outside force.

I turn my head to the opposite side and the relief I feel seeing El with her arm raised, holding Henry up, is unspeakable.

"Oh my god," I exclaim.

El throws him against the opposite wall breaking it and sending him god knows where.

We run to each other and we hug.

"How? You... how?" I ask once we pulled away.

"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer" she simply says.

"Are you here?" I still can't believe it.

"I am," she says holding my hand.

"Oh god... what happened to your hair?"

"Long story" she answers.

I hug her again to me.

After a moment we hear steps coming from where Henry was thrown and we hear rustling and clattering sounds.

The one appearing from the ruins isn't the handsome blonde man anymore, but the veiny monster Max described.

My breath gets caught in my throat at the sight.

"Oh, shit" I breathe out.

"Stay away!" El screams and once again sends him away with her powers. "Run"

We run out the doors, finding ourselves not in the Lab anymore.

A crimson fog surrounds us, this must be where Max found herself while running from Vecna... yes, I can even see the fragmented house. We're inside his mind.

I feel El grabbing my hand.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you" I chuckle, breathless.

"Me too. Are you okay?" El asks.

"Yeah... I mean... everything is even crazier than I expected" I say, still catching my breath "the others should be able to kill him soon, though. How did you know?"

"Brenner" she simply says.

"What? Wasn't he dead?" I ask shocked.

"He survived. He and Owen told me something was coming and... they helped me get my powers back." She explains, sensing her nervousness I squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"Well, at least he did one thing right..." I comment, making El chuckle slightly, still out of breath.

Suddenly I feel something wrapping around my leg, squeezing tightly and just as suddenly I'm dragged away from El.

"Y/n!" She screams.

I struggle to get my leg free, but it keeps dragging me until another pair of vines grab my arm and lift me and tie me against a spire-like rock. The impact makes me hit my head against the hard rock and my head starts to feel a little dizzy, my sight gets blurry, but I can still see Vecna's figure approaching.

Before he gets too close, he's being held back. He looks behind him, furious.

I can't see much, both because of the fog and the hit. I can hear El fighting him.

All I hear is her screaming and Vecna threatening to make her watch him kill all of our friends.

Then pause.

Now, he's in front of me again.

"All you had to do was to give in to me, my love. But don't worry, I'm not mad. I'll help you remember" he says holding his hand... or what he calls a hand, up to my face.

I feel more vines wrapping around my neck, squeezing. I can't breathe.

I try to refocus my sight and turn my head around, looking for El. When I finally spot her she's tied against the door.

"You still want to save her?" He asks in disbelief and sighs "look at me, my angel."

I don't.

I do keep struggling to get free, though.

"I said. Look. At. Me." He commands.

The vines around the neck are gone, but the freedom doesn't last long because his hand is squeezing it instead and I have no other choice, but to look at him.

"There. You're so beautiful." He says, admiring every centimetre of my face, but without releasing my neck. "You know... I've been thinking about something. You forgot about me, she made you forget about me, so I thought I should leave something to remind you of me."

I don't have time to process what he means because his movement is quick and in a matter of seconds I find myself on the ground pressing my hands against my neck feeling a crucial pain.

I look down at my hands, covered in blood, I'm shaking.

Vecna's standing right next to me and I crawl away, or at least I try to.

"This way, if you ever decide to run and hide, you'll have a reminder, that I will always find you" he explains.

"I said stay away from her!"

I turn my head, not without a grimace of pain, and I see El standing up straight, breathing heavily, her nose bleeding badly.

She lifts her arm and pushes Vecna against the same door she was tied to.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, using her power against him.

Suddenly I see him starting to vanish before I reopen my eyes finding the ceiling of the Creel's house instead, I try to catch my breath.

I realise I'm laying on the ground after I see Max kneeling beside me.

"Y/n!" She exclaims.

"What the hell is happening?" I hear a familiar voice, but it's not Lucas', nor Erica's.

"Are you okay? What... what happened?" This is Lucas. He's kneeling too, helping me sit up.

"You got a bandage?" Max asks alarmed and Lucas stands up, probably looking for the said bandage.

I frown, confused.

Why would she need a bandage?

Then I feel the pain in my neck. I lift a hand to touch it and flinch. I realise I'm bleeding.

"Shit" I hiss.

I look around for Lucas and I see none other than Jason standing there, with a terrified face.

"What... what the hell?" He asks again.

"We already explain, dickhead. So you either got something to help us stop the bleeding or you better get out" Max snaps.

"I can't find anything! Shit!" Lucas screams from another room.

"So?" Max insists, irritated.

"Yeah... I got something" Jason calmly says, I feel him walking closer to us and handing something to Max.

She holds the tissue against my neck and I flinch again.

"I'm sorry" She softly says.

"Thanks" I breathlessly reply.

"What happened?" I ask just as Lucas walks back in and kneels in front of me.

"You tell us" Lucas almost scoffs "one moment you're standing and the next you lie on the ground... we... we tried to make you listen to the tape Eddie gave you, but it didn't work... and then you start bleeding... we thought we lost you..." he cries and I hold my hand out for him to grab it.

"I'm okay... I... thanks for taking care of me" I tell him and then I smile at Max, using my other hand to replace hers against my neck. "Where's Erica?"

"She went to find help" it's Jason the one to answer.

"Alright... and what... what are you doing here?" I say, with some trouble due to my injury. "Hunting witches?"

"I... I'm sorry."

That's surprising.

"Oh"

"I arrived here, thinking they were doing some ritual using you and..."

"He gave Lucas a black eye" Max cuts him off, glaring at him.

"Yeah... I'm really sorry."

I look at Max with a questioning look then I look back at Jason.

"And... why do you... believe us now?" I ask.

"I... I guess I couldn't believe they would make something like this to you. I saw at school how they look up to you so... this was strange, I admit. Then they explained." He explains pointing at Lucas and Max.

"Well, she explained." Lucas corrects him.

"I stole your gun" Max adds.

"That's a good way of convincing people to listen to you," I say, I try to chuckle but the pain is too much. "Fuck"

"Hey hey hey, take it easy" Max reassures me rubbing my back.

"What happened?" Lucas asks again.

"I... well... he... he started to explain... uh... that I was there, but then El sent me here with new memories for some reason, says I was to be his... his queen. Started to chase me... holding me... when he was about to..."I stop myself taking a deep (and painful) breath "El arrived."

"El?" Max and Lucas say in unison.

"Yeah... I... I don't know how exactly... but she was actually there. They started to fight... but at some point, he got me tied up and... he wanted to leave me a reminder..." and I point at my neck "next thing I know is El fighting against him and him vanishing."

"Maybe they did it" Max suggests and Lucas nods.

"The ambulance is here!" Another familiar voice, I turn seeing Andy standing there.

The basketball team is helping us... fuck, now this is crazy.

Behind him I see Erica running to us, pushing Andy aside in the process.

"They're here... is she..." she breathlessly looks at me. "Oh thank god"

I weakly wave at her.

"Can you stand up?" Max asks and I nod.

I try to push myself up, but as soon as I'm standing my legs give away and I almost fall, but Jason is quick to grab me.

"Let me help," he asks.

I nod and let him lead me outside.

I don't get to see the ambulance because as soon as we got out of the house I feel myself fainting.

[ataliagold]

Sip The Sunlight From Your Eyes

For @astrangersummer week 2 prompt 'afternoon nap'. Title from Not Yet/Love Run (Reprise) by The Amazing Devil.

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Rating: G

W/C: 705

Tags: Post Series 4 Volume 2, Everyone Lives, Established Eddie/Steve, Summer, Backyard BBQ, Afternoon Naps, Steve has Insomnia, Fluff

Summary: The whole gang has gathered at Steve's place for a summer BBQ. Part way through, Eddie realizes Steve is missing, and finds him fast asleep in the midday sun.

___

“Where does Steve keep his cups, hon?” Joyce was asking Eddie.

“Ah…they’re in the cupboard next to the fridge. On the right,” Eddie answered.

“Thanks, I had a look around for Steve to ask him but I couldn’t see him anywhere?”

Eddie frowned. He did a quick scan of the backyard, searching for his boyfriend. Robin, Nancy, Jonathan and Argyle were sprawled over the loungers by the pool. Hopper was at the grill, chatting away to Wayne and flipping patties. The kids were spread out in the grass, chatting intently about something, Max’s wheelchair parked up in the sun with El sitting close by.

But no Steve.

Eddie tried to think back to the last time he’d seen Steve this afternoon. He’d been there while Dustin had asked to use the pool, trying to mask the small wave of discomfort that had crossed his face at the request before nodding and waving the kid off towards it.

Dustin had been none the wiser, but Eddie was an expert at reading Steve Harrington by now. He knew the boy still hated that pool and got nervous whenever anyone was in it.

He’d been there when Max had arrived, pushing the girl to her requested spot and toeing on the brakes on the chair, holding a bag of candy out of the reach of the other kids and offering her first pick.

He’d been there to welcome Wayne in, to sheepishly accept the brief hug Wayne gave him, not yet accustomed to open affection from paternal figures in his life.

But then Eddie had lost track, had gotten stuck in a heated debate with Mike and Erica about their last campaign, and Steve had slipped out of his view.

“I’ll go take a look,” Eddie told Joyce.

She smiled and headed off in the direction of the kitchen. Eddie followed her inside but angled for the stairs, heading up towards Steve’s bedroom. He had a feeling that was where Steve would be, hoped he wasn’t coming down with yet another migraine…

He gently opened the door.

The sun was streaming in through the window and landing on the bed where Steve was sprawled out on his stomach, eyes closed and his lips slightly parted in sleep.

Eddie paused in the doorway. Just to take in the sight of his boyfriend, just to breathe for a moment because Steve Harrington was beautiful and till his dying day he’d never understand why Steve had chosen him.

But he had, and Eddie loved him.

Quietly, he approached the bed, one hand landing softly on the small of Steve’s back. The boy shifted under his touch, his eyebrows crinkling a little and a sigh leaving his lips.

“Hey, Stevie,” Eddie murmured. “You ok?”

“Mmm. Tired.”

“No migraine?”

“No.”

And that was good, at least. But Eddie knew Steve still wasn’t sleeping well at night, even months after the gates had closed for good and Vecna had been destroyed.

“Do you want to sleep for a little bit, sweetheart? I can wrap this up early, send everyone home after lunch.”

Steve frowned slightly and shook his head. “They’re having fun. Can hear them.”

Eddie listened for a moment, the sounds of the kids shrieking and laughing drifting in through the window with the warm breeze.

“S’nice,” Steve mumbled. “Sorry, I just came up to get some shorts for Dustin to swim in, he forgot his again. Didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s alright, Stevie. I’ll grab the shorts, you stay here and rest.” Eddie leaned over and kissed Steve’s cheek.

“Was meant to help Hopper with the food,” Steve said, voice still thick with sleep.

“I’m sure he’ll survive, baby. Wayne’s with him anyway, I’ve already heard the two of them debating over how long to leave the patties before flipping them. They’re fine.”

“Mmm.” Steve was half-asleep again already, but he leaned into Eddie’s hand when he gently brushed his fingers across his cheek.

“Sleep well, Stevie.”

“Eds?”

“Hmm?”

“Kiss me?”

Eddie smiled, leant over and kissed him, gentle and slow, his boyfriend’s lips warm from the sun.

“Save me a burger,” Steve mumbled into his mouth, and then his breathing evened out, and just like that he was asleep again.

___