#dustin and eddie

[cheer-nympho]

Silly little Dustin and Eddie comic for my old Steddie Among Us AU!

[ryan-waddell11]

LET THEM BE HAPPY

[madelynraemunson]

CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪

(Book #1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club series)

strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!reader

𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ MDNI

Chapter 019: The Piggyback

If you had the chance to do it over again with Eddie — and DO IT RIGHT — would you?

↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014** , 015, 016**, 017, 018, 019, 020* * = somewhat smut , ** = smut

CW: hospital setting, dialogue heavy, uncertainty, fluff, talks of blood/broken bones/etc., car accident implications

word count: 2.5k words

“I’ll pick up these broken pieces ‘til I’m bleeding, if that’ll make it right.”

♡

Hawkins Memorial Hospital reeks of bleach wipes and bitter tears.

“Eddie…” Dustin wails. “No no no, noooo. Eddie…”

You’re sitting on the floor of the nurses station with Robin, Steve, and Nancy while the ‘kiddos’ occupy the waiting chairs. Surely, it's got to be unsanitary, but contracting germs off the floor of the ICU were the least of your concerns.

Your eyes follow Wayne as he helplessly wheels around, talking to anyone who would lend him an ear... anyone who would possibly know anything about his nephew’s condition.

“And my nephew — Eddie — he's self-employed,” Wayne continues to tell them.

Wheeling…wheeling…wheeling…

“But the Program he’s with allows him to go through Scott Clarke. You know Scott Clarke Insurance? It’s S-c-o-t-t, C-l-a-r-k-e… I’m through them too…”

But the able-bodied personnel are too fast for old Wayne, walking at a speed about 5mph while his frail fingers can only allow him up to 2 and a half. Just like the liters of oxygen he is on.

“Does he have a case manager assigned to him yet?” Wayne wonders. “If so I would like their name, please.”

Eventually Wayne’s voice fades the further away he gets. And just so you don't wallow in your misery, you go to your phone to see if anyone else has been reaching out to you for updates.

Justice (Hellfire)

Omg just heard the news! Hey girlie, is Eddie ok??? Can we come see him yet??

Just as you expected. Annoyed, you respond.

Girl fuck you

Suddenly a hand squeezes your kneecap. You didn't realize how aggressively you were tapping your feet until Max stops you.

“Doing okay, sis?”

“Yeah I'm just...” you sigh. “…going through all the emotions I guess. And in a fucked up way, I'm kinda convinced this is all my fault."

“You're a dumbass," she scowls at you. "How could you have possibly seen this coming? This was not in anyone’s control."

“I broke the rule,” is all you say. “We never go to bed angry.”

The odds have always been against you. You would think you knew that by now. It was probably why you spent all morning beating yourself up; because you knew that if you did, there's a huge possibility that Eddie would pull through. The Universe is twisted like that.

Suddenly, a pair of white coats are seen coming out of Eddie's room. Everybody in the party immediately stands, like it's some formation exercise at a bootcamp of sorts. Wayne eventually circles back as well, gazing up at Dr. Owens with hopeful eyes.

“Eddie is going to be okay,” Owens concludes. “You can all breathe now.”

The room fills with bone-weary, but nonetheless celebratory cheers. Owens and Eddie's nurse, Nurse Patty allows everybody to hug one another in relief. Eddie's doctor goes to speak again when the clamor dies down.

“But he did have to undergo emergency surgery,” Dr. Owens adds. “And he lost a lot of blood, so we have him on additional transfusions, as well as an antibiotic for an infection caused by his wounds. The plan for him is to recover, hopefully get him up with therapy when the time is right, and then he can get out of here.”

“Can we see him?” your voice cracks.

“That is up to him," the doctor responds. "But for now, what the young man told me is that he wants chocolate pudding... and to see his Uncle and girlfriend."

You and Wayne waste no time. Unlocking the brakes of his wheelchair, you lug Eddie's uncle into ICU room #010, unsure of what is to greet you behind the curtains.

The room is littered with juice and jello, laced by an overpowering bleach-esque fragrance that most likely was there to mask the innate smell of blood and other bodily fluids.

Beep, beep, beep, goes the familiar IV machine. And funny enough, Eddie has his TV on, blasting South Park on full volume, exactly the way it normally would be playing at the Harrington-Munson estate.

"…tell everyone the truth about whose fault this is! I didn't do anything!" ... "...you KNEW about the prank, you could've stopped it at any time, but you didn't say a word. SILENCE IS VIOLENCE!"

And there is Eddie, dressed in a mesh-fabric gauze bandana, a worn-out beige hospital gown, with matching grippy socks. His entire lower lip is busted, left arm in a cast, both of his heels elevated with blood-saturated pillows. And his hair... you didn't even want to think about the matting. But that is ground to be covered much later.

When Eddie sees the two of you, he only utters one sentence:

“Does this mean I finally get that motorcycle?”

“You fucking idiot!” you wail going in to hug him.

Eddie chuckles solemnly as you completely fall into his embrace, soaking his gown with your salty tears.

"I thought we lost you, Eddie,” you whisper in his ear as you sniff your tears away. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we did...knowing what I said."

He strokes your hair. "You have every right to be mad at me. I've been such a shitty boyfriend to you."

“I second that,” Wayne huffs, crossing his arms. “The idiot part, I mean… but I’m glad you’re okay, son.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Wayne,” Eddie grumbles. “I knew those Eddie Stops would catch up to me one day.”

Eventually, the rest of the party spills in, starting with the batallion of younger Hellfire boys who were inconsolable all morning, absolutely petrified of losing their role-model.

"Jesus,” Dustin breathes. “We thought you were a-goner!”

"Hey guys, good to see ya," Eddie grins, soaking up every bit of attention from his little minions as they all pile on top of him. Suddenly, he flinches. "Hey hey hey, watch my IVs! I've got an important med running through that piggyback."

"Right, sorry," they all utter in unison as they separate themselves from him.

Steve is next in line to give Eddie a hug, followed by Robin, and Nancy, and soon Jonathan. Chrissy and Argyle are the next people to trail in, with Henry and Nina at their tail. Then, the Corroded Coffin boys soon after.

"Eddie, oh my god!" Chrissy cries. "Don't you ever scare any of us like that again!"

"Good to see ya, Chris," Eddie smiles, giving her a one-armed hug. "Hey Neens! Creel! Villalobos. Boys.”

"So not cool man," Argyle shakes his head. "So not cool. We were worried sick for you."

As you all iron out the details, it is discovered that Eddie got into the accident shortly after leaving your place. He, in fact did, pull an Eddie Stop, failing to see the car coming at him from his left side, which then resulted in him getting T-boned. The other driver was okay. In fact, he was the one who called the ambulance for him.

"How much longer until you're discharged?" Nancy asks.

"I'm not too sure," Eddie sighs. "Hopefully in a few weeks."

He fails to sit up completely, wincing once again when his pain drags him down. Everybody nearly rushes to his aid, tenderly lowering Eddie back onto the bed while encouraging him to take it easy.

"Don't even worry about it, Eds," Lucas assures him. "We can hold down the fort."

"Oh that's reassuring," Eddie mutters sarcastically, shaking his head in discontent.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing!"

---

You decide to stay with Eddie for the afternoon while everyone else goes home. A couple others stay behind as well, so you all take turns alternating, helping the nurses with their care and making sure Eddie isn't alone when a specialist from his team comes to see him.

But for now, it's just you and him, cuddled up in his rather stiff hospital bed, watching TV to pass time by.

"It feels weird sitting in place for once," he comments. "My body isn't used to laying down for a long period of time."

"Constantly in fight or flight, huh?" you tut. "Always on the go..."

Eddie whistles. "God, you have no idea..."

"Nah, I do," you insist, grabbing his hand to kiss it. "Our flights just look a lil different is all."

Suddenly, your phone rings again, causing both you and Eddie to jolt in shock. This time, it's your FaceTime ringtone... and on the other line, is Kassidy, quite possibly accompanied by the other Hellfire Girls.

"Jesus H. Christ," you mumble. "They've been spamming me all morning. Probably just wanna know how you're doing."

"Answer it," Eddie encourages you sharply. His tone is rather gruff, and urgent. "I need to talk to them."

Because you're nice enough to allow the girls the luxury of knowing their lord and savior is alive, you answer the call and hand your phone to Eddie. There's a slight pause before the call is connected.

"Hi," is all Eddie says.

"Eddie! OMG!" the girls squeal through the other line, of course all while failing to acknowledge you — the person whose number they called in the first place. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes girls, I'm fine..." he sighs. "How's Hellfire? Everyone holding down the fort?"

"Of course, just like we do best," Kassidy responds. "We just miss you, Eddie. What happened?"

"Got T-boned."

"OMG, whose fault was it?"

"Mine," he seems relatively short with them.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm in a little bit of pain. But I got some pain meds to help me."

"Thank God!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hospital walls, Nina and Chrissy stare at each other in bewilderment, a look that is naturally followed by one of disgust.

"Oh I know damn well..." Nina shakes her head.

"Stupid ass bitches," Chrissy adds.

Being the nosy girls they are, Nina and Chrissy crane their heads over into the room, eavesdropping on the FaceTime conversation between Eddie and the Hellfire Girls.

"Oh Eddie," Emmy pouts. "We're so glad that you're doing okay."

"Yeah, Eddie!" Lady chirps. "When do you think you'll be released?"

"Hopefully I'll be out in about two weeks," Eddie responds. "But I'll stay at home for a bit before coming back. You won't even know I'm gone."

The girls cheer obnoxiously on the other line. You try to act indifferent towards everything for Eddie's sake, but it's hard for you to feign something that so evidently isn't true.

Eddie senses it. And what he says next to the girls takes you by surprise.

"...But," Eddie says. "In that same amount of time, I expect your lockers to be cleared... as well as your side of the dressing room."

There's a brief silence while the girls try to piece together what Eddie means by that. Because surely it doesn't mean what they initially thought it meant.

"Why? Are we getting moved?"

"No, you're all getting terminated."

So it was exactly what they thought it meant.

"Wh-what? Why?!"

"What do you mean why?" Eddie demands.

He begins to list off everything they have done wrong, all of which they pretended to be oblivious about until now.

"The final straw is calling my girlfriend's phone, non-stop, knowing that's the only way to get through to me," Eddie goes on. "And not even acknowledging her! And even if you did, you all have some damn nerve considering what you guys did at Hellfire."

"You don't even have proof of us damaging her property though!" Justice argues. "So for all we know, you're just accusing us of things, Eddie."

"That's funny," you speak up. "Who said anything about property damage?"

Caught in their own trap.

The MAIN reason Eddie couldn't fire the Hellfire Girls when they put sugar in your gas tank was because you didn't have any proof that they did it, therefore it wouldn't hold up well if the girls decided to sue for wrongful termination. Again, lots of legalities to come in to play.

The girls were smart though. Choosing to wreck your car because they knew it was parked in the security camera's blindspot. Essentially, after the damage was done, it would be your word against theirs. And there was only so much that Eddie could do with the "subtle jabs". But now that you have a confession, Eddie can work off of that.

"But Eddie!" Justice whines. "This is so unfair. We've known you, and been at Hellfire longer than she has."

"Two weeks," Eddie reiterates, still firm on his decision. "That's enough time for you ladies to figure out the next step. I wish you the best of luck."

The ending of the FaceTime call wasn't a pretty one. It mainly consisted of denying and bargaining, all of which Eddie did not have the energy to be receptive to.

You and Eddie continue to hash it out with the girls over the phone, all while Nina and Chrissy were twerking in celebration because it meant more money for them during tip outs. And most importantly, celebrating you getting the justice you deserve...along with the possibility of you coming back.

"That was something I should've done way long ago," Eddie sighs as he hands you your phone back. "I hate dealing with legal shit."

"I'm sorry that they ended up being horrible," you frown.

"And I'm sorry that they ended up being horrible to you," Eddie counters. "I really wish I could've done more for you. But up until now my hands were tied legally, honey. And financially."

"It was a sticky situation," you mutter. "But...I knew you had a favorite."

He kisses your forehead once more and you lean into him again, resting your head against his chest and wrapping your leg around his torso.

"Ow, ow, OW!" Eddie yelps.

"Sorry!"

You asunder again.

"You think you're gonna find enough dancers in time?" you ask him.

"We'll be okay four dancers short," Eddie assures you. "And besides, more tips for the other ladies when it comes down to tip-outs. They did Hellfire a favor."

Exactly what Chrissy and Nina were thinking.

"Speaking of Hellfire..." Eddie quips. "Does this mean you're coming back?"

"Only if I'm still welcome."

"Of course you are, babe," Eddie chuckles. "Everyone there loves you."

Your heart flutters at the forsaken "L" word, uttered with so much certainty and fondness.

"...including me," Eddie adds. "I love you, man."

You bite your lip to contain your excitement as you blush, giving Eddie a light punch across his chest.

"I love you too...man."

And as a way to poke fun at you, Eddie flashes you a "surf's up" sign with his non-crippled fingers. He puts on his most pretentious California accent possible, one he learned how to do from Argyle.

"Righteous...man."

And before it could get any more intimate, Chrissy makes her way into the room, reaching into her tote bag to give you something she's been holding onto since she arrived.

You watch as she unveils a familiar velvet garment — your cloak. She gives you a courtly bow as she hands it back over to you, symbolizing an end to your very brief retirement from Hellfire, and a permanent seat at The Party's table.

"You know Hargrove, I believe..." says Chrissy. "...that this is for you."

🏷️ tag list: @chrrymunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n , @corrodedcoffincumslut , @bebe07011 , @mmunson86 , @eddiesguitarskills , @chelebelletx , @imonhereforareasonsadly , @eddies-trailer-babe @motherfckerr , @jxpsi , @sidthedollface2 , @manda-panda-monium , @elvendria , @micheledawn1975 , @hereforshmut , @siriuslysmoking , @mediocredreams @nymphetkoo , @m-chmcl-rmnc , @ahoyyharrington , @keepittoyourselftellnobodyelse @kellyxo1 @emsgoodthinkin @winchester-angel @chloe-6123 , @redbarn1995 @angietherose @kiyastrf94 , @purplewitchcauldron @kellsck @joyfulfxckery @munsons-mayhem28 @dragonfire @emma77645 @drivelikenina @livosssblog @thinkingth0ts @hugdealer @ellielunamckay @xblueriddlex @maskofmirrors @babyloutattoo89 @queenofhawkins @feral-pumpkin-energy @bl0ssomanddie

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

Eddie, staring into his soul: If we were a band, I wouldn't break up with you

Steve, totally in the moment: I can't sing, but I can dance

Dustin, spying on them from another room: He CANNOT dance

[itswhatyougive]

Was no one going to tell me that the Henderfam was made semi-canon as of ST Puzzle Tales Ch. 19???

They really leaned into "Dustin has two dads", huh

[sabbathbloodysabbeth]

Ok so I’ve talked a lot about hoh steve harrington but what about Eddie Munson with a cane. Like after everything he still needs help walking and the cane has been doing that perfectly. (Later on when Ozzy starts walking around with a Cane he feels even cooler) he’ll walk around with a ugly as cane for a while, until the group gets him a better one. And when he has it? Everyone regrets it because he’s constantly swinging it around trying to look cool (he does) and he’s started to jokingly smack everyone in the ass lightly when they aren’t walking fast enough for him. Just with a small “smack” and “move it old man, I’m on the move and you’re about to eat my dust, Henderson.”

But boy he doesn’t hold back for anyone. When Max is home and in a wheel chair, he’ll take any chance he gets to lightly tap her wheel and whisper excitedly. “Race you to kick Lucas’s ass.” And their both zooming to get to the poor kid. (They both think they are fast but in reality they are moving half the walking speed, but it’s doing wonders for their strengths) ((and by kick ass Max runs Lucas’s toe over or Eddie “accidently” smacks him in the shin with the cane.))

Then there’s the thing with Steve. Eddie knows if he acts it up enough he can get the guy to carry him where ever his heart desires. And boy does he love it. Steve caught onto his antics a while ago and now doesn’t even have to be asked to pick him up. Though there’s a few things that he’s started to do himself. He’s started to call Dustin and Eddie “limp and limper” when they are together. Laughing when he gets a dirty look and grins amused when they aggressively come for him. Though Eddie doesn’t need the cane forever, he starts to just have it for decoration.

And when Steve pulls his back doing something? You bet your ass Eddie is forcing him to use the cane. He finds it hot. Though he still has some difficulties raising his leg higher then a few inches but it’s more then what it had been. And because he’s been a little handicapped he starts to guilt trip Steve into taking care of himself as well. With soft comments like.

“You know harrington, if I had the chance. The opportunity to get something to prevent this I would. Like do you think glasses could make my toe see better so it stops bumping into things?”

“I get the hint Eddie I’ll go next week” is grumbled back.

And no one is more excited about steve getting hearing aids then Eddie. Who’s swinging and bouncing up and down and nearly tackling the guy to see them. They aren’t cool, but he’s sure he can make them amazing. (By amazing he steals Steve’s hearing aids for like two days just to paint little bats on them to match his cane)

Just- ahhh so many ideas

[threewaywithdelusion]

Mike remembered arriving in Hawkins in Argyle’s pizza van, looking at the devastation after it had happened and not recognizing the town he had lived in all his life. 

Remembered Dustin, those first few months after Eddie had died, and how off he’d been. Dustin had gone quiet. For the first time in his life, he hadn’t been excited about everything he saw. He hadn’t acted like they were on a fun adventure or solving a mystery or making a scientific discovery. 

It hadn’t been until they’d defeated Vecna for good that Dustin had started to act a little bit more like himself. That he’d returned to making sarcastic jabs and acting smarter than everyone around him. But he’d never again approached anything with that same sense of wonder that he’d once had. 

Part of Dustin had died on the same day as Eddie. And he’d never come back. 

If Mike had known, boarding a plane for California, that he would never quite see that Dustin again, he would’ve taken more time to say goodbye. 

[fics-and-quotes-andthelike]

It Started With a Smile

Title: It Started with a Smile

Pairing: Eddie Munson x female reader

Word Count: ~2,609

In which the reader sits in on a game of D&D, and fondly looks back on some memories that she’s made with Eddie.

A/N: My first ever fanfic! I hope you guys like it, but I’m open to criticism and advice if you have any.

Let me know if there’s any other fics that you’d like to read, just give me a character and a prompt!

If there was anything that you’d learned over the past two years, it was that D&D was a heartless, brutal thing.

You smiled lightly as you watched Eddie animatedly describe another challenge that the party had to face, while the group groaned and started talking over each other as they tried to figure out what to do next.

If you were being honest, you didn’t understand a word of what was happening. But you saw that it made Eddie happy, and that was enough for you.

You’d tried to get into D&D before, honestly, when Eddie had first caught your attention at school a few years before.

You couldn’t help but smile a bit at the memory.

It had happened when Jason was being his usual thickheaded self during your lunch period. He had been subtly poking at a young boy in the cafeteria that you now knew as Dustin Henderson. Dustin had tried to brush him off, and made some offhand remark about how the only thing Jason had going for him was basketball, and how he’d be lucky if he even got through high school.

It was a simple, stupid comment. Nothing worth getting truly upset about.

But of course, you can always count on Jason to over exaggerate and do something reckless.

Jason had shoved at Dustin’s shoulder, catching the attention of everyone within a few feet of the pair. Including you.

You’d stood- not sure what you were going to do, but certain that you weren’t going to let Jason pummel a child- when Eddie Munson appeared out of nowhere. “Good ol’ Dustin,” he’d said as he pushed the boy behind him. “Never knows when to shut his mouth.” He pointed a ringed finger at Jason as he slowly walked backwards, away from the jock. “Not that you’re any better, hot stuff.”

Eddie and Dustin continued their retreat, Eddie with a large smile on his face, leaving Jason angrier than before. Your eyes tracked them as they moved, your cheeks heating slightly when you got a good look at Eddie’s smile.

Luckily, Chrissy had suddenly appeared by Jason’s side, and had led him away before things could escalate any further.

Eddie and Dustin made it back to their lunch table unscathed, except for the slap in the back of the head that Eddie so kindly bestowed on his poor friend.

After that incident, you’d kept a closer eye on the person that Jason so fondly referred to as the school’s “resident freak”. You’d noticed two things right off the bat.

The first thing you noticed was his smile. The way that it transformed his face and made his eyes light up. It was common for Eddie to wear a smirk or to stick his tongue out at others, but the times that you’d seen him smile at his group with pure joy in his gaze confirmed that his smile was your favorite expression to see on him.

The second thing, obviously, was that Eddie was head of the school’s D&D club. As soon as you’d noticed that, you decided to learn everything you could about the game to try and impress him.

For the next week, you researched a few things here and there in between classes, gathering a few random facts and campaign ideas.

You probably should’ve double checked your sources. Or at least looked at basic rules and regulations. Like the fact that you were supposed to come up with a name.

One day, in between classes, you had seen Eddie chatting with his D&D group by his locker. You decided to mingle, hoping that at any moment, his friends would walk away and you would be able to show off your knowledge.

If your heart would stop trying to beat out of your chest, of course.

Before you could even blink, Eddie’s friends walked away, and he turned and started walking down the hallway in your direction.

Your brain short circuited, but somehow your legs carried you over a few steps, and your mouth started moving.

“Hey,” you said as you stepped directly in Eddie’s path.

Eddie had stopped in his tracks. He looked at you blankly, no malice in his eyes, but no joy or expectancy either. “Hey,” he responded warily.

You cleared your throat nervously. “I was wondering if I could join your club.”

At that, Eddie’s head tilted in confusion. He looked at you quizzically, as if he expected you to burst out laughing and run the opposite way. Or maybe he was just genuinely confused.

“Your D&D club,” you elaborated, silently thanking your brain for sending the right words to your mouth.

Eddie looked you up and down. “You don’t look the type.”

You flushed in embarrassment and stuck your chin in the air stubbornly, suddenly feeling your confidence come in waves. “That’s pretty harsh of you, don’t you think? Judging other people based on appearance.”

Eddie’s face had changed immediately, a small smile on his face and he looked back up at your eyes. He huffed out a short laugh. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?”

You could feel your cheeks heating up. “No, we wouldn’t.”

He paused one more second, eyes fixed on yours, before he finally shrugged. “Alright, then. I’ll see you tonight.”

To say that your brain had short circuited again was an understatement. It felt like your brain had just shut down for good.

“To-tonight?”

He smiled then. The smile that had caught your eye that day in the cafeteria.

“Yeah, we’re starting a new campaign. Let’s see what you got.”

He walked away then, and your eyes tracked his receding form until he turned a corner at the end of the hall.

You’d practically jumped for joy then, before the bell had interrupted your celebration and sent you running to class.

You would have to brush up on some terms and spells and such, but you were sure that you’d be fine. You knew various spells, how the dice worked, and now you had a group to play with. How hard could it be?

Looking back on it now, you had to laugh. It had gone worse than you had ever expected.

It had started out smoothly. Eddie had asked for your name, and you had happily provided, and introduced yourself to all the other members of the group, including Dustin, who you remembered from that day in the cafeteria.

That’s as far as you made it without embarrassing yourself.

When Eddie had switched gears and asked your character name, you panicked and said a name that you would never repeat in public out of mortal shame. The party chuckled under their breaths, with Eddie waving a hand to quiet them down. When you were asked what class and level you were, you’d completely blanked. You had no idea that you were meant to create your own character with its own backstory. (Which, looking back, made complete sense.)

The party members obviously caught onto your ruse immediately, but when they tried to grill you, Eddie had slammed a hand on the table in front of them to silence them, and allowed you to sit in on their campaign to “watch and learn”.

And you tried. You really, truly did try. But even after an evening of sitting in on a campaign, you had no idea what in the world was going on.

You told Eddie as much when they were done for the day. He had laughed at first, but quickly grew serious and asked you why in the world you would lie and pretend to be interested in a thing like D&D.

You shrugged and looked away. Honesty was the best policy, right? “I wanted to talk to you,” you muttered. “And I knew you liked D&D, so I just…” you trailed off in embarrassment.

Eddie had smiled, then. That smile that you adored. He shoved his hands in his pockets and said, “I’m sure we can find something else to talk about.”

Your head whipped around to face him. “Really?”

He laughed lightly. “Hey, if you’re willing to deal with me and these guys, you must really want to talk. And you stuck it through tonight, so you automatically won yourself a bit of my time.”

You’d laughed, relief flooding through your veins. You didn’t notice the look that Eddie sent your way. Earlier, his glances at you had been full of uncertainty or confusion. But now? He couldn’t help the curiousness or the beginnings of happiness that crept into his gaze when he looked at you.

Eddie had walked you out to your car, the two of you talking as you slowly made your way across the parking lot. You found out about his uncle, and he found out that your parents were rarely ever home. You learned about his band, and he found out that you were music obsessed.

When you’d finally made it into your car and watched Eddie walk away, you gave a quiet squeal and covered your face. The campaign might have gone horribly for you, but at least Eddie was still willing to give you a chance.

Things had only gotten better from there. You and Eddie had exchanged numbers the next day at school, and it turned out that while you weren’t very skilled at D&D, you had other things in common.

For one, you genuinely liked the music he played and you fell in love with his band. He liked the fact that you knew how to crochet, and he enjoyed watching you as he worked.

And even though there were things that you didn’t share an interest in, you loved each other enough to support each other in everything that you did.

Not that you loved Eddie. Well, you did, but you weren’t sure if he loved you back, so you’d never said it out loud before.

You almost had, once. You cringed at the memory.

You and Eddie had been friends for about a year, and he’d finally summoned the courage to ask you on a date. You’d said yes, of course, and Eddie had taken you to the Starcourt Mall to watch a movie, get some ice cream courtesy of Steve, and buy you a beautiful spring dress that you planned to wear on your next date.

As Eddie drove you home, his hand wandered over to yours and he gently intertwined your fingers with his. You couldn’t stop the blush that crept up to your cheeks as you squeezed his hand lightly.

When you reached your house, Eddie was the perfect gentleman and walked you all the way to your front door, your joint hands swinging between you.

He smiled at you as you reached the porch, bringing your hand up to brush his lips against your knuckles. “Had fun tonight?”

You smiled back, taking a step closer to him. “Yeah. Lots of fun, thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, darling, it was my pleasure.”

You giggled and looked down. “Does that mean there’s going to be a second date?”

Eddie had smiled, his arm winding around your back to pull you up against him. He let go of your hand to brush a strand of hair away from your face and cup your cheek.

“Of course there’s gonna be a second date,” he said. “And a third,” he said before he kissed the tip of your nose. “And a fourth”, he said with a kiss to your forehead. “And a fifth,” with a kiss to your cheek. “And a hundred after that,” he muttered as he tilted his head down to press his lips softly to yours.

You swear you had felt fireworks explode in your stomach, with sparks shooting behind your eyes and your heart beating out of your chest as your brain turned to mush.

Things weren’t any better on Eddie’s end. His knees had turned to jello and he felt lighter than he’d ever felt before. He couldn’t think of anything but you, and the way your hands were pulling him closer and closer still, while your lips danced gently against his.

You gripped Eddie’s shoulders and pushed a hand through his wild hair as you continued to kiss each other in the dim light of your porch.

When you finally pulled away, you saw that Eddie’s cheeks were absolutely scarlet, and that his smile was bigger than you’d ever seen it.

In that moment, you’d felt no fear. Being honest about your feelings seemed so easy. You took a deep breath. “Eddie, I lo-”

A dog barked aggressively nearby, causing both of your heads to snap around. You tensed up as Eddie’s arm tightened around you. Once a few seconds had passed, Eddie let out a small chuckle. “You alright?”

You nodded, feeling your courage slip away.

“What were you going to say?”

You looked up at him, his eyes gentle as a smile tugged at his lips. You smiled softly and leaned forward to press one more kiss to his lips. “Nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

A flicker of something had crossed his features, and a small pit of regret settled in your stomach. But he masked his features quickly, and gave you a nod and a smile. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the memory now, though you wished that you could gather up the courage to finally tell your boyfriend how you felt. Especially now that you’d been dating for more than a year.

Your gaze focused back on Eddie, who, to your surprise, was looking right back at you. “What’re you smiling at?” Eddie asked softly. You saw that his attention was momentarily diverted from the game in front of him, his eyes focused on you.

“Eddie, pay attention!” Dustin shouted from across the table, the other party members clamoring in agreement.

Eddie ignored them all, his gaze steady.

You smiled at him and shook your head. “I’ll tell you later. I promise.”

Eddie smiled back at you, his hand reaching out to gently intertwine your fingers as he turned back towards the party.

Everyone muttered some variation of, “finally, Eddie,” right before Eddie threw another challenge their way that led to loud frustration and anger.

You settled back and got comfortable as Eddie let go of your hand to continue to gesture and speak.

Throughout the evening though, he would turn towards you, a loving smile or quick hand brush reminding you that he appreciated your presence.

And when he looked over at you, a smile on his lips as he blew you a quick kiss, you realized that it was time to tell him how you felt. Not now, of course, you would never interrupt an active campaign. But today was definitely the day.

Meanwhile, only half of Eddie’s brain was focused on the campaign. The other half was in a mixed up jumble, worrying about what would happen later when he took you stargazing and told you that he loved you.

He couldn’t help but smile to himself as he thought about what your reaction would be.

He glanced back at you once again. He could only hope that you felt the same.

A smile pulled at your lips as Eddie looked back at you again, his tongue poking out between his lips as he made a funny face.

You laughed good-naturedly as a smile broke through his features.

He didn’t turn right back around this time though. He stood, both of you with a smile on your faces, each thinking the exact same thing.

Oh, how I love that smile.

[scarlet-pandrian]

Can You Be My Sunflower In The Snow

To grow up without a father was something Dustin never thought of as a problem. Why should it be one? His mother was perfect in every sense of the word. Claudia Henderson was a Goddess on earth, she did everything in her might to give Dustin the perfect childhood, to fulfill every wish he had. She worked at night so she could be there for him every morning to make him breakfast. She drove him to the playground, the Wheelers’ and then the arcade everyday until she got him his first bike. And even then she tried to drive him at night out to school events, she even drove him to his first ever convention.

When Dustin turned seven he learned about summer camps and all those different kinds of camps. He fell in love instantly because he saw an opportunity to see the world and learn different kinds of things. There were summer camps for math, for astrology and tech- things he was interested in. So Claudia, the angel she was, saved money every year so Dustin could go to summer camp, because Dustin loved it there. When he met Mike's parents for the first time, he realized one thing. A father wasn’t important. Ted Wheeler sat in his armchair, read his newspaper and told them off because they ate too loud. When he met Will’s parents he was grateful for his mother- for only having his mom, because Lonnie Byers was an A-grade asshole. Then the trio met Lucas at the arcade and they became friends and so he met the Sinclairs.

Mr.Sinclair was…he was kind, and supportive of Lucas but he also worked a lot, so oftentimes he only saw Mrs.Sinclair and Baby Sinclair. For a minute he thought that fathers could also be something good, something a young kid needs but then everything happened at the Byers’ and he saw how much Joyce loved her kids and how little Lonnie loved them. So, in his book, that was it. Why should he need a Dad if he had the best Mom out there?

So Dustin never understood why he should need or want a dad, he had everything he needed with Claudia. He did understand however, how lonely it was to be an only child. His Mom called him precious when he was a child because that's what he was for her: precious. But his Mom never wanted a second child- or rather she could never afford another child and couldn’t get over the death of her husband. So Dustin was her everything and that was okay but…kook. He had eyes, and all his friends had siblings, Mike even had two of them.

Will and Jonathan had a bond like no other, they probably needed it, but Jon did everything for Will. He brought him to every playdate the kids had, he shaped his taste in music and clothes and he was simply there for him. Lucas on the other hand didn’t adore his little sister, sometimes he hated her, because he couldn’t go to places with his friends because of her or because she was nosy. But at the end of the day…he helped her with everything. They always did their homework together and Lucas told them that he sometimes missed watching saturday morning cartoons together with Erica in his bed.

And Mike- two sisters, that was a lot. Especially Nancy. But she was the first person Mike ever played DnD with, she was the first person who would know something about his life, he would always go to Nancy when life got hard and he could always go to Holly to simply laugh or play Knights and Princess with her.

His friends were never alone, when the party wasn't together. Dustin however- he was alone at home. No nosy sibling, no one to share a secret or a meal with. He was all alone when Claudia went to work or even when she was at home. She was his mother not…a friend.

He wished for a sibling, but he wasn't stupid, he knew he would never get one and that was okay. He had friends, the best friends a boy could wish for.

And then he met Steve Harrington and everything changed. It was such a corny and stupid sentence but at the end of the day, no, at the end of the world, it was true. If Dustin ever stuck into a time loop, he would adopt Dart every single damn time for the rest of his life just to meet Steve Harrington. He didn't see ‘King Steve The Hair Harrington’ that day at the Wheelers’, he saw a boy that wanted to meet a girlfriend who wasn't even there. He saw someone strong who could help him find his demodog. He did not think that this boy would stand between him and his friends and a hoard of demodogs, that this boy would fight Billy freaking Hargrove for them, for Lucas, for Max. But when that day had ended, he had known for sure that he never wanted this boy to leave his life again.

Dustin knew that Nancy and Jonathan helped Mike and Will for the Snow Ball, he knew Erica made fun of Lucas’ outfit that day and…yeah. He wanted help for his hair, he wanted to look good for Max and the ladies but he also wanted to not be alone, to have someone that would be there for him but also would make fun of his stupid suit. And Steve; he was the first person to ever be a sibling for him.

Steve was his brother in every sense of the word. After Upside Down Round 2 and ‘the fight’ Steve made sure that somebody would drive them, because nobody knew for sure what could happen in a town like Hawkins.

He could simply call Steve and ask him for help and he would be there. But he also realized something else at that time.

He was not the only kid who felt lonely, who wished for a sibling. Dustin was many things;stupid wasn't one of them. He noticed rather quickly the loneliness Steve carried with him. A big house, with no parents ever present, nobody who would go to his competitions, nobody who cooked food for him, there was simply Steve in this house filled with ghosts instead of memories. And Dustin hated this, he told Claudia about this and his mom, she was an angel, wanted Steve's phone number, called him and Sunday's Dinner got invented. She loved cooking, so to have another tummy to fill was a dream come true for her.

He hated sports and he hated watching them, but he tried to visit Steve's competitions because if he wasn't there, nobody was and Steve… he always laughed about it. Dustin didn’t understand why, until he realized that Steve was a fighter and a fighter will never show you his weakness. So Steve played it off, his absent parents, his loneliness and that he lost his friend group. It was a shitty friend group for sure, but it was everything he had for a long time and to now see them hate him, that must hurt.

1985 was the first year Dustin thought about not going to summer camp. They rarely talked about the Upside Down, because trauma bonds are strong but also create walls you can't easily climb, but he feared that something could happen if he wasn't there. That not everyone would be here, when he will come back. He hated his thoughts but he feared for Will and he saw how little Steve thought of himself, which in this context meant, he would sacrifice himself first before anyone if they got hurt. He dreamed about coming back and standing before Steve's gravestone… he woke up screaming, he woke up crying after these nightmares.

So he told his Mom that he was too old for summer camp, that the money should go to his college fund and that there wasn't even any interesting camps anymore. Which was a lie of course, he wanted to go to Camp Know Where for years, he stood on the waiting list for 5 years and this year he got accepted. But the camp was simply that, a camp. Steve, he was his brother, the boys and Max were his party, his family. He could not leave them.

Steve was the one who sent him to summer camp. He helped him pack and he told him that everything would be fine, they made a code system that summer and he forced the Harrington boy into writing him letters every single week.

So when he came back and met Robin Buckley, the co-worker Steve wrote a lot about in his letters, Dustin was excited.

But then, oh no, Upside Down Round 3 began. Though he didn't know that, he thought the Russians and the Upside Down were two completely different things, yeah. He was wrong, they were the same fucking thing. And again, here was Steve, helping him, getting beat up for him and Erica and that nosy co-worker girl. He meant it when he said “If you die, I die” because what should he do without Steve? He never had a brother but he knew there would never be a better brother than Steve in his life. They were meant to be brothers, two lonely boys in a hellish town. Steve was all the goodness Dustin never possessed. He… couldn't be weak, not in his condition, not when he needed to help Will feel comfortable. Steve, after he got rid of those stupid rich kids, was everything good in this world. He was a sunflower in a field of snow, strong enough to withstand the cold world.

A lot of people, Mike included, told him that Steve was a dick in High School, but he saw it as a defense mechanism, something Steve did because he was a soft soul after all. Something Steve did because a lot of people hurt him and everything he wished for was to be loved. And at the end of the day, Dustin too, was an asshole. He called Steve stupid and other names, because the other boy didn’t understand him. He called Erica childish simply because she was younger than the rest of them. He was booksmart, the others were booksmart, his girlfriend was booksmart so Dustin had a problem with people who weren't. Some people simply aren't smart but they are something better, something that is way harder to achieve, because they are kind. And Steve, he was kind and loved with his full body, he would rescue them before even thinking about himself.

So yeah, he didn’t know how he could ever live without that person in his life. He saved Steve not only because he loved him, he saved him, because Dustin couldn’t phantom a life without Steve in it anymore. He could not even think about a life as an only child because he had Steve and he would die before losing Steve again.

Steve warned him, all of them really, what it could mean to be a freshman, who to trust and which people to avoid. Dustin thought this all would be bullshit. He wore his math shirt on the first day, ran into Jason Craver and then he got a swirly. An amazing first day, really. It was great. On his second day he searched for Eddie Munson. Will had told them that Eddie had helped him, that he'd given him permission to join his school club. So of course Dustin and the boys tried to get into Hellfire. Eddie was an ass, but he also looked at them, really looked at them and then they were never alone again. The curly haired boy helped them find a footing in a school that was so different from the one before. In a time when Mike lost his focus because he lost El and Will. In a time when Lucas and Max broke up and didn’t get together again. In a time when it felt like they lost the red-haired girl.

Yeah, at first he wanted to meet Eddie for Hellfire, for a good DM to finally play again because Mike wasn’t all that great. But then he and Eddie, they clicked. The other boy had an amazing taste in fantasy literature, his music taste was a bit off but that was okay because Eddie could talk for hours about different music genres, like Dustin could talk for hours about numbers.

When he realized that Steve Harrington was jealous of Eddie Munson? He had not believed it himself, because he had never thought about Steve's side in this situation, that for the other boy it must have felt like losing a loved one again. That Dustin would be away on Sundays more and more, that sometimes Steve didn’t meet him outside of driving him places for weeks on end. He saw that Eddie and Dustin not only clicked but that they were similar. And Dustin? What did he do about it? He made fun of Steve.

But nothing could have ever prepared him for the springbreak of hell.

The Upside Down would always return on important days, never did the shit hit the fan at some boring time like a regular Monday. They've had Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July and now every spring break will remind him of this…this horrible round 4 of the Upside Down.

When he saw that the police of Hawkins had Eddie as their main suspect his first instinct was calling Steve, because his big brother always helped him. So he got Max and they drove to Family Video, they found Eddie, because Robin was a smartass like them, and got him back. They had a chance to help, to save him. And everytime in this awful week, every single time he thought they could make it, that it could only get better at that point, it got worse.

He never saw Steve's recklessness as a cry for help, so he also never saw Eddie's big personality as armor or a shield for the other boy to hide behind. Eddie was a bard, he was a natural at entertaining others. He had the ability to manipulate others into believing that he was this strong and loud-mouthing man. But at the end of the game, when no dice will roll again, he was a lonely little boy who didn't even believe in himself. Who didn’t believe in the fact that others could love him, who could never love himself. He didn't believe the fact that his uncle Wayne loved him to the moon and back, that he wasn't a burden for the other man but a blessing. He also did not believe that his friends actually liked him, that they would be sad without him. That he had an impact on anyone. That he changed the lives of others for the better. Eddie, he was like the moon. The light that was surrounded by others but would alway shine the brightest. The guiding light, that you’d follow when everything else is dark.

Eddie, he became Dustin's second brother. And he was the first person who died that really meant something to him.

Sometimes he would wake up and ask himself if he could have done more, if he could have told Eddie more often how important he was to him and them, that he was as much part of his party as the rest of them. Sometimes he would wake up screaming the name of this lost boy and then he would cry. Because at the end of the day, it would always be Dustin's fault.

He also screamed that fateful day. First he yelled after Eddie, he tried his best to get back into the hell dimension to help. But he was too slow, all those Demobats fell to the ground and then there was his brother, bloodied on the cold ground. In that moment he wasn’t the moon, he was a shooting star. “I didn’t run away this time, right?” He wished that Eddie would have run away or that he could have just cast a saving spell and Eddie would get back up and laugh, but this wasn’t a stupid game. This was reality and reality really sucked.

He made him swear that he would take on Hellfire, that he would be the next Eddie…but how could he save other kids if he could not even save his own brother? What did Eddie see in him? He was another lost soul, not a shining moon or a strong sunflower. He was only Dustin Henderson.

When Eddie had stopped breathing…Dustin had screamed at him first, he should wake up, he can’t go and leave him alone. And then he'd screamed for Steve, Steve could help him and… he wanted his brother there. The Harrington boy ran, but even running through the Upside Down will not bring a dead one back. Steve had stood there, over them, he got to Dustin and hugged him, so hard that it felt like his ribs would break.

The first days after getting out there… actually, to this day he didn't know what he'd felt back then. Telling Wayne Munson that his nephew died; how can you tell a man that his greatest gift was gone forever? Dustin was not cut out for this. He was a simple boy, he could explain Euler's identity, but how could he explain to a man that his only child had died protecting a town that tried to hunt him down? That he did not kill Chrissy, that he'd played the most metal concert in history, that he did not only save Dustin but changed his life for the better. After this day he never saw Wayne Munson again, he asked himself a lot why. Had the old man died of a broken heart? He will never find the answer and he is happy about that. Sometimes it is better if a mystery stays a mystery.

“Never change, Dustin Henderson”; Eddie was a stupid boy for telling him that and then dying. Because traumatic events will always change people. He was so angry at Max because Billy was an abusive prick, more than one time Billy tried to kill them and yet Max changed after losing Billy. She changed so much that she would have almost been his second victim. Losing Eddie did the same with Dustin, it changed him. He got irrationally angry, at everyone and everything. He would snap, at his friends, at Steve and at his mom. Because nobody could understand Dustin. Nobody knew how it felt for him to visit Eddie's grave and see these awful words. Eddie was not a murderer or a cultist or a monster, he was a kind boy, too kind for this town.

He started growing his hair out, started wearing rings, he wanted to be closer to the shadow of a boy, to the ghost of his brother. He tried so hard to get Eddie back, to be near him that he forgot about Steve. Steve had Robin, she was his soulmate. Steve had the party, they loved him. Steve had Claudia, or so he thought.

He knew that this was not over, everyone knew it really. It was a matter of time, really.

In 1988, He started High School as a senior, he was the head of Hellfire and he got together with Suzie. Overall a good year, the perfect time for the Upside Down to make a comeback.

Steve and Robin started community College and worked their fifth job together, everything was fine. Yeah, he was a dick to the people he loved most, but other than that everything was fine.

Losing Steve was a pain Dustin could not put into words. Steve died a hero, saving the people he loved the most. He was a level 20 paladin, the strongest soldier they had, the most loyal soul out there. But even that could not save him, when death stood at his door. The worst part was that Dustin wasn’t even there when it happened. He came back and he saw Eleven and Mike, He saw Will and Nancy. But he couldn’t see Robin, or Jonathan or…Steve. He lost his triumphant smile instantly, he asked for them and everyone got silent. Something was so wrong he felt it. And then he saw Robin Buckley, this strong and quick-witted woman, bent over a bloodied body, over a young man with brown hair and closed eyes.

“No”, he screamed. Robin looked at him with red rimmed eyes that screamed of sadness.

“Dustin, I'm sorry…”

He sat beside her and they held Steve together, a long time. He could not let go of his brother and she could not let go of her other half, her soulmate.

Sometimes, on good days, Dustin would buy sunflowers and Robin would buy ice cream and they'd meet, sit together, listen to Tears for Fears and Abba and in these small moments he felt Steve at their side. Holding their hands and smiling.

On other days he would smash a vase and cry for hours because he never in his life wanted to be an only child again and he missed them so much that even breathing hurt.

Today he was back in Hawkins, it was his 22nd Birthday. Eddie never got to be 22. Steve never got older than 22. The boys wanted to throw him a big party, they wanted to celebrate because every year they make it was another year worth celebrating, right? Birthdays were something they needed to celebrate because there was a time in their life that simply wasn't on the table anymore. He decided against it, and told them next year. That he needed to be in Hawkins again this year. So he bought flowers and visited Claudia again. His mother never left this cursed town. He was thankful for her because he would have never left if she wasn’t here.

They ate his birthday cake and talked about his new girlfriend, about university and the boys. She told him that Max got better at walking and that her new cat was a shy little thing.

Then he bought big and beautiful sunflowers. He wanted the most beautiful ones because he wanted the best for the king. He also bought another set of beautiful dice.

Meeting his brothers on his special day was his only birthday wish this year. He sat in between their graves and laughed for a moment before he laid his presents at their graves.

“I miss you guys so much, you know? I think…I think I was the luckiest guy on this planet to get to meet you, to call you both my brothers. I hope you two are proud of me. I know I changed a lot. But I hope that…That I changed to be like you guys? I’m happy about it. About not being an only child anymore, about talking about you, because you are my heroes and…Thank you. Both of you.”

Also on AO3:

[ansiainsonne]

For May 27 (obviously postponed otherwise my punctuality would have made too much sense) I made a small drawing themed Stranger Things to celebrate one year since the release of the 4th season which, in my opinion, was one of the best!!

(And with that I'm not saying that this season was carried by one of the most beautiful characters *coff coff *)

[beep-beep-robin]

interesting how the first pics from the actual set we get to see contain eddie‘s gravestone…

as if to convince us he‘s actually down under…

interesting…

[schrijverr]

Steddie Achilles and Patroclus AU where Steve is Achilles and Eddie Patroclus.

Steve is arrogant, hailed king and undefeated. He's spend years facing all sorts of monsters out of Troy/Upside Down while Eddie remains behind at camp, away from the horrors of battle. He's the one Steve comes home to, who sees how the years of battle are weighing on Steve, until it becomes too much. Steve does not want to return to battle, holes himself up in his tent and nothing can convince him to come out.

Eddie watches as the party suits up in their battle gear, knowing that without their protector they might not return from the battelfield. Knows Steve told them not to fight, but that they're all too stuborn and with Eleven captured and behind the walls, they aren't letting either Steve or Eddie stop them. So, Eddie takes Steve's armour, hoping that it will make him brave like STeve is.

Word of the battle travels back to camp, whispers of how Steve is out there when he said he wouldn't be. It doesn't take Steve long to figure out what has happened once he finds both his armour and Eddie missing from camp. However, not long is still too long and he doesn't get to the battle in time to save Eddie, only on time to see him die.

There in the midst of battle Eddie dies in Steve's arms, telling him that he was brave like Steve was, that he protected their kids and Steve had to continue to do that now. Crying Steve promises, before he destroys their enemy with rightous fury, going down in the process and not caring, because he'll find Eddie in the fields of Elysium, there isn't a world where they both don't make it there, he refuses to believe anything else.

Dustin is the one, who stays behind in the remnants of the battle field, having to cremate both his friends, wondering how he'll bring this news to Robin back home (if they make it there alive).

[madelynraemunson]

he grew out his hair to look like eddie’s 🥺🥺🥺 dustin grief arc in full effect

[friendsdontlieokay]

Parallels y'all (5)

[hazardworld]

Dustin's a Damn Good Ally (Original) Pt. 6

Chapter 6— Scars and Black Sweatshirts

Ao3 Link

Originally Posted 1.1.23/Edited 9.2.23

Summary: Dustin's turn! I've tagged him as queer only because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. When this is a series, his actual label will be in future fics. (fyi i had one in the words but as of now I'm using part of it for Monster Town S2E4 so...yeah)

(Queer author saying queer is used both positive and negative here)

———

Eddie was taken aback at how accepting Dustin was.

It was clear he didn’t care about sexualities, even if he was straight. That was metal as fuck in its own right, but even more interesting was how the kid seemed to have an innate sense of gaydar in him.

As good as if he was gay himself.

Either way, Eddie found himself having a movie night with Steve and his adopted siblings/children, fully able to kiss and hand-hold and love his boyfriend, without judgement from the other two in between them (aka the only reason Steve and Eddie weren’t cuddling: the redhead on Eddie’s right, next to the brunet on Steve’s left)

Eddie had found himself a family full of love, and for fuck’s sake, he was happy.

The movie in question was the Breakfast Club, something everyone found comforting and sweet, and hopefully not inducing nightmares from trauma Eddie wasn’t technically supposed to know about but forced all three to tell him after everyone had screaming nightmare after screaming nightmare.

Besides, Eddie thought it was similar to their dynamic: found family from all walks of life, not to mention is was secretly a personal favorite of his.

About an hour in, Dustin went to go get popcorn, but the movie was quickly stopped as Steve gently pushed him back down into his seat.

…ok?

Eddie looked up in confusion as Max and Steve put on determined looks, and Dustin’s confused face quickly turned into a panicked one.

Eddie pretended not to see (or be hurt by) the way Dustin's fearful eyes kept going back and forth, mostly directed at him.

"Max, you know where the sweatshirt is, yeah?" She nodded and ran upstairs, while Steve ran into the kitchen, Eddie mentally agreeing to follow behind.

"Steve, what’s going on? Is Dustin ok?" Steve gave a little huff, and started looking through cabinets.

"Babe, I love you, but it’s something Dustin needs to tell you. Not my place." Steve grinned as he spotted and swiped a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide. "Grab the paper towels on your way. C’mon." Eddie grabbed the roll, trailing behind like a lost puppy.

By now, Max had returned, and was helping a crying Dustin tie a black sweatshirt around his waist, and Eddie saw the dark red stain on the Harrington’s pristine couch.

Oh.

That made…so much sense.

Eddie remembered coming out to Wayne: the day after his middle school graduation, saying that he was Eddie, and that’s who he’d be in high school.

How scared he’d been that someone who he trusted and loved could turn on him so easily, just for saying who he was.

How kind Wayne had been, saying Eddie was his boy, and how tightly they hugged afterwards.

Now, the roles were reversed: Wayne’s job now his.

So, Eddie did the best thing he could, and tore off his shirt.

Well, he didn’t literally tear it off, but he threw it over his head so fast it was almost like tearing it.

Either way, it had exactly the effect intended, because the second Dustin caught sight of his bare chest, he gasped.

Under Eddie’s chest were two long, slightly mangled scars of the breast reduction surgery that had "gone too far."

News flash, it hadn’t.

And the scars that reminded Eddie of what had once been now brought one of his favorite kids joy, because Eddie was just like him.

"Eddie?" Eddie grinned and nodded, and Dustin just crashed into him, into a hug.

"I thought…I thought you’d hate me…being gay is one thing…" Eddie gently shushed him and pulled him in tighter.

"Don’t worry kiddo, I could never hate you for being trans. It’d be kinda hypocritical, no?" Dustin giggled in his arms. Eddie caught the wide grin from Steve and the approving smile—the equivalent to Steve’s wide grin—from Max, and he smiled warmly.

Max snatched the paper towels from his hand, making it clear his job today was comfort, as she and Steve got to work on the stain.

Eddie stayed shirtless the rest of the night, pretending not to see the little glances Dustin gave the scars as the movie continued.

———

And that's a wrap!

A few bits that may be integrated later, idk: - Dustin knows Steve's safe because he got his first period at Steve's house (spring '85) - Eddie gives Dustin a few of his own black sweatshirts after the fact - Dustin (plus Nancy and Lucas) can sew, and he makes his own binders out of sports bras

Special thanks to a few of my friends who beta read (aka I just read this aloud to you at some point), especially "the Dipper to my Mabel" (I don't think they have an ao3/tumblr acct) and @octopiys.

Please PLEASE read the new version. Yes, it may have the same plotline, but I've added a bunch of fun details that give the story more character.

Chapter 5/6