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crappymixtape · 4 months

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because of you • part two

PART I • PART III • PART VI • PART V // REQUEST -> @sattlersquarry ❝ an enemies to lovers fic with Steve? 💙 maybe they have to put aside their differences to fight upside down stuff and realize they actually have a lot in common 👀 • 18+ | ( 3.3k – little bit of king!steve, mostly angst with a dash of fluff, enemies to idiots in love, steve x reader )

B E C A U S E O F Y O U • P A R T T W O 🎶 theatre, etta marcus

❝ IS IT EASIER WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE TO START AGAIN? WHEN YOU DON’T WANNA MAKE AMENDS? ❞

‘Stealing a Winnebago’ had been easier than you’d assumed, but the getaway execution went exactly like you thought it would. Absolute disorganized chaos and the way Steve peeled out of the trailer park dumped you into Robin’s lap for the first mile. Made you even more skeptical of whatever half-assed plan these people had frankensteined together and now? You found yourself browsing the clothing section of The War Zone.

What in the hell were they thinking coming here anyway? From Eddie’s retelling of what happened under Lover’s Lake it sounded like not one of them knew anything about hand-to-hand combat, let alone guns. Couldn’t even land a punch, but thought they could handle this? Walls of rifles on display, rounders full of bulletproof gear and cases upon cases of bullets and god, you wanted to leave.

“Hey,” Nancy’s voice pulled your attention away from the tactical vests you were staring at, her eyes wide and earnest as she looked over at you. “If I go over to the counter, you gonna be okay?”

“Oh, totally,” you lied. “Yeah, was gonna go look over here anyway,” and you thumbed over your shoulder at more vests.

“Okay, good.”

She gave you a small Nancy-Wheeler-smile and left you there alone in a sea of camouflage. In the middle of a store you’d never have set foot in before all this and making you second guess yourself. Second guess what was seemingly more and more a stupid decision to go along with all of this and you huffed a sigh in frustration.

“Should’ve stayed in the trailer,” you grumbled under your breath, fighting the urge to just walk out, but apparently you weren’t the only one wandering around all the puke green clothing.

“Huh, didn’t know you had good ideas.”

The sound of Steve’s voice made your hands ball into fists, nails pressing half moons into your palms.

“Do you ever have anything nice to say?” you sneered and he had the audacity to be so causal. Didn’t even look up from the tactical vests he was flipping through and tossed one into his cart.

“Not to you I don’t.”

Anger rose in your chest like a pot boiling over, so hot it made your cheeks burn as you glowered over at him.

“What’s your problem?”

“Don’t have one.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep,” and still he didn’t look at you. Picked a bomber jacket off the rack and piled it on top of his vest and it was the last straw.

Stalking over to his side of the rounder you got right up in his face, dug a finger into his chest and said, “Liar.”

His eyes flickered at your accusation, sardonic smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he looked down at you and warned, “Don’t say things you can’t prove, Princess.” And he leaned into your finger. Waited for you to fold. Tsked at your attitude and the sound of it triggered a memory so strong you felt like you’d been sucker punched.

Your second ever interaction with Steve Harrington happened the week before summer break.

You heard it while you were walking back to school from grabbing lunch at the diner. A high, sharp whistle followed by car horn and then—

“Owwww, damn baby!”

And you recognized the voice right away.

Tommy Hagan. Leaning out the passenger window of Steve’s BMW. Wolf-whistling at you and being a dick and you tried to ignore them, but then they were pulling up next to you and slowing way down.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Tommy purred at your back, your mouth twisting into a scowl at the sound of Eddie’s nickname on his tongue. “You need a rid–” he started to ask, but his question cut short when you turned around.

Mouth dropped open in shock for a split second as he realized who you were, Tommy quickly recovered and started to laugh. That obnoxious, hyena-like laugh that made you want to punch him and he smiled and whistled again.

“Shit, Stevie! Who knew the freak had an ass on her!”

“You kiss Carol with that mouth, Tommy?” you shot back, Steve stifling a snicker from the driver’s seat.

“Bet you could do for a kiss, baby,” Tommy tsked, pouted his lips at you and grinned, “Always so damn sour.”

“Yeah? Wanna find out why?” you threatened and it made Tommy grin even wider. Shark-like. Predatory.

“Park it, Stevie,” Tommy didn’t bother looking at his friend, eyes locked on you as he opened the passenger door and jumped out of the car while it was still moving. Walked right up and crowded over you, eyes narrowing as he leaned in, “And what if I do?”

Your stomach lurched, heart leaping into your throat as you stood your ground. You didn’t think he’d take the bait, but you also didn’t shy away. God, you wished Eddie was there. Tilting your chin up in defiance you glared him down.

“Tommy, c’mon man. Just leave it,” you heard Steve’s voice from over Tommy’s shoulder, tinged at the edges with desperation as he ran up on the two of you, but Tommy couldn’t have cared less.

“Well? What’re you gonna do about it, toots?” Tommy pushed again, toes of his shoes knocking against yours as he stepped even closer, towering over you and it hit you like a ton of bricks how in over your head you were.

“Tommy, just leave–”

“I didn’t ask you, Harrington!” Tommy snapped and you took the opportunity.

Grabbing a fistful of his shirt in your hands, you yanked Tommy down into you and drove your knee into his crotch as hard as you could.

“Oh, fuuuuck,” he choked out, folded in half and hands covering his junk as he dry heaved and you took a big step back.

“Coward,” you turned and hurled the word at Steve and watched it land heavy as his face shifted. Brows pinching together and mouth dropped open, but nothing came out as he struggled to say those two little words. I’m sorry. To tell you he wasn’t like his friend, but his silence betrayed him.

“You bitch,” Tommy grunted at you as he tried to straighten up, one hand still over his crotch.

“Don’t move! I’ll–I’ll get you expelled!” you threatened and it made him laugh. A mean, mirthless thing.

“No fuckin’ way. My mom’s on the school board, who’s gonna take your side?”

And you looked back at Steve for a split second, silently asking him to step in and do something, but he stood frozen in place. Still unable to go against his ‘best friend’ and what little belief you had left in him was shattered.

You were done with Steve Harrington.

Shaking your head, you fought back the tears burning at the corners of your eyes and ran up the path to the cafeteria doors. Disappeared behind them with a loud, metallic slam! and left Steve alone to drown in the deafening silence.

Don’t say things you can’t prove, Princess.

It was like no time had passed, like you were still there in that parking lot with Tommy towering over you and tsking at you just like Steve was doing now, but this time you didn't run away.

“Don’t call me that!” you shoved at his chest and he stumbled back a step.

“Don’t call me a liar!”

“All you do is lie, Harrington! Your entire life was built on lies,” you could see his pulse fluttering against his neck. Watched his jaw tick as he clenched down on the words he wanted so badly to throw at you, but you didn’t give him a chance. “Why are you even here? You don’t give a shit about Eddie. You don’t give a shit about anyone, you’re–”

“Enough!” you flinched as his shout drew the attention of a couple older guys looking at the hunting gear. “You don’t know anything about me, okay? Not a god damn thing,” and the second part was quieter, but they way he held your gaze after punctuated it heavy.

He turned away from you, hastily pushing his cart back toward the cashier counter and walked out the double doors, but you weren’t about to let him have the last word.

“Hey, I’m not done!” you shouted after him across the parking lot. Sharp and biting and it made him spin back around, arms flung out at his sides in exasperation.

“Oh, yeah? Fine. What else you got?”

“Well, for one, I’m not going to sit here while you lord around like King Steve. This isn’t high school. No one here gives a shit about any of that.”

He squeezed his eyes shut at his old nickname. Sucked in a breath and let it out slow to try and steady himself.

“I’m not like that anymore.”

“Seriously? Do you hear yourself? You’ve been a dick to me since I set foot in Max’s trailer! And honestly? I’m not surprised! You think I don’t remember all the shit you put me through, put us through in school?” you shot back and he opened his eyes to glare over at you.

“Like I said, Princess–”

“I said don’t call me that!”

“–you don’t have any idea what this is. What we’re up against. None. You’re in over your head.”

“Okay? And what, I’m supposed to sit here on my hands and say, ‘It’s fine! Steve Harrington and all his little friends will fix this’?? You’re out of your mind!”

“And you think you can?” he shot back and your heart rate thrummed heavy in your ears.

“You know, Eddie says he trusts you now, but hell if I will. No fucking way,” and as you turned and cut past him back to the Winnebago he had to jog to keep up.

“Hey! Eddie almost killed me! With a fucking beer bottle!”

You huffed a laugh and kept walking, shaking your head at the accusation and incredulous at the lengths he was going to prove his point.

“Why should I believe you?” you called over your shoulder, “You’re probably just gunning for a headline: Steve Harrington, Hero of Hawkins!”

“Headline?? I–are you kidding me? You think I’d do all this for a headline??”

And finally you stopped at the bottom step of the Winnebago and Steve seized his chance.

“You really think I’m that superficial?” he shot at your back, but you didn’t turn around. Didn’t even acknowledge him and he spent what little patience he had left. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

But you were already gone. Frozen in place with the world growing dark. Tree line ahead of you blurring. Unfocused and liquid like water and the ground swam under you as a voice echoed in your mind.

I see you.

The sound of Steve still talking behind you turned to fuzz, crackled like radio static and faded away into ear-splitting silence. Deafening and swallowing you whole and then you felt it. The ground falling out from underneath you and you were drowning in the dark and the voice that echoed in your mind pulled you even deeper.

Resisting will only make it worse.

❝ AND I NEVER HAD A TASTE FOR LIARS OR THE UNIQUELY UNINSPIRED ‘CAUSE I DON’T NEED TO BE DESIRED ❞

Steve glared daggers at your back. Anger hot and fuming and fueled by the fact that you had the nerve to ignore him and god, he wanted to prove you wrong.

“Are you trying to piss me off? Cos its work–” but the words died in his throat as he came around to face you. “Oh. Oh, shit,” with a quick glance over your shoulder he saw everyone else finally coming out of the store and he didn’t wait to call for help.

“Munson!! Eddie!” Steve yelled over your shoulder at your best friend before grabbing your shoulders in his hands and squeezed at them. Leaned down to try and meet your unfocused, far away gaze and when none of it worked he felt his chest grow tight.

Not again.

“Hey, hey! Look at me!" panic clawed its way up his throat as he shook your shoulders, "Stay with me! Munson–hurry up!”

Your eyes were glazed over, tears gathering at the corners as your whole body started to tremble. Breathing stuttered and caught in your throat. Lips parted and trying to pull air in, but it wasn’t enough and Steve felt his hand twitch. Wanted to press it to your cheek to try and ground you, reach you and bring you back, but then Eddie was finally at your side and shoving Steve out of the way.

“Sweetheart! Can you hear me? Shit, shit, shit. What happened?? Honey? Look at me!” Eddie cradled your face in his hands. Did what Steve couldn’t. Voice ratcheted up, his usual low timbre a high pitched thing driven by fear and hearing it doused any remaining anger that had settled into Steve’s chest and replaced it with something else.

With helplessness. Regret. Remorse.

With the slow realization that everything he’d just said to you wasn’t worth it. Remembered how Nancy had yelled at him, just like you, outside of the gym. You’re bullshit! And his throat squeezed with guilt for messing it all up again because he was bullshit. He was a liar and you were right. Had he learned nothing?

He looked at you, your face contorted with fear, and he felt something new flicker within him. A feeling blooming at the pit of his stomach. One he was so certain couldn’t possibly exist when it came to you, but as he stood there watching Eddie try to shake you back from the dark he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Steve, help me!” tears cut down Eddie’s cheeks as he called to him and pulled him hurtling back to Earth. Desperate. Pleading. Begging him to do something and it shook Steve back into action.

Heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline coursed through Steve's body and fought off the fear that had threatened to trap him in choke hold.

“Max, gimme your Walkman!” he shouted over your shoulder.

The rest of the group had started running back to the Winnebago as soon as they’d heard yelling and when Steve asked for the cassette player, Max knew time was running out.

“Shit,” she hissed under her breath and broke into a sprint, scrambling to untangle the headphones from around her neck as she hurried to get to you. “Here! It’s still Kate Bush, is that–”

“Doesn’t matter–Munson get these on, hurry!” Steve, snatched the Walkman from Max and crammed it into Eddie’s outstretched hands.

“Please, please, please,” fell from Eddie’s lips, desperate, praying that this would work as he fitted the headphones on and pressed them against your ears, “Please.”

Blinking heavy, you strained your eyes against the black. Against the suffocating dark you suddenly found yourself in. The stand of vivid, green ash trees lining the parking lot replaced by gnarled branches, dark and leafless. Bright yellow buttercups snuffed out by thick, wet vines that snaked their way across the ground under your feet.

You weren’t in the parking lot of the War Zone anymore, not really, and as you breathed in the sickly, ashen air your heart stopped in your chest.

The Upside Down.

“Eddie? Eddie!” you shouted into the dark, red lightening cracking the sky in two, and when no one answered you knew you were utterly alone.

Panic gripped you like a vice as you thought of Chrissy. Of Fred and Patrick and dread filled your stomach. Utter hopelessness and grief and when you whipped around to run you felt something tangle around your leg. Wrapping up, up, up and pulling you down, down, down.

You braced for it, ready to break your fall with your hands, but you never hit and instead found yourself lifting into the air. Unhinged laughter filling your ears as more vines snaked around your arms and legs and you swore you were going to be sick.

It was

Him.

“Why isn’t it working?? God dammit, work!” Eddie was yelling at the Walkman, his composure unravelling as Chrissy’s last moments flooded his mind. “Is she gonna die? She can’t die!” he pleaded and his voice cracked, a sob caught in his throat, “Please don’t let her die!”

“Hey hey, hey! Get a hold of yourself. That’s not gonna happen, okay? It’s gonna work,” Steve gripped Eddie’s shoulders, looked him in the eye and tried to reassure him, but when he glanced over at you he knew he couldn’t make that promise. “Please work,” he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Where are you going? You can’t leave. Not yet.

Vecna’s voice was everywhere. Flooding every part of you and you feared you would never feel joy again. Would never escape this. Would be stuck here forever screaming into the void, hanging on Vecna’s every whim.

I would like very much to show you where I’m going. Please, take a seat.

And the vines yanked you down, squeezed tight around your wrists and legs and held you fast against the ground, rocks digging painfully into your back.

“Please, let me go!” you pleaded into the dark. “Please, I–” but your mouth went dry as a shadowy figure appeared through the ash. Coming closer and closer in the dark with each heavy step and when it finally stopped, feet at your head, your blood ran cold.

Wet, sinewy skin. Muscles exposed and stretched taut. Eyes that pierced your mind and knew every single one your thoughts. Knew all the dark things spiraling there and made them worse. Clawed at you with spindly, protruding hands and long, dagger-like claws and suffocated you with the smell of something rotten.

Of decay.

Of death.

Reaching a hand down, Vecna held it over your face, inches away from touching you as you struggled against your restraints, but they constricted tighter with your every move.

“Please,” you were crying openly now, tears cutting paths through the ash that had settled on your cheeks, but he ignored you.

I want you to tell your friends, I want you to tell them everything you see. Everything I show you.

“No, please!”

Tell them!

“No, I can’t–”

Tell them everything!

And then your head felt like was being cleaved in two. White hot light fracturing the black sky into thick shards and your screams were the only thing you could hear as Vecna pried open your mind and poured into you his vision for the future...

Hawkins in ruin.

Four gashes in the earth. Cavernous. Hot and angry and full of fire.

Your family. Lying scattered across your lawn. Motionless and still and limbs bent wrong.

Tell them!

Your friends hanging in the air just like Chrissy, Fred, Patrick.

Eyes empty, slack-jawed and lifeless, bones snapped like twigs.

Tell them!

Eddie and Robin and Nancy and Steve and–

“NO!” you screamed, the sound pulled painfully from your lungs as you felt your legs give way and collapsed into yourself.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa–”

Steve scrambled to grab hold of your shoulder and barely caught you before your bare knees hit the pavement.

You heard birds chirping. Sunlight filtering through the backs of your eyelids as you kept them squeezed shut, but the air was clean. Smelled fresh and as you slowly opened your eyes you realized you weren’t choking on ash anymore.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Steve was still holding onto you, your hands pressed into his thighs as you braced yourself, the feeling of nausea overwhelming.

“I saw him,” you whispered, only Steve could hear you and you started to cry.

“Him?” Steve asked unnecessarily, glancing up at Eddie. Hoping, no praying, if he asked maybe you’d give a different answer. One that wouldn’t involve death and the end of the world and everything hinging on this stupid fucking plan, but he knew.

Everyone knew.

Eyes glued on their feet. Arms folded over their chests and uneasy with the weight that had settled over the group.

“Vecna.”

[ NOTE: THIS IS PART TWO OF A – POSSIBLY – FIVE PART SERIES, PART FOUR AND FIVE TO COME SOON ]

crappymixtape™ • steve harrington masterlist // stranger things masterlist ♥️ reblogs and comments keep me going, friends! ily! ♥️

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unclewaynemunson · 6 months

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Steve has only known Eddie for a couple of days.

He thinks back to the way they met in Reefer Rick's boathouse; the desperation in Eddie's eyes, and the fear that had every inch of his body trembling. How utterly defeated he looked when Dustin told him about everything that had been happening in Hawkins over the past years.

He thinks back to the few times he saw him after, when bringing him food or checking up on him. He remembers how anxious he seemed at all times, how the despair and the fear never once left his features.

He thinks back to when they found him at Skull Rock, how his heart skipped a beat in a way that none of the girls he kissed in that same place ever managed to do. He had attributed it to relief, back then, shortly followed by this weird feeling in his chest when Eddie embraced Dustin – jealousy, but not of Eddie, like he had mistaken it for.

He thinks back to when Eddie handed him a flashlight when he was about to jump into Lover's Lake. A light in the darkness. A beacon. All those cliches.

He thinks back to the way in which Eddie waved that oar around when he had already thought himself a dead man. He remembers how right in the middle of that chaotic battle, the thought came to him that Eddie was brave not because of his fearlessness but because of his fear.

He thinks back to the look on Eddie's face when he threw his denim vest at him, and the way it did something to him that was so different from what Nancy's wide-eyed gaze only a second earlier had made him feel.

He thinks back to the honest conversation they had in the woods; the sinister particles that got caught in Eddie's curls like snow, and his fear still so clearly present in his expressive eyes, even though it had gotten pushed to the background by then. He thinks back to their lingering touches; to Eddie leaning into him as if the concept of personal space didn't exist at all and to the warmth he emitted; to Eddie calling him a “good dude” and making his stomach float like it hadn't done in years.

He thinks back to the pure relief on Eddie’s face when their attempt to talk to Dustin worked out; to his elated smile and the way he pumped his fist in the air; to his hand reaching out and squeezing Steve’s shoulder in nothing but excitement upon hearing Dustin’s voice call out to them.

He thinks back to how warm Eddie felt when their legs were pressed against each other while they were sat next to each other on Max’s couch. He remembers looking to his right and seeing how terrified Eddie looked; his quivering lip and his wet eyes, his head resting in his hands. He remembers how he wanted nothing more than to wrap an arm around him and tell him it would all be okay.

He thinks back to the way in which he couldn’t stop staring at Eddie's hands when Eddie was working on starting the motor of the Winnebago. He thinks back to Eddie telling him all about the Munson family name; Eddie calling him big boy with a huge grin on his face; Eddie jumping up from his seat and trusting him enough to let him take the wheel; Eddie cheering behind him like they were going for a rollercoaster ride instead of stealing someone’s house...

He thinks back to the fluttering he felt in his stomach when he watched Eddie mess around with Dustin in the fields; a tiny spark of happiness while they were getting ready for what could be the end of the world as they knew it.

But most of all, he thinks back to the last time he heard Eddie's voice.

Steve? A beat of silence as he turned around, Eddie's eyes piercing into his own. Make him pay.

All he had done was nod. He should've said it, back then. He thought he'd have more time. He'd only just met Eddie, after all. Surely they'd get the opportunity to figure their shit out at their own pace, after the battle would be over.

Don't try be a hero, was the only goodbye he had said to him.

We are not heroes, Eddie had promised him.

“Then why the hell did you do that?” His voice is trembling; Eddie’s hand feels cold in his own. “I liked you better when you weren't a hero, you know.”

He tightens his grip on Eddie's hand, allows himself to imagine that Eddie squeezes back.

“Me too, big boy.”

Steve's eyes snap back to Eddie's face. For a moment, he isn't sure if it's real or if his sleep deprived brain has started full-on hallucinating at this point. But it has to be true; there's no way he could hallucinate those big brown eyes so perfectly, even though they're dazed and glossed-over.

“Was definitely less painful.” Eddie's breathing sounds erratic and his grin looks anything but reassuring, but he's here. He’s alive. He woke up.

They got more time after all. He’ll get to hear everything Steve wanted to tell him. And there's no way Steve is gonna waste another precious second.

#don't mind me rambling about stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #stranger things #fruity ficlet #fanfic

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badcaseofcasey · 1 year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Robin gasped lightly. “Oh, Steve.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I almost lost him, Rob.”

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

Part 6

taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added/removed!): @infinitetrashbag @vampireinthesun @swimmingbirdrunningrock @maya-custodios-dionach @thev01dd @obsessivlyme @a-little-unsteddie @anything-thats-rock-and-roll @spectrum-spectre @red-panderz69 @magpiemuseum @minjintea @finalmoondragon @thatonebadideapanda @estrellami-1 @freyaforestafay @biatcgh @sadcanadianwinter @im-sam-fucking-winchester @bidisastersworld @justanothergirlwithobsessions @anaibis @thing-a-ling @rosered93 @newtstabber @void-o-chaos @thegingerrapunzel @baron-zemo-trash @katireads @child-of-cthulhu @the-s-is-silent @i-must-potato @hellomynameismoo @lovelylilbadone @theotalksalot @lydi-cyan @background-noise-headache @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @slitherynchiken @grapefruitgalaxy

#my fic #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve x eddie #steddie fic #steddie #soulmate au #met as kids au #Stranger Things #steddie soulmate au

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strange-august · 1 year

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Tag Yourself as Aesthetics I resonate with

Changelingcore: Broken insect wings, wildflower meadows, catching tadpoles, lingering mist after it rains, wet shoes from the damp grass, the feeling of moss under your hands, collection of strange trinkets and objects, taking your stuffed animals on adventures, doodling on your clothes, busy hands, wading knee deep into a lake, screaming into the air to ease frustration, organizing and reorganizing your treasures, bird calls, animal howls, digging in the mud, chewing on your lip until it bleeds, bruises and scrapes, the urge to live in the woods and never return to regular society, knotted hair, forest shrines, putting flower blossoms in your hair, flooded swampy areas, jumping from short cliffs

Suburban Gothic: Hot muggy air sticking to your skin, the buzz of florescent lights, flickering street lights, budget popsicles, late night drug store visits, muffled arguments, an old clock ticking, guady wallpaper, gossamer curtains, dusty cotton sheets, faded quilts, dog barkings, milkshakes in an empty diner, broken windows and graffiti, abandoned train tracks, 24/7 laundromats, rusty swingsets, shadowy silhouettes, semi-abandoned malls, sounds of far off traffic and train horns, driving around at night while soft music plays on the radio, tv static, junk yards and pick-n-pulls, holding hands with a stranger, urban legends, varsity jackets, broken glass on the road, crumbling buildings, local television channels

Cuddle Party: Excited giggles and hushed whispers, condensation on drinkware, running through an empty field hollering and whooping in the dead of night, sitting on the porch in rocking chairs, drunken "I love you"s, old cartoons, classic disney movies, five dollar pizza and breadsticks, singing out loud in the car, finding new places to explore, county fairs and arcade visits, eating fair food and screaming your lungs out on rides, trying to earn as many tickets at the arcade and still winning cheap prizes, being the last one to fall asleep, casually sleeping all together in the same bed, holding hands in crowds, if one of us isn't having a good time none of us are, wondering how long these days will last

Cryptid Academia: Listening to video essays while sketching cryptids, exploring abandoned buildings (legally and illegally), pocket knives, blackout curtains, newspaper clippings, viewing the night sky through a telescope, visiting natural history or science museums, old typewriters, info dumping conspiracy theories on friends, making plans to investigate that never come to fruition, tearing yet another hole into your clothes climbing over fences, shoddily patched up clothes, keychains and aluminum pins, novelty socks, analog watches, Buzzfeed Unsolved, cryptid podcasts, sprint training so you can outrun whatever is chasing you, rubiks cubes, sore fingers from mending, thrift shopping, essays only about cryptids

Desertwave: Billowing winds, sandstorms, wind chimes and suncatchers, succulents in handmade clay pots, aloe vera plants on the kitchen windowsill, the distant howl of a coyote, faded winnebagos, the soft hiss of patio misters, campsites and trailer parks, large rock formations covered in graffiti, picking up trash, the crackle of a bonfire, cacti and joshua trees in the backyard, never getting the sand completely out of your shoes, dusty clothes, laying in a hammock watching the stars, water balloon fights, hot springs, mexican ice cream bars, rocky desert mountains, plots of sand and plants that stretch on as far as the eye can see

#tag yourself #types of people #aesthetic #changelingcore #suburban gothic #desertwave #cuddle party #cryptid academia #mine #augies-posts

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slashify · 1 year

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Steve finally gets his RV.

It’s not a Winnebago, but it’s nice enough. Sleeps six if two sleep in the bunk above the cab and two sleep on the bed formed by the dinette converting into one.

Eddie comes along, and Steve doesn’t predict that Wayne comes along too. Eddie’s uncle doesn’t want him out of his sight. The government hush money guarantees that Wayne won’t have to work anymore, and Eddie tells Steve he’s glad because Wayne’s back and knees aren’t what they used to be. They don’t have enough room for all of the kids, so this trip is just Dustin. Claudia loves Steve and she trusts him with her Dusty-Bun.

They’d wanted Wayne to take the bed over the cab, but he opts for the couch, saying he doesn’t want to climb the ladder every night. Dustin calls the dinette, so that leaves Steve and Eddie sharing the over-cab bed. At least two of them snore, but they buy earplugs.

They head to Utah so Dustin can see Suzie.

Missouri and Kansas blow by in a blur of excitement. They point out every animal and oddity they see along the way, Wayne smiling at his boy’s enthusiasm.

Colorado is their first taste of the southwest. Eddie buys Wayne a bolo tie with a turquoise stone. Steve buys an amethyst ring for Robin, a rose quartz barrette for Nancy. They pool their money to get a nice southwestern-patterned blanket for Dustin’s mom.

Steve drives them up to Mesa Verde, taking turns as cautiously as possible. Dustin geeks out over the ruins and takes control of the map, ordering Steve from viewpoint to viewpoint like a very pushy tour guide.

The drive into Utah is beautiful. A gradual shift to huge red rocks. Eddie begs him to stop at a roadside attraction called the Hole N” The Rock and they take the tour there.

It takes them a while to get to Susie’s house in Salt Lake City. They stop a few times along the way. Eddie pouts at Steve at a fossil shop and walks away with a weird little fossilized creature that Eddie and Dustin inform him is called a trilobite.

When they get to Susie’s house she’s waiting outside reading a book, but she jumps to her feet when she sees Dustin. He twirls her around and they laugh together and Steve glances at Eddie and thinks that this is what he wanted all along.

#steveddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #dustin henderson #wayne munson #road trip

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steddiesupportpodcast · 6 months

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Due to the illness of a team member, this week's episode will be moved to the 25th of November. Instead, we offer you some of our comfort fics to keep you cozy this weekend. 🍲🫂

⚾️ Swing and a Miss by deadonarrival (@dead-on-arrivals)

“Hey so … I have some mixed news,” Steve says.

“Uh oh,” Eddie says, “are they changing your position, are you gonna be a — like a third base catcher man?”

Steve laughs and shakes his head, “no, nothing that bad - I found out more about the whole like, bringing a person along thing.”

“Oh cool,” Eddie says, sliding down on the couch next to him, “do I get like a fancy VIP pass?”

“You do,” Steve says, “there’s just one catch.”

“Okay?” Eddie asks, tilting his head and reaching for the tv remote.

“Apparently they usually reserve the box for the wives and girlfriends … so either you’re gonna have to be my boyfriend or you’re going to have to sit in the stands with the fans.”

Eddie makes a noise that must register to Steve as alarmed or upset because he rushes to finish.

“It’s not that bad, you just need to like, pretend to be my boyfriend so you can sit with the other WAGs and like, then you can be in the box and have all you can drink alcohol and snacks.”

“Did you agree to this!?” Eddie asks.

“If I say yes, how mad are you going to be?” Steve asks.

🚐 Six Kids and a Winnebago by Oddree13 (@oddree13)

Eddie scans the scene before him and takes in the sight of Harrington and Wheeler making sandwich after sandwich, while the teenagers start a game of chicken. It’s almost too domestic for his taste but reminds him of something he’s been meaning to ask Robin. “So tell me, how much shit have you given Harrington for his six kids and a Winnebago comment?”

👑 Out of Curiosity by camouflagedlove (@edtheymunsthem)

“So you’re not attracted to me? Like at all?” Steve asked.

Robin dropped her head onto the counter with a loud thump and a groan.

“Steve, buddy, you can calm down. I, Eddie Munson, am not attracted to nor planning to hit on King Steve. Scout’s honor,” Eddie held up his fingers to mirror a scout salute.

Or: 5 times Eddie wouldn't admit he finds Steve attractive and 1 time he finally did.

⚡️ electric feel by griesly (@griesly)

An ordinary shift at tech support ends up being the best thing to ever happen to Eddie Munson when frantic history major Steve Harrington rushes in to the repair shop (and his life) with a deadline to meet.

🐈 Munson Jr by ItCanBePalped (@itcanbepalped)

Munson. Harrington adopted a hideous alley cat and named it fucking Munson. He couldn't think of a single way to take that as a compliment. Was it too much to hope they were friends enough that they would be above insults? Wasn't Harrington supposed to be a good dude these days?

#see you next week !!! <3 #ssp links #steddie #steddie podcast #eddie munson #stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x eddie munson #ssp promos #steddie fanfic #steddie fanart #steddie headcanon #steddie fic recs #steddie fics

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steddie-fanfic-recs · 2 months

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Six Kids and a Winnebago

by Oddree13

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Character: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eddie Munson Lives, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Steve Harrington, Alpha Eddie Munson, Good Friend Robin Buckley, Pining, Found Family Words: 6,618 Chapters: 2/2

Summary

Summer has come to Hawkins and the kids begged and pleaded to be driven to the lake to swim. Eddie agreed to take the second car full of gremlins which is how he finds himself sitting in the shade with Robin while the kids splash around the lakeshore. Almost immediately upon arrival, Steve began to set up a sandwich station for lunch with Nancy offering her assistance, leaving the pair to gossip and chat. Eddie scans the scene before him and takes in the sight of Harrington and Wheeler making sandwich after sandwich, while the teenagers start a game of chicken. It’s almost too domestic for his taste but reminds him of something he’s been meaning to ask Robin. “So tell me, how much shit have you given Harrington for his six kids and a Winnebago comment?”

#steddie #steddie fic rec #multi-chaptered #5-10k #part of a series #au omegaverse #omega steve #alpha eddie #pining

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imaginedisish · 2 years

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Someone Great (Steve Harrington x Reader)

A/N: Hey guys! Here is my first Steve Harrington fic! I hope y'all like it. This is based on all of the “Steve talking about having kids with the reader” requests! It’s a bit angsty, and I’m just gonna say it now...SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 4 VOL 2!!! Please be careful LOL. So this one is based on Someone Great by LCD Soundsystem, but I also listened a lot to This is Me Trying by Taylor Swift while writing this. Anyway, here is some angst to fluff, enjoy y'all.

Summary: (SPOILERS AHEAD) As Steve’s best friend, you think you know everything about him. But you don’t know about his dream to have a Winnebago filled with Harringtons, and that you’re in it.

Warnings: SPOILERS INCOMING FOR SEASON 4 VOLUME 2!!!!!!! Canon divergence! I literally ignore Nancy and completely replace her in the Winnebago scene LOL. Cursing, character deaths from season 4 volume 2 mentioned below the cut so beware! Canon mentions/depictions of violence and death in general, friends to lovers. Also, probably tons of grammatical errors. Takes place the day before that “two days later”...

Word Count: 2,048...kinda short for me.

The past week, or the past few years, rather, had been far from normal. Battling inter-dimensional monsters had become somehow…commonplace. But it never got easier, and neither did losing those around you.

It was a day after you, Steve, Robin, and Nancy had narrowly escaped Vecna and the Upside Down. You knew things weren’t over yet, far from it. You knew this was just the beginning. The destruction of practically all of Hawkins, despite your attempts to destroy Vecna, was enough proof of that.

Your ears were still ringing, your heart was still pounding against the walls of your chest, and your head was still spinning. Your mind went back and forth between Eddie and Max, refusing to quit, engraving fictional images of their limp bodies in the very foremost part of your memory. It had been impossible to shake.

And you knew it always would be.

All of this would be eternally impossible to simply shake off. This was the type of shit that would continue plaguing you with nightmares thirty years down the line once you’ve settled down with a family of your own.

In search of some semblance of peace, some inkling of hope that maybe this could all get better one day, you take your bike down to Lover’s Lake.

You find your way down to the dirty dunes of the beach, and you sit down on the cool damp sand. Your eyes focus on the water in front of you, reflecting the bright blue sky and the glimmering sun above. It feels unfair, how beautiful of a day it is. You wanted the world to stop, to comprehend what the fuck had just happened. You wanted to force the universe to grieve with you, even if it was just for a brief second. Eddie and Max deserved that. You knew they deserved more than just that, but it would suffice for now.

Instead, you sat alone on the beach of the lake. You remember summer days when your parents would take you and Steve down to the lake. Your parents had met Steve’s parents when they first moved to Hawkins, and the couples clicked instantly. Still, your parents noticed how absent Steve’s parents were, and they quickly began taking Steve on your family day trips. It was here, on the beach of Lover’s Lake, that you and Steve developed your life-long friendship. It was over a stupid little sandcastle that you and Steve had pinky-sworn to always help each other, no matter what.

After demo-dogs, evil time bending wizards, and a massive Mind Flayer, it was safe to say you had each held up your ends of the bargain.

You would never admit it out loud, but you desperately wished he was here with you now. It felt selfish to need him. He was probably just as traumatized as you, after all. It doesn’t help that you’ve been pining over him for the past few years. You’ve watched him hop from girl to girl, to Nancy, and back to girl to girl again. But now, that seemed like the smallest of your problems.

You try to push your thoughts of Steve out of your head. You squeeze your eyes shut, as if you were hard resetting yourself. But all you can see is Steve in that stolen Winnebago, staring deeply into your eyes from the driver’s seat.

“You? A big family?” You questioned, dumbfounded at Steve’s confession.

“Oh yeah,” He smirks softly, briefly musing over his response before continuing. “I’m talking like a full brood of Harringtons…like five, six kids…”

You cut him off, eyes wide with shock. “Six kids?” A smile tugs softly at your lips as he glances over at you.

“Yeah, six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys…” He trails off, eyes on the road again, the corners of his mouth turned up.

The thing was, you could see it. You could see each part of Steve’s dream as he explained it. You could see him, surrounded by six children tackling him down on the sands of some beach town in California. You could see him propping up one of his daughters onto his shoulders to get the perfect view of the Grand Canyon. You could see him pitching up a tent at Yellowstone all because the kids begged to sleep outside, to actually feel like they were camping.

But most of all, and possibly worst of all, you could see yourself there with him. And God, you desperately wanted to be there with him.

You turn towards Steve. His gaze was already set on you, as if he had asked you a question and was awaiting your answer. You search his eyes as your smile widens.

“That’s beautiful, Steve,” Your voice is barely above a whisper, as if your words had gotten stuck in your throat. “Really, it sounds like a dream,” You force the words out this time, loud enough so that he knows you really mean it.

Because you did.

And you still do.

You could feel the tears welling in your eyes. All of this was becoming unbearable. You could feel yourself waking up from the shock of losing Eddie and practically losing Max. What are you even supposed to do in a situation like this? How are you supposed to go back to college in the fall? How are you even supposed to go home now? Nothing felt like home anymore, not after all this.

The only thing that felt like home was him.

Steve.

But that didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. He was still in love with Nancy, and if your friends weren’t dead yet, they were certainly still in danger.

A chill runs down your spine as the wind whips off the lake and across the sand. You shudder under the touch of the breeze. You shut your eyes, tears freeing themselves as they fall down your cheeks. You bring your legs tightly into your chest, your arms reaching around them to hold yourself in place. Your head falls against your knees, the tears becoming uncontrollable. Your sobs grow louder, the heaving of your chest growing quicker.

In the near distance, you can hear tires screeching against pavement, and a car engine suddenly turning off. You sniffle softly, ignoring the car. You didn’t care if someone saw you like this. You deserved to cry, to break down. What else were you supposed to do?

What are the options?

When someone great is gone

When someone great is gone.

You could hear someone calling out a name, and as the voice becomes closer, the name the person is calling sounds a lot like yours. Suddenly, there’s a hand on your shoulder. The touch is familiar, warm, welcoming.

Steve.

You glance up, your face wet, your eyes bloodshot. The sight of you makes his heart stutter and clench painfully. He immediately falls to your side, wrapping you in his arms.

“Hey,” He whispers into your ear. “It’s me, I’ve got you now, it’s okay.��

You heave into his chest, your sobs echoing across the lake.

“It j-just keeps coming,” You stutter. “A-all of this, it’s n-never gonna stop, it’s never gonna…” You trail off, pressing your face farther into Steve’s chest.

And it keeps coming

Till the day it stops

You’re in Steve’s lap now. His hands rub softly against your back, his fingers drawing shapes against any exposed bits of skin. He shushes you, cradling you in his arms.

“We’re gonna be okay,” He reassures as one of his hands travels up to the nape of your neck, gently combing through your hair. “We’re gonna get out of this, I promise.”

“But what if-,”

Steve immediately cuts you off. “No what if’s,” His voice is firmer now. He pulls you away from him for just a second, as if to solidify his point. His eyes stare into yours. “You’re getting out of this, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure that happens.”

You swallow harshly, his words burning into your skin. You shake your head. “But you have to get out of here, too,” You insist. “You gotta get a nice girl and your six kids and that Winnebago,” You say, your voice shaking with every syllable. Even as kids, you always put Steve’s happiness before your own. If he had a shot at leaving all of this behind, you wanted him to take it.

Steve scoffs, looking off into the distance. “A nice girl?” He questions, his hands still firmly pressed against you, caressing you.

You nod as you struggle to keep yourself together, images of Steve starting a life with Nancy flashing through your mind. “Yeah,” You say, taking a deep breath. “Someone great, like Nancy.”

Steve looks at you incredulously, and then looks back out to the lake, searching for the right thing to say.

“That thing, about the Winnebago and the kids,” He whispers, his eyes frantically taking in all your features. “I wasn’t imagining Nancy when I told you all that. I never have…” He trails off, his Adam’s Apple bobbing in his throat.

“I imagined you.”

Those were the words that you had always wanted to hear, the words that made the sky open up, the words that made the world melt away.

Steve’s grip moves down to your waist, his fingers pressing into the exposed skin between your t-shirt and your jeans. One hand remains in your hair, pulling your face closer to his. He’s just inches away from you now. You can feel his breath tickle your nose as he parts his lips.

“I’ve imagined being with you for as long as I could possibly remember,” He confesses, his forehead pressing against your own. “The kids, the Winnebago, the vacations, it all means nothing if I’m not doing it with you.”

His lips ghost over yours. You breathe softly against him. “Steve I-,”

He cuts you off. “And I get it if you don’t feel the same. I get it if the six kids thing sounds crazy. I don’t want to ruin our friendship and I don’t want to scare you away. It’s just that-,”

“Steve,” You cut him off this time, a smile making its way across your face. “I want that. I want you, and your brood of Harringtons,” You giggle at the last bit of your confession, your face lighting up for the first time in what feels like an eternity.

“Oh thank fucking God,” Steve mutters, somehow pulling you closer to him.

His lips press firmly against yours, capturing you, securing you, and simultaneously freeing you all at once. It feels like for just one second, not all is lost. It feels like there’s a future out there where you and Steve and the kids save Hawkins. It feels like there’s a future out there where all of these deaths and battles aren’t in vain, that they mean something. It feels like there’s a future where you and Steve make it, like there’s a future out there where your little Harringtons are fighting each other to be Steve’s first mate in the front seat of a Winnebago.

The kiss is languid and smooth. His body moves carefully against yours, as if he’s afraid you’ll turn to dust in front of him, as if you’ll crumble and he’ll have no way to put you back together. It’s clear, even in just this kiss, that he’s afraid that he’s going to lose you just as soon as he’s finally gotten you.

And you can’t help but feel the same.

When his lips finally part from your own, you can’t help but want more. It wasn’t enough. The cool breeze that comes off the lake whisks between the two of you, causing Steve to grip tighter onto you.

“We’re gonna get that future, I promise,” He whispers.

“Good,” You whisper back. “Because I’ve got some names in mind.” You grin widely.

“Oh yeah?” Steve grins even wider than you. “You gotta tell me then. Spill.”

You knew it wouldn’t be like this forever. But for a moment, just a moment, things seemed perfect, safe.

We're safe, for the moment

Saved for the moment…

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nocternalrandomness · 9 months

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1948 Aeronca 15AC Sedan Lake Winnebago, WI

#Aeronca #15AC #Sedan #Floatplane #amphibian #flying #aircraft #airplane #General aviation

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atimeofyourlife · 7 months

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Whumptober day 13

rated: t | wc: 953 | prompt: Cold Compress | Infection | “I don’t feel so good.” Steve's injuries get infected after the Upside Down

Honestly, it should have been expected. Getting attacked by interdimensional bats, which carried any number of unknown bacteria and viruses after getting dragged through Lover's Lake into the Upside Down, then the only thing protecting those wounds from the toxic atmosphere was a length ripped from a sweater that was saturated in dirty lake water. And not even cleaning the wounds or changing that for real bandages once they were back in the real Hawkins, instead having too many other things to worry about. Then not receiving any medical attention, and going back into the Upside Down. Yeah, Steve really shouldn't have been surprised by the infection taking hold.

But, he would protest, there had been too much going on. And it wasn't like he could go to a normal doctor about an injury caused by a creature from the Upside Down. The countless NDA's they'd all had to sign after previous encounters with the Upside Down was enough to scare him away from telling anyone what had happened. And considering that a normal hospital might not even be able to treat whatever was going on if it was caused by otherwise unknown bacteria spread by the demobats. He just didn't want to chance it.

So he went along with everyone else. Followed Nancy through the Upside Down to her house, where they were able to communicate with the kids. Biked to Eddies trailer, deliberately bringing up the rear so the others wouldn't see him wincing from the pain of the bites and the road rash on his back, and also the pain in his feet from having walked several miles barefoot. He ignored the spike of pain that shot through his body as his back hit the mattress on the other side of the gate. Moving out of the crime scene that was Eddie's trailer to Max's so they could try to contact the others, and making the plan for going to the War Zone, even if he disagreed with the details of the plan. The burning stretch in his sides as he climbed through the window of the Winnebago, then slamming his back into the driver's seat as he jumped in to drive away as quickly as possible. Getting a change of clothes as soon as he was in the store. Having something other than the dirty scrap of fabric and Eddie's denim vest to protect the wounds. He still didn't get a change of bandages. Preparing for the battle, then heading back into the Upside Down.

There wasn't the constant sting of whatever was floating in the air getting into everything the second time in the Upside Down, as this time he had more layers to protect all his wounds. Nothing left exposed to the air the way some of the road rash had been on his back and arms where the vest hadn't covered. He tried to put it out of his mind, to focus on the job ahead of him.

Getting slammed against the wall by the vines in the Creel House didn't exactly help, neither did getting strangled for a second time in as many days. But by this point, it didn't feel like a fight against the Upside Down unless he was injured in some way. Having never come out of a round against the Upside Down unharmed, it was like a rite of passage for him to get hurt before or during trying to save the world from a fucked up government experiment.

Once they'd gotten out of the Upside Down, Steve was feeling his injuries more. His back felt like there were thousands of tiny needles pricking into his skin, and his sides felt like they were on fire from the bites, heat spreading across his entire torso. He had to fight back the wave of nausea that rose in his throat as his arm brushed his side, the pain shooting through him like a speeding bullet.

"Steve, are you okay?" Robin asked as they were ushered out of the government vehicle that had picked them up as the group of them had exited the Upside Down.

"I'm fine." Steve insisted, trying not to let on how much his injuries were bothering him as the government agents escorted them inside the facility, not the lab but a building that seemed eerily like it.

They were all sent into separate cubicles separated by privacy curtains to change out of their clothing into scrubs that were provided. They'd been told that all the clothing would be destroyed, and as soon as each of them that had been in the Upside Down had been checked for injuries they would all be sent for decontamination showers.

Steve was much slower changing than he would usually be, the injuries to his sides slowing down his movements. Changing into the scrub pants was the easy part, as he didn't have to raise his arms or drag any clothing over his already painful skin. He slowly pulled his shirt off, wincing in pain as he did. He looked down at his stomach in an attempt to convince himself that it wasn't as bad as it felt, and couldn't hold in a gasp at what he saw. The skin of his stomach bright red and swollen around the fabric covering the bites, and something vaguely green seeping through. It was beyond obvious that the bites had gotten infected.

"Steve, what's wrong? I heard-" Robin said, poking her head through the curtains separating them, trailing off as she saw how bad he looked.

"I don't feel so good." He whispered, before his body gave up, sending him crashing to the ground. His eyes fluttered shut to the sound of Robin's screams for help.

#whumptober2023 #no.13 #infection #“i don't feel so good”#stranger things #fic #steve harrington #robin buckley #platonic stobin #steve harrington whump #atimeofyourwrites

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spicysix · 10 months

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「eddie munson X gn!reader • roadtrip!AU」

2.3k words | prev | next | masterlist | ao3 warnings: again - trauma bonding! mentions of violence, of torture and of near-death experiences. mention of the mind flayer (this guy is his own trigger warning). reader opens up about her background story in this one, so it gets a little more specific. also, once again google was my best friend for this. songs of the chapter: motorhead's self titled album • rainbow's album straight between the eyes • drifter (and the entire album killers) - iron maiden • brown eyes (and the entire album tusk) - fleetwood mac

Saturday, July 26

Eddie Munson’s wristwatch woke you up at five thirty in the morning — your grandma would call it the ass-crack of dawn.

You both had slept in much earlier than you did so far, because Yellowstone was far away, all the way across the state, and you did have a deadline to meet this time: the check-in hours of the camping grounds.

So he had to basically manhandle you out of the van, and then you two had your breakfast alongside the birds at a picnic table, watched the slow rise of the Sun, said goodbye to Coop who was taking some other tourists on a little fishing trip, thanked Betty for the sandwiches she made you for lunch, and left the Keyhole State Park grounds at seven AM sharp.

You heard basically all the tapes Eddie had in the glove compartment, and he excitedly explained the story of every single band he loved. Your heart grew fonder as he seemed so joyful and thrilled about your journey, no longer the grumpy guy he had been just a few days before when you joined him without an invitation. You didn’t care much for metal music, but you didn’t mind him rambling about it for hours. Actually, for as long as he wanted to talk, you would happily listen.

You had to go north before going back south, so as you reached Billings, Montana, Eddie got off the road near a bridge to park the van so you could eat your sandwiches while looking at the Yellowstone River. Betty had given each of you a different sandwich, so you shared halves with Eddie so you’d have a taste of both. You spotted birds and fishes and talked to him about the nature, the species of fauna and flora that you recognized in the spot, and he seemed just as interested in your rambles as you were in his.

You wondered if your voice made something in his belly tingle as his voice did to you.

The I-90 had to be left behind for your correct course to the National Park, and you waved goodbye to the highway you were growing familiar with as you reentered Wyoming and headed south. The mountains welcomed you, their snowy peaks a funny contrast to the yellowish grass and Eddie let you blast Fleetwood Mac and didn’t complain about you singing from the top of your lungs.

As the river turned into the lake, you only caught glimpses of it through the trees, but you cheered at the sight anyway and Eddie laughed withyou; and once the trees gave way and you finally saw Yellowstone Lake in its entirety, Eddie cheered just as loud.

You reached West Thumb sooner than you thought you would.

Kept heading south until your campgrounds welcomed you, paid your fees, followed the plaques and soon you were getting installed in your own camping site. There was a picnic table and a small pit for a fire, nothing else. A few other campers were getting installed in their own sites, RVs and tents alike. The RVs reminded you of Steve, his heart-warming Winnebago dream, and you made a mental note to stop by the gift shop and get some trinkets for your friends.

You and Eddie decided to set up your tent with the mattress in it before heading to the area with the buildings, trusting that no one would mess with your belongings. You got the tent up without much talking, since both of you were having a bit of a hard time understanding the instructions, but it didn’t take long. You also left a bag with all your food and snacks in a shared storage box — you didn’t want any bears coming in at night for a visit. Then you gathered all your dirty clothes, since you knew there was a laundry area, and headed for it.

The laundry facility was your first stop, and you and Eddie didn’t mind sharing machines, only dividing the clothes by color and delicates. You headed for the Visitor Center next, read a few pamphlets and reserved and paid for a tour on the next day. Eddie got really excited about it, since he chose it based on name only (Circle Of Fire, oh, how metal).

You went to the gift shop next, Eddie got Wayne a mug — apparently the man had a collection —, and you decided collectively on the gifts for your shared friends. Once again, you were thankful for the NDA you signed that granted you so much money to spend.

By the time you returned to the laundry facility, your clothes were ready to go into the dryer, so you did that and headed for your dinner. The dining room was full of families and groups of friends coming and going, and the air was practically buzzing with enthusiasm from all sides.

“Looks fucking fancy,” Eddie noticed in a low whisper and you hummed in agreement. You didn’t think it would look so high and mighty. “Not coming back here tomorrow, please,” he asked and you chuckled.

“We couldn’t even if we wanted to, reservations were all booked. We’ll get back to our cheap snacks tomorrow, don’t worry.” He laughed as you were directed to your table by a waitress. “Today, however, let us feast as royalty!”

“Alright then, my liege,” he smirked as he sat across you on the table and you felt your face heating up, giggling at his response.

The waitress gave you menus and you both chose quickly. The afternoon was on its final stretch outside, and your table was a bit far from the windows but you could still see how beautiful it looked as the Sun set behind the lake. It took your breath away for a minute, before you looked at Eddie again and noticed how he was looking at you instead. Once again, you felt nervous, your face heating and your palms starting to sweat. A good kind of nervous.

You thought briefly about the last couple of days. About what led you there, to be sitting in front of him as he now looked away with a shy smile, focusing his eyes on his hands playing with the fancy tablecloth.

“You said you didn’t know me very well,” you started, getting his attention back to you. “And how I never talked to you when I bought from you-” he tried to interrupt you, calling your name, but you shook your head ‘no’. “I want you to get to know me, Eddie. We’ve been together in this for, what, four days now? And you were right, you don’t know me. And I want you to.”

He nodded slowly to your speech and smiled sweetly at the end of it. “Alright then,” he repeated. “Let me get to know ‘ya.”

You smiled back at him and opened up like a book that had been waiting for so long to be read. Told him about how your parents had died when you were so young you didn’t even remember them, and that your grandmother had raised you in Dayton. How she died just after you turned 18, and how you got angry at god, the universe or whoever about the fact that it wanted so bad for you to be alone. How you moved to Hawkins despite the weird shit happening in it because the weird shit made the rent prices go down, and you didn’t have much money — and how you couldn’t bare the thought of living in Dayton, of being haunted by your grandmother’s metaphorical ghost because she seemed to be in every place you looked at.

He listened to all that with so much attention and said he was sorry about your grandmother’s death. How he remembered the day you moved into the trailer park, Wayne’s concern about someone moving in all alone at such a young age; about how well received you had been there, getting all the attention and help from the small community you all had at Forest Hills.

The topic changed to how you became friends with Robin and Steve — and, indirectly, how you got pulled into the Upside Down crap. You told him that Robin’s favorite food was Chinese, so she’d stop by your first workplace at Starcourt almost every day for lunch; and your favorite dessert was ice cream, and so you’d stop at her workplace almost every day after lunch. How you got moved from the Chinese to three other different restaurants during your time at the mall, not the best at keeping jobs for so long but somehow always being hired somewhere else. How overtime, Steve’s silliness won you over and you’d invite him to lunch or ice cream too, even though Robin was still unconvinced by him. You finished with the fact that you and Robin were just hanging out in the back of Scoops Ahoy the day Dustin showed up with the whole Russian mystery, and you got into it just because it was a less boring way to pass time.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be there anymore, my lunch break had ended ten minutes before that,” you noticed, looking at a girl at a table a few feet away from yours that talked with lots of gesturing and funny facial expressions, reminding you of Robin. “Sometimes I wonder if I weren’t there anymore, as I should, I wouldn’t have been dragged into all of this,” you whispered.

Robin and Steve were the first real close friends you’ve ever had, and you were so thankful for them. But, at the same time, when the nightmares would be too frequent and you’d have too many flashbacks to the gigantic monstrous ball of flesh you had to firework to death in Starcourt, you’d feel sorry and guilty for wondering if it was worth it.

You knew it was, of course it was. They were worth it. But sometimes you forgot that you knew it. As you usually did with many of your knowledges. You buried them deep inside your mind.

You shook your head, “Sorry, didn’t mean to sour the mood.”

“It’s okay. I had my turn, you’re allowed to have yours,” Eddie answered with a soft smile just before your waitress came back with your meals, thankfully interrupting the downer conversation. “Let us feast, my liege,” he repeated the line and the nickname, and you repeated your giggle before diving into your meal.

As you dined, you asked Eddie about himself and his life instead, and he chose to talk about his uncle, how he was the dad Eddie needed growing up. How he had saved Eddie from his actual father, Wayne’s own brother, because he was no good. How Wayne raised Eddie, taught him everything he knew, gave him everything he could and that Eddie didn’t have before — love, kindness, a family, a home. It was very endearing, the way Wayne looked so gruff and yet was one of the most caring people you’ve had the chance to meet. Before March, you talked more to Wayne than you did to Eddie, because he was always asking how you or Max were, if you or the Mayfields needed anything. He was a great guy, and now that you knew Eddie better you could tell that it was passed down from uncle to nephew. A great heritage to own.

The food was delicious — and expensive — and after you ate and stalled around on the balcony a little, admiring the lake illuminated by the moon, you went for your dry laundry. And, since you were right beside it and with clean clothes, you both took showers before bed. You finished your shower a little after him and were pleased to see Eddie waiting for you, his bag full of clothes on his lap while he was sitting on a bench near the building. On the quick walk back to your camping site, he hummed a song you recognized from when he played a Van Halen tape that afternoon on the road.

Clean clothes successfully stashed on each of your bags again, you settled for the night. Eddie went inside after you into the tent, and the forest around the campsite made the temperature drop a little, and so you were glad you had bought extra quilts at that store the day before. He laid down beside you, facing you, and so you also turned from looking up to look at him.

“Thank you for sharing with me tonight,” he whispered like it was a secret, just between him, you, and the stars above you. The night was dark, and there was no light around you, but you smiled at him and heard it in his voice that he smiled right back. “I’m glad you invaded my van and came with me.” His tone was teasing, but the words sounded genuine. He went a little more serious before continuing: “I like your company.”

“I’m glad too, Eddie. It’s been an honor to share these experiences with you.”

“Many more to come, right?” he asked hopefully and you beamed, something warm and lovely growing and thumping inside your chest.

“Many more to come.”

None of you said anything else, but you felt his hand resting on top of yours on the space between you. He closed his eyes and slept shortly after that, his steady breath denouncing him. The callouses of his fingers tingled you, and you repeated his humming of Van Halen in your mind like a lullaby as you memorized every inch of his hand on yours before falling asleep too at some point.

You couldn’t wait for another tomorrow with him.

end notes: y'all i took everything about yellowstone mentioned here from their website, but! keep in mind that maybe those things were not how they were mentioned here (or maybe didn't even existed back then). and how do we feel about that? that's right, we don't care! i've no idea if the laundry/showers facilities or the dining room already existed, but we'll all pretend they did, right? alrighty then

taglist (is open!): @amira0303 @rupsmorge @wyverntatty

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fic #lui writes #ifligh

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