#steve still admires nancy i think!!!! that's his first love!!!! and they made up in season 2 and so much has happened since???

[munamania]

be so serious with me. do you think that shared trauma caused by interdimensional violence and death and government conspiracies and survivor’s guilt would seriously be outweighed by a petty high school breakup.

[lostgirlfandom]

Warrior Queen

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader

Warnings: violence, mentions of injuries, afab reader

Word Count: 1.1k

Summery: Eddie is starting to realize how perfect Dustin's older sister is perfect for him... maybe even his soulmate.

Getting trapped in the Upside Down was not your idea of a fun Spring Break, but here you were. You jumped after Nancy when she jumped into the lake after Steve. While not the best swimmer, you did your best to follow down until you saw the glowing red beacon at the bottom of the lake. You climbed through and huffed from holding your breath and looked around and spotted Nancy running towards a group of flying things around something on the ground. That something was Steve.

You took off as fast as you could and when getting close you found an oar from a decaying boat and grabbed it.  

“Fuck.” Was hissed behind you as you hurried over to Nancy, closely followed by Eddie and Robin.  

You started to wack at the flying evil bastards that screeched and tried to get at you and the others. Grunting with excursion, you had hit away a few of the bat looking creatures. You caught one out of the corner of your eye speeding at Eddie who was busy with another one. “Oh, no you don’t” You whispered as you rushed over and taking the oar like a sword and bringing it down on the bat to the ground. Stepping on it, you raised the oar and stabbed the bat in the head, crushing it.  

“Holy fuck.” Was huffed out from behind you and you looked behind you to see Eddie standing there looking at you in awe.  

You took a deep breath and looked around to see the others finishing off the last of the bats.  

You glanced back at Eddie who was still staring at you in awe, making your mouth twitch with a small grin.

Turning to walk over to the others who were panting like you and Eddie from beating the shit out of the bats.  

Next thing you know, you were hiding near Skull Rock with the others as you watched more of those bats flew overhead. Huddling close to the rock with the others, you sighed and leaned against the side of it with your legs crossed. Leaning your head back and closing your eyes, wondering how you got into this shit in the first place... oh, that’s right. Dustin’s your younger brother.  

“Hey,” Eddie’s voice came whispered next to you as Nancy wrapped up Steve’s wounds and Robin was rambling about rabies nervously. You turned your head and opened your eyes to look at him and found him admiring your face. “I want to uh- I want to say thank you... you know, for back there.” He pointed back where you came from with his thumb before fidgeting with his hands. You smiled softly, thinking it was cute that he fidgeted like you did.  

“No problem. I wasn’t gonna let those evil bastards get you.” You said softly as you looked down and pulled down your sweater sleeves.  

He gave a small, huffed laugh, “Still... that was badass, the way you brought that thing down like you had a sword, like woosh!” He made a movement with both hands like you did with the oar. “Very Aragorn of you..” he paused and rushed out. “That’s from Lord of the-”

“Rings, yeah I know. Kinda wish I had Anduril right now too.” You gave a giggle as you looked up at him. He looked at you with even more admiration.  

“You’ve read Lord of the Rings?” He asked with surprise.  

You grinned and tilted your head at him. “How do you think Dustin got into it?” You said as you stood up to join the others in talking about a plan.  

Not noticing as he watched you go with a huge smile. “I think I’m in love.” He whispered before walking over to a rock.  

-

A little while later you were walking to Nancy’s house cause apparently, she had guns, with Nancy and Robin taking the lead and you walking with Steve and Eddie. You had zoned out, trying not to step on any of the vines that were spread everywhere when you got clued in on Steve and Eddie talking... well Eddie rambling and Steve listening.  

“That was very Ozzy of you.” Eddie told Steve. “Super badass.”

Steve frowned his eyebrows and glanced at Eddie. “Ozzy?”

Just as Eddie opened his mouth to answer, you broke in. “Ozzy Osbourne...? He bit the head off of a bat during a live gig...?” You asked with a bemused grin on your face.  

Steve still looked confused.  

“He’s the lead singer of Black Sabbath! Steve, you’ve listened to them with me before!” You said through a laugh. Not noticing that Eddie had another awed look on his face as you spoke.  

Steve looked at you through narrowed eyes. “Y/N, I don’t remember all those bands you’ve made me listen to!” He waved his hands up like he was making his point.  

You looked at him with a bitch face. “Oh, come on. Led Zeppelin?” He shook his hand back and forth like ‘so-so’. “Alice Cooper?” He shook his head. “Iron Maiden?” He shook his head again. “Oh, come on!” You through your hands up as you shook your head. “I’ve taught you better than that!” You said through a laugh. Steve had an amused grin on his face while Eddie was looking at you with a dopey look on his face as he grinned. You jokingly acted like you storming ahead while Steve chuckled at you.  

Steve and you had become friends when he protected your brother from the demo-dogs, and while you have nothing in common, you still were one of his best friends alongside Robin.  

While you walked between the girls ahead of you, and the boys behind you, you didn’t hear Steve’s and Eddie’s conversation about Nancy going in after Steve.  

But Steve started to notice Eddie staring at your back. Looking from you and to Eddie and back again, he grinned.  

“She’s single... you should ask her out.” Steve said to him nonchalantly. Eddie blinked and looked over at Steve, with a mild panic attack going on in his head as he stared at Steve wide eyed.  

“What?!” His voice had gone up an octave before he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He tried to act nonchalant back, “I mean, what? No... I mean, no..” He sighed and shook his head before looking at your back. “She is like.... so” he said with a huffing laugh. “So... Out of my league.” He said and then gulped as he stared at you.

Steve looked at him bemusement. “What? No, Y/n is so cool, and she doesn’t care about the social bullshit and just likes what she likes.” He glanced at you before looking at Eddie. “She’d say yes.” He said simply. “I think she likes you. Plus, you guys have a lot in common.” He gave Eddie a grin as Eddie didn’t take his eyes off you.  

Yeah... He was done for.

[forever-rogue]

I love Halloween a those prompts are so good!

“I’m not easily scared, but right now I’m terrified.” + “do you want to go to the corn maze?” With bf Steve 🥰💕 maybe the kids see you going to the maze and decide to scare you both.

AN | But just how wonderful and fun would fall be with Stevie? 🥺

Warnings | None

Pairing | Steve x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2k

Masterlist | Steve, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You stood in front of the house and admired your handiwork - you’d decorated the front porch with everything fall and spooky. It was the first year that you and Steve were spending in your new house - the place you’d decided to call home after getting married. Naturally, that meant that you were going to go all out. Steve had been at work all day but would be home soon - you wondered if he’d like your handiwork.

“Wow,” you’d been so wrapped up in your own little world as you’d decorated and hadn’t even heard Steve come home. You turned around to find your husband standing behind you, hands on his hips as he looked everything over. You moved closer to him and wrapped your arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “that’s a lot of pumpkins. How many pumpkins did you get?”

“Mind your business and don’t worry about it,” you were giggling as he took your face in his hands and pressed kisses to your cheeks before softly pressing his lips to yours. It was ridiculous just how giddy and excited he still made you feel, even after all this time together, “hi.”

“Hi angel,” he dropped his hands to your waist, giving you a gentle squeeze, “it looks wonderful.”

“You really like it, Stevie?” you took his hand and started to pull over to the door to show him all the small little details and decorations. You watched his smile grow and light up his entire face as he looked over everything, “I think I went a little overboard but once I started I just didn’t stop. So here we are!”

“It’s not overboard at all. It’s perfect,” he promised and you relaxed into him, “and it’s the first day of fall - it’s all perfect. I love you.”

“I love you too,” you did. You really, really loved him. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Every year, the lot of you had the tradition of going to the local fall and Halloween fair. There was everything and anything fall related that you could have ever imagined. 

It was a fun way to spend the day with your friends and get all those pumpkin treats you liked. You swore that one day everyone would catch onto them. Regardless you still have fun playing the games, going on a hayride, picking apples and pumpkins and getting to let all the animals.

This year one big thing remained yet to be done - 

“Do you want to go to the corn maze?" You squeezed Steve's hand and tilted your head towards the entrance of the maze. You saw the kids standing in line, eager and excited to go in. 

"I feel we have to, right? Like it's tradition," he nodded as you made a small sound of excitement. You were tugging on his hand in the direction of the long line, motioning for Nancy and Robin to follow along and to bring Eddie and Chrissy with them. 

"It's definitely tradition," you agreed softly, "along with getting caramel corn and cotton candy before we leave!"

"Yes," he laughed softly, leaning his head on top of yours, "you just love the fall fair, don't you?"

"I love fall most of all," you agreed, before pausing for a moment, "but not as much as you, of course."

"Well that's reassuring to hear," not that he ever had to doubt that. He knew just how very much you loved him, "we'll get whatever you want before we leave."

"Can't forget some pumpkins," you were eyeing the big pumpkin patch where others were already hunting for their favorite pumpkins. Meanwhile Steve was staring at you with a confused expression, "what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"More pumpkins?" He asked incredulously, "more?"

"Duh," you grinned, "we need ones to carve! They'll go right along with the others. Please Stevie?"

"I…of course," he shook his head with nothing but affection. As if he would ever say no to you for anything, "we'll carve the best pumpkins ever."

"Yay!" You bounced on your heels, "best friend and husband ever!"

"Mhmm," he stood behind you as you moved forward along with the line, "I better be since I'm doing this maze with you!"

"It'll be fun! It always is," you snorted in amusement, "we always get through it."

"Let's hope the tradition continues!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

By the time you made it to the front of the line to go into the maze, it was already getting dark. Darker than you’d have liked it. You weren’t about to admit to Steve that the darkness made your nerves spike up; instead you gingerly took the flashlights that were proffered to you. You handed one to Steve and stepped inside of the expansive rows of corn.

“Let’s make this a little more interesting,” Eddie piped up and looked between your small group, “let’s split up and see who can get to the end first. There’s lots of different paths but they all lead to the end.”

“You dinguses are so on," Robin exchanged an excited look with Nancy who eagerly nodded. The two of them were like peas in a pod, "let's do it."

"Hell yeah," Eddie high-fived Robin before he turned his attention to you and Steve, "what about the two of you, huh lovebirds?"

"Yeah," you sounded unsure but looked to Steve for confirmation only to be met with just as unsure of a look, "totally. Let's do it."

"Alright gang," Eddie illuminated one of the paths with his flashlight, "Robin and Nance can go this way. We'll go this way and the two of you go down that path. See you all at the end!"

Before you could say anything else the others had already started to run off. You swallowed thickly before turning your attention back to Steve. You stood closer to him as if that was somehow going to make everything better, "so, ugh, I'm not easily scared as you know, but right now I'm terrified. What if we get lost here forever Stevie?"

"I promise that won't happen," he looped his arm through yours as he started to lead you toward the path you had been assigned, "as long as we figure out a way to mark where we've been it'll be fine. We can break a stalk or something. That way we'll know where we've been."

 "Okay. Its just that we've never been in here this late before and its so dark," you felt unsure suddenly, "promise-"

"I swear it," he whispered, "we'll be out of here in no time. And then we'll get all the sweets and pumpkins."

"I'm holding you to it!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"It feels like we've been doing this forever," you cracked another stalk and looked at Steve with a huge pout on your face. He was tempted to kiss it away, but decided against it at that moment. He'd make up for it later and give you all the kisses. 

"It's only been about an hour," he reassured you softly. It had been a long hour nonetheless and meant bent stalks of corn and much backtracking. It was reassuring however that there were still lots of other people around you. In a way it was almost kind of eerie hearing all the different sounds around you but not seeing the people, "I'm sure we've gotta be close to the end."

"You're right," you agreed, smiling when Steve reached for your hand and laced your fingers together, "I'm sure it'll - ahh!"

You and Eddie screamed at each other as you clutched at your now wildly beating heart. You'd just turned a corner just as he had; only he was also missing Chrissy.

"I…what happened?" Steve looked between the two of you before trying to figure out where Chrissy was, "where's your girl?"

"I…don't know," he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "we were just walking around and the next thing I knew was that Chrissy was gone."

"I'm sure we'll catch up to her at the exit," someone had to be the voice of reason and apparently that was going to be you. You gulped as you heard a shriek from somewhere else in the maze, "let's just get going so we can escape."

"Good idea," the two friends agreed in union as you looped your free arm through Eddie's. You hoped that with the two of them at your side things wouldn't be as bad. 

But…you were still in the middle of a corn maze in the dark, cold night with nothing to help but measly flashlights.

You were definitely getting as many pumpkins as you wanted after this.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I've never been happier!" Eddie threw up his arms as he ran through the exit of the maze. You spied Robin, Nancy, and Chrissy all standing at the side as they chatted away. Chrissy's face lit up at sight of her boyfriend and he almost knocked her over in his excitement, "I've never been happier to see land!"

"You've been on land," Chrissy was laughing however as you shook your head in amusement, "I can't believe you got lost!"

"At least you made it out," Robin crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around at your small group, "great job all, but Nance and I are the clear winners."

"I want a rematch!" Steve playfully glowered at her before he realized what he'd said, "next year."

"That's what I thought," and she was so smug that it caused you to laugh, "great job team!"

"C'mon Stevie," you leaned up and kissed him softly, "let's go and get those pumpkins and treats before they close. It's always getting late anyway."

"Okay," he half puffed but relaxed as you started to pull him towards the illuminated pumpkin patch, "hey - my promise came true! We made it out alive!"

"My hero," you beamed at him, "I love you so much, Stevie."

"I love you too, angel," he brought your hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to your knuckles, "you and all your pumpkins."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I had a lot of fun today," you climbed into your side of the bed, lying down and immediately reaching for Steve. He'd beaten you to bed and was currently reading his book. He bookmarked his page before setting the book down and pulling you onto top of him. You grinned at him before gently pulling off his thin, silver wire framed reading glasses and putting them on the nightstand, "you're so handsome."

"You just love me for my looks, huh?" He was teasing and you scoffed at him.

"I love you for everything," you promised sweetly, "the fact that you're ridiculously handsome doesn't hurt either. Did you have fun today?"

"I did," his large, warm hands settled on your waist as you relaxed into him, "I had lots of fun too."

"And you like the pumpkins?" You might have gone a little extra…but another five pumpkins seemed necessary. 

"I know them," he insisted, "we've got the best looking house in the neighborhood easily."

"That's what I was going for," you pressed your forehead to his and sighed wistfully, "thanks for always putting up with me."

"I've never putting up with you," he peppered your face in soft kisses, causing you to giggle softly, "I adore you."

"I adore you, Steve Harrington," you whispered, "so much."

[elvenisms]

on my doorstep —; e.m.

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader [5.6k]

summary: An unexpected gift exchange between you and Eddie leads to an eventful Valentine's Day. 18+ MDNI

cw: smut, fluff, no use of y/n, mutual pining, best friends to lovers, first i love yous (':, sub!eddie if you squint, oral (female receiving), fingering, unprotected p in v (as always, don't do this), lovesick idiots and emotional sex.

author's note: getting this up literally ten minutes before valentine's day ends! woohoo! got carried away (as i often do), hope u like it. <3

masterlist

February 10th, 1986

It was a somewhat chilly day in Hawkins, the wind whipping around dead leaves that hadn’t yet been raked, the trees prickly and barren. Forest Hills looked its best like this, you thought; you were never one for hot summer days, or freezing winter nights.

Inside your trailer, Nancy was pouring a cup of coffee, wearing a matching set of pajamas that was oh-so her. That alone made her look more put together than you or Robin, clad in baggy, mismatched sweats. 

“What time do you work, Robs?” You asked mid-yawn, blankets pooling around where you sat on the couch.

She frowned beside you, squeezed her eyes shut, and threw her head back dramatically. “Don’t remind me.”

“Can’t Steve cover for you?” Nancy rounded the corner with two steaming cups, handing them off to the two of you. “He kinda owes you. You covered for him for that date last week.”

“That is a great observation.” Robin pointed a finger at the girl, as if she’d forgotten. “I’ll call him.”

Knock, knock, knock. All three of your heads flew to the door, then back at each other, brows furrowed. 

“Expecting someone?” Nancy asked, and you shook your head in response.

Curious, you threw the blankets off of you, cradling your cup of coffee as you approached the door. Maybe the kids skipped school, had some adventure planned? Maybe Eddie was bored?

You unlocked it, then swung it open—no one was there.

You looked down, confused, and were met with a sea of red; a bouquet of roses, neatly organized inside a vase, sat on your porch. On top, a small note with your name written on it. 

Your jaw dropped slightly in shock. You’d almost forgotten that Valentine’s Day was fast approaching, and certainly didn’t anticipate getting any gifts. You’d been single for almost a year, and not exactly searching.

No reason, really. It just never felt right.

You picked up the bouquet, wide eyes scanning the park for any sign of who dropped it off, but you didn’t see a thing. 

When you turned around, Robin almost spat out her coffee. Nancy had a huge grin on her face. 

“Do you have a secret admirer?” She teased, but it was full of love.

“Not that I know of,” You sat the vase down on the table between the three of you. It really was beautiful. “But this definitely has my name on it.”

“Five bucks says I know who that’s from.” Robin raised her eyebrows, staring sheepishly over her mug. 

“I don’t think I’ll take that bet,” Nancy was still grinning her face off. “I think I know, too.”

You were even more confused now. You looked between them, expectant.

“ItsobviouslyEddie,” Robin spat out, then threw a hand against her mouth. Nancy rolled her eyes. 

“You could’ve given her, like, more than half a second to figure it ou—”

“What?” You interrupted, incredulous. “Why would… Eddie’s my best friend, you guys. It’s not—it’s not like that.”

It wasn’t like that; you just spent a lot of time together. Sometimes you watched movies, and fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. Sometimes you’d go to his shows, watch him play guitar, and bite your lip so hard it bled. Sometimes you had… questionable dreams about him. 

Okay, maybe it was like that. But not for him.

The two girls were looking at you like you just failed a polygraph test. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” You grumbled, setting your coffee down on the table. “He doesn’t feel that way about me, okay? That’s not even his handwriting. It’s way too nice.”

Robin rose from the couch. “Whatever you say, chica,” She headed for the phone, eyeing you as she went. “I’m gonna call Steve.”

You looked to Nancy, who simply shrugged with a knowing smile, then back to the flowers. It wasn’t Eddie. It couldn’t be.

But what if it was?

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

February 11th, 1986

“I think I blew it.”

Eddie’s elbows rested on Steve’s kitchen counter, face buried in his hands. The house was empty, per usual, which Eddie always thought was insane—he wondered what it was like to have money for a place like this, let alone have it and never be in it.

“Oh please,” Steve had a mouth full of cereal, sitting a few feet away at the dining table. “What the hell are you talking about? You got her flowers. Girls love flowers.”

“She’s not just a girl.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, man. She’s a goddess, she hung the moon, she changed your life.” He gestured with his hand, rattling off the painstakingly cheesy things Eddie had said before. “Whatever, she loves flowers. Stop stressing.”

To anyone else, Steve might’ve looked like an asshole for dealing with Eddie’s anguish so casually. In reality, he quite appreciated it. Someone had to keep him grounded.

“Do you think she knows it’s me?” Eddie’s face finally left his hands, looking at his friend with a concerned expression.

“Doesn’t matter if she knows it’s you.” Steve pointed his spoon at him. “She hopes it’s you.”

“And how do we know that?”

“You know nothing, clearly.” Steve got up, carrying his empty bowl to the sink. Eddie rolled his eyes theatrically. “I, however, see how she looks at you when you’re together.”

Eddie’s heart did a little flip inside his chest. He wanted to believe that, he really did—but he doubted the words. “How… how does she look at me, then?”

Steve shrugged. “Sometimes like she wants to kiss you,” He spun on his heel, landing right across from where Eddie sat. “Sometimes like she wants to eat you.”

He swallowed harshly.

In the year that Eddie had known you, he’d been gone on you. Like, the whole time. It only got worse as you became better friends.

You’d help him study, insistent that he finally graduated, but his mind went fuzzy at your bare thighs, your floral perfume, the heat of your skin hovering just beside his. When he knew you were coming to his shows, he’d get indescribably nervous, petrified of embarrassing himself, despite knowing you probably couldn’t care less.

He thanked God he’d never seen or heard about you with another guy; at the same time, it was a little unbelievable. Hence, Steve had finally convinced him to do something—anything—remotely indicative of his feelings. 

Flowers. A good way to test the waters, Eddie thought, without giving himself away. 

After another thirty minutes of crisis-control, Steve drove him home. The boy gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don���t sweat it, Ed, seriously.”

He appreciated it, though it did nothing to quell his anxiety. With a nod and a weak smile, he opened the passenger-side door, making toward his trailer.

He glanced at your place as he passed it. Just two days ago, it would’ve been so easy to knock on your door, ask to hang out. It suddenly felt impossible—perhaps because he was no longer shoving his feelings for you to the wayside. He’d made a move. Maybe he’d ruined everything between the two of you.

Mind racing, he treaded up his steps, nearly crushing what laid in front of his door.

A box of chocolates.

His whole body froze, staring at them wide-eyed. Slowly, he bent down, noticing a note stuck between the ribbon. Eds.

Not Eddie, not Ed… Eds.

The nickname he’d heard fall from your sweet lips a thousand times, and hoped he’d hear a thousand more. His heart thumped wildly.

He snatched the box, free hand digging through his pocket for his key, desperate to get inside before he passed away on the spot. He rushed to the couch, studying the note with gentle hands.

All it said was his name. But right now, it felt worthy of a golden frame, a tourist attraction—as if it were the eighth wonder of the world.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

February 12th, 1986

Despite the fact that you still questioned whether or not the roses were from Eddie, today was the fourth day in a row you hadn’t heard from him. No calls, no drop in visits—it was highly unusual. 

It was also a very good sign that it was, in fact, him. 

You hadn’t been able to focus on anything, especially since you dropped the chocolates off at his door. If he wasn’t your so-called ‘secret admirer’, you would have to explain all of this somehow. Well, I thought it was you, because I kinda hoped it was you, and…

The thought made you shudder.

“Are you okay?” Max asked, shoving a pair of sunglasses on her head.

You snapped out of your trance, looking between her and El. “I—yeah, I’m good. Are you guys ready to go?”

The two girls had showed up on your doorstep this afternoon, all giggles and playful shoves, begging to be taken to Starcourt. They took advantage of the soft spot you had for them often.

Soon enough, your run-down car was pulling into the mall parking lot.

“Alright, two hours tops, okay? I’m on night shift tonight, I need enough time to go home and change clothes.” You put on your best parental voice, the three of you making your way toward the entrance. 

The girls nodded happily, just excited to have hitched a ride at all. “You sound like Steve.” El quipped, earning a laugh from the redhead.

It would be nice to do some window-shopping, you thought, to take your mind off of things, if that was at all possible. You just wanted an answer—you wanted to be certain it was him, stop the spiral into thinking you might lose your best friend over some candy. 

Something came over you just inside the mall, right as El and Max were about to split off.

“Max,” You blurted, and she looked at you questioningly. “Weird… Um, weird question. Have you seen Eddie lately? Like, in our neighborhood?”

“No, don’t think so.” She shook her head, then narrowed her eyes at you. “Why?”

“No reason.”

You really were a terrible liar. “Is he ignoring you?”

“No! I mean… yes, but—no, I don’t think so?” You bit your lip. Jesus Christ, way to keep it cool. 

A maniacal grin spread across Max’s face, gesturing for El, who was preoccupied by a display, to come over. “We’re hitting Orange Julius first, and you—” She jabbed a finger into your chest. “—are telling us everything.”

For fuck’s sake.

Within ten minutes, the three of you were sitting at a table, sucking down your frozen drinks. You quietly hoped the brain freeze would give you a stroke.

“Spill.” Max commanded, both girls clearly excited for some gossip.

Before saying a word, you sat down your cup, extending both pinkies. “First of all, this stays between us, alright?”

They each hooked a pinky with their own, and you nodded, satisfied. So much for keeping your mind off of it. 

“Two days ago, someone left flowers on my doorstep. And I… I hope it was Eddie, because I might’ve left chocolates on his doorstep yesterday.”

Both girls squealed, clutching each other in excitement. “But, like, I don’t know if it was him, guys.” You were quick to subdue it, putting a hand out in front of you.

“It totally was!” El chirped, and Max nodded, joining in. “You guys are, like, idiots in love.”

“We are not!” The blush on your cheeks told a much different story. “Okay, whatever. Four people have now told me it’s definitely him, so guess I have my answer.”

“You already knew the answer.” Max rolled her eyes, rising from her seat with El. “Now, go get him something nice, and we’ll meet you back here in an hour and a half.”

The two girls skipped away. You took a dramatic slurp of your Orange Julius. 

Fine, you decided, less stressing, more shopping. You couldn’t take back the chocolates, so there was no point in worrying about it—que sera, sera, or however that goes.

You roamed the mall for about forty-five minutes, making pit stops at your favorite places; you bumped into the girls at Afterthoughts, where they were taking a decision on friendship bracelets very seriously. You stopped into Spencer’s, a favorite of yours for band tees and silly knick knacks—you almost got something for Eddie there, but lava lamps and mugs didn’t seem meaningful enough.

Deciding you’d figure it out later, you began making your way back to the meeting point. A display, from out of the corner of your eye, stopped you in your tracks. 

You stared at it, eyes slightly glazed over. It felt insane that you were even considering it.

It felt even more insane when your feet developed a mind of your own, carrying you into the store, and back out with a small bag—which you promptly shoved in your purse. 

“Do my eyes deceive me? You guys are here early?” You teased, approaching Max and El at the table from earlier. They were each carrying a few bags.

“We work fast,” El smiled, scanning you. “Did you get something for Eddie?”

“No, but I will, don’t worry.” You lied, knowing if you didn’t, they’d pester you until you showed them. “Ready to head out?”

The three of you made your way back to the car. After dropping El off at Hop’s, you headed back to Forest Hills with Max. She rested her feet on the dash. 

The ride was quiet—probably due to the fact that your mind was anything but. The gift you’d picked up for Eddie was… ballsy, to say the least. You blamed your friends for these bouts of fleeting confidence, which ultimately ended in wanting to bang your head against a wall. 

You parked at your place. Max hopped out, bags in tow, and made off toward her trailer.

“Thanks again,” She shouted, then gave a little nod towards your front door. “Looks like you got another delivery.”

Your head whipped toward the doorstep, approaching it with an embarrassing amount of haste. There was another delivery. 

A copy of Flashdance. Your knees wavered.

Now you were certain it was Eddie; the first time you’d watched it together, you made him swear he wouldn’t tell anyone how much you loved it. Cheesy, romantic, dance films didn’t exactly fit your tough-girl image. 

As giddy and lightheaded as you felt right now, maybe they were starting to. 

Of course, there was a note attached. You grabbed it, eyes widening when it didn’t just say your name.

Will I be seeing you on the 14th?

No name, no signature. What a little shithead, you thought, cheeks sore from smiling so hard. You pressed both the tape and note into your chest, exhaling a shaky breath.

It was real now. Whatever part of you that still doubted Eddie’s feelings had vanished—and it left behind a mess of excitement, nerves, and anticipation.

You glanced down at your purse, having almost forgotten about what you bought. Your stomach flipped in anxiety.

One more gift.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

February 13th, 1986

Eddie missed you. Like, missed the hell out of you—which was embarrassing, considering it had been less than a week since you last hung out.

Despite being adamant he couldn’t give out anymore free rentals, Steve had scored him the copy of Flashdance. He was really just proud that Eddie hadn’t completely chickened out yet.  Quite frankly, so was Eddie.

Though, that note he’d left at your door got him pretty close to it.

What if you said no? Even worse, what if you said yes, somehow under the impression that this was some lighthearted, best friend thing? Eddie didn’t think you were that oblivious, but the worst case scenario was kind of his forté.

Dustin thumped him on the back of the head. “Stop thinking about it.”

“But I’m—”

“No, nope, zip.” The smaller boy closed his fingers in front of Eddie’s face. “You can think about it tomorrow, when she professes her undying love for you.”

Eddie glared at him. The audacity was outrageous. “What do you suggest I do, then?”

Dustin glanced around the trailer. He didn’t think he’d get this far.

“Um,” He scratched the back of his neck. “We can talk about Hellfire?”

Eddie groaned, leaning back into the couch. “Henderson, I love you, I really do—but for the first time in my life, I have more pressing things to think about than Dungeons and Dragons.”

Dustin didn’t take it personally. In fact, he understood. He’d been sent here by Steve to keep Eddie’s mind off of it, which was proving useless, so he caved.

“Alright, fine.” He sighed, taking a seat beside the long-haired boy. A loaded silence ensued.

Eventually, he looked at Eddie in earnest, the corners of his lips turning up. “You think she’s the one?”

Eddie studied him for a moment. He noted the sincerity in his expression. “Yeah.” He breathed, nodding softly. “I mean, shit, yeah, I really do.”

“I think she is too, man.” Dustin grinned, in the comforting way that was uniquely his. “I mean, your one, not my one.”

Eddie chuckled at that. He might’ve been the luckiest guy in Hawkins to have such great friends—even if some of them were fifteen years old. If he had you, too, he’d be some sort of walking miracle. 

“Let’s just hope—”

Knock, knock, knock. Eddie’s sentence stopped in its tracks. The two of them locked wide eyes, and Dustin broke out beaming like a schoolboy.

“Holy shit,” He giggled, watching as Eddie approached the front door slowly. “She has, like, superhuman instincts or something.”

“Shush.”

Eddie’s hand gripped the handle, overcome by a wave of anticipation. Just beyond the worn wood, he’d find the answer to his question—a question which meant so much more than its face value.

Will I be seeing you on the 14th? Am I crazy for thinking I might? Do you want me how I’ve always wanted you?

He pulled the door open, eyes already trained to the ground. There laid a small piece of paper, liable to be blown away at any moment—he picked it up, hand shaking, heartbeat in his ears.

My place, tomorrow, 8pm. Last gift is here.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

February 14th, 1986

It was 7:45pm. You sat on your couch, leg bouncing, the faint sound of crickets penetrating your walls.

It was silly, really, to be so nervous—it was Eddie. You knew Eddie like the back of your hand.

His favorite songs, the way he’d fidget with his rings when he was nervous, the little noises he made in his sleep. You could almost smell his signature cologne, musky and warm, like a campfire at midnight. 

There were things you didn’t know.

You didn’t know the way his lips felt against yours. You’d long wondered whether he was a gentle or fiery lover; as much as you knew him, you still couldn’t tell.

Eddie, who’d once tended to a wound on your knee with delicate hands, wincing in sympathy whenever you did. Eddie, who was a passionate performer, owning every square inch of the stage with confidence. 

A knock at the door took the wind out of you. 

You stood up abruptly, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in your sweater, your skirt. You cursed yourself for not putting on some music, now acutely aware of the silence.

It was too late now. Fuck.

It was so much easier when it was flowers, movies, or flirty little notes on the other side of the door. You wondered if Eddie felt the same—terrified to knock and stay put, not scurry off and hide.

You clutched the doorknob, opening it slowly. Your eyes found each others’ in an instant.

He had on his leather jacket, typically reserved for shows, and a Judas Priest t-shirt. Like always, his knees showed through the holes in his jeans—a chain clipped to the belt loops. 

He was perfect. And even so, he looked nervous.

“Hey.” You said softly, like a deer in headlights.

He twisted one of his rings, eyes glued to yours. “Hi.”

It was so strange, you thought, how effortless it was before; a few innocent gifts had so drastically changed the air around you both. Some scrawled out notes brought a sea of unspoken feelings to the surface.

Instinctively, your arms reached out, pulling him into your home with a lingering hug. Despite being the root of your current anxiety, you craved his comfort.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” He breathed, like feeling you in his arms was a relief. Your face was buried in his shirt, taking in the scent. Like a campfire at midnight. 

After a long moment, you leaned back to look at him, his hand cradling the back of your head. You could feel his breath ghosting against your lips, chests rising and falling together.

“Can I kiss you?” Eddie whispered, heartbeat drumming against you. 

Your limbs were numb. “Please.”

So, he did.

Every insecurity you had became ridiculously insignificant. The lack of music, the wrinkles in your clothes, the smudge in your eyeliner—they were like specks of dust on the Mona Lisa, because Eddie was fucking kissing you, and it felt like clicking the last piece into a ten-thousand piece puzzle.

He held you as if you were made of glass, gentle enough to bring tears to your eyes.

You finally parted, breathless, foreheads resting together. “Eds,” You murmured, hands beginning to wander, skimming over his shoulders, his chest. “I… I want to…”

“Me too.” He replied with a shaky breath, not needing you to finish the thought. “Promise me you’re sure. I’ll… shit, I’ll never forgive myself if I fuck this up.”

You won’t. You can’t. You never could.

“I’m sure.” You croaked, hands finally finding themselves in his curls. “I’ve been sure, Eds, for a year, since the moment I met y—”

He pressed his lips to yours, a different sort of passion within it. It was feverish, needy, tongues and teeth bumping into each other messily; his hands traveled down to your thighs, lifting you, and you wrapped your legs around him.

You hardly felt yourself move before you were being laid down on the soft surface of your bed. Your fingers stripped him of his jacket, tossing it off to the side, then moved to the hem of his shirt, embarrassingly eager to feel his skin against yours. 

Eddie held himself up with a forearm beside your head, his other hand clutching at the sweater over your waist, finally finding the courage to lift it off of you. Underneath it, intricate black lace—a sheer one-piece that left nothing to the imagination. 

He stopped kissing you. Not on purpose, but out of pure astonishment, eyes trailing your torso. 

“Is this…”

“Your last gift?” Your chest was heaving now, Eddie’s eyes warming your skin, but you managed a shy smile. “Yeah, it is.”

He sat up, bringing both large hands to delicately span your ribcage. Jesus Christ, the way he was looking at you was the best kind of absurd—like you were expensive, unattainable.

You felt the cold metal of his rings through the thin fabric, and it made you keen inadvertently. His eyes immediately flicked up to your face.

“You’re gonna kill me.” He shook his head lightly, utterly awestruck. “Like, really, I might not make it out of here alive.”

You giggled, and the smile rubbed off on him. “I might not either,” You reached out, hands slipping beneath his shirt, traversing the bare skin underneath. He shivered at the feeling. “So, let’s die happy.”

That must’ve ignited something in him, because he squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of it, wasting no time in pulling his shirt over his head. You hardly had time to appreciate the sight before he was on you again.

He nipped at your jaw, your hands making quick work of the button on his jeans; at the same time, his fingers tucked themselves in the edge of your skirt, gliding it off of you.

You tangled your fingers in his curls, as if it was the only thing keeping you from floating away. Only a few thin layers were left separating you.

“So perfect,” Eddie’s hands came to your shoulders, oh-so softly hooking the straps of the lingerie, sliding them down your arms. His breath warmed your neck. “This is beautiful, but you…” 

Your mouth opened and closed again, too overwhelmed by the praise to speak. You felt him drag the fabric down, an agonizing pace, until you were entirely exposed.

“You are everything to me.” He whispered, and there was a vulnerability behind it that made your heart swell.

Your fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his boxers, and he gently clutched your wrist, stopping you. You made a small noise of protest. 

“Wait,” He murmured, pressing his lips to your neck, then your collarbone. His ringed fingers came up to cup one of your breasts, and your breath hitched when he kissed there, too. 

He continued downward, lips trailing your navel, pausing just above where you wanted him most. His dark eyes met yours, and Christ, he looked like an angel.

“Wanna take care of you.” He gripped your hips—not forcefully, but hard enough. “Can I?”

“Please.” You didn’t even know how he meant it. You didn’t care.

His hands found their way to the backs of your thighs, giving them a gentle push, putting your center on full display for him.

It had been so long since anyone had seen you like this, and now it was Eddie; as many times as you’d imagined this scenario, you never considered it could be a reality. You felt suddenly insecure.

His face couldn’t have told a more different story.

It was as if you’d bestowed God’s greatest gift upon him with your permission—you almost couldn’t be insecure. He was doe-eyed, slack jawed, a few stray curls hanging down in his face. Clearly the least of his concerns.

As you reached to brush them away, he leaned forward, softly swiping his tongue between your folds. It caught you off guard, back arching slightly. “Shit, Eds, yes.”

Your response was all he needed to continue, attaching his mouth to you again. You half expected it to be sloppy, fast, and eager; instead, he was methodical. His tongue circled your bud slowly, dipping down to your entrance every so often, wanting to taste everything you had to offer.

He was savoring every moment. And, fuck, you thought your soul might leave your body.

“G-God, shit,” You whined, no longer in control of what left your mouth. His hair was threaded in your knuckles, which you hadn’t even noticed until a particular swirl over your clit made you tug roughly on the strands—Eddie groaned against you, movements nearly faltering.

The vibrations were almost too much, let alone the fact that he liked his hair being pulled. You felt a finger tease your entrance, eliciting a gasp among your many moans, and it didn’t take long for him to sink it into you.

“Eddie,” It came out like a weak warning. The coldness of the ring on his knuckle met your most sensitive area, and you were gone. “Oh, fuck, Eddie, m’gonna—”

He curled it inside you and whimpered, sending your body alight.

You came as if you never had before. The combination of his mouth, his finger, the sounds he was making, his goddamn ring—it was euphoric, unlike anything you’d ever experienced, rendering you a babbling mess. 

He slowed down as you did, reading your body as if it were his favorite book. You thought he must’ve somehow read it a dozen times already. 

Appearing at your level again, Eddie caught his breath alongside you, his voice as soft as silk. “Was that… good?”

And for fuck’s sake, he was asking in earnest, like he really didn’t know whether he’d done well.

You huffed out an incredulous laugh, and it brought a smile to his face. Your hands came up to cradle his cheeks. “The best I’ve ever had, Eds.”

That did something to him—his eyelids fluttered shut, brow furrowing. It turned him on to hear he’d satisfied you. Which, in turn, made the ache between your legs apparent again. 

When you began to tug on the waistband of his boxers for a second time, he made no effort to stop you.

“Need you inside me,” It was more of a beg than a demand, barely audible, against his lips. 

Finally, every piece of clothing had been discarded. Feeling him rest against your core, heavy and throbbing, made you tremble. He was already on the brink of losing his composure. 

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” He brushed the hair from your eyes, pressing a sweet kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Always. Gonna go slow, okay?”

Your heart turned inside your chest. Eddie knew it had been a while since you’d done this. You knew it has been awhile since he’d done this, too—and yet he pushed the nervousness aside, determined to be a rock for your comfort. 

You nodded, nosing against his cheek, feeling safer than you ever had before.

He lined himself up with you, pushing forward gently, tip breaching your wetness. It made your jaw fall open; the stretch was good, not painful, but you still needed the time to adjust.

He reacted similarly, his mouth open slightly, the muscles in his abdomen tensing. At the same time, his eyes scanned your face for any sign of discomfort.

When he was fully seated within you, you were already panting into each other's mouths. It felt like you were complete, not only physically, but emotionally—and you knew he felt it, too, though it remained unspoken. 

“Okay?” He whispered, dark orbs boring into your own.

Your body was covered in goosebumps. “Yes.”

He started to move, languidly pulling his hips back, pressing them into your own. You were desperate for each other, to feel each other; your passion didn’t choose to manifest in a rough, frenzied manner. Both of you needed to relish in every movement, every touch, every sound. 

It was overwhelmingly intimate.

His left hand found your own, lacing your fingers together, pressing it into the mattress beside your head. The other cupped your face, thumb resting on your bottom lip. 

You breathed out each other’s names, eyes locked. He was reaching the depths of you, brushing your sweet spot with every slow thrust, and it made a knot begin to form in your stomach. 

Your free hand found his hair, gripping it again, and he shuddered out a beautiful noise. “Baby,” He keened, and his hand left your face to hold your hip, pulling out farther, rolling in deeper.

“Me too.” You croaked. It was like you shared one mind, one body, no longer needing to say what it was you felt. You just knew. 

The air thickened around you, breaths becoming shorter, grips becoming tighter. A sheen of sweat covered both of your skin, fast approaching your climaxes.

“Eddie, I—” You were swept away, mind trying to force the words out, pleasure making it difficult. “I… I—”

“Tell me, baby.” He rasped, full of longing, like he hoped he already knew.

“—I love you,” It came out like a soft sob, every muscle in your body contracting.

He lost himself at that. A symphony of noises filled the small room, and you clung to him with everything you had, mind buzzing, body writhing instinctually. It was a feeling that deserved to be bottled, placed in a museum—complete and utter fulfillment, in every possible way. 

You weren’t sure how long the two of you laid there, heartbeats drumming against each other, trying to come back to earth. It could’ve been a minute, an hour.

Eventually, and probably for the best, your minds wandered back to you. Eddie gently backed away, just enough to pull out of you, and quickly enveloped you in his arms again. 

His chin rested on your shoulder, chest pressed to your back, both of you blissed out and fuzzy.

“By the way,” He spoke softly, arms tightening around your waist. “I love you, too. I should’ve said it earlier, but I was a little busy losing my absolute shit.”

You broke out into a laugh, the contradiction between his words and the current situation tickling you. He grinned widely into the skin of your neck. 

“Who wrote that note?” You turned towards him, mind running over the events of the last few days. “The first one, with my name. I didn’t believe Rob and Nance when they said it was you—the handwriting was too nice.”

His hand came up, stroking your hair lovingly. “Steve has girly handwriting. Usually I make fun of him for it, but it got me here, so maybe I’ll stop.”

You giggled at that, and jeez, you were sure the two of you looked like idiots in love right now—faces inches apart, delicate touches wherever you could reach, absolutely beaming. 

“For the record, I didn’t believe them either.” Eddie’s eyes explored your face. “Harrington, Henderson. I thought they were batshit, saying you were in love with me.”

You inched even closer to him. “Maybe we should start listening to our friends.”

“Let’s not be rash.” He joked, and you playfully pushed his chest. “But, yeah. They were right this time.”

There were a few moments of silence, the two of you taking each other in, biting back smiles. 

“I love you.” You said quickly, giddily. 

Eddie’s finger brushed your nose. “I love more.”

“See, that would be the case,” You began, faux seriousness painting your expression. “If I didn’t love you most.” 

He wagged a finger in your face, leaning in to pepper you with kisses, and continue waging a war that would never end. 

At the end of the day, three things were certain.

Firstly, you loved Eddie.

Secondly, Eddie loved you.

Thirdly, your friends were definitely going to regret encouraging you to tell each other those two things.

[damn-stark]

Sweet dream

Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Requested by @corneliuswatkins “Steve telling fem reader that she's always been the one he's imagined with him and the six nuggets - even before he was with Nancy - and when he's injured, she patches him up, not Nancy, she's the one who dived in after him first etc - and when he tells her it's always been her, she declares her love to him too and says she'd love to share his dream”

A/N- I really hope you like it!! I really love how this turned out!!

Warning- Blood, talks of wounds, slight swearing, FLUFF

Pairing- Steve Harrington x fem!reader

———-

How blissful was it to steal glimpses of you admiring the vast lush green forest that he drove by in the stolen—borrowed RV. He could spend all day watching how the bright sun rays bounced on your skin, he could never grow tired of how you gently closed your eyes and drew in the fresh air. Especially after you were all forced to go to the grim and dark Upside Down. You were a sight for sore eyes and like heaven compared that place.

Albeit he does wonder what’s keeping you so quiet, you have yet to speak since borrowing the RV.

Steve would ask, but he didn’t want to pester, maybe you were enjoying the silence…even if it isn’t all that quiet inside the RV with Eddie and the kids talking. Still, maybe you wanted silence, so he didn’t interrupt.

Even if he should have because you were thinking about him, about that fear that riddled your body when that vine dragged him underwater and into the Upside down. However, that fear wasn’t as bad as when he was stumbling from the blood loss, that fear you felt at that moment was like nothing you’ve ever felt before. You didn’t even feel it when you saw those bats in the Upside down. None of the horrors compared to that fear that you were hit with the moment you thought you were going to lose him.

“That was close,” Robin points out as she slowly creeps out of the cave that she, Eddie, Nancy, Steve, and you are hiding under.

“Yeah,” you breathe out shakily. “Too close.” You walk out from under the cave and watch the sky turn bright red as red thunder brightens the dark sky.

“Oh, sh…shit,” you catch Steve pant out before you catch the sound of something slapping against the stone wall. When you look over you notice Steve leaning against the wall with his head down and his eyes barely open.

He was just fine before, or at least that’s what he made it seem like.

“Steve?” You call out quietly and walk over to him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he tries to assure you, but as you get closer to him you now spot the blood that’s coming out of the wound on his torso that the bat caused.

“No,” you correct him and pick up your pace to grab his arm and pull it back to fully take in his bleeding wound. “Oh god,” you gasp, and not because it’s a terrible wound, but because as you see blood trickling out, as you feel his cold flesh and notice his half closed gaze, a heart sinking horror hits you, a fear so terrible that it actually begins to feel agonizing.

“No, no,” you continue, “you’re not. You’re losing blood.” You turn him so his back is against the wall, and gently nudge his arm down. “Come on, sit.”

Steve drags himself down the wall and sits down harshly, causing him to grunt and your heart to skip a beat.

“All right,” you whisper. “Now I’m no expert, but I do know the basics,” you tell him and step back to quickly tear off the bottom half of your shirt so you can use it as a bandage.

“Oh,” Robin whispers. “Okay,” she says and falls on her knees in front of Steve. “So the good news is I’m pretty sure wooziness is not a common symptom of rabies. But uhm, if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, let me know.”

You finish tearing off a part of your shirt and drift your gaze to Robin to scoff in very faint amusement.

“Robin,” Steve mutters.

“Yeah?”

“I kinda wanna punch you,” he snaps, making her let out a nervous laugh.

“Sense of humor’s still intact. That’s a good sign,” Robin interjects.

Steve nods softly, and you smile nervously as you now close the gap between him and you again. “It is a good sign,” you bounce off Robin's comment. “Means we’re not losing him yet.” You offer Steve a soft smile and grab his hand to pull him up to his feet. “Okay,” you whisper as you let his hand go to hold the bandage with both hands. “You ready?” You ask him.

“Yeah,” Steve agrees. “Just do it.”

You draw out a deep breath and carefully begin to wrap the bandage around his torso to cover his open wound. You make sure to pull tightly on it so the bleeding actually stops, even if you’re hesitant to since it hurts him.

“Sorry,” you tell him and briefly meet his gaze. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s okay,” he assures you.

You swallow thickly and finally manage to tie the ends, making him grunt again.

“Too tight?” You ask with concern.

Steve shakes his head. “No, that’s good.”

“All right,” you whisper and slide your hands forward. “You’re okay,” you assure yourself, and then lift your gaze and meet his, noticing that he was already watching you.

Your face burns under his gaze, and a soft smile pulls on your lips as you hold his softened eyes.

“Thanks,” he tells you.

You sigh and nod. “Always.”

You didn’t know it at that moment, but that agonizing fear was triggered by the thought of losing him. He might’ve not been close to death at that moment, but not having him, not seeing him ever again terrifies you.

What does that mean exactly? Well….that your feelings are much more complex than just a simple girl likes boy. You love him. Deeply.

“How’s it handle?” You finally break your silence and turn away from the window to face him.

Steve blinks in surprise and shrugs. “Not half bad. Considering this is a house.”

You scoff softly and muster a smile. “I think it’s a cozy house.”

Steve hums and glances back at the road. He lets silence linger for a second before he continues. “Yeah it’s silly but, uh, I, I’ve actually uh. I always had this dream that I’d have this really, this really big family.”

Your smile quickly widens as your gaze softens.

“I’m talking like,” Steve continues. “Like a full brood of Harrington’s. Like five, six kids.”

“Six?” You probe with surprise.

“Yeah,” Steve agrees. “Six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys.” He sighs. “And every summer I’ve figured all of us Harrington’s would…pack into something like this,” he says and steals a glimpse over at you. “And…just see the country. You know, The Rockies, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and end up in some beach side town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand…learn how to surf or something.”

You sigh softly and feel your smile begin to hurt your cheeks. “That sounds nice,” you tell him.

“Yeah?” Steve queries as he glances at you.

You nod. “Yeah.” You glance out at the road and draw in a deep nervous breath. “Now,” you breathe out. “Who'd be the mother of all those children? I mean six kids? Wow.”

Steve shrugs and smirks. “I don’t know I always imagined this pretty girl, eyes something like yours, and a killer smile like…yours.”

Your heart begins to race and your face begins to burn hot. “Really?” You giggle. “Well that’s sweet. Albeit I am one of a kind so good luck finding her.”

Steve shrugs. “Well I don’t think I’ll have to look that far…I mean,” he lets out a soft sigh and holds your gaze. “I already have you.”

Your eyes slightly widen, and your face sets ablaze. Yet you don’t try and turn him down, not with the realization you had earlier. “You do,” you say and begin to grin.

“Steve,” you swallow thickly and don’t care that there’s other people around you. “Today, when you were hurt, when I was helping you patch up I had this realization….a fear like no other,” you draw out a deep breath. “I was scared that I was going to lose you. It was terrible,” you shake your head. “I never want to feel it again. But it’s thanks to it that I know that….I love you.”

Steve blinks in disbelief even if he basically confessed to you already only moments ago. “Really?” He asks. “Because I love you too. Really I do.”

You giggle. “I do.” You beam at him and finally feel like a weight lifted over your chest now that you’ve confessed. “I love you. And that dream…I like it. I want to share it with you if that’s okay?”

Steve scoffs. “Of course, I’d love to share it with you. It’s you who I imagined anyway. It’s always been you,” he says with a soft smile. “Even before Nancy.”

Your smile fades as you’re struck with slight shock. “Really?” You ask.

Steve nods. “Yeah, I think the time just wasn’t right then.”

You hum in agreement and reach over to grab his hand. “I’m glad that it is now.”

Steve secures his hold around your hand and mirrors your smile. “Yeah me too.”

[vesselforsatin]

I started writing this for Valentines Day, but my health and job got in the way of me finishing it. It's way too late to finish this. At least for htis year. So I’m posting what I did get done for my Steddie Valentine’s Day fic. The idea was supposed to be that Eddie is a secret romantic and wants someone to express it all to. And he's had a thing for Steve for years because I love the headcanon. They end up spending Valentines Day together and Eddie romances/woos Steve the way he deserves. Maybe next year I'll finish it. But for now, this is an unfinished fic that's just Eddie pining. And I thought of these two lines, which had to be written:

“Isn't it against the laws of metal to be romantic?” Steve asked with a teasing grin.

“I don’t think so. I think it’s metal as fuck to be emotionally vulnerable with someone you’re into and to treat them with the romance they deserve.”

So enjoy under the cut!

(Also I haven't written anything that wasn't academic in forever. Please be kind)

Eddie would never admit it out loud, but he secretly yearned to let out all of the romantic fantasies inside his head. He maintained his cynical appearance on the outside. It paired with the rest of this aesthetic and it kept him safe. But deep down, Eddie was a giant softie. He craved affection and love. He wore his heart on his sleeve and everyone close to him knew it. So when Steve Harrington came barreling into his life and then refused to leave, Eddie's secret romantic desires reached an all time high. How could they not when Steve was so kind and caring? He had a dorky sense of humor that made Eddie crack up even when the jokes were lame. He was smart in a way that differed from the genius teenagers they surrounded themselves with, and picked things apart in a way that fascinated Eddie. And of course, he was the most beautiful man Eddie had ever seen.

He remembered freshman Steve Harrington, with his church boy clothes and shy smile. He was too cute not to catch Eddie's eye. Steve continued to catch Eddie's eye even as he transformed into the king of Hawkins High. Even when his shy smile had become a confident smirk, Eddie thought Steve was cute. Then Steve's fall from grace happened. His hair started to grow out. He spent most the fall wearing sunglasses to hide the ugly bruises on his face. He started wearing sweaters that looked soft Eddie reached out to touch without even thinking. Luckily, one of the guys were usually there to smack his hand away when Eddie's impulse control failed him. Then summer came and Eddie thought he'd seen the last of Steve Harrington. He walked into Scoops only one time before the mall blew up. Seeing Steve in a tight, short sailor suit was too much for Eddie. Especially when Steve turned around and Eddie noticed how pink his lips were. And were those highlights in his hair? Robin told him once how beat up Steve was when Starcourt exploded, but Eddie thought he'd still think Steve was beautiful. He certainly did when Steve was caked in mud, smelled like a sewer, and was borderline bleeding out. He was sure he admitted something like that in his delirium as Steve and Nancy dragged his body out of the Upside Down. But no other phase of Steve Harrington compared to the current one.

Maybe it was because Eddie finally knew Steve and didn't just have to admire from afar. Maybe it was because Eddie finally knew what it felt like to have those beautifully expressive hazel eyes focus solely on him. He now knew firsthand how caring and soft Steve could be, even when he was in pain himself. He also delighted to see that the bitchy side of Steve still existed and could demolish a person with just a few words partnered with a glare. That and Steve's protectiveness was what kept Eddie safe the first few months he started appearing in public again. Unfortunately, it made Eddie's longtime crush develop into full on love. Which made him act like a total idiot and flirt non-stop. And no matter how smooth Eddie tried to be, he'd start tripping over his words the second Steve smiled or laughed. He'd lay awake at night and try to plan how he'd flirt with Steve. He'd eventually fall asleep to the thought of showering Steve with the affection pent up inside of him and domestic fantasies that felt so out of reach. Eddie was both a hopeless romantic and just hopeless in general, but he was determined. In the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day he'd walked up to Steve with all the confidence he could muster, flirt for a while, and then chicken out before asking him out. Afterwards, he'd wallow in his misery while Robin rolled her eyes while patting him on the back. She finally snapped a few days before Valentine's Day and declared herself his wingman because in her words, "It's honestly embarrassing at this point. This is for the greater good and my own sanity." Eddie was just happy for any help he could get.

[heresathreebee]

Steve Harrington | Stranger Things 3 || Costumes // Sex Toys

Season 3 Era Steve; 2.5k words; NO BETA/ SELF-EDITED, Swearing, Established Relationship, Steve Battles With His Internalized Homophobia (And Wins!), Wheel of Fortune Reference, Role Reversal: Daddy!Reader/ Babygirl!Steve, switch!Steve, Liberal Amounts of Lube, Drooling, Anal Fingering (male receiving), Oral Sex (male and female receiving), Pegging, Dirty Talk

Previous Masterlist Next: Steve Harrington Creampie

You've tried this before– costume play with Steve. The first time, he got as far as wearing the dress before he syked himself out of having sex in it. You let him back out as promised, but he was forever haunted by the subtle look of disappointment on your face that night. Steve just doesn't like letting you down. 

"Can't believe I'm doing this…again." 

Steve's hands tightened on the porcelain sink. He looks over his reflection with uncertainty. What would people think or say if they found out?  Why, oh why, was 'The Hair' Harrington wearing a dress? 

"Steve," he heard you sing through the bathroom door, "you didn't fall in the toilet, did you?" 

Steve liked you. He liked being with you for a lot of reasons, but a very fun thing about being your partner was the freaky sex. Getting dumped by a good woman like Nancy and losing his only (shitty) friends last year was… a lot to process for him and he wanted to make sure you stuck around. 

That’s why he asked you if you still had the pink french maid’s costume that you tried to get him to wear the first time. 

"Be out in a minute I just gotta fix-" He lifts the frilly pink skirt and apron to find his junk hanging out of your borrowed thong, "um everything." 

Your laughter was light, excited and a little teasing (and muffled slightly by the door). "I bet you look lovely, just come out and let me see!" 

"Okay okay just one more thing. Hold your horses!" 

You tapped your foot excitedly as you resumed pacing. The universe had come together to not only drop King Steve into your love life but it also doubled down and allowed you an opportunity to play a fantasy hitherto undreamt of! It made you jittery and hot and bothered and so anxious. You'd given up hope until out of the blue, he decided to give it another chance, which means you cannot blow it now! 

You're chewing the hell out of your sweater sleeve when you finally hear the bathroom door creak open. Trying to keep your cool, you turn around slowly and admire your companion. 

It was hard to ignore the heavy slump of his shoulders and stiffness of his stance. He couldn't look you in the eye and was clearly feeling some embarrassment. You knew you should say something, but at that moment your mouth was dry as a desert. 

He looked gorgeous. The outfit was not perfectly tailored for his masculine build and buckled in the chest area but it did fit and, well, it turns out pink is his color. If he weren't sulking so hard, he would have seen the way your entire body reacted with unbridled lust. 

"Just say it," he groaned. 

"You look amazing." 

Your words must have taken him by surprise because he finally looked at you with so much confusion on his face. "What are you talking about?" 

"What are you talking about?" You backed up towards the hall, lightly taking his hands to pull him into his bedroom where he couldn't hide from you. "Stevie..." 

You circle him like a buyer appraising a prized race horse. Your hands fidget with the ends of your sweater, longing to touch every inch of him but holding back for his sake. Steve's gaze follows you, suspicion heavy on his face. 

You proper your head on his shoulder and give him your best puppy dog eyes. "Can I touch you?" 

"Go for it," he shrugs but there's still this tension in his shoulders that makes you go slow. 

You start by placing a hand on his belly and feeling him flex like he wasn't really expecting your touch. Steve's eyes bounce cautiously between your face and your wandering hands and his body tries desperately (and fails) not to betray his confused arousal. You, in turn, try to soothe him by caressing the costume's decorated bodice and admire him openly. 

The frilly faux blouse is crisp and starched, the bell on his collar tinkles lightly as he lifts his head. You peck his chin with an encouraging kiss and smile as you feel him shudder under the attention of your hands. 

You reach up and brush a lock of hair out of his eyes. Steve relaxes a little more and leans in for a kiss which you give freely. Steve sighs contentedly before you release his lips and take a second to adjust his cute, frilly headband. 

Steve's breath catches as he watches you sink to your knees and admire the dress’ skirt. The stockings he’s wearing underneath are pure white and you are delighted to find Steve had managed to figure out the clasps on the garter belt. 

"See, I knew this was a good addition!" It had taken you ages to convince him that he couldn't just wear the dress by itself. You only conceded on skipping the shoes because you couldn't find any heels in his size (not that he would try them in the store any ways). "Can I lift your skirt?" 

At this, Steve crosses his arms over his chest defensively and nods, his throat closing too hard to speak words. He needs you to say something, something to reassure him that this was ok, that you were genuinely enjoying this and it wasn't some elaborate prank to humiliate him. And then you speak as if you’ve read his troubled mind. 

"Thank you so much, baby," you purr and dig your nails a little into his thighs making him whimper. "I think you look absolutely amazing right now. I can't wait to see what's down here…" 

Steve rolls his eyes but he has to look away at anything except the image of his girlfriend lifting his skirt (Alex, I'll take 600 points for Sentences I Never Thought I'd Say) to find his cock hard and falling out of your lacy pink thong. 

He glances at you just in time to catch your sultry lip bite which causes him to flush red down to his neck. Fuck how ridiculous he might think he looks, if you keep looking at him like that, he's going tp bust on the dozen white petticoats keeping the skirt fluffed up. 

You give your boyfriend a sympathetic smile. "Is this what all the fuss was about?" 

Steve feels your finger pick up the strap of the thong and he jerks when it suddenly snaps against his hip. "You know I never expected you to fit, baby. You're too much man for it." 

(Well, it was sweet of you to try and make him feel a little less emasculated.)

Steve is so preoccupied with his thoughts that he doesn't notice your pretty face disappear until he feels a shockingly hot swipe of your tongue on his heavy sack. He nearly loses his balance and reaches down to grab your head only to be thwarted by the thickly layered skirt. 

"Fuuuck," he drones and involuntarily ruts his hips forward, begging for more attention which you are happy to give. "Oh fuck, babe…" 

Your mouth is hot and wet, tongue quickly dampening the lace material of the thong and making him forget all about his insecurities for a second. Steve's eyes drift closed, head tipped back and mouth agape as you pleasure him. 

He whines when your lips wrap around his swollen mushroom tip and suck once before pulling off with an audible pop. You return to your feet and drag him into a sloppy kiss, and the salty taste on your tongue makes him cross eyed with lust. 

You feel his arms wrap around your back and pull you close, causing you to submit to his will easily, as you often have. Not tonight, you think, and push him away and fix him with a stern glower to regain some control.  

"I want you," you tell him and strip yourself of all your own clothes. "Now be good for your daddy and do exactly what I tell you.”

…

If you went back in time and told high school senior 'King Steve' that he would one day be draped over a girls' lap taking her fingers in his ass and begging her for more, he would simply reply “sounds kinky.” But if you told him he'd be doing it in a pink dress and calling her Daddy?

Well, he would have no choice but to deck you. For his honor. Because how could that mean anything but disrespect?

However at present, Steve Harrington is currently fighting with himself to hold still as you add a second finger inside him because Babygirl doesn't have permission to come yet. The whimpers falling from his throat are raw and unfiltered. You switch from massaging his prostate to stroking his hard cock and Steve watches his own drool touch the carpet.

"Daddy! Oh fu-uck..."

There's so much lube slathered between you, it's fucking obscene. All the way up from his lower back and down to his knees, he is covered in it thanks to you. His arms tremble from the fatigue of holding himself up and his legs start to twitch wildly, warning of his rapidly approaching end until you release his cock to keep him from coming.

"Don't come, don't come! Fuck, such a good girl for me!" Your sultry voice is way too loud for Steve's comfort and his face suddenly drains of all color.

But his parents won't be home until Monday. Nobody can hear you. This is going to be your little secret.

"I think you're ready for daddy's cock, don't you? Huh, baby girl?"

Steve twists around to look at your face, confusion etched on his. What the hell were you talking about? Fuck, yes, what were you talking about? Your expression gave him nothing but serene dominance and all of his anxieties washed away. He trusted you.

"Yes, Daddy," Steve tried to brush his hair out of his eyes and accidentally knocked the headband off his head. "I want your c-cock..."

Your smile is so sincere. "Okay, baby. Can you stand up for me, please?" 

Steve gets to his feet and takes a moment to regain his bearings. His whole body buzzes lightly with energy, like he's been drinking but his vision is crystal clear. He watches you scoot up his bed to his nightstand and pluck something out of his underwear drawer. 

"What? When did you put that in there?!" 

In your slippery grip, you hold some kind of leather harness, and mounted on the harness is a phallic rod made from a plastic or jelly-like material. 

"What, uh, what's that," Steve gulps. 

You only raise an eyebrow at him and stretch languidly on his bed. "I think you know exactly what this is. And you would have seen it last week, if you ever used your underwear drawer, Mr. Commando!"  

While you check the toy for cleanliness and safety (and apply lubricant), Steve distracts himself by crawling on hands and knees and settling himself head first between your thighs. You moan lightly at the first kitten lick he tickles your clit with. 

"You're going to have to move when I'm ready to put this on, baby girl." 

Steve buries his face in his meal and begins to go to town. "Mmeff dadhhy." 

He is messy and loud as he licks and slurps and sucks all the way up to the moment your thighs clamp over his ears. Greedily licking up your arousal as you come down, he also flicks his hips to brush his neglected cock against the plush bedspread. 

"Enough, baby, enough." You make Steve kneel the other way on the bed, so he's facing the door. The anticipation of being filled again with something bigger than your fingers results in a needy whine escaping him as soon as he feels the juicy tip touch his hole. "Are you sure you want it, baby?" 

Fuck, you're asking that now? When he's so close? When he's been so responsive and positive? 

Steve drops his chest to the bed, spreads his knees further apart, and digs his fingers into the mattress until the knuckles turn white. "Please do it, Daddy, don't hold back. I need you to shove it in me– fuck me hard. Please, I've been such a good girl for you, please…" He's nearly sobbing by the end and fully into character. 

"You are so right, baby..." you say, then grab a handful of his hair and slam the whole six inches of your cock into his fluttering, stretched hole. 

Steve screams, and in the mirror's reflection you watch his eyes roll back and his lips move rapidly in prayer. "God, good, good, so good, God– fuck!" 

As soon as you are certain he isn't hurt, you lay into him, just like he asked for. Giving as good as he does whenever it's him fucking you into oblivion. And your pretty little baby girl doesn't hesitate to push back so that every thrust makes your hips collide harder. 

"This what you want, huh? Do you like being Daddy's little fuck toy, baby? Let me do whatever I want with you, won't you?" 

"Yes yes yes yes--" Steve arches his back and struggles to breathe, as with every down stroke, the tip of your fake cock hits something inside that feels like a livewire. His orgasm builds quickly without anything touching his cock and he comes unexpectedly and so hard his vision goes white. 

You slow your thrusts down to a roll, not wanting to overwhelm his first prostate milking. Once he's collapsed his head under his arms and breathing again, you take a second to pull out and look at your work. 

Still propped up on his knees (though they're sliding outwards), pearly white cum drips down his stomach and soaks into the dress' skirt. His empty hole flutters majestically and you can't help but tease a few fingers back in. Steve moans and obediently rocks backwards onto them. 

"So beautiful, baby," you whisper. "How'd a girl like me get so lucky to be with a guy like you?" 

Steve blushes and sits up, the rushing sound of the dress coming down into place reminds him exactly what he's wearing. But he's not embarrassed by it, not anymore. He leans heavily back into your arms and you hold him, peppering kisses to the side of his face as he studies the two of you in the mirror, looking for imperfections. 

"Do you think we can get the stains out of this?" 

"Uhm. Probably not." 

"Just checking," he says. "Maybe we can get another one. Then we can both be dressed up when you absolutely rail my fucking ass next time!" 

He loves seeing such a happy smile spread over your face (it's all he really wanted, and whoops he had a lot of fun along the way). Your chuckle stutters to a stop and you plant a fat kiss on his cheek. 

"I like the idea of next time. Definitely going to be my birthday wish." 

Your spent boyfriend lays back down on his stomach and starts to drift off. "Good. Just gimme a heads up so I can shave." 

Previous Masterlist Next: Steve Harrington Creampie

I can never have enough Babygirl Steve Harrington, he's just so babygirl, you know?

[lighthousegod]

Something abt being on the aro-spectrum that I havent seen a lot is talk about feelings of jealousy.

I am a jealous person, and I'm only figuring that out as an adult. I was jealous as a kid, too, but I never thought of it in a way besides platonic. Eventually I stopped having best friends so I stopped being as jealous and bitter when my friends hung out with other people more than me.

Even though I knew I had a tendency to get jealous of others when I had a "best friendship," I never considered myself fo be jealous in a romantic context. Any time anyone would get angry when their partners talked to someone, especially straight couples who's members talked to the opposite gender, I would get confused. Like, you're officially in a relationship, right? Why would your partner agree to that if they wanted to be with some other person?

But as I got older, I understood more. I had one "crush" in my highschool years, and when he flirted with or dated other people I HATED MY LIFE it felt so gross. I always felt like I needed to change, or that I wasnt as desirable, and I needed to try harder. He did end up liking me back, but nothing ever came of it. The euphoria of him liking me back lasted maybe a night, and then it was gone. And it left a pit in my stomach. The worst feeling in the world, feeling disgust toward a thing that had made me feel alive for the first time in my life.

But, nonetheless, in all that drama I discovered that I WOULD probably get jealous if I had a partner, just because of how much I overthink. And i think that's where i sort of differ from a lot of arospec people? See, i dont want a romantic relationship necessarily. I dont need to do all the sappy shit like buying flowers and calling each other babe, or even going on dates really. But I do want something adjacent to that. I dont hate the idea of touching, even though I sort of have a phobia to that, but I DO hate it if I think about it romantically. I love the idea of holding hands in this sort of nostalgic way, like how I used to with my parents when I was a kid. I dont mind the idea of someone playing with my hair the way people used to when it was long, like they admired it so much they had to run their fingers through it. Hugging doesnt sound so bad when it's done in that protective, grounded way. Like hugging someone after a long day, or early in the morning. Just standing there like that. Even kissing sounds okay sometimes, if I dont think about it too hard. I'm sure it feels good. I'm sure being that close, that intimate with someone, would make me feel good. A combination of being comfortable and still feeling that rush of emotion. That sounds like a dream. That sounds fake. It makes me sad to think I may never experience that.

But then, I can think about the same things in a romantic way and I immediately want to turn and run. Holding hands in the way couples hold hands is so weird. I've never held a boys hand before. When I hold my friends hands, it feels awkward. I can hold my father's hand, I guess, but his hands are so calloused that they barely feel like hands. When I hold my father's hand now, I feel almost nothing at all. Thinking of someone playing with my hair like, say, a husband would do for his wife, or vice versa, or wife for wife or husband for husband or partner for partner, any combination-- it feels wrong. It's too sweet. Like, sickly sweet. The way they smile up at each other. It just feels so empty. Like whatever they're feeling just doesnt exist for me. Theres a void there, I think, where that feeling is supposed to be in my head. Hugs and kisses dont feel right from the couples in the movies. I much prefer the ones between close friends that I WANT to be the main couple, i guess. Like, take stranger things for an example. I love steve and eddie, and if they hugged, even platonically, I think I'd lose my shit. I wouldnt care much for a romantic hug between steve and nancy, but I dont really feel much for the platonic ones between steve and robin either. So, for some reason I like this weird in between? But that's not the point. Back to the matter at hand.

All that stuff I mentioned before, about how I can like all this stuff in a weird, alterous way as opposed to platonic or romantic or familial, one thing stays constant: I dont want whoever's doing it to do the same with other people. I DO want to be Their Person, and I want them to be Mine. Not in a possessive way, that's weird, but yknow. I want to want to be around them. I want them to want to be around me, too. And I want to like each other the most.

Lots of aromantic people talk about how they dont understand why friendships arent held to the same standard as romantic relationships, and trust me, I have been there, but I definitely am not exempt from that sort of "ranking." I have people that claim we are best friends, or really close, but I just dont bond with them the same way they do to me. It doesnt click. I like them platonically, I like to be around them, but I'm not attracted to them. Not like I was to my "crush" in high school, or like I am to all the pretty boy characters i think about in my head, or even my best friends from elementary school. Nothing my friends and I do is special to us. We arent exclusive to each other. And to some people, that doesnt matter one bit, but not me. I guess I'm selfish, but man, I wanna be someone's favorite. I want someone to like me the most. Even though I dont know how to kiss and might not even want to, and my personalities not that big, and sometimes I dont have much to say at all, and sometimes more than anything I just need someone to make me feel like I'm not floating through life without making a connection at all.

But that's such a big job. I worry I'm not worth the work. I'm not sure I would be able to work that much for someone else, so it wouldn't be fair. It would be so imbalanced, like I was taking advantage of them or something. I can't do that.

Nonetheless, the best analogy I can think of is beds. Not having sex in beds, just literally sleeping in them. Some aro people want their own bed in their own house. Some want to share a house AND a bed, with one person or with a whole group. But me? I'd like to live with friends AND my person. The best friend, or the partner, or whatever they are to me. And I want my own bed, but if I ever have any troubles sleeping, or they do, I want each others rooms to be the first we go to. I want to love someone so much that I choose them to ground me every time. How amazing would that be? To not have each other, but still be connected. To have some in between, "other" sort of love that does is not just built on trust, but IS trust. Trust that you are wanted, you are welcome, and you are special. Being something more than friends, more than lovers. Helping each other be whole on their own. Knowing they love you not because you're friends, not because you're partners, not because you're family, not because of anything. They just do.

I do want love. I really, really do. I want love the way I love the ocean, and the way I love music. I want to be loved that way. The attraction to the beach that humans have had for centuries. The tendency to make tunes out of nothing, to hum just to hear the sounds. Even if the ocean is dangerous. Even if the song is off-key. I want love that is instinctual, that is unexplainable. I want love that has no reason. No words to explain it. I want the love that existed before we had the word for it. Before there were friends and lovers, there were just companions. Two people who chose each other. And they may have not been able to speak the word love, but I'm sure it was stronger than what we have now. I'm sure, if you sit still, you can still hear it.

[moodywyrm]

soft breath, beating heart

this is also posted to my ao3, moodeymoone if you prefer to read it there. Just a mildly horny Eddie Munson fic. I wrote this while looping tear you apart by she wants revenge :)

Eddie Munson x Chubby!Reader

2.6k words

enjoy!

“Where’s my absolute babe!” Eddie yelled as he hopped out of his van, leaving Dustin and Max to grab their bags from the back. Y/N, who had just climbed out of Steve’s car, flinched and almost tripped at the outburst, barely righting themselves before they slammed into the gravel.

Eddie ran over, looping his arms around their waist and hugging them as if he hadn’t seen them that morning when the whole gang departed from Steve’s house so they could go to his family’s lakehouse for the weekend. Robin snorted from behind the car, helping Steve unload the trunk. They all knew how Eddie and Y/N felt about each other since Eddie made it so glaringly obvious with the way he couldn’t keep his hands off them. Y/N, on the other hand, hadn’t quite picked up on his feelings, frequently sharing their worries with Steve and Robin. The pair assured them that it was, decidedly, not, but they never listened.

“I missed you. Please remind me to never drive with those little shitheads for more than an hour,” Eddie mumbled, his face shoved into their neck and his arms digging into their plush waist. Heat crawled up Y/N’s neck, a weird contrast to the cool breeze on the lake. They wrapped their arms around Eddie, feeling the pleasant warmth of his body through their hooded sweatshirt.

“You know you had fun with them, now come on, let’s go help,” Y/N pulled away, forcing a reluctant Eddie into helping unload the cars. He groaned from behind them, sending another zip of warmth up their spine. Shaking their head, Y/N moved to pull their bags out of Steve’s trunk, only to be stopped by Eddie bumping them to the side and snatching their luggage like a goddamn gremlin. They yelled after him as he cackled, running into the lakehouse as fast as he could. Steve watched the interaction with bemused exhaustion on his face, looking at them with raised eyebrows.

“Don’t you start, Harrington.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

That night, the kids decided they finally wanted to go for that little night swim after mercilessly teasing Dustin all day. Nancy and Jonathon sat on the dock, watching the kids and talking, while Eddie, Robin, Steve, and Y/N sat on the shore with a pile of snacks. Y/N and Robin were still in the same outfits as that morning, shorts and hoodies for both of them, but Eddie and Steve had since stripped themselves of their shirts. How they could sit out in the cold night air half naked, Y/N would never know. From where Eddie was laid, propped up on his elbows and feet in the sand, the entirety of his scars could be seen, healed to purely scar tissue in the two years after the Vecna incident. Those first few months, Eddie hid his scars away, even neglecting to change his bandages until someone forced him. Slowly, he’d gotten more comfortable with showing them. It started with walking around bandaged, usually by himself or with Y/N. Eventually, he took the bandages off and let them heal fully. Now, he was baring them for the whole world to see, or at least the world comprised of their little group. Y/N admired the way he showed off his body with pride. Of course, it took work to get there, but they couldn’t help but feel anxious about their own body. Where Eddie was all defined angles and smooth planes meeting scar tissue, Y/N was plump curves and pillowed flesh speckled with three years’ worth of scars. They tried to love and appreciate their body for what it was, but it was hard to be eternally positive about your body when the whole world seemed to want to change it.

Y/N snapped out of their thoughts, tucking their legs in as Eddie tipped his head back to look at the group, curls brushing against the beach towel. “Do you guys think I could smoke out here? Not around the kids, obviously,” His voice drawled and, with the length of his pretty neck exposed, Y/N couldn’t help but squirm. They were getting more uncomfortable by the second, increasingly conscious of where and how their body moved. It didn’t help that Eddie was sitting impossibly close and looked like that.

Y/N pulled their sweatshirt away from their stomach, trying to conceal the shape of their body and accidentally letting in the cold air. They pressed their knees to their chest, hoping their friends couldn’t see the way their thighs squished against them. Of course, none of them would ever judge them for their body, but Y/N couldn’t let go of the fear that they would. The anxiety began to overwhelm them, consuming their thoughts almost entirely, so they didn’t notice when Eddie tried to speak to them.

“Hey, Earth to Y/N, you doing okay there?” He asked, tipping far enough back to rest his head against their knee. They jerked, accidentally bumping Eddie’s head and almost kicking Robin.

“Shit, sorry guys,” They rushed out, reaching out for Eddie and Robin, the former rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head and the latter looking almost comically betrayed. Robin sent them a look as if asking what was going on with them. Almost on cue from whatever freaky psychic connection Robin had established with him, Steve spoke up.

“Are you okay Y/N? I mean, you look kinda spaced out,” He asked through mouthfuls of watermelon, some of the juice dribbling down his chin. Robin grimaced and handed him a napkin. Eddie sat up and suddenly it felt like a stage light had been pointed directly at them. The concern on his face was so genuine and soft that Y/N could feel their heart wanting to burst out of their chest.

In possibly the least convincing lie of their life, Y/N tried to reassure their friends that all was well. “Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit cold. Actually, I’m gonna go put on some sweats or something, be right back.” They darted up and away from the towel before anyone could say anything, leaving her friends in a befuddled stupor on the beach. Eddie watched their retreating form disappear into the house, taking note of how their hands fidgeted at their sides before being shoved into their hoodie pocket.

“I’m gonna go check on them,” He muttered, pushing up to his feet and grabbing his shoes from the towel before running up to the house.

The inside of the house was warm, the heat prickling against his bare skin as he adjusted to the temperature change. It was quiet, the only noises coming from the lake outside, the kids yelling, and the music playing from Robin’s portable stereo. That was until Eddie heard the faint sound of something hitting a bed and made his way towards the hallway. The door to Y/N’s room was open by a crack, and Eddie could see his bestfriend sitting on the edge of the bed, head in their hands.

He pushed it open slowly, not wanting to startle them again. “Hey, darling, what’s wrong?” He asked, moving forward until he was standing in front of them. The beds in this house were tall enough so that Eddie could stand in between Y/N’s thighs while they were sitting and still be roughly at eye level. Steve had said it was because his parents thought tall beds looked higher class, but most of the gang just thought they were inconvenient. Right now though, as Eddie crowded up into Y/N’s space like he always did, he was glad for the convenience. The brush of soft, squishy thighs against him made Eddie dizzy, but his main concern had to be helping Y/N.

“I don’t know, I just…” Y/N started and, now that they were alone with Eddie, it felt much easier to actually say something. “I got kinda insecure sitting out there? I mean, all of you guys are skinny or smaller than me, and I guess I just became extra conscious of that? There’s nothing wrong with that, but it does feel weird when your body is so different from your friends, I guess…” They trailed off, looking down at where their hands met their knees. Eddie sighed, gently reaching for their hands. He clasped their fingers together, looking at Y/N with sadness in his eyes.

“I’m sorry love, being around your friends should never make your feel bad and if any of us have ever done anything to make you think we don’t love and embrace every part of you, I’m so sorry. I mean, considering the shit we’ve seen, you being fat isn’t even on the list of worries, not like it ever was in the first place. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your body, in fact, it might be one of my favorite things about you aside from the fact that you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and getting to know you is my greatest achievement in life-,” Eddie rambled, playing with Y/N’s hands as he did. Robin’s tendencies must have rubbed off on him. He finally looked at them, immediately focusing on the glimmer in their eyes. Tears welled up in their eyes, breaking Eddie’s heart, and yet he couldn’t deny how sweet they looked like this. In the dim light, framed only by the soft moonlight streaming in and the single ray of light from the hallway that slipped in through the crack in the door, Y/N looked devastatingly sweet in their sweater, plush thighs pressed into Eddie’s hips. They were going to be the death of him.

“Shit, Eddie, warning before you say stuff like that,” Y/N sniffled, swiping at the few tears that managed to escape. He laughed, leaning in to rest his chin on their head. His arms wrapped around them, hands sinking into them and pressing their body to his. They rested their head against his bare chest, shivering at contact as they wrapped their arms around his incredibly pretty and incredibly naked waist. “You are good, hun, you know that? Excellent, even.”

Eddie laughed at the mumbled words, the rumble sending shockwaves through Y/N. “So I’ve heard,” He teased, giving them one final squeeze before pulling away, careful to maintain contact. His hands moved back to theirs, intertwining their fingers once again. They sat in silence for a few moments, Y/N mulling over Eddie’s words. Their brain snagged on Eddie’s words about their body, heat flaring through them and setting them on fire. There’s no way that was purely platonic, right?

“Eddie, what do you mean when you say my body is one of your favorite things about me? In like, a friend way? Or…” They asked, pausing to give Eddie an opportunity to speak. Their heart was ready to burst out of their chest, a sickly sweet explosion fueled by stress and long-standing crushes.

Eddie sighed, a shaky exhale accompanied by extra fidgety hands. “I really like you. And your body, obviously, but you in your entirety. I have for a while now,” He whispered, looking straight down at the spot where their legs met. Y/N’s breath hitched, their hold on his fingers tightening. It sent a shot of ice-cold dread straight through Eddie’s heart, anticipating the worst possible outcome. Only, it never came. Instead, they pulled one hand out of his grasp and placed it on his cheek, melting at the way Eddie subconsciously leaned into their warmth.

“I like you too Eddie, a lot,” They murmured, thumb rubbing against Eddie’s cheek. Eddie moved his hands to Y/N’s waist, sturdy hands digging into plush hips as if his life depended on it. He bumped his forehead against theirs, looking into their eyes with all the love and care in the world.

“Can I kiss you?” The words were barely audible, whispered like a prayer inches away from Y/N’s face. Eddie never considered himself a holy man, but he would pray to whichever god would listen if it meant moments like these would never end. Y/N nodded and Eddie pressed his lips to theirs.

Eddie’s movements started off tentative, shy, allowing Y/N to set whatever pace they were comfortable with. They kissed back with a fervor that turned Eddie’s mind to static, groaning against their mouth as he dropped his hands to the top of their thighs, fingers digging into the fat. He kneaded at their thighs, moaning at Y/N’s whimpers. They gripped his waist, fingertips brushing against his scars in reverence, worshipping every part of his body they could get their hands on.

Eddie crowded up against them, pushing them farther back on the bed as he nestled his hips in between their legs. The feeling of Y/N’s legs against him was addicting, the soft crush of their body on his overriding any and all thoughts that weren’t about them. He moved one hand up off their thigh, gripping their hips before moving under the sweatshirt. Eddie could cry with how beautiful their body felt, his hands squeezing at their bare waist and warm thighs. Judging by the quiet moans and whines coming from Y/N, they were loving this just as much.

He pressed against them harder, lips moving faster as he moved one knee onto the bed. Y/N scooted back, desperately trying to maintain all points of contact while leaning back. Just as Eddie was about to climb onto the bed, the door slammed open, light flooding the room and destroying the fervent peace they’d built.

Eddie scrambled back in fear, almost slamming into the dresser if not for some well-timed hands. Y/N snapped up from their spot on the bed, tugging down the sweatshirt from where Eddie had hiked it up. In the doorframe, Steve and Robin looked at the pair with the world’s most shit-eating grins. Eddie and Y/N just looked at them in shock, saying absolutely nothing.

“Well, if you two are done here, the kids want to eat,” Robin said, leaning against Steve and clearly holding back the urge to yell ‘finally’. Eddie cleared his throat and stood up off the dresser, trying desperately to regain his composure.

“Yeah, um, we’ll be out in a sec,” He said, walking towards the door to close it. Right before he could, Steve slammed his hands onto the door and doorframe, propping himself up to poke his head into the room.

“And please don’t do anything gross in here, ‘kay?” His voice was irritated and oddly proud, finally done watching Eddie and Y/N pine over each other as if they weren’t destined to be together. Eddie and Y/N shared a look of pure mischief, giggling as Steve stepped away from the doorframe.

Eddie smiled, watching Steve leave the room before yelling, “NO PROMISES!” and locking the door behind him. He practically vaulted onto the bed, landing on a very giggly Y/N as Steve slammed on the door, Robin cackling from the hallway.

Y/N pressed one firm, torturous kiss to Eddie’s lips before pulling away and patting his cheek. “Let’s not bully him right now, I would like to be able to come back to this house in the future,” They muttered, setting one last kiss on the tip of Eddie’s nose before sliding off the bed with a soft thump. Eddie whined playfully from behind them, getting off the bed and unlocking the door for a very frazzled Harrington.

“After you, my love.”

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[keerysquinn]

@cheerscoopscentral's cheerscoops week 2023 | day 1: school royalty

Title: Secret Admirer Pairings: Steve Harrington x Chrissy Cunningham Word Count: 3.6k Summary: When Steve starts getting secret admirer notes in his locker, all he wants to do is take his mystery girl to the prom. The only problem? He has no idea who she is. A/N: Happy Day One of Cheerscoops Week my loves! I can't wait to share the rest of this week with you!

Prom was only two weeks away, and Steve Harrington still didn’t have a date. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He didn’t need to go with anyone. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he went stag. He was perfectly capable of going alone. He just knew that he’d most likely have more fun if he had a date to spend time with while he was there.

Therein lies the problem. As much as he knew he would have more fun with a date, he couldn’t think of a girl he’d actually have fun going with. If this had been last year in the prime of his King Steve days, it wouldn’t have mattered. He’d find any pretty, popular girl who didn’t already have a date, and they’d spend prom night dancing together and drinking the punch that Tommy H. was inevitably going to spike. There wouldn’t be much talking other than shallow comments about loving whatever song was playing or how the food was surprisingly good that year. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d get to make out with her in a quiet corner or the back of the limo.

But this year was different. After getting dumped by Nancy Wheeler, he realized that he craved an actual connection with the girls he chose to spend time with. And, while he was sure that there were plenty of girls who wouldn’t mind going to prom with him, he lacked a connection with any of them.

He had pretty much resigned himself to going alone when a note fell to the ground by his feet when he opened his locker to grab his things before first period. He tucked the note into his history book and headed over to Click’s class. Once he was in his seat, he pulled out the note and unfolded it.

I look over at you, and I see sunshine. There is no one else in this school that just seems to effortlessly brighten my day. I wish I was brave enough to tell you who I am, but until I gather that courage, I’ll just have to learn to be content with the attention you give me already. Please know that this school would be unbearable without you in it.

He tried to hide the smile that he was sure was lighting up his face. He was sunshine? No one had ever said anything like that to him before. He was used to people inflating his ego somewhat, but the girls who flirted with him usually focused on his physical appearance or his performance at the most recent basketball game. It was all surface level stuff.

This note was different though. It didn’t say much, but it didn’t have to. He didn’t know who this mystery girl was, but knowing that he made her feel special brightened his day in the same way he supposed her brightened hers.

The next day, there was another note waiting for him when he opened his locker. Mrs. Click was the kind of teacher who made people stand up in front of the class and read them out loud if they were caught passing notes, so he took a moment to read it at his locker to save him and this mystery girl from the potential embarrassment.

I have a hard time feeling comfortable talking to anyone in the halls. I hate how shy I get when I’m not prepared for everyone’s attention to be on me. But you smiled at me in between classes yesterday, and I didn’t feel like running away. Maybe you weren’t even smiling at me, and you probably smiled at everyone, but I don’t know. This is just to say that you have a really lovely smile, and I wouldn’t mind getting to see more of it.

Steve didn’t even remember smiling at anyone in the halls the day before. He tended to be on autopilot between classes. It was different when he had a girlfriend to look forward to talking to for a few brief moments as they grabbed their things from their lockers. Now, he was just doing what he had to do to get himself through the day.

He wished he could remember who he smiled at the day before, but it was all a blur. He’d have to pay more attention if wanted any idea of who this girl could be.

He took a quick look up and down the hallway. Nobody was paying attention to him or looking like they were waiting to see his reactions to the note, but that didn't mean his secret admirer hadn't been caught by anyone else.

"Hey, Chrissy," he said, as he turned to the girl at the locker next to him. "You haven't seen anyone putting anything in my locker lately, have you?"

"I can't say that I have," she said as she shut her own locker and turned towards him. "Why? Did someone vandalize it or something?"

"Nothing like that. I've just been getting these notes, and I'm trying to figure out who left them."

"Are they mean?"

"No. The opposite actually. They've been really sweet."

"Aw, you've got a secret admirer. Can I see?" she asked.

Steve tucked the note into his binder. It wasn't that he thought Chrissy would make fun of him. He didn't know her all that well other than knowing she was on the cheerleading squad, but he knew that she was maybe the nicest girl on the squad. Her request probably came out of curiosity more than anything else. He just didn't want to share this little pocket of happiness that these notes had given him.

"I'd rather keep them to myself if that's okay," he told her.

"That's totally fine. They're your notes anyway. I'll let you know if I see anybody though."

With that, she left him and headed off towards her next class leaving Steve to continue wondering who his secret admirer might be alone.

The third day of finding a note in his locker only reinforced the fact that he needed to find out who this girl was.

I really liked the sweater you were wearing yesterday. What was it made out of? Boyfriend material?

Sorry. That was cheesy, but I’m hoping it made you laugh even just a little bit. This is just to say that yellow is definitely your color, and you should wear it more often.

Steve let out a small chuckle, and Chrissy, who was just finishing up at her locker, turned her attention towards him.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

Steve held up the note but made sure she couldn’t read it.

“You got another secret admirer note. Is she funny?”

“Yeah, a little bit. Still don’t have any idea who she might be though.”

“Have you tried to find her at all other than asking me if I’d seen anyone?”

“Not really,” he admitted. “I don’t know where I would start.”

“Well, if there’s anyone that you suspect could be her, you could try and take a peek at their handwriting to see if it matches. Or, you could stake out your locker and see if you could catch her in the act. Of course, if she saw you waiting, she might get scared and leave without dropping off her note.”

Her first suggestion didn’t seem doable to him. He had no idea who this girl could be, so he wouldn’t know where to start when it came to comparing handwriting, and he definitely didn’t want to have to find a way to check every girl in the school. And he definitely didn’t want to do anything that would scare this girl away and stop her from leaving him any other notes.

“What would you do?” he asked her. “If you were the one getting the notes, I mean.”

“I don’t know,” she replied as she clutched her binder to her chest. “I’d probably write back. Leave the note sticking out of the locker vents a little bit in the hopes that he’d know to take it. Maybe he’d be more comfortable telling me who he was if he knew that the notes were well-received, you know?”

“That’s not a bad idea. Thanks, Chrissy. I owe you one.”

“Oh, you don’t owe me anything. Just let me know when you think you’ve figured out who your mystery girl is, okay?”

With that, Chrissy was leaving him alone at his locker again. Steve pulled a sheet of notebook paper out of his binder and grabbed a pencil so he could write a quick note to his mystery girl.

Boyfriend material, huh? That’s not a bad line, and it did make me laugh, so mission accomplished? Have any other lines for me? I’m open to reading them or hearing them in person if you’re feeling up to letting me know who you are. Either way, I can’t wait to hear from you again.

He folded up the note and tucked it into the vents of his locker the way Chrissy said that she would have. He hoped that was enough for this mystery girl to know that the note was for her.

Their correspondence picked up after that. Steve didn’t know how she was managing to do it without him seeing her, but Steve was trading notes with this girl at least three times a day. He wished he could write more to her than just responses to her pick up lines and compliments, but he knew nothing about her other than the fact that she liked him, and he somehow managed to brighten her day even before they’d started writing these notes to each other. Occasionally, she'd share tidbits of her life with him, but she was always vague enough he couldn't use them to pinpoint anything that would make finding her easier.

With prom only two days away, he had to take one last shot at getting her to reveal herself to him.

Your notes have made me feel better about myself than I have in a long time. Maybe that’s weird to say, but I feel comfortable talking to you even if I’m still unsure of who you are. I’d kind of like to change that though. Maybe it’s a little last minute, but would you want to be my date to the prom? I can’t promise that my tux is made out of boyfriend material, but I’ve got a yellow tie if you’re interested.

Steve placed the note in the same spot he’d placed all the others and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, when he got her response at the end of the day, it wasn’t the one he was looking for.

I wish I was braver. Even though I know nothing bad will happen if I tell you who I am, I keep playing the worst case scenarios in my head, and I'm still scared. I really like you, and the notes we've been sharing have been the best part of my day, so I really don't want to lose that if you don't feel the same way. If I can work up the courage to tell you who I am, I'll reveal myself at prom. Save a dance for me?

Steve tried not to feel crushed. He knew he had a connection with this girl, and he wished there was something he could do to make her see that there was nothing to be afraid of when it came to revealing herself to him.

"What's got you looking so down in the dumps?" Chrissy asked him, breaking him from his chain of thought.

"It's nothing," he told her. "I asked my mystery girl to prom, and she shot me down. I'll get over it."

"I'm sorry. That really sucks. Maybe she had a good reason though?"

"I guess. And I feel like she'll never be comfortable telling me who she is if she feels pressured into it, so I'm trying to be cool about it, but it's still upsetting, you know? I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping all of this on you."

"Oh, I don't mind. Feel free to keep venting to me if you need to."

"It's okay. I think I'm good. So, are you going to the prom?"

"A group of girls from the squad are going together, and I'm tagging along."

"No date?"

"Nobody asked me," she said with a shrug.

"I find that really hard to believe," he told her. "There have to be dozens of guys dying to take you."

"It's the truth," she replied. "And anyway, I'd much rather go with the girls anyway. There's a lot less pressure that way."

"Save a dance for me then? For when you're not dancing with the girls?"

"Absolutely."

As Chrissy walked away, Steve couldn't help but think that he might have asked her to prom if she didn't already have plans. He didn't know what it was about her, but something deep inside him was saying that she was the kind of girl that he could have fun with there. It was too late to invite her now, though. He'd just have to be content with going stag.

Steve wore his yellow tie with his suit to prom just like he'd said he would in his note. Even if he hadn't convinced his mystery girl to be his date, he still wanted to wear the color that she'd said suited him. Maybe it would make her feel more comfortable if she decided to talk to him.

It occurred to him that he didn't even really want to be at the prom. It had been a while since he'd felt like participating in these kinds of school activities, but he was King Steve. Going to this stuff was expected of him. So, he stood on the outskirts of the dance floor talking to whoever wanted to chat with him and pretended that he was there for more than just the opportunity to talk to his mystery girl.

He was losing hope though. They were getting ready to announce who'd won prom king and queen, and after that there was only another hour of the dance. He'd danced with a few girls, but none of them so much as hinted at being the one who'd been leaving notes in his locker. Or, if they had, he hadn't noticed. None of those girls seemed like the type anyway. They didn't say anything that made him laugh, and he didn't feel connected to them in the way that he felt connected to her - whoever she was.

He was thinking about dipping out early when he was approached by none other than Chrissy Cunningham, and he was stopped in his tracks by how breathtaking she looked. She was dressed up in yellow, and she'd taken down her typical ponytail to let her strawberry blonde waves frame her face.

"We match," he said, gesturing at his tie.

"We do. May I?"

He nodded his head, and she moved to straighten his tie for him.

"That's better," she said, her hand lingering against his chest for maybe a moment too long. "We can't have you going up there with a crooked tie when you inevitably win prom king."

"I was debating about leaving before they announced prom court, so I don't think it really matters."

"Are you not having fun?"

"It's not that. It's just . . . Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room?"

"Yes. More often than I'd probably like to admit."

"Well, that's what I'm dealing with now," he told her. "All of these people want to talk to me, but I feel like none of them really know me, and they don't care about finding out. But then there's that girl who's been writing me notes. I feel like she gets me, and I wish I was spending tonight with her, but I'm starting to think she might not even be real."

"Of course, she's real. Where else would those notes be coming from if she's not?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's all been a joke from Carol and Tommy H. or something. I can't think of any other reason why she wouldn't want to tell me who she is."

"Maybe she finds you intimidating? I mean, you're King Steve. Even if she's gotten the chance to know you better through your notes, she could be afraid of not living up to your expectations. Maybe she's afraid she's not up to your standards?"

"Or maybe she's realized that I'm not what she thought I was and decided to find someone better."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," she said in an attempt to put an end to his pity party. "I'll never understand how you could be so cruel to yourself. You're a good person, and you deserve to have good things happen to you. Even if you’re intimidating because of your social status, I’ve seen you be kind to people when no one else notices. I’ve seen you put others before yourself, and you do so much to make other people happy. You’re sunshine! Why can’t you see that?”

“Sunshine?” 

The only other person who’d ever called him sunshine was his secret admirer. And just like that, it finally clicked. Chrissy Cunningham was his secret admirer. She hadn’t seen anyone putting anything in his locker even though she was there between almost every period because she’d been the one leaving him notes. It all made sense now.

She must have noticed a wave of realization wash over his face because she was pulling away from him before he could react.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she backed away from him. “I should go. Enjoy the rest of your prom.”

“Chrissy, wait. I -”

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the prom committee announcing that it was time for them to crown this year’s prom king and queen.

“For the class of 1985, your prom king and queen are . . . Steve Harrington and Tammy Thompson!”

All Steve wanted to do was find Chrissy again and talk this out with her, but he was engulfed by people pushing him towards the stage to accept his crown. He was just going through the motions at that point. He let the prom committee chair place the crown on his head, and he let Tammy pull him onto the dance floor for their dance as king and queen.

“Isn’t this amazing?” Tammy asked as she and Steve swayed back and forth to the music. “I was hoping you’d ask me to prom, but you never got around to doing it. This is almost better though, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Steve let Tammy ramble on about how she had been hoping they’d get crowned together because she’d been longing to hang out with King Steve since they were in Click’s class together. He smiled and let her have her moment, but he was pulling away from her as soon as the song ended.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, Tammy,” he told her. “I’m sure you’re great and all, but there’s someone else, and I don’t want to lead you on. Thanks for the dance though.”

With that, he was off to look for Chrissy. He couldn’t find her anywhere inside the dance, but he easily found her standing out in the hallway.

“Chrissy!” he called after her as he made his way over to her. “Why’d you run away in there?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ever written you those notes. That was selfish of me.”

“Why was it selfish?”

“Because you’re King Steve. Even with my place on the cheerleading squad, I don’t think I could measure up to what you’d want me to be. Anonymity was easy because I could get to know you without having to live up to the expectations of what your girlfriend should be. You deserve someone who can be equally as amazing as you are.”

“And what if I don’t want whatever image of perfection everyone else thinks I should have?” he asked. “What if I don’t want to be King Steve?”

“You don’t?”

“In your last note, you told me that our notes had been the best part of your day, but I never told you that they were the best part of mine too. You make me laugh, and you’ve made me feel better about myself than I have in a long time. You may not think you’re perfect, but you’re the perfect girl for me. You’re sunshine.”

“I am?”

“Definitely. I should have said it before, but you look really beautiful tonight.”

Chrissy blushed and looked down at her feet. Steve took the crown off his head and placed it on hers instead before placing a finger under her chin and tilting her head back up to face him.

“I’m just Steve. And just Steve would love to get to know you a little bit better without having to talk to you through notes if that’s something you’d be interested in.”

“I’d really like that.”

“I know we both technically asked to save a dance for the other, but how would you feel about skipping the rest of prom? There’s a booth at Benny’s calling our names.”

He offered her his hand, and she took it as she beamed up at him.

“Lead the way.”

And, as they walked out of the building together, Steve was content in knowing that maybe he didn’t need to be popular. He didn’t need to be King Steve and attempt to live up to everyone else’s weird expectations for him. All he needed was for someone to see him for who he was. The real man beneath the crown. He was certain that he’d found that in Chrissy.

[stranger-marauders]

repaired

thirteen: red dawn

chapter summary: Dustin, Erica, Robin, Steve, and Kate navigate their way through the Russian bunker underneath the mall.

chapter warnings: language, relationship tension

word count: 2.3k

series masterlist | masterlist

KATE FELT LIKE they had been walking for hours.

The hallway that they’d been walking down had obviously not been made for walking—they hadn’t passed anyone, and Kate earlier had heard a cart of some kind drive away whenever they had escaped the elevator. Besides, how else would the Russians move those boxes all that way?

Even with all of the walking, though, the anger still hadn’t left her. Not only four hours after they’d had their first ever fight, but Steve had also been talking about potentially getting with other girls and breaking up with her. She couldn’t believe him. It wasn’t like she could get away from him, either, because they were trapped in a Russian bunker together.

She tried to think about other things to make her feel better. At one point, she’d played their prom night over and over again in her head. She’d worn a long and poofy powder blue dress (because every dress had been long and poofy this year), one she’d gone with Stephanie, Jessica, and Kim to go find, trying it on and saying “it’s good enough, I guess,” even if she did like it. She thought about how Steve had gotten a matching tie, corsage, and boutonnière, that and had showed up with his hair done perfectly, which he’d later told her that it had taken him an hour and a half to, but she liked to think he was overreacting—he wasn’t. She thought about how she’d finally gotten that dance with him, and how they’d gone to his place afterward and spent the rest of the night together, loving one another. She tried to think about how perfect that night was, even though right now was absolute shit. Steve said he was going to break up with her. How was she supposed to feel?

Kate didn’t really want to think he’d actually get with Robin. She was almost a year and a half younger than him, that and she was still in high school. On the other hand, though, Nancy had been a year younger than him whenever he dated her, too, and he didn’t seem to care about that. She tried to push the thought of him liking Robin away, only because she thought Robin was so… cool. She didn’t care that she was in band, had a slight language learning addiction—Robin wasn’t going to apologize for who she was, and Kate admired that.

She couldn’t help but think, though, that Robin maybe had the slightest crush on Steve. How could she not? He was cute, charming (even if she hated to admit it), funny… even if she was mad at him, Kate still loved him. She knew a lot of girls liked her boyfriend, what would make Robin any different? Besides, she and Robin were similar, and Kate made fun of him all the time, too. Wasn’t that how you were supposed to flirt with boys, anyway? Be mean to them? Kate didn’t know for sure, but that’s what she’d always done and it worked for her.

She liked Robin, she really did. She just hoped she didn’t like Steve.

“I mean, you have to admit, as a feat of engineering alone, this is impressive,” Dustin finally said as they continued to walk down the Russian hallway.

“What are you talking about? It’s a total fire hazard,” Steve said. “There’s no stairs, there’s no exit. There’s just an elevator that drops you halfway to hell.”

“They’re Commies,” Erica said. “You don’t pay people, they cut corners.”

“To be fair to our Russian comrades, I don’t think this tunnel was designed for walking. I mean, think about it, they developed the perfect system for transporting that cargo.”

“It comes into the mall just like any other delivery,” Kate said, “and then they move it here onto trucks and nobody’s the wiser.”

“You think they built this whole mall just so they could transport that green poison?” Steve asked.

“I very seriously doubt it’s something as boring as poison,” Dustin replied. “It’s gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something.”

“What the hell is promethium?”

“It’s what Victor Stone’s dad used to make Cyborg’s bionic and cybernetic components,” Robin explained.

“It’s also used in atomic batteries and pacemakers,” Kate added.

“You’re all so nerdy, it makes me physically ill,” Erica replied.

“No, no, no. No, don’t lump me in with them,” Steve said quickly. “I’m not a nerd, all right?”

She scoffed. Even if she was angry at him, she wasn’t going to not call him out. “You know, last time I checked, the second someone mentions basketball, you go absolutely apeshit. Swimming too, actually.”

He turned to her pointedly. That was the first direct comment she’d make to him after the fight they’d had? “That’s different, and you know it—”

“Why so sensitive, Harrington?” Robin asked. “Afraid of losing cool points to a ten-year-old child?”

“No, I’m just saying I don’t know jack shit about Prometheus.”

“Promethium,” Dustin corrected.

“Prometheus is a Greek Titan that supposedly is getting punished for eternity for pissing off the wrong people,” Kate explained, somewhat bitterly. If Steve didn’t quit, she thought, he would end up like Prometheus, and she would be the one declaring the punishment.

“Prometheus doesn’t matter in this situation,” Dustin cut in. “All I’m saying is, whatever that stuff is, it’s probably being used to make something.”

“Or power something,” Robin added.

“Like a nuclear weapon?”

“Totally.”

“Walking towards a nuclear weapon. That’s great. That’d be great,” Steve said sarcastically.

“But if they’re building something, why here? I mean, Hawkins. Seriously. Of all places. At the very best, we’re a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s our very own…”

As Robin continued, Steve and Dustin had stopped in their tracks, only exchanging glances with each other. The two hung back, watching as Erica and Robin walked ahead.

“You think the Russians know?”

“About—”

“They could,” Dustin said.

“So it’s connected?”

“Maybe it is,” Dustin said.

“How?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s…”

“Possible,” both of them said at the same time.

Before they could go on, Kate had noticed the two had fallen back behind her, Robin, and Erica. “I’m sorry, is there something you’d like to share with the class?”

Both of them exchanged glances. Not only were they both slightly horrified of Kate, especially with the particularly pointed and annoyed expression on her face, but they also didn’t want to tell her, and by that extension, Erica and Robin, about the almost too uncanny coincidence of the Upside Down. What else could’ve brought them to Hawkins? They didn’t want to tell Erica and Robin about what they’d fought twice before, especially because it sounded so… unrealistic. It sounded like they were making it up, and they didn’t have time for either Erica or Robin to make fun of them, that or to set Kate into another episode.

That was something Steve didn’t want, especially not right now. Kate was always completely lost in that state of mind, so far away. It took everything to shake her out of her episodes, and that was something they couldn’t risk right now. He was stressed out enough as it was without her talking to him, especially with them in the bunker, but if something happened to her and he hadn’t been able to protect her, he thought he would lose his goddamn mind. An episode happening, causing them exposure was the last thing that needed to happen right now. He would take anything else but that.

Both Steve and Dustin exchanged glances, but before they could explain their crazy findings of the Upside Down, the radio sounded from Erica’s bag.

“Walkie.”

Erica had already gotten it out of her bag as Robin extended the antenna to hear the message more clearly.

“Poyezdka v Kitay zvuchit khorosho yesli vy nastupite slegka.”

“It’s the code,” Kate said, exhaling loudly.

“Wherever that broadcast is coming from—”

“It’s close,” Robin said, cutting Dustin off. “And if there’s one thing we know about that signal…”

“It can reach the surface.”

Robin looked up before she stood up again. “Let’s go.”

Once they’d gotten to the end of the long passageway, they’d found themselves hiding behind a wall.

As Steve peered around the edge, he finally came out from behind it. “Okay, clear.”

Quickly, the other four followed behind him. “Clear, come on, let’s go.”

“Okay, that was close,” Robin said.

“Too close,” Kate added.

“Relax,” Steve said, somewhat annoyedly. “All right? Relax. Nobody saw…” He trailed off when he saw the massive room that lay ahead of them.

“Shit!” Steve finally whispered, the five of them crowding behind a red box.

“Told you,” Kate said bitterly.

“Red Dawn,” Dustin said.

“I saw it,” Erica whispered. “First floor, northwest.”

“Saw what?”

“The comms room,” Erica explained.

“You saw the comms room?” Steve asked.

“Correct.”

“Are you sure?”

Erica nodded. “Positive. The door was open for a second, and I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit in there.”

“That could be a hundred different things,” Dustin said.

“I’ll take those odds,” Robin said, looking to Steve.

He sighed in response, and the five of them peered over the edge to find the room Erica spoke of.

“All right,” Steve whispered. “We’re gonna move fast, we’re gonna stay low. Okay?”

“Okay,” Kate replied, nodding.

As they started to run low throughout the large room, they made it inside the room without anyone noticing them. They hadn’t had an issue until they had actually gotten inside of the suspected comms room.

The group of five stared in horror as they watched a Russian man with a headset turn around and stare right back at them.

Kate watched as the man reached for something in his pocket, and she panicked. “Deystvovat’ ostorozhno!”

The other three had no idea what she was saying, but Robin knew: she was only repeating parts of the code, and she had just said “tread lightly.”

The man replied with something in Russian, but Kate had no idea what he had said.

“Serebryanyy kot… Serebryanyy kot,” she said, trying to stall for as long as she could. This time, she had said “silver cat.”

The man shook his head and said something else, which again, Kate, nor anyone else in the room, had any idea what he had said. She wished she would’ve known more in Russian than the code and “Privet” (which had only meant “hello,” but it was still something).

Kate took a step forward in fear, running out of options. “Kitay?”

The man scoffed, reaching for his gun—he was about to shoot them, and Kate was definitely going to be first. Before he could shoot, however, Steve yelled and charged the man, starting yet another fight.

Kate only watched in fear—even if she was still angry with him, she was absolutely terrified that he was going to lose yet another fight, or worse, get shot, until he grabbed one of the phones that were hooked on the soundboard and hit the Russian man over the head with it. Before the man was knocked to the ground, however, he hit his head again on the table, knocking him out cold.

Steve panted as he collected himself, running his hands through his hair.

“Dude!” Dustin shouted, getting his attention. “You did it!”

Steve only stared in confusion as Kate and Dustin looked like they’d just won a million dollars.

“You won a fight!”

Kate knelt down to the passed-out guard and started to take the keycard and gun off of his person. She knew that if they had the keycard, they could use the elevator to their advantage, open doors, and not get trapped places: she wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass her to take the keycard.

“What are you doing?” Erica asked.

“Getting us our ticket out of here,” Kate replied, tucking the gun into her back pocket. “I’m also giving us an opportunity to defend ourselves, here.”

“You want to walk all the way back?”

“Well, we can hang out for a little bit, relax, have a picnic maybe,” Dustin said sarcastically.

“Have a picnic? We came here for the radio!”

“Well, this plan is way better. If I knew Steve could knock out a Russian, that would’ve been our plan in the first place. But I guess you’re—”

“Guys,” Robin said, cutting Dustin off as she ran back down the steps she’d walked up. “There’s something up there.”

The group of five went up the stairs and through the first door, finding there was a blue light that shone from somewhere. Whenever they went through the door, they found themselves at another set of double doors where they could see the source of the blue light more clearly.

“Holy shit,” was all Kate could say.

They watched as a blue laser, which was being operated by a machine powered by the green, radioactive acid they’d found in the elevator, started to crack a hole in the wall, forming something so familiar it sent shivers down Kate’s spine.

The Russians were building another gate to the Upside Down.

next chapter

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[shortcrust]

Hello! I just want to say that I've long admired your writing style and am always so thrilled to see something new you post no matter the fandom! I was curious what your thoughts are on the expanded universe of your keep with me forward fic - do Eddie and Steve ever move back and closer to Robin and the kids? What does their life end up looking like!

Hello! First I would like to say that I cannot thank you enough for such a kind, thoughtful and generous compliment; I am so, so touched! Genuinely, I've been beaming for hours. I really enjoyed writing keep with me forward and I have a little festive surprise coming later this week, because I like to think it's a warm verse that suits this time of year, maybe. So hopefully you enjoy that!

As for where they end up! I think that in a couple of years the government eventually says, hey, you’re out the woods and not our problem any more, and Eddie says, great, thanks, I’m taking the house in the divorce. Maybe they stick around Waterloo for a bit longer; they like it, and they have friends there, and they’ve finally fixed the hot water. Eddie’s made manager and the pub stays the same only there’s music every weekend, just local kids with their angry new bands or aging dads with their old guitars from their old angry teenage bands. He only plays himself when they can’t get anyone else on the tiny stage, because he has someone else to sing to now. They learn to talk to each other, too. In the wintertime Steve learns how to put snow tyres on a school bus. 

I imagine that eventually they move. It’s sad to leave the pink house. (It’s still pink, even though they’ve repainted it several times, each a different shade - peach, watermelon, taffy and flamingo.) They’ve got good memories there. But the memories are friends sat on the floor, or evenings in the low light together, or burning food onto the kitchen equipment, and all of those can travel. The whole point of Waterloo wasn’t that Waterloo was unique, or special, but that unique and special things can grow wherever if you love them. 

So yes - maybe the next house is blue, and it’s down the road from where Robin’s sticking around UChicago to do a graduate thesis on 18th Century wind instruments. Maybe it’s yellow, right where DC meets Maryland, and they’re only renting there because Nancy’s doing a whole piece on the election and she can’t afford it on her own. I particularly like the one where it’s whitewash, a careful distance from Cambridge, MA, and sure Steve only collects a drunk Suzie from outside a nightclub at 2am the one (memorable) time, but in his eyes that’s more than enough for the whole place to be worth it. But maybe it’s just brick and has an awning and a downstairs bedroom for Wayne and it’s back in Hawkins, where they always seem to end up anyway so why not cut out the middle man. I think that wherever they go, afterwards, they know that you can make a home anywhere, with the right person, and also with - and within - yourself. 

[stancylives]

Steve's Sacrifice: a short Stancy fic.

Trigger warning: a character gets shot, curse words.

It didn’t work. 

The cloth wouldn’t light. 

All Nancy had was her gun, and it was aimed right at Vecna. He stared her down with a grin on his lips, as if knowing that she was no match for him. But still, she marched forward, for ( Barb ). She could hear Steve and Robin behind her begging her to stand down, but shoved out their pleas.

“Barb needs a friend, don’t you think, Nancy? Are you wishing to join her?” He asked, a wicked look in his eyes. 

“Shut the hell up,” she seethed, wasting no time to take the first shot.

And just before it reached the space between his eyes, it stopped midair. Vecna’s eyes were locked right on it. As he moved his finger slowly in a circular motion, the bullet turned around, facing her. In an instant, he pointed his finger at Nancy, and the bullet soared across the space toward her. Before she could even process what was happening, she was shoved out of the way. By Steve.

The bullet pierced right through his stomach. 

Nancy’s ear-splitting scream reverberated throughout the room. It was then that Robin had finally lit the cloth, throwing it across the room at the demon. Nancy collapsed to the ground, immediately covering Steve’s wound with her hand, using firm pressure. Her other hand cupped his cheek gingerly. Robin, on the other hand, took Nancy’s gun from where it had been discarded on the ground.

She could hardly breathe her chest was rising and falling so quickly, sobs escaping her. And yet he smiled at her as if he was admiring her. Nothing but love filled his gaze.

“You are beautiful, Nancy Wheeler,” he just barely got out, resting a shaky hand on her knee.

“Don’t go talking like that, Steve. You’re going to be ( fine ),” she said, leaning down to rest her forehead against his own. “You’re fine, Steve. I promise.”

She looked back just in time to see Vecna falling out of the window after Robin let another shot loose. 

“Good, you son-of-a-bitch.”

Robin now joined Nancy on the other side of Steve, looking absolutely beside herself. She couldn’t even speak, too stunned at the sight of his weakening gaze. 

“Why would you do that, Steve?!?” Nancy cried, shaking her head at him. 

“You know why,” he struggled, his grip on her knee tightening. 

A choked sob escaped her. Slowly, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. The first kiss they’d shared in so long. She made sure it was passionate, the kiss of a lifetime. Her lips were trembling against his own, but even so, it felt ( right ) to kiss him.

“I love you too, Steve,” she whispered, a knot forming in her throat. “So you have to be okay. For ( us ).”

His glassy gaze looked at hers with so much hope, so much ( joy ) even though he was in insurmountable pain. 

“I’d do it again for you, Nance. Wouldn’t hesitate, just like you didn’t when I got dragged down into the portal,” he said, before wincing.

Nancy could feel his blood on her hand and it made her insides ache. She’d known it for a while now, but was too stubborn to lean into her feelings for Steve. And now. . . 

“Shh, shh. Don’t talk. Just. . . I’m going to get you out of here. And the next time you kiss me, I don’t ever want you to stop. Not until my lungs are burning,” she said, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss against his forehead. 

“I can’t go dying now, then, can I?”

[hushbats]

They say death is not for lovers (but that’s not what we are)

I think I messed myself up writing this, so be warned. Might be good if you need a good cry though. (See AO3 for tw)

Read on AO3

He was supposed to die.

That was his intent when he decided to protect Dustin and buy the rest of his ragtag group more time to fight Vecna. They’d spent the better part of a week trying to protect him and keep him hidden and safe from the cops, and the hate-fueled mob powered by Jason Carver’s rage; while at the same time trying to save the town - on the brink of destruction from what Nancy had said - from an evil wizard. He was tired; had been for a while and not for the first time. He’d been a burden much of his life, and if nothing else, he wanted to at least try to repay them in some way for their help. He couldn’t do much; he wasn’t brave like Max, or smart like Dustin, or particularly good at fighting like Steve. But he had a body and a life that he would gladly give in place of good people who possessed such admirable traits.

And so, he cut the rope and accepted his fate.

Or rather, he welcomed it – for Eddie Munson was a coward, too scared to go by his own hand, but just comfortable enough to go under the guise of self-sacrifice.

He was supposed to die – had fantasied about finally escaping his dead-end life and releasing Wayne from years of putting up with his bullshit. He knew Wayne loved him and would never turn his back on him no matter what chaos Eddie flung his way, so Eddie had to make the hard decision for him. He’d always figured he’d “accidentally” OD like his mom before him, like he’d almost done before not long after moving in with Wayne, but he’d take what he could get. This was far more metal.

1986, it was his year – he’d go out in a blaze of glory while helping those who helped him, and finally die with a smile on his face like he’d wanted. It was the best he could have hoped for. Two birds, one stone.

Except he didn’t. Dustin and Steve made sure of it.

***

Steve pulled into the trailer park at break-neck speed, the beemer kicking up ice and stones as it skidded to a stop outside the ruined trailer. He jumped from the idling car leaving the door wide open as he ran into and around the trailer shouting Eddie’s name, not caring if he woke the few stubborn residents still there – but it was to no avail; he wasn’t there. Panic was starting to grip Steve as he ran his hand through his disheveled hair. He was running out of time and places to look. There was only one other place he could think of, and so he quickly hopped back into the car and made his way to Reefer Rick’s.

Steve should have listened to Dustin from the start. Out of everyone in the party, he would know. Even if he weren’t close with Eddie, the kid was always right, even when he wasn’t, so Steve should have listened the second Dustin told him something wasn’t right.

From the very moment Eddie woke up from his near two-month coma Dustin had claimed something was off. He had insisted on spending every waking moment he wasn’t at school at Eddie’s bedside. Nothing could stop him – not even the cops who reluctantly let him under strict rules while Eddie was still in a coma, cuffed to the bed and under investigation – and so he was there to witness Eddie’s miraculous return to land of the living. And so was Steve coincidentally. He tended to spend most of his time watching over Max to give Lucas and her mom a break, but he always popped in to check on Dustin to make sure he ate and got enough rest.

It was on one such occasion that Eddie first became lucid after spending days slowing fighting the pull of the coma.

***

Steve decided to stay a while longer with Dustin after he heard there was a chance Eddie would wake properly soon. He’d been drifting in and out of consciousness and they removed the breathing tube a day or two ago. He’d figured the kid would need the extra support when Eddie eventually came to. And he was right.

“…Henderson?” Eddie croaked, confused.

“Holy shit, Eddie! You’re awake!!” Dustin cried, jumping from his perch next to the bed, tears glistening in his eyes as he tried not to fling himself at Eddie and aggravate his injuries further.

“…awake?” His brows furrowed further as if trying to decipher the meaning of Dustin’s words.

“Yeah, man, I mean, it was touch and go for while there, but you pulled through. You’re alive!” Dustin babbled excitedly.

“Oh,” was Eddie’s croaked, lack-luster response. He looked back at the ceiling above him and didn’t say anymore. If Steve didn’t know any better, he’d have almost thought he sounded disappointed.

Dustin’s face fell at the lack of enthusiastic response and Steve took that as his cue. He rose from the unforgiving plastic hospital chair tucked away in the corner of the room and made his way over to Dustin, laying what he hoped was a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I’d better give the nurses the good news,” Steve smiled, while giving Dustin’s shoulder a supportive squeeze on his way past the boy. “It’s good to see you finally awake, Munson. You had us all worried there for a second. I thought I told you not to be a hero?” he teased lightly, before letting go of Dustin’s shoulder to make his way out of the room.

He received a huff of air in response, what he’d imagine would have been a self-deprecating laugh if Eddie had been in better health. Satisfied he wouldn’t be missed, he left the room to chase down the nurse assigned to Eddie, leaving Dustin alone with him.

By the time he’d returned and Eddie was taken for assessment, Dustin somehow looked more worried than he had sat at Eddie’s side all these weeks.

“He’ll be okay, Henderson, the worst is over now,” Steve reassured, putting an arm around Dustin in a half hug.

“I dunno, Steve. He didn’t seem much like Eddie or all that much like he was happy to be awake.”

“Well, you try having any energy for long-winded monologues and theatrics after being a demon bat’s chew toy and waking from a medically induced coma doctors weren’t sure you’d ever wake up from,” Steve joked, though it fell flat. He always kind of sucked at stuff like this. “Look, I’m sure he’s just tired and groggy. His body’s been through a lot. Give him some time to adjust and you’ll see.”

“You weren’t there, Steve. You don’t get it. Something is definitely wrong, I know it.”

Steve hesitated.

“Like, normal wrong or Upside Down wrong?”

“I dunno…normal? But now that you say it, I guess it could…no.”

“Dustin, what is it? Did he say something to you?”

“It wasn’t what he said, Steve,” Dustin snipped. His attitude often got the better of him when frustrated, faced with a particularly difficult puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “It’s what he didn’t say,” he finished quietly, dejected.

“Just give him time,” Steve repeated lamely, unsure how to comfort his young friend.

As the weeks progressed and Eddie became stronger, Steve had begun spending more and more time with Eddie and Dustin, mainly to keep watch over Dustin, but Eddie too in case there was some Upside Down-related problem. Steve found he actually quite liked Eddie now that he’d gotten to know him a little better and they enjoyed shooting the shit and teasing the kids together. But he never really knew where he stood with him. They weren’t really close and Steve was sure he’d probably done something horrible to him while in high school. It made things kind of awkward on the rare occasion they were left alone together without a buffer.

The doctors were impressed by how well Eddie was healing up. They were planning on starting physiotherapy later in the week, but Dustin’s concerns remained. He’d tried to talk to him again about what exactly it was about Eddie was putting the boy on edge. Vague statements like, “He’s not Eddie”, and half-formed explanations like he’s not present most of the time are about the extent of the responses he’d got from Dustin on the matter up to now. But surely that was to be expected. It was a lot to process for the guy.

Honestly, Steve knew next to nothing about Eddie outside of the horrific week they spent together fighting for their lives and the little time he’d spent at his bedside. To him, nothing seemed particularly concerning. Eddie chatted with any visitors, laughed along with the kid’s antics most of the time, and he gave Steve a hard time for his own amusement. Sure, he was less animated from what Steve had remembered of him in high school, what with all the jumping on cafeteria tables and causing a general ruckus, but he figured a person couldn’t be like that all the time. Add to it the fact that Eddie was recovering from some serious injuries and it wasn’t all that difficult to come to the conclusion that he was still tired and recovering.

Even so, just in case, Steve had pressed Dustin one evening for just one solid example that would justify worrying about him while they grabbed a coffee in the hospital cafeteria, hoping he could understand his concern at least a little.

“So, you know how Eddie loves DnD, right?” Steve nodded in response, taking a sip of shitty hospital coffee from his Styrofoam cup. “Well, I’ve been trying to bring it up to him over the past few weeks about maybe putting together a one-shot to celebrate when he finally gets out of here, but he’s kinda…I dunno…avoided giving a solid answer.”

Steve waited, allowing Dustin the time to try and put what he was feeling into words.

“It’s just, anytime I bring it up he dismisses it, saying shit like ‘we’ll see’ or ‘maybe’ or ‘we have lots of time to do that later, dude’ or… whatever. It just sounds like he’s intentionally putting it off, like he’d rather do anything else. That’s just not like him.”

Steve had to agree that that was odd, but…

“Dustin, your game is full of monsters and magic, things that up until recently Eddie thought were just fun and games. Maybe now that he knows how real these things are and how close they came to killing him, he just doesn’t find it fun anymore. It might be best not to push him and let him come back to it in his own time,” Steve said, confident that was all it was.

Dustin sagged at Steve’s logical response, his eyes never leaving the rapidly cooling coffee between his hands. He slowly began shaking his head.

“If it was just that, I’d probably agree with you, but it’s that plus a bunch of other stuff that when added together just makes me think something is really wrong. I just- I just have a really bad feeling; I can’t explain it.”

“Dustin, I need you to try to explain it the best you can. Even if it sounds crazy, just spit it out and I’ll listen, man, I promise. I want to help you. You and Eddie.”

“He’s- he’s super focused on getting better and getting out of the hospital,” Dustin starts unsure, his eyes drifting to Steve for the first time since Steve brought up the topic of Eddie.

Steve couldn’t stop his eyebrows from raising. “Aaaannd, that’s a bad thing?” he questioned slowly, a tad incredulous. Dustin sighed in frustration and Steve quickly corrected his mistake. “Look, I’m just trying to underst-.”

“It is when you also refuse to make plans for when you finally get out, Steve!”

Steve blinked back dumbly at Dustin’s outburst, still failing to see the problem.

“You know what, nevermind,” Dustin dismissed, flippant in a way he often was when he was suddenly reminded that Steve was a dumb jock once. “I’m going back to Eddie’s room. Later, Steve.” He stood suddenly, the scrape of the chair echoing around the half-empty cafeteria and hastily exited the room.

“No, Henderson, wait!” Steve pleaded, but Dustin was already gone out the door, his half-drunk coffee left forgotten on the table.

***

Steve white-knuckled the steering wheel and pressed his foot down fully on the gas, driving at full speed down the forest-lined road to the place where he and Eddie first met almost a year ago – mind racing.

He should have listened, really listened, to catch what Dustin was implying. The kid probably didn’t fully understand it himself, but Steve was the adult in the situation. He should have known; he could have been more supportive of Eddie instead of keeping him at arm’s length. And what for? Because of some high school hierarchy bullshit? Because he may or may not have made Eddie’s high school life hell? Because he didn’t want to get in the way of Dustin’s new friendship? Because he felt threatened by it? It wasn’t like Eddie didn’t try with Steve. He always looked happy to see Steve and asked about him to the others often when he hadn’t been around for a while. He always made sure Steve was in on the conversation when the kids rambled excitedly around them about their nerd games. He joked and laughed around Steve – made him feel warm and welcome. He treated him like any other of his close friends. Even giving Steve pet names like Stevie and Big Boy, and faux flirting with him to make him laugh. Unlike Steve, who was cordial at best, hiding behind a veil of formality he’d learned from his years as a Harrington.

Steve should have known, but he didn’t.

In hindsight, it should have been really obvious to him the night he met Eddie’s uncle for the first time.

***

Somehow, over the months, they’d managed to miss each other, both on different schedules. Steve had made his way down to Eddie’s room from Max’s in hopes of catching Dustin before heading home, only to find a strange man sat at Eddie’s bedside instead.

“You must be the Harrington boy,” the man stated gruffly, a lifetime of heavy smoking evident in his voice. Steve nods. “’heard a lot about you. That Henderson kid could talk the hind legs off a donkey,” the man continued, rising from his seat and offering his hand. “Wayne Munson, Eddie’s uncle.”

“Steve Harrington, nice to finally meet you, sir,” he replied, shaking the man’s hand. Eddie’s uncle looked a lot like how Steve imagined him to look from Eddie and Dustin’s stories, but older, more tired and disheveled. Almost losing a family member would do that he assumed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Munson, for everything,” Steve said, feeling the need to apologize as he looked over at Eddie asleep in the bed.

“Sorry? Now, what d'ya have to be sorry about? From what I hear, you’re the reason my boy is still here with us,” Wayne said, clapping Steve hard on the back. “And, it’s Wayne.”

Steve cleared his throat awkwardly at the praise. “It was nothing, sir- I mean, Wayne. Anyone would have done the same, I just happened to be there.”

Wayne looked somewhat doubtful at that, and Steve felt a pang of guilt when he realized, they probably wouldn’t have – they would have made sure the job got done. Neither of them spoke for a moment until the prolonged silence became unbearable for Steve. He cleared his throat again to get Wayne’s attention from where it had wondered back to Eddie.

“Well, I better be going, Wayne. Again, it was nice meeting you and sorry for barging in. I thought it would have just been Dustin here. Have a good night.”

Wayne hesitated momentarily, seeming to debate something.

“Let me walk you out, Steve, it’s the least I could do,” Wayne offered, his hand at Steve’s back, leading him out of the room. “’sides, I need to stretch these old bones a’ mine every once in a while, and these darn hospital chairs ain’t helpin’ nothin’.”

A surprised Steve was herded out of the room before he could refuse the offer, and Wayne quietly closed the door to Eddie’s room behind him.

Most of the walk to the main hospital doors three floors down was filled with small talk about Wayne’s job at the plant and Steve’s ongoing search for employment since Family Video fell victim to what those outside of the know claimed was an earthquake. Steve figured Wayne was working up to something and he gave him the space to do so. His efforts proved fruitful when Wayne stopped Steve just as they exited the main hospital doors into the dusk.

“Steve, ya’ seem like a real nice kid, and you’ve done more than enough saving my boy, but if it’s not too much trouble, d’ya think you could keep an eye on him?”

“On Eddie?” Steve was surprised. Eddie had more eyes on him than ever, most of them professionals at that, the best doctors and nurses the government could spare, they’d made sure of it. Steve couldn’t fathom why he was singled out specifically by Wayne but he thought maybe it might have had something to do with Dustin. Steve’s confusion at the request must have been evident as Wayne continued.

“Eddie ain’t had the easiest of lives,” Wayne began, choosing his words carefully. He seemed to be considering how much he should tell Steve. “Hell, that kid ain’t caught a break from the day he was born. Y’know, we used to joke when he was a baby that he’d be an unlucky kid, what with him being born on Friday the thirteenth and all,” Wayne chuckled sadly.

Steve wordlessly listened as the old man spoke. Whatever he wanted to say seemed to be difficult for him to talk about but Steve had time.

“When Eddie came to live with me, I hadn’t seen him since he was knee-high to a grasshopper, and he wasn’t the same rumbunctious kid I remembered either. His daddy, my younger brother, was an alcoholic with a real mean streak, and that’s putting it nicely. And his momma…well, that’s Eddie’s story to tell. Point is, that kid’s been through some shit most folks can't even bare to imagine, and you don’t come out the other side of what Eddie went through at that age unscathed, if you know what I mean.”

At Steve’s hesitation, Wayne steeled himself and brought his hand to Steve’s shoulder pulling him so they were eye to eye, willing Steve to understand.

“Steve, this ain’t the first time – hell, it ain’t even the second time Eddie’s faced death in his young life, and I’m worried it won’t be the last. You understand what I mean, Steve?”

Wayne levelled Steve with a meaningful look. Steve thought he understood and figured even if he didn’t, he could do what Wayne asked of him regardless. And so, he nodded. If there is one thing Steve knows he’s good at, it’s protecting others no matter the cost to himself. Eddie was one of them now and if Wayne was worried about an angry mob or a swarm of demon bats coming for Eddie, then they’d have to get through Steve first.

“Just keep an eye on him for me, okay? I can’t be ‘round as much as I’d like and I reckon he likes you, Harrington,” Wayne smiled and winked, patting him on the shoulder before disappearing back into the florescent lights of Hawkins General.

***

Steve glanced at the clock on the dash; 7:04 a.m. Come on, come on, come on, FUCK! He cursed his car for not moving fast enough up the ice-covered hill. He’d been looking for Eddie for over thirty minutes. It was still dark but he could see first light of morning struggling against the snow clouds to the east. He was running out of time.

Why didn’t he just listen and take everyone’s concerns seriously instead of burying his head in the sand? Why did it have to take a frantic phone call from a sobbing Dustin Henderson at an ungodly hour of the morning – and three days before Eddie was due to be released from the hospital – to open Steve’s eyes to the truth? The truth that Eddie was struggling – fighting demons far more unknown and insidious than anything the Upside Down could produce.

***

“Whoa, whoa, slow down Dustin,” Steve instructed, adrenaline pumping through his veins, making his heart pound rapidly against his ribcage at Dustin’s destress. Steve prayed this wasn’t the Upside Down making its long-awaited comeback. “Take a deep breath and start again.”

He could hear Dustin take two quick shaky breaths before he launched into a slightly more coherent explanation.

“Steve, he’s gone…Eddie’s gone…he’s not at the hospital.” Steve was about to explain it away. Eddie was a grown ass man and he could discharge himself at any time, but he froze, an icy dread running through his veins and accumulating in the pit of his stomach with Dustin’s next words as everything clicked for Steve. “I found his guitar on my doorstep this morning with a note saying to take good care of her and that he was sorry. Something bad is going to happen, something really, really bad.” Dustin’s voice became small, chocking back his tears. “You gotta believe me this time, Steve, please. I think…I think he’s going to hurt himself. You gotta find him, Steve, I’m begging you,” the boy gasped through his quiet sobs unable to keep them back any longer.

Steve was in shock. How could he have been so blind?! Looking back over Eddie’s recovery, it was all there in front of him. It seemed so obvious now. Steve cursed his dumb brain for its inability to read between the lines or pick up on the worrying signs in Eddie’s behavior. He’d thought he was doing well – Eddie had said so himself, even the doctors said so. So, it never even crossed Steve’s mind that while Eddie’s body was healing well, his mind was rapidly betraying him. Those closest to Eddie did know though, and Steve didn’t listen. If Steve had gotten over his insecurities and let himself become closer with Eddie, he’d have known. He felt sick and helpless. He suddenly wished it had been the Upside Down; he knew how to fight that and protect others – but how do you protect someone from their own mind? He had to shake himself out the shock and the spiraling train of thought. Dustin needed him to be the adult in this situation. Time was of the essence. He had to find Eddie asap, before it was too late.

“Okay, it’s okay Dustin, I believe you,” Steve reassured, grabbing his keys from the bowl next to the phone. “I’ll head out now, see if I can find him. Any idea where he’d be?”

“No. The note didn’t say anything else.” Steve sighed feeling a migraine coming on triggered by the rush of panic; he couldn’t think where best to start his search. Dustin continued, “but I don’t think he could have gone far. There wasn’t much snow on the guitar when I found it even though it’s been snowing on and off all night.”

Smart kid. Well, that was something at least.

“Does Wayne know Eddie’s going to-” Steve stopped himself, unable to bring himself to say it, “that Eddie is missing?”

“I- I dunno…you’re the first person I called” came Dustin’s shaky reply. “He’s probably not back home from his shift yet.”

“Call him as soon as you hang up the call and keep calling until you get him. He’ll have a better idea of where Eddie might be and know where to look, then radio me.”

“Okay. I should radio the party, too. The more people the better, right?”

“No,” Steve objected loudly. The minute those kids find out they’ll be on their bikes to help search and God only knows what they’d find. There’re too young for any of this, and they’ve been through a lot already – especially Dustin. He’d watched Eddie almost die once already and the kid was a mess. There’d be no coming back from it this time if the worst was to happen. He could hear Dustin’s protests through the line bringing him back to the problem at hand. He had to think quickly.

“No, we don’t need to worry the others yet; it could be nothing. Call Hop instead. He can put together a search team in no time, okay?”

“Okay,” Dustin replied, sounding lost.

“I need you to stay put at home by the phone and radio, Dustin, okay? That’s best way you can help Eddie, alright?”

“I got it, Steve. Just…just promise you’ll get him back safe.”

Steve heart broke for the kid and he had to look up to keep his own eyes from welling up. He had to stay strong. Dustin was trusting him with this and he didn’t want to let him down again.

“I’ll do what I can, Dustin, I promise.”

***

Steve was pulled from his thoughts when his headlights brought Rick’s house into view through the light snow that had begun to fall again. The beemer careened into the driveway and came to a halt outside. He wasted no time running straight to the house first, kicking the door in and screaming for Eddie, not caring about the potential future misdemeanor charge. Steve made quick work of the rooms, bracing himself for what he might find behind each door and being equal parts thankful and disappointed each time they came up empty.

With the house out of the way, Steve booked it to the boat shack at the back over-looking the lake, his heart racing making him feel like it was going to explode out of his chest. It was by pure chance that he saw it in his frantic haste to get to the boathouse. His eyes just so happened to sweep the lake as he ran by, and a sudden movement stopped him in his tracks. Out on the water, just visible through the flurries and pale morning light, a figure with wild curly hair tumbled from a small rowboat into the frigid lake water below.

“EDDIE!”

***

Eddie Munson was a human cockroach – notoriously hard to kill. Many had tried including himself, but it never seemed to stick. It would this time; he could feel it.

Eddie stared at the little pills in his hand. He had easily located Rick’s stash in its uninspired hiding place under the floorboards in the bedroom, and grabbed about two dozen heavy duty sleeping pills, a small baggie of Special K, and a half empty bottle of whiskey to wash it all down. He drank from the whiskey bottle and admired what he could see of the shoreline as light began to bleed through the horizon. Hawkins sure did look beautiful when you knew you were leaving it.

He glanced at his watch. 6:52 a.m. No point in delaying it any longer. He popped the pills four or five at a time and chased it down each time with a mouthful of burning whiskey.

His life had gone to shit fast since the week from hell. Life was already difficult before, but now it seemed more hopeless than ever. The damage from the bats had permanently changed him until he no longer felt like Eddie Munson anymore. He died in the Upside Down, and whatever Steve dragged out of there was nothing but a broken shell infected by the filth of the Upside Down. A week after he woke up from the coma, the doctors broke the news that he would likely never regain full motor function in his left hand. Too much of the muscle had been torn away and the nerve damage had been extensive. That meant he lost the one outlet he had that had kept him going all these years – long before DnD and Hellfire. Though he lost those too. Somehow it didn’t seem as fun and fantastical as before. He couldn’t use it to escape the hardships in his life anymore. He could no longer find comfort immersing himself in a world of monsters and adventure when he knew how real and dangerous such things were. He had the scars to prove it. He would never escape them. They would haunt him forever.

A light snowfall, the flakes melting on his exposed skin pulled him from his thoughts momentarily. It was peaceful at this hour. The gentle swaying of the boat as the water ebbed and flowed around it in little ripples was starting to lull him to sleep. He could no longer feel the biting cold anymore through his sweater and jacket – a good sign. Things were becoming hazier, his mind light for the first time since everything went to shit. He felt the faint trace of a smile stretch across his numbing face. It was almost time – no one could save him now. Not even Steve Harrington.

Steve Harrington. The name made his heart ache even through the numbing effect of the drugs and alcohol. Nothing would suppress a pain like that. The pain of wanting someone so badly but knowing you will never, ever, have them. He’d known from way back in junior year that he had a thing for Harrington, but it was easy to ignore when their paths never crossed and Harrington was a dick. He just admired his beauty from afar. But ever since he’d been adopted into the trauma-bonded party, it had become impossible for Eddie to ignore him. The more he got to know him, the more he realized how wrong he was about him, and the more in love with him he fell. He tried hard to fight it, but he couldn’t help dropping the occasional hint – a lingering touch, a flirty comment he could laugh off if need be. Those were intentional, but discreet. Or so he thought. Buckley clocked him early on. Apparently, his pining was evident on his face. She was the one to break to him what he already knew – gently and with sympathetic eyes. He never had a chance. He could never have good things, and Steve Harrington was the very best.

Stop. He needed it to stop. He couldn’t wait anymore.

He stripped off his winter jacket to slip off the old battle vest underneath, exposing him further to the frigid air and biting snow he could no longer feel. He held the denim with numb fingers, clumsily running the tips over the assortment of patches crudely stitched by Eddie himself over the years; over the faded blood splatter that Steve never could remove before returning it to him after waking in the hospital what felt like a lifetime ago.

He was getting drowsy now, sight blurring around the edges – close to losing consciousness.

All those thoughts about Harrington must have been messing with his head more than usual because he could have sworn he’d heard Harrington’s voice calling for him, echoing in the distance. Wishful thinking. It was probably a figment of his imagination or a hallucination brought about by the combination of drugs and alcohol, but even if it wasn’t; he wasn’t worried. It was too late for him. Steve wouldn’t be able to play knight in shining armor this time.

Without much more thought, Eddie Munson crashed into the freezing waters of Lover’s Lake below, letting it envelop him in death’s embrace as he sank into its depths. It was peaceful, calm even, as his vision began to darken at the edges. He didn’t feel the cold or the heartache or the hopelessness anymore. He felt nothing but relief.

The peaceful serenity was violently disrupted when a strong hand wrapped around his upper arm and yanked him up to the surface.

“Eddie, no, no, no please. Not again, please, not again,” Steve blubbered, his eyes glassy with panic and unshed tears as he grabbed Eddie by the face and slapped his cheek frantically in an effort to keep him conscious. Eddie just watched on through eyes heavily laden with sleep, the whole scene feeling disconnected, just playing out from a distance; the cocktail of drugs and booze quickly dragging him further and further away like a rip current. Jesus, Steve was beautiful – he was selfishly glad he was here so that could see him one last time. What a perfect place to die – in Steve Harrington’s arms.

“Don’t do this to Henderson again…“ Steve begged, his voice breaking, and lowering his forehead to Eddie’s temple, “don’t do this to me.”

“Sorry, Stevie,” Eddie whispered, closing his eyes and feeling the darkness embrace him. “’s the last time…I promise.”

[sidekickjoey]

No but it’s actually wild that Stranger Things’ narrative in season 4 was pushing Steve and Nancy together again given everything we know about Steve and Nancy’s goals for themselves. Hear me out.

In season 1, when Nancy speaks to Jonathan in the forest, Nancy visibly gets upset at Jonathan’s thought of her settling down with some jock post-high school to set up a nuclear family and be the typical suburban girl who pretends that is exactly what she’s always wanted, that she’s never had bigger dreams. He calls her out for falling into that narrative and not allowing herself to see she’s capable of so much more than a normal, run of the mill life, and she recognizes he’s right. She recognizes it the more time she spends with Steve and she sure as hell recognizes it when she breaks up with him. She needs something different than accepting what life throws at her and moving forward without questions. She needs to be someone before even thinking of devoting herself to another. She needs to follow her dreams elsewhere.

Steve, on the other hand, needs to settle down. He wants to have his nice little family with the kids and the good house because he’s never had that, not for himself, not from his own efforts. His parents are mean to him and always away, never caring for him but still giving him handouts, and he wants to do better than them. He wants to have a nice little family and nice average life that he makes to basically prove to himself he’s deserving of good things and some goddamn peace and quiet. He craves the acceptance of the people he loves and the little family he creates. To him, that’s not settling. Thats excelling. He also knows that Nancy, despite being the first girl he ever loved, deserves to go off and do more than that. It’s why he told Robin they weren’t right for each other. It’s why he saw a life with Robin before her confession, because he thought Robin would be just the right person who’d want to toss everything aside and enjoy a normal life for once, a life of mutual acceptance and fun. They were kindred spirits. Nancy and Steve’s spirits were both strong in a similar way, but not kindred. 

Their priorities and aspirations for themselves do not align. 

They love each other. They speak highly of each other and defend each other when others believe the misconceptions about them, because they admire the heck out of one another. But they do not align in what they want and need for their futures. It’s what made me the most confused about Steve’s six nuggets speech. Nancy Wheeler would not want a world in which she has a bunch of kids and happily sits at her husband’s side. She wants to go be a badass journalist and go to college and make a name for herself. And Steve Harrington would know better than to think Nancy Wheeler would or should fit in that scenario. He would know he’s looking for someone different than her, someone on his same wavelength, because he was already subscribed to the idea at the time he spoke to Robin. 

They would know they aren’t right for each other, and they’d be okay with it, because they love each other and want the best for each other. And I really hope the narrative doesn’t completely abandon that in season 5, for both their sakes.  

[ghostly-hoe]

Guys I wrote a Ronancy fic

FIRST WE NEED A LORE RECAP

      Nancy DEFINITELY had a thing for Barb, she just was just good at hiding it from anyone except everyone. She was the only one who really didn't notice, she'd just rub off that feeling in her stomach as something else. 

        When Barb died, she felt guilty that she hadn't done anything and her feelings for the girl were slammed smack dab in her face. Great. She was frantic about the whole thing, brushing off the truth as "but she's my friend and I need to help her because no one else will."

      When Robin popped up more into her life, wooo boy was she taken a-back. Not at first, but after a few bad-ass s3 Robin scenes, she was hooked.

      During the time after s3 but before s4, Nancy had gotten used to Robin's childish acts and some of her more brighter moments. Not Robin in general, but her idea of the girl. She didn't even realize she had caught yet more feelings until they were in yet another life-or-death situation.

       It wasn't until too late that she realized her feelings weren't for the boy with greasy hair, but for the girl with just as greezy, unwashed hair. It was probably around Robin's speech that she realized. Robin and Steve were always tied at the hip until that point, how was she to know? Yet when another bad-ass Robin scene occured, god did she feel dumb.

      She thought it'd be hard to tell Johnathan she had feelings for another guy, but a girl? She could be arrested for that if he was the wrong guy to tell. (he really wasn't, his brother being gay as well but like. in the opposite way. but she didn't know that)

        And what if Robin was disgusted by her after she said something? She didn't know about Robin being gay, just that her sneekers and notebooks were covered in boob doodles and poems about some guy named Vicky. 

       If she ever did tell Robin, I don't think it'd be until after s5 or even the series if that isn't the end. Probably just as a remembrance thing.

set the scene because I WANT TO

      Robin is crying in her room. Why? I dunno. Break up haha. Nancy was there for moral support. And the food she brought. And because this was her own room. Who else was Robin supposed to call and crash at their place. Steve? What did he know about a full on relationship? All he did when he broke up or got broken up with was sarcastic comments and complaints. 

       Nancy'd never seen Robin cry. Not over something that wasn't life threatening, anyway. But there she was, huddled up in the corner of her bed, face stuffed into her pillow as the McDonald's fries spilt out beside her. Nancy could only pat the other girl's back. trying her best not to do much else.

       "Vicky just didn't deserve you. Any other girl would be the luckiest to have you in love with them." Robin heaved out a laugh, whipping her eyes on the pillow. Nancy would have to wash that later, knowing damn well Robin wouldn't.   

      "Ya' think? Even girls who don't like girls?" Nancy smiled, pulling the teary mess of a girl closer to herself. She'd run her hands through that sturdy blond hair if she’d let her. Not that she’d ask even if she was allowed. Robin was getting better at hygiene, now that she could wash regularly, but her hair would still take a while to wash out all that greasy feeling. 

           “Especially girls who don’t like girls. They’d never get the ability to know the real you.” Nancy meant every word of what she said. Though it made her blood just slightly boil whenever Robin would rant about Vicky’s red hair or her deep green eyes, it was sweet how much she cared and caught those small little details. How her eyes lit up when words of admiration left her lips. And oh how Nancy wanted those words to be about her…          “And what do you know, “girl who doesn’t like girls”? You had a crush on 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣. You had disappointment just waiting.” She wasn’t wrong. Nancy did once fall head over heels in love with the dumbass. She had a thing for both of the dumbasses at one point. It wasn’t until Robin started talking more about Vicky that Nancy just threw away her little school-girl crush with Steve and started focusing more on her full on “obsession” for Robin. 

          Steve could notice. He too had started falling out of love with Nance when she started focusing more on the other gir. His dream of six kids having been replaced by another dream I don’t feel like making up. He actually found out while one of his sneak-ins, reading through one of Nancy's newer, more hidden diary. The pages were filled top row to bottom (even those bits at the bottom of the pages Nancy HATED using). Nothing but words of absolute admiration for Robin. He as well had a small thing from her back when his biggest issue was escaping Russians and once again being the mom friend, but this was just… wow.

      Nancy’d probably never used any of these words to describe him. She probably had to look half of them up because she kept using “beautiful” and “amazing” and “badass” too many times in the beginning. She’d used “amour” more than once. More than needed. What did that even mean? Was it even English? 

     He’d even tried helping Nancy a few times. Telling her Robin’s favorite ice-cream flavor, her favorite shops she’d used to go to at the mall before it burnt down. All that type of stuff. None of it really worked. Robin saw it as nothing more than gals being pals. She wouldn’t have known. She never did have a friend who was a girl who was her age. Maybe all girls were this close. Even if Nancy had shown obvious annoyance of Robin’s existence just months before, maybe she was just trying to be friendly? Other girls were like this in the movies she’d watch…

     This was also around Nancy telling Johnathan she didn’t really feel how she did for him some years before. He understood. Really, it felt like a huge weight lifted off his chest and hers when he was able to explain how he’d been losing that giddy feeling he’d get. 

     And all of that got Nancy here. Sitting in her own room, no parents home, brother at some DnD match, and her late high-school crush cuddled up next to her because who else was Robin supposed to call when a girl she’d been dating for two and a half years broke up with her to get back with some sweaty college guy. 

     Nancy laughed, pulling herself back to the present at the remembrance of Robin sitting next to her. “Yeah yeah. And now he’s off, chasing another dream. “… And I’ve got my eye on someone else.” Nancy couldn’t help but laugh loudly as Robin shot up, eyes going wide and smile growing big as she asked “Who!?”. She didn’t even mind how close the other girl was. If Nancy just barely leaned in… 

    “Well, she-” “SHE!?” Now Robin was really smiling. Nancy took note of the small blush that painted her own cheeks, yet couldn’t notice that same color coating that of Robin’s. 

    “Yes. She. She has the brightest blueish-green eyes. Her hair the color of dried grass..” If Robin had seen the words Nancy had used to describe her some years before, she would be grimacing at how awfully Nancy was describing her own features. She was only focused on how she, Nancy-fucking-Wheeler, Mrs. Priss, had a crush on A GIRL.

    Really, Nancy was just trying to use every word possible to make it seem as though she was talking about any other girl than the one right in front of her. “...and how she’s not afraid to tell anyone how she feels about them. Whether it be her opinion on how you look, how you act, your interests, or, my god, how she talks about someone as if she’s studied every part of them. Talking her love speech loud and proud for the world to hear. Knowing her, she probably had studied them. Unintentionally. I think the part I like about her most is the way she talks, if that isn’t obvious. How she can make herself seem so big, and yet really when you get to know her she’s no more than just a kid who hadn’t experienced being a child enough to grow out of it. Not- that that’s a bad thing. I find it endearing.” 

    Nancy was just ranting. And Robing just listened. A few times “you”s came out. Robin had realized not too long ago that the words of admiration were about her. Her crush on the other was coming back full force, and she was not complaining. 

   It’d been an hour of Nancy just talking, and soon it turned into both girls just talking about their girl crushes. It was a heavy subject, yet Nancy even spoke some about Barb. Robin didn't know the girl. If she was being honest, such sweet words about someone other than her coming from Nancy hurt. Even if  said words were about a dead girl. Yet the two kept talking on, turning a movie on for background noise yet just talking over the words. 

   “Y’know, I think I had a crush on you a while back.” Nancy’s heart lept in her chest. “Me? Huh, why’s that?” Robin smiled, noticing the small blush from some while ago returning on Nancy’s face. 

  “Well,” she repositioned herself on Nancy’s bed, getting more comfortable as she looked up at the ceiling. “I think it was Harrington’s fault. If he could’ve just found the right words, he could’ve been a poet. He just kept using the same ones over and over but in different instances. When I met you, I was a bit disappointed-” ''Hey!” Robin smiled, yet continued despite the interruption.  “-but, that was because you acted like you hated me. I just assumed you’d thought I’d stolen your boyfriend. With how much he babbled on about you, it hadn’t occurred to me he just said that stuff because he liked you. He talked about you like the two of you had been married.”

   Nancy smiled yet rolled her eyes. He had a really bad way with words, yet if he was speaking through his heart you could tell. 

  “I think my crush started around the same time Vicky came around. Really- I only talked about her around you. I think I wanted to make you jealous? It wasn’t ‘til after that I think I really started crushing hard. My crush on you was just- woop! Gone, just like that. God, saying “crush” makes me feel like I’m in middle school.” Robin rolled her eyes at her own words while Nancy just laughed and sat up. 

  “Well,” She looked down at Robin, her head positioned just above the other girl’s. If she wanted, she could’ve tried that “spiderman” kiss that Mike talked about for some ungodly reason. It was gross to a Nancy who was 5 seconds younger, but it looked way too appealing right about now. 

  “Was it really gone? That fast? Gosh, I’m hurt.” Nancy gave a hurt expression, a hand over her heart to give a way too dramatic “sob” sound. But she never tore her face away from where it hovered over the other’s. She didn’t want to. 

  “Well, maybe it didn’t”

  Those words caught her off guard. Her thoughts were racing, yet she couldn’t focus on just one to make out what was really being said. Her eyes looked all over Robin’s face, looking for something to symbolize joking. Something that would make it obvious she wasn’t being serious. Nancy would be lying to herself if she said her eyes didn’t linger on the girl’s lips and eyes, but what she didn’t say wouldn’t be held against her. 

   Robin had had about enough of Nancy reliving her little identity crisis. She scoffed, a little disappointed how her few words had sucked up all of Nancy's hard-worked confidence. “Look, if you’re gonna kiss me, just do it, hm?” 

   Nancy’s eyes went wide, though her blush spread wider. Robin laughed before pulling the collar of the girl’s shirt forward, slamming her chapped lips onto Nancy’s softer ones. It was a little awkward, the position and all, yet it didn’t take long for the two to get comfortable with the feeling.

   After the two separated, it was Nancy’s turn to reposition herself- for a more comfortable kiss, and pull the other girl forward with just as much want and need as the other had done what felt like only second before.

   It was like this for maybe an hour or more. The two went no further than a make out session, yet Nancy wouldn’t have cared either way with how easily it was to tangle her hands into the others unkempt hair, smiling at how soft it’d been despite her recent complaints. Robin was no different, yet her hands stayed more adventurous, moving around the other’s body yet keeping her hands away from the forbidden spots. That would be for another time. 

  Their lips fit like puzzle pieces. Despite how sappy and over-used the saying was, the two finally knew what it meant. And they were happy to know. Just how easily they could’ve kissed, then taken a breather, and then kissed over again as if they had been doing it for a lifetime. 

  When they were done and way out of breath for any more make out sessions, it was Robin who pulled the other into a cuddle, claiming herself for the night as a big spoon. It worked for Nancy. She liked being held. 

  “So, ya’ think your crush ever left?” 

   Robin burst out laughing. Though quiet and her voice quite horse, Nancy liked the sound. It was a nice sound. 

   “Yes, I am very positive my crush has come back in full swing. Thank you, Nancy Wheeler, for bringing that back for me. “ 

  “You are quite welcome, Robin Buckley.” Nancy reached forward, cupping the girl’s face in her hands and pulling it forward, giving her forehead a small kiss before allowing herself to sleep. It was around 2:30am, and both Nancy and Robin had work in the morning. 

  “G’night, Nance.”

  “Goodnight, Robin.”

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Finally posted on this hellsite. I don’t expect this to go that far but if it does. Idk maybe I’ll gather the motivation to post more???? And if you got through this, congrats on reading a horrible fic 😎