#i had to have an eddie and el interaction i just HAD to

[muertawrites]

Bandanna anon back again, different thought this time. Ok so Eddie lives (obviously, why wouldn’t he?) but he has to go to the hospital where they shave his head in order to give him stitches and just Eddie with a buzz cut 😌 convincing Eddie you still love him without his hair 😊 Eddie growing it out and having these little ringlets that you fight him to not tease out 😍 Eddie’s hair growing back as a reminder of him healing 🥰

bandana anon i love youuuu *mluah* 😛

as a traumatized and healing bitch i love this. i 👏🏻 love 👏🏻 this 👏🏻

eddie x hopper!reader bc parallels 🥺

Your father is up before anyone else in the house, as always. You roll out of bed to find him at the kitchen table, reading the day's newspaper and nursing his second cup of coffee. Instead of saying good morning, he just grunts at you.

"How's he doing?" he asks as you help yourself to what's left in the pot.

It's an odd question, coming from him.

Jim Hopper had always hated the "him" he was referring to - the scruffy miscreant who he'd busted multiple times for vandalism, petty theft, public intoxication, possession...

He hated him even more when he found out his eldest child had fallen hard for him.

Even more when the way he found out was walking into your room one evening after he'd snuck in, finding the boy in a precarious position between your legs.

But since the earthquake, he'd softened. He saw the way Eddie looked at you, the way he risked his life to protect you, and suddenly a criminal history didn't matter as much.

He was troubled, sure. But he was good to you. He made you happy. And that was enough for Jim.

"He's okay," you reply. "Nightmares again last night. Couldn't sleep."

Your dad hums, sympathetic.

"Those'll stick around for a while."

As if on cue, the man in question emerges from your bedroom, looking as ragged and sleep deprived as he feels. He wears a gray beanie over his newly shaven head, hiding the ugly gash that lies beneath. He doesn't meet your eye, popping a cigarette into his mouth and slipping onto the back porch. You sigh.

"Still upset over his hair, huh?" Jim comments.

"Yeah," you confirm. "It, um... It reminds him of his dad, I think. How he used to make him shave it."

Your father is also familiar with the elder Munson, the crime that got him thrown into prison with a life sentence. More so with the abuse he used to inflict upon his son, since he was the one who answered many of those calls.

"Munson was a scumbag," Jim grumbles. "Hard to believe a kid as good as Eddie came from him."

You smile at the compliment, which your dad shares over the edge of his paper, pursing his lips together to try and hide it. Coffee in hand, you open the back door and join Eddie, sinking down beside him on the porch steps.

"Mornin', angel," he greets you.

You lay your head on his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around you, keeping you warm against the spring chill. In the distance, what remains of downtown Hawkins smolders, sending ribbons of black smoke into the clear blue sky.

"How's your head doing today?" you ask.

He doesn't answer, opting instead to take a long drag of his cigarette.

"... You've gotta show me at some point."

Eddie huffs, flicking ash into the tray your father keeps on the back porch.

"You don't wanna see it," he mumbles. " 's pretty bad."

"So are the ones on your neck," you remind him. "But you let me kiss those."

He side eyes you, and you can tell he's trying to argue the sense you somehow manage to talk into him. You were the one who dragged him back through the portal when he tried to be a hero, after all.

"... You're not gonna like it," he finally admits. "I'm not... I'm not me anymore."

"You still eat Froot Loops for dinner," you contest. "That's pretty you."

He tries to fight the laugh that bubbles in his chest, the resulting smile warming your heart with just how genuine it is. You haven't seen him smile like that in far too long.

"I'm just worried you're not... You're like, serially into guys with long hair," he continues. "My hair was what got you to notice me in the first place. What if... What if you're not... What if I'm not attractive to you anymore?"

You sit up, taking his face in your hands; almost a little too aggressively, because he flinches the slightest bit in surprise.

"Eddie," you say. "Do you know what the sexiest thing about you is?"

He stares at you blankly.

"That stupid demon voice you do when you're playing a villain in a campaign," you tell him. "The over the top, snarly, borderline feral voice that comes out of you when you get really into it. It's ridiculous. And I'd be lying to you if I told you I didn't cum so hard the couple times it's come out during sex."

Eddie's eyes pop, mortified.

"I've used it during sex?"

You laugh, nodding as you lean forward to peck his lips.

"Yes. But my point is that you're goofy, and dramatic, and clever, and sweet, and so shamelessly you that this-" you pat the beanie covering his head "- doesn't matter to me. What matters is that you're safe. That you're still with me."

Eddie raises a hand to your cheek, gently running his thumb over the high point of the bone. He gazes lovingly, dreamily down at you, a bemused smile curling his lips.

"I don't deserve you," he murmurs.

"You deserve me more than anyone."

---

"Stop."

You lift the comb out of Eddie's hand, kissing him on the cheek as you do.

"They're cute. Leave them."

He tsks, snatching the comb back up when you set it on the bathroom counter, resuming the process of teasing out the ringlets his hair has started to grow into.

"It looks better longer," he growls, frustrated. "I hate my fuckin' hair."

"Can I have help?"

El appears in the doorway, holding her own set of styling tools. Her hair has also grown out quite a bit, now at the awkward length where it has to be styled every day or else look totally unpresentable. You gesture her inside, perching on the closed lid of the toilet as she sits on the floor in front of you, letting you work your older sibling magic. In a matter of minutes, her locks have been tamed; she bounds up to the mirror beside Eddie to inspect your work.

"It's coming back," she notices, looking up at him. "Your scar is almost gone."

He hums, running a contemplative finger over the raised, darkened bit of flesh peeking from his hairline. The scar runs all the way around his skull, down the back of his neck, but it's disappeared under the nest of dark brown curls that have grown in since his stint in the hospital.

He grins at her in the mirror, pointing to her wrist.

"So's yours," he notes, indicating her tattoo. "Ink's fading."

El smiles back, positively beaming. Her hand lifts to trace the bats etched above his elbow, a habit she's picked up in the months since Eddie moved in. She loves him like a brother. It makes your heart want to explode.

"I like your hair like this," she admits. "You look better than before. You're healing."

Eddie pauses, his face crumpling like he's about to start sobbing. You hide your smile behind your hand as he takes a deep breath, regaining his composure, then takes one of El's own curls between two fingers, pulling and releasing so it bounces like a spring. She giggles at him, playfully smacking his hand away.

"You're lookin' better too, short stack," he says. "Guess we're both gonna be okay."

[candied-cae]

And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - Wake Up

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Chapter 9/? - - - Read it on AO3

Word Count : 2,957

Summary: Now that the Party has everyone's favorite super-powered little girl back in Hawkins, it's time to figure out just what happened the night of the Vecna fight… Just how are Max and Eddie really doing?

More ST Fics

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The group of them, now nine strong, walked into the hospital without further delay. Steve and Robin led the way for the kids while Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle herded them from the back. They all made their way through the lobby and packed themselves into an elevator. There was a handful of other people in the box with them. They were discussing their own friends and families in hospital beds and, while it would’ve been customary to be solemn and slow-paced in such circumstances, as soon as those doors parted to release them onto the second floor, they pushed their way out in a manner that earned them a few, somewhat deserved, stink eyes.

But it wasn’t really their fault. They had to rush. They were on a very important mission.

Steve slowed as they made it about halfway down the hall, finding they’d arrived at the door for room 237. He reached for the door handle, pulling it open a crack as the lone sound of Lucas reading slipped out. He waved them all to gather inside as he pulled it further back and the boy’s voice stopped. The kids entered first while the older ones stayed at the back to let them reunite. Which was good. Because, as soon as Lucas saw the faces that began to pour inside, he set down “The Talisman” in favor of running to Mike and Will.

“Oh my god.” slipped from him as he crossed the room.

It was the first time either had ever seen him so hurt. Left eye nearly swollen shut, nose still bumped in the middle. They closed their arms around Lucas the second he was in reach. He locked his own around them in turn. The two who'd been gone could feel the deep breath Lucas pulled in to assure himself they were there; they felt his grip tighten as he convinced himself they were real; they felt him relax when he let himself believe it.

“We’ve been calling you guys like crazy,” he told them with closed eyes, focused entirely on just holding the two people he’s known since he was just a toddler, but didn’t have by his side on the worst night of his life.

“I know,” Mike answered,” We came as soon as we knew.”

As Lucas looked up from between their shoulders, he saw El. Looking right at him from just a step away. Her eyebrows were coming together in the middle, her lash line already holding back tears. The boys split apart so Lucas could hug her, too. They tightly wrapped around one another as El let out shaking breaths, trying to keep from releasing her sobs.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered beside his ear as she held tighter, squeezing her eyes shut and tucking her face into his shoulder.

He was giving a gentle rub to her back, to let her know there was no way she had anything to be sorry for, when she stiffened. She just had the chance to look past him to Max for the first time. Seeing her in the flesh for the first time in months… and it’s in a hospital bed, cast-covered arms and legs, neck brace in place, and purpling bruises under her eyes. Lucas released her as she took careful steps toward the motionless girl.

“Do they know… when she will wake?” El asked fearfully.

“No. They say she might not,” he told her honestly. Friends don’t lie.

El turned into Mike’s arm at the thought while Lucas continued, remembering what the doctors had said,” Her heart stopped for over a minute. She died. I… I mean, clinically, but… then she came back. The doctors don’t know how. They say it’s a miracle.”

El took Lucas’s hand in hers and squeezed it with some conviction. He looked to her for an answer she didn’t have. But she was going to try. She was going to try until she got her back. No matter how long it took. No matter what it took. El was going to get Max back.

The girl let go of Lucas’s hand and slipped out from under Mike’s to step closer. Sitting onto the bed beside Max and, with a featherlight touch, reached out to hold the fingers poking out from beyond the white material.

“I’m here, Max,” El told her. Willing with everything she had that the girl could hear her. Beyond monsters and madmen, and shit that’s not fair... beyond everything else, El’s words had to reach her. She looked upon her face for a moment longer before she closed her eyes in search of the girl in her mind.

But this was also not something she’s ever done before. She’s never tried looking for someone while they were asleep, or comatose, for that matter. But she’s found people when they’ve been blocked before. Her Mama when her mind was nearly gone, Billy when he was possessed, so surely she should be able to find something.

She hoped Max would gleam against the black like she usually did. Fiery, red hair and pale, speckled skin standing out against the backdrop of nothing. And for the first time, Max would see her back. Instead of a quick peek where El can only see her, they would be in the space together. Max would turn to her with wide eyes and run to greet her in the middle.

But she doesn’t.

She doesn’t do anything.

Because Max isn’t there.

When El enters the black void, it’s simply that: black and void. There was nothing but herself lurking there. In a wide expanse of nothing, a whole world left empty, El was alone. She looked and she called. She ran and she begged. Yet still, nothing. She couldn’t find her. She stopped Max from dying, but she doesn’t know what happened to her after. What did she do?

When she came out of it, back to the crowded inpatient room, they were all looking at her expectantly. No one said a word, but they stared. Waiting. She looked away from their eyes, finding some comfort in examining the floor instead of their faces, not happy to imagine how they’d look when she said it. When she let them down.

“I cannot find her,” she admitted in a small, defeated voice.

“What?” Lucas asked, not mad but scared.

“She’s not in there…” El’s voice wavered as her hand held Max’s fingers just slightly tighter, she sounded near tears.

“Is it… is it just because she’s unconscious?” Robin asked.

El’s shoulders shrugged the slightest like the weight was almost too much to move under,“ Maybe?”

“So, let’s visit the other guy.” Argyle thought.

“What?” Jonathan asked him.

His sudden words hit stark against the emotions in the room, but he had a point. And Nancy could tell what he was getting at.

“He’s right. If El tries to find Eddie and she doesn’t see him in there either, then it probably just means something about them being unconscious makes them hard to find. Nothing to worry about then, we’ll just need to wait a bit more.” she explained, honestly fairly impressed the new guy figured it out so fast.

“Okay.” El stood back up and wiped her eyes. She was barely ready to try again, but she needed to.

The group wandered across the hall, Lucas and Erica now in tow, as they opened the door into room 238. For a minute there, Steve was trying to think up some kind of excuse to give Eddie’s uncle. Maybe something about the kids just wanting to see him and wanting to say something alone. But it would still be weird to try and kick the man out of his own nephew’s room. But they couldn’t tell him what El needed to do, even if he believed them, they’d be pulling him into their mess of a world, and that wouldn’t be fair to Mr. Wayne. Course, maybe they could offer to watch Eddie for a few minutes and let him take a breather or smoke break or something. Or maybe one of them could try to pull him away with a distraction or-

It didn’t matter.

Because Wayne Munson wasn’t there.

The room was empty, except for little ol’ Eddie snoozing away in his bed. Steve shakes away his wasted panic with a reminder that just hours before, he was commenting on how badly he wanted to get out of the white room with all its beeping. And here he is, back in it again. Like nothing had changed.

Once more, the kids had filled the room first and had been the ones to gather closest to the bed. But this time, Mike is the one having the strongest reaction. It’s not that Eddie looked worse than Max, but Eddie wasn’t someone he ever expected to see wrapped up in all their secret stuff. Eddie was just supposed to be their DM, the cool senior who ran the coolest club, in Mike’s humble opinion, and did his own thing. They were only supposed to know each other inside the halls of Hawkins High. They were only supposed to share happy memories. That’s it. Eddie was not supposed to be someone they ruined with the Upside Down.

Eddie was all loud voices, big gestures, and dark clothes. And now he laid in clinical white, still and silent. Because of them and the stuff they discovered that night almost three years ago in the forest past Mirkwood.

It didn’t look right seeing him like that.

Besides him being so non-Eddie-like, his wrists were cuffed to the railing on the bed. The chains weren’t quite long enough to lay his hands on the bedding, they hung limply about an inch above. They’d been switched yesterday when the cops came through, and it already looked like the metal was wearing red marks into his skin. El gently took his hand into hers, lifting it off the constant pressure of the restraint.

“Hello Eddie, I am Eleven. I’m going to try to find you,” she said politely. Like they deserved to have a proper introduction before she tried to dive into his head.

Once more, El was in the void. Dark and empty, the familiar splashing of water under her feet. But this time, when she walked forward and called, she wasn’t alone. She found him. Eddie was lying on his back, but strangely he didn’t really look like he had in the real world. He wasn't lying in a hospital bed, he was on the ground. His arms and legs were stretched out around him further than the bed would've allowed. And, despite El approaching rather noticeably, he was unresponsive. He wasn’t completely frozen in place, though. His eyes were open, and he seemed to be shaking, like the full-body, involuntary kind of shaking. Like he was reacting to… something. But he didn’t react to her.

“Hello?” she called again, standing just beside him.

She looked down as he stared past her into the nothing. His breath was trembling, and every part of him seemed to be raked through with fear and pain. Like he was still being ripped into by the monsters. They weren’t there, of course, but he looked like he was stuck at that moment, unable to escape.

“He’s in here,” El said, loud enough for the people in the hospital room to hear it as a mutter.

“Is he okay?” a voice came back to her. It was Mike’s.

El bent down and hugged her knees. Crouched just next to his hand, the same one she held out there. Maybe she needed to… help pull him out? She brought her knees to the ground, leaning back on her heels, and slowly, she reached out to touch the hand. And as suddenly as her fingers brushed his skin, it was like he came to life. He drew a deep gasp of air into his lungs and connected terrified eyes with hers. He scrambled back away from her with a shriek, hair flying around him in his urgency.

El threw her hands up reflexively as he flinched away from her. She held them in front of her in surrender so he might realize she was not really all that scary.

“Woah, Woah- Who are- What is this pla-” he started asking fearful questions until a look of realization came to his face. He put his hand to his chest over the hospital gown,” Am I…?”

El remained quiet, waiting for him to finish a question so she might answer it for him. He, however, took her silence as the answer itself and came to his own conclusion of what was going on.

“Oh shit… Shit, shit, fuck. Wait, are you…?” He looked at her again, properly taking the stranger in for the first time. His eyes run up and down as his face drops the fear and picks up a look of confusion instead,” I mean, I guess I get the idea, but you really messed up some parts.”

“I messed up?” El questioned him back, ignoring the first bit of his sentence in favor of the second. How could he know if she messed up in bringing them back?

“Well, yeah, to appear as a younger me, to chill me out or whatever, it makes sense. Sorta. And, I mean, some of it’s fine. The buzz cut, the big brown eyes, the works. Not half bad. But that is not my face, I have never worn those clothes, and I definitely didn’t have those in middle school.” he motioned to indicate her chest at the end, which only seemed to make her further confused.

This statement completely took her aback,“ I am not you,” she countered.

“Clearly, like I said, not a perfect rendition. But I guess it doesn’t really matter.” He huffed before standing up,” Which way are we going? Up or down?”

“Up or down?” She asked him back, coming off her knees to join him on her feet.

“Yeeeaaahh? You know…” He pointed up and sang a mocking ‘ahhh’ like angel chorus,” or…” and he pointed down, imitating little screams of torture.

“Never figured God for the forgetful type, but what do ya know.”

El’s confusion seated deeper in the wrinkle of her forehead,“ I am not God.”

In the hospital room, El has been mumbling to herself, though it was too quiet for anyone to make out. So, after a few minutes had passed and they all started to get a little freaked, Steve leaned forward,“ What’s going on in there?”

Eddie clearly couldn’t hear it, but El looked up and spoke to them,” He thinks I am God and that we are going up and down.”

“Up or Down.” Eddie corrected, carefully stepping closer,” You know, it’s pretty rude to talk about someone to someone-” he glanced up with her at the blank space above them,” -or something else right in front of his face.”

El turned her attention back to him,“ Why have you not woken up yet?”

Now Eddie was the one that looked the most confused again,” What?”

“You should wake up,” she advised him.

“So, I’m… not dead?” he needed her to clarify what exactly was going on.

“No, you are not dead. You are in the hospital.”

“You’re kidding… Fuck, they pulled it off,” something of a proud smile formed on his face as he started pacing around the void, too much energy suddenly in him from the impossibly good news,” I mean, I really figured I was a goner, you know. Made my joke about graduating, tried to pretend like it was real for a minute, made Dustin promise to take over things for me, passed along my final words to the little guy, closed my eyes, and… ‘show’s over, that’s all folks’. I mean, there was this moment after, I think. I came back up for a second, but I thought that was like my one last chance to hold on, and I only held on a second before I was back out so… I just thought ‘Hey, that sucks, but that’s life! Or death, I guess’. But, shit,” he stopped to look directly at the angel before him,” I can wake up?”

She nodded, feeling just a little better to see someone so lively rather than the alternative,“ Yes.”

“O-okay, how do I do that?”

“You do not know to wake up?” she asked, squinting a little to look at him.

She was starting to feel the strain again. They’ve been on the road the whole time, so she hasn’t been able to rest up well since the piggyback and facing off against Henry. Just stunted naps and gas station snacks. Which were now proving to not be enough to fuel these trips much longer.

“Are you okay, Not-God? You don’t look like you’re operating in top condition.”

“I will be fine-” she began to say until she was interrupted.

“Tell him to stop being dramatic and get up already, or we’re going to kick his ass.” Dustin’s voice echoed through El’s mind, she could hear him trying to press a smile in his words.

“They want you to get up.” she passed the message along, omitting most of the boy's phrasing, though.

“They?”

Eddie was coming to terms with the fact that he was alive and had a chance to keep it that way, but he was still fairly confused about what supernatural business was going on and who was involved.

“Party.”

“They’re having a party?”

“You should hurry up, they are very impatient,” she told him, and then she was gone.

Like she’d never been with him in that blank vacancy in the first place.

[rogueddie]

part one

Eddie is sure that something big happened, something that he missed. Steves explanation sounded far too simple for the way the atmosphere seems to swell, thick and suffocating, whenever El or Steve enter the room.

Whatever it is that the two said, the tension has started causing him issues.

Dustin and Lucas keep leaning close to each other, whispering, making wild hand gestures during DnD- which would be fine, if he weren't giving a speech which involved very important plot details.

He waits until they finish for the night, everyone starting to gather their things, before speaking up.

"Henderson," Eddie says, loud enough that Dustin flinches, jerking up to look at him with wide eyes. "Stay here a moment."

"Uh, wh- why?"

"Because I said so." He raises an eyebrow at everyone else, who's stopped and just watching them. "What? Scram!"

"Give him hell," Gareth nudges him, grinning.

Jeff quickly shoves him towards the door, glancing at Eddie before following him. "Take it easy on him, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Eddie waves him off. It just makes Jeff snort, playfully shoving him, before jogging after Gareth.

Mike hesitates, but quickly scrams when he sees the look on Eddies face.

"What's up?" Dustin asks. He tries to shift, to look casual.

"What the hell is going on? You've all been weird about Steve and El for a whole week."

"Oh... we just... had a misunderstanding."

"Uh-huh," Eddie crosses his arms. "About what?"

"Nothing."

"Dustin."

"Alright! It's- we all make jokes about Steve being stupid and he told us to cut it out."

"Yeah, Steve told me that much. It was upsetting him or some shit. That's not everything that happened though, is it?"

"Maybe you should ask Steve, he's your-"

"Kid, so help me, I will murder your little Elf. Start talking."

"Dude!"

"Talk."

"Alright, fine! Geez. It was... we joked about it, we knew he wasn't upset by any of that. And, yeah, we were right. It didn't upset Steve- it upset El."

"What the hell were you saying?" Eddie frowns. He hasn't spoken to El much but, even with such short interactions, he's sure that it would take something big to effect her. She's tough as nails.

"Nothing bad! It was the same shit we always say! But it's fine. She spoke to Steve for a bit and then she explained to us why it was upsetting her. She said something about how she knows we aren't bullies because we're not 'sad assholes' like you said."

Eddie snorts. That had been a fun day, despite El having to relive the shit she dealt with her bullies in California. He'd made her laugh and, after she went home, Steve had... well.

"So what's with the tension?"

"Mike doesn't think it's a big deal because they're just jokes." Dustin shrugs. "He's not wrong."

Eddies eyebrows shoot up, incredulous. "'He's not wrong?' You're fucking with me, right? You're not serious."

"They both know we don't mean it!"

"Do they?"

"Max asked; El knows we don't think she's dumb."

"What about Steve?"

That makes him falter.

"What about Steve?" Dustin clears his throat. "He's not upset by the jokes, he told us that."

"That's not what I was asking and you know that."

"Well, yeah, but... he'd be upset if he thought we meant it... right?"

"You're a fucking idiot, Henderson."

[libraryofgage]

PJO Steddie Four

One | Two | Three

I am once again posting hfjkds

Anyway! Here's the next PJO AU! We get to see some interactions between Steve and some goddesses, some more hints at El's parent, and some Steddie at the end

Stick around to the very end for a meme!

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

----

Five Weeks Before Meeting Eddie

Steve and the kids are spread out across a department store in Pennsylvania when he, Lucas, and Erica run into the most aesthetically pleasing woman any of them have ever seen. Her face is almost otherworldly, and Steve can't find any blemishes or imperfections in her dark skin. Her hair is a perfect afro, bouncy and decorated with little heart-shaped clips made of real gemstones, the kind of style Erica keeps trying for but always falls short of. She's wearing a short dress; it's orange, flows nicely around her knees, and is paired with white wedges.

The sight of her strikes all of them a little dumb, too distracted by appreciating her beauty to wonder why she seemed to show up out of nowhere. To their credit, Erica and Steve manage to avert their gazes when the woman's eyes glance over them. Lucas, however, continues to stare, his head tilted and his brows furrowed in thought before he lights up with recognition.

"Mom!" he exclaims, dropping the windbreaker in his hands. He smiles brightly as he rushes over, stopping just short of running into the woman. "What are you doing here?"

The woman, who Steve now realizes is Aphrodite, smiles at Lucas with a genuine warmth that relaxes him a little. "Hello, dear," she says, her voice clear and soothing as she cups Lucas's cheek and tilts his head up. "You're looking lively."

"I've been having a lot of fun," he tells her. Lucas then looks over his shoulder and waves Erica and Steve over. "This is Steve. He's been protecting us."

Erica rushes over ahead of Steve, not bothering to hold herself back from hugging Aphrodite's waist like Lucas. She buries her face in her mother's dress as the hug is returned. "I haven't seen you in years," Aphrodite says, pulling back enough to crouch in front of Erica and study her. "You've been growing so well."

"Do you like my hair?" Erica asks, showing a rare childish side as she gestures to her afro-puffs. "Steve helped!"

And this seems to be Steve's cue to introduce himself. When Aphrodite looks up and stands, he smiles politely and nods to her. "Hi, nice to meet you," he says, wondering if he's being too informal. The other goddesses he's met didn't seem to mind, though, and Aphrodite's smile reassures him.

"And you as well, Steve. Thank you for looking after my children all this time," she says, placing one hand on Erica's head and the other on Lucas's shoulder. "I've heard about you from the other goddesses and just had to see what the fuss was about."

"There's a fuss?" Steve asks. He's not sure it's such a good thing for the gods on Olympus to be talking about him. "All good, I hope."

"Good enough," Aphrodite says, her smile dimming slightly as she takes a deep breath. She looks down at Erica and Lucas. "Why don't you two go find something nice? It'll be a gift from me."

Lucas doesn't immediately understand what she means, but Erica does. She nods once and grabs Lucas's hand. "C'mon, I wanna look at the video games," she says, dragging him along.

Once they're out of earshot, Aphrodite looks at Steve. Her smile has become polite. "I truly am grateful that you've been taking care of them," she says, and Steve starts to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, "but I must ask that you take them back to their father."

"What? Why?" Steve asks, frowning slightly.

Aphrodite sighs and crosses her arms loosely. "Several reasons, really," she says. "You attract monsters, Steve. I mean, you are his child. Lucas and Erica were safe at home, surrounded by human children and their human father. Not to mention, your...sister."

Steve tenses, his nerves on edge with just one word. "What about my sister?" he asks, narrowing his eyes slightly. There isn't much he can do against a goddess, but he isn't scared to fight one for any of the kids, especially his sister.

"Well, I'm sure she's a very nice girl," Aphrodite starts, her voice soft and placating, but it doesn't change the anger her words incite. "But that doesn't change the danger my children are in because of her."

Knowing where this was going does nothing to quell the anger that simmers in Steve at her words. "My sister is not a danger to anybody," he says. Then he considers the words and adds, "Well, she's only a danger to the people who threaten her and her loved ones, which includes your children."

Aphrodite sighs once more, her bottom lip jutting out just slightly in what Steve knows should be a sympathetic pout, but it just comes across as patronizing. "She cannot control her powers. One slip-up, and my children ar--"

"She doesn't slip up," Steve says, interrupting Aphrodite, "El, of all people, is the most aware of herself." He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself when he feels the anger crackling under his skin. Too much more and the sky will start to cloud over with thunder and lightning. "I get your concerns, but El isn't a danger."

He looks up at Aphrodite in time to see her frown, and even that expression is beautiful on her. "It doesn't matter how self-aware she is. Slipping is inevitable, and she will face my wrath if my children are hurt. That is a promise, Steve."

If Steve has learned anything from reading myths, it's that he shouldn't anger the gods, and he especially shouldn't anger the goddesses. But now El has been threatened. His sister, one of his kids, has been threatened. So, you know, he can probably be forgiven for what he says next.

"If you touch El or any of the other kids, I swear to the gods, I will make your fit over the golden apple look like a tadpole's temper tantrum," he says, his voice low as he glares at Aphrodite.

He watches as her shoulders rise, leaning back slightly, and her expression morphs into something mixed between angry and dumbfounded. "Did you just threaten me?" she asks.

Steve sees the question for what it is: a chance to take back his words and pretend they never happened. All things considered, it's generous and unexpected from a goddess. Steve doesn't actually care, though. "Yeah, I did. Those kids are under my care, even if they are little shits most of the time. I've fought for them and almost died for them multiple times. Anything that wants to hurt one of them has to go through me, whether that's monsters or gods. So, don't threaten them, because I'd hate to fight you in front of Lucas or Erica."

In the silence that follows, bland pop music plays over the department store's speakers, reminding Steve of where they are. He really just threatened Aphrodite in the middle of Macy's. Well, at least this will be a fun story to tell later.

"Well," Aphrodite finally says, sniffing once and looking down at Steve, "your arrogance is familiar." She lets that dig about Steve's godly parent rest between them for a few seconds. "Fine. I hope neither of us will ever have to act on our threats."

"Yeah. Me, too," Steve says, that anger starting to calm to a subtle buzz.

Aphrodite nods once. "The others were right about you. You are entertaining, and I can...respect your protectiveness regarding the children. I don't like you, though."

"I'll be honest, the feeling is mutual right now."

Their gazes hold for a few more seconds before Aphrodite nods once more in acknowledgment. Steve's anger fully settles then, disappearing until the next time his emotions start to stir. "I'm going to accompany Lucas and Erica for a while and get them some new clothes. I'll send them to you when we're done," she says, turning on her heel and walking in the direction that Erica pulled Lucas before Steve can respond.

He watches her leave, a frown tugging at his lips before he sighs. That meeting didn't go great, but it definitely could have been worse. Steve turns and goes to find El, needing to reassure himself that she's safe before he can completely relax.

----

Eddie gets to see Steve's favor with the goddesses in action on the second day of driving. The kids are starting to argue more than talk, and Eddie will admit that he needs to stretch his legs, so Steve agrees that it's time to stop and find a hotel.

"Can we get one with a pool?" Max asks, having to shout from the back row of seats to make sure Steve hears her.

Steve glances at her in the rearview mirror before sighing. "Yeah, I guess we can try," he says, quickly returning his gaze to the road before clearing his throat. The kids all quiet down, and the van is silent for the first time in hours. "Uh, Hestia, if you've got the time, I'd appreciate some guidance to a place we can stay for the night. The kids would like one with a pool, but just a place where we can sleep safely would be great."

Eddie has heard plenty of demigods pray before, but he thinks this is the most casually genuine one he's ever heard. When they drive past a few exit signs without any change, Eddie starts to suggest Steve try again with a more, well, reverential tone. But then the van's blinker suddenly switches on, and the kids cheer. Steve snorts at their reaction as he follows the blinker's direction and takes the next exit ramp off the highway.

"What the fuck," Eddie mutters, staring as the blinker continues to signal the turns Steve should take until they're pulling into a hotel parking lot.

The sign in front of the building announces it as "Hearth and Home" in cursive letters. The hotel itself is four stories tall and looks like a giant cottage. A few cars are in the parking lot, and Eddie can somehow tell this place is some kind of passion project for someone who doesn't have to worry about money.

After Steve pulls into a spot outside the hotel and shuts the car off, he turns in his seat and looks at the kids. "What are the rules?" he asks, his tone firm and leaving no room for jokes.

"Don't talk to strangers," El says.

"Don't talk at all while you're checking us in and out," Will adds.

"Stick together and stay in sight," Lucas says.

"Cough twice if we sense a monster nearby," Erica says.

"No fighting," Max says, already starting to shift closer to the doors.

"And if anyone asks," Dustin starts.

"We're traveling to meet family one state over," Mike finishes.

Steve nods once and opens his door. That seems to be the signal the kids were waiting for because they immediately scramble out of their seats. Eddie hops out and walks over to Steve, watching the kids climb out as he asks, "What's up with the rules?"

"Well, I'm a young guy traveling with seven kids. Most hotels are hesitant to give me rooms, and they'll straight up lie about being full if the kids are rowdy. We also need a system in place if one of them realizes a monster is around. And saying we're meeting family tells people that we're expected to appear somewhere by a certain time, which deters anybody from trying to, you know, kidnap one of the kids," Steve explains, glancing at Eddie as he shrugs.

Eddie has to stop himself from asking what led to Steve making some of these rules. Instead, he bites his tongue and follows the group inside, sticking to Steve's side as he walks up to the front desk and the kids huddle within sight a few feet away.

"Hi, do you have any vacancies for the night?" Steve asks, flashing a charming smile at the older woman working the desk.

She looks at Steve, then Eddie, and then the kids behind them. "How many rooms would you need?" she asks.

"If you happen to have any connected rooms, we'll take them. But if not, just two is fine."

The woman nods and checks her computer, hesitating for a few seconds before saying, "We don't have any connected rooms, but one of our Executive Suites is open. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large lounge area. It's made for large groups, so two of the bedrooms have bunkbeds in them. The price, however...."

Steve smiles at her reassuringly and pulls out his wallet. He plucks a black card from one of the pockets and presents it. "Don't worry about the cost," he says, "We'll take it."

At the sight of the sleek credit card, the woman lights up and smiles brightly at Steve. Eddie finds himself thinking that money really does talk. "Of course, sir," the woman says, a suddenly respectful tone coloring her words as she takes the card. "Could I see an ID as well, please?"

As Steve pulls out his license, he looks at Eddie and asks, "Could you take the kids to get the bags from the car? I should have the key cards by the time you get back." He places his license on the desk and hands his keys to Eddie.

Eddie finds himself nodding before he can really think about it, but how can he say no to Steve's brown eyes and the tiny dimples that appear when he smiles? So, he takes the keys and starts herding kids outside.

----

As it turns out, the hotel does, in fact, have a pool, and Steve can't help his grin when the kids cheer after they get to their rooms and he tells them. What follows is a flurry of kids changing into bathing suits, Steve lending Eddie a pair of swim trunks, and making sure everyone has towels and plenty of sunscreen slathered all over them.

The pool is surprisingly large, and there's plenty of space for the kids to swim around and expend some energy. Steve drops into one of the pool chairs and closes his eyes, the plastic warm on his back without burning his skin. He hears another chair get dragged closer before someone sits on it. When Steve opens an eye to look over, Eddie has settled next to him, watching the kids with a slight frown.

Steve follows his gaze, but he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that might catch someone's attention is El wearing her beanie in the pool, but even that could be explained as her forgetting to take it off.

"They don't have any scars," Eddie says after a moment.

Steve blinks and pushes himself up some, sitting straighter in the chair and looking at Eddie. His hair is pulled back into a messy bun, a few pieces escaping to frame his face. He's not obviously muscular like Steve, and he doesn't have an 8-pack, but Steve can still see the subtle muscles in his arms and legs. And the scars. Steve can see plenty of scars littered across Eddie's chest and stomach, his arms, and one particularly nasty one just above his knee.

In that way, Steve supposes, they are similar. "I wouldn't let them get hurt," Steve says quietly, shrugging when Eddie looks at him. He scoots forward some so Eddie can get a better look at his own scars. Despite the warm weather, he still can't help goosebumps traveling up his arms as Eddie stares at him.

"What's that one from?" Eddie asks, gesturing to a large slash that reaches from Steve's shoulder to his elbow.

Steve glances down and hums softly. "Stymphalian bird feather. They're made of steel. It attacked us after we picked up Mike and Dustin. Thankfully, there was only one bird, and I managed to dodge most of the time, but I got this one when I closed in to kill it," he explains.

Eddie stares at the scar, and Steve wonders what he's imagining. Does he want to know how vicious the fight must have been? It was one of Steve's messier fights. He didn't have any training, and he barely had experience. Really, Steve had nothing but his instincts and a desperation to keep the kids safe. "What about those?" Eddie asks, pulling Steve from his thoughts as he leans closer to point at what's clearly a bite mark on Steve's right side.

"The lion head of a Chimera," Steve says, glancing at Eddie before pointing at a scar wrapping around his throat. He shifts until he's sitting on the edge of his chair and tilts his head to give Eddie a better view. "The snake tail was choking me at the same time. I had to use lightning on that one since it had me trapped. We ran into it almost two months ago."

Eddie scoots to the edge of his chair, and their knees are almost close enough to touch. Something starts to buzz under Steve's skin. It's not anger. He knows what that feels like. It's something else this time, something that sizzles and lingers and tries to push against his skin to break free. Steve tries not to think about it.

"And this one?" Eddie asks, pointing to a scar that's splashed across Steve's left knee like a starburst.

"That one," Steve says, getting a grin despite himself, "happened because Dustin tried to help me fight a minotaur. He made this mini-bomb without me knowing and threw it into the fight. I managed to tuck and roll, but the explosion still brushed against me. This scar is from it, too." He turns his right leg out so Eddie can see a similar scar on the inside of his calf.

Steve looks up in time to see Eddie swallow, his throat rolling, and that electric feeling gets stronger. It centers on Steve's knees, the spot where they're closest to touching. But it travels like those toys with magnetic sand when Eddie leans closer and points to the scar in the middle of his chest. It grows the longer Eddie's hand hovers there, and Steve glances down just to make sure there aren't actually sparks buzzing across his skin.

"This one?" Eddie whispers, holding Steve's gaze.

Mouth suddenly dry, Steve clears his throat. "My first fight. The, uh, snake thing that took Will," he says. "Some of the scars on my back and stomach are from that one, too."

Eddie nods, and Steve can't place his expression for a few seconds. When he finally does, he realizes it's something like adoration. He's seen it before from all the kids at some point, usually after he's fought a monster to keep them safe. But Eddie is different. Eddie's adoration is just the surface emotion. Under it, Steve can glimpse something even more intense. He almost wants to drown in whatever it is, let it surround him until he can figure out how to describe it.

"You really are metal, Stevie," Eddie says, his voice soft as he smiles at Steve.

Steve has already acknowledged that Eddie is his type, and he definitely isn't imagining the tension between them right now. Without thinking, he leans forward, a similarly soft grin tugging at his lips. But whatever he wanted to say is literally shocked out of him.

The moment he's close enough for Eddie's hand to actually touch Steve's chest, that fizzing energy bursts through. It's not strong by any means, but it's demanding attention as it zaps across Steve's chest and Eddie's fingertip. Steve jerks back, rubbing at his chest and taking a deep breath to control the crackling over his ribs.

Eddie is frozen, staring at his still outstretched hand in shock. His eyes are wide, and Steve grimaces, wanting to take his hand and check for burns but scared of shocking Eddie more.

"Sorry," he mutters, looking away and coincidentally meeting El's gaze. She's sitting on the steps leading into the pool, legs pulled up to her chest with an amused smile on her face. When she realizes that Steve is slightly panicked, though, she blinks and tilts her head. Steve subtly shrugs one shoulder, and, thankfully, she gets the message.

"Steve!" she calls, waving her hand as though she doesn't already have his attention.

It's the save Steve is desperate for, and he practically jumps up from his chair. "I'm gonna go see what El needs," he says, glancing at Eddie only to find he's already looking up at Steve.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Eddie mumbles. Steve waits until Eddie nods to speed-walk (it's still a pool, after all, and he won't set a bad example by running) over to El, urging his heart and the crackling beneath his skin to calm down.

----

Tag List!

@mugloversonly, @mentallyundone, @hairdryerducks-blog, @carriethesaint, @lunabyrd, @weekend-dreamer7, @farfaras, @littlelady03, @my-tears-are-becoming-a-sea20, @mogami13, @a-little-unsteddie, @itsall-taken, @queenie-ofthe-void, @tinyplanet95, @littlebluejane, @hangoversandhandgrenades, @rabbitwhoeatsstars, @bisexualdisastersworld, @steddieinthesun,

@paintgonewrong, @sadcanadianwinter, @deehellcat, @blanketlicker, @angrydonutdestiny, @booksareportal, @fallingchemicaldiscos, @am-i-obssed-probably, @anne-bennett-cosplayer

@estrellami-1, @fandomcartographer, @steddie-as-they-go, @cris-wants-a-word, @potato-of-the-lord, @plasticcrotches, @enigmahaze

For those who stuck around, a meme:

[louloulemons-posts]

Oil At The Coffee Shop I

Eddie Munson X Fem!Reader

Summary : Moving to the small town of Hawkins you hoped your journey would be a smooth one, what we hope for doesn’t always happen.

Word Count : 1.7k

Warnings : introduction, not much eddie x reader interaction, very rambley, bestie steve, sweetheart uncle wayne, grumpy eddie.

Fic Masterlist

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Moving away was scary, but you couldn’t stay put any longer. You knew if you didn’t move now then you would never leave, and you needed to go.

“That’s the last of it,” you brother smiled, putting a final box in your car. “You sure you’ll be okay without me?” you asked.

“Oh Im planning on calling you every day,” he smiled, “Seriously though, this is something for you. Aunt Callie wouldn’t have left it to you if she didn’t think so.”

“Only if you’re sure-“

“I am, now,” he turned from you, “Kids come say goodbye to your auntie.” Two children came running out of the house, their mother following behind.

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” you said squeezing them tight. “We miss you too,” your 2 year old niece spoke. “Will you come and see us?” your nephew asked.

“Of course Bud, and you can come and see me, and we can call!” Giving them one last squeeze you hugged your sister in law. “It’s gonna be strange not having you around, you take care of yourself okay?” she said.

“I will, and you too. Don’t let him start slacking off or I’ll come back and get him,” you laughed. “I’ll never slack off, now come here and hug me,” you brother smiled, opening his arms.

“I’m gonna miss you Scottie,” wrapping your arms around him. “I’ll miss you too Kid.” Rubbing your wet eyes and pulling away you climbed into your car. “Call us when you get there okay?” you sister in law spoke.

“Will do May, I’ll see you all soon!”

Soon enough you were off, driving away from your hometown to a small place called Hawkins.

You’d spent a lot of Summers there, your Aunt Callie had lived there. You’d spent your time playing in the lake and exploring the forest. It had been so much fun.

She had passed away a few months back, and soon you were sent a letter about her old shop. She’d left it for you.

If you weren’t swimming or running around you were in there with her. Helping her run the place for 3 weeks of the year. It was your escape, something you and Scott always looked forward too.

Hawkins had undergone some hard times, a serious of earthquakes and a whole bunch of nasty rumours. Now it was being built back up, physically and its reputation.

Your aunts shop, well your shop would be the next thing on that list. It would take a while to get there, but you hoped it would be an uneventful journey.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

It was not an uneventful journey, “I swear to god next time I see that mechanic I’m gonna beat his ass,” you ranted, your car had broke down, only half an hour away from where you had to be.

You knew there was something us with it, but the smarmy man had said no it’s all in your head. He was just too lazy to take a look. Groaning you dropped your head onto the wheel of your car.

A knock on your window caught you off guard, “You alright miss?” Looking up it was thankfully someone you recognised. “Chief Hopper!”

“My god, is that really you! I haven’t seen you in so long, how are you?”

“Great, I’m good. How are you?”

“Wonderful, what are you doing here?”

“I’m actually going to be running Callies old store. My car broke down though.”

“I see. Well I can ring a mechanic for you, stay with you until they get here.”

“Would you?”

“Course, Munsons are the best.”

“Old Wayne Munson?” You asked.

“That’s him.” He left to make a radio call from his car, giving them an idea of your location. “They’ll be here soon.”

“Thanks Hop, so how’s life treating you?”

“Life’s good right now, got a wife. Kids.”

“Finally had the guts to tell Joyce how you feel?” He nodded, chuckling. “And the kids?”

“Well her two boys, mine now. Jonathan and Will. Then we’ve got a daughter, El.”

“Callie mentioned, gosh I bet little Wills all grown up now.”

“He’s 19 in a few months.” You let out a sigh, “Man you’ve made me feel old.” Hop laughed at that.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

The catch up continued for a while, laughter and shared memories. Hopper was baffled by the fact Scott had a wife and kids of his own.

Soon enough a tow truck came driving up towards you, loud music playing. “Here we go,” Hopper said, motioning to the vehicle.

A man climbed out of the truck, clad in overalls and a grease stained white tee. Curly hair pulled into a bun on his head, hands cover in rings and tattoos here and there.

“Eddie, thanks for coming,” Hopper spoke.

“No worries, this the car?” he asked.

“Yeah it’s mine,” you motioned to yourself, and he met your eyes.

Dark eyes that looked like melted chocolate held your gaze. A face with light stubble, maybe from 2 days of not shaving. Wrinkles by his mouth, smile lines clearly, but darkness under his eyes.

He was beautiful. “Eddie this is Miss Callies niece,” he introduced you.

“Right, Eddie Munson. What happened?” he asked. “Well it was fine, it’s been making weird noises and then it just stopped. I had it checked over a few weeks ago but the guy wasn’t the best.”

“Well I’ll tow you into town, and then we can sort everything out at the shop.” He walked to grab his gear from the back of the truck.

“Great. Thanks for staying with me Hop,” you smiled at the older man. “Sure thing, Eddie you alright to take her into town.”

“Sure, you can get in. I’ll be with you in a minute,” he spoke, he voice was dull. Almost like he was bored, or tired or both.

Saying goodbye to Hopper you climbed in the van, waiting for Eddie to connect your car to the van.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Here we are,” Eddie spoke as you pulled into a mechanics shop. This was the first time he’d said a word since you left Hopper. You’d tried to make conversations, only met with grunts and hums.

Climbing out you saw a few other guys around the shop. A older man walked over to you, “Hey Son, this the one Hop called in?”

“Yeah Wayne, says there’s been a strange sound. Had it checked a few weeks back but not thorough.”

“We’ll get it sorted for you,” the man, Wayne, smiled softly at you.

He had a kind face, old and worn, but you could tell he was a gentle soul. “Thank you so much, you don’t happen to have a phone I could use do you. It’s just I’m moving here today and all my stuff is in the car.”

“You got someone who can help?” Wayne asked. You nodded, “Right, okay come with me.” Wayne led you into an office space, a phone on the desk. “Take as long as you need, I’ll help Eddie check it over.”

Dialling a number in, you waited for it to ring. “Harrington.”

“Stevie,” you smiled, he spoke your name, “How are you?” he asked.

“I’m okay, I’m really sorry to ask though, can you help me out?”

“Sure, what do you need from me love?”

“Think you could come and get me and my stuff from Munsons Mechanics?”

“I’m on my way, I’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks Steve, you’re the best.”

“Oh tell me something I don’t know.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

A maroon BMW pulled up. You’d met Steve good few summers ago, he’d been playing basketball with your brother. You’d become fast friends, he was a sweetheart, a flirt, but a sweetheart.

He spoke your name, smiling widely. “Steve!” you grinned, he wrapped his arms around you tightly. “Hello you, god I’ve missed you,” he said.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Course.”

“Hey Mister Munson, would I be okay to start moving my stuff?” you asked the older man. “Sure, I’ve got some paperwork for you to fill out too.”

“You go do that and I’ll start moving your stuff,” Steve said, squeezing your shoulder.

“Harrington.”

“Munson, how you doing?”

“I’m alright. What are you doing here?”

“Picking up my friend,” he nodded over to you, who was currently filling in paperwork. Chatting away to Wayne as she did.

“You know her?”

“Mhm, childhood friends, Callies niece.”

“I’ve heard, never seen her.”

“She used to come every summer with her brother, makes sense you didn’t see her, was when you just moved here.”

He hummed, as Steve went and moved boxes between cars. “Right that’s the paperwork sorted, we’ll give you a call when it’s all ready.”

“Great, do I need to pay a deposit, I’ve got my purse.”

“We don’t really do that ‘round here, small town and all.”

“Oh I insist,” you pulled out a 50 and passed it to the man, smiling at him softly. “At least for fuel money for you coming to get me.”

“That’s very kind. Did you want help with the boxes?”

“Oh no it’s okay, I haven’t got much.” Smiling again at the man, you walked over to help Steve move the last few boxes.

“Thank you for the help, it was nice meeting you,” you spoke to Wayne.

“Course, we’ll give you a call. Nodding you climbed in besides Steve, “Thank you too Eddie.” He gave a grunt of your welcome and you were on your way.

“God I can’t believe you’re staying! It’s so exciting,” Steve said happily.

“It is, I’ve got a lock of work to do though. I know those earthquakes did a lot of damage to the shop.”

“I’ll help you fix it up, sure the others can too. Does anyone else know you’re coming into town?”

“A couple people, I mean Hopper was the one who helped me out when my car broke down.”

“Ah right, well Wayne and Eddie will get it fixed up in no time.”

“Don’t think Eddie likes me all that much,” you huffed a laugh. “Don’t worry about him, he’s grumpy all the time.” Nodding you head, you couldn’t help smiling when the shop came into view.

Climbing out of the car Steve spoke, “You go open up and I’ll start grabbing stuff.” Walking towards the door, you used the code to unlock where the key was kept.

Pushing it open a wave of memories took over, some new ones were about to be made.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

A/N: AHHHH! It is here, the first part of Oil At The Coffee Shop. I can’t wait for you guys to find out what’s to come I hope you like it 🤍

Thank you so much for reading 🤍

[steddieas-shegoes]

"for the last time..." for the headcanon

“I just don’t understand why you won’t ask Robin out!”

This was at least the 15th time Dustin had forced this conversation on Steve, and every single time ended the same.

He knew Dustin meant well, just wanted him happy, but it was getting out of control.

“For the last time…”

“Dustin bothering you, Stevie?”

Eddie was well aware of what Dustin had been doing, always listening to Steve complaining before kissing him until he forgot about the entire interaction.

“No more than usual.”

“Ah, so…he is?”

“Hey!”

Eddie pulled Dustin into his side, rubbing his head playfully.

“Why can’t you understand that Steve isn’t interested in Robin like that?”

“Because he loves Robin!”

“Okay…and?”

“So that means they should be together!”

“Dustin, do you hear yourself when you talk?”

Steve snorted.

“Of course I do!”

“Then apply that logic to you and Max or you and El or any of the boys with either of them, or at this point, me and Robin.”

Dustin’s face changed into one of disgust.

“Okay, ew.”

“Exactly.”

“But they’re soulmates!”

“Platonic ones,” Steve supplied.

“That’s not a thing! And if it was, wouldn’t that be more like you and Eddie?”

Steve and Eddie looked at each other, having a whole conversation silently with just their eyes.

Eddie have a nod and Steve closed his eyes before focusing back on Dustin.

“We’re gonna tell you something, and it’s a really big something that has to be a secret for a bit longer. Robin knows, but that’s it. Okay?”

Dustin looked a little too excited, but Steve continued.

“Eddie and I have been dating for about three months. We’re boyfriends and we love each other a lot. So I’m not interested in Robin. And I don’t think I ever will be. I’m pretty stuck on Eddie.”

Dustin looked like Christmas just arrived.

“You two? Together? Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“This is the best thing that’s happened all year!”

“It’s a secret though, remember that. Steve isn’t out to anyone except us and Robin and he deserves to be able to tell people if and when he’s ready. You’ll be kicked out of Hellfire if you breathe a word of this to anyone.”

“Okay okay!”

[angelynmoon]

Back on my eldritch monster Steve bs

Part 6

-

They don't tell Hopper and Joyce, not right away at least because Steve is wary of the Russian they bring home, oh Steve could easily eat him and feel no guilt about it if he reacts badly but Eddie told him that he wasn't allowed to eat people.

El had amended it by saying he was allowed to eat bad people, which had led to arguments about cannabalism and the morality of it.

Steve didn't want to point out that he wasn't human so it didn't count, mostly because he really didn't want to add fuel to the fire, he was also not telling them about the fact that his kind had regularly ate one another and he'd been considered odd because he didn't hunt or eat his own kind, not even when he'd slaughtered them but it was amusing to see the arguments.

Steve doesn't mind keeping the secret, he's kept what he was hidden for so long, he's never told anyone really, they always just knew he wasn't human; wasn't right.

Even some of the people he rarely interacted with had known, stayed clear of him, some of the older folks, the ones that decended from the first ones to settle in Hawkins would even walk across the street to avoid him.

They knew he was Other, knew it down in their very bones.

Hawkins had been strange long before Brenner had opened a rift to the Down Below.

Unnatural things had been happening here since long before White Settlers had come, the natives knowing better than to linger, lest something make sure they never escaped.

No one cared to learn that the first few towns near Hawkins had vanished without so much as a bloodstain, houses left untouched, food left to rot and clothes left on the lines to dry but Steve knew, he'd known as soon as he'd crawled into this Upper World that he was not the first.

He'd be the last, of course, he would but there was another, somewhere, wandering among the mortals.

Steve had never bothered to look for them, didn't want to know them or even reveal himself to them. Part of him was afraid they'd attack him outright and Steve would really become the last of his kind, because that was not a fight he would lose, not with his family counting on him for protection.

Another part of him worried that they'd want to pair and spawn more of their own kind, raise them like they'd been raised, to hunt and eat and leave nothing but wasteland in their wake.

That had never been Steve's ideal to raise his spawn, he'd just wanted them to live, he'd wanted to raise them gentle, and loving, but life was cruel and his spawn had never broke from their cocoons.

Steve knew that they'd have to tell Joyce and Hopper eventually but right now he liked having only his kids in the know.

They were curious but their questions had less to do with what he could do, what he'd done and more to do with trying tp give him a dustpans and dinosaus name, they asked what he looked like, begged to see it with various puppy eyes that Steve forced himself to resist, if they really saw him they'd be scared.

Steve didn't want them to fear him, had never wanted to be feared at all, it was why he'd kept himself to himself in the Down Below, away from others of his kind and their expectations.

But he really should have known that his peace would not last.

Like calls to like, after all, and he should have known that he would come across the other one of his kind eventually, he had just not quite expected who the other turned out to be, but, well, it made a certain amount of sense all things considered.

--

A/n: I already know who I want to be the other Eldritch creature but feel free to throw guesses.

@addelyin @merricatty @lesbiabrobin @apuckishwit @0o-mushroom-o0 @starlight-archer @darkwitchoferie @just-a-tiny-void @swimmingbirdrunningrock @intergalactic-president-awesome @vampireinthesun @goodolefashionedloverboi @adhdsummer @purpleanimeoverart @space-invading-pigeon @lilaclilyroses @nohomoyesbi @plantzzsandpencilzzs @korixae @subversivecynic @flusteredcas @persnicketysquares @freddykicksasses @little-trash-ghost @cupcakesnwhiskey @cats-ate-all-of-my-pasta

[buckys-little-belle]

Oh my gosh I am OBSESSED with your new cg!Garret series! Can you please write a chapter where Joyce brings by cookies or something for a Hellfire meeting, and runs into little bunny, and El doesn’t understand that reader wants their regression to be a secret, and tells Joyce, and little bunny gets super embarrassed but then Joyce comforts them and tells them it’s okay🥺💛

Hellfire Babysitting Club : The Sequel (Part Three)

Pick-Up Problems

Gareth Emerson x Little!Reader (They/Them Pronouns used) / The Hellfire Club x Little!Reader (They/Them Pronouns used)

Notes - THIS IDEA HAS BEEN IN MY HEAD FOR FOREVER, please know that this request really brought a spark back when it comes to writting <3. I really hope that you like it Bub!!!

Warnings - Little Bunny is "Outed" as a little by El, obviously that might be very touchy for some, please keep that in mind going forward. Very very brief mentions of not great home life, as well as possible Jim Hopper intervention. (It's very vague, and will not be talked about in detail. Please know that it isn't meant to be purposefully triggering, and is just a background theme) fluff, lotssssss of fluff

SFW - Please keep all interactions with this post, and this blog, SFW

. ☾ . ☆ . ☽ . ☆ . ☾ . ☆ . ☽ . ☆ . ☾ . ☆ . ☽ .

The first week of school had gone well, Y/n sticking by Gareth's side as the others learned more about them. Everyone realizing how shy, quiet, and weary their Little Bunny was, and how opposite they were from Little Terror.

The second week of school had been a bit all over the place. Everyone immediately signed up to babysit Little Bunny at school, some choices were easy for Gareth to make. Though El was new to everything she would take Y/n for the first period of the day because they shared an english class. Then Dustin would take over for the second period, his Tech Design class right next to Y/n's math class. Gareth selfishly didn't let anyone take anymore shifts off him, keep Little Bunny to himself for both lunch, and the rest of the day.

He kept telling himself he would give more people the opportunity to take care of Y/n, but he wanted to know Y/n better than everyone else. Hence the obnoxious amount of questions Little Bunny was asked at lunch, during Study Hall, and on the way to science.

"What's your favourite type of juice? Colour? Movie? Class subject? Food? Store? Do you have lot's of toys? Does anyone know you're a little? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

And even though he did a good job asking fun questions, plus a few insightful ones, he never asked how they would get home after a DnD meeting. The club met after school and Y/N took the bus.

Little Bunny also never asked, which they regretted as they stood outside the school, their sweater pulled close, backpack sagging, wondering how long it would take to walk.

"Hi there." A sweet voice called, Y/n's eyes meeting the voice's owner as they took a step back. "I'm Joyce, Will and El's mom." She explained after noticing Y/n's confusion.

"Mom!" El called out as she ran over to hug her. "You've met our baby." El beamed.

"Your baby?" Joyce's brow furrowed.

"Yes, Y/n sometimes feels like a baby, so we take care of them." El smiled as she walked to Y/n reaching to hold their hand. "I call them Little Cheese Fingers."

"Oh." Joyce's reaction worried Y/n, the look of confusion feeding into their fear of people finding out. Y/n was about to pull their hand out of El's before Joyce spoke again. "Did Eddie start the Babysitting club again?" She asked with a smile.

"No, but Gareth did." Y/n felt a weight rise of their shoulder as El spoke. "I get to watch Y/n during english." The way she spoke so happily about her duty made Y/n smile, the fear of being a burden dispersing.

"Well Y/n." Joyce began. "Are you waiting for a parent to pick you up?" She asked, as if she just knew Y/n was momentarily stranded.

"No." Little Bunny whispered, Y/n's hand slipping from El's as they suddenly felt alone again. "'m on my own." They held back their tears.

"They take the same bus as us." Will suddenly chimed in, Mike and Dustin following after.

"Okay then it's settled." Joyce wrapped an arm around her son. "You can get a ride home with El and Will." She smiled. "Me or their dad will pick you up, okay?" Y/n nodded their head quickly. "And you two." She pointed to her children. "Better make sure Y/n is safe on the bus." She pulled out her stern voice and it made everyone giggle.

"Yes, Mom." Will rolled his eyes. "They take turns sitting beside me and El." He assured her.

"Y/n likes me more, I give them candy." El accidently gave away her secret weapon, Mike scoffing.

"Really?" He looked at El, then Y/n. "All I have to do is give you candy? Then you'll like me?" His tone was goofy, his eyebrows raised.

"I like choc chips more." Y/n smiled shyly, still uneasy around all the new people, but trying hard to embrace the change.

"Cookies I can do." Mike crossed his arms and smiled, a silent promise to arrive the next day and earn Y/n's friendship.

"You know, Max has a really good cookie recipe." Dustin mumbled. "Maybe Lucas will let us crash his date." Before his sentence was even finished him and Mike began running over to where Lucas and Gareth were chatting.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Joyce laughed.

"Wait!" Gareth yelled out of breath. "I didn't get to say goodbye." He raised a fist for both El and Will to bump, but when he got to Y/n they ran into his arms instead. "Goodbye to you too." He laughed, his arms wrapping around his Little Bunny.

"Do you have everything you need for Y/n?" Joyce's stern tone rung out.

"Yes, Mrs H, we still have lots of stuff left over from Little Terror." Gareth looked down to Y/n who's head was still smushed against his shirt. "Actually does your store have sippy cups?"

"Sippy cups?"

"I know it sounds odd, but ever since Little Terror somehow got juice on the ceiling, handing this one a juice box freaks me out."

"The ceiling?" Will cut in.

"Dude Little Terror once got so much ketchup on Eddie's shirt he had to throw it out. And he wore stained shirts more than he wore clean ones." Gareth added, suddenly very thankful for Y/n's calm demeanor.

"Yes, we have sippy cups, and forks with soft ends, as well as baby wipes." Joyce listed out everything she thought might be useful.

"Great, I'll make sure to stop by." He went to take a step back and walk to his own car, but Y/n clung on. "I've got to go Bunny." He chuckled.

"Me too." The managed to say, their words muffled by Gareth's shirt.

"I have candy." El yelled from the car, Y/n's head suddenly lifted. "Told you it works." She said as Will rolled his eyes and Y/n ran towards them.

"They're very sweet." Joyce smiled as she watched her kids help Y/n get comfortable. "You should come over for dinner more often, and bring Y/n. They look like they could use some more company." she said solemnly.

"Yeah about that." Gareth scratched the back of his neck. "Could you ask Jim to swing by my house after his shift?"

"Sure, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just have a few questions, that's all."

[badcaseofcasey]

Steddie Soulmate/Met as Kids AU - Part 5 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

a/n: there should only be one more part (of Steve's pov, at least), so we're almost to the end! I promise they will actually interact in the next installment, lol. Thanks for sticking with me, hope you enjoy it!

Usually, it was pretty easy for Steve to get by without showing off his words. The only ones who really saw them these days were the few girls he actually ended up hooking up with, which Robin would tell you were pretty few and far between.

But he’d rather deal with the potential awkwardness of having Eddie see his words for the first time than try to swim to the bottom of Lover’s Lake with his sweatshirt dragging him down.

He tried to do it as quickly as possible, but he certainly didn’t miss the glance Eddie threw his way as he caught the yellow sweatshirt. Steve’s entire body had been buzzing with that once-familiar electricity since Eddie had thrown him up against the wall in the boathouse. It was easier to dive into the murky waters, even knowing what he might find down there, than stay on the boat and deal with the weight of Eddie’s eyes on him.

From that point on, there was very little time to think of anything but the plan. Looking back on it, he would blame ranting about six kids and a winnebago on the blood loss, coupled with being so close to his soulmate for the first time in years. Between that and being in the Upside Down, his brain felt like a ball of mush. Even when he and Eddie had actually spoken for the first time since they were kids, it just ended with Eddie encouraging him to go after Nancy and left Steve more confused than ever.

When it came time to split up, Steve couldn’t help but worry. The idea of Eddie or Dustin getting hurt was almost too much to think about. The plan kept them as far away from harm as physically possible, but even still, he felt a pit in his stomach. There was something in Eddie’s eyes as he got ready to leave that made him pause, but against his better judgment, he’d stuck to the plan.

He had told Eddie specifically - don’t be the hero. So why was he now sitting in a hospital room watching his soulmate breathe through a ventilator?

Eddie and Max had both been in the hospital when they went after Vecna for what was actually the last time. Steve made it through their last battle on pure adrenaline, really. Any time he’d stopped for more than a second, all he could see was Dustin clinging to Eddie’s lifeless body, reliving the few minutes where he thought he had lost his soulmate before he’d even gotten to have him.

Now that the gates were all closed and Vecna was gone (El had made absolutely sure this time), Steve allowed himself to slow down for the first time in weeks. He’d spent every day since then (after a quick shower and a night spent in his own bed, at Robin and Joyce’s insistence) at the hospital, either in Max’s room or Eddie’s.

It was hard to explain to the others why Steve was spending so much time at Eddie’s bedside. He could tell they were curious, but luckily, they held themselves back from actually asking. Other than Dustin, Steve was the one to have spent the most time in Eddie’s room. Eventually, Dustin had to start going back to school, despite the cracks in the ground all over Hawkins. So Steve was now the one to keep vigil at Eddie’s bedside, eating food from the hospital cafeteria or brought in by Joyce and showering in the attached bedroom (one of the perks of being a wanted fugitive with a shady government organization working on clearing your name was a private room).

Robin came to sit with Steve whenever she had the spare time. She was still working at Family Video, which had somehow miraculously survived the “earthquake,” so she could only come between shifts, and dates with Vickie.

One day, she finally got up the courage to ask, “Steve? …Why Eddie?”

Steve looked up from where he had been reading aloud from The Hobbit (one of Dustin’s conditions of going back to school was that Steve picked up where he left off). “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Max’s room is right down the hall,” Robin clarified. “I know she has her mom, El, and Lucas, but you could be down there, too. I didn’t even think you liked Eddie, and now you’re here all the time. I guess, I’m just wondering… why?”

“Honestly, Robs,” Steve sighed, putting the bookmark in and shutting the book. “I’m impressed you made it this long without asking.”

Robin nudged him lightly with her shoulder. “You should be proud. But you’re not getting out of answering the question.”

Steve paused, considering. “You know how I told you that I didn’t remember getting my words?”

Robin nodded. The night that Steve and Robin had ended up drugged in the Starcourt bathroom, Robin had confessed that she’d gotten her words earlier that year, from Vickie of all people. Steve had managed not to tell her his own story - but only barely.

“I lied,” Steve admitted. “I got them when I was eight. I was at the playground and this kid came up, wanting to fight dragons with me. We played together all afternoon and I had the most fun I can ever remember having, to be honest.”

Robin’s eyebrows had shot up as soon as Steve started talking. “What happened to the kid?”

“I never saw him again - or well, I didn’t for a while,” Steve said. “He was in town… visiting his uncle.”

Steve let his eyes slide over to Eddie’s face, dark hair fanned out against the white hospital pillowcase.

Robin gasped lightly. “Oh, Steve.”

“Yeah,” Steve said, feeling his throat tighten up. “I didn’t see him again until high school and by then, I’d already fallen in with the popular crowd and I was so scared at what it would mean for me to give that all up for - well, for someone I really hardly knew.”

Steve turned back to face Robin and saw her eyes were wet. Steve knew his were as well.

“I ignored him, Rob,” Steve confessed. “I knew he was my soulmate, but I decided that popularity and making people like me was more important. And now-“

“Hey,” Robin cut him off, wrapping her arm around Steve’s shoulders. “Now nothing. The doctors are saying he’s going to make it. Now, you get a second chance.”

Steve’s shoulders shook as he finally let himself cry for the first time since seeing Eddie bleeding in the Upside Down. All of the hurt and pain and guilt he’d felt at not being able to protect his soulmate came flowing out of him at once. Robin, for her part, just held him, even though Steve knew that people crying made her uncomfortable.

After a while, his sobs quieted and he was able to pull his face away from Robin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should’ve, that night at Starcourt.”

“Hey, if you should be sorry for anything, it’s getting snot all over my favorite sweater, dingus.”

Steve laughed and rested his head on her shoulder, eyes back on Eddie.

“I almost lost him, Rob.”

“Well,” she said. “Make sure you don’t, this time around.”

Part 6

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[findafight]

This is kinda jumping off the Nancy needing to acknowledge when she's fucked up

I think Steve is the only one of the main older teens that have hurt another character and gone on to feel genuine remorse for his actions.

After the fight with Jonathan in season 1, he drops Carol and Tommy, goes back and cleans the theater sign, and goes to apologise. You can tell by his actions, his words, and his tone of voice that he knows he did wrong and wants to try to make it right.

This doesn't happen with any of the others, I'm thinking the other main older teens that have caused hurt are Jonathan, Nancy, Billy, and Eddie.

Jonathan caused hurt with the photos he took. I feel that, especially after the photo with Barb and the Demogorgon was realised, he didn't feel bad because he took the photos, he felt bad because he got caught. And with the photo of Barb, it's almost like the Dufferes were trying to justify him taking the photos, as if it made it ok. He never seems to show any remorse or any intention of apologising for invading Steve's (and Tommy and Carol's) privacy by taking the photos of a private gathering at Steve's house.

Nancy causes a lot of hurt. In season 1, it's her jumping between Steve and Jonathan. This is implied heavier when she's talking to Jonathan in season 2, "I waited" "Yeah, a month." She wanted Jonathan but defaulted to Steve because he wasn't ready, which wasn't fair to either of them. Actually in season 2, it's mostly her hurting Steve. The bathroom scene, and then in the alley the next day. She doesn't apologise for her words, she doesn't feel bad for hurting Steve, she just goes on the defensive when he tells her what had happened. And then sleeping with Jonathan before her and Seve had really broken up, one minute she's insisting to Murray that she loves Steve, and the next she's got Jonathan coming into the room and hooking up with him. She never seems to care about her relationship with Steve, or how her actions might hurt him, especially because he's already shown to be insecure about infidelity (I really think it would have been more interesting for them to show the fallout of Steve finding out about Nancy cheating in s2, and have him deal with his insecurities when Nancy had previously insisted there was nothing between her and Jonathan, alongside his issues stemming from his father's infidelity. And this could have been used into s3 and 4 for why he struggled to get dates, or can't keep a relationship, because he has trust issues and wants to try to prevent it from happening again). In season 3, she hurts Jonathan with her calling his financial worries "the Oliver Twist routine", she never apologises, never shows remorse and acts smug about it when Jonathan says that he was wrong. In season 4, she hurts Robin and Steve and Jonathan. She is bitchy to Robin in the library for no apparent reason other than jealousy over Steve, and never apologises. And again, she's stringing both Steve and Jonathan along. She's showing interest in Steve again because he's the one that is there. Then runs straight back into Jonathan's arms as if nothing had happened.

Billy is pretty self-explanatory. He scares and threatens Max. He attempts to run over Mike, Dustin and Lucas. He threatens Lucas. In season 3, he bullies a kid by calling him lard-ass in front of a crowded public pool. Even with the scene where he fights back and defends El from the Mindflayer, he's not showing remorse, he's not taking ownership of his actions and how they have impacted other people. He never shows any intent to make up for the harm he's done.

Eddie hurts Lucas. He has his biases and is so ingrained in the nerd vs jock high school clique mentality that its just fine to push out a kid that has another important event conflicting with the club. And he never apologises to Lucas for not postponing and for his attitude, I don't think we ever really see Eddie and Lucas directly interact with each other. If anything, his attitude and opinions are justified by Jason's actions, which further pushes the nerd vs jock thing.

So yeah, Steve is the only older teen to take responsibility for his actions that have caused hurt and then go on to try to make amends for the harm he caused.

(Sorry, I wasn't expecting this to be as long as it was, I just started typing it and the thoughts wouldn't stop coming)

You with this ask 🤝 Steve Harrington 🤝 me always: Robin has never done anything wrong in her life, ever. I know this and I love her.

Yaaaaa. These are the reasons that it's frustrating when someone tries to compare what Steve's done to another character when!!! Steve's apologized for that! He's changed! He was an asshole, and he realized he was an asshole and actively engaged in not being an asshole. Few else even acknowledged they were wrong. Sometimes the show doesn't even treat it as wrong! That's why I have issues with them, not that they did bad thing but that they never apologized or changed their actions to be better. And the show and narrative won't let them or address it.

I looked it up for another ask I haven't answered yet but Indiana's anti peeping law was put on the books in 1983. It basically states you can't take pictures of someone's private property or of them if they have reasonable assumption of privacy (like locker rooms) and some other stuff. Jonathan took those pictures, and then chose to develop them all at school. Where anyone could (and did!) See them! What the heck. Tommy, Carol, and Steve were all also in those pics, and even though Jon says to Nancy he never should have taken them, he never bothers apologizing to the others. (Probably because he thinks they're assholes but man if you want moral high ground actually take it?) I think it'd be one thing if he took the pictures and then never developed them, it wouldn't be right but it's be better than what he did. It's a bummer his camera got broken but uh. Tbh if I found out some weird guy took my and my friends pictures while we were goofing off in my back yard, some of which contained a topless photo of an intimate moment, and then developed them at school and I was sixteen I ALSO might break the guy's camera. (Which Steve then replaced!!) I'd at least want to watch him destroy the negatives and developed photos. Comments have been made about Steve closing the blinds but his house literally back onto the woods? Why would he when he didn't think anyone would be taking pictures of his bedroom window? Idk I don't think they should have had this inconsequential but deeply weird plot point. Have Jon taking pictures of the woods, accidentally get Barb and the demogorgon in Steve's backyard, and then another of the forest. Like. There ya go.

Nancy is sooooo messy. Let her be messy!!!!! But the show tries so hard for her to be out together badass always when he relationships are just. The messiest. She's waiting for Jonathan. She's getting with Steve. She's cheating on Steve. She's with Jonathan but she doesnt understand his financial stress. She's with Jonathan and they aren't tslking. She's flirting with Steve. That's interesting. That's messy. Show us how she deals with that. How she apologizes and grows from them! Nancy often just. Gets annoyed by people not listening to her lmao. She thinks she knows best and it bugs her when people disagree with her. She snaps at them. Doesn't apologize. Could be interesting to see the fallout of that but we won't ever! For her and Jonathan fighting in S3, from what I recall it was more of a break up than stancy in S2 fnrjkjfnd also!! They were both wrong there and both needed to apologize. Nancy was right to be angry at the misogynistic journalists. Jonathan was right to be worried about losing his job! How Jonathan apologized bugs me and how Nancy reacted to it also bugs me. Not great.

Also also. I don't think I've seen anyone actually mention this. But Nancy's shown consistently ignoring how opening up the darkroom door bugs/is actually really bad for Jonathan. He asks her to stop at least twice in S3 but she does it all the time! If he was developing film negatives, then all those photos would be blown out! They'd be ruined forever! It's not a haha quirky thing, it's something that's an active detriment to his job, and his passion! There's a reason darkrooms have their little 'in use' light, and it's so you don't barge in and wreck an entire roll of film!! It's super disrespectful of her to just. Not even care that she could be completely ruining something of his/his employer's by always shoving her way in. (I think the darkroom at the school had a little idk airlock which is a tiny darkroom before the real dark room to avoid contamination like that which is why the girl that told Steve about the pics was able to go in) And nobody ever talks about it? Idk if I had a hobby/passion/work that was very light sensitive and my partner didn't respect that and barged in when she knew I was working I'd be pissed and consider having a long talk about it.

Yeah. Billy is an unrepentant racist. Like. He didn't say sorry and he didn't learn to not be racist. Sorry for the traumatic childhood but. Maybe dont try to kill a thriteen year old when you're seventeen next time. but he did sacrifice himself. That wasn't redemption that was not letting some kids die. The absolute bare minimum when he knew he was already dead anyways. Also Billy should have been fired for calling that kid lardass actually. Literally what the hell. I'm a lifeguard and legitimately sometimes almost yell at kids on the sidewalk for running, but that instinct is to loudly and clearly call out WAAALK IINGG and giving them disappointed looks. Because everyone knows not to run on the pool deck but kids forget. You don't verbally berate a patron? Who is a child?? Why wasn't billy fired.

I've already talked about the Eddie thing but yes! Exactly! Lucas deserves an apology for getting dumped by his friends and hellfire. So much for freak solidarity I guess ┐⁠(⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠)⁠┌

When Steve said something mean to Dustin that went too far when he was frustrated he immediately owned up to it and apologized. He's not perfect but he does apologize. King shit.

[ladykailitha]

So I just want to preface this with I am pro kinktomato and ship and let ship. 100%. I might judge you or block you if I don't like it or makes me uncomfortable but I completely and wholy am for you shipping whoever however.

Got it. Great!

Now this is something I don't think I've seen brought up when it comes with Eddie being shipped with anyone BUT Steve. Eddie is 19-20 in season 4. He is a double super senior. Now we don't know the birthdays literally anyone else (except Will and El) but as Argyle, Jonathan, Robin, Nancy, and Chrissy are all still in school and are seniors, that makes them 17-18 olds.

Now, here's where it becomes an issue. Let's softball it. Say Chrissy/Nancy (or anyone else from the show) is as old as we can make them, barely 18. And let's make Eddie as young as we can make him being a super super senior 19, almost 20. That's still a pretty big gap between the characters' ages. Especially at that age.

Now let's take the gap to the extreme. 17 year old girl with a 20 year guy. And suddenly that's not a good look for Eddie.

Do I know that the truth is probably in the middle? Sure. But I think sometimes we forget how OLD Eddie is.

Which brings me to my next point, why is Eddie that old? If Hellcheer was end game (had they lived) then why make him a twice flunked senior? If he just needs to be in school to deal drugs and DM Hellfire, making him a regular senior wouldn't change anything.

Now, if you tell me it's because he's a drug dealer, let me tell you even in the 80s, having a guy Eddie's age dealing drugs to teens would be sketchy as hell. But since he's still in high school it's not seen as weird.

Let's say you do want him to deal and still be DM of the Hellfire Club but you don't want him too young because the person you plan on coupling him with is a 19 or almost 19 year old?

Suddenly having Eddie 19 isn't that weird. He's the same age as Steve, probably a little older, but a lot closer in age then Eddie is to anyone else we pair him with (that one dead guy notwithstanding).

Which also guys, I know Robin and Steve are close, but he's still older than she is and do I really need to say it? (Because I really don't want to, because I don't want to be seen as dictating how people write the characters, their headcanons, or who or how they ship).

So what I'm trying to get to here, is Steddie makes more sense regarding the age of the characters and how they interacted with each other, then how they acted with any of their female counterparts.

I'm not going to tag this as any other pairing then Steddie, because this isn't hate on the other ships in anyway. This is just my analysis based on what we know about the ages of the characters.

[inklessletter]

All I can say is it was enchanting (to meet you)

Read it on AO3

Eddie was exhausted from spending years touring, stage after stage, studio after studio. He wasn’t planning on abandoning his career just yet, but after eight years on the road, he needed to rest for a while. So, a couple of months ago, he moved into that tiny, residential neighborhood, with white picket fence houses, wide green lawns, families, and golden retrievers. That’s why he bought this three storey house that needed some hours and dollars to fix it up, and a backyard that used to be a beautiful garden at some point.

He wanted to fix it himself. He wanted to plant flowers, paint the walls, and turn off the goddamn phone for weeks.

Eddie was thinking about maybe getting a dog or something. Or a turtle.

Or his neighbor from the house across the street.

Eddie would be a dirty liar if he said that the first time he saw him playing with his twins in his front yard, he didn’t forget about his own name for a moment.

Two four year old girls, one of them with hair and soul made of fire, and the other one quieter, with a big, gentle smile and a head full of auburn curls. 

Two lovely tiny munchkins having a tea party with his father, sitting at the cutest teeny-tiniest Frozen themed plastic set of table and chairs Eddie had ever seen. The dad was pouring imaginary tea into their plastic cups, the curly haired one graciously gesturing with her hands while she sing-sang how much fun she was having and how delicious the tea was. 

He saw the red-haired girl pulling an annoyed face, rolling her eyes, and telling them she wanted to go skating already, that this was dumb (and Eddie loved her instantly), also gesturing. 

It was only when the dad gestured back to the red haired girl, and she huffed when Eddie realized that they were talking in sign language.

When the dad spotted Eddie, standing in his front yard, fully staring, Eddie’s face became so red so fast, that even from many feet away, he was sure that the whole family could notice. 

The dad smiled and waved. 

The kids turned to look at him. The curly haired one stood and made a deep bow, that Eddie returned.

The red haired one flipped him the bird, with a wicked smile.

Eddie faked being hurt by that and threw himself back in his garden, behind a bush.

Even from there he could hear the honest, high pitched, uncontrollable laughter of the kid.

They didn’t really interact much directly after that.

They spotted each other and waved every time, sharing smiles. Eddie didn’t want to get his hopes high because there was an ash blonde girl that was constantly coming in and out of the house, but he soon relaxed when he heard the kids (El and Max, short from Elena and Maxine, he got to learn eventually) referring to her as aunt Robin.

Robin also saluted him every time they crossed paths, and then turned quickly to the neighbor (Steve was the name) to gesture something. Always the same signs. Steve always granted her with an eyeroll and a blush.

And Eddie always hid a smile.

The smiles, the furtive looks, the rush of blood to the head anytime they run into each other became the greatest part of Eddie’s days. And even though Eddie had his fair share of action back on the road, and he was anything but timid, there was a shyness, borderline cowardice when it came to be bold enough to engage with Steve.

And then one day, it was clear that Steve was the boldest of the pair. He approached him, notepad in hand when he was fixing the garden.

“need any help?” Steve scribbled.

Eddie gifted him his brightest smile, and made space for Steve, who kneeled next to him, and started fixing the daisies. 

After an hour of stolen smiles and a thousand untold stories after every mole of Steve’s skin that Eddie needed to put in his next song, Eddie saw El and Max standing in the pavement, looking curiously at them. He patted Steve, who turned and gestured to them to get closer. The kids approached to say hi and kiss his dad, and it was Steve’s cue to leave to make dinner.

Eddie gave them both a daisy. El’s eyes were brighter than the sun. Max’ cheeks were brighter than her hair.

And Steve’s look was the fondest, earnest, sweetest Eddie had ever seen.

And after the daisies, the kids invited him to their birthday party the following Saturday.

Eddie got Max a tiny skateboard, and a plushie snowman for El.

He finally met Robin, who was the funniest woman he’d ever met, mainly because she wasn’t trying to be funny at all. Her witty comebacks, and the way he had teasing the kids, who absolutely adored her, was quite a show to see.

And Eddie didn’t know them enough to be engaging too much. Without being asked, Eddie helped Steve as much as he could, entertaining kids when needed, taking away wrapping paper scraps, or even keeping the kitchen free of sugar rushed mini humans. 

So much to do, yet both of them spent all afternoon stealing glances and smiles from each other. At some point, he saw Robin signing fast to Steve, hidden in the kitchen, and poor guy, his cheeks were flushing red.

After the cake, kids started to go, until only Robin and him were at Steve’s. Eddie wanted to help with the cleaning, but Max and El took him to a thousand family pictures infested living room to play with him. El was gentle and quiet, Max was more demanding. They were trying to teach Eddie some words in sign language, and he gave them his full attention, until eventually El fell asleep on the couch, and Max on Eddie’s lap.

Steve entered the room, and gestured Eddie to take Max upstairs, while he held El, who instantly wrapped her arms around his dad’s neck.

They left the kids on their beds (that bedroom needed some tidying up, Eddie had never seen so many toys).

When they went down to the kitchen, Robin had already left. Steve scribbled on the notepad on the counter.

“stay for dinner? leftovers it is”

Eddie huffed a laugh and nodded. They ended up eating sandwiches (and chocolate cake with a picture on top of a half eaten Elsa face) in the kitchen.

Eddie took the pen.

“ELSA’S LEFT EYE IS DELICIOUS”

Steve almost spat what was eating.

“shit i just got her braid”

“MAX IS GONNA BE SO MAD AT YOU”

“max is always mad at me”

“MAD MAX” he scribbled, and proceeded to draw a poorly braided kid skateboarding with spikes in her helmet.

At first it was accidental, but then their hands started touching, lingering, when they were passing the pen. Steve dared to give a soft, brief caress with the back of his finger.

When they intertwined their hands, pen and notepad forgotten, Eddie lifted his gaze and locked it with Steve, and all the air was sucked out of the room.

Steve cupped Eddie’s cheek, softly, a question in his pupils and his half open mouth, that Eddie wordlessly replied with a soft nod and a hand on his waist. Steve kissed him and it was the sweetest thing Eddie had ever experienced.

After that first kiss came another. And another. And another one. It was only when Eddie was between Steve’s lips and the kitchen door that Steve seemed to think twice about what was happening there. He broke the kiss with a troubled expression. He closed his eyes, sighing, and pointed at the draw of Max. 

Eddie needed no notepad, no signs, no words to understand that it was time to leave. He smiled at Steve, cupping his cheek with both hands, and resting his forehead against Steve’s.

“We can figure this out,” Eddie whispered. Steve, who was looking at Eddie’s lips while he spoke, looked at Eddie’s eyes, and smiled. Nodding.

Steve walked Eddie to the door.

He was about to leave, when he turned to Steve, and slowly, he signed “thank you, daddy.”

Steve opened his eyes, holding back a smile. Grabbed quickly the notepad, and wrote really fast.

“you must’ve picked up the ‘daddy’ sign because that’s how my kids call me. I’ll show you Steve.”

Steve left the notepad aside and started gesturing, but froze when he saw Eddie gesturing fluently at him.

“I know how to say Steve. Look, I am a musician. Heavy metal and rock. I’ve been on the road for years. I took a break because I’m losing my hearing, too. I learnt sign language a couple of years ago.”

Steve gestured back almost furiously.

“Why didn’t you say anything before? Wait, so you know what Robin and I were talking about all the time?”

Eddie laughed. “I’m glad you think I’m cute.”

They were both blushing, and biting shy smiles.

“I’m gonna go.”

“Bye, rock star.”

“Bye, daddy.”

[lenaboskow]

the gay!eddie storyline, and how it should go

this is gonna be a long one, so read under the cut

abc has the potential to do the most groundbreaking thing since 4/4/24, and that is a properly fleshed out, tear inducing catholic deconstruction coupled with a sexuality crisis leading to eddie realizing he's gay and in love with buck (with mention of how he still loved shannon, just not in the way he wanted to)

before i go into this, let me set the record straight (ha) and say that while eddie doesn't necessarily need to realize his feelings yet, i believe that he's the type of person to not let himself even think about his sexuality until it's staring him down in the form of being in love with his best friend.

anyways

they've already lain the groundwork. the fact that he ran at every given chance from shannon, even moved within driving distance of her and never picked up contact until chris' needs required it. the fact that he panicked at the idea of being a ready made family with ana, even admitting that he was in the relationship for chris and that he had hoped he would learn to love ana. the fact that he was most definitely in one long panic attack the entirety of 7x05.

why did he ask marisol to move in off screen? why did he ask her to move in after we'd only gotten two mentions of her the entire season (both in relation to her helping with chris)? i think he was overcompensating again. trying to fill that motherly role, and as he said in 7x01, he's a nester. he nests.

though, if you ask me, he's a very bad nester unless it's with buck.

furthermore, why did finding out marisol flunked out of nun school send him into a panic? you could argue that it's strictly catholic guilt, and that may be true, but to me it seemed like the catholic guilt was only the top layer.

eddie's never had a problem with being with a woman pre-maritally. when he was with shannon, he was still fully immersed in his family's catholicsm, so if this was a problem he was going to have, you would think that it would appear then, right? so what's the difference between when he was in el paso with shannon, and now with marisol?

he's had eight years to figure himself out. well, not completely, but he's getting there.

i think eddie has been on the verge of figuring out his feelings for buck, and that's what made him panic and ask marisol to move in. if marisol is living with him, then when buck is over for weekly movie nights or what have you, marisol will be there as a buffer. he doesn't understand why he's feeling the way he is, but with marisol around, the chances of him being alone with buck are fewer, and the chances of having to address the feelings are even less so.

so now, he's unpacking marisol's boxes, and he sees the picture. and freaks out. because here is the very thing he was trying to avoid. and now it's living in his house.

but, why does he only panic when it comes to sleeping with marisol? because it makes him think of the one thing he hasn't allowed himself to. and that's buck.

this fact coupled with buck just starting to question his sexuality is what's going to push eddie over the edge. sure, he's going to be the most supportive best friend he can be, but in the back of his mind he's going to wonder why he gets a sick feeling in his stomach as he watches buck and tommy dance, as he watches them flirt on scene where air ops was called, as he watches them interact at the grant-nash barbecue buck invited him to.

eddie runs. he doesn't face things until it hits him in the face, and even then sometimes he still ignores it. when he does face it, it's going to hit him all at once, and he'll probably panic and probably run to hen and karen's house, and there will be lots of tears. and angst. and i can't wait

tag: @eddiediazismyhusband

[thewrongmoon]

El's Possible Queercoding

been meaning to actually documents my findings on this for awhile, so I'm gonna go over some reasons I think its possible that El is gay, specifically just how I think she may be attracted to girls, whether you think that means lesbian, bisexual, pan, etc etc.

El's interest in femininity:

I think to further understand why El has an interest in feminine things, we have to look at how she was raised:

The children in the lab were pretty much stripped of a gender identity entirely. They all had the same haircut and hospital gowns. They all played with the same toys, most of which were puzzle games which have no societally assigned gender. It's worth noting that these short haircuts do have a masculine association (at least in modern western culture) and the kids also pretty much solely interacted with men. Really the only indication of their gender was the pronouns that they used for them.

The concept of different genders acting differently was probably completely foreign to El when she had just escaped the lab. We can see that she tries to strip in front of Mike, Lucas and Dustin and is confused when they all react negatively.

Being surrounded by all this masculinity, seeing someone feminine like Nancy for the first time (or at least the first time in years) is magical to El.

El takes a very quick interest in feminine things. Long hair, pastel colors, dresses...

What sparks more of a queer connotation is her interest in the feminine form. We see her appreciate the ballerina in Nancy's music box, which would very well just be because she thinks the dress is pretty or something, but she also singles out the figure on Mike's trophy.

Obviously I don't mean anything explicit by pointing this out, but as a lesbian I remember having a similar reaction to things like mannequins of women at a young age.

There's definitely a duality of her longing for a childhood where she's able to express her femininity that I don't want to dismiss, though. There's a shot where she stares at Nancy's childhood photos, and it's pretty clear she's wondering what her life would be like if she were raised like a normal girl. That storyline is further explored when she visits the Ives in season 2.

El was also previously not interested in Mike's nerdier hobbies, but when Max shows her comics, specifically ones with female superheroes, El is intrigued. She assumed comics were just about boys at first. We all poke fun at Mike for having a crush on Superman, but maybe we should stop to question if El had a thing for Wonder Woman?

Fashion choices - Mirroring other girls:

A classic quandary for anyone with same-sex attraction. Do I want to be them, or do I want to be with them?

We talk a lot about how Mike tries to wear and do things Eddie does (this was confirmed by the costume department), and how that totally makes it look like he has kind of a crush on him. But what about El?

In season 1 we definitely assume El wants to be Nancy. Her attempts of mirroring her are clumsy and largely influenced by Mike, Dustin and Lucas. After the wig comes off she just gives up, surrendering to her fate of never being "pretty."

In season 2, she wears mostly boys clothes provided by Hopper. The main makeover of this season is done by Kali, who turns El into her mini-me. This time we see El refer to her new look as "bitchin'" rather than "pretty."

Her new look is very punk inspired. Punk subculture has close ties with the LGBT community. As the punk scene is all about questioning/rejecting societal norms, queer people flocked to it.

In season 3, her makeover revolves around Max. While Max tells El to pick something that she likes, El still kind of chooses to resemble Max. In the beginning of s3, her hair looks like this:

But after her trip to the mall with Max, she chooses to part her hair to the right like she does.

They later have both their hair tied up:

Middle parts for both of them:

This is all to say, she mirrors Max's looks, because she likes Max. Not necessarily romantically? And there's also no way to tell if she's doing this consciously. But I feel like there's something in El's brain that just goes "pretty girl = I have to steal her look"

Which brings us to season 4:

Now, there's no makeover scene for her in this one. Disappointing, I know. But she's had a considerable glow up since season 3.

Her hair is now down past her shoulders. Now you may be wondering who her style inspiration is. And the obvious answer is Joyce, because she looks just like her.

But I would actually like to propose an alternative to her hair style inspo:

We can see that Angela pulls up the sides of her hair but still has bangs framing her face, similarly to how El styles hers.

Angela is an awful human being who bullies her, but she's also everything El wants to be: pretty, well dressed, well-liked by the people at school. This is precisely why she chooses her to lie about being friends with. She thinks Angela is cool, so Mike will think El is cool if he sees she's friends with her.

Let's move on to her fashion.

El's style is dependent entirely on layering in this season. But she has one staple in her closet, which we also see in seasons 2 and 3-- flannel.

The wardrobe department head has stated that they specifically wanted it to seem like she was wearing clothes from Will's closet.

Will has always been associated with flannel, wearing it almost exclusively in every season besides season 3. This is interesting because flannel is generally seen as masculine, and gay men are usually stereotyped as more feminine. He does wear those short shorts in s3 though so I guess it balances out idk, this is besides the point, moving on:

Flannels when worn on women are associated closely with lesbians. There is some historical basis here; back when women were first being allowed to wear pants (1940s), lesbians were some of the first to jump on it. Jeans were seen as most normal for women to wear, and flannel was usually paired with it. Flannel was warm, durable and practical. A lot of women in the work force wore it because it held up well. Usually work boots (doc martens in particular) were worn as well, which is why they are also associated with the queer community today (though it was more of a practicality thing than a fashion thing back then.)

From my research, it seems like lesbians wearing flannel became a stereotype in more popular media sometime during the 90s. This doesn't necessarily mean it didn't exist during the 80s, I honestly wish I could find more info on when exactly it became a well-known signifier of lesbians, but alas, I cannot find any good sources. Doesn't change the fact that we as an audience know of it's existence, though.

Wearing flannel definitely makes El stick out from the crowd. It was probably considered really normal in Indiana, where the temperatures are cold, but in California you really have no use for flannel in your wardrobe. The late 80s was also known for it's focus on loud colors and bold prints, which isn't at all like the muted, practical nature of flannel. You would definitely see waaay more men than women wearing it.

So El being seen almost exclusively in more masculine fashions would have probably been one of the points of bullying for her. I think her neurodivergent coding was also a factor, but that's an analysis for another time.

El's bullying: possibly homophobically charged?

So this is the furthest stretch I'm gonna make in this post. But upon noticing how often she wears flannel, I jokingly said in my head, "I wonder if they just saw her constantly wearing flannel and assumed she was a lesbian and that's why they started bullying her." And then I was like oh wait but what if actually that's what it was.

I'm assuming she was probably labeled as a tomboy for just wearing her brother's clothes. But then I began to imagine her interactions with girls like Angela which would have caused their hatred for her.

El has a habit of calling other girls "pretty." One of the first thing she seems to notice about other girls, actually. So imagine that Angela sees this girl in men's clothing, and the first thing El probably does with her is call her pretty. Would it be a stretch to assume Angela may have thought El was hitting on her?

I don't think she was, I honestly don't know if El knows how to hit on someone at all. But the perception of Angela and the school at large could have just been... "Jane is a lesbian."

We see other girls avoiding her. This would be a good reason (not morally, but logically, especially considering the time period) for them to do so.

There's also this line from Angela: (0:09-0:14)

Now, I first noticed this when editing a completely different video. And I had to rewatch this clip like 50 times to see if I was crazy or not (I still might be, lol.) But, does it not sound like Angela is.. saying "boyfriend" in quotes?

So I went back to rewatch Angela entering the roller rink, and her and her friend group seem surprised that she has a boyfriend. Now this could be just because El is unpopular and has no friends (that they know if.) But just like Ted Wheeler saying "our son with a girl?" could just be a dig at Mike being a nerd, other context makes me wanna look closer into this line.

Did they maybe think El only got a boyfriend to mask her "real" sexuality? It's definitely possible.

Paralleling El to other characters who are queer or labeled as so

This is a point I'm going to need to further expand upon on a later date. But in watching movies off the s4 inspo board, I've found a couple where the characters are meant to parallel El:

Let The Right One In-

I have a whole post on this parallel, if you want to read it.

So basically, El is Oskar in this parallel. Oskar is a character who is bullied for 2 things: being fat (this is better shown in the book the movie is based upon) and being possibly gay (this is also shown better in the book.)

Oskar does end up having a romantic relationship with a character who is gender-nonconforming. Not gonna go into that particular character's exact gender bc it's kind of debatable and their backstory is sad, but the character, in their own words, is "not a girl." Oskar himself seems to be bisexual, again, you could maybe debate this, but he is non-straight at the very least.

The character he's in a relationship with, Eli, has also had their gender identity stripped away from them, which could make another interesting parallel to El, character wise.

Welcome To The Dollhouse-

So this parallel is a bit less concrete, but the only one I could draw from it is that, once again, the main character being bullied is referenced in El's own bullying.

The main character of this film, Dawn, is bullied for two things: being "ugly" and being a lesbian. She is not actually a lesbian, but the kids bully her for being one, and girls avoid her. One goes as far to claim she was "making a pass at her" when all Dawn did was have a conversation with her.

Being paralleled to two different characters who were bullied for being gay is definitely a weird coincidence.

El's relationship with Max:

El has pretty unarguably romantic themes with Max.

It could just be the Duffers trying to break free from a trope, but in S4 Max takes up a damsel in distress role while El takes on a hero role, for like, the 4th time, please give this girl a break omg.

We see both Mike and Lucas attempt to save El/Max, but at the end of the season Max and El save each other. You could say this was with the power of platonic love, but there are some lines that really make you question if it could be something more.

Conclusion:

I feel like El being gay is a theory that has some legs to stand on! You could definitely go even further and find a lot of rainbow imagery with her, maybe some other small details. This was just my own findings.