#mentioned robin buckley

[italiansteebie]

As someone who is disabled, I am obsessed with the idea of Steve Harrington in a wheelchair or using mobility aids. Maybe hurt/comfort with Steve feeling stuck? like out in public people will treat him like a baby and dote on him like he cant do anything at all. Also established steddie?? ->

ignore me if u dont like this prompt hshs

excuse you, this was an amazing prompt and I love it.

and I am a sucker for projecting onto Steve, so lets go.

---

Steve was always in pain nowadays.

In fact, it only got worse after the bats, and he figures the exertion after the fact didn't help. Before, he could always push through, hobble along and ice his aching joints when he got home.

Though, he couldn't ignore it after his legs would only stay strong for about ask hour before they collapsed under him. He remembers the first day it happened. He'd been at the grocery store, picking up dinner for his date with Eddie. (It was fairly new, but it was strong). He'd felt a bit weak before leaving, but as always he pushed through, ignoring the dizziness and pain.

It had only gotten worse as he walked through the grocery store, and all of a sudden, he was on the ground, and the grocery store patrons were staring at him, whispering things about the Harrington name and image. The store manager ended up having to call Eddie to come help him.

"Oh, Stevie..." He sighed. He'd been bugging Steve about seeing a doctor for months in fact ever since he was healed himself, he'd been pestering Steve to go to Owens and explain to him what was going on. But he hadn't, and now here they were, Eddie helping Steve into a wheelchair in front of a crowd of Hawkins shoppers.

Steve had been covering his face, and Eddie could almost feel the shame he was experiencing. He wanted to tell their audience off, to go away, to mind their business. But he knew that would only make it worse. So he stayed quiet, and so did Steve.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

So they didn't.

And they didn't after Steve saw Owens.

And they didn't after Steve was fitted for a wheelchair.

They just... Didn't.

Until Steve had fallen again.

At Mike's house, with just the kids, who weren't strong enough to help him back into his chair, with no help from his wobbling legs. So they called Eddie, and hid in the basement after Steve had yelled at them to go away, hot tears of embarrassment rolling down his face.

--

They were home now, and again, Steve was quiet. Eddie helped him get situated on the couch, legs still too wobbly to do it unassisted.

"Steve... Lets talk about it,"

Steves head snapped up, eyes shining, "You wanna talk about it? Fine! I'm fucking useless, my legs don't work and I can't fucking do anything by myself anymore! The kids barely look at me, Robs hasn't been able to hang out in weeks, and the rest of Hawkins thinks I'm a fucking charity case! Every time I leave the house it's like I'm a fucking zoo animal. I wish this had never fucking happened! I wish I wasn't-"

"Don't say that, Steve."

"It's true isn't it? Don't you hate having to come help me? God... I just- I'm so..." The sobs crawl their way out of his throat, and he can't stop them once they start.

"Steve..." Eddie rubs a comforting hand up and down Steve's back, pulling him closer to cradle him in his arms. Steve tucked his head into Eddie's neck, letting the tears roll freely down his face. "Steve, you have every right to feel that way but... I hope you know it's not true. The kids... It's just a different dynamic and I'm not supposed to tell you this but Robin has been working on a design of the back of your wheelchair, she wanted it to be a surprise and she was worried she spoil it." He hears Steve sniffle a sort of laugh. "And baby, you cared for me every single day for months while I was healing, what makes you think I hate helping you? I'm so glad I can finally make it up to you."

Steve lifts his head, looking Eddie in the eyes, "Really?"

"Really, Stevie."

He watches Steve smile, for what seemed like the first time since coming home from that doctors appointment. "Also, with all the extra arm work, your biceps look," He pauses to do a chefs kiss, "Fantastico! That's how you guys say it in Italy, right?" He smirks, and Steve bursts into a fit of giggles, tears drying on his cheeks as he shakes his head. "I love you, Eds."

They lean in for a soft kiss, it's slow and sweet, "I love you too, Steve."

[belovedharringrove]

billy thinks getting married is bullshit and that proposals are cringey and embarrassing. people leave anyways, adding a divorce just makes the process longer and more painful.

but then he meets steve harrington who loves him and supports him and helped him get away from his abusive home and made a new home with him so after years of dating and steve not leaving, he thinks that marriage may not be that bad but he still thinks proposals suck.

so he waits until they're both cuddled close on the couch and watching a movie after a long day to take the ring out of his pocket and carefully slide it into steve's finger. "marry me one of these days?" he mutters and has to bite back a smile at steve's wide-eyed and shocked look, but then the brunette is kissing him so billy takes that as him accepting the proposal.

afterwards, max and robin say that the proposal was not that romantic, but steve just says that it was perfect for them. as long as he got to keep billy by his side, he would accept a proposal made with a ring pop in the middle of a storm. billy just laughs and pulls his fiancé close to kiss him, ignoring the girls making disgusted sounds in the background.

they're happy and, really, that's all that matters.

tagging: @every-dayiwakeup

[withapurplestripe]

part two i guess

‘I don’t see what’s so funny about it, kid’

It was a carefully planned response Wayne had been constructing all morning for the next time Harrington smirked at his boy’s antics.

‘What?’ Harrington squinted up at Wayne from where he stood with his coffee over the sofa. Across the trailer in the kitchen, Eddie and Nancy were animatedly debating some fantasy novel and its meanings. Ed was throwing his arms up and Nancy was bouncing on her toes - out of enjoyment or frustration he wasn’t quite sure.

But Harrington?

Despite claiming to be a friend, the young man was watching with a grin like a hungry shark; some sort of satisfaction that Wayne didn’t like the look of.

That look had faded now though, into a confused frown, eyes darting between Wayne and Robin sat beside him, unsure of what he’d missed.

‘That grin of yours, it isn’t that nice, that’s all. And I don’t see any kind reason for it. So. Thought I’d remind you of what is and isn’t funny. My nephew isn’t.’

‘What?’

‘Why don’t we talk outside, son’ was the only response Wayne could muster. Did he really not know?

———

also a quick request xxx

tw: death/execution

if you’re enjoying this, please help the protesters in iran by spreading their names wherever you can. Two currently in danger of execution are #mohammadghobadlou #mohammadbroghani

be their voices!!!!!

[bimbo-steve-harrington]

Anyways genderqueer Steve who prefers to go by Stevie and she/her pronouns but tells nearly no one so she's just Steve and a Man to everybody around her except Robin bc that's her platonic soulmate 🥺

There's weeks where having body hair is fine but she HAS to groom it, it might not be the hair on her head but she Cares about any hair on her body. Whenever she decides to shave her body hair the gender euphoria she experiences is otherworldly and always wishes she'd do it more often.

She has traditionally feminine undergarments and clothes in general hidden in her room even though it's been over a year since her parents have come home - something she can't help feeling grateful for when it let's her walk around the house how she wishes she could dress.

[goingsteddiewithsubmasbrainrot]

A little Steddie thing vaguely based on Kane's Rain Down on Me because of a random number game on discord

He doesn’t know how long it’s been since he started “jogging” around town. Hah. Jogging. More like he’s running. Running from his confusion. Running from his mausoleum of a house. Running from his fears and nightmares. Running from his dreams and desires. Running from his own damn hypocrisy.

He’s been running down street after street after street, each building and lamppost and sign blurring together in an unending loop of civilization. He hasn’t been able to run through the forest like he used to do ever since finding out that monsters are real, and not just the ones wearing human faces.

He knows he’s made progress. Where once he spat the same poison as his father and Tommy goddamn Hagan, where he used to target those who were different, call them fags and queers and dykes like it was a crime, regardless of whether or not they actually were, he knows he’s better than that now. Knows he accepts his best friend fully and wholeheartedly and loves her deeply regardless or in spite of or maybe because she’s a lesbian. Knows he’d willingly and unashamedly and unapologetically break his knuckles on the face of anyone that’d make a target of little Byers the way he himself once did bigger Byers.

Point is, point fucking is, he’s a goddamn hypocrite. Any time he hissed or said or spat or shouted or otherwise called people slurs for being different? He should’ve been facing a mirror and hissed or said or spat or shouted or otherwise called those slurs to his own damn face. Sure, he loved Nancy. Except in hindsight, was he really in love with Nancy? And sure, he loves sex, loved making all those girls before and after and Nancy herself feel good. But none of them, not Jessica Rogers who gave him his first kiss in eight grade, not his first blowie from Belinda Walters in junior year, not Caroline Hawke, not Suzanna Johnson, not Nancy Wheeler, not even Phoebe goddamn Cates have ever made him feel like this. Not like his palms were sweaty and itchy and dry, not like his tongue belonged to someone else, not like his heart was fluttering and pounding and moving up and down in an elevator between his throat and his gut, not like just the thought of them made him short on breath, not like just seeing them smile could make him high.

And yet. And yet, and yet, and yet. Why couldn’t he just… give in? Surrender to the itch to do anything to see that dimpled smile? Give anything and everything for those dark, expressive, gorgeous eyes to truly see him? All his life he’s rolled from one type of misery to the next, avoiding his own truth. Misery that could be so easily taken from him. All those days of misery that someone could so easily take from him. If only he just… gave it all away. So why? Why, why, why, why can’t he?

Each encounter he feels the question burn on his tongue, constrict in his throat, yet it never comes close to flying free, and it all just builds up and up and up. Each time he lays eyes on his… his crush, each time he hears that precious name, each time those beautiful curls cross his mind, each word of praise the shitheads practically sing about their other older friend. It builds and builds and builds until he wants to demand the other to tell him...

Rain starts pouring as Steve Harrington stops running in the middle of one of Hawkins many streets to rest his hands on his knees and heave for air as he finally, finally, finally admits to himself that all he wants most is for Eddie Munson to look him in the eye and tell him how he feels, what he needs.

[biirdiee]

Don’t Stop Me Now

Read on AO3

Otherwise known as 'Rock You Like a Hurricane Part Two: The Electric Boogaloo'

Eddie finally gets a proper introduction to Nancy's favorite strap-on. They seem to realize they're not really sure where their relationship stands unless it's through Steve, and decide to figure it out through sex, because well...they're both not super great with feelings.

Featuring background competition between Robin and Steve.

Not really Eddie/Nancy, but united due to their love of Steve and getting laid.

Pairings: Eddie/Steve, Nancy/Steve

Rating: Explicit

Eddie has said it before, and he’ll say it again, Nancy Wheeler knew how to set the fucking mood.

She went all out in every aspect, candles, music, crisp sheets, and a freshly made bed. She even wore a little lingerie set like she did before with Steve, this one baby blue, matching the sharpness of her eyes.

Everything in her little bedroom seems to be filtered through some kind of babydoll lighting. With sheer pink curtains drawn so that sunlight turns the room into some kind of Barbie dreamhouse, its bedsheets of ruffles and white and lace, music boxes of ballerinas, and of course, Nancy Wheeler herself.

Her body looks so delicate, the body of a prima ballerina with her thin arms, tight waist, and toned legs. And as Eddie lets his eyes trace around the room, he realizes that Nancy does, in fact, have ballet shoes hanging from a hook on her bedroom door.

Eddie sometimes lets himself wonder what lurks underneath her pretty pink surface, because while he’s surrounded with ruffles and bows (sugar, spice, and everything nice…all that girly bullshit), he knows that beneath the very bed he sits on is her shotgun and pistol. And that in the bottom drawer of her dresser, hidden underneath Hawkins High t-shirts, is where she keeps her strap and lube.

He liked to call her the queen of orgasms, just to tease her, because the amount of tail this girl gets is insane. She usually rolls her eyes, but has that self-satisfied grin that tells him she cares more than she lets on. What existed first, the girly exterior or the fire that lays beneath? The classic chicken or the egg. Or perhaps they can co-exist together. What the fuck does he know anyway?

Eddie sat in just his black boxers, stomach tying itself in knots as he watched Nancy bend over the bed to whisper something in Steve’s ear, making him turn red.

“Eddie,” Nancy’s voice has a hold on him immediately, “Steve and I have done this before, so let me know if you get overwhelmed.”

He rolls his eyes.

“I think I can handle the two of you, Wheeler.”

“Promise me.” Her voice is sharp, tone making the heat in his belly spike.

“What?”

“Promise me that you’ll tell us to stop if you don’t like it.” It’s not a question, and Eddie wonders what it’s like how Nancy handles brats.

However, this is their first official time, so he’ll save that thought for later.

“I promise.” That seems to satisfy Nancy, she gives a nod, grabbing the strap and harness from where it lays on the end of the bed.

Steve, ever the eager beaver, always the impatient one, leans down to smash his mouth against his, making Eddie’s blood run hot. His hands find his hair, yanking him down further, biting his lip hard enough to make him groan.

Steve eagerly nips at his jaw, teeth scraping down to his throat, tongue licking over his Adam’s apple.

Nimble, cool fingers tentatively touch his knee, making his eyes snap over to where Nancy sits, strap properly put on. She looks hesitant, blue eyes very unsure compared to when she did this with just Steve while Eddie watched.

Eddie wonders if she actually wants him here; she seemed to warm up to him during their last encounter. Becoming such a beautiful force of nature as she commanded Steve down between Eddie’s knees, a temptress in lace.

But she didn’t have to touch Eddie then.

“Nancy, we don’t have to do this.” He says, finally getting Steve’s attention, dark eyes flickering between the two of them, softening when he see’s the look on her face.

“You okay, Nance?”

“I just…” she trails off, biting her lip, Eddie is pretty sure this is over before it begins. “I just knew where I stood when it was me, you, and Jonathan.”

Huh?

Knows where she stood? Eddie doesn’t know what the fuck that means, but he supposes they never did just sit down and have a goddamn after school special about what they all meant to each other.

At the time their odd little foursome came to life, it was the end of the world. Steve had come forward on what felt like their last night, before descending into the Upsidedown, to tell him about feelings, the mushy kind that Eddie usually wanted to ignore, but he couldn’t.

Eddie had tried to protest, that clearly there was something going on between Steve and Nancy, that they were the ones that belonged together, and Steve had laughed at him and said: “Why not both?”

“No way dude, no fucking way.” If he hadn’t seen everything he had the past few days, he might not have believed him, but Eddie had come to learn that anything was possible. And the possible now was that Eddie and Steve could delve into those mushy, dumb, romantic feelings that he had been pushing down into the pit of his stomach, but now brought him a ridiculous giddiness.

But…where did that leave Nancy and Eddie? Robin and his relationship was very clear, she only liked girls, but Eddie? Eddie liked girls and boys just like Nancy liked girls and boys, just like Steve did.

One day, Eddie really needed to sit Steve down and learn about how Jonathan came into the picture. Because clearly the three of them had something special enough for Nancy and Steve to prefer open relationships.

So, maybe Eddie just needed to figure out where he and Nancy landed?

“Maybe this would be easier if you could tell me what you fantasize about when you thought about this?” Nancy suggests, adjusting the thin strap of her bralette.

“Oh Miss Wheeler,” Eddie teases, giving her a grin, “You trying to get me to dirty talk?”

Finally, that look returns to Nancy’s face, lips pursed and eyes sharp. The look that told him she was about to give him the ride of his life.

“On your hands and knees Munson.” Eddie eagerly complies, nearly groaning as he feels Nancy’s manicured nails dig into his skin as she helps him flip over.

Steve still looks confused on how their interaction could go from insecure to domination so quickly, but excited nonetheless, moving around to kiss him again.

“Lucky for you,” Nancy begins, fingers firm on his hips, “this is something I’m particularly good at.”

“I’ll believe it when it happens, dollface.” Eddie knows he’s on dangerous ground when Steve’s eyes widen in surprise, face getting even more sheepish as he looks back at Nancy.

Making a face that basically says; do you have a death wish or something?

Which, yeah, Eddie kinda did.

Because Nancy and him aren’t close enough yet to truly understand their own relationship, but Eddie knows one thing, she doesn’t like being undermined, and he liked it when she was confident.

Eddie yelps as he feels Nancy’s cool, wet finger press against his ass, circling him before pressing in.

“Normally, it’s Steve in your position, my sweet and good boy. But I suppose a good spit roasting should turn you docile.” Her breath is hot against his ear, words rough but her finger gentle as it pushes and swirls into him, making him groan.

Eddie’s erection is almost painful at this point, precum drooling from his dick onto the sheets, his insides turning to mush as he eyes Steve’s excitement from what Nancy’s just promised.

Eddie eyes the outline of Steve’s dick in his boxers, wishing to get it out, but he’s pretty sure if both his hands weren’t supporting him he would be face first into the mattress because Nancy wasn’t lying when she said she was talented with her fingers.

He can’t help the whimper that escapes him as she removes her fingers, finally feeling the tip of her strap against his asshole.

“Steve, cock out. Now.” Nancy is right, Steve is a good boy, and complies immediately. Not that Eddie is complaining, he’s got the best view, Steve kneeling on the mattress so that his dick is eye level, toned torso and happy trail oh so tempting to run his tongue along. “Eddie, let’s make that mouth useful for once. Open wide.”

Eddie does open his mouth (his mouth is useful thankyouverymuch), trying to think of a clever retort, but Steve doesn’t hesitate to slide his cock in eagerly. Eddie groans at the taste of him, the feeling of him gliding across his tongue.

As if that wasn’t enough, Nancy finally, finally pressed the strap into him, and for a long while, Eddie is pretty sure his brain short circuits. He’s achingly full beyond what he’s ever experienced, moaning around Steve’s dick as she gently pulls out before sinking back in, not stopping until he feels her hips press against his ass, bottoming out.

Steve, a true gentleman, gives him a moment to adjust. He runs his fingers through Eddie’s curly hair.

“Fuck, fuck, Eddie. You’re so fucking good, doing so, so good.”

Eddie’s cock aches from his words, but he’s pretty sure if he got any more stimulation, he’d be a goner.

Steve finally begins to slide his dick in and out of Eddie’s mouth, and Nancy takes that as her cue to finally fuck him, attempting to match Steve’s rhythm.

“That’s it baby, just like that, look at you. You’re doing so good.” Words tumble from Steve’s lips and feed the ever growing monster that currently lives in his heart.

And now, Eddie finally gets why Steve and Nancy like having a third partner. Because this? This was sex beyond what he’s ever experienced.

The overstimulation of being thrust into simultaneously, drool shamelessly dripping from his lips onto his chin as Steve fucked his mouth, the warmth of Nancy’s hips flush against him, he can feel that sharp, hot, winding pleasure building from the pit of his stomach as she skillfully hits that special spot deep inside him.

Steve continues to groan out praises, hand now a fist in his hair, yanking it in that way Eddie likes.

“You like being full like this? Can’t even move–fuck, like being fucked from both sides?”

Eddie’s body is pure heat and endorphins, wondering how he could possibly go back to regular sex after this.

He feels the familiar stutter of Steve’s hip, sensing that his boyfriend is definitely close to finishing.

“Fuck—“ Steve hisses, “So fucking close—“

At those words, Nancy’s perfect little hand wraps around his hips, finding Eddie’s aching cock, making him see stars.

Steve spills into his mouth, salty and warm, and Eddie truly isn’t far behind with how Nancy is working him.

“Fuck,” Steve whines, pulling his softening cock from Eddie’s mouth, leaning back to observe, “that’s so fucking hot.”

That hot, white pleasure finally bursts through Eddie, Nancy truly milking every second of his orgasm by never slowing pace until he’s begging her to stop, black spots dancing across his vision.

He’s panting, heart racing, body slumping boneless against the mattress.

“Jesus Christ.” He mutters into the sheets, this woman could fuck.

“Well, did I prove myself Munson?” He can’t see her face but he knows she’s wearing that arrogant little grin.

“You mean did you fuck the soul out of me? Then yeah, mission accomplished.” She has the audacity to giggle! She plowed him like it’s her fucking job, and she’s giggling!

“Man, I missed that.” Steve murmurs, curling his body up against Eddie’s, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder.

As much as Eddie wants to lose himself in the warmth that is Steve, he can feel Nancy getting off the bed, rolling over to watch her pull a blanket around herself before something hits him.

“Woah, woah, wait a minute Wheeler!” He sits up, knocking Steve off of him. “The queen of orgasms can’t leave without having one herself!”

Then another thought hits him.

“Wait, you didn’t last time either.” Nancy’s face is unreadable, only able to watch the fluid motion of her gaze as it flickers between Steve and Eddie.

Steve stretches, unconcerned next to him.

“I took care of her,” Steve assures, reaching out to Nancy, fingers dancing across her waistline.

“Well, take care of her again then.” His nerves buzz, knowing he’s taking a leap. His and Nancy’s stance is still uncertain, she’s seen him at every level, but he hasn’t even seen her naked.

Nancy looks as uncertain as he is, but Steve is giddy at least, brown eyes sparkling. His hands run up her abdomen, tracing over the pretty lace of her bralette.

It occurs to Eddie how well Nancy and Steve know each other, how much they must truly trust each other to dip leaps and bounds beyond the average relationship. Steve’s words echo in his ears.

“It was Nancy’s idea to get with Jonathan.”

And as he watches Steve’s hand wander up Nancy’s body, seeing her relax under his touch, eyes closing and lashes fluttering, he can see how she trusts him.

Eddie knows he can’t back down from this, can’t chicken out, because this will be the deciding factor of their relationship. If Nancy can trust Eddie with her own pleasure, because she seems like the kind of control freak who doesn’t give that out easily.

“Eddie, you don’t have to–”

“No way I’m leaving, fair’s fair Wheeler.” Steve lifts her suddenly, making her squeak as he lays her down on the bed. “I don’t even have to touch you if you don’t want me to. But I’m not leaving a lady unsatisfied.”

Nancy rolls her eyes, but her breath catches in such a lovely way as Steve suckles on her neck.

“You have to earn the right to make Nancy come.” Steve’s voice is low, rumbling from his chest, tone making Eddie’s cock want to come alive again.

Ah, so that’s what it is. Now that’s a game Eddie can play.

Nancy the almighty, the queen of orgasms, and you have to earn the right to make her have one.

So he watches carefully as Steve hovers his lips over the shell of Nancy’s ear, hands slipping under her bra to grope her breast. As he whispers, her blue eyes flash over to Eddie, and nods.

Eddie tries to sit prim and proper, hands folded in his lap to show that he’s willing to watch and learn, just as he had their first time together watching Nancy touch Steve.

Steve removes Nancy’s bra, revealing delicate breasts and pretty pink nipples, mouth dipping down to latch onto one. Eddie doesn’t mind being a voyeur, there’s something thrilling about it, that same flame that buzzes under his skin.

He wonders if Nancy liked to watch, or if Steve did. His cock stirs at the image of Steve eagerly watching Jonathan and Nancy, quiet and observant, eager to be let into the mix.

They’re beautiful together, he can see why they found each other so easily at the beginning of high school, it seemed like they belonged together. Steve’s fingers dip under the waistband of her panties, making her tense, lips pressing together in a thin line, trying to keep from making a sound.

Steve’s skin is tanned, marred with scars, stark against Nancy’s smooth, ivory abdomen. He can see his fingers working her under the light blue covering her sex.

Eddie admires Steve’s jawline, holding himself in place to resist running his tongue along the stubble. Everything about him is so tempting, from the curve of his bicep to the firmness of his abdomen, and of course the very lickable happy trail–

“Steve–” Nancy’s high-pitched whine brings Eddie back to reality, noise stirring something in his chest, never hearing her make such a noise before.

Steve responds immediately, tongue trailing down the length of her body to remove her lingerie, revealing neat brown curls and her glistening cunt, Eddie perking up at seeing his two fingers pumping in and out of her.

Steve skips over her cunt for a moment, licking up the slick that stains her inner thighs, Nancy’s slim fingers finding his thick, dark hair, and promptly yanking.

“Ow, Nancy!” Nancy doesn’t even bother opening her eyes, she doesn’t bother releasing her grip either.

“Quit being a tease.” Eddie wonders if anyone has ever broken Nancy down bit by bit, and makes a mental note to ask Robin. If anyone was daring enough, it was that girl.

Steve, a good boy just as Nancy said, gives a quick nip to her inner thigh before kissing her clit. She wraps her milky thighs around Steve’s head, until all Eddie can see is Steve’s hair.

Oh to be wrapped in such a grip, it had been awhile since Eddie had been with a girl. Not that Steve wasn’t enough (all Eddie ever needed really), but there is nothing that can compare to the taste of wet pussy to put it crudely. To be wrapped in the deathly, suffocating, grip of soft thighs.

What is even better, is watching Nancy Wheeler come undone. Pink lips parted, cute little moans escaping her as her small breasts rise and fall rapidly at each panting breath. Her dark curls create a halo around her head as she arches against the mattress.

And finally, finally– a tumble of breathy moans escape Nancy along with a string of expletives accompanied by Steve’s name as she comes against Steve’s tongue. Dark lashes fluttering, cheeks flushed, breasts arching up as she cries out.

Steve finally pulls away, lips and chin shining with her arousal, Eddie decides to be impulsive. Hand reaching to Steve’s chin, pulling him forward until their lips crash together, tongue swiping his lip and diving into his mouth, groaning at the taste of Nancy Wheeler.

Perverts that they are, and apparently insatiable, Eddie’s cock had decided to come back to life finally. Steve tackles him onto the mattress, legs knocking against poor Nancy who’s just trying to recover from her singular orgasm as they begin round two.

Hardly fair, however, Eddie’s brain can only comprehend so many things, and Steve’s body pressing against his, erection hard and heavy on his thigh is the only thing his brain is computing.

“Jesus Christ you two.” Nancy sits up, curls wild and rowdy, legs swinging off the bed. Steve shoots a hand out, mouth parting from Eddie’s, to grab her by the wrist.

“You don’t have to leave. Robin said if I let you leave without making you come at least twice then she’s better than me, and I’m not letting her win this.” That makes Nancy crawl back onto the bed, smile curling on her face that special way it does whenever Buckley is mentioned.

“What’s this I hear about you having an ongoing battle of who can get the most orgasms out of me?” Steve huffs, pushing Eddie down onto his back, hands hot as they caress his biceps.

“Don’t you worry about your pretty brain about it.”

“I don’t know, I think I’d like to hear about it.” Eddie chimes in, Steve immediately giving him a glare that had no real heat. “Wheeler, you gotta tell me who’s winning.”

Nancy gives him that self-satisfied smirk he loves so much.

“Robin.” Steve jumps from him to Nancy, easily lifting her small frame and smacking her right next to Eddie.

Eddie rolls over onto his elbow, watching her twinkling blue eyes fill with mirth.

“How many?” Steve practically growls, parting Nancy’s thighs once more, ready for the challenge. She lets him stew for a moment.

“Six.” Eddie’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline.

“You’re just trying to piss me off.” Eddie breaks into cackles, chest constricting as he struggles to breathe from laughter.

“Nope. I can tell you every way she did it.” Steve gets up from the bed suddenly, going over to Nancy’s drawer of secrets. “First one sitting on her face, second one bent over the bed, third one–”

Steve pulls out a fucking vibrator–

“Sweet baby Jesus Wheeler! How many sex toys do you own??” Now Nancy is laughing at him like he’s the crazy one.

“Eddie, hold Nancy down. I’m not letting Robin beat me.”

“Dude, do you want me to die?”

“Nobody is holding me down.” Nancy’s tone shifts, making both him and Steve freeze in place. “Steve, on your knees.”

Steve complies and Nancy pauses for a moment.

“Eddie, you too.” You don’t have to tell him twice, he shoots up from where he lays on the bed and quickly finds himself next to Steve.

“Now,” Nancy swings her legs over the edge of the bed, gleaming down at him with a smirk so wicked it makes his heart hammer in his chest. “Let’s have some fun.”

_________________

Posted to Ao3 9/12/22 

[whomst-the-hell]

“Tammy Thompson,” says Robin, voice choked.

“But Tammy Thompson is a girl?” says Steve, feeling the full effect of Russian drugs and not seeing what Tammy Thompson has to do with him being rejected right now.

“Steve.”

“Oh.”

So maybe he does see what Tammy Thompson has to do with him getting rejected right now.

Ok.

“Did you OD over there?” fear is audible in Robin’s voice.

He steels himself.

“You know… I was never looking back. At Tammy, I mean.”

“That doesn’t really- Thanks, I guess,” Robin sighs.

“No, I- hm. I wasn’t looking at Tammy because… because Eddie Munson sat in front of me in Ms Click’s class.“

“Steve?” Robin looks confused, but there is a hesitant kind of hope blooming on her face.

“And he always wore those rings, you know? And they’d, like, shine in the light. And he had all those fucking chains so even when he managed to shut the fuck up, he was never quiet and- and- fuck. “

“Steve.” Robin’s eyes are wide, understanding dawning on her face.

They sit, facing one another across a bathroom stall, smelling of blood, sweat and vomit. They aren’t alone anymore.

They never will be again.

[m0nomercy]

its them

[artiststarme]

A Grudge Be Held

Based on an enabling comment from @estrellami-1. Hope you guys like it and please leave me your opinions in the comments!

~*~*~*~

There are a few well known facts in the universe; the earth revolves around the sun, George Michael is gay, Tim Curry has sexy legs, and Eddie Munson holds grudges.

It wasn’t because he was a bad person or because he thought people were inherently bad, he’d just been through too much to waste his time on people that had already wronged him. He didn’t give more than one chance and if they fucked that up, well, they didn’t deserve another one.

He was usually lenient on what constituted a grudge to be held. Unless someone did something directly to him or someone he cared about, it didn’t really bother him and they certainly didn’t make his list. His parents were on there (because why wouldn’t they be?), Mrs. O’Donnell was on there because he was positive at least one of his failed senior years was due to her having a bone to pick with him, and Principal Higgins was on there too because fuck that guy.

Tommy Hagan was on the list because of a rumor started that made life hard for Eddie for awhile (it was true but needless to share), Jason Carver was on there now for starting a mob trying to kill him, and Billy Hargrove earned a spot for being an asshole to anything that moved.

A person that many people were surprised wasn’t on the list was Steve Harrington. The DnD party was shocked when they heard King Steve wasn’t an object of resentment in Eddie. But he’d never done anything out of malice to Eddie specifically. Where others saw confidence and pride, Eddie looked at a lonely and broken teen that was willing to do anything to fit in. He couldn’t hate him for that. And the time where Steve stood up for Eddie against Billy Hargrove at a drug deal gone wrong forever cemented him as a good guy in Eddie’s eyes.

After his experience with the Upside Down, psychic murders, and overall shitshow that was his Spring Break, Eddie and Steve got closer. Steve coerced everyone of authority to clear Eddie’s name with help from Robin, Nancy, and the passed Chief Hopper that apparently wasn’t actually dead. He housed Eddie and Wayne until they could find a new trailer that they could afford. Then he spent every waking moment making sure Eddie was alright and included as part of the group. In laymen’s terms, Steve saved his life.

So in true Eddie fashion, he made the internal dramatic decision that he would hold grudges on Steve’s behalf. He would be a guard dog of sorts, protecting and defending the love of his life his friend. What he didn’t consider was how difficult the task would be.

Through a new lens, Eddie saw that everyone walked all over Steve. The cashiers at the grocery store blatantly charged him extra, the customers at Family Video talked over him nearly every sentence in response to questions they asked, and teens on the street laughed at the scars in their view. Worse of all though, the Party didn’t respect him. Dustin and Mike told him several times a day how stupid he was, Nancy looked at him in pity and shut down all of his opinions, Lucas talked about not having sports in common with anyone right in front of him, and Robin kept blowing off their plans to hang with Vickie.

Through it all, Steve appeared fine. He smiled and nodded in all the right places but as soon as he thought the eyes moved on, his smile would slip to reveal something sadder. And so Eddie’s vengeance began.

He “accidentally” knocked over sales racks near the registers in the grocery store when they charged an extra $2 for milk. He keyed the cars of the teenagers that laughed at the evidence of Steve’s pain. When he saw Officer Callahan yacking at Steve for speeding, he picked up a dozen eggs and pelted the man’s house in revenge.

Dealing with the kids in the Party was trickier. His glares and barbed comebacks were clear enough for Nancy and Robin to change their ways. The kids though just weren’t observant enough to pick up on the clues Eddie tried to drop. One session of a campaign though, the perfect opportunity presented itself.

“I didn’t know there were dragons in the game. If you losers had told me there were dragons, I might’ve considered playing ages ago!” Steve exclaimed from his seat on the couch, intrigued eyes meeting Eddie’s.

Eddie smirked at him. “Oh yeah, Big Boy. You should know by now that I’m full of surprises.”

Steve blushed a little bit but as he went to respond, Mike interrupted. “Steve, you’re not even playing. You shouldn’t even be here much less interrupting the game!”

Steve’s flush turned pale and he shrunk into himself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can just uh, I can go. I’ll see you guys later.”

As he moved to get up though, Eddie stood and towered over the table.

“Wait Steve, you’re gonna want to see this part.” He glowered at Mike and rasped his voice to transition back to DM’ing. “A comet flies from the dragon’s cavern and lands on Sir Madeon. Roll for damage.”

“What the hell! No, you can’t do that!” Mike stammered with a dropped jaw.

“I just did, pipsqueak. Roll for damage or die trying.”

“14,” Mike muttered. He glared at Eddie then Steve before pouting in his seat.

“The comet is too large to escape from. Sir Madeon tries to run but he’s not fast enough to avoid the flying stone. It lands on his back in a fiery crumble. The intense heat eats through his flesh, bones, and organs at once leaving only his head and limbs intact, scattered amongst the rest of the Party. He dies a horrendous death and his friends are left alone with only the smell of charred remains to remember him by.” Eddie ends his tirade with a quirked eyebrow. That’ll show these little assholes what happens when they mess with him. A quick glance at Steve shows him excitement and surprise, he absolutely was not expecting that.

“What the fuck. This is supposed to be PG,” Dustin stares at Eddie in horror. “You really just killed a character in the middle of a campaign for Steve?”

“Roll stealth and damage.” Eddie tells him deadpan.

“God-fucking-dammit! Eddie, no, please…”

“Roll or face the consequences!”

“3 stealth, Nat-20 damage,” Dustin whispered with his face in his hands. The other kids watch Eddie in a mixture of confusion and aghastment. But Steve is beaming, teeth shining from ear to ear.

“The dragon hears your cries of grief and turns its burly head towards you. Its glimmering eyes reach the you and the rest of the Party and you see its scaled lips open in a human like smile. With a speed you could never have anticipated, it slithers toward you before standing on muscled hind legs and flapping its leathery wings. Its lips curl around a blue flame. The last thing you feel is a flash of ice before you see no more.

Your friends see you disappear into a pile of ash, the heat of the flame too powerful to escape. The dragon whips its tail towards the party while they stare at where you used to stand. Will the Wise can’t even list his magical staff before the weight of the tail crushes him to the ground in a pile of shattered bones and bloody sinnew.

Luther is impaled by one of the dragon’s back spikes and killed immediately. The light in his eyes fades and all he sees is a figure with a crown waving at him in the distance. Prince Stephen and his pet dragon prosper in the face of their trespassing adversaries once again but the only witnesses to the horror are erased from the Earth.”

The boys stare at him in shock while he arranges his papers and stands. “The end. Steve and I are going to the movies. You bitchasses aren’t invited and if you’re even a little bit nasty to Steve again, I’ll pulverize you in real life just like I killed you in the campaign. Think on that.”

With that, Eddie grabs the hand of a stunned Steve and drags him from the Wheeler’s basement. After that debacle, he’s sure that the kids have gotten their point. And now he’s got a movie to see with his main man.

(The kids absolutely get his point and moving forward are a lot nicer to Steve. And a little scared of how Eddie’s mind works.

Eddie holds a grudge against the kids for months and will still reference their comments when he sees fit for the rest of their lives or at least the rest of his.

And Steve? He starts dating his DM in shining armor a mere two hours later.)

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[a-little-unsteddie]

stuck in your throat || a/b/o

hi so today is @lexirosewrites’s birthday today and like,, idk three or so weeks ago she followed me (hi lexi <3 happy birthday <3 hope today has been fun <3) and to celebrate both of those things i started writing an omegaverse fic, and i wanted it done by today but it is grew a mind of its’ own and now it’s much bigger than i thought it’d be so instead of the full fic, have a snippet <3

again, happy birthday lexi <3

“Hello?” Steve answered, having learned to not open the call with who was answering without knowing who was calling from one too many scam calls

“Is this Steve Harrington?” A soft feminine voice asked, taking Steve by surprise.

“May I ask who’s calling?” Steve asked, not willing to concede his identity until he knew it wasn’t someone looking to sell him ‘Alpha Pills’ or something just as ridiculous.

“Of course! My name is Chrissy Cunningham, you sent in an application for being a full time nanny and tutor?” She responded with a cheerful voice. “I can’t <i>really</i> go much more in depth without an NDA being signed.”

Recognition zapped through Steve’s body and he sat up in his seat. “Oh! Yes, I’m Steve. Um. I’d be happy to sign an NDA, just may I ask why?”

“Yes, you may! My client is a big fan of privacy and only agreed to hire someone if they were under an NDA for the protection of their pup.” aaand all of Steve’s anxiety surrounding the NDA pretty much melted away. Sure, maybe it was a bit much to do, and sure, now he was dying with curiosity to know just <i>who</i> he had ended up applying to, but the knowledge that the NDA was for the protection of the pup soothed any anxiety Steve had originally felt about signing an NDA. In fact, it kind of made his omega perk up. He shook off the feeling, focusing on Chrissy.

“That’s actually really relieving to hear,” Steve said with a laugh. “When or where can I sign the NDA?” he questioned, wondering when Robin would be home so he could tell her.

“Well, first, you and I will do a preliminary interview, just like any other job interview. Then, if all goes well, I’ll send you an email containing the NDA for you to review and sign,” Chrissy explained clearly and cheerfully. “After you sign the NDA, my client will perform an in-person interview and then we’ll go from there.”

“That all seems pretty straight forward so far,” Steve replied, standing from where he had been lounging on the couch. He walked to the kitchen, where he and Robin had put up a magnetic whiteboard calendar to fill with each of their schedules and plans. He grabbed the blue marker, his color, and prepared to jot down when they’d have the interview.

“Perfect! Happy to hear it,” Chrissy said with an audible smile.

“When will the interview with you be?” Steve asked, biting his lip as he stared at the calendar, which had sparsely been marked with his blue marker, even since starting this job hunt. Robin’s plans were in red, and was much more abundant due to having three part time jobs.

“Well, as soon as possible, really. If you’re available now, we could take care of it right away.” the woman responded, sounding like she was walking into another room.

“Oh!” Steve exclaimed, recapping the marker and returning it to the pen holder. “Yes, of course. I’m available now.”

“Perfect!” Chrissy’s voice sounded from Steve’s phone as the omega walked back to the living room and sat on the couch. “So, starting off pretty easy here, what made you apply for this position?”

Steve thought back and grimaced at the reminder that it was Robin who had submitted his application to this particular job. He wasn’t about to admit that, though, and quickly found a more appropriate response.

“Well, I love taking care of pups, and I just got my teacher’s license a month ago,” Steve explained, which wasn’t a lie, so he figured it was probably as good of an answer as any. “I also saw that this job traveled, and my best friend thought that it’d be good for me.”

“Yes, that was going to be part of this conversation, too. So, you’re obviously alright with the traveling, then?” Chrissy asked and Steve heard what he thought could be pen scratching as she wrote notes. He swallowed thickly, suddenly anxious about what she was writing. He decided to ignore his anxiety, even as his scent soured around him with it.

“Oh, yes, traveling is more than okay,” Steve agreed immediately, “but it’s more important to me that I’ll be taking care of a pup, if I’m honest.”

This statement seemed to pique Chrissy’s attention, as the writing stopped for a moment. “Why is that?” she eventually asked.

Steve winced, wondering if he should be up front about it or not. If Robin were here, she would insist that he was honest. He decided on a half-truth.

“I’ve always wanted pups, and a lot of them,” Steve admitted, fidgeting with a loose piece of thread on the couch. He switched which arm was holding the phone, as he had started to get a little sore from holding it up for so long. “But I don’t have a partner, so I can’t really have my own right now. I discovered through babysitting for one of my neighbors that I have a knack for taking care of pups.”

The scratching noise was back as Chrissy listened to his responses. Steve was nervous he wasn’t doing well, but figured that it wasn’t going bad if she wasn’t suddenly calling the interview short.

“Your resume says that you’re good in high stress situations,” Chrissy said after a couple seconds of silence as she wrote down whatever notes she was taking. Steve briefly wondered if he should be doing the same thing. “I’m going to give you an example scenario, and you’re going to tell me how you’d respond.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Steve agreed, trying not to let his voice betray how anxious he was.

“For the sake of simplicity, we’ll say the pup’s name is Rosie,” she informed him before she continued to describe the scenario. “You’re taking Rosie to the park, when suddenly there is a crowd of people surrounding you and you lose sight of her. What do you do?”

Steve thought the scenario was odd, but not ‘out there’ enough to alarm him. He thought about his answer for a moment before replying.

“I would try to follow her scent, first, because that will usually lead me to any pup I’ve babysat. If that doesn’t work, I will call out for her. If the situation is bad enough, I would contact the authorities, and either you or Rosie’s father.” he paused for a second before continuing, trying to make sure he covered all of his bases. “But honestly? If Rosie is small enough, I would have rather carried her once I saw the crowd, or hold her hand, for the reason of lowering my chances of separation.”

Silence that’s only broken up by the scratching of pen against paper followed, and Steve was suddenly anxious that he answered incorrectly. He answered what he would do if it were his own pup, but what if that wasn’t right? What if he wasn’t cut out for this job?

“Alright, next scenario,” Chrissy said, moving swiftly onto the next one without commenting on his answer; Steve didn’t know if he preferred her not acknowledging it or if he would prefer to be told his answer was shitty up front. The next few scenarios were just as oddly specific, but Steve answered them exactly as he did the first one. He tried to not overthink his answers too much because between each one there would be a stretch of time that Chrissy used to presumably write his answers down.

“One last question and then we should be good to move forward.” Chrissy said a good twenty minutes of questions later. “When would you be available to start working?”

Steve’s eyebrows raised, surprised that he was seemingly, maybe being offered the job. “Um—immediately. I would need time to pack, but other than that, I’m free.”

“Wonderful,” Chrissy said cheerfully. “Alright, now it’s your turn. Do you have any questions for me?”

Steve hummed, trying to go through his usual list of questions he asked during interviews that hadn't already been answered and came up empty. “Not at the moment, but I’ll make sure to write any I think of down, if I do.”

“Perfect! So, I will consult with my client, and I have a few other applicants that are interested, but so far, you are my top pick, but I don’t make the decisions,” Chrissy laughed, as if Steve was in on the joke. He laughed with her, not knowing what else he should have done. So, maybe not a job offer, but it sounded promising anyway. “I will be in contact in a few days, three at most.”

“Sounds good, thank you so much for considering me, Chrissy,” he responded with a smile, hoping to leave one last good impression.

[belovedharringrove]

mentally shaking the suffer brothers like a maraca, billy and heather could’ve been the best of friends and i want that for them, dammit.

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i, too, pace the whole house when talking over the phone omg me and steve are like twins

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Steve was hard of hearing and kept putting off getting a hearing aid despite Robin's instance. He's gotten pretty good at lip reading when he needs to. He can still hear when someone's close, but Eddie tends to move when he talks. At this moment, he was going on one of his rants, and Steve really wants to hear him better. Desperate, he hopped over the coffee table and jumped directly in front of Eddie. He cupped Eddie's face to keep him still.

"Okay. Now talk," Steve said.

"Uh. . . ," Eddie blinked at him.

"What?" Steve asked.

Eddie stared at him, and Steve could feel his cheeks warm underneath his fingers. Eddie's cheeks were surprisingly soft, and Steve couldn't help but caress his cheeks with his thumbs. He really liked holding Eddie like this. . . and if he were to lean in, he could close the distance, but Eddie wasn't a girl. Suddenly, Steve found that he didn't care that Eddie wasn't a girl. He wanted to kiss him anyway.

"I suddenly can't seem to remember what I was talking about," Eddie said.

"Yeah, me neither," Steve said softly, and he moved closer to Eddie.

"Steve. . . " Eddie trailed off, and he could feel Eddie's breath against his lips.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm having a sexuality crisis," Eddie said.

"Me too."

Eddie's fingers ran up Steve’s arms to his shoulders as he moved closer, and he let his hands trail down until they rested against the small of Steve’s back. Steve shuddered.

"Fuck."

It was Eddie who closed the distance. Really closed the distance. He slammed into Steve, nearly knocking him over as he crashed his lips to Steve’s, and wrapped his arm's completely around Steve’s waist. Steve gasped against his mouth, causing it to fall open, and Eddie immediately slipped his tongue in. Eddie grinned as Steve moaned against his mouth. He let his hand slide down lower and cupped Steve’s butt before giving it a squeeze. Steve squeaked, and Eddie giggled delightfully before breaking the kiss. Steve wrapped his arms around his neck.

"What is this?" Steve asked.

"Well, it felt a lot like we just made out a little," Eddie said.

"Ass, I know that. Like, what are we?" Steve asked. "I mean, I still like girls, I think."

"Me too," Eddie nodded. "Are we boyfriends?"

"Do you want to be boyfriends?" Steve asked.

Eddie looked thoughtfully at Steve and cupped his face.

"Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend. Boyfriend!" Eddie grinned. "Yeah, I like it."

"Heeeyy, boyfriend," Steve said slyly and squeezed his hips, causing Eddie to giggle.

"I've never really been boyfriend material. I've come close once, but I fucked that all up and I broke her heart. Not my proudest moment," Eddie said. "I don't want to fuck this all up and break your heart too. I want this to work."

"I want this to work too," Steve said softly.

A little while later, they were cuddled up on the couch with Eddie's head in Steve's lap as they watched TV. Eddie turned his head to look at Steve.

"Hey, you know Robin, right?" Eddie asked.

"I vaguely recall my platonic soulmate," Steve said dryly.

"You know how we both know about Robin?" Eddie asked.

"Because she told us. I was there when she told you. You called her pretty, and she was like, "Oh God, not another one. Why do I keep attracting boys when I want to attract girls? GIRLS?!" Steve said.

"I was being platonic when I called her pretty," Eddie mumbled.

"Anyway, yes, I know we both know about Robin," Steve said.

"Do you think on some level she knew about us before we knew about each other?" Eddie asked.

"You mean, because she's queer, too? Like some sort of spidey sense?" Steve asked.

"God, it's so hot that you read comic books," Eddie said. "But yes, like that."

"Hmm, maybe we could ask her to hang out and see," Steve said.

"Okay, because this is not going to be our first official date," Eddie said. "I'm going to woo your ass off."

"Looking forward to it," Steve grinned.

A little later, Steve went to pick up Robin so they could all hang out and left Eddie at the house.

"You are lucky that I am not seeing Vickie today," Robin said as they walked through the door.

Eddie jumped into the hallway, a grin spread across his face.

"There she is, one of my best friends, and there's my boyfriend," Eddie said.

"Settle down, Munson. You saw me two days ago," Robin rolled her eyes and walked past him. "So, what are the plans?"

"It didn't even phase her," Eddie said.

"Give it a moment," Steve said.

Robin came to a sudden halt, froze for a minute, and then whirled around. Her eyes were comically wide.

"Did you just call Steve your boyfriend?" Robin asked.

"As of today," Eddie said proudly.

"So. . . you two are dating?" Robin asked slowly.

"Yep," Steve asked.

"You two do know that you two are guys, right?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, I was very aware of that when he crawled into my lap earlier and felt him rise up against me," Steve said.

"I like girls but I also like Steve," Eddie said.

"I like girls, and I also like Eddie," Steve exclaimed.

"Yeah, thanks because I didn't know what bisexuality is," Robin rolled her eyes.

"There's a word for it," Steve whispered to Eddie. "Did you know there's a word for it?"

"No!"

"But you two apparently didn't," Robin said and shook her head fondly at them.

"So, you didn't know about us before we knew about us?" Eddie asked.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," she replied. "How did this start anyway?"

"Well, I was talking, and Steve suddenly grabbed my face. . . By the way, why did you grab my face?" He asked.

"You were talking, and I'm hard of hearing, but you kept walking away. I wanted to hear what you had to say, so I held you still," Steve said.

"That explains so much. . ."

"Get a hearing aid, dingus!" Robin exclaimed, and then her face softened. "Thanks for telling me, the both of you."

Sometimes, people just know who they are, and sometimes, it takes others a while to figure it out. Everyone grows their own way.

[imfinereallyy]

Eddie draws on the edge of Steve’s hip, where his shirt rides up from stretching across Eddie’s bed. He’s humming to himself a song Steve doesn’t recognize, but it soothes him.

“What are you drawing?” Steve speaks softly; something about the moment feels gentle. He doesn’t want to break it.

“Hmmm, it’s a secret.” Eddie peaks beneath his bangs and smiles.

Steve leans up on his elbows, “Well, that’s not fair; I think I should know what’s going on my body?”

Eddie only looks at him with mischief as he continues to doodle. “Be grateful, Harrington. You’re getting an original Munson for free.”

Steve can’t help the laugh that escapes him. It is just like Eddie to say something like that. Playful and mean, it makes something settle in Steve. For a long time, he only knows the pain from harsh comments or a sentence with a bite. It is a welcomed change, to feel a bubble of happiness after a light jab.

“Whatever you say, Munson. Just let me see.” Steve tries to push up further to sneak a peek, but Eddie uses his free hand to push him down to the bed. He just happens to catch Steve off guard, sending him into a sprawl that can only be described as a starfish.

“I’m not finished yet.” Eddie grabs his hips and pins him still while he draws. After a few more moments, he says, “Done!”

Steve looks at his work and releases a snort that breaks the careful tension between them. “Are those boobs?”

“Why yes, they are, and a good representation if I say so myself.”

“Do you even know what boobs look like? Like the live version?” Steve knows he should be mad at the sharpie-drawn breasts on his body, but he can’t find it in him to have an angry tone.

“We’ll no. I don’t. And I would much prefer to keep it that way.”

Steve chokes on his spit a little bit, “Did you just come out to me, Eds?”

Steve isn’t sure what he expects. Denial, maybe, Eddie taking back what he said. Steve knows he isn’t handling this right. He doesn’t think Robin would be too happy with his response.

Steve thinks maybe he should see a little bit of fear in Eddie’s demeanor. That shakiness that comes with telling someone a dangerous secret.

What he gets, in the end, isn’t something he could have predicted. Eddie smiles softly, a little bit of his tooth peeking out, and lays his head gently on Steve’s leg. He’s calm and collected. He’s happy, Steve realizes.

“Yea, I guess I did. Not like it was much of a secret, though. Are you upset?” Eddie draws soft circles around the drawing on Steve’s hip—the rough callous on his thumb contradicting his tender touch.

Once again, although the conversation should be anxious, it’s not. Eddie’s question is spoken like he already knows the answer. Maybe he does.

“No, Eddie. I’m not mad. Never would be for that. Just thought it was a funny way of sharing a secret. Though, gotta admit, a very you way of doing it.”

This time Eddie throws his head back when he laughs, before settling back down on Steve’s leg. His giggles never really settled. “Like I said, Stevie wasn’t much of a secret anyway. Well, between us, that is at least. I like to think some, if not all, the kids are oblivious.”

“Erica definitely knows.”

Eddie’s eyes widen in mischief, “Oh, for sure. Pretty sure she would kick the others' asses, too, if they gave me shit for it. And she kicks hard too.”

It’s Steve’s turn to laugh. He’s never had this before, this casualness to serious conversations. Before, Steve is used to screaming and punching, drunken confessions in the bathroom, and throwing up on the mall floor. It isn’t like this, now, with Eddie in his trailer bedroom. It’s good. It’s safe.

“Thank you for telling me, Eds. Something like that is hard to share no matter who you tell it to.”

The softness is back again, “Like I said wasn’t much of a secret. Besides, I don’t think there isn’t any secret of mine you don’t know, Stevie. I think even when I don’t tell you, you kinda already know, don’t you?”

Steve leans one arm forward, while he places his weight on one elbow. He gently takes Eddie’s face in one hand, rubbing circles in the same motion as Eddie’s thumb on his hip.

God, I want to kiss him so bad sometimes, Steve thinks.

“Yea, I already know.”

[starkidmunson]

glitter & crimson

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Time passes in ways Eddie doesn’t fully understand, in the aftermath of Steve’s injury.

A few days are spent lounging around the hotel room with Steve drifting in and out of sleep, for the most part. Then they graduate to small day trips. Squeeze in some touristy shit; museums and landmarks not too far from the hotel, in case Steve gets a migraine or starts feeling nauseous. 

Day 6 features a follow-up at the hospital, where Steve is told the bandage is no longer necessary to cover the worst of the injury, surgery won’t be necessary, and he’s clear to fly home or wherever else he wants to go. Which means Eddie is also free to leave LA, but he’s already stuck it out this long, so he decides to continue to follow Steve’s lead and spend another day.

He gets a call from Steve before he leaves his hotel room on Day 7, informing him that Max is leading a trip to the beach before they leave California again. Steve insists it’s the least he can do since Lucas flew out to spend the last few days with her, so she could stick around until Steve was clear to travel again.

And that’s how Eddie finds himself wearing lavender board shorts from the surf shop that looked the least like a tourist trap, dousing himself with an entire bottle of the highest SPF he can find before stepping out of the store. His black ripped jeans and the Judas Priest shirt he’d worn, not anticipating a trip to the beach, are folded into the bottom of a large tote Robin is carrying with ease, as she picks out towels for everyone to lounge on. She catches sight of him and raises an eyebrow, but he holds his hand up to stop any commentary.

“Black is just going to make me burn even more than I’m already going to burn, and the blue pair I liked were the wrong size, so lavender it is.” He defends, but she just shrugs at him, keeps smiling and walks over to pay for the towels and her bathing suit.

Behind Eddie, Lucas clears his throat. He spins to find Steve, blushing and glaring at Lucas, who’s grinning. 

“What? Don’t tell me I need to defend the trunks to you guys, too. I thought you’d be on my side.” He whines.

“Oh, I don’t think Steve has any issue with your shorts. Or lack of a top.” Lucas teases, then laughs as Steve swings a soft punch into his shoulder.

“I just…” Steve trails off, turning his attention back to Eddie and Eddie can see the heat rise from Steve’s cheeks up to the tips of his ears, coloring him a soft shade of pink. “I didn’t realize how many tattoos you actually have, I guess.” He eventually settles on, before immediately occupying himself with finding sunscreen.

Eddie lets it slide, and they all pay for what they need, before crossing the street and trekking toward the water. Max is the first to toss her shorts and sandals into a pile, running toward the ocean and diving into the first wave she encounters. Lucas is just a step behind her, and he’s quick to catch her waist and throw the two of them back into the water just as she’s resurfacing.

Robin shoves a rented umbrella into the sand and Eddie helps expand it, as Steve lays out his towel so his face is covered by the umbrella’s shade, but his torso down is exposed to the sun. Eddie, on the other hand, huddles up so most of his body is concealed by the umbrella.

“Oh shit, dude, I didn’t even think to ask. Are you worried about getting seen out here or something?” Steve asks, and Eddie frowns. It takes a moment before he realizes it probably seems like he’s hiding from any potential paparazzi.

“I get bothered so little by media that I hadn’t even thought about that if I’m being honest.” Eddie shakes his head but smiles at how thoughtful Steve is. “I’m just a little too pasty to trust the sun on a cloudy day, so direct exposure like this always makes me nervous. But I like laying in the sand and I’m happy you wanted me to tag along. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he assures Steve, who smiles at him until Robin mocks a gagging noise and makes them both blush and look away from one another.

The salt air and crescendo of waves and bellowing laughter kick up a surprising amount of inspiration for Eddie, and he fishes his phone out of Robin’s bag, typing away while she and Steve sunbathe. 

He’s so caught up in the piece he’s working out that he doesn’t realize anyone has spoken to him until Steve’s pressing a hand to his knee, looking a little concerned. 

“What? Sorry, I got an idea and I had to get it out before I forgot about it.” He mumbles, typing out his final thoughts before giving Steve his full attention.

“We’re going to return the umbrella and grab food before heading back to the hotel to pack up, if you’re hungry?” Steve asks, smiling at Eddie. He looks back at his phone to realize their hour with the rented umbrella is nearly up, so he nods and helps clean up the space they’d taken over, before they find a beachfront restaurant that doesn’t mind that none of the guys are wearing shirts, or that Max’s hair is still dripping wet, leaving a trail behind her as they move to their seats.

Once they’ve eaten, they go back to the hotel. Eddie asks if he can shower to get the sand out of his hair before he changes back into the clothes he’d had on pre-trip to the beach. When he re-enters the room, almost everything is packed up and Robin is on the balcony, talking on the phone.

“Nancy called,” Steve explains from the sofa, as Eddie flops beside him, towel-drying his hair gently. He hadn’t bothered to put his shirt on yet, not wanting his hair to make it all wet while it air dries. “Did they hurt?”

“Hm?” Eddie’s confused instantly, looking at Steve before realizing he’s eyeing the tattoos across his chest. “Some of ‘em more than others, yeah. But it’s a good kind of hurt.”  Eddie explains, and Steve frowns, but that’s okay because Eddie knows not everyone gets what he means whenever he explains the tattooing experience like that. “It’s… kinda like if you have itchy sunburn and you accidentally scratch it? It feels good to have scratched it, but it also hurts.” When Steve still looks confused, it’s Eddie’s turn to frown. He looks over Steve’s exposed arms and takes in the soft golden color they’ve turned and his eyes narrow. “Do not tell me you’re one of those genetic anomalies that doesn’t sunburn and always has a perfect tan, Stevie.”

Now Steve is grinning, throwing a shrug in Eddie’s direction. “Blame it on the 8 years of swim club during the summer off-season.” Steve laughs as an explanation, and Eddie instantly wants to know more about everything Steve has ever done in his life, but doesn’t know where to draw the line at how much is too much to ask to know, so he ultimately doesn’t ask for any further information. Which is fine, because Steve is leaning closer and taking hold of his left forearm, twisting it and tracing a finger along a snake that wraps around his skin. “Do they have meanings?”

“Some of them, yeah. Some of them I just got because I liked how they look.” Eddie admits, watching Steve’s fingers trace along the delicate lines of the snake. “That one’s got its mouth open like it’s hissing and about to bite.” Eddie considers what comes next, and decides to just lay it all out on the table. Steve had been open and honest with him, Eddie could return the favor. “Snakes are supposed to be a symbol of inner strength and perseverance, and they look sick. I got it after my first stint in rehab.”

Steve doesn’t falter, doesn’t even blink, and if Eddie didn’t know better, he would think Steve had already known about his trips to rehab before he’d said anything. Instead, he moves on to trace a blackout band around Eddie’s bicep. “Do any of them have stories you want to share? You don’t have to if it’s too personal.”

He’s stunned to silence for a moment, something that doesn’t often happen to Eddie. But he’s so used to everyone pressing to hear more about rehab and addiction and recovery that his brain physically needs a moment to catch up to Steve. “Oh. Uh. I mean, the one you’re touching doesn’t have a meaning or story, I just liked how it looks.” Eddie thinks for a moment, then, before he holds out the inside of his right forearm. “This one is a puppet master. Master of Puppets is my favorite Metallica song, and when I learned to play it is when I realized that music could actually be a career path for me.” They run through a few other tattoos; the Wyvern, the spider, the “you bow to no one” in elvish down his spine. While still working up the courage to tell Steve more, he switches his approach. “Do you have any tattoos? Or have you ever wanted any?”

“I’ve never thought about it in a serious way, because I’m not sure I’d like having something on me permanently like that.” Steve shrugs, flipping his arm over to point at his right wrist. “The few times I’ve thought about it, it’s been like. A robin, here. The Roman numerals for 94 somewhere. That kind of stuff.”

Eddie smiles softly, nods. “It’s adorable that you’d want one for Robin.” He teases and lets the moment breathe for a moment before he circles back to the tattoo of the snake. “I’m not ashamed of my story, or my history, but we hadn’t really talked about, you know. That aspect of things, yet. But, I mean. I made terrible choices when I was younger, and I got in over my head with drugs harder than I realized. And it’s happened more than once. And I’m not naive enough to think I’m magically cured because drugs haven’t raised an issue for me over the last few years. But I’ve been mostly sober for almost 4 years.”

“Mostly?” Steve asks, concern clear in how softly he speaks, and Eddie can’t help but grin and shrug a little.

“Still some weed sometimes. Still drink beer sometimes. Both in moderation, not anything out of control. It, uh, probably sounds weird but those weren’t substances I had issues with, so I don’t… I don’t really think about drinking or smoking as cheating, but I know some programs would call it that way.” He shrugs, and Steve nods, processing the information.

“Well, thanks for sharing that with me. I know it’s probably not easy to talk about, but. I learned a few new things about you today.” He offers with a little smile, and Eddie nods back. They slip back into silence, until Robin slips back into the room, looking between the two of them expectantly.

“Did you ask him?” She asks, and when Eddie turns his attention to Steve, he flushes.

“No, I uh…” He trails off, picking at a fingernail before looking up at Eddie, then back down at his hands. “We’re flying back to Chicago tomorrow, and we were wondering if you had your plans set for heading back to Nashville?”

“Oh, yeah. When you guys initially said you’d be leaving tomorrow, I booked a flight home for tomorrow afternoon.” He says and watches Steve’s lack of reaction. Wonders if he should have asked about joining them in Chicago until Steve gives an awkward smile. 

“Right, that makes sense.” He nods. “Well, we can all head to the airport together, at least?”

“Yeah, sure.” Eddie agrees, turning to look at Robin in the hopes of finding an explanation, but she turns away to take her turn in the shower, leaving Steve and Eddie together on the sofa.

~~~

Gareth picks Eddie up from the airport once he’s touched down in Nashville, and they head back to his house. Eddie throws himself into the comfort of his sofa, huddling up to a pillow with the intention of taking a nap, but his phone buzzes in his pocket. When he fishes it out, he smiles.

Stevie: Dustin has taken over the apartment, but we’re home. Hope you got home safe, too.

“Why are you smiling?” Gareth asks as Eddie is typing out his response.

“I’m not smiling,” Eddie responds instantly, schooling his expression and shoving his phone back in his pocket.

“Oh, so Steve texted you,” Gareth says, matter-of-factly, before scrolling on his own phone. “Want to order food? I’m hungry and you don’t have anything edible.”

“Why do you assume Steve texted me?” Eddie asks, frowning and sitting up straighter.

Gareth raises his eyebrow and glances over his phone at Eddie before he sighs. “Because you were making that face you’ve been making for the last month every time you text him, and you just got home from a week with him, so obviously he’s texting you again. Your turn to answer; food?”

Eddie stares at Gareth for a moment, watches as he turns his phone around to face Eddie, showing off the Uber Eats screen, before he scoffs and takes the phone to place his order. Before he hands it back to Gareth, though, he holds it just out of his reach. “What face am I making?”

“C’mon, Eddie, don’t play dumb.” Gareth laughs, but Eddie frowns deeper. Gareth frowns back, then. “You really haven’t put it together?”

“Put what together?” Eddie asks, finally handing Gareth his phone back. Gareth takes it, but doesn’t look away from Eddie until he answers.

“Dude, you’re in love with him.” He says, like it’s obvious, before going about placing his own order.

Eddie thinks for a moment. He knows he has feelings for Steve; finds him attractive and interesting and definitely wants to see if something is there. But to know that his friends can see through him puts him on edge, makes him defensive. “I’m not in love with him, we’re just friends.”

“Eddie,” Gareth laughs before he sees the serious look on Eddie’s face and he sighs. “Look, man. I’m not trying to start a fight or make you spiral or anything. I’m just saying. You leaned into a TikTok trend for him, voluntarily learned about the sport he plays, helped nurse him back to health after he got hurt and spent an extra week in LA to be with him longer. And now you’re texting him, again, like you did after we left Chicago. There’s something there, whether you want to admit it or not. Maybe it’s not love yet, but that’s where it’s heading.”

Silence settles over them, just the sound of Gareth’s short nails tapping against the screen of his phone, for a long moment. Eddie processes what he’s said, thinks it over, before flipping back to the text messages from Steve. He reads the words over and over before he decides on an answer.

Eddie: Glad you’re home safe. Miss you already.

He doesn’t have to wait long for a response, as Steve answers no more than two minutes later.

Steve: I miss you already, too, Eds.

Eddie considers responding but decides to tuck the phone back into his pocket instead. He drums his fingers against his knee, settling into a melody before he nudges Gareth’s leg with his foot. 

“Wanna help me set up the studio downstairs while we wait for the food?”

Gareth meets his look, raising an eyebrow. “Inspiration strikes over Steve Harrington?”

“I’ve got, like, four different ideas I started fleshing out in LA without instruments,” Eddie answers instead and ignores the smug look on Gareth’s face as they stand and make their way to the basement Eddie converted into a recording studio to get it ready while their food is delivered.

[strawberrybyers]

i truly would not be mad if nancy breaks up with jonathan and tells steve to move on. and for vickie to tell robin she’s not interested but is willing to be friends. so nancy and robin decide they need to hang out after a long day of heartbreak and throughout their convos of explaining everything that’s been going on, they realize they have feelings for each other. i truly would not be mad at that. in fact, that’s exactly what i want to happen 😌

[dreamofbecoming]

ok fuck it context now on ao3

—

“I’m freaking out, man!”

“You’re what? Why? This is like, what you’ve been waiting for, isn’t it?”

“I mean, yeah, dude, but now it’s here, it’s happening, and tomorrow it’ll be done and I can’t take it back!”

“Do you want to take it back? Because I think that’s a terrible idea, but if it’s really what you want, I’ll sneak you out the back right now.”

Dustin deflates a little, slumping into the plush chair this weird little church greenroom was nice enough to provide. “No, I don’t want to leave. Of course I don’t.”

Steve puts his hands on Dustin’s shoulders, not massaging, just resting. He doesn’t want to smear too much of his scent onto him before the ceremony, but old habits die hard. Steve suspects he’s always going to want to scent the kids for comfort, even though they’re literally all grown and starting families of their own and don’t need their old omega babysitter anymore.

Case in point, Dustin’s wedding is meant to start in, oh, looks like about 25 minutes, so Steve has to smooth this crisis over double time.

“What’s really bothering you, Dust? You were over the moon yesterday, and the day before that, and every day since you and Susie proposed to each other. Hell, every day since you met! What’s going on now?”

There’s a pause, which is always unsettling coming from Dustin, who hasn’t shut up for more than twelve consecutive minutes in the decade plus Steve has known him, but then he sighs.

“She wants kids.”

Steve’s brow furrows. “And you…don’t?”

Dustin huffs, frustration rising in his scent. “It’s not that I don’t, it’s that I don’t know if it’s a good idea, you know?”

“And you guys haven’t talked about this before now? You’ve been together for like eleven years, dude!”

“We have, of course we have! I’m just thinking about the risks, Steve! I’m a beta, I can’t carry her pups, and pregnancies are dicey for alpha females! What if something happens?”

“First of all don’t call women females, it’s weird. Erica or Nance will definitely smack you for that, and you don’t need a black eye in your wedding photos.” Dustin nods, cringing a little.

“Second, pregnancy isn’t the only option, man, and also it’s her decision. If she wants to carry them, that’s a discussion you need to have with her, but you can’t just shut her down about it. She knew you were a beta when she decided to marry you. She picked you because she loves you, don’t go deciding for her she’s better off with someone else. And besides, if you decide it doesn’t feel right for both of you, you can talk about adoption, or surrogacy, or…I don’t know what all the options are, but I bet there’s tons! Hell, I’d carry for you guys, if you wanted.”

“You would?” Dustin’s eyes get big and shiny almost immediately, and shit, Steve’s gotta shut this down now. The groom can’t be going out there with red eyes and tear stains, Susie will murder Steve on principle.

But he can’t lie to Dustin. Swore he never would, not when it mattered. “Course I would, man, what’s family for? Aw hell, kid, don’t cry, your mate will run me over with her car if your photos are fucked up because of me.”

“I just- I can’t believe you’d do that for me! You don’t even know if I’ll be any good at it!”

Ah, so that’s what this is really about.

“Of course you’ll be good at it, Henderson. You’d be an incredible dad, any kid would be lucky to have you. I mean, your kids are gonna turn out to be nerd city, but that was always a given.”

Dustin gives him a bitchy little eye roll, which was of course Steve’s aim. He still smells anxious, though.

“How can you be sure, though? It’s not like I have any idea what a dad is supposed to be like, you know? It’s why I kept latching onto older male figures, no offense to you and Eddie.”

Little shit. “You should be so lucky, you little twerp.”

Dustin shoves him away, but he’s grinning now, and his scent is slowly returning to the lemon-bright joy that colors it so often Steve just associates it with Dustin’s base scent at this point, so he’ll take the win.

“You really wanna know how I know you’ll make a great dad, Dustybun?”

“Don’t fucking call me that, today’s supposed to be my day!”

“I’m your best man, I’ll call you whatever I want. Seriously though, I have a story for you.”

“A story, huh? I don’t know, Eddie’s more the storyteller in your relationship…”

“I’m gonna go out there and tell your bride to delay the ceremony because you shat your slacks and need new ones, you menace.”

“Okay, okay!” Dustin laughs. “Tell your story.”

“I was gonna put this in my speech later, but I think you need to hear it now, and honestly it might be more about me than you, and I don’t want to steal the spotlight or anything.”

“Not worried about that, but I’m intrigued.”

“You know how when you’re a kid, you learn how to pick out emotion scents by context clues, from like your family and stuff?”

Dustin lifts an unimpressed eyebrow. “Yes, Steve, I’m aware of one of the foundational tenets of our society, which we all personally experienced.”

“Almost fifteen years I’ve known you, and your attitude hasn’t improved one bit, you know that?”

Dustin waves imperiously for him to continue. Steve glares at him, but they really are running short on time.

“You ever know a kid who had like, a gap? Some feeling they had never run into before, so they didn’t know what the smell meant?” Dustin shakes his head, looking curious.

“There was this girl in my class when we were like, seven? Eight? Something like that. Anyway, she borrowed Tommy’s favorite eraser, one of those animal-shaped ones with the faces printed on? He loved that thing. The girl, Cassie, she broke it, by accident. Tommy lost his shit. I’d never seen him so angry. And like, you know how little kids emotions don’t really come through that strong? He smelled like, grown-up angry. Filled the whole room. Freaked the teacher out, too. Everyone’s backing the hell up out of Tommy’s way, even me. But Cassie was just confused. Because no adult in her life had ever been truly angry around her, so she hadn’t learned what it smelled like yet.”

Dustin is listening avidly, looking gratifyingly similar to how he does when Eddie DMs.

“Anyway, Tommy slapped her so hard it left a bruise, got his dumb ass suspended. But I just remember being so jealous, you know? Can you imagine? Eight years old and never knew what anger smelled like. Hell, at that point anger was just what home smelled like to me.”

Aw shit, now Dustin just smells sad.

“Do you remember when I drove you to the Snow Ball?”

Dustin’s got his thinking face on now, trying to figure out why Steve keeps jumping all over the place. Sue him, he’s no Eddie.

He nods anyway.

“Before you got out of the car, when I told you I’d come back to pick you up, you gave me this huge smile, and the car filled up with something I’d never smelled before. Not really, anyway. Maybe like, in passing, you know? Like in the hallway at school, but always faint and never towards me, so I never focused on it.”

Dustin’s eyebrows are totally scrunched up now, little genius brain whirring away. Goddamn brat never had any patience.

“I didn’t ask about it, because I wasn’t sure it was important, and also a little because I felt like enough of a caveman around you little rocket scientist dweebs I didn’t need you explaining feelings to me too, but I kept smelling it from you after that. And from El, and a little from Lucas and Max and even once from your mom, but it was just confusing, you know? I couldn’t figure out what was causing it, so I had no context clues to figure out what it meant.

“And then at Starcourt, after Robin and I went to go puke up those Russian drugs—”

“Ditched me and Erica who were very responsibly trying to wrangle you, you mean.”

“Tomato, tomahto, kid. Anyway, I told her I had a crush on her and she panicked and came out to me, so I switched to making fun of her crush so she would know I was okay with it, and suddenly there was that smell again. First time I ever smelled it coming from her. So after everything was done, I asked her.”

“Oh, so you’ll ask her, but not me? Hurtful, Steve.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Yeah, shithead, because Robbie already knew I was a moron, and she was never gonna want to go out with me, so I didn’t need to impress her. I could look stupid to Rob back then, but I still wanted you guys to think I was cool.”

“Steve, buddy, my brother, my best friend, my favorite jock please don’t tell Lucas I said that, we literally never thought you were cool.”

“Now who’s being hurtful?”

“Just the truth, Munson. I tell it like it is.”

“Ugh, whatever. The point is, I asked Bobbie what she felt for me in that bathroom, and she told me that’s when she realized she would love me forever. That we were going to be best friends.”

Dustin looks stricken.

“That’s what I was smelling all that time. Honey. That’s what I smelled in the car in the Hawkins Middle parking lot. You loved me. You were literally the first person in my whole life who ever did.”

“Steve—”

“This isn’t—look, I know it’s kind of sad and pathetic for kid Steve, but this isn’t about that. It’s not about me, okay? It’s about how my whole life turned around the day Dustin Henderson decided he loved me, because he never stopped. Not for a single second of the last thirteen years, and because you loved me then, I have a platonic soulmate and a horde of little siblings and a mate I adore and more friends than I can count on all my fingers and toes! You’re the one who encouraged me to go to cosmetology school, you’re the one who introduced me to Eddie, you’re the one who stood by me and let me crash on your mom’s couch when my parents kicked me out. My life is full of love, and joy, and purpose, and it all started with you, Dustin. I’m here because you loved me, and because once you started loving me you never stopped. I have smelled honey on you every single day since the 1984 Snow Ball, and that’s how I know you’ll be an incredible father. Because if you have all that love for a washed up ex-jock omega nobody had ever loved before? You’ll have all that and more times a million for any kid lucky enough to call you Dad.”

They’re both crying by now. Susie is gonna kill them for sure, but as Dustin buries himself in Steve’s arms like he’s still six inches shorter, Steve decides it doesn’t matter. This is worth it.

There’s a knock at the door, just in time it seems.

“Dingus, baby Dingus, you in there? T minus 5 minutes, boys, stick those feet in the oven if you gotta!”

“Yeah, Bobs, I hear you! We’ll be out in a sec, no cold feet in sight.”

“Roger that, bubba! I’ll inform the bride!” He can hear her racing off, probably dancing with pre-wedding excitement. For a cynical lesbian who has a new girlfriend every month and swears marriage is an archaic institution built on misogyny and omegaphobia, she sure does love weddings.

“You ready, kid?”

Dustin has taken the brief interlude as an opportunity to splash his face with water from the sink in the corner, so he doesn’t look like he’s been crying to into Steve’s shoulder, but Steve makes sure to straighten his tie and finger comb his curls back into place.

“Yeah, I think I’m ready.” He looks at Steve for a long moment, then throws his arms around him one last time. “I’m really glad you’re my brother, Steve.”

Steve squeezes him tighter for a moment, breathing in the familiar scent of lemon and cut grass and honey. Of family. Of love.

“Yeah, kid. Me too.”