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#oh and Robin Hill!
starlooove · 3 months
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I’ve said this before but y’all think black people and writers are fucking stupid when you lie about Duke being boring or hard to get into or whatever. Like black writers who care about black characters KNOW what they’re writing and who’s gonna see it. They HAVE to justify the inclusion of these characters from the jump with different stories or dynamics or they’d get buried immediately which is still happening despite their best efforts, look at Orpheus. Like it’s so disingenuous to say Duke being there doesn’t make sense in any capacity because it HAD to make sense because he KNEW he was writing a black character into a white space. Duke Thomas or Luke/Jace Fox or Onyx Adams or Gavin King could NEVER just show up at dicks door then put on the costume all whilst making fun of the dead kid and be taken seriously! They could NEVER have their personality just be “relatable” for a good chunk of years, get carried by their friend groups, and then have contradiction on contradiction stacked on their ideals and still be called the best character! They could NEVER get the 2nd longest Robin run (in character bc I have some shit to say on how Damian is being written rn) and still be called most hated! We KNOW we have to work hard when we want black stories out, we KNOW we have to have a reason for them to be there! Y’all acting like they’re just shoved in and you HAVE to like them is stupid as hell and a fucking lie I’m tired of it.
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pallases · 9 months
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tagged by @permanentreverie ty lindsay! <3
three non-romantic duos: wes and nora from the girls i’ve been, cinder and thorne from the lunar chronicles, nik and ella from the illuminae files
a ship that might surprise others: uh. kerejean magbe i don’t think ive posted abt them on here but i like the idea of them (after some heavy distance btwn kevin and jean post nest extraction for them both to grow)
last song: undertale dogsong music box
last film: barbie island princess,,
currently reading: the lost world by michael crichton
currently watching: not really anything rn but teen wolf was the last show i watched. also pjo but im behind
currently consuming: peanut butter and jelly
currently craving: apple w more peanut butter
tagging: @deadpoets @comeangelsofunknown @worthyking @delilahsbard @exy101 @sunsetcurveauto
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uselessnbee · 2 years
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when blue meets yellow in the west?? blue and yellow being byler colors?? the aroace flag colors being shades of blue and yellow?? aroace byler confirmed??
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strawbuddy-luv · 6 days
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Trans Tim off handedly mentioning random things that just confuse people more and more because he never told them he was trans (only Bruce and Alfred know)
Tim: "For the mission I'm thinking I'll go undercover, but it'll take some work to hide the bruises I got earlier. They're everywhere"
Dick: "Oh I think Steph is free right now!"
Tim: "...Ok?"
Dick: "Don't worry I'm sure she'll help you out with this! "
Tim: "That's awesome but I don't think I'll need help. I know how to use makeup."
Dick: "Really-? Ohhh, yeah your public image is like, way more public than ours. That must be tiring, having to hide the bruises all the time."
Tim: "Well yeah but I knew how to use makeup before that. For like, galas as a kid and stuff"
Dick: "...yeah..."
-----
Steph: -Complaining about a man- "And then he said "Oh you should smile more" like "you look like you don't want to be here" like what- what the fuck-??? Maybe I fucking don't dude."
Tim: "Oh yeah I hate when they do that. Like you've spent the entire time bitching about the consistency of snails, I can close my mouth for a few seconds."
Steph: "..."
Tim: "...What-?"
Steph: "Well- I mean yeah but- you know I have to deal with it like...way more, and it's just a bit weird that like, you as a guy are, I dunno, trying to relate? I mean you don't have to deal with it litreally everyday"
Tim: "Well yeah not anymore, but, you know...I still did."
Steph: :...What-"
-----
Tim: -Resting against one of the rooftop ledges-
Jason: "Woah, I can't believe it, Red Robin, slacking. What would Bruce do if he saw this!"
Tim: "Fuck off, it's just period cramps." -Jumps off the edge of the building-
Jason: "Yeah whatever Timblina...
Your fucking what-"
-----
Bruce: "And for this mission, we'll be needing someone for the Caroline disguise, but we already know who that is so-"
Dick: "Wait does Steph actually know how to fight in heels-??"
Bruce: "...N-"
Steph: "Yeah Bruce, I mean, you could at least actually ask me before volunteering me to go fight crime in that dress."
Bruce: "You-"
Jason: "I mean no offense, but literally who else would do it? Cass isn't here right now and I don't think any of us are willing to get a boob job for the mission"
Bruce: "No one's getting a boob job-"
Steph: "Yeah! This is bat tech, Bruce probably has ultra realistic titties in everyone's color and size! Jason you wouldn't even need an attachment."
Jason: "I don't think Caroline Hills has fifty gun shot wounds and muscles the size of most those guys heads."
Steph: "Yeah bu-"
Bruce: "None of that will be necessary because none of you" -Pointing at the right side of the table- "Will be going. No one at this table will be needing any prosthetics...Or boob jobs."
Steph: "...Ok but who the fuck is going then-"
Bruce: "Tim."
The entire table: "..."
Steph: "Tim are you really willing to put on boobs for this-"
Dick: "I don't think that's the best idea-"
Jason: "You just said no prosthetics- Oh this'll be fucking rich"
Tim: "...
I...wouldn't need a boob job?? Or prosthetics?"
Jason: "Timbo, that dress is a pretty low cut, and, no offense, your training hasn't given you that many enhancements."
Tim: "...Thank you for the binding compliment?"
Dick: "The what-"
Tim: "Guys I- I already have boobs-"
The Table: "..."
Steph: "WHAT-"
Dick: "You do-?!"
Jason: "Bruce if you made Tim get boobs for some weird mission-"
Tim: "What- No! No one made me get boobs??? Besides, I don't know, biology I guess??? Genetics maybe???"
Dick: "...I'm extremely confused"
Steph: "WHO GAVE YOU BOOBS-???"
Tim: "I'm not really sure seeing as I was born with them"
Dick: "...
OHHHHHH-"
Steph: "What- is this like a birth defect or something???"
Dick: "Tim- Tim I think you're just gonna have to-"
Tim: "I'm trans."
Jason: "...That's-
Yeah
Ok yeah no that- that explains...a lot."
Steph: "..." -Head in hands- "I am such a fucking idiot"
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demonpiratehuntress · 9 months
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vampire shenanigans (Straw Hats + Ace, Law, Kaku)
featuring - Zoro x F!Reader, Ace x F!Reader, Law x F!Reader, Usopp x F!Reader, Luffy x F!Reader, Kaku x F!Reader, Sanji x F!Reader
summary - your crew's stop at a nearby island takes a dark (but also kind of funny) turn when the town's vampire king tries to make you his wife. your boyfriend is NOT amused.
warnings - none
a/n - one of my stupid, random ideas
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You were bad with directions. Because while everyone had been exploring the new island you'd stopped at, you had somehow gotten yourself lost. And found yourself deep in the woods, in front of an evil-looking castle that practically oozed danger. It was obvious enough to you not to go in, but before you could turn and walk away your vision went dark.
ZORO
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"Wait, where's (Name)?"
Zoro was the first to notice your absence when the group met up in the town square, looking around worriedly. Even he and Luffy had found their way here before you, which never happened.
"Maybe she lost track of time?" Robin suggested. "She's probably in one of these shops."
After a while of looking around and asking shopkeepers about you, though, they had no luck finding you. Until a pale, eerily skinny girl came running from the forest, attracting the townspeople's attention.
"The king has chosen his bride!" She cried out, then collapsed.
The Straw Hats were confused. What happened to her, and who was this 'king'? Also where did she come from and why did all the villagers look frightened by her words? Questioning a few of them yielded nothing except 'vampire'.
"Wait a minute..." Nami started, frowning. "That must be (Name)!"
"What?" Zoro demanded, almost growling.
"Well, think of it, she's been gone so long and it's odd for her to be the last one to come back. Maybe that's because she was kidnapped by this king."
"Oh hell no," Zoro grumbled, "He is NOT marrying MY girlfriend. Only I can do that."
Before the other Straw Hats could even react to that, the green-haired swordsman was trudging up the hill and entering the forest. They hastily followed, giving each other uneasy looks as they got to the spooky castle.
"Give me back my woman!" Zoro was yelling at someone, "The only person who's going to marry her is me!"
Your eyes widened at his words, a blush falling over your cheeks as you watched your boyfriend challenge the annoyed vampire beside you.
I'm pretty sure we all know who wins this fight. An angry Zoro is NOT to be trifled with, after all.
"So, you're going to marry me huh?"
Zoro's cheeks turned slightly pink, "Someday, yeah."
ACE
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The minute Ace lost sight of you, he flew into a frenzy. He was panicking like he'd lost a child, running all over town looking for you. He knew of your tendency to get lost, and it always scared him. Especially when he took his eyes off you for one second and then looked back to see you had vanished. The poor man wants to cry when he doesn't find you anywhere, and Marco has to calm him down and assure him that they will find you.
A nearby couple talking in hushed tones caught Ace's attention, as well as the fact that they kept glancing at him and Marco not-so-secretly. He went over to them.
"Hi, have you seen a woman with-"
"She was taken by the vampire king," someone behind them spoke. The couple rushed off, frightened by the newcomer. Ace turned to see a young woman coming towards him and Marco. She held an umbrella over her head, despite the sun being out.
"Um...vampire king?" The commander questioned.
"He takes a woman once every few years, marries them and turns them, and then leaves them," she explained. "So if you've lost your friend and can't find her anywhere in town, that must be where she is." The woman's tone was sad, as if she knew this from experience.
"Thank you," Ace nodded and sprinted off before Marco could protest or suggest telling Whitebeard what happened.
"Ace! You don't even know where he lives!"
Somehow, Ace found the place and by the time Marco had caught up with the pissed 2nd division commander he saw Ace challenging a man who was holding you hostage. This must have been the vampire king.
"Give her back!" Ace was aggressively demanding, flames dancing along his arms and legs, his eyes just as fiery. "If she's going to be anyone's wife, she'll be my wife!"
You blushed HEAVILY at that. You and Ace had spoken a lot about marriage, but you hadn't thought he was serious about it. Your heart warmed at the thought, and once he had taken care of the king - fire was a pretty convenient weapon against vampires - you immediately kissed him when he came close.
"There's only one person I would ever say yes to, Ace. And that's you."
LAW
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You had split off with Bepo to find something to gift Law for your anniversary. When the bear came running back to Law with tears streaming down his face, the doctor knew the worst must have happened. And it was only confirmed when Bepo repeatedly apologised through his tears before finally telling Law you had been kidnapped.
"Kidnapped?" The surgeon frowned. "By who?"
"I couldn't see him very well," Bepo was sobbing, the poor bear, "But he was tall and pale. With red eyes."
Law cursed. He knew what that might mean, and he felt ridiculous putting you and his crew in this position in the first place. He had, for once, forgotten to check what island this was, and now you were paying the price for his negligence.
"Come on, I know where she is."
The crew followed their captain through the forest, getting frightened by the spooky atmosphere but still trudging through. You were one of them, after all, and that was their motivation. Especially Bepo and Law. The captain was practically fuming, and steam would have come out of his ears if possible. How dare someone kidnap you? Was this stupid vampire king not aware of who you were with?
It was almost as if he sensed Law's presence, because the doors swung open for the Heart pirates to enter. They found you in the dining room, you looking relieved to see them and the vampire smirking smugly at Law.
"A pretty thing, you had," he began, "Such a shame she's mine now. But I am generous, so I'll let you stay for the wedding."
Bepo was outraged, but Law held him back, "Wedding? I haven't planned one with her yet, but I appreciate you letting us use your facilities for it."
Your face turned beet-red, never having expected to hear that from Law. He 'room, shambled' the vampire and then quickly walked over to you.
"Are you okay?"
You smiled up at him, "I'm perfect."
"That you are," he smiled back and kissed your cheek, a rare display in front of the crew just because he was so relieved you were okay.
KAKU
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You and Kaku had just been trying to have a nice vacation. But you should have really done your research first, because apparently women disappeared a lot on this island, but the islanders wouldn't tell Kaku why or where you had gone. He remained calm on the outside, but internally he was panicking and freaking out completely. How had he lost you??
He searched everywhere in the town, but found nothing. You were nowhere in sight, as if you had just vanished into thin air. One moment you were next to him, the next you were gone. You might have wandered off, but to where??
"Go look in the forest," someone spoke from beside him as he looked again through a store window. "She might be there."
He turned to look at who had spoken, and found himself facing a very scary looking woman. She might have been scary because she looked like all the blood had been drained from her body, and her skin was paler than any normal human's.
Kaku wanted to ask why she looked like that and how she knew where you were, but decided that finding you took top priority. He thanked her and went off to the forest, and it wasn't long before he realised the answers to the questions he wanted to ask that lady.
He was standing in front of a gothic castle, one that looked like it belonged to a vampire - and Kaku soon found out it did.
"I can't give her back," the vampire said coolly, smirking, "She is my bride."
Kaku glared, a sight so scary you'd hid your face the first time you saw it. Kaku was normally cute and shy, but when he got angry and when he glared he was the scariest person in the world. It was probably the unhinged look in his eyes.
"She will be no one's bride but mine," the CP9 assassin growled, drawing his swords.
It was a very intense fight, but you only had one thing on your mind. When Kaku tossed the ripped off head of the vampire aside, making sure to light it on fire, he turned only to have you crash into him and engulf him in a hug.
"Your bride, huh? I look forward to it."
SANJI
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God help anyone who tries to marry you with this guy around. Even if said person was an immortal being capable of draining his body of blood. But he didn't know that's what the crew faced, when you suddenly just didn't return from a store you had gone to look at. Everyone had split up to explore, but you hadn't come back yet and Sanji was getting agitated.
"I'm sure she's fine," Chopper tried to assure him, "(Name) can handle herself."
An old man suddenly came up to them then, looking so sad that Sanji almost gave him a hug.
"Your friend is gone," he spoke dejectedly, "He comes and takes any woman he chooses, and you never see that poor girl again." Then he walked off, as if what he'd said had made perfect sense.
"Um..."
Sanji looked around, trying to see if anyone looked suspicious, until something caught his eye from the forest. As if drawn to it, he suddenly went in that direction and found himself in front of a very eerie castle a few minutes later.
"(Name) is in there?"
"Who dares talk about my bride?"
"EXCUSE ME?!" Sanji yelled. "THAT IS MY GIRLFRIEND!"
"I think not," the vampire finally showed his face, pulling you along, "She will marry me and become my wife."
"If (Name) is going to marry anyone it's going to be me!" Sanji cried and then attacked.
Once that was over, you went over to him and grinned, "Marriage, huh? I didn't think playboys had that in their vocabulary."
"Oh, ha ha," he replied sarcastically, sweeping you into his arms and peppering your face with kissed, "I mean it, you know."
You smiled, "Good, cause I want it."
LUFFY
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I'm going to be honest with you, Luffy is lost with you too. He sticks to you like actual glue, so it's no surprise when he ends up by the castle with you. The only difference is that he's knocked out and left outside, while you were taken inside to face god-knows-what. When Luffy finally woke up, the rest of the crew was surrounding him.
"Luffy, what happened?" Chopper asked, concerned as he checked Luffy's vitals and made sure he was okay.
"I don't know," the captain frowned, "(Name) and I got lost, and came here to this creepy castle. Then I woke up now."
"Wait, so you don't know what happened to (Name)?!" Sanji panicked. "You idiot, you were supposed to protect her!"
Zoro glared at the cook, "Calm down, stupid cook. Take a look at this castle, something weird lives in there."
Luffy's eyes widened then, realising just now what he had said. He shot to his feet, head whipping around wildly as if that would help him locate you, "Where's (Name)?! Is she in there?"
The crew groaned collectively, knowing that Luffy was about to get them into possibly another life-threatening fight. However, before that could happen, the doors swung open and you walked out, but you were not alone. A tall, pale man was with you, a wicked grin on his face as his eyes gleamed red.
"Say goodbye to your friends, my bride."
"Bride?!" Nami and Sanji screeched in unison, followed by Sanji fainting.
"(Name) is not your bride!" Luffy argued, clenching his fists. "She should not be forced to marry you! She should be able to marry who she wants to, and that will be me!"
Your heart swelled at his words, and when he had gotten rid of your captor you walked over and kissed his cheek, "You're right, it will be you."
USOPP
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"(Name)? (Name)!"
The crew found Usopp spinning in circles and frantically calling your name, as if summoning you through some weird ritual. They all raised their eyebrows, waiting for the sniper to stop and notice them.
"Oh, hey guys! Have you seen (Name)?" He asked them, his eyes wide with panic. "I think I lost her."
"You think YOU WHAT?!" Sanji yelled, eyes blazing.
Usopp laughed nervously, backing away slowly, "I swear she was just right next to me! Hurry up and help me find her!"
That didn't take long, because when they wandered into the forest and found a creepy castle, Luffy pulled them all inside and said you must be hiding in there. More like kidnapped, which is what they found out when they walked in on you sitting at a very very long table, across from a very very pale man with glittering red eyes.
"V-v-v-" Usopp couldn't even get the full word out of his mouth. "What are you doing with my girlfriend!" He took aim at the vampire.
The vampire laughed and dusted himself off, "She's not your girlfriend anymore, sadly. She is mine. And tomorrow, we shall be wed in front of the entire town."
Usopp's blood boiled. People and monsters alike could walk all over him if they wanted to, which they did, but you were a different story. When it came to you, hell hath no fury like an angry, protective Usopp.
A barrage of exploding stars is what led the vampire to his unexpected end, his cockiness getting the better of him.
Usopp glared at his burning body, "Sorry but the only person who can wed this pretty woman is me. And it'll be in front of our crew."
You beamed and threw your arms around the sniper, kissing him passionately, "Agreed."
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thisapplepielife · 2 months
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Written for a @astrangersummer.
Tip Your Driver
Week #15 Prompt: Modern AU | Word Count: 4115 | Rating: T | POV: Steve | Characters: Steve, Eddie, Wayne, Robin | Relationships: Steddie, Platonic Stobin | CW: Language, Non-Explicit Mentions of Sex | Tags: Modern Setting AU, Delivery Driver Steve, Rock Star Eddie, Meet Cute, Good Uncle Wayne Munson
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Of all the shitty service jobs Steve's had, this one is definitely among the worst.
And he's been stuck working some pretty shitty jobs over the years, both before and after they moved out here. If he hadn't hated the one at the shoe store so much, because ew feet, he wouldn't be doing this in the first place. At least that was in one location, a steady paycheck, and not that far from their apartment. But, he didn't know that feet draw in some weirdos, so here he is, lugging other people's shit around, because he needs the money.
He just sighs as he pulls up in front of the address on the app. He double checks the posted numbers over the garage, and it seems to be the right place. Everything matches enough for him to call it good.
The house is really nice.
It's not in The Hills or anything, so he hadn't expected something so nice.
Now, Steve doesn't mind delivering groceries, not really, but this guy, Eddie it says, ordered a bunch of heavy shit, and the tip was only the mediocre bare minimum. Which, he wasn't that mad about, until right now, after he's seen the house this guy lives in. 
No, now he's pretty annoyed.
Whatever. Par for the fucking course from Fancy Pants Rich McGee over here. How the hell you spell chauffeur? Chauffeur. Indeed. Maybe he should make tiktoks about situations just like this. Robin keeps hounding him, saying if he'd just do it, that he could rake in a little extra cash. 
He's skeptical. 
Steve looks back at the house. 
Oh well. He left his money behind for a reason, the only thing he kept was his car because his parents were dumb enough to put it in his name. And honestly? It does him no good to be jealous or whatever the fuck he's feeling right now.
At least this guy had been responsive, and pretty nice, when answering Steve's messages about substitutions and out of stock items. Not everybody is, unfortunately, acting as if Steve is the one stocking the store himself.
Steve opens the back hatch of his car, and leans in to grab the first items to be left at the door, as requested. If they don't see you, they feel less bad about the shitty tip, Steve's learned.
But it's fine. Steve doesn't want to deal with anyone face-to-face today, anyway. Because he needs to hurry. He and Robin are already a couple days late on rent, and he's gotta try to make up the difference today. If not, they're gonna be fucking screwed. Why is this city so goddamn expensive to live in? It's bullshit.
"Let me help," comes the voice right next to him, and Steve jumps, hitting his head on the open hatch door.
Now, he's skipped over annoyed and has been vaulted straight into pissed off. 
Partly at himself for being so far in his own head that he didn't even hear this guy approaching, but mainly at this asshole for even being in his personal space in the first place. He needs to take about three big steps back.
"Oh, fuck! Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" the guy shouts, and Steve hasn't even seen this asshole yet, but he knows he hates him. 
"Most people don't help unload the car," Steve snaps, turning to look at him, and the guy is looking back at him with big, big brown eyes. Robin would call them doe eyes, without a doubt. Well, fuck. Fine. Steve softens his tone, "It's okay. I just wasn't expecting you."
"Sorry," Eddie says again, still too close. "I'm Eddie. I ordered the groceries. Can I help? Please?"
Steve nods, and lets him reach in and grab his own case of water, while Steve picks up a few of the sacks. It's the least the guy can do, now that he's given him a headache. Literally.
Steve carries the sacks towards the porch, and leans over to put them down.
"Just come on in," Eddie says, and the door swings open, banging against the rubber doorstop on the wall.
"Don't bang the door!" comes the yell from the other room, and Steve peers into the house and sees an older guy sitting in a lift chair, with a walker in front of him.
"It's my door, old man, I'll bang it if I want to!" Eddie yells back, but there's no heat there. Steve can hear the teasing affection in his voice, and Steve can't help but smile.
"Don't come crying to me when there's a hole in your wall. Can you patch drywall? Because I can't right now," the guy, probably Eddie's dad the way they're bickering, snaps.
Eddie ignores the question from his dad.
"C'mon, this way," Eddie says, looking over his shoulder at Steve, as Steve lingers on the step. 
Well, no. That's not. You don't go in stranger's houses. It's, like, rule one. And just good common sense. Which apparently Steve has none of, because he does follow Eddie into the house. 
Robin will kill him, if this Eddie dude doesn't kill him first. 
Steve puts the bags down on the counter, and heads back out to make another trip, Eddie following, "That's my uncle. He's just crotchety that he had to have his broken hip replaced, and now he's dependent on me for the near future."
Steve laughs, "Well, maybe don't bang the door and he won't be crotchety."
"You heard me. It's my door," Eddie says, smiling wide. He's pretty, very pretty. Long, dark hair tied up on top of his head, and heavy tattoos all along his arms, creeping up onto his neck.
He's honestly gorgeous. 
Steve wonders if he's famous. He doesn't look familiar, but he looks like he could be famous. And his house is pretty fucking nice. This is L.A. Everybody is somehow famous in L.A. Except for Steve and Robin. They are definitely not famous.
Unless he's a tech bro? But he doesn't really look the type.
Either way, famous or not, Steve smiles back, can't not, not when he looks like that, then asks, teasing him, "Well do you know how to patch drywall?" 
"Fuck no. But I could hire someone to fix it if the door knob somehow gets through the stopper."
"Well, at least you have a plan," Steve says, and Eddie laughs.
"He just hates the city. Hates my house. Hates everything. Except me. He loves me," Eddie says, as he grabs a case of Gatorade in one hand and the case of pork and beans in the other.
That's a lot of beans. 
"That's a lot of beans," Steve says aloud, even if he doesn't mean to, even if he knows better than to comment on other people's groceries. 
But Eddie laughs. "Tell me about it. Man likes what he likes, though. There's no changing him now." 
Steve nods, grabbing another handful himself. It's nice that Eddie is taking care of his uncle.
"I'm not usually home much, hence all the groceries being ordered at once. Sorry about that. The cabinets were pretty bare, and I just didn't want to leave him home alone. He's still a fall risk, even if he keeps insisting he's not."
"That's okay, I understand. Big orders are more common than you'd think," Steve says, stepping back into the house that he's probably not going to get murdered in, thankfully.
Big orders are common, he's not lying about that, and more often than not, the tips offered for shopping hundreds of items, are less than you'd think. So, this order wasn't even out of the ordinary. Not really. That's why Steve took it. Some pay was better than none, especially today, that's for sure.
"Still. I'm grateful. You saved my ass today, man," Eddie answers. 
"Well, it's my job," Steve says, and Eddie laughs.
They finish bringing everything in, and Steve nods at Eddie, "Okay. I think that does it."
"Here," Eddie says, and plucks an envelope off the counter, "I always worry that your tips in the app will get eaten up by the corporate assholes taking their cut off the top. So. Cash is king."
Steve takes the envelope. A tip he doesn't have to report? Why thank you, Eddie. 
"Thank you. You didn't have to do this, or help bring it in, you know? But I appreciate both."
Eddie smiles, "Thank you for getting all that shit for us. We both appreciate it. Don't we Wayne?"
Wayne grumbles, but Steve's pretty sure he doesn't appreciate anything right now. He knows he wouldn't either, if he had broken his hip.
They say their goodbyes, and that's that. Steve will never see Eddie with the pretty eyes ever again.
At the next red light, Steve opens the envelope, expecting an extra ten or twenty bucks, maybe, but is shocked to see that there are three, insanely crisp one hundred dollar bills inside. 
Holy shit. 
That's way more than he usually makes in a single day. Two days, even. Just by delivering one order that he didn't think was gonna pay well at all.
And he got to look at a hot dude for a minute or two. 
It's enough to cover what they were short on the rent, even. It might not have felt like a lot of money to Eddie, if he handed it over so readily, but it feels life-changing to Steve, right now. He remembers when three hundred bucks wasn't anything to him either, back when he had access to all his parents' money and all their unhappiness.
Now, it's different. 
Robin's gonna shit.
Hot damn.
Thank you, Eddie.
"Booyah," Steve says, slapping the envelope on the counter. 
Robin picks it up, and thumbs through it. It has Eddie's tip, and the few extra bucks he picked up during the rest of the day. 
"Oh my god, no way! Where did you get this much cash, dingus? Are you turning tricks on the side now?" Robin asks, and Steve laughs. 
"Yes. I thought I'd see what I could get for this ass," Steve says, turning and pushing his ass outwards in her direction. 
She doesn't even look, but says, "Honestly, you might be worth more than this, as much as I hate to admit it," she comments dryly, and he smiles. 
"No, some rich dude that ordered a bunch of heavy shit gave me a big tip," Steve explains.
"That's what she said," Robin teases, and her eyes are still wide as she looks at the bills in her hand, "Seriously, though. Thank you, rich, old dude," Robin says. 
"Rich, but not old. I think he might have been famous in some way. YouTuber? Musician? I don't know. Nice house." 
"Well. Describe him. Let's Google him," Robin says, wiggling her fingers in the air like she's stretching before this big task she's about to undertake.
Steve isn't sure searching for him is gonna work, but he lets her try, "Eddie. Probably a little older than us. Lots of tattoos." 
"Was it Eddie Vedder? Please tell me you know who Eddie Vedder is, dingus?" 
He knows who Eddie Vedder is, Jesus. 
He gives her a look, "Not that old. And he was heavily tattooed. Is Eddie Vedder tattooed? Plus, this guy had dark eyes. Really dark. And no flannel." 
She keeps looking on her phone, showing him options, "Him?" 
No. 
"Him?" 
No. 
"Him?" 
"No. Not him." None of them are. Nobody she shows him is the same guy. So, he thinks of all the famous Eddies he knows of. 
"Was it Eddie Van Halen?" Steve asks. 
"Since he's dead, probably not," Robin says. 
"Oh," Steve says. He didn't remember that. And he'd be too old, anyway. "We're looking for someone that looks kinda like young Eddie Van Halen. But with tattoos."
"You're obsessed with the tattoos. Was it Ed Sheeran? He has lots of tattoos," Robin asks, and he rolls his eyes. 
"Robin. I think I know what Ed Sheeran looks like. This man was not ginger. Dark hair, dark eyes. And he was American. Maybe this guy is just rich? Not famous at all. It doesn't matter. I'll never see him again, anyway. We'll just thank him from afar for saving our asses today." 
Robin sighs heavily, and puts her phone down, "If you'd got yourself a rich boyfriend we'd have it made all the time." 
"Well, I'll work on that," he says sarcastically. 
At least for now, they can pay another month's rent. That's a big win. Huge.
Maybe they can keep their heads above water, now.
And they do, by some sort of miracle. It was only three hundred bucks, but that was enough of a windfall to get them back in the black. And somehow they've stayed ahead since, for nearly two whole months. They haven't been this stable financially since they arrived in town.
Today, Steve flips through the different apps he drives for, trying to decide what order to take, when he sees a huge pizza order. The order is absurdly big, but the tip is decent, and picking up a stack of pizzas is infinitely easier than shopping a whole-ass grocery list. Steve's just seriously questioning if it'll all fit in his car.
He's gonna risk it.
Luckily, it does, but there are pizza boxes piled high in every seat and the rear. He definitely doesn't have hot bags for all of them. Hopefully he doesn't get caught in traffic.
The area seems familiar, but when Steve pulls up in front of the house, he knows why. Eddie. Only, the last time it was groceries, not food, that he delivered here. 
There are vehicles everywhere. Clearly some sort of party, Steve thinks, to require this amount of pizza. And as soon as Steve steps out of the car, Eddie is out of the house, being trailed by three other, mostly leather-clad, guys. It'd look threatening, if Eddie wasn't smiling so big.
"Steve! When I saw Steve was my driver, I was like, maybe? But Steve's a common name, and there was no picture, so I didn't get my hopes up, but hey! It is you!" Eddie shouts, moving to the back of the car, "Watch your head this time, sweetheart," Eddie adds, and Steve is sure he's blushing. 
He just stands there kind of dumbly, watching as Eddie commandeers his order right out of Steve's vehicle. Eddie's definitely unusual. 
Eddie hands stack after stack of pizzas to the waiting guys, making them carry the bulk of it. And Steve watches as they ferry them off towards the house, Steve not having to even lift a finger this time. 
Now, it's just him and Eddie standing on the curb. 
Eddie holds out an envelope, and Steve looks at it.
"Man, thank you, but you tipped so well last time, you really don't have to again."
"I want to. You provide a service, I want to pay for that service," Eddie says, shaking the envelope, and Steve reluctantly takes it. Whatever is inside, will really help him and Robin stay ahead. It did last time. He's not really in a position to say no, even as well as they are doing at the moment.
"Thank you, truly," Steve says, tucking it into his pocket, "How's your Uncle Wayne's hip?"
Eddie smiles, so fucking wide, "You remembered! He's good. Great. Headed home soon, which I'm certain he's thrilled about. He's definitely never coming here again. I'll have to go home when I want to see him."
Steve laughs, "Glad to hear he's better, if annoyed."
"Do you want to stay?" Eddie asks, "We're having a little going away party for him. The more the merrier. Or, is your shift not over? You could come back?"
Steve doesn't have a shift, he can clock in and out to take orders as he pleases, and right now he'd really like to accept Eddie's offer. Even if it's probably just Eddie being polite. A pity ask, if you will.
"You don't have to invite your delivery driver into your house, you know? I could be a murderer."
"Unlikely," Eddie says, "and I'm not inviting my delivery driver. I'm inviting you, Steve."
Steve thinks over the options, and then nods. He can go in for a bit. If he's uncomfortable, he can get right back on the clock, no harm, no foul.
"Okay, let me park," Steve says, and he does just that. Putting the envelope of cash into the glove box without opening it. He doesn't want Eddie to see him scrounging through it. That feels tacky.
The pizza boxes are already open on every available flat surface in the kitchen and living room, and Eddie shoves a paper plate into Steve's hands, "Eat. Drink. Be merry."
Steve nods, and grabs a slice from the nearest box. He's not picky.
The house is full of people, and a lot of them seem vaguely famous. Like this is an industry thing, instead of a going away party for an old man with a newly not-broken hip.
Steve's worked enough of these events. They tried the catering thing for a while, and it was fine, for Steve anyway. Robin was just a little too clumsy to carry trays of dainty hors d'oeuvres around rooms filled with beautiful women in expensive dresses.
This isn't any of that though. This is cases of beer being chilled in kiddie pools, and dozens of pizzas. Fancy house, but not a fancy party. Steve spots Eddie's uncle sitting by himself on a couch, a beer resting on his knee and a paper plate of pizza on the arm rest.
Nobody else is sitting by him, so Steve goes over, "Can I sit?"
Wayne grumbles something that could be yes, could be no, Steve's not wholly sure, but he chooses to go ahead and sit down beside him.
"How's your hip?" Steve asks.
"Who are you?" Wayne asks, looking at him, suspicious.
"Steve. Uh, a delivery driver? I've brought a couple orders to you guys now. And Eddie invited me to stay."
Wayne nods, and goes back to his plate, "Hip's fine. Ready to go home."
"Where's home?" Steve asks, and he's not sure why. Clearly this man has no interest in making small talk with him.
"Indiana," Wayne says. 
"Hey! For me, too. Small world."
"What're you doing in California, then?" Wayne asks. "Trying to get into show biz?"
"No. No way," Steve laughs, "Not for me. Uh, my best friend? Robin? She wanted to move out here. Wanted an adventure. And I wanted her to be happy. So. Here we are."
Wayne nods.
"Did you break your hip in Indiana and Eddie dragged you all the way out here?" Steve asks.
"No," Wayne answers, "I came to visit him and broke my hip before I got out of the airport. This is why I don't take vacations."
Steve smiles, "That's bad luck. Sorry."
Wayne nods his head, and Steve assumes that's the end of this conversation, and they sit in silence for a few moments.
"You're Steve? The one that brought the groceries a few weeks ago?" Wayne asks.
"That's me," Steve confirms.
"He's been talking about you non-stop. I was like, just order more groceries. So, he tried. It was never you. Now we have more food than he'll ever eat. Probably need to take it to the food pantry."
Steve grins, looking down at his plate. He isn't sure what Eddie would want to see him for. They definitely aren't on the same level.
Eddie is across the room, talking wildly with his hands.
"He's a good kid," Wayne says, quietly, "All this? Not him. Not all of him, anyway."
Steve looks back at Wayne, "What do you mean?"
"All this fancy shit. I'm proud of him that their music has done so well. But he's a good kid. And he just wants to be happy."
"Don't we all," Steve says.
"People take advantage. If you're here for the money, for the fame. Just. Move on. Eddie would give it to you. But he wants something more. Needs it, I think."
Steve thinks he could be something more. But he doesn't really have anything to offer Eddie in return, and maybe heeding Wayne's warning wouldn't be such a bad idea. What business does he have getting involved with a famous musician? None. 
"Got it," Steve says. "Well, I'm glad your hip healed."
Wayne grumbles at that, and it makes Steve smile.
Steve puts his trash in the can, and looks around. The hallways are lined with platinum records, news articles, and he leans close to read the name. Eddie Munson. Corroded Coffin. He's never heard of them. He'll have to look them up on Spotify. 
He doesn't belong here. 
He takes one last look at Eddie. 
Eddie Munson of Corroded Coffin.
He tries to memorize his name, his band, so he can tell Robin later, solving their little mystery.
And then he ducks out of the front door, walking down the long driveway towards his car. 
"Hey, Steve! Wait!" Eddie yells from behind him, and Steve slows. 
"Hey, man. Thanks for having me," Steve says, turning to look at him.
"You're leaving already?"
Steve nods, "Work, you know."
Eddie nods, "Okay. Well. Come back. Anytime."
"Thanks, Eddie," Steve says, because he's pretty sure Eddie means that, "Enjoy your party. I'm glad Wayne's hip is good as new."
Steve turns to keep walking.
"Steve. Uh," Eddie says, and Steve considers pretending he didn't hear him. It'd be easy. The music is loud, probably pissing off the neighbors, but Eddie keeps talking. "Listen. I like you. Yeah, I know. I barely know you. But. We got good vibes, man. Can you not feel that?" Eddie asks, and when Steve turns to look back at him, he sees that Eddie's hands are shoved deep into his pockets. 
He looks nervous.
He's famous, clearly rich, and beautiful. He could have anyone he wants. But he looks nervous talking to Steve. Who delivered the pizza. Make it make sense. Goddamn. 
"Eddie," Steve says.
"Do you not feel it? If you don't, I'll leave you alone. I swear. But if you do…"
Steve nods, "I do. But I'm a delivery driver. I live in a tiny apartment that I share with my best friend. We barely make ends meet. You could have anyone. Why would you want me?"
"Because I like you," Eddie says, "and I want to get to know you. I didn't grow up with anything either. I'm not old money. I'm new money. Brand new. So. I'm not that out of touch yet."
Steve smiles. He's old money, he just doesn't have access to it anymore. Eddie's new money, and doesn't know how to handle it. They'd be quite the pair.
Eddie keeps talking, trying to wheedle a date out of him, "Just. Let me take you out. Just us. Let's see if there's anything here," he says, motioning his hand between the two of them.
Steve wants to, he really does. 
"Okay," Steve finally says, "nothing fancy. A normal date."
"We can definitely do that," Eddie says, and reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Let me give you my number."
Steve rattles off his number, Eddie texts him, and it buzzes against Steve's thigh. Already coming through, showing he's serious.
"Dinner? Movie? Bar? You name it," Eddie offers, eyes never leaving Steve's.
"Dinner's good. Nowhere fancy, though," Steve warns. 
"Do I look like I like fancy places?" Eddie asks, looking down at his own clothes.
And Steve's eyes cut back to the gorgeous house.
Eddie laughs, "Fair enough. But I don't."
"Can you go out in public? Or are you too famous?" Steve asks. "I'm not familiar with your band, sorry."
Eddie laughs, "I think I like that you aren't, sweetheart. That means that maybe you like me, just for me. And I can go out. Nobody cares about me all that much."
Steve nods. Alright. They can go on one date, and see how it goes. 
Well. That's how it goes.
Very, very well.
So well, that Steve's now satisfied and loose in Eddie's bed, when Eddie laughs, rolling into Steve's shoulder, face pressed to his skin. Lips kissing his shoulder, biting at him gently. Playing with him.
"What?" Steve asks, smiling as Eddie slides his hand into his, squeezing. "What's so funny."
"I tipped my driver," Eddie chokes out, laughing around each word, pressing his crotch into Steve's thigh.
Steve laughs, looking down at this ridiculous man clinging to him, "That you did. And damn well."
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If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @astrangersummer and follow along with the fun!
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vanteguccir · 2 months
Text
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── ୨୧ ! 𝗦𝗢𝗙𝗧 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛 | 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠
      𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐 x actress!reader
SUMMARY: Where Y/N and Chris have been in a stable relationship hidden from the media for years, until they were forced by it to do a soft launch.
WARNING: None.
REQUESTED?: Yes, from anon.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism, copy, or "inspiration"! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.
A/N²: Matt's version.
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tagged: ynsinstagram , strangerthingstv
liked by ynsinstagram, sturniolotriplets and 12,748,207 others
netflix ALIVE. BROKEN. FINAL SEASON. #StrangerThings5 soon, only on Netflix.
view all 853,472 comments
fallontonight OMG OMG OMG OMG
ynfan5 WHEN????? IT'S BEEN 2 YEARS 😭
ynfan3 if they kill Y/N, I'll die too
stfan7 we NEED bts pics right now!!!
ynsinstagram 📼
ynfan2 WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???
ynfan9 you traumatized us after season 4
stfan4 ready to run into a brick wall
ynfan2 alexa play running up that hill by kate bush
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liked by matthew.sturniolo, madisonbeer and 392,273 others
christophersturniolo where's my Nancy at?
view all 10,739 comments
sturniolofan1 I VOLUNTEER
sturniolofan4 OMG????
sturniolofan8 apparently my name is Nancy now
ynandsturniolofan2 NETFLIX COME HERE ‼️
matthew.sturniolo guess you've got the wrong character buddy
sturniolofan6 what's that supposed to mean 😭
ynandsturniolofan3 HAPPY HALLOWEEN
madisonbeer can I be Robin?
nicolassturniolo 📼
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(for the sake of it, pretend this is chris 😭)
liked by sturniolofan6, ynfan4 and 1,028,299 others
people YouTuber Christopher Sturniolo was seen on the set of Stranger Things early today, in Atlanta. Unknown sources stated that he was about to enter the trailer of actress Y/N Y/L/N, holding two containers with food and calling her "baby".
view all 839,744 comments
ynfan6 who?
ynfan3 oh no, here we go again
sturniolofan4 what the ACTUAL FUCK?????
ynandsturniolofan7 OMG MATT'S COMMENT ON CHRIS POST
sturniolofan5 it all makes sense now
ynfan9 he's so out of her league
sturniolofan2 girl stfu
ynfan12 they're not even dating, what're you saying
ynfun5 why is he kinda
sturniolofan0 hot? yeah, we know
ynandsturniolofan1 now that would be my dream couple right there
sturniolofan17 NO WAY he went from LA to Atlanta only to see her filming 😩 shut up I love them already 🙌🏻
ynfan0 wait bc they would look so cute together 😞
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tagged: milliebobbybrown , djotime , calebmclaughlin , gatenm123
liked by nicolassturniolo, haileybieber and 4,082,299 others
ynsinstagram was attacked by a demogorgon and his crew for the tenth time, does that mean I'm tough?
view all 946,732 comments
ynandsturniolofan4 the pic of steve with the bat from 1st season while filming the 5th 🧐
sturniolofan3 IKR??? I'm going insane rn with all those theories
ynfan3 the most stunning person ON EARTH
ynfan9 I need to know who she's looking at on the 5th pic with THAT look
stfan2 time to rebinge all 4 seasons for the 10th time
milliebobbybrown Y/N tough girl era
ynsinstagram 🤟🏻💪🏻
calebmclaughlin when I grow up I want to fly like you
christophersturniolo the toughest
(this comment was deleted)
sturnioloandynfan5 ANYBODY ELSE SAW CHRIS COMMENT TOO????
ynfan1 I DID AND OMG???? what's happening 😭
ynandsturniolofan3 I'M GONNA COLAPSW
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liked by djotime, matthew.sturniolo and 528,369 others
christophersturniolo let's exchange the experience ✨️🕹📼
view all 374,483 comments
stfan3 is that the headphones Y/N used on 4th season?
ynfan8 oh, hey joe, strange seeing you around here 🤡
sturniolofan6 isn't he Steve on ST?
ynfan8 yeah 😭
sturniolofan7 FAMILY VIDEO????
sturnioloandynfan3 wtf are you doing at Steve's and Robin's work? 🧐
nicolassturniolo kate bush at its peak
sturniolofan0 THE MOST HANDSOME ‼️
ynfan12 the cassete... anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?
sturniolofan4 yeah...
ynfan16 totally
sturnioloandynfan18 my heart is going insane right now
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liked by christophersturniolo, milliebobbybrown and 4,498,699 others
ynsinstagram red converse is the new hype, madmax called it
view all 1,838,713 comments
ynfan6 no fucking way
stfan5 soft launch! soft launch! soft launch!
sturniolofan14 I'm in shock
sturniolofan13 chris got a girlfriend and she's the most angelic girl in the world 😭
ynfan5 WE LOST HER 😞
milliebobbybrown your taste in clothes is awful
ynandsturniolofan8 at least her taste in guys is better
nattyiceofficial cuties 🩷
ynsinstagram I love you natty!
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tagged: ynsinstagram
liked by ynsinstagram, sturniolotriplets and 1,738,699 others
christophersturniolo found my Nancy guys!
view all 838,713 comments
ynfan2 oh my god
sturniolofan6 NO WAY CHRIS GOT A GIRL FR
sturniolofan9 she's so fucking pretty
ynfan4 how did he do it?
matthew.sturniolo simp simp simp
christophersturniolo you would be the same if you bagged a girl like mine
ynfan0 A GIRL LIKE MINE SMOASMXJX
sturniolofan5 THIS IS TOO CUTE STOP
ynfan0 the rizz is insane
ynfan13 they're both so fucking lucky omh
nicolassturniolo FINALLY 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
sturniolofan3 I just know nick was dying to let this information out
josephquinn so happy for you two!!
dacremontgomery take care of my little sister, man
christophersturniolo always
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tagged: ynsinstagram , christophersturniolo
liked by ynsinstagram, christophersturniolo and 7,498,699 others
enews During the interview "Y/N Y/L/N on Max Mayfield's Journey | Stranger Things | Netflix", Y/N commented on her romantic relationship with YouTuber Christopher Sturniolo, "... we've been together for two years, I met him on the street in Los Angeles when Nick (Nicolas Sturniolo, Christopher brother) came to ask for a picture and I immediately recognized them, I mean, who don't know the Sturniolo Triplets, right?", "... he makes me the happiest I've ever been. Being a girl who grew up in the spotlight, he makes me feel normal."
If you want to know more about Y/N, her role as Max Mayfield, and her relationship, check the link in our bio.
view all 3,838,713 comments
ynfan4 she's the cutest, omg
sturniolofan8 I want what these bitches have
ynfan0 she is glowing
sturnioloandynfan2 she's so in love 🥹
sturniolofan5 he is too! have you seen the triplets last video?
ynfan12 he can't stop talking about her 😭
christophersturniolo ❤️
ynsinstagram 🩷
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taglist:
@lustfulslxt @ladybunny44 @earth2starkey @freshloveforthefit @sturniolowhore @luvr4miya @alorsxsturn @urfavgirllyyyyy @hearts4chriss @cupidzsq @junnniiieee07 @lightsgore @gidgett11037 @soimightlikeoldmen69 @ldr-sl0t @its-jennarose @sainzzsturns @ecliphttlunar @soso-scarlettolivia @bitchydragonparadise @freshsturns @h3arts4harry @patscorner @strnilolo @bernardsbendystraws @poetatorturadaa @meg-sturniolo @orangeypepsi @jnkvivi @chrisactualwife @fratbrochrisgf @elordilover @somegirlfromasgard @hpyjw @colorthecosmos444 @thewhispersofthewaves @mattslolita @imwetforyourmom @mrl217 @delilahsversion @sturnsmia @mattsfavbitchhh @sturnioloshacker @soursturniolo @blahbel668 @sarosfilms @moncherriis @tobesolonelyjess @zayyluvz
(If you want to be added to the taglist, go to this post)
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stevebabey · 6 months
Text
it was supposed to be short n small and now its 3k & its unedited and u all have to just deal with it bcos it was supposed to be SMALL | ao3
The driver's side car window makes a resounding thunk when Steve’s forehead falls against it.
Through the glass, his keys glint tauntingly back at him.
Still tucked in the ignition, locked in on the inside. So close and yet so far from Steve who is, unfortunately, locked on the outside.
I’m such a fucking idiot.
He lets his head raise up a bit just to drop it back against the window again, this time more in punishment. Of course, of course, he coughs up the money needed for a warrant of fitness and then he goes and locks his keys in the car the next day. Like he needed one more cost added to his finances.
Steve steals a glance at his watch. Fuck, if he doesn’t get on the road in the next 10 minutes, he’ll be more than late to work.
His eyes glance across to Eddie’s van, parked beside his own car, outside the trailer home in Forest Hills. Then he looks back at the trailer.
He can ask. He can just go inside and ask Eddie for the lift— and explain that the reason he can’t take his own perfectly fine car is because he’s so goddamn thick between the ears that he’s locked his keys inside, like some kind of moron.
The voice in his head sounds suspiciously like his father.
Something thick grows in his throat. He swallows it to no avail. Embarrassment begins to flush down his neck, hot and uncomfortable.
No, no— he can’t ask Eddie because as far as Steve knows, Eddie hasn’t quite figured it out yet.
Even while Dustin and Mike make their jokes about him being a bit slow, even when Robin says at least you have your pretty face, Eddie brushes them off and laughs. Takes them as jokes with no merit to them. Steve knows though.
So what if he doesn’t want to burst his bubble just yet?
He knows Eddie will figure it out eventually— because they always do. When he asks too many stupid questions and needs things explained twice and— and it’s just inevitable, okay? He knows that.
Fixing his glare through the window of his car at the shiny pair of keys within, Steve wrestles with what would be worse; being late or accidentally tipping Eddie off when they’ve just gotten so close.
Close enough to share a kiss, two nights ago, under the covers. It was barely more than a peck. But Steve knew it had taken a miraculous amount of courage from Eddie to do it— to surge forward and grab Steve’s face, his rings cool against his skin, and press his mouth against his Steve's own.
Eddie’s lips had been chapped but his smile had been pure sunshine and Steve thinks he could’ve stayed forever under that blanket, memorising the shade of pink Eddie’s cheeks turn after a kiss.
They’ve been dancing around it ever since. Each interaction is more charged, more flirty, more gooey. Long lingering looks and pointed nudges that make Steve feel like a 14-year-old with a crush again, in the best way.
So, no. He exactly can’t go ask.
With a heavy sigh and glance up at the darkening sky, Steve is only glad he’s not supposed to pick up Robin today as he begins to walk.
One phone call to the auto-shop reveals exactly how much it’ll cost to get his keys retrieved. Which is, to say, entirely too much for one adult living on the wage of a Family Video employee.
And they won’t be able to get anyone out for another whole day.
Growing more and more frustrated with himself, Steve angrily jots the number down into his little notebook, the pen pressing down hard enough to leave indents on the page behind it. Keith is somewhere out the back, snacking no doubt, and leaving Steve to man the front.
Normally, it wouldn’t bother him— especially because he could discretely make the phone call he needed— but now it’s just him, the empty store, and the number in his notebook that stares back at him.
Oh, and it’s raining.
The darkening sky from earlier had transformed into something closer to a thunderstorm, rain lashing against the windows and driving any and all customers away. Which is fantastic— just what Steve needs now, really the fucking cherry on the top.
The phone rings, the noise unusually shrill in the silence of the store. The film playing amongst the aisles has been on mute as soon as he’d gotten his hands on the remote and Keith had disappeared out the back.
Steve stares at the phone, watching it ring once, twice, before he picks it up with a heavy sigh. He dredges up his customer service voice.
“This is Family Video, how can I help?” He greets, putting as much pep into his voice as he can manage—which turns out to be a meagre amount.
“Did you walk to work today?”
Steve straightens up at the sound of Eddie’s voice on the other end of the line. His free hand instinctively smooths down the front of his vest before he quickly remembers Eddie can’t actually see him.
“Eddie?” He asks, instead of answering the question.
“Your Highness, himself,” Eddie responds. His tone is that usual jaunty playfulness that Steve’s come to adore. “Now answer the question, Steve-o. I thought you were one of those smart guys who actually listens when the weather report comes on the radio. Why the hell did you walk?”
Steve’s shoulders curl in, just an inch, and his eyes seek out the open notebook with the quoted amount, underlined and circled, staring back at him. His throat grows a lump at Eddie’s unknowingly poor choice of words.
“Thought I would walk today.” He replies, his voice clipped. “You know, walking, exercise, good for you? Any of these ringing a bell for you, Munson?”
It’s supposed to be a joke but Steve can tell by the end of the sentence, it’s come out way too sour to land that way. He sounds mean.
Steve cringes, clutching the phone a little tighter and screwing up his eyes. He waits for Eddie’s response.
“You know,” Eddie says, sounding a lot duller all of a sudden. “I was calling to maybe offer you a lift through the rain—”
“Sorry, I’m sorry, that-“ Steve cuts in, that same strange embarrassment swelling in his throat. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”
“—But if you’re gonna be a dick about it, you can enjoy the walk.”
Steve grits his teeth and pinches the bridge of his nose because this feels a little too much like a line from his Dad— but it isn’t because Steve is the one digging this hole all on his own. He’s the idiot who fucking locked his keys in his car and walked to work and snapped at Eddie and—
“No, I’m sorry.” He says, still a bit too tense.
Idiot, idiot, you’re being a fucking idiot, Harrington.
“A ride would be appreciated. Please.”
A pause. This time when Eddie speaks, he’s a little softer. “You off at five today?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll see you at five.”
The dial tone sounds as Eddie hangs up but Steve stays where he is, phone pressed against his one good ear, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. The rain begins to flood the parking lot.
Five o’clock comes around too soon.
The rain has let up, just barely, but enough that Steve can actually see Eddie’s van when it pulls up into the parking lot. It rocks about dangerously in the wind and Steve suddenly feels bad for making Eddie come out to get him.
He could’ve stayed here, taken the longer shift. Told Keith to take off early and just walked back home when the rain let up a little more— or just camped out the back on the couch in the employee room if it never did.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
He’d started doing it more and more when his parent’s visits to home became more frequent. It was easy to pull a few white lies out and Steve far preferred answering questions like: Where were you last night? than Why won't you come out to our event tonight? Show face for the Harrington's? It's not like you're doing anything with your life, right?
The only reason he’d stopped, actually, was because he had become good friends with Eddie.
Eddie, who loved his company almost any hour of the day. Who gobbled up each and every morsel of food Steve cooked up, whether it was good or partially burned on the sides. Who told him he had a place in the trailer, day or night, rain or shine.
Eddie who… was waiting outside at five o’clock exactly, pulled up to the curb so Steve wouldn’t have to walk through the rain for more than a moment.
There’s a sliver of surprise, deep within his chest; like he thought Eddie might’ve not shown up and forced him to walk through the rain, just to learn his lesson. It would make sense, Steve thinks. You reap what you sow.
He clocks out hastily, barely murmuring his exit to Keith who doesn’t look up in the slightest. Steve heads for the door and decides then and there, he’ll happily pay the number in his notebook if he doesn’t have to tell Eddie what a fucking moron he actually is.
Water splashes as he dashes down the steps and Eddie’s leaning across, pushing the door open so Steve doesn’t even have to wait to yank it open in the rain. He slides in, sprinkled with rain, slams the door closed, and instantly gets blasted with heat.
“God, you’re a lifesaver,” Steve sighs, sticking his hands out towards the air vents which are working in overdrive. They whir loudly in complaint. Eddie smiles, the apples of his cheeks glowing in the warmth, and twists the wheel, his eyes on the road before him.
The van groans and the bumper dips, kissing the gutter, as they roll out onto the road and head for Forest Hills. For a moment, Eddie focuses on driving straight before he flicks his gaze across to Steve.
“You know I wouldn’t have actually let you walk, right?”
Steve blinks, unsure of what to say in response, because he actually did think that was a possibility until about 2 minutes ago. He shivers as a stray drop in his hair sneaks under his collar, cold and wet.
“Right.” He answers, giving a hesitant smile back.
They’re driving slower than usual due to the rain. Steve lets himself sink back into the worn seats of the van, comforted by the familiar smells. A tang of tobacco, a stronger hint of weed, and that musky deodorant that Eddie swears by— even if Steve has never heard of the brand before.
But, well, it must be working in some sense because when Steve takes a deep breath, he smells it and feels a sense of calm. He doesn’t even notice he’s begun staring.
The strange weather has made Eddie’s hair frizzier than usual and paired with his rosy cheeks, Steve thinks he looks goddamn delectable. He gets caught up in a daydream about having a hot chocolate when they get back to the trailer, maybe even sharing a blanket on the couch and—
And then, Eddie turns and says, “So, wanna tell me why you walked? For real, this time?”
Something shrivels up within Steve. The tightness in his throat from this morning returns. He turns his head and looks out the window.
“I don’t get why you don’t believe me when I say I walked because I wanted to.” He grumbles, almost too low for Eddie to hear over the rain.
Why are they still talking about this? He thinks of the keys through the driver’s side window, thinks of the number in his notebook and the much smaller one in his bank account, and has to hold back from thumping his head against the glass again.
Something metallic jingles behind him.
Steve whips around, his eyes zeroing in on his keys dangling from Eddie’s hand— clearly just retrieved from his pocket. Something ugly and warm wakes up inside him, his stomach knotting uncomfortably, and his cheeks start to burn in embarrassment.
Idiot, Idiot, Idiot.
He knows, he already fucking knows how stupid you are.
Eddie’s eyes dart off the road to look at Steve. “Cos you’re clearly not telling the truth.”
Steve averts his gaze, turning his face back to the window and the wet pavement rushing by beneath the car. He swallows but the lump in his throat doesn’t move.
“Okay, look I don’t actually care that you walked to work,” Eddie continues, placing the keys down in the cup holder between the seats. “I just don’t get why you wouldn’t tell me that they were locked in your car.”
Steve can’t help it, the way his shoulders hike up. His teeth sink into his bottom lip meanly, nearly drawing blood. He doesn’t get it, he doesn’t get it— Eddie’s still trying to rationalise away what everyone else has already figured out.
“I just—” Steve starts, on the defence, but it comes out a bit too wet. He forces himself to swallow again, thankful there’s no sting of tears in his eyes. “I can fix that shit on my own. That’s all.”
“Well, yeah,” Eddie agrees.
Below them both, the hum of the van begins to dwindle and Steve realises abruptly that Eddie’s slowing down, pulling over to the side of the road. He looks to the side, at Eddie.
“Please, c’mon, I just wanna go home, man.” Steve pleads, not even caring that he’s referred so casually to Eddie’s trailer as his home.
“Wait, just,” Eddie waves a hand as he sticks the van into park, releasing the wheel and properly turning to Steve.
“I just want to understand. You know I can pop the door to most cars in, like, 5 minutes. Why didn’t you just ask?”
“Eddie,” Steve stresses, turning away with a pointed sigh. He runs a hand through his hair, latching onto the roots and tugging at it. “Just leave it, please.”
“Or asked for a lift!” Eddie continues, his hands gesturing out a bit wildly. “I could’ve given you a lift even.”
Steve's eyes slice across the van and he wills back every emotional outburst that wants to lash out of him, to poke the right spot that will hurt to get Eddie to back off.
But Eddie is just staring at him, brown eyes wide, a little furrow between his brows, and is just confused. Concerned.
“If you keep driving,” Steve murmurs, almost dejectedly. He ducks his head low and turns back to the window. “I’ll tell you.”
It works— the engine rumbles back to life and the wheels roll gently back out onto the road, just a couple more minutes from Forest Hills. Steve watches the road and tries to grasp for the right thing to say, each possibility dissolving like smoke. His eyes squeeze shut tightly. The rain dins loudly on the roof of the van, a song and dance of the elements.
By the time they’re entering Forest Hills, Steve still hasn’t said a word. The van crawls up into its usual spot, next to Steve’s own car, and Steve stares down at it. He can hear the soft click of Eddie’s seatbelt as he releases it.
He supposes it’s too late now, anyway. Eddie already knows. He keeps his eyes out the window as he speaks, his voice flat and dull.
“I just... I didn’t want you to think that I’m an idiot, too.”
There’s a questioning noise behind him, a little noise from Eddie’s throat that slips out, unbidden.
“Too?” He echoes. “Steve? Who thinks you’re an idiot?”
Steve huffs loudly and turns back, throwing his hands up. “Jesus, who doesn’t? Would you like a list?”
Eddie’s face twists into a meaner expression than Steve's ever seen before and for once, he properly matches the dark clothes and spooky tattoos he dons.
“Yes. And I’ll go door to door— wait,” He shuffles, shifting up onto his knees so he can stretch over the console and place his large hands on either side of Steve’s face, directing his gaze towards him.
It’s reminiscent of a kiss not too long ago. Despite all the burning self-deprecation that churns inside, the pleasant reminder dulls it significantly.
“I’ll go door to door to anyone who ever made you feel that way,” Eddie repeats, now face to face with Steve, their noses nearly touching. His brows are still pull tight into a furious frown. But it's not at him, Steve realises. “And I’ll do something— I’m not sure what yet, but it’ll be foul and like, maybe I’ll put instant mash potatoes on their lawn and— okay the specifics aren’t relevant but this— this is.”
He searches Steve’s face intently, eyes darting around, making sure the message is sinking in. His expression softens out, his eyes suddenly sweeter than before. “You’re aren’t an idiot, Steve. You aren’t an idiot for making a mistake and I’ve never thought that about you.”
Steve blinks. Swallows heavily and god fucking dammit, is the thickness in his throat ever going to disappear? This time it feels different though. He’s not sure how.
“You don’t think I’m an idiot, do you?” Eddie asks.
Steve shakes his head, moving Eddie’s hands with them at the same time. It’s true, he doesn’t. Eddie is… goddamn fucking wonderful. He’s like a warm summer shower through the wretched seasons of Steve’s life. One of the reasons it was worth living through the entire ordeal of 86.
The rain outside continues, pitter-pattering on the roof, somehow softer than it was a second ago.
“Okay,” Eddie says, a small smile on tugging on his lips.
“Okay,” Steve says back. He tries for a smile and it’s easier than expected, though it wobbles at the ends. It doesn’t matter— Eddie is still gazing at him, brown eyes shining and Steve believes what he says.
“Okay,” Eddie says one more time, his smile turning closer to a grin. “Let’s go make some cocoa, yeah?”
He moves to retract his hands but Steve moves faster, his hands darting up to hold them in their place, palms against his cheeks.
“Wait,” Steve murmurs, watching how Eddie stills and keeps his closeness, their noses still a couple inches from touching— and Steve clings to the threads of courage in him tightly.
His hands slide off Eddie’s, grasping lightly at his wrists, and it’s easy to lean forward and connect their mouths in one swift motion.
Eddie squeaks— then melts.
It takes half a second before he remembers to kiss back, equally as enthusiastic and it’s nothing like the first kiss they shared under the covers. The rain dances around them and Steve swipes his thumbs over Eddie’s pulse soothing, feeling the barest jump of his rabbiting pulse.
When he shifts back, breaking the kiss, Steve keeps the closeness, the tips of their noses bumping together. Eddie’s hands feel blazing warm on Steve’s cheeks but when his lashes flutter open, catching sight of Eddie’s glorious pink cheeks, he thinks it might be his face burning up too.
They tumble inside through the rain and with all of Steve’s prayers answered today, they also share a blanket on the couch, ankles linked beneath the rumpled fabric. They make hot chocolate, Steve’s style, and sip it at, making googly eyes at each other over the rim of their mugs— until Eddie laughs too much and spits it down his front.
Steve doesn’t feel stupid again— unless that is, you count feeling stupidly sappy.
(He does not.)
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loveinhawkins · 1 year
Text
The problem is that a part of Steve knows the spider isn’t real.
But it’s the suggestion of it, right? Cobwebs in his hair, movement just out the corner of his eye; it’s all enough to convince him that there’s something crawling on his skin, to let out a panicked whisper to Nancy, there was a spider. It’s a black widow.
He tries to disregard it as a one-off. It’s an old creepy house. Just got him spooked for a bit, that’s all.
But then… diving into Lover’s Lake. Bats biting into his flesh. Overwhelming dizziness.
Nancy wrapping torn strips of clothing tight around—there’s something crawling, crawling underneath his skin, no, there isn’t, no, there—a bike ride through The Upside Down; one hacking cough, pushing through it, pushing through it—
Swallows it all down. Ignores the sweat, the tackiness around his bandage. Shh. Calm, calm.
Drives the RV. Doesn’t know how he’s even moving, is just grateful—grateful that his mind on autopilot seems to still function.
The War Zone. In and out. Parked. Sun in his eyes. Kids outside.
The feeling comes back. Something. Something under his skin. (In his blood, in all of him—)
“S’there something in my hair?” he asks Eddie, who’s mid-step out of the RV.
Eddie turns back with an air of amusement. “Nope,” he says. “Looks perfectly coiffed to me, man.”
“Can you—can you just check?”
Look closer, something’s wrong, something’s wrong.
“Uh, sure,” Eddie says, bemused. He sits next to Steve and tilts his head before lifting a hand uncertainly. “You want me to, uh?”
“Yeah, thanks. Just… there was a spider on me.”
It’s not what Steve wants to say at all, but there’s a sudden, terrifying disconnect between the thoughts in his head and what actually comes out of his mouth.
“Oh, you don’t like them, huh?”
Eddie’s not even teasing, just sounds understanding; he lifts up a few sections of hair carefully, taking his time. He’s so kind. Steve abruptly wants to cry.
“Yeah, I don’t blame you,” Eddie continues. “I have the same thing with mice. The way they move. Creepy little feet.” He shudders dramatically.
Steve wants to laugh at that. Can’t.
Eddie runs his fingers through Steve’s hair a couple more times, gentle.
You don’t have to, Steve thinks. Make it hurt. Get it out. Did you find it? Please say you found it.
“Good news, you’re officially spider-free, Harrington.”
Eddie claps him on the shoulder, stands up.
Steve doesn’t move.
Eddie pauses again, halfway out the door. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah,” Steve says. “Just need some air.”
He goes through the motions of prepping for the fight. Chats with Robin. She talks about a terrible, gnawing feeling, and he wants to scream yes, I know, I know, but he can’t tell her, why can’t he tell her?
Shh. Calm, calm.
Drives the RV. Forest Hills.
He brakes with no warning, sends bottles of alcohol rolling across the floor. He’s mad suddenly that they didn’t smash. He’s so—
Slip away.
Eddie’s trailer. Lets himself in.
Bathroom.
The wound on his stomach pulses. He doubles over the toilet. Throws up.
His skin is crawling.
There, in the back of his mind, a creeping coldness. A thought that is not his own.
I will kill them all. And I will make you watch.
Oh, God. Oh, God, he’s been so stupid.
-
Eddie finds him first.
He picks up one fallen bottle of alcohol before a gut feeling pulls him out of the RV—because Steve Harrington is a good driver, and he’d only brake like that if he had no choice.
“Steve?”
But Steve’s not waiting for them on the porch, he’s not even by the Gate.
Clattering; a strangled cry.
Eddie’s stomach lurches.
He runs towards the noise, opens the bathroom door and is instantly hit by the acrid smell of vomit.
“Steve! Jesus Christ.”
Steve’s pushed up against the cistern. There’s a damp patch all across his stomach, and his chest is heaving.
“Oh my God, Steve, what’s—”
Eddie reaches for him instinctively, and Steve flinches as if he’s been struck.
“No, don’t!”
“Jesus, you’re burning up,” Eddie whispers, drawing his hand back; Steve’s skin is feverishly hot, slick with sweat. He looks around frantically for a cloth, turns on the cold water. “Gotta get you cooled—”
Something slams into him; he’s pinned against the sink, Steve’s hand clamped around his throat.
“No,” Steve repeats. “Don’t.”
“Okay,” Eddie manages. He chokes on a swallow. “S-Steve, you’re—you’re—”
His hand flails, trying to pry Steve’s fingers off.
Steve’s grip loosens ever so slightly. His eyes are wide, bloodshot. Pleading.
“Eddie,” he says through gritted teeth. “You need to hurt me.”
With the last of his strength, Eddie gets his knee up and jabs—it’s barely anything, but it works enough to break Steve’s hold.
Eddie staggers; his back slams against the door. He’s shaking.
Steve stares at him. He’s gripping onto the sink so tightly that Eddie thinks it’s a miracle that it doesn’t crack.
And then there’s a horrible, guttural noise like Steve’s started to choke too, like he’s at war with himself.
Barely audible, he says, “Get… get Nancy.”
Eddie runs.
He nearly falls into Nancy as he opens the front door. He’s breathless, can’t think of what to say, save from—
“Wheeler, he needs you.”
It happens in an instant: Nancy’s brow pinches, and then she goes very pale, and she’s shouting for Robin and Dustin to stay in the RV, like she can turn on a dime, launched into an unknown crisis.
She pushes past Eddie, and he follows her, back into the bathroom.
The cold water is still running.
Steve’s got his hands in the sink. He looks at Nancy desperately.
“S-stop me.”
Another choking sound is ripped from Steve’s throat; Eddie realises that it’s actually a dry sob.
“Nance,” Steve says. It’s half her name, half a pained whine. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I—I know everything.”
And then he’s suddenly launching towards them—it’s only the fact that he’s so completely freaked out that makes Eddie move in time, saves him from getting strangled again.
He grabs Steve’s wet hands, pins them behind his back and tries to hold him still.
“Jesus! Wheeler, what the fuck is going—”
“Do you have anything that can knock him out?” Nancy says.
“What?”
“Drugs, Eddie!”
“Are you crazy? There’s no way—oh my God, what are you—”
Crack.
Nancy’s grabbed the cistern lid, brought it down upon Steve’s head. Eddie looks at Steve lying eerily still on the floor in abject horror.
There’s blood in his hair.
Eddie feels sick.
But Nancy just watches, as if to confirm that Steve’s not moving. She looks Eddie in the eye.
“Come on. That’s only gonna work for so long.”
Eddie just follows her out, too shocked to even attempt speaking.
It’s chaotic at the RV; Dustin sees them coming, leaps out of the door as Robin yells at him.
“Where’s Steve?”
“Get back inside.”
“Nancy, where the hell is he?”
“We can talk inside.”
“Bullshit, I’m—”
“Dustin, he’s Flayed,” Nancy says, her voice breaking, and all the fight goes out of Dustin at once.
“No, that’s—he can’t—”
Eddie finally finds his voice. “Can someone tell me what the fuck you’re talking about?”
Nancy doesn’t speak, not until they’re in the RV, the door locked behind her.
“I think it’s the—the bites—”
Robin swears, a hand over her mouth.
“Flayed?” Eddie persists.
“The Mind Flayer,” Dustin says numbly. “It’s what we—it’s a part of The Upside Down. It—it used Will to… to spy on…”
“And what, it’s—” Eddie swallows. “It’s inside him?”
“Like a virus. He’s part of the Hive Mind,” Nancy says.
Eddie’s knees feel weak.
“Fuck,” Dustin says. “He knows where we are, he’ll know—”
“It’s too late to change that,” Nancy says. “We just have to—at least someone needs to stay with him.”
“I will,” Robin says instantly, eyes blazing.
“Me too,” Dustin says.
Nancy glances at him, shakes her head—firm but apologetic. “You can join Erica.” And as Dustin opens his mouth, no doubt to argue, she adds, “I’m sorry, Dustin. It’s just—we might need to… to fight him.”
Dustin doesn’t reply, but looks so utterly devastated that Eddie wishes he’d insisted on diving first, that the bats had torn into him instead.
“Keep him warm,” Nancy tells Robin urgently. “And I don’t mean just—it’s got to be unbearable.”
Robin nods, ashen-faced.
Nancy catches Eddie’s eye. “The one thing that fucker can’t stand is heat.”
She paces up and down the RV, checking for stray bottles. Then she comes to a stop right in front of Robin.
“He—he might beg,” she whispers. “And it won’t—it’ll sound like him. Like he just wants the pain to stop.”
Robin’s eyes look glassy. “Nance, I don’t—don’t know if I can—”
“I’ll do it,” Eddie says.
He feels everyone’s eyes on him, but he just looks at Nancy, at the determined set to her jaw.
He doesn’t know when he made the decision, if he can even pinpoint a conscious moment of thought—but now that the words are out, he feels the vow he’s made, deep in his chest.
Nancy hands him a bottle and cloth.
A lighter.
She fixes Eddie with a piercing look. “It’s going to look like you’re killing him,” she says.
Eddie nods.
He turns, offers Robin his hand.
“C’mon, Buckley. Let’s get that bastard out of him.”
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steddielations · 1 year
Text
Steve walks into utter chaos.
He was stopping by just to see Max, but all the increasingly concerning noise coming from the Munson’s trailer drew him over there instead. Worried that all the cursing and clattering would drown out any chance of a knock being heard, Steve lets himself in. 
Eddie doesn’t even notice him come inside, too busy scrambling around the complete wreck of a kitchen.
“Dude, are you cooking or just banging pots and pans together? I thought you were dying in here.”
Eddie squawks and jumps about a foot in the air. His hair is even more disheveled than usual, barely tied down with a bandana. He’s got flour splotches on his face and all over the frilly grandma apron he’s wearing (which Steve is definitely getting a photo of and showing Dustin later) along with a suspiciously sticky goo on his fingers.
“Stop laughing at me,” Eddie groans. 
“I’m not laughing,” Steve laughs, going to join him in the kitchen, “What are you doing, man?” 
“Well, I’m trying to bake Wayne a cake, but at this point, I might as well give him a frosting covered rock for his birthday,” Eddie sighs, frustrated hands scrubbing the flour off his apron, “I don’t know, man, usually I just get him another mug and a pack of smokes, and he’s never asked me for anything, but I’ve put him through hell this year I just wanted— I don’t know like, to do something special but I can’t even—”
“Alright, take it off.”
Steve folds his arms and waits while Eddie just gawks at him for a moment, cheeks reddening under the patches of flour.
“What?”
“You heard me. Take. It. Off.”
Eddie scoffs, starts muttering like he does when he’s nervous and Steve cracks a smile when he realizes why.
“The apron, Eddie,” he gestures, “Hand it over.” 
Another moment of confused staring and Eddie slowly gives it to him.
Steve wastes no time shaking out the flour and tying it around himself. He moves past Eddie, gets right to work clearing the mess and salvaging what ingredients he can.
“You…” Eddie peeks over Steve’s shoulder, “You know how to bake?”
“I can make a cake,” Steve shrugs, “Robin obsesses over shit sometimes, calls them her “little brain worms” or whatever. She couldn’t stop thinking about this cake she swore she had for her 5th birthday but couldn’t remember the flavor. So we made every cake recipe in her mom’s cookbook until we found the right one.”
“So Harrington’s got a secret Betty Crocker power-up, impressive.”
“Nah, just small stuff. I help Claudia with Dustin’s birthday cakes. Little shit is very particular about his red velvet.” 
Eddie snorts and Steve waves him over to start washing the dishes. He does so with a small salute that smears more flour on his forehead. The word cute comes to Steve’s mind but he just rolls his eyes. 
“So you dusted off your oven mitts for little old me, hm? I’m flattered.”
“Only because I like Wayne and I’d prefer if you didn’t give him food poisoning,” Steve teases, dumping out Eddie’s abomination of batter into the trash. Though he softens when he sees the way Eddie winces at it. “And I think it’s nice, you know, you doing this for him. I wanna help.”
Eddie clearly holds back a smile, looking down at the bubbles in the sink, and the cute word comes back to Steve’s mind.
“Okay well, take it easy on me. Not everyone has a bunch of mom friends teaching them to bake.” 
“Oh yeah, then where’d you get this grandma apron? You just had this little number in the closet with your leather and chains?”
“No, it’s Mrs. Bennet’s and she’s not my friend,” Eddie bristles and Steve senses a hell of a backstory there, “I stole it off her clothesline.” 
Steve laughs and makes Eddie tell him the whole story, all the inner workings of Forest Hills feuds. It’s nice, Steve’s been spending more time here since everything, listening to Eddie’s stories and sharing his own. It’s easy to be around Eddie, even though that pesky word won’t get out of Steve’s head.
Once the batter is finished, Steve dips a finger in to test.
“How does it taste?” Eddie asks, “Better than mine I hope.”
Steve hums around his finger, “So good, here taste,” he meant to slide Eddie the bowl, but the wires must’ve gotten crossed somewhere, because now he’s holding out a dollop of cake batter on the tip of his finger to Eddie’s mouth. 
They both look down at it, then at each other again. Steve knows he should apologize, drop his hand and say it was a mistake but there’s something about the way Eddie’s looking at him, the way he subtly licks his lips is almost like— He wants this. 
So Steve lets him have it.
Eddie leans in, keeps his hands at his sides and slowly guides himself down on Steve’s finger. His eyes fall shut as his mouth closes around it, like it’s too much, watching Steve watching him. It’s a lot for Steve too, the wet warmth of Eddie’s mouth, one swirl of his tongue almost makes Steve’s knees buckle. 
Something comes over him, he presses his finger down just slightly, feeling Eddie’s tongue curl around the tip. It elicits a soft noise from Eddie that sends heat thrumming all through Steve. Eddie’s eyes flutter open, brows turned upwards and mouth in a plush little O around Steve’s finger, looking up at him through dark lashes, a dot of flour on his nose. The sight makes Steve’s breath catch in his throat. It’s fucking cute and hot.
Steve has to swallow his own noise when Eddie pulls off. 
“Yeah,” he breathes out, a slight grin on his lips, “Really good.” 
Steve’s about to do something crazy, put his finger back in Eddie’s mouth, maybe more than one this time, or just his lips on Eddie's, maybe even slip his tongue inside instead of his fingers, lick all that sweetness away until he just tastes Eddie, something— but a sudden loud knock on the door has him dropping his hand like it’s made of cement.
It’s Max, wanting to know why Steve ditched her for Eddie. She comes inside to ‘help’ which means she leans against the counter, talks about her day, complains, teases Steve and makes fun of Eddie for being demoted to dish duty. 
Steve puts the cake in the oven and focuses on cleaning and composing himself. He can feel Eddie trying to meet his gaze, trying to see if Steve's going to freak out on him after that. Once Steve can look at him without feeling like he’s going to burst into flames, he gives Eddie a small reassuring smile, even throws him a wink when Max isn’t looking. Eddie gives him a smile back.
And later, after Wayne comes home and they sing happy birthday and eat the cake that Steve insists Eddie helped him with— Just the tasting part, Steve says and revels in how Eddie covers a blush with his hair— and after they walk Max home, Steve pulls Eddie behind the trailer and kisses him until he doesn’t taste like cake anymore.
for the prompts "You heard me. Take. It. Off." and "Stop laughing at me" for @highkingpenny and anon, thank you and I hope you enjoy this!!
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shares-a-vest · 9 months
Text
@steddiemas Day 16: Angst-Themed (Saturday Sentence Starters)
wc: 1k | Rated: T | cw: Steve’s parents are arguing (he is overhearing it briefly but there are some descriptions of yelling), toxic family dynamics, unstable marriage, cheating
Tags: Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unstable Marriage, Toxic Family Dynamics, Cheating
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“I don’t want to fight with you, Caroline,” Steve hears his father bellow from downstairs, “Not tonight.”
He snaps his comic closed and tosses it on the floor.
Steve has no idea what his parents are arguing about. Hell, they don’t even need an excuse these days, he thinks. Someone can so much as fart and it will start a goddamn screaming match.
He guesses he shouldn’t be surprised. It’s the holidays and his parents are both off work until the beginning of the New Year. It’s snowing heavy out so they can’t go down to the Martens’ house – their best friends-come-buffer zones.
“Oh, John!” his mother chides before there is a lower muffle that he can’t quite make out.
While being hard of hearing allows him not to hear anything below a shout, the broken argument is still frustrating.
His parents might not need an excuse to fight, but he’d still like to know what it’s about. Gain intel for the inevitable coming days of being stuck in the middle.
Steve has a few guesses as to what it could be.
His mother bought a new car with her Christmas bonus finally topping up her bank account and thus justifying an indulgent and expensive purchase. His father always hates that.
Steve smirks.
If his father didn’t like that kind of independence, why did he marry a high-paid lawyer?
But, the more likely scenario considering his father’s apparent insistence he ‘doesn’t want to fight’ is that he is cheating again.
Cindy, his secretary, or someone new – take your pick.
The telltale signs have been there for a month or two. A renewed cheery attitude, longer office hours, a fresh haircut and new clothes.
Actually, now that he thinks about it, it might be a little bit of a motivator behind his mother’s car purchase too – 
“ – Cindy!” his mother shrieks.
Yep, there it is.
Steve rolls off the bed, planting his feet on the carpet right by his shoes.
“Fuck this,” he mutters, scooping up his keys and wallet from the nightstand.
He’s just about halfway to Forest Hills, driving at a snail’s pace because he can’t see for snow, when he begins to regret his decision to leave the house.
Maybe he shouldn’t just barge in on the Munsons unannounced. Like sure, his friendship with Eddie is… teetering on not being entirely platonic. But this might be too much.
He always thought it was too much when he’d walk down to stay at Carol Perkins’ house for an impromptu sleepover. And there was always this awkward, knowing going on with the Wheeler’s when he was dating Nancy and spending a lot of time just hanging about.
Lingering for too long in the kitchen chatting to Karen or watching a game with Ted until the guy started snoring too loud to hear the commentators.
It was all there but largely unspoken.
Only Robin knows the details. And even then, he’s sure that her father’s friendliness towards him was partly due to his daughter telling him all about the trouble at the ‘ol Harrington house. He doesn’t blame his best friend for likely doing so. And he doesn’t consider it blabbing, either. Robin’s parents – her whole family – are amazing.
But some of his parent’s shit is stupid at best, hard to take at worst.
And he is scared to let Eddie in on it.
It’s too much.
He’s too much.
Being a Harrington is too much.
Wayne answers the door with a cup of cocoa that seems glued to his left hand in winter.
“Steve,” he says, voice gruff as ever despite a warm smile.
“Hi,” he replies, looking down at his snow-covered boots, “Eddie in?”
Of course, he’s in, his van is parked outside.
Steve can feel the warmth from inside the trailer. See the twinkle of lights from the Munson’s small, but heavily-decorated, Christmas tree. The smell of cocoa overpowering the ever-present hint of cigarettes.
“Eddie!” Wayne calls over his shoulder, “Steve’s here.”
In a flash, Eddie runs to the front door and practically bumps into his uncle.
“Come in!” he insists, wide-eyed as he looks past his shoulder at the falling snow.
And before Steve can even step in, Eddie is pulling him by his parka sleeve. He only just manages to scrape off his boots on the ‘Home Sweet Home’ adorned welcome mat.
“What some cocoa?” Eddie offers, eliciting a grumble from Wayne.
“I asked if you wanted some,” he chides.
“But Steve might want some,” Eddie grins.
“How about I heat up a pot now, and whoever wants some’s got it?” Wayne suggests, pursing his lips at Eddie and moving to the stove before his nephew can make any more requests.
“Follow me,” Eddie says, grabbing his hand, “I made cookies.”
He wiggles his brows and begins leading Steve to the kitchen.
As he is pulled along, Steve tries not to think about the fact that they are holding hands. Or how he wishes his fifteen-minute-ago Self had thought to bring an overnight bag and allowed himself to assume the Munsons would allow him to stay the night.
But it might be even harder to stop himself from squeezing his friend’s hand and lacing his fingers with Eddie’s.
Eddie lets go of his hand to gesture to the tray of Christmas-themed shapes, all looking a little too dark for gingerbread as they rest on the kitchen island.
“Pick one, Big Boy,” Eddie beams.
Steve reaches for a reindeer, flexing his fingers as he goes and commits the feeling of Eddie’s rings to memory.
“No!” Eddie shrieks, lightly smacking his hand enough that he drops it, leaving the cookie to snap in half as it falls back onto the tray, “His antlers are broken.”
“Christ, boy!” Wayne curses, stirring the pot on the stovetop.
Okay, a tree then…
“The star is missing!”
A bell?
“That was already snapped in half when I got them out of the oven”, Eddie admits with a tight-lipped smile.
Steve places his hands on his hips and rolls his eyes. To him, they all look at least a little crumbly – some he would even describe as lightly charred.
“How about you pick one for me then, Betty Crocker?” he chuckles.
Eddie giggles, twirling a lock of his hair as he carefully considers the tray of mostly broken, dry cookies.
He watches Eddie for a long enough time that Wayne pushes a mug into his hand, the warmth of Eddie’s hand remaining in place due to the heat of the cocoa. It’s a Chicago Cubs mug, one that he finds himself holding at some point each time he is here as if Wayne considers it Steve’s own.
He smiles for the first time in three days.
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wynnyfryd · 5 months
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Trailer park Steve AU part 63
part 1 | part 62 | tumblr masterlist | ao3
cw: references to canonical horror. short update today while i restructure some stuff in the next scene <3
“I’m staying with him,” Steve says, toeing a weed in the soft soil. Testing the give. Thinks maybe he’ll be doing that for the rest of his life. 
“Uh,” Robin objects. They’re at the top of the hill again, halfway to the car — everyone but Eddie, who refused to leave the boathouse after telling them in horrific detail how a cheerleader floated up to the ceiling and popped like a cheap balloon, and whose pale, frightened face Steve can see staring at them through a grimy window, two black dots hardly daring to blink. 
“Steve.”
“Huh?” 
Max calls him a total space-case.
Robin groans up at the sky. "As much as we would all love to have a spooky sleepover with you two under a tarp—”
“Mm, would we love that?” Dustin wonders. 
“—I'm not so sure our parents would be too thrilled about us not coming home when there's a freaky evil killer magician on the loose!"
Max snorts at that; mutters under her breath. “My mom probably wouldn’t mind.”
Dustin whines, “Mine would!”
Three people turn in unison to lay into him for being a dick, but he’s already holding up his hands in surrender, cringing so hard it folds his face like crumpled paper. “Sorry,” he winces. “Sorry. That was rude.”
“Yep,” Max agrees with a flat smack of her lips.
Eddie's still waiting by the window.
Steve just nods at them — arms folded, shoulders broad. "Dustin’s right.” He turns to Robin. “You both are.”
“Thank you,” she sighs, the sound long and airy, sweet with relief that he's seen reason.
She takes a wide step toward the car.
Steve says, “Which is why I'm staying here, and you're all going home."
Her foot falls back down to the ground; legs stretched in a standing split, shoes slipping on wet grass. “Oh, my god." This sigh is sour. "Oh, my god, of course you are.”
“We’re not leaving you,” says Dustin.
“Wasn’t asking,” Steve replies.
Robin lets out a strangled noise of frustration and shimmies herself upright. "Steve, please!" She marches over. "I know you’re all” —her hands come up around her head, voice warbling; wooOoo-ooh— “about your boyfriend-slash-not-boyfriend-slash-whatever being in danger, and I get that, babe, I really do, but I don't! Know how! To drive!"
Steve turns to Max. 
She’s looking right at them, mouth pinched in a flat line over the laugh she's holding back. Restrained as ever, but Steve can see the glimmer of excitement at the edge of her expression — the subtle twitch of her nostrils, the muscle jumping in her jaw. 
I've driven it before. 
"...Do not," he warns as he presses his keys into her palm; closes her fist around the metal, "fuck this up."
part 64
tag list in separate reblogs under '#trailer park steve au taglist' if you'd like to filter that content. if you want to be added please comment and let me know (must be over 21; please either verify in the comment or have your age visible on your blog)
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madxyy · 10 months
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Tender morning
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| pairings: steve x reader
| summary: just a rainy tender morning with your boyfriend <3
| warnings: steve being cute, fluff fluff fluff, touching wrists, robin mentioned once, baby and babe used, a lot of warmth, reader also being cute
author's note: ummm....hi
He presses delicate kisses along the hill of your shoulder, pillowy bow-like lips cascading down your back and cherishing the warm doughy flesh while soft affectionate whispers push past his pink lips. His serene breathing was warmly hitting your skin making the goosebumps on your skin pebble up. Honey brown hair gently scratches against your shoulder as he traces the top of your spine with the tip of his nose. The bedsheets crinkle as he presses himself further against you. One arm snaking around your stomach, drawing you in and tangling your limbs underneath the cool duvet. The feeling of his toned and hairy chest brushes against your back, earning a soft chuckle to escape your lips. His lips quirk at the sound and his drowsy hazel eyes glaze over at you. The sound of your chuckle made his heart throbbed in delight. God he swears he wants to hear that noise for the rest of his life.
“I knew you were awake,” he murmurs against your skin.
A smile forms on your lips, “no you didn’t.” 
You can hear shuffling behind you. He moves closer to you, the hand on your stomach moves and places itself in front of it, his palm pressing against the mattress. He lifts himself up while he starts to lean over your shoulder. He greets you with his classy steve harrington smile, this smile—as well as most of his smiles—was one reserved for you and you only. He always welcomed you back into reality with his sleepy and tender lopsided smile. That smile that you will always adore for the rest of your life.
“Let's lie and say I did, okay?” he says playfully, his voice still leaking with tiredness since the hoarseness is still lingering. Despite him being tired, that never stopped him from being affectionate. his eyes were already admiring and taking you in, he thought you were so beautiful in the morning, it always took his breath away. The funny thing is that you were doing the same exact thing. His mused brown hair waving at you as the breeze from the barely cracked window hits it, pink cheeks, hazy hazel eyes that makes your heart skip a beat each time you always see him for the first time since you cracked your eyes open. 
You forgot about his question and also forgot that you were “supposed” to respond with a witty or teasing comment since it was part of your routine each time you woke up next to him. The room filled with white noise of admiration. The only sound that can be heard is the rain pitter pattering against the windows, the overcast cloudy and gray, and the room taking in the musky scent of the outside since the window was cracked open a bit. The small breeze coming into the room breezes against you, not really feeling the breeze since you were basking in the warmth of each other’s presence. It was blissful. The cold breeze had nothing against you both, even that’s not enough to draw you both back into your senses.
He noticed you admiring him as well and he can’t help but tease you. The smile on his lips starts to form into a grin. He playfully rolled his eyes, “y’know if i wanted to be stared at, I could’ve just gone to work today.” He looks back at you, the same grin on his face. His voice snapped you out of your daze and it took you a few short moments to remember what he said before you rolled your eyes back at him and started to turn so you're now facing him, hands pressed underneath your cheek and pillow. Peering up at him with soft eyes and a small amusing smile, “oh, really?” you raise your eyebrows at him. “You only get stared at by robin each time you do anything stupid, babe…and that’s most of the time - according to her.” He scoffs and waves a dismissive hand at the mention of his best friend's name. He starts to sink back down against the cool duvet. The hand that waved slithers back down and around your back, drawing you closer to his chest. “First of all, don’t listen to robin okay? she likes to tell lies and yada, yada, yada…” he says the yada yada yada part with his free hand, opening and closing it like it’s talking while he bounces his head side to side to emphasize his point causing his hair to bounce along with his movement. The small single strand of hair pokes out of his hair after his bouncing, now the lonely strand hangs in front of his forehead. A soft chuckle bubbles in the back of your throat while rolling your eyes again, always loving his dramatics.
“Oh, I'm most certainly going to listen to robin because I know for a fact that she’s right," you said teasingly. It was like you just said the most absurd thing to him because once those words left your lips, his eyes widened and his mouth parted. Oh no, you knew where this was going and you were going to love every second of it. He was feigning being hurt before shaking his head and releasing a scoff. “Wow, just side with her instead of siding with your charming boyfriend, I get it.” he shrugs, pretending to shrug the hurt off. You chuckled and rolled your eyes again at him for the third time, your hands reaching out for him but he dodges away from your soft touch, trying to keep his act up. “no, no, no, i get it…” he murmurs while bouncing his head lightly like he’s just understanding something. You shake your head again, an amusing smile growing on your lips before moving your hands to cup his chin, gently putting a halt to his movements. He stops and looks over at you with warm eyes, biting back his grin.
“When are you going to stop being an idiot, steve harrington?” 
He pretends to ponder. Your hand on his chin restraining him from fully looking to the side (not like he wanted your hand to be anywhere else but touching him) so he settles to wander his eyes to the side with pursed lips. His beautiful and kissable lips. He lets out a considerable “hmmm,” dragging the mmm’s. Meanwhile, your eyes were gazing at him like he was the personification of love. And to you, he was, no matter what anyone says. His gaze lands back to you, making your heart skip a beat. 
Steve shrugs nonchalantly, “Maybe if I get my morning kiss then maybe…I mean I don’t know,” his hand slowly creeps up and moves towards your hand that’s holding his chin. Fingertips gently brush against the inside of your wrist before his warm and rough hands encircle your wrist, his thumb softly stroking the part where the thumb meets your wrist. The touch itself was leaving warm sparks on your skin, smiling at him. He leans closer until the tip of his nose brushes against yours making you let out a keen hum from the small but tender affection. “I'll think about it,” he whispers gently. Steve's eyes darted down to your beautiful and tantalizing lips that he has been wanting to kiss since he first woken up and saw you laying down beside him, looking so idyllic, but he’s a gentleman–at times–so he waits for your permission.
His gentle breath fanning against your parted lips. The corners of your mouths tugging up as you start to lean closer to him, brushing your lips against his, “fine” you whisper. “But you better be thinking about it,” the corners of his lips tugs up into a smirk, his eyes diverted from your lips to your eyes. Your eyes that always makes that blossoming warmth boil in his heart and chest. Tender eyes with a tinge of playfulness behind them. The classic Steve Harrington look. The gaze he gives you is so affectionate that it makes your heart feel syrupy. “Oh, cross my heart and hope to die babe,” he whispers back playfully while he gently lets go of your wrist. His hand migrates to the right side of your face, cradling it with his big and warm hands, slowly bringing you closer and closer until his lips are pressed against yours.
Just like always, it’s a flurry of love, respect, adoration, affection, and infatuation. The kiss was unhurried and dawdled. You both wanted this kiss to last because you know it would soon be ephemeral and you would both have to swim out of each other’s affection and breathe in reality once again. You both were deeply enamored with another. Each and every time he kisses you, it always reignites that warmth in the underbelly of your heart. That warmth he promised from day one that he would try his best to keep, and he has never broken that promise. He sighs softly into the kiss like it was a breath of relief to finally kiss you. The pad of his thumb strokes your cheek up and down in a slow and featherlight touch. You sigh back softly into his lips. One of your hands moving to the side of his nape, gently caressing the underside of where his ear and jaw meets. It was his turn to keen into the kiss, making you both smile warmly against pressed lips. This could go on ad infinitum, because both of you kept caressing each other’s lips, meeting overs and overs again, never wanting to leave one another but unfortunately you both were growing breathless and needed to pull away for oxygen. 
The first one to pull away was you followed by Steve chasing your lips, but then his movements stuttered once he realized that he also needed to breathe so he leaned his forehead against yours, noses brushing against one another delicately. His hand stayed on the right side of your face, caressing the doughy skin before his other hand came up and did the same. The caresses made a warmth creep onto your cheeks and both of your chests were swelling with bliss and felicity. Your hand moved away from his face to gently encircle both of his wrists, caressing the inside with the utmost care and gentleness. Both of you bathed quietly into each other’s love and drowned into it. The feeling of being with him and the feeling of being with you was ineffable to you both. No words, poems, movie references, or songs can describe this feeling. You both just know that you love being together and love each other wholeheartedly and that’s all that matters. 
“Never stop being an idiot, Steve harrington,” you whisper.
His lips tug into a warm, gooey smile. He leans closer, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of your nose. 
“Wasn’t planning to, baby.”
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steddieas-shegoes · 1 year
Text
Read Platonic Shower Stobin first
Is it normal to be thinking about non-platonic showering while working?
Probably not.
But it’s all Eddie could think about at the shop. His boss kept giving him weird looks all day, noticing his clumsiness and stupid mistakes with customers getting a standard oil change.
He kept picturing Steve. Naked. Touching him.
He was doing it again. Oil spilled down his jumpsuit. He closed his eyes and sighed.
This was his last car for the day. He could leave when he was done. That’s what he had to remind himself every time his brain started to drift to thoughts of fucking Steve against the shower wall.
He’d never had shower sex. Sounded difficult. Sounded worth it.
Especially with Steve.
Steve Harrington.
Jesus, what had he gotten himself into?
— — — — — — —
When he got home, the apartment was quiet. He knew Robin would still be at work, but Steve was always home first. He usually was making dinner, playing music, cleaning, taking up space in a way that he never could as a child or teenager.
Eddie loved it.
Eddie loved Steve.
Maybe he wasn’t like, in love with him. Yet. But he did love him. He loved Robin, too.
But he definitely knew he could love Steve.
Steve who should be home but isn’t. Or at least isn’t making any noise.
“Steve?”
No movement. No response.
Maybe he was stuck at work.
Maybe he ran for the hills at the thought of having to be in the shower with Eddie.
Maybe he changed his name and went into the Witness Protection Program to avoid ever having to look at Eddie again.
He walked towards his room, which was the closest to the front door and shared areas because Steve and Robin hated being close to the door. When he opened the door, he felt himself freeze like he had that morning in the bathroom.
Steve was in his bed, cuddled up with his pillow, no shirt on, mouth wide open and drooling.
Eddie was in love with Steve.
He was in love with him and he wanted to come home to this every day; Steve asleep in his bed, drooling on his pillow, possibly completely naked under the blanket.
Eddie remained as quiet as possible while he got out of his work jumpsuit, stripping it off and leaving him in his undershirt and boxers. He had oil stains on his hands and neck that needed to come off before he got in bed.
Just when he grabbed his towel from where it was hung up on his desk chair, he heard Steve groan. In his bed.
But it only took a second for Eddie to recognize it was a groan in pain, not pleasure.
He wasted no time in rushing to where Steve was curling up against the pillow, eyebrows scrunching together.
Migraine.
Eddie sat on the floor next to the bed, putting his hand up to gently brush hair out of his face and try to relieve some of the pain.
Steve’s eyes fluttered open, though he looked like he wished they hadn’t.
“Hey, sweetheart. Need anything? Water maybe?”
“Mm-mm.”
Eddie was certain he did need water, but he wasn’t going to argue with him when he had a migraine. Especially not if he tried to make it all day at work with one.
He’d leave some water by the bed while he showered so it was there if Steve managed to sit up.
He stood up, but before he could turn around, Steve’s hand was around his wrist.
“Don’t go.”
“I need a shower. Got a lot of oil on me.”
“‘Sposed to go in the car.”
Eddie snorted. “No shit. I was too busy thinking about you and spilled. Three times.”
“Oh.”
Steve let go of his wrist, and it felt like he was no longer tethered to the earth.
“Shower?”
Eddie was still getting used to Steve during his migraines. He’d only lived here for six months, and it was usually Robin’s job to handle it or Steve would already be sleeping it off by the time he got home. In his own bed.
He didn’t know if Steve was clarifying what he had already said or if he was asking to take one.
He didn’t look like he could stand up, so it must’ve been the former.
“Um I’m gonna take one. I’ll be quick.”
Steve started to shuffle around, moving the blanket off of him slowly.
Eddie tried to stop him from moving, not sure what he was trying to accomplish, but not wanting him to make his headache worse by moving.
“Steve, stop.”
“No.”
God, he was stubborn. He loved him so much.
“What are you doing?”
“Shower.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“Promised.”
Eddie melted. He was a puddle on the floor. Might have even gone through the floor.
“Sweetheart, you can stay in bed. We can shower tomorrow night when you’re feeling better.”
“Want to. Neck hurts.”
Eddie helped him out of bed. Arguing wasn’t worth it and getting to shower with Steve was welcome any time.
They took it slow, stumbling to the bathroom across the hall as Eddie tried his best to support Steve. Just when he was about to offer carrying him bridal style, Steve stopped and rested his head against Eddie’s shoulder.
He let out a shaky breath.
“Sorry. Nauseous.”
“Want me to carry you?”
They were almost the same size. Eddie had some muscle, but not nearly what Steve probably had. The bathroom wasn’t far though, he could probably make it.
Steve shook his head against him, but didn’t start moving again. Eddie let him rest his head against him for a moment before he moved his hand up to start rubbing the back of his neck.
Steve groaned and fully relaxed against Eddie, and if he hadn’t been head over heels before, he was now.
He didn’t know how long they stood there, but he knew if it helped Steve even a tiny bit, he would stand here all night.
But they didn’t stand there much longer, even though it seemed like Steve didn’t actually want to move. He pulled his head away with a sigh, and Eddie made an executive decision to just carry him.
He lifted him quickly so he couldn’t argue, because if Steve will do anything, it’s argue over someone helping him.
But his migraine must have been terrible because he didn’t argue. He just rested his head against Eddie’s chest and closed his eyes.
“You sure you don’t wanna go back to bed?”
“Shower will help.”
Eddie couldn’t resist it anymore; he placed a kiss on the top of Steve’s head and walked to the bathroom.
He sat him down on the toilet lid so he could start the water and get the right temperature. As he stripped his shirt off, he noticed Steve’s head was resting on the sink counter and his eyes were open.
That had to be some type of progress, right?
“Doing okay, Stevie?”
“Better when you’re naked.”
God, the migraine couldn’t even stop his charm. Incredible.
“Alright, take it easy. No riling me up. Not now.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have a migraine.”
Steve just sighed and closed his eyes. Eddie took off his boxers and then kneeled in front of Steve, placing his hands on his thighs.
“Wanna leave these on?”
Eddie played with the waistband of Steve’s boxers, looking up at his face to see if he gave any outward signs of discomfort.
Steve shook his head and sat up so Eddie could help him stand and get them off.
They were about to shower. Naked.
Maybe it would be more platonic than not because of Steve’s migraine, but he’d get to take care of Steve with intent. Intent Robin didn’t have.
Was he jealous of Robin? Only in the way that she’d been showering with Steve for a long time and didn’t even appreciate it.
He helped Steve into the shower and turned him so the back of his neck was getting hit by the water, his forehead resting against his shoulder.
He let out another groan.
“Perfect.”
Eddie smiled to himself as he wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist. They stood there for a couple minutes, and it did seem to help the tension leave Steve’s body a bit.
“Can we switch for a minute so I can scrub the oil off?”
“Mhm.”
But Steve didn’t move and Eddie honestly didn’t want to move him. He’d never been this content or comfortable just existing with someone else naked.
Most experiences he had naked were quick or not in his own home, so he couldn’t quite relax like he was now.
Plus, it was Steve. Steve had seen him at his worst already. This was far from that.
He reached out his hand for the soap, deciding to just do what he could without moving Steve first. But Steve let out a hum and lifted his head so he could move away.
He rested his head against the shower wall instead while Eddie rushed through washing his body. He could wash his hair in the morning; Steve wasn’t long for this world and he wanted to have him cozy in his bed as soon as possible.
“Hair?”
Eddie looked over to Steve, who had one eye open, staring at him.
“Nah, I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Mine?”
“You want me to wash your hair?”
“Please?”
How could Eddie refuse that?
This was one of Eddie’s biggest dreams come true.
He wasn’t gonna say no.
So he guided Steve back under the water, tilting his head back and slowly pushing his hair back so it was wet.
He slowly massaged the shampoo into Steve’s scalp, smiling when Steve let out a few low moans. He knew it wasn’t necessarily pleasure, more relief than anything else, but he was happy to make things better for him.
He took his time. It was for Steve, but he definitely got his own enjoyment out of it too.
Steve looked so calm, relaxed, almost blissful, which is something he never sees regardless of if he has a migraine or not.
When he’d spent more than enough time with his hands in Steve’s hair, he leaned his head back and covered his eyes to rinse the shampoo out. Steve looked like he was about two minutes from falling asleep, and Eddie needed him to be out of the shower before that happened.
“Sweetheart, let’s get you dried off and back in bed,” Eddie said softly, not wanting the echo of his voice to make Steve’s head hurt worse.
“Mm.”
Eddie shut off the water and managed to get Steve out of the shower rather quickly, reaching for his towel to wrap around Steve before he could get cold.
He found an extra towel under the sink for himself, wrapping it around his waist before focusing on Steve again. He started to pat him dry the best he could, but Steve was struggling to stand upright.
He once told Eddie that during his worst migraines, his legs would feel like jelly, and sometimes his back would ache from the extra effort it took to stand up.
This must be one of those.
He managed to guide Steve back to his bedroom, slowly, afraid that one wrong move could send Steve to the ground in terrible pain.
“Sorry.”
He looked up as he helped Steve into some of his boxers.
“What could you possibly be sorry for, sweetheart?”
“Not fun.”
“Any time with you is fun. And I got to see you naked. I’d say that’s fun.”
Steve didn’t have enough energy to smile, but the way the corner of his mouth ticked up for just a second showed Eddie he wanted to.
“Thanks.”
“Nothing to thank me for. Always gonna take care of you.”
Well, nothing like throwing all his cards on the table. Full house or royal flush or whatever the hell the best hand in poker was.
“Mkay. Want you to.”
If Eddie was capable of it, he would probably melt through the floor. Again.
Because Steve never let anyone take care of him, except Robin, and she was only allowed because she would kill him if he didn’t let her. He was the epitome of “suffer in silence,” and everyone just watched as he tried to work his way through his own pain, both emotional and physical.
So if Steve wanted him to take care of him, that meant he was really doing this. He really wanted Eddie.
Holy shit.
“I got you.”
He got Steve to lay down in his bed while he threw on some boxers, rushing as quickly as he could to dry his hair a bit with the towel.
It always got so frizzy if he fell asleep with it still wet, but he didn't care. He had Steve in his bed.
Steve curled up to his side as soon as he was under the blanket, placing his head on his naked chest.
Eddie didn’t think it could be comfortable, but it must have been because Steve was letting out little snores within moments.
Eddie’s hands covered his back and the back of his head, fingers moving slowly to ease any possible aches or pains he might feel in his sleep.
He kissed the top of Steve’s head, letting his lips linger for longer than was probably necessary. He breathed in the scent of his freshly washed hair, smiling to himself when he felt Steve sink further into him.
He would take a not-so-platonic shower with Steve in the morning. This was almost better than anything his dreams could’ve come up with anyway.
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superblysubpar · 5 months
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thank you so much for requesting @pastel-pillows I love writing Robin so much, and I'm also SO soft for her 💛 I hope you love this, thanks for your patience!
1439 words | my blog is 18+
“That guy’s totally going to spend all of his last paycheck getting that pink bear.”
“Who?” She shook her head, searching the crowd hard and making her forehead wrinkle.
You leaned closer to match her eye line, whispering, “There.”
Her breath hitched, and you’d like to think it was from the bump of your nose against her cheek as she followed your finger pointing down to the idiot in question. She gasped, before a burst of laughter shot out of her.
“That’s Steve!” Robin laughed harder, swiping at her eyes as the boy at the bottom of the hill in the gray jacket missed the bottles with the baseball again when a pretty girl ran her fingers through the back of his hair.
“Oh my god,” you laughed with her, leaning against each other to avoid falling over.
It had been the perfect night, if such a thing could exist.
The Indiana air wasn’t too sticky yet, the promise of a beautiful Summer making things buzz louder, shine brighter, and had the whole town out for the rinky-dink carnival.
When Robin had asked you to go with her, it was a string of jumbled and rushed thoughts spit out at you as she played with your fingers and a blush made her freckles stand out. She’d blinked up at you under fluttering eyelashes, the definition of hope and excitement and a little bit of nerves.
It had been an easy yes.
You’d spent the day changing your outfit six times, and reminding yourself that just because words like weightless, giddy, complete, were what you’d use to describe how Robin Buckley made you feel, you didn’t want to get too ahead of yourself. For all you knew, this wasn’t like that for her at all.
And maybe that’s why you’d suggested dragging each other up the huge hill for some innocent people watching after filling up on too sweet of treats and riding all the rides (or well, the ones you were fairly certain wouldn’t break down). Because maybe watching her try and fail to eat cotton candy without making a mess, or laugh when she sabotaged your throw so she could win a game, and swipe at powdered sugar on her lips with her tongue as she asked you if she got it all had your stomach swooping more than the rides did.
So when she grabbed your hand as her laughter subsided and squeezed your intertwined fingers, her thumb swiping over your knuckles as she did, you couldn’t help but shiver.
“You cold?” She whispered, turning her head to catch the end of your exhale and the rise of goosebumps on your neck.
“I’m fine…” the word trailed off as she didn’t waste a second before shaking off her jean jacket.
Robin wrapped it around your shoulders as your heart pounded louder than the music playing below you both. Her fingers lingered on the collar of the jacket, playing with it as your eyes traced her jawline.
“Better?” Murmured as her finger dared lower, swiping over your collarbone.
You hummed, not trusting your words with her too close to the erratic throb of your pulse point. She was still so close, you could count each freckle dotting her nose and cheeks if she’d let you sit there all night. Could smell the cotton candy on her skin, mixed with apple shampoo and you were starting to convince yourself it was all too sweet, too unfair if you didn’t get a chance to taste it.
It was a little like right before a ride starts. The rules have been given, and you’re locked in, but they’re doing their final checks. And everyone around you is talking, restless. Nerves or excitement bubbling out of you all in the only way humans know how to deal with it. Joking and laughing, and talking to fill the space riddled with anticipation, legs swinging or fingers tapping. And then, as if you’re all under this sort of same agreement, a thumb’s up is given, and nobody moves or talks, and the ride starts.
Robin’s fingers skated up your neck, down, and back up as she swallowed, her eyes staring straight at your lips as she spoke like she didn’t know what a period was.
“So I really like you and I mean shit I really hope I’m not reading into all of this so wrong and if I am can we just agree to forget it but if not I think you’re amazing-“
“Robin, stop talking,” you interrupted, voice scratchy and rough and sounding nothing like yourself as your hands grabbed her elbows.
“Right, yeah,” her breath exhaled against your lips as her nose traced down the bridge of yours and her eyelids blinked rapidly, “Once I get going it’s hard to stop and it just sort of keeps tumbling out and-“
“Robin, I need you to stop-“
“I know sorry-“
“So I can kiss you,” laughing quietly as your hands traveled up her arms to her shoulders.
And Robin Buckley was finally speechless.
The thumb’s up had been given, and if you just tilted your head an inch, your top lip could bump her bottom, and maybe you both knew it, so neither of you moved for a moment.
A first kiss can be magical, but a first kiss with someone like Robin Buckley?
Her lips slotted over yours with ease, leaving too quickly and drawing away as if she was waiting for you to run, but your fingers curled around her neck and pulled her back eagerly and that was all she needed. Her mouth parted over yours slowly as her hand cupped your jaw and yours moved up into her hair.
It felt a little like you were on the sizzler again, brain scrambled and breath caught. Butterflies in your stomach not knowing if they should fly right or left or tumble forward in a somersault.
Robin’s lips moved with yours patiently, like she was going to take her time for once and nobody could stop her. She sighed when you pulled at her bottom lip harder, her free hand curling around the hem of your shirt at your hip like it was the only thing keeping her on the ground.
It was addicting, sweet sugary lips that you were greedy for, wanting the high that you hoped you’d never come down from. Your fingers cradled the back of her head, honey waves tangled around them as you tilted her and broke away against your will.
Stupid lungs needing air.
You kissed over her pink cheeks, to her jaw, ragged breaths taken against her skin as she did the same against your temple. Mouthing at her neck until she arched, and made a gasping sort of sound when your lips found a spot below her ear. You had every intention of getting her to make it again when a loud air horn blasted.
“Winner! Winner! We have a Winner!”
Dazed faces blinked at each other before you glanced down at the commotion, Steve standing in front of the booth holding a giant pink bear out to the girl.
Robin turned to you, chest heaving, eyes sparkling as her thumb dragged over your bottom lip and let it go softly.
“Idiot,” she murmured.
“Me?” You laughed, kissing her wrist as you asked, “Or Steve?”
Robin studied your face, fingers trailing over your cheekbones as she shook her head, “Me.”
Your head tilted, eyebrows lifted in a silent question and she smiled, a little lost in a big Robin Buckley brain thought.
“You know when you spend so much time being anxious before a ride, and then you finally convince yourself to do it, and it becomes your favorite one, and you’re so damn mad at yourself because of how much time you wasted being able to ride it?”
“Telling me you want to ride me, Robin?” You grinned, laughing when her cheeks grew brighter red and she sputtered around her words that you couldn’t help but notice weren’t quite a no.
You stood, and held out your hand, waiting until she grabbed it to start to pull her back down the hill.
“Where are we going?”
“Riding the ride some more,” you called, tugging her fingers as you stepped backwards. “You’re about to win your girlfriend a giant bear in way less tries than your best friend.”
Robin practically rolled you both down the rest of the hill she started running so fast, your hand clutched tightly in hers, proudly. As if they were always meant to be intertwined, like without them laced together, she wasn’t complete and neither were you.
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strawheart-pirate · 11 months
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What they do for their sick s/o who can’t leave the ship
Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Robin, Franky, Brook
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CW: SFW. This is just fluff. no drugs, no alcohol, no smokes, just tea and candy. Comfort. They go above and beyond for you.
Scenario: After weeks at sea, you finally reached an island, but you were unable to leave the ship. You had the flu, and because it came with a cough, fever and chills, you were not allowed to leave your bed. Your s/o went on the island to get some goods, and maybe they have a surprise for you.
Read part 2 here: Sanji, Nami, Law, Penguin & Shachi, Kid, Killer
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Monkey D. Luffy
- He was sad that he couldn’t take you on an adventure. - He even tried to steal you away from Chopper, who was keeping you company, in a disguise and a wheelchair, but he got caught. - At first, Luffy explored the whole island, caused some trouble, stole some food and was finally done with his adventure. It’s one of the smaller islands, so it didn’t take him long. - Then he tried to think of a cure for you. If he was sick, he would probably like some meat and he would be cured instantly. What did you like… Oh! Candy! - He went to the nearest store and bought all their candy. It wasn’t that he didn't know what you liked. He just wanted to be safe than sorry. Because if you wanted more when you're back on the open sea, you'd both be sad. Yeah, all the candy should be enough and if there are leftovers, he will gladly volunteer to eat them. - "I bought you candy! Since you like them, you will be cured in no time!" Luffy explained with his biggest smile. You were dumbfounded by his explanation and all the candy was piled up beside your bed. You chuckled at his words. Candy and smiles. This man was all you needed. - Later Luffy showered you with kisses while you both ate some candy. “Don’t kiss my mouth, idiot. I don’t want you to get sick, too!” - "But I can't get sick. I'm rubber and very immune since the incident with the poisonous guy." He smiled proudly and you just hugged him a little tighter.
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Roronoa Zoro
- He was lost. - Yes, he'd promised to stay close and not get lost. Now he was standing on a hill on the other side of the island, wondering how he got here in the first place. A second ago, he'd been on the beach next to the Sunny looking for a shell you'd like and now this. - On his way back, he was looking for something to comfort you, but he didn't know what or where. - Just as he was about to give up and ask someone, he passed a store that sold pillows. - The saleswoman recommended the heated ones for a sick partner. He chose a green, fluffy one, with a removable heating pad. Now all he had to do was get back to the ship. - It was just before sunset, when he returned. Everyone was annoyed that he had wandered off, but he ignored them all and went to prepare your gift. -  As he handed you your gift, the pillow was already heated. "Oh wow! Thank you Zoro, I love it. Did you heat it?" your eyes sparkled with joy. "...I had some help...from that damn curly brow." He admitted hesitantly. "You asked Sanji?" You were surprised that he asked him, but you didn’t push the matter. You let him sit behind you and snuggled up to him. - You were so proud of him and so grateful, that he had gotten you something. You kissed his cheek lightly and he wrapped his arms around you, as you both drifted off to sleep, a warm pillow in your lap.
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Usopp
- He was just unlucky. He wanted to stay on the ship so badly. No Marines, no tasks, just watching you and the ship sounded so good. But the odds were against him. Nami gave him a list of herbs to collect for Chopper, to stock the medicine cabinet and only he was able to gather them. - You waved him off and told him, that 'only the great Captain Usopp' could find the herbs. Your words boosted his ego and his strides became stable and proud. - He will go around the island and collect the herbs along with small things that caught his eye, like stones or leaves or abandoned things. - When he returns, he will show them to you and tell you how 'the mighty Captain Usopp got his hands on this treasure. How he fought beasts and giant ants and even tricked the devil himself to collect all the treasures and herbs.
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Nico Robin
- Who were you to deny Robin an expedition on the island? She sat restlessly beside you and you would have loved to join her, but you would have been of no help to her. - You talked to her, and she eventually went off on her own. You were sure that she would find places on the island that no one had seen in decades, and you were right, when she came home in the evening. - Robin would tell you everything she had discovered in the far corners of the island and you loved to listen. Her stories were always captivating you and her voice just added to that. - The smile on both of your faces was proof enough that the day was great, even if you stayed in bed and cured your sickness. - When you thought that was all, she handed you an eternal pod for this island. “I found it in the ruins and it still works. There is a huge waterfall I would like to show you one day.”
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Franky
- Franky saw how sad you were, that you had to stay in bed, so he locked himself in and crafted something for you before he left for the island. - He takes the little robot he crafted around the island. At every sightseeing place, or just where he came along and thought of you, he took a picture of himself and the robot in front of the place. After his sightseeing tour, he took his time to prepare your gift, before coming to see you. - He knocked and came in with a bright smile and a small box. “Suuuper evening! I have something for you.” - He handed you the box excitedly and sat down next to your bed. You opened the lid and looked at the little robot. A smile spread on your face. “It’s great, Franky, thank you.” – “I was thinking of you as I made it. Look, I even took pictures.” You investigated the box again and took out the photos. “So the two of you went on a sightseeing tour without me?” You chuckled and looked through the photos with Franky, while he told you about his island adventures.
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Brook
- He wanted to stay and keep you company over a nice cup of tea, but you insisted that he go to the island. He had been in the fog for so long and you would never keep him from seeing the world. - So he went for a walk, but it was not as entertaining without you. - When he came across a field of flowers, he picked a bouquet of your favorite colors and flowers. On his way back to the Sunny he stopped at a tea and spice shop. He had an excellent taste in tea and it would help you get better soon. So he chose a tea that would be to your liking and help with your sickness. - “Yooohohoho! I’m back!” He chimed as he entered the room. He handed you the flowers and placed two cups of tea on your nightstand. “Oh wow, how lovely, thank you.” You smiled at the flowers and placed them on the nightstand. “I'll have to get a vase for them.” – “You stay in bed. I’ll get the vase. Meanwhile, I got this nice tea just for you, you should try it. The right cup is yours.” You took the cup and inhaled the aromatic scent while Brook got a vase for your flowers. He told you stories about the island while you both drank your tea and smiled. The tea was delicious, and his stories warmed your heart.
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