#obviously if you don't like Eddie with someone else

[hippolotamus]

On the 2nd Day of Fandom I present

Unless You Ask Me To by @elvensorceress

It’s not the first time a man has ever looked at Eddie a certain way. It’s not the first time a man has ever hit on him or asked him out. It happens every so often. Not a lot. Once every six months or so? If he had to put a number to it? But maybe it’s the first time Eddie’s considered saying yes. He’s in a much better place than he was a year ago, and he’s never actually dated that many people. He met Shannon when he was nineteen and high school relationships didn’t really count, and he was technically married until not quite four years ago. And there was only one huge, sad mistake since then. So, Eddie could say yes. He could go on a date with this beautiful, nice man. That is a thing he can do. And maybe it would be good. Maybe it would explain a lot of things he’s always wondered about but never put into practice. ~~~ Eddie dates a man for the first time, Buck is completely Fine(tm) and not at all having a breakdown, and the way to love and happiness is not easy but they find it anyway.

How much do I love this fic... let me count the ways. The insight that Jenwyn has into Eddie and Buck's characters is nothing short of magical. This fic ripped my heart out, shattered it, put it back together and cradled it gently. Sometimes all within the same chapter. A must read 💖

tagged by @steadfastsaturnsrings @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @exhuastedpigeon for today!

[luveline]

I would love the reader flinching during a fight blurb (I think u did it with James and Steve) but with eddie! Only if u want of course

thank u for ur request, hope this is okay, 1k fem!reader

cw mentioned past abuse/abusive situation, please read with care!

Eddie doesn't do anything to provoke your reaction, obviously, and if he did it would've been accidentally. He only raises his voice and puts down his keys too hard at the same time on the table, barely looking at you as the argument reaches a crescendo. 

The sound catches you off guard. Your arms leap in toward your chest and your head turns to the side, defending yourself from a blow that would never come from him. Nausea floods your system, and no sooner have you flinched than you're covering your mouth to smother it. 

"Holy–" Eddie takes a step back initially, but he quickly closes the space between you to take your elbow. You force your arm out of his grip. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" 

"I thought you were gonna throw your keys at me," you start to explain, reaching for him. "I–"

"I would never do that." 

"I know," you say, blinking and straightening up your hunched back, "that's not– I know you wouldn't, but the noise…" 

"Sorry," he says tightly. 

You take a deep breath and feel embarrassment like a rushing wave hit you, ice cold, your hands covering your face for a moment to get air in right. You peek at him through your fingers. "No, I'm sorry," you say, "what were you saying?" 

"It really doesn't matter. Were you scared of me?" he asks, sounding terrified. 

"No. I mean– I mean," —his expression dampens further at your stammering— "I flinched because it was loud." 

"You said you thought I was going to throw my keys at you–" 

"Because I did think that. It was only for a second." 

"Somebody chucked shit at you enough you started expecting it?" Eddie asks, his terror melded into something much worse. He frowns at you, an imploring pinch to his eyebrows as he rubs your upper arm. 

"Eddie, I don't wanna talk about it." 

"You don't?" he asks. 

"Why would I want to talk about that? It's so fucking embarrassing." 

Eddie takes your arms into both hands gently. "Pause on our fight. Or forget it." He ducks his head to meet your eyes, his lashes like half diamonds, long and dark and emphasising the browned honey colour of his irises. "It's not embarrassing. It's not embarrassing. I'm sorry it felt like I could throw them at you, but I wouldn't." 

"I know." You sound more annoyed than he deserves. 

"Yeah?" he asks gently. 

You try to calm down. Chill out. "I know you wouldn't. It wasn't like that, it's just 'cos we don't fight and it was instinctive. Like a yawn." 

Heartbreak blossoms on his face. You hate it at first, thinking he feels sorry for you, but then things slow. Your heart rate, your adrenaline. For the first time since you started arguing a few minutes ago, breath comes easily to you. Eddie waits for your cue, his hands sliding down to take a loose hold on your fingers. 

It shouldn't be instinctive to expect pain during a verbal disagreement. His face says as much.

"I swear, sweetheart, I wouldn't," he murmurs. 

You start to cry when you realise you believe him. Of course you know he wouldn't, but you could've said that before about someone else. And he's asking you if you wanna talk about it like you should, and you say you don't but of course you do —you want him to tell you it'll never happen again. That it was undeserved. 

Eddie's rough around the edges but his hands are always nice. He sews your fingers between his and squeezes weakly. 

"Somebody threw stuff at you?" he asks, eyes darting down your cheek, following a heavy tear.

"It's okay," you say. 

"I'm supposed to be telling you that. Shit, c'mere." He pulls you in for a hug. "This is okay, right? I don't wanna make you feel worse." 

"It's fine." You sniffle into his shoulder. "It's fine, I don't know why I'm upset." 

"I thought you were gonna throw up, baby. I didn't mean to make you feel like that, I shouldn't have started shouting. I wouldn't have. If I knew, I wouldn't have. I shouldn't have." 

You cling tighter. 

"Sorry," he says, kissing your forehead, his voice all closed up like he's upset. 

You shudder as you inhale, your body's attempt at regulating, and press your nose into his neck until it hurts. If it hurts him, he doesn't say, but you readjust in case it does. 

"What happened?" Eddie asks. 

"It's shitty, Eds. You don't wanna hear it." 

"Yeah, I do. Anything that happened to you that warrants that sort of reaction is something I want to know about, not just 'cos I have tires I need to slash–" He audibly winces. "Or, like, an angry letter to write." 

"You can slash tires. It's not like that, I don't think you're violent, baby." 

"Good. I wanna know what made you feel that way because that's stuff that happened to you, and I love you. I don't want you carrying that by yourself. And," —he drops his cheek toward his shoulder, smiling At you tentatively— "I don't ever wanna make you flinch again." 

"It's not your fault." 

"It's not yours, either. None of that shit was your fault." 

Eddie rubs your back until it feels weird, your skin almost raw under the constant back and forth, but it's a steadying touch that you don't want to go without. You tell him the gist of things without crying anymore, and if you need to do it with your eyes pressed to his shoulder he doesn't say a word. 

He has some assurances to make you. How loved you are. How the last thing in the world you deserved was a raised hand. You've never heard him speak that sincerely for that long, but you need every word. When you think he might get sick of comforting you, he props you on the couch. 

"Tell me if I'm being too much," he says, wrapping you up in a one-sided hug. 

You feel safe and sound under his arm, pressing a kiss to a blown out tattoo. "Not too much," you murmur. 

Eddie pulls your head to his lips for a peck nestled lovingly beside your eyebrow. 

[andvys]

Dancing with our hands tied | S.H.

Chapter seven ⭐︎ Got a feeling your electric touch, could fill this ghost town up with life

Warnings: 18+, minors don't interact. mentions of sex, mentions of unrequited feelings, sexual tension, reader teasing Steve sexually, not giving away anything else

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Summary: After you and Steve cross a line, you are the one to take things to a whole new level — driving Steve insane with your never ending teasing.

Word count: 7.4k+

Author’s note: I know you keep yelling at me but anyways -- shoutout to @hellfire--cult for helping me with this, especially the uh last part hehe.

Also, @prettyboyeddiemunson talked about a little crossover thing, and I love her girl in gods & monsters so she's making a little appearance here for Eddie hehe, all credits go to my bestie of course, the character belongs to her! If you haven't read the story yet, go check it out, it's one of my faves!

Series Masterlist ⭐︎ Previous Chapter ⭐︎ Next Chapter

♡

Staring up at the ceiling, Steve sinks deeper into his pillows, finding more comfort in his bed than usual, he takes a deep breath as he runs his hand over his face. He should feel content, knowing that he’s got the day off but instead he feels tense and frustrated in a way he had never felt before. 

His mind could be anywhere right now, he could think about the new tapes he stacked up at work last night, he could think about the show he watched before he went to bed, he could think about the mixtape Eddie had made for him, he could think about the girl that so obviously tried to flirt with him at work the other day, his mind could take him to any place, his imagination could be limitless but no, his mind is somewhere it shouldn’t be, his mind is with you. 

Nothing he does, nothing he tries to think about can drag his thoughts away from you. You occupy every space of his mind, reminding him of how much control you had taken over him ever since you both crossed a line that changed things between you both. 

Steve may have been the one who started it at all, but you are the one who took the game to a whole new level. 

The little accident in his kitchen that happened weeks ago, was only the start of it all. 

Steve wasn’t exactly subtle when he kept checking you out before the fiasco with the broken lever, and he wasn’t subtle with his touches either. He was treading on thin ice, he knew that, he knew that his slight teasing could have easily backfired if you reacted differently but it didn’t, and your reactions were everything that he was hoping for. You grew flustered, you started blushing, you stuttered and you looked at him the way he was hoping you would. 

But, what he didn’t expect was for you to tease him back, especially in a way that had him blushing, stuttering, and staring at you in shock. 

You were so innocent and shy at first, doing everything as subtly as possible. It started with gentle touches on his arm or his hand, soft whispers during dinner whenever he sat beside you, or long eye contact. Then, you realized just how much power you had over him and things quickly developed into something more, something so much deeper.

Your teasing was no longer innocent and your shyness seemed to have slipped away more and more, little by little. 

The look in your eyes was no longer a shy one whenever you looked at each other. There was a fire behind your eyes that he had never seen before. The smirk that tugged at your lips wasn’t the same one you usually looked at him with, it was different, mischievous, and very suggestive – a little too suggestive for someone like you because if someone else had looked at him the way you do, he’d think that they’re flirting but you don’t do that and certainly not with him. 

The only explanation for your behavior is that you are teasing him, playing with him just the way he did with you but not because you want him. He started something that night when Hopper and Joyce announced their engagement. It was harmless at first, his teasing was light and playful, he loved to see those sweet reactions of yours but Steve didn’t know that it was a dangerous game that he had started, he didn’t know that he’d be playing with fire the moment he’d touch you. 

Because you are far from harmless, and your teasing is not light and playful in the slightest. If it was, he wouldn’t be feeling like this right now; frustrated, agitated and filled with pent up emotions that he can’t even make out in his own head. 

He closes his eyes again as a groan falls from his lips, he shakes his head at himself, cursing inwardly for thinking about no one other than you. 

Has it always been that way? 

Have you always been on his mind? 

Or is it something new?

An unspoken deal was made between the both of you when you two started this. There are no rules, just a winner and a loser – whoever breaks first loses and so far, it seems like Steve won’t even get close to winning, even though he was the one to start it all so confidently. 

You clearly have taken over, because the moment you looked at him with innocent big eyes and a pout on your lips while pressing your chest against his arm when you tried to squeeze past him, your boobs nearly spilling over your cute little top, your voice sounding raspy from all the weed you had smoked that night, he was done for. 

It wasn’t the first time that a girl had done something like this to him, plenty of girls have given him those innocent eyes, have pressed their boobs against him, in much less clothing… but something about you drives him especially crazy. Maybe it’s the fact that you both hate or dislike each other or maybe it’s the fact that he is just extremely frustrated – sexually frustrated. Maybe that is the only reason why you get to him in that way… why he feels the want to continue this little game or why he feels the intense need to fuck you and get you out of his mind, once and for all. 

Another groan falls from his lips when he remembers that Robin bailed on him after she called him in the middle of the night, telling him that she wouldn’t make it to lunch today, meaning that it will be just Eddie, you and him. 

A part of him even looks forward to seeing you, the other part doesn’t because he already knows how he will feel afterwards, while you will probably go home feeling satisfied after teasing the hell out of him. 

Every time before you leave, you look at him as though you had done nothing wrong, which sometimes leads him to believe that you’re not even aware of all the teasing you torture him with and that he was the only one playing this game, all this time. 

Steve drags himself out of bed and into the bathroom, turning on the shower so the water can heat up while he brushes his teeth. He looks at his reflection in the mirror, rolling his eyes at the mess on his head, he brings his hand up to his hair, running his fingers through it. 

As he thinks about what to wear, he gets lost in his thoughts, thinking about you, wondering what you will wear. Are you going to wear a dress? Another short skirt to drive him crazy with? 

He rolls his eyes, cursing inwardly at himself for thinking about you again. 

He needs to get this out of his system. 

He needs to get you out of his system. 

And there is only one way to do it and he knows it, but he’s not even sure where your feelings stand, if you’d be down for what he’s longing for or if you’d laugh in his face if he even tried to suggest something like it. – Your reaction would probably be the latter, and just the thought of it is enough to bring the grumpiness out in him. 

He begrudgingly starts getting ready, all while his mind keeps him occupied with thoughts about you. 

He doesn’t know what caused all of this, he doesn’t know how it happened, how his mind is incapable of thinking about anything or anyone but you these days. 

He feels as though he had been cursed. You are haunting him, in his mind and even in his dreams, and seeing you all the time doesn't help at all… and yet, he wouldn’t want it any other way because this little thing between you both makes him feel a thrill that has been missing in his life. 

By the time Steve pulls up into the parking lot at the diner, you and Eddie are already there.

You’re sitting on the hood of his car, hands folded in your lap, sunglasses low on your nose, a smile on your lips as you’re nodding along to whatever Eddie is telling you. You look good… too good for just a simple breakfast at the diner. 

He parks the car and after a few deep breaths, he pulls out the keys and gets out, trying not to stare at you as he walks towards the two of you. 

“Hey guys.”

Eddie turns around, a mocking smile on his face, he crosses his arms over his chest, “took you long enough, big boy.”

Steve chuckles, scratching the back of his neck as he eyes you from the side, “yeah uh, I missed my alarm this morning and Robin woke me up in the middle of the night to bail on us, took me a while to fall back asleep after that.” 

You groan at his words, sliding off the car, you smooth down your jean shorts and push your sunglasses up into your hair, “so she keeps ditching us.” 

“She’s in love, Sweetheart,” Eddie winks at you, wiggling his brows, “she’s got better things to do.” 

You roll your eyes at his words and look over Eddie’s shoulder, meeting his eyes for the first time today. You lick your lips as your eyes move down up and down his body. 

“Hey, Lego head.”

Lego head. The silly nickname doesn’t quite suit the look in your eyes. 

“Blondie,” he nods. 

Eddie chuckles, playing with the keys in his hand as he nudges his head into the direction of the diner, “let’s go eat, I’m starving.” 

“You’re always starving, Eddie,” you snort as you are the first to start walking. 

“Yeah man, you’re always eating and you’re still starving,” Steve chuckles, walking beside Eddie, “you’re like a raccoon or something.” 

You look over your shoulder, a smile on your lips, “oh he’s definitely a little raccoon.” 

Eddie’s lips part in surprise, he looks between you both, “did you just… agree on something?” 

You scoff at his words, turning back around without another word while Steve looks down, shaking his head. The weight of Eddie’s arm around his shoulder makes him look back up, though not at you, but at Eddie, whose eyes are filled with amusement. 

“You’re not trying to steal my girl are you?” 

Steve doesn’t know what is about the words ‘my girl’ but he feels himself clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth. By the tone in Eddie’s voice, he should know that he is only teasing, but apparently his mind isn’t able to comprehend that right now. 

He feels a fire in his chest that he can’t even explain, one that only grows even more intense a few moments later, when a guy who was just leaving the diner, steps aside for you after opening the door. 

Steve can’t see your face or the looks you are giving to the man who is staring you up and down with nothing but hunger in his eyes, but by the way you walk past him without even turning your head or looking back, he knows that you’re giving him nothing. And yet, it doesn’t stop his anger when the guy keeps checking you out, shamelessly, following you with his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips as he looks at your ass. You’re not even aware of it as it seems and it wouldn’t be the first time. 

Steve saw you at Big Buy’s the other day, you were strolling around the aisles in your cute little dress, throwing food items into your basket, completely unaware of his eyes on you. He couldn’t look away from you… even when everything you did was riling him up, whether it was the way you bend down to reach for something on the lowest shelf, the way you touched your hair or the way your dress was moving by your sides as you walked. As he caught himself staring at you, at your effortless beauty, he knew that he couldn’t be the only one – and his suspicions were confirmed, when he looked into the other aisle only to see another guy, not past his 30s staring at you, something that you weren’t aware of in the slightest. He also caught himself rolling his eyes and clenching his fists… but that’s something that he easily ignored. 

Unlike today, he can’t even help it when he passes the guy who can’t seem to tear his eyes away from you with a deathly glare on his features, feeling anger for how shameless and disrespectful his ogling is, it’s disgusting. 

“Perv,” Eddie mumbles under his breath, glaring the same way Steve does. 

The guy doesn’t even spare them a single glance, moving past them after taking another long… too long look at you before he walks out of the diner. 

Steve and Eddie roll their eyes, following you to the table that you have already picked, completely unaware of what just happened. 

You sit down in the booth, sliding over to the window. You put your sunglasses down on the table and instantly reach for the menu. 

Eddie sits down beside you, while Steve takes the seat across from you. He tries not to look at you, sinking deeper into the leather seats as he reaches for the menu, as well. 

“What are you guys doing afterwards?” Eddie asks. 

“Nothing, just gonna go back home and watch movies or something,” Steve mumbles, peeking over his menu and at you, to find you looking at him already. 

“Perfect, why don’t you two have a little bonding moment and have a movie day together?” Eddie grins, wiggling his brows at the both of you. 

Steve sees the way you scrunch your nose up at his words, scoffing and shaking your head at him like it’s the most ridiculous thing that you have ever heard, like it’s something that you don’t even want to think about. 

“We’re getting along just fine, no need for bonding time.” 

Right. Steve had been so focused on all your teasing, he almost forgot about how much you two are supposed to dislike each other. 

“Exactly,” Steve winks at Eddie, “Blondie and I are doing just fine.”

He looks back at you, his eyes meet yours, you raise your brows at him, smirking as you tilt your head. 

“Are we?” You ask softly as you blink at him. 

Steve leans closer, licking his lips, he opens his mouth to speak but Eddie cuts him off, clapping his hands. 

“Yeah, you are getting along! Now shut your mouths before you start a fight.”

You both snort at the metalhead, leaning back in your seats, neither of you saying a word, you both just look back at your menu’s, focusing on that… for now. 

The busy waitress stops by your table, telling you that she will be back to take your order in a minute, seemingly catching Eddie off guard after placing her hand on his shoulder before she scurries away again. 

He no longer looks at the menu, he finds something more interesting to look at. 

Steve’s eyes flash with amusement as he looks over at his friend, whose eyes are wide and cheeks are red, an awestruck expression all over his face. He can’t help but nudge your foot under the table, tilting his head towards Eddie when you look up with a frown.

You turn to your best friend. Your features soften, eyes flashing with surprise, you bump your shoulder into his, clearing your throat, “hey Ed’s, before you fuck this up again, don’t you want to tell Lego head about what happened?” You ask, snickering. 

Eddie blinks, turning back to you, “h-huh?” 

“You have a man to give you his opinion of what you did wrong.” 

Steve furrows his brows, looking between your amused face and his confused one, when Eddie’s eyes flash with realization and he groans in annoyance. 

“Sweetheart, he’s gonna be on my side.”

“What opinion?” Steve asks. 

You turn back to your menu, scoffing at Eddie and rolling your eyes before you glance at him, “you’ll want to kill him.”

Eddie groans, shaking his head, his curls bouncing a little. 

“You’ll understand, Harrington. You’re a man. She is… looking at it from a feminine side of things.”

Steve gives you a quizzical look, almost laughing at the exasperated look on your face. 

“Alright shoot,” he says to his friend.

Eddie presses his lips together, taking a deep breath before he folds his hand on the table and looks at him with squinted eyes, “okay so, I saw this girl at the hideout yesterday, Jeff told me to go talk to her, you know… so I did. We started talking, she was funny and all that, and you know, I always like to be a little mysterious.” 

You snort, making Eddie roll his eyes again, “shut it, Sweetheart.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Anyways,” Eddie sighs, glaring at you, “so, when she asked me if I was there with a girl, I just said ‘wouldn’t you like to know?’” 

Steve draws back a little, raising his brows and pursing his lips, looking perplexed. 

“Uh huh..” You murmur, keeping your eyes on Steve. 

“Eddie,” Steve shakes his head, “just uh… did it… what happened then?”

Eddie sighs again, “well, she rolled her eyes and left, but you know, she may not have a sense of humor so… it’s whatever.” 

“Munson, that girl had a sense of humor, you just have a lack of fucking tact,” Steve says, shaking his head at his friend, in pure disbelief. 

Eddie’s jaw drops at his words, while a laugh falls from your lips as you turn to look at your best friend with nothing but satisfaction on your face. 

“Told you.”

“Seriously!?” Eddie gasps, frowning. “Harrington, you were always mean to girls in the past, and you still slept with them!” 

Steve scoffs, shaking his head. 

“That was in high school, Munson! You are a grown up now, why the hell would you do that? Just tell her you were there alone or with friends!” 

Eddie’s jaw drops again, he slumps back in his seat, throwing his hands up. 

“I just thought that a mysterious persona would work better than… you know… bubbly, happy, go lucky guy, desperate to get his dick wet persona…” He whines, “no one wants to fuck me.” 

You giggle, hiding your face behind the menu. 

Steve’s lips curl into a smile, he points a finger at you, “I’m gonna have to agree with Blondie, again, you’re a fucking idiot.” 

“Don’t worry, Eds. I’ll help you,” you say, smiling, “I’ll teach you how to flirt.” 

“How are you gonna do that, Blondie? Do you even know how to flirt?” Steve snorts. 

You may be a tease, a good one at that, but a flirt? No. You’re too rough, too mean, too harsh to be a flirtatious person, you can barely hold a conversation with someone without going off at them about something, you wouldn’t even know where to begin with, unlike him. 

He is a flirty person, he has charm, he knows how to wrap a girl around his finger with just a few simple words. 

He doesn’t know what to expect, but he surely didn’t expect for you to smile at him, to shrug and give him nothing more than a glance that tells him how wrong he is. 

After the waitress comes back to take your order, leaving Eddie a blushing mess, you excuse yourself to the bathroom, only to come back with your hair now free from the scrunchie that kept it together and another coat of gloss on your lips, something that instantly catches Steve’s eyes. 

You place your elbows on the table, putting your chin into your palm, blinking at him innocently. 

The look in your eyes tells him that you’re up to no good, but he can’t look away. He leans closer to the table, licking his lips as he raises his brows at you. Both of you are unaware of Eddie, who is basically drooling over the pretty waitress, too distracted to notice the looks you are giving to each other.

“The waitress, is she from Hawkins? Never seen her in my fucking life,” Eddie murmurs in awe. 

Steve turns his head to look at the woman, a gasp nearly tears from his lips when he feels your foot on his calf and you pull his attention back on you, he stares at you with wide eyes. 

Smirking in satisfaction, you pull your foot back and look down at your nails.

“I-I don’t know, Munson, not familiar.” He stutters without looking away. 

Steve knew that this would happen, that you would tease him in one way or another, but he didn’t know yet, just where you would take this today. 

When your milkshakes arrive at the table, both you and Steve watch Eddie with amusement as he stares up at the blonde waitress, eyes moving back and forth between her face and her chest, not knowing what to look at first. 

His eyes get stuck on the dainty cross necklace around her neck, seemingly growing more intrigued by her, his dark eyes meeting her blue ones. 

Steve narrows his eyes at you, almost laughing when you look at him, at the same time. 

Eddie’s cheeks are even more flushed than before now, his eyes wide, lips parted. The girl presses her lips together, trying not to giggle at the look on his face. 

“Your food will come right up,” she says, looking between you all before her eyes meet Eddie’s again as she takes the last milkshake off the tray, putting it on the table and sliding it towards him. 

He clears his throat, wrapping his fingers around the glass before she can even let go. 

Both you and Steve watch the way she smiles down at Eddie and at the fingers brushing against hers. 

“Thanks, Sweetheart,” he smirks at her, surprising both you and Steve with the confidence in his voice. 

The girl smiles in surprise, before she turns around, walking away from the table but not without giving Eddie another glance, his lips curl into a bigger smirk and he waves his fingers at her.

Your mouth drops and so does Steve’s, both of you, looking at each other again, with stunned and puzzled expressions on your faces.

“Dude,” Steve mumbles, slowly turning to face his friend, “tell me… how did you fuck this up again… at the hideout, I mean?” 

Eddie only looks back when the girl disappears into the kitchen, “the girl at the hideout just wasn’t the right one.”

“Oh, and this one is?” Steve chuckles, pointing his thumb to where the waitress walked off to. 

“Yeah,” Eddie says, dreamily. “She’s so…”

“Hot?” You ask as you reach for your milkshake, grabbing the red and white straw between your thumb and your pointer finger.

“Gorgeous,” he blushes. 

Your lips tug into a smile, you bring your hand up to his face, pinching his cheek, “aw, look at you.” 

He swats your hand away, snorting. 

“I thought you didn’t know how to flirt, you’re doing such a good job, keep it up, Eds.” 

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises,” Eddie winks at you before he looks away, eyes searching for the waitress again. 

“He doesn’t need your help after all,” Steve laughs, tilting his head, “not that you’d be much of a help anyways.” 

You squint your eyes at him, shrugging at his words, and you surprise him with your silence. 

He watches the way you lean forward, placing your elbow on the table as you finally wrap your lips around the straw. Your eyelashes flutter and you tap your red fingernails against the glass, a moan falling from your lips. 

“Mmmh, that’s so good.” 

Steve nearly jumps from his seat, the sound making his stomach flutter, he clenches his fists, staring at you with wide eyes. 

There’s no smirk on your lips, no mischief behind your eyes, nothing but innocence is etched into your features – you’re not even teasing him, it was nothing but a genuine reaction to the sweet drink. And it’s something that frustrates him even more. 

You reach for the maraschino cherry next, popping it into your mouth before you lick the whipped cream off your finger. 

Steve’s breath hitches in his throat, he shifts in his seat, trying to look away from your lips… that are still wrapped around your finger but he can’t, his eyes are stuck, his body is stuck, he can’t move, all that he can do is watch you.

And then, you look towards him, eyes flashing with surprise when you find him staring. He hopes to see you blushing but instead, a smirk tugs at your lips as you release your finger, scooping up some more whipped cream before you bring it up to your lips. 

And this is where the real teasing begins. 

Steve nearly gasps when you hold eye contact this time as you lick the cream off your fingers, letting out another, softer moan. 

Holy fuck. 

Steve’s eyes darken, he swallows harshly, clenching his jaw in anger. 

Eddie is too busy with his own milkshake, ogling the waitress as she talks to customers at the bar, completely unaware of how you both eyefuck each other, the way Steve can’t take his eyes off of you. 

By the look in your eyes, Steve knows how much fun you’re having with this, you know how much it frustrates him, you know what you’re doing to him. 

And as though, all of this wasn’t bad enough already. You then accidentally drop some of the whipped cream on your chest. 

“Oops,” you purr, giving him an innocent look through your lashes. 

The warmth in his chest only grows more intense, spreading across his whole body, filling him up with need and a deep hunger that keeps growing and growing, one that can only be satiated in one way – he needs you, just once, he needs to have you, he needs to taste you, he needs to fuck you, he needs you out of his system for good. 

He had enough of this, of all this teasing. 

He would fuck you right there on this table if he could.

But, despite your teasing, despite the look in your eyes, despite your little act, he is still not sure about where you stand. He knows how you react to his touches, to his teasing, but a part of him fears rejection if he does make a move. 

You are barely even friends, and the thought of making a fool of himself, in front of you, makes him want to crawl into a hole. 

You are both playing this game, but while he knows what he wants, he doesn’t know what you want. 

Maybe you just enjoy this little back and forth, waiting for him to break first before you move along and pretend like nothing ever happened. Maybe you don’t even expect anything to come out of this. Maybe you don’t even want him the way he wants you. Maybe you just like to tease him because you know that it's riling him up. 

So what is left for him to do? 

Stop this game and move on? Or… keep going and wait for something more to happen? 

He’s had enough of your teasing, but he’s far from losing, there is still some power left in him… some. 

He won’t sit here and let you get away with this. 

So despite the uncomfortable strain in his pants, despite the burning in his skin, he plasters a smirk on his blushing face and reaches forward, keeping his eyes locked with yours as he mimics you, he grabs his glass and he reaches for the cherry on his milkshake, purposely dropping some whipped cream on the table as he puts the cherry in his mouth. He chews slowly, licking his finger tips while he watches you slowly, the way your smile slowly falls, the way your eyes widen a little. 

He bites back the smirk as he scoops up the whipped cream off the table, with both his middle finger and ring finger, bringing them up to his lips, he looks back into your wide eyes as he places them into his mouth, watching the way you break eye contact to look at his lips. 

Your throat bobs as you swallow, tightening your grip on your glass as you watch the way he licks his fingers slowly. 

He can see the way you shift in your seat, the way your breathing gets heavier and your eyes darken, the way you lick your lips and how flustered you get as you look back into his eyes. 

You are pressing your thighs together, he just knows you are. 

He pulls his fingers out of his mouth, smirking at you in satisfaction while you still sit there, frozen in place. He breaks eye contact, looking down at his vanilla milkshake as though nothing happened.

“You gotta give this one a ride home, Harrington,” Eddie mumbles, pointing at you without tearing his eyes away from the bar, “I think I’m gonna stay here a little longer.”

You clear your throat. 

Steve expects you to be more… nervous, to hear your voice wavering, but instead, it sounds confident, filled with yet more teasing as you open your mouth to speak. 

“Oh, I would love a ride home with Stevie,” you smile at him innocently as your foot touches his calf again, but this time, it doesn’t just stay there, you move it up, just a little, but enough to nearly make him choke on his drink. 

“So you can keep getting on his nerves?” Eddie chuckles. 

You lick your lips, smirking as you nod your head slowly, “exactly.”

Yeah, you don’t really do this anymore, getting on each other’s nerves, you both have found something so much better and much more interesting to do to one another. 

“You know I always win, Blondie,” Steve says so very confidently, like he isn’t slowly losing his mind because his want for you is beginning to consume him entirely. 

You tilt your head at him as you bite your lip, the sleeve of your blouse slowly sliding down your shoulder, making him gulp. 

“Do you?” You ask, batting your lashes at him, provoking him with the look on your face. 

He bites the insides of his cheeks, nodding at your words, “mhmm.”

A breathy chuckle falls from your lips, you shrug and lean back, “we’ll see.”

Eddie doesn’t know that you’re talking about something entirely else now, but he couldn’t care less, when he’s got his eyes set on someone that stole his breath away. 

He uses every second he gets with the pretty waitress to flirt, whether it’s through glances when she passes by or through his charming words when she delivers the food to the table. 

He happily eats his burger and his fries, eyes following the blonde wherever she goes, completely blind to what’s happening right next to and in front of him. 

You and Steve keep staring at one another, eyes filled with intense need, hands itching to reach out to the other. 

Steve feels the longing inside his chest, intensifying as the minutes go by, driving him insane. It gets to a point where he can’t wait to get the hell out of this diner so he can go home and take care of himself. He is not sure if he had ever felt this desperate before – he surely never had to rush home to jerk off, but that’s what he feels like now, like he’s going to explode if he sits here any longer. 

The moment you decide on leaving, Steve nearly throws himself out of his seat, feeling no patience left inside of him. 

“I got this covered,” Eddie announces, pulling out his wallet as he gets out of the booth so you can get out, “you two can go.” 

You grab your sunglasses and get up, putting your hand on Eddie’s shoulder, “I see what you’re trying to do, you wanna get rid of us so you can flirt with the hot blonde.” 

He wiggles his brows, smirking at you proudly, “gotta score a date with my dream girl.” 

Steve chuckles, grabbing the car keys from his pocket, he smirks at Eddie, “just don’t mess it up again.” 

Eddie shakes his head, “nah never.” 

“Alright casanova, call me and tell me how it went.” 

“Call you?” He frowns, “I’ll be there to raid your kitchen tonight, sweets.” 

You step away from him, brushing past Steve, “alright raccoon, I’ll see you later then.” 

“See ya,” he chuckles. 

With a sigh, Steve looks at Eddie, playing with his keys and giving him a nod. 

“Good luck, man.”

“Thanks,” Eddie winks, “and don’t kill each other!” He jokes, ignoring the weird looks he’s given from an older couple two booths away. 

“Don’t worry, we’re not at that point anymore.” 

You’re at a whole different point now, one that doesn’t make him angry, not exactly, just one that drives him up the wall. 

Steve stares at your hips, at the way your shorts hug your body so nicely, the way your ass looks so good in them. He forces his eyes away, feeling a little startled when you turn around to face him before you open the door, a friendly smile appears on your face and he realizes that you aren’t looking at him, but at Eddie’s ‘dream girl’, waving goodbye at the girl before you step out. 

He feels the sudden need to talk, hoping that you won’t tease him any further in the car, because if you do, he isn’t sure if he will manage to control himself the way he did, the whole time at the diner. 

He rubs the back of his neck, walking down the steps, he clears his throat. 

“Do you think he will manage to score a date?”

You slow down as you put your sunglasses on, “yeah, I’m pretty sure he will.”

Steve chuckles, nodding. 

“She seems nice, and she’s pretty,” you say.

So are you. Steve thinks to himself. 

“She’s got the kind of blonde hair you wanted when you ruined your hair with the blonde dye, huh?”

Steve can’t see your eyes behind your sunglasses, but he can see the amused look on your features as your lips curl into a smile. 

He ignores the way it feels when you step closer to him, when your hand brushes against his knuckles, sending chills throughout his whole body. 

“Actually, I wanted it even lighter, and how would I know that the pictures on the box dye were lies, it said it lightens up any hair color to that specific color!” 

Steve laughs at you, “what color were you hoping for?” 

You shrug, stepping away from him again when you walk around his car to the passenger side. 

“I wanted like a Dolly Parton or uh… Heather Locklear kind of blonde.” 

He unlocks the car and opens his door, raising his brows at you, “wow, you should have gone to a hair salon, Blondie.”

You lift your sunglasses, rolling your eyes at him, “it was a spontaneous decision, I thought I could handle that myself, I’m definitely never touching hair dye again.”

“Just call me, next time,” he winks at you as he gets into the car, “I’m a pro at doing hair.” 

You laugh at him as you get in as well, “didn’t know you were a hairdresser, Harrington.” 

“They don’t call me ‘the hair’ for nothing.” 

“Oh wow. I wouldn’t trust you with my hair, who knows what color you’d dye my hair to.”

“Maybe I’d get it to the Dolly Parton blonde that you wanted.” 

“Yeah, right!” You scoff at him, “cause you’re such an expert!” 

A smile tugs at his lips, it almost feels normal, sitting here in his car with you, talking like this, it almost distracts him enough from the strong tension between you both, from the pull that is dragging him towards you, more and more. 

Despite the frustration that he feels from all your teasing, he cannot help but want to keep playing the little game. 

The sun is shining brightly, pulling down the sun visor won’t be enough – how convenient it is that he keeps his sunglasses in the glove compartment. He could ask you to get them but instead, he moves closer, “I’m sorry,” he murmurs before he places his hand on your knee as he reaches forward so he can get his ray-ban’s. 

Satisfaction rushes through him when he hears you sucking in a sharp breath. 

But, his longing intensifies when he gets a whiff of your perfume and feels how soft your skin actually is. 

He clearly never thinks things through, his little plans always backfire. 

The want to wrap his hand around your thigh and keep it there is so strong… so goddamn strong, but he pulls away begrudgingly, holding back the smirk when he feels your eyes on him. He puts the sunglasses on, and finally starts the car. 

Your silence surprises him, but he knows that it’s something that won’t stay for long. 

Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran starts playing and Steve almost wants to laugh at the irony, this is exactly what he feels like right now, hungry like a fucking wolf, hungry for you. 

If you had been any other girl, he would’ve made a move on you, a long long time ago. He would have flirted more obviously, he would’ve taken your hand in his, he would’ve brushed your hair out of your face before leaning in to kiss you.

But you’re not just any girl, you’re… you. 

You love this little game, and no matter how flustered you get, no matter the looks you are giving him, he still struggles to read you, he still struggles to figure out whether you want what he wants or not. 

He is waiting for a sign, but it’s almost like he’s blind to anything you give to him. 

He holds the steering wheel tightly, keeping his other hand on the gearstick, dangerously close to your thigh. He keeps sneaking glances at you, at your soft skin, at the way you press your legs together, at the way your fingers play with the loose string on your shorts. 

Steve’s face grows hot, his heart beating faster in his chest. 

He almost feels relieved when your house comes into view, and he pulls up into your driveway. 

“So… what are you doing today?” You ask as you unbuckle your seatbelt, “besides having a movie day by yourself.” 

You turn your body towards him, not making any moves to get out of the car yet. 

“Uh… I don’t know,” he lies, his cheeks glowing red. 

He already knows what he’s gonna do the moment he walks through his front door. 

You take your sunglasses off, biting your lip as your eyes move up and down his body, making him shift uncomfortably, yet again. 

“Well, I’m going to lay out in the sun, in my new red bikini.” 

Steve’s eyes widen, and he almost starts drooling at the images that start forming in his mind. 

Images of you… half naked. 

“We should have a pool party at some point,” you smile, blinking at him as you start inching closer to him, looking down at his lips. 

“Uh huh…”

“But anyways, I should get going,” you sigh, catching him by surprise when you place your hand on his thigh, so dangerously close to where he needs you the most, “thanks for the ride, Stevie.” 

And as though that wasn’t bad enough. 

You almost cause his heart to stop beating, when your face is only inches away from him now, and you press your lips against his cheek, kissing him, completely shocking him, leaving him a stuttering mess. 

He lost all ability to speak, all he can do is stare at you, as his skin tingles and his heart races. 

You smirk at him, eying his red cheeks. 

“Who would’ve thought that Steve Harrington would ever blush for me,” you say smugly, before you pull away and get out of the car, giggles falling from your lips. Without another word, you close the door and walk away, looking over your shoulder one more time, still giggling. 

Fuck. 

His frustration turns into anger when the realization starts creeping in slowly. 

The smug look on your face, the smirk and your stupid giggles prove his point, that you did all of this not because you wanted him, but because you wanted to win this fucking game. 

That’s all it is, that’s all it ever was. 

A game. 

He doesn’t know what the feeling in his chest is, whether it’s the feeling of annoyance or rejection, but it only irritates him even further, especially when all he can think about is still you. 

You in your stupid red bikini, lying under the sun, looking pretty and hot… looking like someone he can never have, not even for a single night. 

He is angry, angry at himself for still wanting you, for needing you, for wishing that he could feel your bare body underneath him, for wishing to hear your moans, your voice calling out his name, your hands clinging to his body, fingers tugging at his hair. 

Despite the rejection, he feels his stupid jeans getting tighter, his dick straining against the fabric, making him feel uncomfortable and so needy to a point that the moment he gets home, he rushes upstairs and into the bathroom. 

He slams the door shut and presses his back against it, hastily unbuckling his belt, the clinking and his heavy breathing being the only sounds to fill the room… for now. He pushes down his boxers and his pants, just enough so he can pull his dick out – his tip is an angry red, already leaking with pre cum, he spits into his hand before he wraps his hand around his aching cock. 

That is all that it takes for a needy whimper to fall from his lips. 

He closes his eyes, throwing his head back against the door as he starts jerking off slowly. 

Images of you curse and bless his mind at the same time. 

He wonders what it would be like to feel your hand around his dick or what it would be like to feel your lips on his neck, your whispers in his ear as you take care of him. 

He furrows his brows, lips parting as his moans get louder and he begins to move his hand faster and faster, squeezing his eyes shut. 

He pictures you on your knees for him, your hands replaced by your lips as he shuts you up with his cock in your mouth, silencing you once and for all, while tears stream down your cheeks.

“Oh fuck…” Steve whimpers, getting lost in pleasure. 

He wanted nothing more than to bend you over the table when you started teasing him with the stupid whipped cream, but all he can think about now is you on your knees worshiping him. 

His muscles tighten as he increases the tempo, using his thumb to rub the slit as he imagines it being the tip of your tongue as you look at him with big and teary eyes. 

And he doesn’t know for how long he was imagining you like this, but it doesn’t matter because he is soon spilling in his hand, a loud groan escaping his lips as well as a shaky breath, the back of his head hitting the door as he tries to ease his breathing. 

Maybe three minutes passed, or twenty, but it didn’t matter. His cum is already on his hand and in your honor. 

But this didn’t satiate his hunger, nor his lust for you in the slightest. 

Nothing that he could possibly do will. 

He can imagine you and take care of himself all he wants, but it won’t change the way he wants you, the way he craves you. 

He knows that there is only one way to get rid of this.

Tomorrow he will put his frustration away. That’s all it is, frustration. He just needs to let it out. He needs to fucking breathe again. 

Yeah. Tomorrow. 

♡

tagging friends and mutuals

@taintedcigs @mysticmunson @wroteclassicaly @maroon-cardigan @munson-mjstan @sherrylyn628 @munsonlore @ibellcipem @joekeerysmoles

[steviebears]

Hard to Love

SUMMARY: Seeing Eddie with the beautifully perfect Chrissy was weighing on your insecure heart. Eddie notices and calls you over.

GENRE: angst, fluff (good ending)

WARNINGS: insecure fem!reader

You watched intently from across the hall as Eddie closely listened to whatever Chrissy was saying. He had his arm leaned up against the locker next to hers, the look in his eye was very telling.

Chrissy looked perfect as always. She never seemed to have a bad hair day, or bad clothes day or bad.. face day. She looked too good in that little cheer outfit and you were sure Eddie thought the same.

They were such a cliche.

God, why couldn't you be like her? Be so dainty and cute like she was. You'd only ever be 'one of the guys' to Eddie, you were sure of it. There was honestly no point in pining after him anymore, he obviously had his eye on someone else this entire time. Someone much, much prettier than you ever could be.

You arrived at his door cold and shivering, hair damp and clothes soaked.

You arrived at his door cold and shivering, hair damp and clothes soaked.

You arrived at his door cold and shivering, hair damp and clothes soaked.

"What the- did you bike here?" He looks confused as he ushers your inside, taking your coat off for you.

"My mom has my car and you said it was an emergency." He stares at you with guilt and worry in his eyes, feeling terrible for making you bike in the rain.

"You need to take a hot shower or you'll catch a cold- if you haven't already."

"What's the emergency? Doesn't seem very pressing." You ask on the way to his bathroom.

"It's not urgent. Just- take a shower, love." He said before speeding to his room to grab you a shirt and some pants to change into.

It felt weird, getting undressed in Eddie's bathroom, smelling his shampoo and staring into the same wall he did when he was- that's not important. You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, feeling fed up with the feelings that bubble up every time you are around him.

You entered the room, Eddie's eyes widening at the bareness of your legs. You felt a little embarrassed and set his pajama pants atop his dresser.

-

Your fingers played with the hem of your shirt as you stared into the tv displaying some gameshow on a low volume.

"The pants didn't fit." You say out of the blue.

"What?" He asks, eyes not leaving the tv.

"Your pajama pants didn't fit, and then my bra was all wet so I couldn't wear that either. I wasn't trying to be a slut-" You start to ramble.

"What? I never thought you were, what is this about? Is that why you've been so distant? Did someone say somethin' to you?" Eddie shifts up, sitting straighter while his eyes bore into yours. He was going to kill whoever called you a slut.

"No! No. I don't know why I said that."

"It's not like you would ever see me in that way anyway." You say under your breath with a dry chuckle. You didn't expect him to hear it or care even if he had because it was true. He would only see Chrissy that way, obviously. It was selfish of you to think about him the way you did when he was so clearly hers. He shifts his body to fully face you this time.

"What?"

You don't say anything, because if you did, you were sure the lump in your throat would let loose and all of your pent up tears would spring loose. He studied your face closely. It wasn't often- especially now- that he got to look at you so close. The plumpness of your cheeks and the curve of your cheek bones, the shape of your nose and the little space where your brow bone met the bridge. He was looking so closely, that he quickly noticed the quivering of your bottom lip.

You just couldn't stop thinking about how much he probably likes her. And how much you would give for him to feel that way about you.

"Y/n." His tone was so low and hushed, and him saying your name alone was enough for the first droplet to push through the threshold. Your facial expression didn't change, just stayed the same as the first few hot tears rolled down, leaving a wet surface behind them for the cold air to cling to.

His warm hand pulled your face toward him.

"What is it, sweetheart?" You squeezed your eyes shut at your pet name causing more tears to fall.

"Why do you have to do that?" You whisper.

"Do what, baby?" You shake your head.

"Make it so hard to love you." You open your eyes to see the most sympathetic yet confused face you'd ever seen.

"You really don't know?" You almost laugh, it was kind of funny how oblivious he was to how much you loved him. He wanted to speak, to say anything but his throat closed up on him.

"I see the way you are with Chrissy. You don't have to say anything." You look back at the tv in hopes of letting this whole thing go.

"Chrissy?" He was still turned toward you and his eyes were studying your expression.

"I know you like her." His eyebrows furrow. Sure, she was pretty, but so were you. How could he pick Chrissy over his girl?

"But- Chrissy's not even..." He starts, thinking about all the things he loved about you, having a hard time choosing just one to say.

"Right. I should've guessed. Not even she is good enough for you, you'd like someone like the chicks on all these posters you have." You were salty now, just honestly pissed off that you weren't enough.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't want Chrissy or the girls on my stupid posters." You stay silent, eyes looking through the tv at this point.

"I want you."

You finally turn to face him and make a genuine frown.

"You don't have to lie." Your voice breaks and the tears start up again.

He sits up.

"But I'm not! Why do you think I even hang out with you so much?"

"Because I'm just like one of the guys."

"Do you see me one on one with Gareth calling him my baby girl?" You sigh and wipe away your tears. The look of your puppy dog eyes was breaking Eddie's heart.

"I'm in love with you Y/n. How many more ways do you want me to say it?"

"But Chrissy, she's so pretty." You say slowly in such a heart wrenching tone.

"Who cares? You're prettier, always have been." He nudged your chin up to look at him.

"D'you really mean it?" Your face was still frowning and your eyes were glistening.

"Of course I mean it. You're the prettiest girl in the whole world. I can't believe you don't know that." His words were such a reassuring relief to you that you couldn't help your hands flinging around his neck as you bury your face in his chest. You sob into it, finally able to release all your insecurity. He wraps his arms around you and hugs you as tight as he can. His heart is breaking at the sound of your cries and the dampness of his shirt. He pets your hair as you start to calm down.

When you look up, the two of you are so close you can feel his breath on your lips. God, they looked to plump and soft. As if he was reading your mind, he closed the space between you and pressed his lips against yours. They were as soft as they looked. The kiss was short, seeing as he was testing the waters. But once he pulled away you chased his lips and pulled him in for another one causing him to lightly laugh at your eagerness.

"For the record, I do see you that way. You're driving me crazy wearing my shirt with no pants." He murmurs on your lips, making you giggle and tackle him.

[i-like-eyes]

Trying to figure out how they'd work as puppets

More in depth analysis below the break

For those that don't know, typically the three most common variants of foam puppet are know as rod hand, live hand, and walk around. Examples would be Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird respectively. Rod hands are smaller in size and held up by, well, rods. Live hands have the puppeteer (or two!) insert their hand in a sleeve connected to the puppet for more interaction. Walk around puppets are full costumes the puppeteer wears, but what makes them puppets and not like, fursuits, is that there is still puppet mechanisms like moving the mouth or blinking.

Here is what comes from the website/Clown's tumblr:

Julie is a rod hand

Eddie is a live hand

Poppy is a walk around

Barnaby has a walk around and live hand

Howdy has a walk around and live hand

Sally is a live hand but "required an additional hand to help move her head, as it was much larger than other puppets"

Frank is said to have a fixed expression but his head could spin, rather he was rod or live or magic third thing I cannot figure out

Wally doesn't have any details regarding his puppet anatomy because he is special like that

Of note:

Julie likely has smth holding up all that hair (please be a fucked up skull please be a fucked up skull)

Poppy is a pretty standard walk-around puppet (she's just Big Bird), but I'm having trouble understanding how a human could fit into Barnaby or Howdy. Then again, 2d artwork of puppets tend to take liberties for the sake of stylization. So if someone were to make them IRL they'd either look really different or utilize tech I don't think was available in the early 70's

Howdy's legs could work on Squidward Spongebob Musical logic. Arms I have no clue, as a live hand he could have multiple people filling up those arms, but as a walk around idk cheap spider costume logic were the lower arms are attached to the upper arms ala a string?

I do not know what to make of Sally needing extra help to hold up other than that's so specific it might become a plot point

Frank.

Okay Frank lacking details or having weird details that stand out is a running theme for him. He has no listed backstory whereas everyone else can say where there were from and who their family is. Every character's first name ends with a long "e" sound whereas Frank is. Frank. (His last name "Frankly" does cover that though). The fact that WHRP lacks any concrete detail on his creation is a story reason, what's the story no clue we are 5% in dudes

Regarding his puppet, he obviously had a fixed frown because puppet but also could spin his head. Now I have absolutely zero clue how you can have the head spin and also have room for the hand for the mouth, unless this is a rod puppet (Rizzo the Rat) where the mouth is moved by some other mechanism. All I can say is I'd suspect Frank to have a very stiff (read: not majority foam) head and body in order to hold up such a feature. If his head can detach, I can imagine a metal ring of sorts that his collar covers up

His arms are a different story. The website not clarifying how his arms work doesn't really mean there is anything particular about them, but I am going to over analyze is anyway dammit

Points for rod hand: arms/hands are slim, inspirations Bert and Mr.Robinson are rod hands, lack of other rod hands/variety reasons

Points for live hand: Sally also has slim hands but is live hand, not all live hands have thick arms (looks at how small Ernie's upper arms are compared to his fore arms), Beaker hasn't been listed as an exact inspiration for Frank but look at him, and most importantly is Poppy. Poppy is noteworthy for being the only walk around puppet without a live hand counter part. As a result of having wings for hands the puppeteer cannot realistically perform any of the baking tasks in her segment. As a result she gets help from Sally, Howdy, Eddie, and Frank. The former 3 are all live hands, and one can assume that because of this Frank could be a live hand as well

And finally I know he's said to not super expressive but my heart says that he would look great with the eyebrow mechanism Bert and other puppets have.

I should point out that puppets from the 90's (Dinosaurs and TMNT come to mind) used more robotics in order to achieve more expression with the characters, but I don't think that kind of tech was common place in the 70's and would apply here.

The big take away is that this post was made for practical reasons; I am just Quite Fond of researching this kind of thing. This will probably not get you any lore, but it could provide context for the characters. I personally suspect that Poppy not being able to fly or perform tasks she swore she could will play a big of her character. In general I think that what other puppets can and cannot accomplish will play into the theme of figuring out who you are. That's the real fun.

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Mean Eddie series. Part one part two

Minors shoo. More angst I'm afraid, jealous Eddie but our boy won't admit it.

💌🫣

How you've managed to avoid Eddie for a full week is anyone's guess but between cheer practice, sleepovers with Chrissy and hanging out with Steve and Robin, it's like a soothing balm for your heartache.

Except at the dead of night when the ache from missing Eddie threatens to overwhelm you. The thing is you're stubborn and you highly doubt Eddie is missing you. Why would he?

Billy Hargrove has also been trying to catch your attention, he's been flirting for the entire week and he's not shy about doing it in front of others either.

It's not like Billy isn't handsome, he is. However you've heard far too many things about him dating multiple girls, being a player. You weren't interested in being another notch on his bedpost.

As your at your locker and attempting not to look Eddie's way, his locker is right across from yours and he's busy chatting to Gareth, discussing the new Hellfire campaign he's planning.

You'd been with Eddie once while he was knee deep in campaign planning, watched as his tongue poked out while he was writing and weaving a new story for the next Hellfire night. He looked so cute and it made you giggle, Eddie smirks amused at your giggles.

"Princess, I said no interruptions if you stayed, I may need to punish you for that" he kissed you then proceeded to tickle you until you were breathless and laughing, Eddie watching you with a soft smile on his face.

It was one of the moments with him where you thought the two of you could be more. Obviously you were wrong.

Billy brings you out of your reverie and you realise he's been standing talking to you for a full minute. Shit. What did he say?

"We could go to the party then somewhere more private babe?" He winks at you and you jump as you hear a locker slam. Eddie's.

Gareth is watching him confused as he gathers up his notes. "Dude, what's up with you?" you tear your eyes away from Eddie and back to an expectancy Billy.

"Sorry, I have other plans with Chrissy" Billy frowns but spots Eddie before he can say anything else.

"Hey man, you got any weed for me? Need some tonight" Eddie's gaze briefly drifts over to you and your heart skips a beat, then he looks away and disappointment curdles in your stomach.

"No, I don't have any for you and your girlfriend" he spits out the word and you freeze. What was up with him? Evidently Billy must be thinking the same thing.

"What's crawled up your ass Munson?" Billy snaps and Eddie's brown eyes meet his, they flash dangerously. He's never been intimidated by Billy and he isn't going to start now.

"Next time you two want to flirt can you do it out of the way of us peasants. You're bringing my lunch up dude" you freeze at Eddie's tone. Seriously what the fuck was up with him?

Before Billy can reply you do. "You're insufferable Eddie. Billy's not my boyfriend. Not that is any of your business" you can feel the anger clawing inside of you and just dare Eddie to say something stupid.

He shrugs and avoids your gaze. "Your love life isn't my concern" he murmurs and you swear you're this close to losing it. You take a deep breath and shake your head.

"Whatever Munson" you're tired of crying about someone who just doesn't care. You walk away but Eddie calls out to you.

"Wait" you wait with baited breath for him to say something, anything. Come on Eddie. But he doesn't, he just stays quiet and you feel another crack in your heart.

"Never mind" whatever he was about to say it's gone now and you curse yourself for daring to hope.

Fuck you Eddie.

...

Stop, you're losin' me

I can't find a pulse

Stop, you're losin' me

Stop, you're losin' me

My heart won't start anymore

For you

'Cause you're losin' me

Taylor swift- You're losing me.

...

I don't want you to lose me, you think through your anger but nothing will ever change so what was the point of hoping.

💌❤️

[buckttommy]

"I married the first girl I dated."

"I think you might mean slept with"

there is. a whole world of implication here. and who would know the intricacies of eddie and shannon's relationship as an outside party better than best friend buck himself and now i have. so many questions. like. like. okay. like. it is very obvious that eddie was in love with shannon. it is equally obvious that they only married because she got pregnant. and now. when i think about their relationship, think about their scenes together, all the things we've seen and all the things we didn't see, i have to wonder: was shannon even in love with him at all? at any point? like. they were friends. they were very obviously friends who fucked around and apparently (obviously) had a very satisfying sex life. but we've often talked about the communication issues between eddie and shannon and how, like, they used their bodies to do all the talking and how unhealthy it was in a dating relationship. but fuck me, i'm starting to think they never even dated. not properly, at least. and that would explain... so much. how ill-fitting they were, how much they struggled, how they could never seem to get on the same page even when they tried. how hesitant eddie was to bring her back into his/christopher's life, like. yeah she abandoned him/them. but when i think about the grace you extend to a spouse whom you know intrinsically (kind of like...eddie...forgiving... no i shan't say) vs. the grace you extend to someone else you love that you maybe don't have that same connection with, it's just like. fuck. you know? like yeah, it was bad enough when i thought they were dating and shannon got knocked up. but if they had just fucked around a couple times? or only went out on a couple dates before having sex? and then they get knocked up and the next thing they know, they're MARRYING each other??? right out of high school????? like. this explains Everything, actually.

[sidekick-hero]

(steddie | teen | 1.4k | cw: blood, the aftermath of a beating | tags: hurt!eddie and protective!steve, running away | @steddielovemonth prompt Love is letting him pick the music by @sparklyslug | @steddiesongfics Tracy Chapman "Fast Car" | AO3)

Someone's banging on his door, the noise so loud that it drowns out Queen blasting from his speakers. His first thought is, "It's back," quickly followed by panic that grips his heart, squeezing it tight as he thinks, "Someone's hurt".

Steve runs to the front door and flings it open before the second thought fully registers, his fears seemingly confirmed when he finds Eddie standing on his porch, fist raised to knock again. The adrenaline pumping through his veins makes everything laser sharp, his mind running a mile a minute as he takes in the man in front of him.

The man who owns his heart and who looks seconds away from collapsing. The dark bruises on his face are a stark contrast to the pallor of his skin, and Steve's stomach drops at the sight of one of those beloved eyes swollen shut. There is blood on Eddie's face, dripping from his nose, which also looks swollen and slightly crooked, and from his mouth, where his lip is split open. He's hunched over, his other arm wrapped around his own middle in a protective grip. 'Please don't let him be hurt any more than this, I can't lose him,' he pleads to a god he doesn't even believe in.

He would beg any deity and any demon for Eddie. His life, his soul, they could have it all if it meant Eddie would be okay.

It's not healthy or well-adjusted or whatever psych-speak there is to say that what Steve feels for Eddie might be fucked up in its intensity. It's not like Steve gives a fuck. He has more important things on his mind.

"Eddie." He wants to say it in a calm and soothing voice, knows that's what Eddie needs to feel safe, but all he manages is a broken whisper, his fear ringing in every syllable.

"Hi baby," his boyfriend says with a smile that turns into a pained grimace before it's fully formed, "sorry for barging in on you like this but I didn't know where else to go."

It breaks Steve's heart to see Eddie like this. The man he knows, the man he loves, is larger than life, with a big grin and an even bigger heart. He shouldn't look like this, so small and still trying to make himself even smaller, and the only thing Steve can do right now is open his arms and let him sink into his body so Steve can hide him away from a world that doesn't deserve someone like Eddie.

Eddie falls right into him, and Steve wraps him in a careful hug until Eddie pushes even closer, obviously needing to be held tight enough that he can fall apart without losing a piece of himself.

They're still on Steve's doorstep, out in the open for anyone to see, but he doesn't care. Steve has a feeling that he won't be in this shithole of a town much longer anyway.

"Oh baby, it's okay, I got you, you're safe here," he coos into Eddie's ear. He wants to ask what happened. He wants to ask what (who) did this and rush upstairs to grab his bat and bash in the skull of whatever (whoever) did this to him.

A pained whimper is all the warning he gets before the weight in his arms grows heavier as Eddie lets himself crumble and break, trusting Steve to hold him through it.

Steve does, almost carrying Eddie to the couch and pulling him onto his lap once they're there, never letting go of him, not even for a second. Once they're both settled, Steve continues to just hold Eddie as he continues to tremble in Steve's arms, silent sobs tearing through his body.

It takes a long time before Eddie slowly lifts his head from where it's nestled against Steve's neck. "I'm sorry," he says again, as if it was ever a hardship for Steve to have Eddie in his arms. As if it's his fault that they live in a world with sharp teeth that likes to sink them into anything soft.

"Don't be, none of this is your fault. Whoever did this to you should be sorry." He doesn't add that they'll be sorry if he has anything to say about it, because he knows that would upset Eddie. That's why Steve keeps those ugly things away from him.

Eddie laughs humorlessly. "I'm pretty sure the only thing they're sorry for is not finishing the job. Some days I think the next time will be the last. That this time they will finish it, finish me. I'm pretty sure that if I don't get out of here soon, I'm going to die here, Steve."

And that's... Steve knows deep down that that's the truth. It's not Eddie being dramatic, like the time he fell to the floor as if Steve had mortally wounded him by refusing to watch the thing with him for the tenth time. It's Eddie speaking a truth that Steve has been trying to hide from them both for months.

Steve knows it's time to make a choice. For himself and for Eddie. For them. Either they leave this town, tonight, or they may never leave it again. Not alive. Because where one goes, the other follows, and Steve knows he can't protect Eddie forever from the hate and violence that bled into the heart of this town long before either of them were born.

"If we leave now, we can be in Indiana before midnight," Steve hears himself say, the decision already made, because the alternative is blood and pain and sorrow.

The kids graduated a few months ago and are about to leave for college. Robin, Nancy and Jonathan are long gone, many miles and just a phone call away. It doesn't matter where they go, any place would be better than here. They have nothing to lose but each other.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"What I'm saying," Steve replies, "is that we can pack up my car right now and be on the highway in about an hour. It's not far to Indy from there. Or Chicago. Hell, if you still wanna go to California, we can do that. I don't care, Eddie. As long as it's with you, we could go to the moon and I'd be happy."

Dark brown eyes search his, one still so swollen Steve wonders if Eddie can see anything with it, the other bloodshot but still beautiful.

"You would do that? Just up and leave everything behind. For me?"

Steve wonders how someone as bright as Eddie (because grades don't make you smart, they both know that) could sometimes be so dense.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." It's not a grand declaration of his undying love, no poetic words as Eddie would find them. Just the simple truth of his irrevocable devotion.

Another searching look before Eddie climbs off his lap and back to his feet. He holds out his hand for Steve to take, and when he does, Eddie pulls him to his feet to kiss him. It's hard, a desperate, hungry edge to it, raw like the blood Steve tastes from the cut in Eddie's lip.

Eddie's lips are red when he pulls away, blood staining them like lipstick. "You even let me pick the music while we drive?"

Wondering if his grin looks as bloodstained and wild as Eddie's, Steve teases, "I wouldn't go that far."

Eddie's eyes (at least the one Steve can see) finally sparkle again, and his grin softens to a gentle smile as he cups Steve's cheek and wipes the blood from his lips. "I love you, Steve Harrington."

"I love you too. You have no idea how much."

"I think I'm starting to."

It's Steve's turn to smile softly at Eddie, pressing a kiss into his palm. "Believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Eddie's grin turns wolfish at Steve's words, breaking the solemn mood. "Just the tip? I think I heard that one before, big boy."

"You're a menace."

Another kiss, another promise ("I'm your menace"), and then they're almost running to Steve's room, hastily packing only what they consider absolutely necessary. After that, they go to Eddie's new trailer to do the same and leave a message for Wayne, explaining what happened and promising to call as soon as possible.

Then they're off, flying down the highway in Steve's car, and when Eddie reaches for the radio, Steve lets him. As if there had ever been any doubt that Steve was going to let Eddie choose the music for every single day of their life together.

With one hand on the wheel and the other arm wrapped around Eddie's shoulder, Steve feels like he's right where he belongs.

[ashwhowrites]

can i please request something with eddie and cheerleader reader? i just love it so much and i basically can’t find any i haven’t already read. maybe something where the reader is judged and hurt by all his friends for being popular at first (cause i love a little angst) but obviously they come around, but really anything you want bc i’m obsessed with your writing and will be happy with anything THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I LOVE CHEERLEADER READER

"wait...Y/N asked you out? The cheerleader? Miss popular? Rich daddy? That Y/N?" Gareth asked, Eddie stood across from him, cheeks red, apparently just got back from being asked out on a date.

"yes! I can't believe it" Eddie exclaimed excitedly, he's had a thing for Y/N for years, and he never once thought she'd look in his direction. But she was, and she was staying put.

"Eddie, are you sure that's a good idea? We know how those popular kids can be" Mike warned, eyes looking back to Y/N, her giggling with her friends. He was worried for Eddie, he didn't want him to get hurt.

"look I know she's popular and I went on countless rants about how they are here to ruin the world, but come on! It's Y/N! I've been praying for a moment like this" Eddie explained, he definitely wasn't going to say no just because his friends didn't seem convinced.

~~

Before hellfire knew it, Eddie and her were together. And always together. She was holding his hand, kissing him against the lockers, wearing his jacket, and sitting with them at lunch. She was everywhere and hellfire couldn't stand it.

Dustin liked her though. She was funny and had a nerdy side. It was easy to tell Eddie adored her. He looked at her like she held the stars personally to shine for him.

"I'm thinking I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend, officially" Eddie delivered the news, seconds before hellfire exited the school

"really? You sure?" Lucas questioned, a worried look in his eyes

"yes. I have no doubt she'll say yes. We have so much fun together. She seems to really like me. It's been a month of dates and kissing. Why would she say no?" Eddie argued. He had his mind set on her. There wasn't any reason why she'd say no.

"it's just are you sure it's genuine? Not a dare?" Gareth brought up, all boys agreeing

"I don't think she's like that. She's going to say yes, good luck" Dustin defended. Eddie sending him a grateful smile

~~

On his way out Gareth found Y/N walking to Eddie's van, just leaving practice as she stood in his jacket.

"Gareth hi!" She cheered as he walked up

"hey, look we need to talk" he wasn't going to let Eddie get hurt, not by someone who could move on way easier than Eddie ever could

"yeah what's up?" She asked worried, swallowing herself in Eddie's jacket as she shivered against the cold

"Eddie is going to ask you to be his girlfriend," her face lit up at the news. Excitement rushed through her as she felt herself ready to break out into her own personal cheer, "but you need to say no"

"wait what?"

"it's just that Eddie doesn't belong in that popular crowd. He thinks he can handle it but he can't. He'll be insecure, uncomfortable, and he won't be himself. Do you want that? Do you want him to have to pretend to be someone else for your little crowd to accept him? " Gareth was digging up anything he could to make her second guess this relationship. He was learning fast that she wasn't quite easy to just push over

"that's not true. My friends already love him. He hangs out with us all the time at parties and sometimes he comes with to my team dinners. Even guys on the basketball team like to talk to him. He gets to be himself " she defended, she wouldn't allow her friends to disrespect Eddie or make him insecure.

"and what about what his friends think of you?" Gareth snapped, he was running out of arguments. Maybe he needed to make her insecure

"what do you mean?" Her hard face cracked slightly. She always feared hellfire didn't like her and she had a feeling it was going to be confirmed.

"we don't like you, none of us. We don't like you hanging around and being attached to Eddie's hip. Soon we'll refuse to be in the same room with you. Making Eddie split his time between his friends and new girlfriend. And that's always a problem down the road, And when it comes down to Eddie picking between us and you, who do you think he's going to pick?" With that he walked away. Smirking to himself as he watched her face fall

~~

"hey gorgeous. How was practice?" She smiled sadly as Eddie walked up to his van. A big smile on his face as he reached to grab her in a hug

She hugged him hard, allowing herself to feel his hard chest against her cheek.

"it was fine. How was the campaign?" Pulling away to look at him. He excitedly talked about it as he got in the car, and the whole way to her house. She listened closely, she loved listening to Eddie talk. He put so much time and creativity into it

Once he pulled up to her house, he grabbed her hands. She had a feeling it was coming, the way he took a deep breath and shyly looked at her

"so I've been thinking about how much I love spending time with you and I really like you. And I want to be with you, like officially. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" She hated how excited he looked. How nervous his hand was holding hers. And how his eyes were so soft. And she knew this was going to be just as hard for her to stay as it will be for him to hear.

"no Eddie. I'm sorry" she choked out, flinging herself out of the car as fast as she could. Slamming the front door behind her and racing to her bedroom.

Eddie stared at the empty passenger seat for a good few minutes before his brain understood what happened. She said no? She actually said no. He swallowed down the bitter taste and reversed out of her driveway. Guess him and Dustin were wrong.

~~

"how did it go?" Dustin asked excitedly as Eddie walked into the lunchroom, finally seeing him

But as he took a closer look, Eddie seemed sad. He didn't have the energetic aura or the childish smile

"she said no"

The table went silent, everyone looking at him and sneaking a look to where she generally sat before she met Eddie

Eddie looked to her table, watching as she played with her plate, looking down

"I'm sorry man" Gareth comforted, laying a hand on Eddie's shoulder

"I just don't know why. I mean we've been together every day for a month. If she didn't like me why would she be around me for so long?" It didn't make sense to Eddie. She looked sad when she said no, and she ran out of the car like it was on fire.

"cheerleaders man" Gareth scoffed

~~

It probably was smart to always be looking at him but she couldn't help it. It's only been two days and she missed him terribly. She hated that she couldn't walk up to him and ask him about his day. Or kiss his lips. Or sit in his van and listen to his music.

He always stared back. Questioning her for saying no but spending her time staring at him.

But she did it for him, she wouldn't make him pick and put his friends in that position. They knew him first, and that's just how it was

~~

Gareth's intentions didn't work out well for him. Eddie was sad and snapping at everyone. He grew even more insecure, his confidence was taking hits and he just shut down.

"I mean I know she's way out of my league but I just thought maybe you know? God I'm an idiot. I'm a freak and live in a trailer, of course she didn't want to be official. Probably embarrassed to call me her boyfriend. Meet her family"

Gareth felt guilt eating at him the more Eddie talked. He just made Eddie doubt himself even more about everything.

He needed to fix what could have been amazing.

~~

Y/N was walking out of the gym when she spotted Gareth, a small smile on her lips as she began to walk passed him

"wait! Can we talk?" She tensed at his voice, turning around

"about what?" She asked quietly. She needed to go home before she saw Eddie. It's been getting too hard

"I wanted to apologize. I made all that shit up. Eddie is my best friend and I just wanted to protect him. But all I did was hurt him and hurt a girl that seems to really care about him" Gareth apologized

"thank you for your apology" she said with a nod, going to turn back around

"wait! Please talk to him. He really likes you and he's hurting"

She kept her back to him but nodded her head, walking away

Gareth felt himself smile when she turned to left, not the direction of the parking lot

~~

Eddie cleaned up the remainder pieces of the campaign when someone knocked on the door

"open"

He didn't bother to look up, zipping up his backpack when a hand touched his arm

He snapped his eyes up and was across from Y/N

"hey Eddie" she said quietly

"um hey" he whispered, his body was on fire from the smallest touch. He didn't know why she was here but he didn't want to ask her to leave

"I have a small confession about why I said no"

Her eyes were soft but he felt like her words were a punch to his gut. He was once again reminded she said no. She didn't want to be his girlfriend

"do tell" he smirked, trying to lighten the atmosphere, make it less serious and tense

"Gareth kinda pressured me into saying no. He admitted that none of your friends like me, which I get being popular and all, and he said it would divide your time. At the end of the road you'd have to pick so I just thought it would be easier to beat you to the punch. I'm sorry, you don't know how bad I wanted to say yes. And how bad I still do. But hellfire is your main source of happiness, I couldn't ruin that" her hand made its way to his hand, holding it loosely giving him the chance to let it go. But he gripped it harder.

"I never knew he did that. I'm sorry. You are nothing like what they think you are, that's why I like you. At the end of the day I want to be with people who want me to be happy. If they can't accept you or be happy for me then they aren't as good of friends as I thought they were. Gareth and I are best friends, we'll make it work. But I'm not going to let another person decide for us" he cupped her jaw softly, smiling down at her

She smiled at his words, finally feeling something other than sadness from the last few days

"should we do this thing Munson?"

"oh definitely" he laughed, kissing her softly, moving his lips gently against hers

He pulled away with a quick peck

Speaking against her lips, "I'll deal with Gareth later, right now I need to scream in the parking lot that you are my girlfriend"

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming

@eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: Baking Muffins vs. Baking Cookies

Since it aired, I've posted several times that 6x13 "Mixed Feelings" was my favorite episode of season 6 and it was the finale for me. I'm not sure why 6x14 - 6x18 ended or played out the way they did but I still believe there was a reason for 6x13 to air when it did and why it was before all the BS that happened afterwards.

I've watched all six of Buck's and Eddie's, Buck's and Chris' and the Buckley Diaz Family's scenes numerous times and every time I do, I find something that was a callback to previous episodes. I've already done a post on the significance of Buck bringing cookies to Eddie's house in 3x11 compared to him baking them with Chris in 6x13 (linked here) but this post is different because it parallels the scene Buck had with Chris from 6x13 to another scene Chris had with one of Eddie's previous relationships.

The scene from 6x13 with Buck and Chris included some parallels and callbacks to the scene from 5x3 with Eddie, Chris and Ana.

Baking muffins vs. Baking cookies

First, in 5x3 after the blackout, Eddie went home to BREAKUP WITH ANA. He was there with her and Chris after she baked enough muffins to feed a classroom full of children. But in 6x13, Eddie WASN'T THERE and he left their son with his second dad while they baked cookies for Chris' class. Reminder, when Eddie met Ana, she was Chris' teacher but in season 3 SHE DIDN'T TELL EDDIE HOW TO HELP CHRIS SKATEBOARD BUT BUCK DID! They worked together to help Chris do something he obviously wanted to do even though Ana started telling Eddie about novels🙄. Also, in 6x13, Buck specifically said they needed to make enough cookies for Chris' whole class. Eddie just dipped like he did in 3x1 after he dropped Chris off with "his Buck" and was probably like, "It's cool because our son (his and Buck's) is with his other dad, so I don't need to be there."

The Kitchens

In 5x3, when Eddie and Ana went into the kitchen, it was a MESS! A big mess to say the least. She had stuff everywhere like she was a brand-new cook or some BS but everyone knows she wasn't since she baked two cakes in 4x13 for Carla's birthday, therefore the STATE OF THE KITCHEN SPOKE VOLUMES about her relationship with Eddie. However, in 6x13, Buck's kitchen was ORGANIZED AND CLEAN. Buck and Eddie's relationship functions like a well-oiled machine. It always has ever since they removed a live grenade from Charlie's leg in 2x1.

In 6x13, Buck specifically said, "So whenever I cook, I like to measure out all my ingredients". But in 5x3, it looked like Ana didn't measure anything. She just baked and left the mess for someone else to clean up.

Buck was working with Chris the same way he did every other time him and Chris were together. Here are some examples, in 3x2-3x3 after the Tsunami, in 3x12 when Eddie and Buck built Chris an adaptable skateboard, in 4x8 when Chris ran away to Buck's loft, in 5x13 when Chris called Buck during Eddie's breakdown and in 5x14 when Buck helped Chris with his homework. The look on Eddie's face in 5x3 before he told Ana "Maybe you should go home first" said it all. He didn't want her there and he never called her "his Ana" like he called Buck "his Buck".

Chris' comment and question

Finally, Chris said "Let's make brownies next" in 5x3 but Ana's reply was "I think we need to clean that kitchen first". She made the mess but she wanted Chris to help her clean it up. But in 6x13, Chris asked, "Can we have cookies for dinner?" and Buck replied, "Well, I thought maybe we'd have some steak and then cookies". He didn't suggest Chris clean up the mess because THERE WASN'T ONE! Reminder Buck's kitchen was already clean even though Ana left Eddie's messy.

The difference between Ana and Buck is BUCK'S ALWAYS BEEN SHOWN TO BE CHRIS' SECOND PARENT! She played the role as the "NICE" girlfriend who was a "God send" but she was NEVER going to be there long since Buck's the person who's been raising Chris with Eddie for years.

Bonus: In 5x2 Buck told Eddie to breakup with Ana and he did in 5x3🙃.

Will Buck and Eddie FINALLY become a CANON couple in season 7 or will the show keep throwing one dimensional women at them instead of just letting them be together? Only the showrunners, writers and producers know the answers to that question.

[taintedcigs]

𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍: can you do a blurb with eddie where eddie and reader are friends but SO OBVIOUSLY into each other and so like nancy/robin/steve or someone else sneakily sets them up in a situation where they admit their feelings 🤭 also congrats on 1k my love 🫶🏻

idiots in love

pairing: eddie munson x reader

word count: 1.1k+

warnings: nothing rlly, just some tooth-aching fluff!, and cheesy!

a/n: i certainly can leah ily sm mwah! thank u for this and thank uu!!! and also i just wrote a very similar fic to this its like u read my mind lmaooo (but ill make this one different from that one omg!!) also sorry i got very carried away lmao!

join my 1k celebration!

Everyone knew you and Eddie had a thing for each other, apparently everyone but you two idiots did.

Robin first noticed it when you found out about Eddie and that girl from history class had a date, and you freaked out about it, you spent the whole night uneasy, and the next day asking Eddie about how the date went, a smile and relief washed over your face when Eddie told you the date was awful. Robin tried to tell you that you were jealous, but you masked it as being an 'overprotective friend'.

And Steve first noticed how Eddie truly felt about you when he got high with him, Eddie spent hours and hours talking about you to Steve, and at some point, it turned into babbles about how pretty you are, how soft your hair is, and how perfect your smile is. Steve tried to tell Eddie that he had feelings for you but Eddie dismissed it entirely.

Those were the first two incidents, and now Robin and Steve could count about a hundred more where the two of you idiots were too dense to see your feelings for one another.

So with Dustin and Nancy's help, the four of them came up with an idea on how to get the two of you idiots to admit your feelings to one another, Steve and Dustin would push Eddie to his limit and Robin and Nancy would push you to your limit.

It all started innocently at first, Nancy and Robin slightly mentioned Eddie might be going on another date, your ears perked up at that, but you pretended to be dismissive, then they started talking about how they wish they had a partner who regularly bought them flowers, watched movies with them, taught them how to play guitar, their suggestions were all specific about the things you and Eddie did, but you failed to notice that because the whole time they were talking, the only thing you could think about was. 'Shit, I do those things with Eddie!'

Then it all came to a breaking point when they asked you what your type was, and without being able to stop yourself, you said, 'Curly, bit of a metalhead, and a bit nerdy.' You shrugged. But Robin and Nancy slightly smirked to each other.

"Oh... kinda like Eddie, right?" Nancy asked nonchalantly, and they stayed silent, before the metaphorical lightbulb exploded in your head.

'Fuck... I like him, don't I?" You asked them turning to face them now, and they almost squealed at the realization, talking you up so that you could immediately confess your feelings to Eddie and save him from the imaginary date.

Meanwhile, Dustin and Steve weren't so subtle, they slightly mentioned you having an imaginary date as well, and when Eddie seemed so distraught physically, they knew they didn't have to do much to get him to confess. Steve and Dustin pretended to play a game of 'fast questions' where they bombarded Eddie with simple questions, and then asked him questions such as, 'Who's the smartest in the gang? Who is the most annoying in the gang?' then as Eddie was getting mindless about the questions, Dustin asked, 'Who would you wanna date?' and when Eddie without hesitation, said your name, Dustin and Steve gave each other a look, and when they stayed silent, Eddie started cursing.

"Holy shit." The realization quickly hit him. "I... I fucking like her, don't I?" He asked, and Steve and Dustin nodded their head so quickly that it gave Eddie a spin. So then Steve and Dustin encouraged Eddie to go over to the imaginary restaurant you were supposed to be in to stop your imaginary date.

When the two of you were gone, all four of them quickly made their way to Enzo's, to see if you two idiots were actually going to manage it.

When you finally made it to Enzo's you frantically searched for Eddie, who at the same time was frantically searching for you, when the two of you spotted each other, you pointed your finger at him, and so did he.

"Eds!" You rushed over to his side, "Oh, honey." His voice was soft when he rushed over to you.

When your gazes met one another, there was a pause, almost as if the two of you were still hesitant, but the way your dreamily looked at him, and the way his honey-glazed eyes looked at you, was enough to make the two of you confess.

"I like you." The two of you said in unison, and both of you were breathless from all the running around, the confession made the two of you stare at other dumbfounded.

"You?" Now the two of you pointed to each other, once again talking in unison and now you couldn't help but giggle.

"I've- I've liked you for a while now... but I couldn't get myself to admit it, because I thought you didn't like me..." You murmured, now your gaze intended on the ground and Eddie shook his head quickly.

"What?" He asked baffled, he quickly got closer to you, his soft hand tilting your chin to get you looking at him. Eddie had so clearly been in love with you, and your words were making his heartache, if he hadn't been such an idiot, the two of you could have been together for a long time now.

"You- you never asked me out... you just asked out that girl from history class, and I just assumed you didn't like me." You gazed into his eyes, they were glimmering with disappointment, disappointment in himself for not realizing anything.

"Oh my god, I'm such an idiot, I only asked her out because I thought you didn't like me!" He exclaims and now you feel like an idiot too.

"But I pretended not to like you because I thought you didn't like me and wanted other girls!" You exclaim back, hand still pointing toward him, and you can't help but start giggling, and so does Eddie.

Meanwhile, Steve, Dustin, Nancy and Robin watch outside impatiently.

"Are those idiots... laughing?" Steve asked as the three others' head perked up immediately. Nancy scoffed, "Oh, I'm actually going to kill them this time, I swear to god I'm going to mush their head against another!" And before Nancy could angrily storm off Robin held her back.

"Oh, shit, wait!" She pointed towards the two of you again, you two were now leaning against each other's faces, Steve, Dustin, Robin, and Nancy treating this like their own little show, watched excitedly.

You couldn't help but blink slowly when Eddie licked his lips, his gaze intent on your soft lips, everything was happening too fast but you were more than ready for him to kiss you.

Eddie's nose softly bumped into yours, and you didn't hesitate to close the gap between the two of you, when his plump lips met your soft ones, you couldn't help but let a whimper out, and Eddie smiled into your lips.

He pulled away from initial shock, his forehead pressed against yours. "We were such idiots, huh?" He asked, a playful laugh on his lips.

You giggled, nodding, "Well, at least we figured it out now." You gave him a warm smile, unaware of your best friends who had orchestrated the whole thing.

also this is what i had in mind when i wrote the confession scene btw:

[acowardinmordor]

Rumor Has It

Found this in my drafts and don't really remember writing it. I know it was prompted by a post I saw, but I can't find it . The only other thing I know is true in this AU is that Steve is not aware he isn't straight.

-

Eddie didn't trust the rumors that plagued Hawkins. He heard them just like everyone else, sometimes he'd chase down more details if it interested him, but he didn't trust them at first contact the way that most of the denizens of the town seemed to. The ones that faded away in a few days were obviously fake. The ones that lasted weeks probably had some grain of truth. But this one, now six months old, but still only whispered about, should have been counted as truth. If it lasted that long, it had to be true. Eddie still didn't trust this one.

Not when it was a rumor that was, quite literally, the stuff of his dreams.

Steve Harrington was gay.

According to rumor.

The story started sometime after he got dumped by Wheeler and got his shit rocked by Hargrove. Eddie didn't know where it came from, but he heard it said for the first time a few weeks later. Hargrove never said that it was why Harrington got beat to hell, but he gave a nasty grin if the topic came up that implied a hell of a lot about Harrington on the rebound.

And Eddie didn't trust that. He didn't trust it when Tommy H started telling tales from their freshman year. Or when some of the guy's attempted-hookups started talking.

Eddie didn't trust it because it spread fast, stuck around, had plenty of sources, but it also never got said to Harrington's face. And if there was one thing that Eddie was sure of, it was that no one in that damn town had a problem throwing out slurs if it was even possible someone was different.

According to the rumor mill, that was because Harrington's dad had a connection with the mayor and enough money to bring the police down on anyone that started something. So it remained a rumor, remained in the background, and Eddie remained unconvinced.

Until Eddie went to the mall.

Embarrassing uniforms to earn minimum wage was not evidence. Though it was eye candy.

A different facet of the rumor said that Harrington Sr made Steve get the job as a punishment for the facade of heterosexuality slipping. So, no, the ridiculous, awful, wonderful, slutty little sailor suit didn't count as evidence of the guy's sexual or romantic preferences.

The lip gloss, on the other hand...

And maybe some eyeliner and mascara, but Eddie hadn't gotten close enough to be sure that wasn't his imagination.

And even then! That wasn't proof. A straight guy could use makeup. They didn't, they flipped out at the very concept, but in theory, it was possible.

Eddie wanted to know. Nay, he needed to know. His dreams, and his junior-year-crush demanded answers. Eventually, the temptation of fruit of knowledge grew to be too much.

Slipping into line behind a trio of girls, Eddie watched as Steve deployed the charming smile that had melted the hearts of half the school. Plus Eddie's. He watched it fail to work, catastrophically, and after six months of hearing this rumor and resisting the lure of believing it, he figured: fuck it, go for broke.

If it was bullshit, he'd get to be the one who broke the news to the guy, which might finally be enough to kill that stupid crush of his when Steve flipped out at the insult of the implication.

On the other hand, if it was true....

"Hi, welcome to Scoops Ahoy!"

"Well, hi there, sailor boy," Eddie flirted.

-

This is a hot potato fic. Continue it, steal it, whatever you please.

[speckle-meow-meow]

Reader was taken kidnapped by Wally and taken to his world. But what Wally didn't expect is that all the other characters would start to remember memories with the reader as a child and discover the truth of their colorful world.

( Now it's up to you to decide what will happen! Will they help the reader get back to the real world or will they become so attached to the reader that it would help Wally keep them there with them FOREVER. )

Aww fuck anon you gave MEE control over an ending.... WELP LET'S SEE HOW THIS GOES BABY!!

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏'~

'Welcome home' was your favorite cartoon growing up, it was so bright and colorful something most children love.

One of your favorite things about the show was the characters talking to you.

One in particular was Wally darling. The resident artist.

He taught you to draw and paint.

Eventually years rolled by and the show shut down, but Wally and his friends remained. Their franchise and lives were left to surf the web, being uncovered and then forgotten by so many people.

But Wally's friends didn't mind because everytime someone would close their tabs, they would immediately forget who or what they were talking about and immediately go do something else.

But Wally. Wally would always remember. He remembered every child. Every adult. And every pet that he and his neighbors have seen.

And one special neighbor that he would never forget was 𝐲𝐨𝐮!

As the minutes passed with you scrolling through social media you discovered a website that was trying to somehow restore 'Welcome home'

You went to the website and saw the many people (puppets) that you grew up with.

You remember your mother recording some -if not all- the episodes of 'Welcome home's that aired. So you went to your attic and dig them up

You watched them all

And eventually Wally noticed you and remembered you...

His little neighbor all grown up

His bestest friend

He had to bring you into his world he couldn't lose you

Not again.

So that's what he did...

Now moving on to some of the characters povs of the situation:

Wally: obviously since Wally brought you here he'd never want to let you go, he wouldn't change his mind especially with homes influence

Frank: when you arrived in welcome home Frank was the first out of all puppets to gain memories of you, at first he'd be extatic to know that his little student was back. But he soon realized that it wasn't right to keep you here so he'd help you to leave.

Barnaby: Barnaby is the third to remember you because of how much fun you, Wally, and him had. Barnaby would try to help you escape but only a little bit since Wally keeps very close tabs on him.

Howdy: now our darling little Catapillar is another who would help you leave, he knows his morals and would risk it all to help his favorite employee.

Julie: now Julie is smart but dense at the same time, shes very excited to have another neighbor that she wouldn't even notice that you don't belong here. She's just glad to have her hair buddy back, so she probably wouldnt be a big help, but maybe just maybe if you were able to convince her (maybe with Franks help) you could get her on your side!

Poppy: poppy the worrywart of the crew she definitely remembers you, she would remember when you'd be covered in flour helping her bake. Due to how much of a worrywart she is she'd definitely keep you in their world so you don't get hurt so probably not the best person to go for help, but she is the nicest so if you arnt able to leave you can go to her and she'd comfort you.

Sally: Sally like Julie is very excited to have you back, she's not dense she knows your not from here but she's so excited to have someone else help her in the plays and what not, but like Julie you can probably talk her into helping you escape

And last but certainly not least Eddie: he's very Forgetful and also some what delusional. He wouldn't let you go, he wants to keep you there! He remembered you after a couple of days and remembers how much fun you both had!

Wally keeps all of his friends under a close watch some more than others, and home helps as well... Home probably influences Wally to do the things he does.

The best move is to gain wallys trust to go outside. The sad thing is, is that when you leave he always has an eye and ear out for you at all times. You'd probably have to talk to the others using notes, Wally can't see through others eyes nor can he see inside their houses so that's the best chance you'd have at escaping

𝐒𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫... 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐦𝐦𝐦?

𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲

𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤

𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐲

𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐲

𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞

𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐲

𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞

𝐎𝐫

𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲?

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠~ 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐦~...

{Thank you anon for requesting this! It was a joy to write. Sorry if it doesn't have everything or quite the ending you were expecting or just no ending at all I kinda went wild with this one! But as always hearts and reblogs are always welcomed along with questions, requests, and comments!!}

[munsonsprincess11111]

The stains

Eddie munson x reader

Summary: kind of like a part 2 to secrets. Edd returns to school once he's healed you do to. Your sat at the hellfire table and dustin has a question.

Holding Eddie's hand you walk through the cafeteria. This is both of your first day back since everything that happened with Eddie. Eddie stayed off to recover. You stayed off to take care of Eddie.

"Look who's back!" Gareth shouts. Eddie nods. "Dustin told us u was nearly bear chow." Gareth says, leaning in his chair. Ah, yes, the lie everyone agreed on. If anyone asked during Eddie's time hiding, trying to work out how to approach the cops and explain who it was, he was attacked by a bear but was found by a passer-by.

"Yup, no one can resist me, not even bears." He says, pulling a chair out for you and then himself, his left arm being in a sling due to how bad the cuts were on that arm. You both sat. Everyone was talking to Eddie about everything he had missed. You sat quietly, just observing.

Dustin was sat opposite u eating. He locked eyes with you, and a look of realisation washed over his face. He choked on what he was eating, and everyone looked at him. He grabbed his water and drunk some. Taking a deep breath. "You OK dust-" you attempt to ask but are cut off by him pointing a finger at you and almost shouting.

"Your the reason for that stains oh my god ew ew ew." He says in utterly disgust. You look at him confused as does Eddie and everyone else. "Dude... what." Eddie askes raising a brow.

"Robin told me the stains on your mattress where obviously from you doing you know what. AND IT WAS OBVIOUSLY WITH MY SISTER OH MY GOD!" Dustin explains freaking out. Your jaw drops eyes going wide. It's now Eddie's turn to choke on his food.

"Why have u seen Eddie's mattress..." Gareth askes. Dustin looks at Gareth.

"Me and Robin dragged it into the living room for him when he got all busted so Wayne could keep an eye on him." He says. It was a good cover you'll give him that.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." You say standing up, getting your bag, and walking off. You walk to your locker and open it. Starring into it aimlessly. You only now remember the first time everyone was in the upside down, and the kids used the mattress to safely land you all as you didn't go back with them all.

You feel a hand on your hip and turn to see Eddie. "Hey you." HE says kissing your neck. You lean back into him groaning. "It's not that bad baby." HE says kissing your neck still.

"It is." You reply leaning your head onto his ok shoulder back still to his chest.

"Ok it is but we're dating its normal hunny n besides atleast he didn't assume I'd done it with someone else." Eddie tries to comfort you continuing to kiss your neck.

You stand like that as Eddie sways you slightly. "i love you." You mumble, closing your eyes, still leaning on him. "I love you too." HE says, kissing u. "Come on, 2 more classes n, then we go home." Eddie says as you stand back up straight, remembering you're in school.

"Mk but you gotta cuddle me when we're home." You say as Eddie wraps his good arm over your shoulders. "Ofcourse."

-

Your sat on Eddie's bed at his headboard. He's sat on the end of his bed, and dustins sat on Eddie's desk chair in front of him. Their talking about God knowing what when Dustin turns the conversation completely

"It's kinda weird sitting in here now." He says looking at Eddie. Eddie looks at him confused. "You know cause you guys have done stuff in here. I'm never sitting on your bed again by the way." HE says crossing his arms over his chest.

"Good means when you leave I don't gotta worry about if your ass has been on my pillow." Eddie says throwing himself backwards onto his bed tilting his head up and smiling at you.

"Y/ns arse is on your pillow right now." Dustin says, gesturing to you.

"It's different she's My girlfriend what's mine is her what's hers is mine." Eddie says scooting backwards up the mattress until his back finds in-between your legs. He lays back putting his arm under your leg as you stroke his head.

"This is weird." Dustin says shaking his head.

"Solution leave. Your in my trailer. In my bedroom. With my stained mattress. Either keep talking D&D or shuddup. We all had to deal with you being 10 times worse when suzie came to visit." Eddie says pointing at Dustin as you smirk. "Touchè" Dustin answers.

-

A few hours go by and your mum comes to pick you and dustin up. You ask to stay at Eddie's and she says it's fine. So here you lay on Eddie's bed with him pretty much on top of you. His head in your neck. Good hand on your side. Your legs open to welcome him as you stroke his head. His eyes are closed and you can feel him breathing on your neck.

"Tonight could be a whole lot more interesting of I didn't fuck my arm up." Eddie complains lifting his casted arm. He had taken the support off about 20 minutes ago knowing its gotta go straight back on in the morning.

"Mhm. Ever thought maybe I like just laying like this?" You mumble closing your eyes.

He kisses you sweetly. "And that's why I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."

"Wow the princess finally found something else to say I'm impressed."

"Shut up before I tickle you munson."

"God your trouble aren't you."

"I've been told once or twice."

A few more sleepy kisses where exchanged snd you both drift of into a peaceful sleep. Eddie's good arm over you and him laying on his bad knowing he's gonna complain in thr morning. And you cuddled up close to him. What more could either of you want.

[skepsiss]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Eddie seeing the patches from his old vest onto a new less ruined one after I made that post about his PT—so my prompt for you is Steve helping Eddie resew his new vest (but he’s not really helping he’s just kind of there for kisses and emotional support hehe)

I took a little more into the "actually helping" realm, but it's still fluffy sweet. Other people can send me prrrommmppptts too! --

Eddie had never done something like this with someone else before. Sewing his ripped jeans, bags, and battle-vest had been a solo venture thus far, but it felt strangely intimate to be getting help with his new vest. The old one wasn't salvageable, but Eddie had managed to save some of the patches and pins to start again. This wasn't his first battle vest, and it probably wouldn't be the last, but he had hoped to hang onto his old denim. It wasn't to be though, so Eddie had thrifted a second (or third) hand denim jacket and ripped the sleeves off to start all over again.

"What's this one?" Steve asked, handing over a pin Eddie had gotten from hanging outside a metal show he couldn't get tickets for.

"Bad Brains," Eddie explained, taking the yellow button and running a thumb over the red lightning bolt that streaked across the front. "From New York, I think. I traded for it; no one really plays their stuff on the radio."

Steve nodded like he was going to retain any of that as Eddie debated over where to stick the pin. He settled on the front right pocket and then turned the vest over.

"You want to help sew the back patch?" Eddie asked, grabbing the swath of fabric he had cut from an old band-T. He hadn't been able to get the blood out of his old DIO patch, and while 'the bloody look' was cool, something about it made Eddie squirm. He didn't like that it was Steve's blood, or that the stain had made part of the album art unreadable.

So, DIO was retired, and Eddie instead centred his new Megadeth patch on the back of his vest.

Eddie handed over a needle and thread to Steve and then cut himself his own length. He strung the needle easily and tied it off before setting to work. Steve seemed to be taking his sweet time, and Eddie eventually glanced at him to see what the hold up was.

Steve was still gingerly trying to thread the needle, his brows pinched with frustration.

Eddie snorted lightly before turning the vest around so it was facing Steve.

"Here, you continue my line, and I'll finish this," Eddie teased gently, finding Steve's inability to thread a needle charming.

"Is it too late to say I've never done this before?" Steve asked, picking up the needle and thread Eddie had left behind and stabbing into the fabric.

"I can tell," Eddie chuckled, easily starting to work again. "You don't have to, you know. I don't mind just having some company."

"No, it's alright," Steve said slowly, obviously concentrating as he tried to stick the needle up through the patch. "What're boyfriend for?"

Eddie felt a syrupy smile spread across his face at Steve's words, his stomach tumbling around inside of him. He was still getting used to Steve calling them 'boyfriends' and Eddie couldn't help how giddy it made him each time. Sure, it had been nearly a month, but it still made Eddie feel like he was a blushing fifteen-year-old.

"If you insist… love," Eddie said, keeping his gaze down. He was trying out a new pet-name and he wasn't really sure if it was pushing things a bit too far. Love or My Love was such an intimate title, but Eddie had been thinking of it for a while now. He saw Steve pause at the use of the new nickname though, and waited for him to say something.

"Ow---Jesus," Steve said instead, and Eddie looked up to see him holding his hand up, a ruby-red bead of blood forming on his finger.

"Ah…" Eddie said lamely, smiling still as he reached over for Steve's hand. "Sticking yourself hurts."

"Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious," Steve bitched, letting Eddie take his hand.

"I thought you'd be a bit more durable… you know, with the whole… missing a chunk of your stomach, thing," Eddie teased gently, putting his lips to the wound on Steve's finger much the same way his mother would have when he was a child.

Steve didn't reply to Eddie's comment, instead sitting there quietly and letting Eddie suck on the tip of his finger.

"You want a band-aid?" Eddie asked, pulling back just a bit and then cheekily pressing his tongue against Steve's finger, holding it there with his mouth open.

"Yeah, a band-aid----what are you doing? Don't be weird," Steve chuckled, still not resisting Eddie's grip.

Eddie quirked a brow at him and pulled back, before huffing a laugh.

"Look who you're talking to. Weird is practically stamped on my forehead," he scolded, before licking Steve's finger again for good measure.

"Alright, alright, fair. We get it, Count Dracula, can we grab that band-aid?"

Eddie chuckled again and then scrambled to his feet, trotting off toward the bathroom, but not before turning around and sticking his fingers in front of his lips to replicate fangs.

"I vant---to suck yer ddiiiiccck," he teased, smiling wide when he got an honest belly laugh from Steve.

[aladygrieve]

Y'all know I love Tommy and I want him to stick around long-term. But you know what would be a great way to break him and Buck up, if and when it needs to happen? Buck wants kids and Tommy doesn't.

We all know how much Buck loves children, especially babies. His first big save was the baby all the way back in the pilot, and the look on his face when he delivered his biological child said it all. At this point the only coherent resolution to Buck's series-wide arc (including and especially the idea that he's "defective spare parts") is to present him with a child of his own - specifically, an infant.

Obviously he's been acting as a second dad to Christopher for years, but Chris is almost grown up now, and Buck never got the chance to know him when he was really little. That man needs to be a father, and he needs a baby.

It's looking likely at this point that Buck's endgame love interest is going to be a man, whether that's Tommy or...someone else. Maybe the friend he donated for could even be the surrogate for another biological child of his, this time one he gets to keep.

Meanwhile, Tommy is in his late 30s or early 40s, which is getting up there to start having babies. We don't know a ton about his backstory yet, but Lou has headcanoned that he had a difficult and unstable upbringing. It wouldn't be hard to build up a narrative that kids are a hard no for him.

And that's not something you can compromise on. There is no middle ground between having a child and not having one. This could bring Buck and Tommy's goals into conflict without having to put them in personal conflict - which is how most of Buck's other relationships ended. It wouldn't be Buck getting abandoned, or betrayed, or fizzling out with someone he was never that compatible with in the first place. The tension between him and Tommy would be realistic, grounded and mature. It would mark the culmination of what Buck understands as his true coming of age.

It would probably also mean he and Tommy could stay friends, something Buck's never properly done with any of his exes (I know he and Abby technically parted as friends, but in practice she was completely out of his life from the beginning).

Tommy's the perfect person for Buck to explore this new facet of himself with. Setting up having kids as a fundamental difference between them would mean what's already a beautiful depiction of Buck's first queer relationship could end on a bittersweet note without turning fully sour.

And if they do decide to set him up with Eddie, well - it's kind of perfect.