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#and I know Nancy's had to catch herself a few times
lightgamble · 2 years
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Stranger Things | 4.09
You’ve always been there.
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“What’s the deal with you and Harrington?”
Robin Buckley glanced up toward the question asker, her brows slightly furrowed as she cast an inquisitive look toward Eddie Munson. He’s leant up on one of his elbows, chin cradled in the palm of his hand. His eyes are on her, large and curious, instead of the usual half-lidded expression he wears during the “adult” hangouts.
They’d all started hanging out ever since Vecna was destroyed, taking time away from the younger members of The Party to spend time all together. Herself, Eddie, Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle. Sometimes, every once in a while, it led them all to feel normal. As if they hadn’t all been dealing with more Upside Down crap just a few months prior.
“What do you mean?” Robin instead asked, her eyes moving from Eddie’s to dart out toward the Harrington’s pool. Steve is sitting on the edge of it with Jonathan, the two boys heads bent together as Argyle watched on- a dopey almost lovesick expression curled on his mouth. A spliff dangled from Jonathan’s fingertips, rolled by Eddie but the weed supplied by Jonathan.
“You’re… not together.” Eddie’s voice is soft, and barely spoken above a murmur. Robin nodded slowly, and turned her head towards him to try and indicate him to continue. “Nancy and the kids all repeat platonic with a capital P, but I just… how did you and Harrington even happen?”
“Scoops A’hoy,” Robin grinned wide, barely able to stifle the laugh that’s on the backend of her words. She was able to catch the widened look that Eddie threw her way, before his eyes darted out to look towards Steve, before his eyes moved back to her own. “He and I worked there back when the mall was open.”
“And… what? You instantly became best friends?”
“No, actually.” Robin shook her head with another soft laugh, before she paused so she could rub her palms together. She allowed herself to twist one of her rings around her finger, brows pinched for a moment. “I actually thought he was like the worst, y’know?” Robin scoffed to herself, before she sent Eddie a look. She knew what she must look like, her eyes wet with tears and her gaze all permanently soft.
“You know how he was in school, King Steve and all that.” Robin continued on, and she flicked her tongue out of her mouth to wet the corner of her lips for a second. “And when my manager told me that I’d be working with a Steve, well… there was only one Steve in Hawkins I could think of.”
“So how did your opinion of him change then, Buckley?” Eddie cocked his head again, one of his hands coming up to twirl a strand of hair around his pointer finger. His brows were furrowed taut, creating a worry line in between them. “The kids told me about the Russians-”
“It was sort of before then,” Robin admitted with a small shrug, and she twisted the corner of her lip into a shy smile. “He raved to me, y’know? About uh, these kids. These five kids he’d babysit and shit, and it was so… soft?” Robin watched as Eddie mouthed out names to himself as he ticked his fingers, before he cast a look to her. “But he always talked about this one, Ellie, who he’d call his little sister.”
Eddie drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide as Robin let out a soft hum.
“Yeah, and I don’t know if you submitted yourself to Harrington family lore-” Robin gestured behind her toward the Harrington house with a flick of her hand, before she continued. “But I knew that Dick and Helen Harrington didn’t have more than one kid.”
“Supergirl?” Eddie asked softly, and Robin let out a soft confirming hum as she watched Eddie’s eyes dart toward Steve. Steve was still talking to Jonathan, though Argyle had shifted forward so he was able to join in the conversation.
“And then imagine my surprise when one day our stupid sailor ice cream shop is visited by none other than the Chief.” Robin shook her head with a small laugh, before she continued on. “And he was so excited to see Steve, Eddie. Like genuinely excited to see him, ordered a couple tubs of ice cream togo and then said he’d see him at home.”
“Fuck.” Eddie breathed out, and Robin let out another sigh of a laugh.
“And I asked Steve why the Chief of the Hawkins police force was visiting him at work, and Steve just…” Robin shrugged slowly, shaking her head to clear her thoughts before she continued. “He just gave me this look, like… like he didn’t actually know either.”
“Then later, he told me why he watched all of the kids. He told me that he would’ve given anything for someone to just… to just care about him when he was their age. That all he wanted was for just a person to give a shit about his wellbeing.” Robin shook her head again, before she carded a hand through her still chlorine sticky hair. “And after that my opinion just… it just changed about him.”
“Then the Russians?” Eddie asked softly, and Robin hummed as she dipped her chin in a curt nod.
“Then the Russians, and he didn’t… he didn’t even hesitate to take the attention onto himself when they started questioning us.” Robin shook her head again, sniffling. “And after I asked him why he would do that, and he told me it was because he knew I had a family waiting on me to come back home.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, and then afterwards when we were getting seen by the EMTs? He didn’t have anyone to call Eddie. Because Hopper? Hopper was just… just presumed dead.” Robin let out a soft bitter laugh, and she twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. “My parents decided to take us both home after, and he stayed with us for a couple of days- until his concussion was okay enough for him to sleep through the night.”
“And that’s when you became best friends?”
“That’s when I decided that, Steve? He deserved way more from people than he seemed to ever fucking get.” Robin shrugged, before she cast a soft smile toward Eddie. Eddie’s eyes were glassy, wet with tears and Robin just patted her hand soft against his forearm. “That’s when I decided that he was my best friend.”
“Platonic with a capital P?”
Robin cast a look toward Steve, where the older teen already had his eyes on her. He had a hand extended, fingers wiggling toward her in a small way to beckon her toward his side. Robin stood without responding to Eddie, and she left her towel on the lounge chair she’d commandeered as her own. She took a moment though, cast a softer look toward Eddie- even as the corner of her lip twitched into a nervous smile.
“He’s not exactly my type, y’know?” Robin kept her admission soft, even when Eddie’s eyes were quick to flood with confusion. She instead cast a look toward the sunbathing Nancy Wheeler, who had one of her arms strewn over her face across the backyard where she laid in the grass.
When Robin let her eyes move to meet Eddie’s again, he has a look of pure understanding on his face.
“I think I get what you mean.” Eddie murmured and Robin simply flashed Eddie Munson a shy smile.
Eddie Munson watched as Robin Buckley walked away from him, quick to tuck herself into Steve’s side once she reached him. Steve threw his arm around Robin’s shoulders, tucking her further into his grasp- though the flow of conversation that he was having with Argyle and Jonathan didn’t even pause.
It’s in that moment when Eddie Munson realizes something extraordinarily fucking crucial.
He’s in love with Steve fucking Harrington.
---
this is gonna become a multipart fic i think btw! it will probably be on here / ao3, haven’t fully decided yet but hope you enjoyed nonetheless!
now with a part two! click here
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steviebears · 2 years
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That's My Girl
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SYNOPSIS: Being Steve's ex was not easy, especially now that you are with "freak Eddie". Steve regrets how he treated you and wants you back.
GENRE: angst, fluff
"Max, I haven't been to a party since I broke up with Steve. What if I forget how to... I don't know, be human?" The redhead snorts and rolls her eyes at you. You sigh and look back in the mirror, holding two dresses up to yourself.
"Go with the black." she says in reference to the tight black dress you've held up.
"Yeah?"
"Wear it with your leather jacket." She suggests, nodding her head to the coat rack. You nodded and slipped on the dress.
"What if Steve is there?" You ask worryingly, making eye contact through the mirror.
"Just be normal, he'll be normal too." You bit your lip. Would he? He didn't take the breakup very well at first.
-
You stand near the hallway, bored out of your mind. You never realized how much you relied on Steve to be social. He's been sneaking glances at you all night. It turns into genuine staring, and just as you're about to leave from being so uncomfortable, a certain someone burst through the door. Eddie "the freak" Munson. You didn't think this was his scene, in fact you knew it wasn't.
He enters with his arms fully out, stepping in theatrically.
"Well well well, all of Hawkins finest all in one place! I must be so lucky to have been invited." He says making eye contact with one of the cheerleaders who had clearly invited him as a joke. A few people shout out insults that seem to bounce right off of him. He chuckles and starts to walk past, but catches a look at you and hangs behind.
"Y/n? Didn't think this was your scene." he says with a sly look. You had a few classes with Eddie last year, you got along quite well.
"Could say the same about you, Munson." You say, taking a sip from your red solo cup. You look over and catch Steve staring. He looks away quickly, but not quick enough to miss Eddie's gaze. You shut your eyes a sigh. He notices you displeased reaction and takes a gamble.
"You know, I never thought he was the right guy for you." He says, looking at the teen and his great hair.
"Yeah, well. I certainly am not the right girl for him." You take another drink. Your relationship with Steve was great when it started. You had great chemistry and cared about each other. But soon, he became distracted. He missed phone calls, bailed out of dates and seemed disinterested in you overall. All because he never got over Nancy. Once the initial attraction to you wore off all he was left with was his love for Nancy. You weren't stupid, so you realized and dumped him. He was clearly still in denial of it himself, insisting he didn't love her. But you knew it was true.
"If it's any consolation, you've always been my dream girl." He confesses with a chuckle. Your eyes widen and blush creeps its way to your face.
"No way, really?" You questions with an incredulous look. He nodded with a smile.
"Had a huge crush on you last year." He looks relieved but nervous about his sudden confession and he fakes a cough.
"Me too." You return his feeling. He steps closer to you.
"I was going to ask you out, but then you got together with the hair." You pursed your lips and frowned a bit, looking down to your feet.
"how about we get you a drink?" You offer.
"I'd rather share yours." He says, gently taking you cup from your hands and taking a sip. You smile wide.
That was the start of your relationship with Eddie. Soon enough you moved in together and were having the time of your lives together, falling deeper in love with one another each day. He made you feel like the only girl in the world.
-
"When I saw her at that party, I don't know something inside of me just fell into place. And I knew I had to get her back." Steve says with a sigh as Robin hoists herself atop the counter.
"So? Get her back then."
"She's with Eddie now." He whines rubbing his face.
"No shit, Eddie Munson?" He nods and slides down the counter. Robin raises her eyebrows and shakes her head.
"I don't know what to do. Something about her Robin, I just can't let her go. I can't believe how stupid I was." Robin turns to him, curious.
"Stupid?" He nods again.
"Stupid. She gave me everything and I mean, I was still in love with Nancy. And she totally knew it so she dumped me. Didn't realize what I had til' it was gone." Robin gives a sympathetic look to him.
The door rings as two people step in; you and Eddie. You give a smile to robin and a little wave, meanwhile Eddie gives a polite and tight lipped grin to Steve. Steve doesn't miss the way Eddie's grip on your waist tightens when he sees him.
Steve cannot keep his eyes off of you. The way you giggle when Eddie seemingly suggests a stupid movie, the way you hit his shoulder playfully when he teases you. That should be him. He misses you.
Eddie settles behind you with his chin leaning on your forehead, arms wrapped around you while you browse the horror collection. The jealousy hit's Steve's heart hard, and Eddie notices. Eddie looks over to see Steve staring and he doesn't hesitate to send a glare back. Normally Eddie would be very civil with his partner's ex, but after knowing how Steve treated you and made you feel he couldn't play nice, especially not when he looked at you the way he did.
Steve looks away and to Robin who was looking very uncomfortable with the tension, tension you were entirely unaware of. Steve gets frustrated from seeing you looking utterly in love with each other and leaves to the back.
-
You tried to convince Eddie to go to your friend's birthday party but to no avail. As much as he loved you he really didn't feel like listening to the name calling today. You understood, of course, and decided to just go without him. He helped you pick out your outfit (not without him feeling you up) and you drove off, looking forward to seeing the friends you hadn't seen since graduation. You knew Steve would be there but it didnt bother you very much. You were sure he wouldn't say much more than a greeting.
The staring begun again, and Steve couldn't stand to see you without him. So without warning, he pulls you to the side.
"Oh. Hey Steve."
"I can't stand it anymore."You cock your head to the side and raise an eyebrow questioningly.
"Please Y/n, just hear me out. I just need you to hear what I have to say." You rub your arm, feeling on the spot. You nod at him to continue.
"I know I fucked up, trust me I know. But I just don't want to be without you anymore. Just let me show you I love you." He pleads, looking straight into you.
"Steve, stop being ridiculous. I have a boyfriend." You scoff, turning to walk away before you are stopped by Steve blocking your path.
"I know. And I don't-" He sighs and pinches his nosebridge.
"I don't care. Just one night, that's all I ask. Just one night to let me show you how much I love you. I need you in my arms again." His voice breaks to a whisper. You couldn't believe the disrespect Steve just showed your relationship. To think he could ask you to cheat on Eddie and just switch back to him was frankly insulting. So your face morphs to a genuine frown and your eyebrows furrow before your hand swiftly slaps the the side of Steve's face, harder than you meant to.
"Fuck you Steve." You spit, turning around to exit the now silent party. He tries to stop you from leaving, grabbing your arm and telling you,
"It was never Nancy, Y/n. It's always been you." His sudden confession has you feeling feelings you had when you were with Steve. Feelings of always being the second choice. Feeling like your own partner didn't love you. You couldn't help but let the tears of frustration for your younger self spill and you slammed the door in Steve's face.
-
"Hey, princess. How'd it go?" You just sigh and hug him, starting to feel your eyes well up again. Once he heard your sniffling his eyes widened and hugged you tighter, holding your head in his chest.
"What happened baby?" His low voice soothes you. You take a deep breath.
"Steve was there." Eddie leans back, wanting to see your face. His heart hurts at the sight of your red eyes.
"What the hell did he do?" He can't help but start to get heated, his desire to protect you taking over.
"He- I don't know. It doesn't matter, it was stupid." He can tell you're holding back. He doesn't have to say anything more, only looking at you with the softest of looks until you tell him.
"He asked me to cheat on you, with him. Something about showing me his love." Eddie is furious, but more than that, frustrated and sad for you.
"Are you being serious, I swear to fuck I'll-"
"I took care of it." You assure him. He couldn't help but smile. How could he think even for a second you wouldn't?
"I slapped him, harder than I thought and I think I made it pretty clear I wasn't interested." You say with stern tone. He grins wide and proud, pulling you into his arms.
"That's my girl."
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henderdads · 8 months
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Part 1
CW: mentions of gun violence
It’s a joint effort, but between Nancy’s last round of bullets and Jonathan using the bat, they succeed in killing the demogorgan.
It takes a while for it to all catch up to her, but once they remove the body, there’s a stillness that overcomes the house and her vision goes blurry.
Nancy freezes as she stands in the living room, the events of the last few minutes leaving her shell shocked.
“Nancy?” Jonathan asks tentatively.
She drops the gun and sinks to her knees, bursting into tears, her body shaking as she lets out a sob.
Jonathan is quick to drop down in front of her. He starts to reach out to her, but backs his hand away as he decides it’s probably better to give her space.
“Hey. It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay.”
She looks up at him as she starts to calm down, eyes bloodshot with tear stained cheeks. “I- I didn’t mean to. It was the heat of the moment and I was scared and I- Jonathan what do I do?!”
“He made it out, okay? I’m sure he found he-“
Nancy raises her voice, “You don’t know that! What if he- what if he’s dead in the middle of the street? What if another one of those things came after him? I don’t- I can’t-“ she cuts herself off, letting out another sob.
Jonathan attempts to back away to give her more space, but she reaches for him and crashes into his chest, tears immediately soaking through his shirt. She holds on tightly, letting him know to not move; so he hesitantly wraps his arms around her, stroking her back.
-
Steve does his best to sit up so the nurse can do everything she needs to do, but he can’t keep his eyes off of Eddie. Apparently, he’s Wayne’s nephew. He doesn’t know a lot about Eddie other than the rumors that circle the school.
Eddie has always been a mystery to him though. He moved to Hawkins as an eighth grader, Steve in seventh. He’d had a buzzcut and had always had a loud personality. The cafeteria speeches on conformity started his second week there, instantly earning him the name of the school freak which he wore with pride.
He’s sitting next to Wayne, the two of them chatting quietly. Steve catches him glance over to him a few times, making it obvious the two of them are talking about him.
The nurse finishes checking his vitals and asks him a few questions, telling him he’ll need to stay for another day or two but that he’ll be discharged soon.
“Have your parents been contacted?” She asks.
“Uh, they’re not home. Not sure when they’ll get back.”
“I recommend staying somewhere that you’re not alone as you recover. You’ll need extensive physical therapy twice a week to make sure your shoulder heals properly. Some of those cuts were pretty deep too, we’ll need to take the stitches out in about 2 weeks.”
Wayne cuts in then, “He can stay with us.”
“Wait wha-“ Eddie starts.
“He can stay with us.” He repeats, voice more stern as he gives Eddie a look.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude, sir. I’m sure I could stay with a friend.” Steve protests, knowing full well he’d just go home alone and figure it out on his own.
“Nonsense, kid. We can move things around and make it work. And the name’s Wayne, none of that ‘sir’ shit.”
Steve and Eddie let out a defeated sigh at the same time.
As soon as the nurse leaves, Wayne turns to Steve.
“Our place is a little small, but I’m sure we could get ya a cot or have ya share a bed with Ed.”
“I really appreciate it that, but I don’t think-“
“You’ll be all alone in that big house of yours, kid. We can make room. You heard the nurse, you need someone looking out for ya. I gotta go grab somethin' but Ed can stay here with you until I'm back."
Eddie tries to protest again, groaning in frustration as he falls back into his seat when Wayne gives him a look again before turning to leave.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Eddie mumbles.
Steve rolls his eyes but can’t help when he laughs at how bizarre it all is. “What?”
“Why can’t you just like… I dunno… stay with your girlfriend or something? Nancy right?”
Steve hits head against the headboard. “It’s um, complicated right now.”
“Awww. Lovers quarrel?” Eddie teases.
“Something like that. She uh… she’s the reason I’m here.”
Eddies jaw drops. “Wait - Wheeler? She did this to you?”
“Again, it’s complicated.”
“Did she pull the trigger or not?”
“Yes but-“
Eddie throws his head back in a cackle, cutting Steve off.
Steve furrows his brows, wincing as he accidentally bumps his bad side. “What’s so funny?”
Eddie talks through giggles. “Holy shit. Okay- so, so you got beat up by Byers? And then NANCY WHEELER shot you? I didn’t even know she owned a gun or even knew how to shoot one. This is insane. Are you sure you’re not bluffing?”
Steve sighs, “She uh, she was under a lot of stress. It’s hard to explain and I don’t think you’d believe me anyway. But yeah, probably shouldn’t stay with Nancy.”
Eddie calms down, the mood shifting into something a lot more serious. "You don't have to tell me what happened exactly, but by the sound of it, I really don't think it's as complicated as you make it out to be. She pointed a gun at you and pulled the trigger. Which is like... insane."
Steve shrugs, "I guess."
Thankfully, Wayne comes back then and tells Eddie it's best if they head home for the night before promising Steve that they'll be back tomorrow for when he's discharged.
Steve sits in the silence after they leave, the only sounds coming from the monitors and his breathing.
There's a lot to think about and consider for what all of this means. That he knows for a fact.
Part 3
Tag list, let me know if you'd like to be added/removed for future parts:
@kakashimeansplan @lolawonsstuff @messrs-weasley @goodolefashionedloverboi @eddie-munsons-missing-nipple @an-deeznutz @stevesbipanic @manda-panda-monium @griefabyss69 @steddiealltheway @steviesummer @mightbeasleep @pottenloved247 @lets-try-be-normal-otakus @strangelilfruits @criedlikeabby @notes-app-psychologist @keayra-harrington @tartarusknight @i-less-than-three-you @shares-a-vest @nburkhardt @anxioustrashpanda @afewproblems @devondepresso @weirdandabsurd42 @ifyouwonderwhereiam @simplebtromance @fromapayphone @frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe @unclewaynemunson @rozzieroos
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eskawrites · 7 months
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It’s 1979, and every day, Barb wears a dark purple bracelet around her wrist. It’s pretty, although a bit more basic than what Nancy would normally wear—just a simple band of woven fabric, and a little star charm dangling from the middle.
“Where’d you get it?” Nancy asks her one day out of the blue. She does that sometimes—asks people things without any lead up. Her mom tells her she’s inquisitive. Her dad just says she asks too many questions.
Barb never seems to mind. Over the last few weeks of getting to know each other, there’s never been a question that Barb isn’t happy to answer.
This one seems to make her sad, though. She holds her arm up and twists her wrist a little, watching the charm catch the light.
“It’s a friendship bracelet,” she says. Nancy is old enough to recognize the twinge of jealousy for what it is, but she isn’t quite old enough to understand why it’s there.
“With who?” she asks anyway.
This time Barb does hesitate. She looks around the middle school cafeteria, but they’re the only ones sitting at this end of the table, and the buzz of students is loud enough no one can really hear them even if they decide to pay them any mind. Not that they ever would. Nancy and Barb tend to fly under the radar.
“You know Robin Buckley?” Barb says, lowering her voice.
Nancy shrugs. She’s heard the name. It’s a small school, after all.
“She has the other one,” says Barb. “My parents took us to Indianapolis a few summers back. A lady at the mall was making them. I got purple for her favorite color. She has pink for mine.”
“And the star?” Nancy asks. She reaches out without really thinking about it, holding the little charm in her fingertips.
Barb smiles. “We used to stay out in the park for hours after dark, watching the stars. She knows all the constellations, and a bunch of old stories about them. She knows a ton of stuff like that. She’s pretty cool.”
“You guys don’t hang out anymore,” Nancy feels the need to point out. But Barb just shrugs.
“Yeah. We had all different classes last year, and I guess we just drifted apart. I say hi when I see her in the halls sometimes, but we just…don’t really talk anymore.”
“Oh.” Nancy lets the charm go. Barb lowers her arm and picks up her fork again. “We could get friendship bracelets.”
Barb’s eyes light up. “I saw some charms and stuff at Melvald’s the other day. We could make some!”
“Let’s do it,” Nancy decides. “When you spend the night Friday, we’ll ask Mom to take us to Melvald’s.”
“Deal.”
-
It’s 1983, and Nancy has a pink bracelet—with a pen charm, not a star—that she keeps in a shoebox of all of Barb’s things.
She only pulls it out and looks at it when she knows it’s a bad idea; when she’s already one bad thought away from breaking, and she holes herself up in her room so she can push herself recklessly over the edge.
She takes the bracelet in her hands and runs her fingers over the soft, time-worn threads. Pink for Barb’s favorite color. Barb had a soft, sky blue for hers. She thinks about that bracelet, dangling around Barb’s wrist while she drove them to Steve’s house, tied to her still, soaked in blood and rot as she decays in the Upside Down.
Nancy tucks the bracelet into her pocket. If Barb’s association with Nancy led her to her death, then Nancy’s association with Barb can mark her until the day she dies.
-
It’s 1985, and when a new girl walks up with Steve, Dustin, and Erica, looking terrified and in shock, the first thing Nancy sees is a pink bracelet around her wrist.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Nancy asks.
“I’m Robin, I work with Steve.”
But that’s not the answer. She’s not Robin who works with Steve. She’s Robin who carries stories of the constellations in her head and memories of Barb on her wrist. Robin, with a pink bracelet and a star charm that, quite frankly, looks ridiculous among the leather bands and thick rings she wears.
The group sits down once they’re finally all together. They exchange stories and make a plan, and all the while, Robin sits off to the side, on her own.
Nancy thinks about Barb sitting on her own by Steve’s pool, her gaze turned down and her shoulders stiff around her ears. She watches Robin curl up and hug her knees to her chest, and that damn pink bracelet is all she can see.
-
It’s 1986, and Robin complains every step of the way as Nancy wrangles her into a blouse and skirt.
“You should lose the rings,” Nancy tells her. “They’re unprofessional.”
“Gee, thanks,” Robin mutters.
“You can borrow some of mine if you still want to wear them.”
“No, it’s fine.” She pulls the rings off one by one, dropping them onto Nancy’s desk with small, satisfying clunks. She shakes out her hands when she’s done, and Nancy watches that star charm bounce back and forth along its soft pink band.
Robin notices her looking. She covers the bracelet with her hand and scowls.
“The bracelet stays. I’m not taking it off.”
“That—that’s fine.” Nancy thinks she should say something else—she’s not sure how they’ve gone this far without talking about it—but she can’t stop staring at it.
Robin’s shoulders slump. Her grip on the bracelet shifts and she runs her fingers over the charm, her expression turning sad.
“Sorry,” she says softly. “I just—I got this because of—”
“Barb.”
Robin meets her eyes.
“She told me,” Nancy says. “She—she still wore yours.”
And for the first time, it occurs to her that Barb was wearing a purple bracelet that night, too. That there has always been a part of Robin Buckley rotting in the Upside Down along with her, along with Nancy.
Maybe they were all doomed, intertwined, forsaken from the start.
“A purple bracelet,” Nancy says. “And a star charm. Because you liked watching the stars together. She said you knew all the constellations. She said—”
Robin’s arms are around her the second her voice breaks. She hugs her close, and Nancy swears she can feel that star charm pressing through her shirt.
-
It’s 1989, and Robin is moving box after box from her house with Steve into Nancy’s apartment.
It takes all day to get her clothes in the closet and her desk into the second bedroom they’ll use as an office and her frankly excessive collection of tapes onto the bookshelf in the living room. By the time dinner rolls around, they’ve both decided everything else is a job for tomorrow, or the day after, or next week.
But before they go to bed that night, Robin digs through a box of photo albums and picture frames to pull out a small, black shadowbox. She holds it carefully in her hands and walks over to where Nancy stands by the bookshelf. Nancy takes it from her with a soft, sad smile and reaches up to place it on the shelf. She feels Robin’s hand on her waist, and she steps back to tuck herself into her side.
They both look up at two pink bracelets, a pen charm and a star charm, hanging safely side by side.
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writing-wh0re · 3 months
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“You fucked up and I’m glad you did.”
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♥ pairing: Eddie Munson x reader (platonic), Steve Harrington x reader (friends to lovers)
♥ summary: “Based on this ask - Reader likes Eddie Munson on the low but then he starts dating Chrissy. So the reader starts dating Steve because he comforts her after the heartbreak. Eddie realizes how stupid he was to not see the reader as their lover”
♥ warnings: smoking, slight angst, fluff ending, crying, pet name: sweet girl, language. A/N: I don't typically write for steve or angst so I hope you like it @b00kw0rmsworld xx
♥ wc: 1,712
♥ masterlist
♥ Taglist
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You watched Eddie enter the party, something that was a rare sight but since you had made the cheer squad, it was a sight you enjoyed. Butterflies filled your stomach, ignoring the girl in front of you and slipping away from the conversation to greet him.
You hadn’t seen Eddie for a few weeks, both of you having scheduling issues now that you’re on the team and he’s completing more regular D&D nights with the others.
“Y/n.” His face lights up as he embraces you, the smell of his collagen and the smoothness of the leather jacket envelopes you. You hold him tight against you, probably for longer than normal but you’ve missed him, missed his embrace.
“I’m surprised to see you here, I didn’t think you would show.”
Eddie smiles at you, quickly looking behind him as a few hoops and hollers fill the air as Chrissy slips into the home.
Chrissy. She was everything, gorgeous, smart, kind and why the fuck is she holding Eddies hand.
Your eyes flick from their fingers laced together, watching as Chrissy wraps herself around Eddie's arm, smiling at the people around you.
“Oh.” The sound slips past your lips before you can catch it. You heartbeat picks up and you swallow the lump in your throat.
Chrissy’s eyes light up at your presence, quickly wrapping her arms around your neck and pulling you into an embrace.
She smells like him.
“It’s so good to see you.”
You clear your throat, pulling away from Chrissy and faking a smile.
“Likewise.”
“There you are, I’ve been looking for you.” Steve places his arm over your shoulders, pulling you into the side of him, relief washes over you in the presence of your neighbour and friend.
Eddie looks over your embrace with Steve, you could have sworn his jaw clenched.
“Eddie was telling me that you and him play that D&D game, maybe the three of us could play sometime?” You smile at Chrissy, her effort at trying to mingle with you while you process what is occurring in front of you.
“Woah Munson, I didn’t know you and Chrissy were an item?”
Thank god for Steve.
“Um yeah, we’ve kept it on the down low for a few weeks.”
“Uh, weeks, more like two months.” Chrissy states placing her hand over his hellfire t-shirt.
“Two months, that’s pretty solid.” Steve speaks for you, his hand rubbing the top of your shoulder.
“If you both wouldn’t mind, I owe y/n a game of beer pong.” Steve nods his head at the pair, slipping his arm from around your shoulders and lacing your fingers together. You smile at Eddie and Chrissy, following behind Steve as he guides you outside of the house. He walks past the beer pong table and towards the tall tree out the back, a blanket of darkness falling over the two of you.
“C’mere.” Steve whispers, pulling you to his chest as you sob, tears falling from your eyes, water staining his shirt. Steve rests his head on the top of yours, flicking his eyes to the house as the music thumps through the air. He gently sways you to the music soothing you.
“Ho-how did you know?” Your sobs break up your sentence, your eyes looking up into Steves. He smiles weakly, using his thumb to brush a tear away from your cheek.
“I could tell that look from anywhere, I had the same one with Nancy and Jonathan.”
You giggle, tilting your head back to attempt to keep the tears at bay, “I rescued you during that one.”
“That you did.” Steve smiles, pulling you back into his chest, “Thought it was time to return the favour.”
“Thank you.” You whisper against his shirt, you pull away, your eyes scanning his outfit as you start fanning his chest, attempting to dry your tears. Steve chuckles, patting his denim jacket, pulling out a cigarette before tilting the packet towards you. You simply nod, taking a stick and leaning towards his lighter, you take a slow deep drag, holding the smoke before letting it slip past your lips, the small cloud dispersing into the night sky.
Steve keeps his eyes on you, he’d be lying if he said you didn’t look gorgeous right now. Your red lipstick staining the cigarette, the way your lips parted to release the smoke, your perfectly manicured fingers softly rolling the stick between them.
“How long have you liked Eddie?”
The butterflies flutter around inside of you, the same lump appearing in your throat at the thought of him with Chrissy.
“A while, a little over a year.”
“And you didn’t make a move?”
You sigh, watching as Steve panics, coughing on the smoke slightly.
“You don’t have to answer that.”
“I honestly don’t know, the timing never felt right.” You take another drag, your head becoming floaty as you drop the cigarette to the grass, stepping on it and placing it in the empty solo cup.
Steve simply nods, noticing the tears reappearing in your eyes.
“Want me to drive you home?”
“Haven’t you been drinking?”
“I haven’t even had one.”
“Well, aren't you boring.” You smirk, causing Steve to roll his eyes, tongue in cheek. He takes one last drag before following you lead and discarding the bud.
“I’d appreciate that Steve.”
Steve smiles, holding his hand out to you which you gladly accept. A warmth fills your body at his touch, feeling secure beside him. Steve leads you out of the party, your eyes searching the numerous bodies before the land on Eddie, his arm around Chrissy’s waist as she talks to her friends. His eyes meet yours briefly, a flicker of hurt at your tear stained cheeks. You squeeze Steve’s hand unknowingly causing him to pull you closer to him before walking out of the door.
You slide into the passenger seat, resting your head against the window, sniffling as Steve grabs your hands. A small knowing smile is shared between you both before he starts the drive to your house.
| | |
It had been six months since the house party. Your relationship with Eddie unfortunately became non-existent, other than small conversations at school about school work. However your relationship with Steve had blossomed into something so incredible, you had felt like an idiot for never considering him to be more than a friend but after both hanging out more, your feelings grew.
You were lounging on the couch with Steve, flicking through the channels, trying to find something to enjoy when there’s a knock on your front door. You look at him quizzingly, a pang of anxiety hits you, worrying something has happened to your parents who are out of town.
“Relax sweet girl, I’ll get it.”
You smile at Steve, loving that he can read you like a book.
Muffled voices fill the air, your curiosity grows as you slip off the couch, tiptoeing towards the front door before stopping in your tracks.
Eddie.
“Man, just let me see her.”
“Do you not realise how much of an idiot you are for letting her slip through your fingers?”
You hear Eddie sigh, you heartbeat picking up at Steve’s words.
“I know, I saw it on her face that night.”
Steve sighs, you lean against the wall keeping yourself hidden as you eavesdrop.
“You fucked up and I’m glad you did.” Steve whispers, “Because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have realised how amazing y/n truly is and I wouldn’t have been able to experience a love like this.”
Blush fills your cheeks, a smile dancing across your lips at his words.
“Steve, who is it?” You call before rounding the corner.
Steve leans on the door, opening it more to show Eddie, his face flushed and eyes glassy.
“Hey.” He whispers weakly.
“You okay?” You want to reach out to him and hold him close but you refrain.
“Uh yeah, no I will be, I uh.” Eddie takes a deep breath, looking over you. You hair is thrown up into a bun, Steve's shirt baggy on your figure and your small running shorts hugging your thighs. “I was just coming by to say hi, we, um haven’t spoken in a while.”
You smile weakly at the boy in front of you, his nerves consuming him as he fidgets with his rings.
“It has been a few weeks, it’s a little late, we were actually heading to bed shortly.” You gesture to Steve who smiles at you, his hand resting on your waist.
“Oh, shit, sorry for interrupting.”
“No, uh, dont be.” You smile, “Why don’t Steve and I join you for a game? Still hosting on Thursdays?”
Eddie chuckles, wiping his nose as he sniffles, his eyes glossy. “Yeah, still on Thursday’s, still the same campaign.”
“Well surely my character can be reintroduced, maybe I went on a side quest and found Steve’s character?” You suggest, feeling excited at being able to explore the D&D world again. Both with Steve and Eddie, although your feelings for him have fizzled down to platonic love, you still want to be friends.
“That sounds like something I can work on.”
“Awesome.” Steve smiles, causing Eddie to nod slowly, his hand playing with a lock of hair.
“We will see you on Thursday.”
“Yeah, sweet.” Eddie smiles, turning away from the door as Steve closes it.
Steve releases a deep breath, leaning his back against the closed door. His eyes search yours as a smile creeps across your face.
“A love like this?” You gesture between the two of you, watching Steve’s face fill with blush, his eyes squeezing shut, a huge smile on his face.
“Shit, you heard that?”
“Mmhm” You hum, placing your hands on his face and pulling him down to you. Your eyes lock together, noses tracing against each other.
“Did you mean it or was it to rile him up?”
“I meant it, god, I meant it.”
You smile, your lips ghosting his.
“Good because I love you.”
Steve closes the gap between the two of you, his hands on your hips. Your lips move in sync, fitting together like the perfect puzzle. He pulls away from your mouth, placing kisses all over your face, mumbling ‘love you’ against your skin.
| | |
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alcottsangel · 2 years
Text
Rotten Chapter 1 {Steve Harrington x fem!reader}
Masterlist | Ao3 | Soundtrack
Summary: When something horrible happens to Y/n, her friends find her. Platonic Eddie Munson, Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley x reader. Poc and plus-size friendly.
Warnings: Rape!!, cursing, panic attack, mentions of weed, hyperventilation, vomiting, blood, vaginal bruises.
last part | next part
Yeah, so I wrote this to deal with some things. You know how it goes.
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"Need a ride?" Eddie Munson asked, as his van came to a halt next to Steve Harringtons car.
There was smoke coming from the engine and Robin and Nancy stood behind him, annoyance written on their faces.
The light rain that was falling only made everything worse.
Steve turned to the Metalhead, as Eddie just smirked smugly with the window on his passenger side down.
"We're managing just fine." Harrington answered, before once again facing the vehicle as if he had any idea how to fix it.
Nancy Wheeler was the first to step forward, open the door of the backseat and slip inside, which caused a light chuckle from Eddie.
Robin followed her immediately, and Steve shot her a betrayed glance that she answered with a shrug. "I'm not gonna freeze off my ass in the middle of the night, while it's raining, might I add, just because you're too proud to get into someone else's car." She told him, as she walked around the van to get into the seat behind Eddie.
"Come on, Harrington. Or I might just leave you here." Eddie joked. Steve sighed dramatically, before closing the engine hood, locking his automobile and getting into the passenger seat.
"My dad is going to kill me." He mumbled, as the other man started to drive again. The music that came from the radio was turned down, it was Eddies highly valued Exodus tape, the one Y/n gifted him for his last birthday.
"At least you won't get yourself hospitalised for hypothermia." Nancy laughed lightheartedly, causing the other to smile. "Yeah, I guess." Steve answered, as he leaned against the door and looked out of the window, his eyes followed the raindrops on the glass, like a child waiting for one of them to win the imaginary race.
They drove for a few minutes, the music still quiet, before Eddie cleared his throat.
"Where do you want me to drop you off anyways? Like, what was your plan? It's..." He glanced at the clock. "It's almost midnight, after all."
Robins gaze catched his in the rearview mirror. The blonde raised her brow. "We could ask you the same now, couldn't we?"
The man shrugged, as he leaned back a bit. "I was at a party. One of these preppy ones that I would never attend out of free will." He told them, which surprised the others.
"Why were you there, if you didn't wanna be?" Nancy asked, but not teasingly. It was a try to lift the awkwardness by holding small talk.
"I was meant to pick up Y/n Y/l/n. You know, promised her I wouldn't let her go home by herself. When I showed up I almost wasn't let in, I couldn't find her anywhere, then some cheerleaders told me she walked off with a one of these laundry-basket guys." Eddie sounded a tad hurt by her ditching him.
"Well." Robin chuckled. "Good for her I guess."
It was quiet after that, the music once again dominating. Eddie silently hummed along, until Steve broke the silence. "We wanted to go to the exact party you're coming from." He finally revealed, and Eddie laughed.
"My god, why would anyone voluntarily go there." His laugh was infectious, as the rest tagged along just a second before going quiet again.
"You and Y/n are pretty close, right?" Steve turned to face Eddie for the first time since getting into the car. Robin mentally face-palmed herself. How could someone make a crush any more obvious than asking her best friend if they were dating?
Eddie nodded, eying Steve suspiciously.
"We've been best friends since I stepped on her sandcastle in second grade. Of course we're close." Eddie answered and the girls on the backseat exchanged a glance.
Y/n was involved into the entire paranormal shit since the beginning, she was always there. She walked to the Wheelers house to pick out outfits before parties with Nancy since they were fourteen, she worked together with Steve and Robin, she was even the first person Robin dared to come out to, but she strictly separated these friendships from the one she shared with Eddie. Them smoking weed, judging the cheerleaders when they practiced and making each other mixtapes was just for them. The line started blurring when Eddie got involved into the paranormal shit too. Y/n still tried her best to prevent that. It was a blatantly stupid exchange, they were in the upside down together, they knew who was close and who wasn't. Chances were high Eddie was running to Y/n to tell her Steve had a little crush as soon as they were out of his car.
But neither of the boys said another word, until Eddie asked where he was taking them again, and Steve told him his adress. It wasn't like his parents were home anyways, so there was no issue with some friends staying over.
The Metalhead finally turned the music up, as 'Bonded by blood' was playing.
The crew fell silent once again.
That was, until Nancy saw a figure walking down the side of the road, dressed entirely unfitting for the rain (despite it being summer), and she soon recognised that person as Y/n Y/l/n herself.
"There's Y/n!" She blurted out and pointed into her direction. Eddie laughed, as if she was joking, until her spotted her himself and slowed the car, Steve rolled down the passenger window.
"Hey sweetheart, get in the car!" The Metalhead exclaimed. Y/n turned to him, she seemed startled, almost disturbed with her wet hair clinging to her face and her arms wrapped around her body.
"Eddie." She stated, her voice fragile.
The car now stood, and Y/n noticed that her best friend was not alone, as Steve opened his door to make space for her on the passenger seat.
"My lady." He joked, holding the door open for her. She recognised Robin and Nancy in the back, as they were waving lightly.
Y/n swallowed, still keeping her distance.
"I don't want to stain the seat." She stated, her eyes meeting Steve's briefly, before she quickly looked away again. Her voice sounded incredibly hollow and all of them knew that something was wrong. "A little rain won't do damage." Eddie chuckled to cheer her up a bit, but she just nodded hesitantly before slowly walking towards the door. Steve still held it open, and she stopped to look at him, whispering a 'thank you' his way while she sat down. He closed her door, before getting into the backseat as well, pushing Robin further into the car.
Eddie started driving once again, as the rain stopped and he turned off the windshield wipers.
"Their car broke down. I came to pick you up, like I promised, but you were already gone." The brunette informed her. Y/n only nodded again, her fingers playing with the hem of her skirt.
"Are you alright?" Robin was the first to ask the question they all had. Y/n didn't react at first, then she opened her mouth and closed it again, before taking a deep breath.
"Sure." She shrugged, but her voice was still so brutally hollow and Steve could feel his chest tighten in worry. Eddie licked his lips, trying his best not to sound like a complete ass despite being a bit mad that she wasn't there when he came to that damn party, just for her. "Did that guy ditch you?" Her best friend asked, once again turning down the volume of his music.
"What?" Y/n stuttered, as she properly looked at the Metalhead for the first time.
Eddie shrugged. "Some girls told me you left with someone from the team. I mean, I don't like them, you know, but I thought you'd be fine. But he's a dick if he ditched you." He rambled.
Y/n could feel tears dwelling up, but she swallowed them as she turned away from her friends again. It took her a moment to form an answer, because she feared the tears would actually fall if she talked. And once she did, she only managed to blurt out an 'oh'.
So that's what everyone thought, huh? That she walked off with 'someone from the team', that she walked off with Jason Carver to have some fun? "Are you sure you're okay?" Nancy urged Y/n, as the latter felt the hand of the brunette woman on her shoulder. She was quick to move away, licking her lips and taking a few breaths before being capable of talking again.
"God, I'm fine. I walked off with some guy, he ditched me, it's not that deep. I'm fine." She reassured her friends, in a tone that made it clear she had no interest in discussing it further.
She leaned her head against the window, shifting on her seat to get as far away from everyone as she could.
Y/n lost focus, still picking at the hem of her skirt until she felt something wet between her legs. Her breathing stopped, before she boldly touched her thigh under her skirt. The car was dark, but as she saw the red liquid that now covered her palm she finally felt the reality wash all over her.
Everything around her got blurry, her head was pounding and suddenly everything was much too loud for her. The lump in her throat felt thicker, as she felt that she had to puke. Her breathing went faster and she gasped for air like a fish out of water, the panic now dominating entirely.
"Eddie, stop the car!" The young woman shrieked, startling the others.
"What? Why?!" Eddie exclaimed, still driving.
"Stop the car!" She told him again, her voice full of panic as she felt unable to breathe and began crying. Eddie hit the brakes abruptly, but as soon as the car stood on the completely empty road, Y/n unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of it.
She could only take three short steps, stumbling a bit until she fell to her knees at the side of the road, blood still on her hands and running down her legs, and threw up into the bushes. The gagging caused even more tears, and at this point it was a disgusting mix of hyperventilating and vomiting and her own blood.
Steve was the first who jumped out of the car to follow her, running around it as fast as he could and putting his hand onto her forehead to hold her while she still threw up. Y/n had no idea who held her, but she was grateful because everything, especially her head, felt so heavy, and without the person who held her she wouldn't be able to kneel anymore. Nancy was quick to follow, already preparing some handkerchiefs and a bottle of water.
Eddie was the one who realised she was bleeding, as he stared at the huge stain on the passenger seat. He felt the need to tell the others, to have them comfirm what was right before him, because he couldn't quite grasp it. His stuttering caught Robins attention, who then noticed it as well.
Her mind started racing, realising where Y/n bled, and then realising that she never just walked off with some guy. As the blonde put two and two together, she could feel tears coming up herself. God, that was what she meant when she said she didn't want to stain the seat...
"Shit, fuck." Robin whispered and walked off, brushing her hands through her face. "Fuck." She stated again, more loudly.
Y/n didn't even hear her, she still panicked as Steve rubbed circles on her back in a desperate attempt to sooth the crying girl.
"Sssssh, you're fine. It'll be fine. I'm right here. I got you, I won't let go." He assured .
Nancy and him exchanged a glance, as Nancy got up and handed Steve the supplies she had prepared.
The brunette woman walked towards Eddie, who got out of the car and seemed so livid, that she thought he was going to explode any second. He made an attempt to walk towards his best friend, but he seemed like he was about to scream, or hit something, anything, and Nancy stopped him.
"You're not being helpful." The brunette told him, but he shook his head. "You haven't seen it yet, have you?" He hissed, pointing to the car. Nancy shook her head in confusion, until the tears that now fell down the Metalheads cheeks got her moving, getting faster with every step until she reached the car and saw it herself.
"No." She breathed out. "No, no, no, no, no..."
Nancy looked at Robin, who never appeared more resigned, a silent conversation going on between them. They turned to Steve, the way he held Y/n, the way she would completely lose halt if he wouldn't be there. The way he whispered soothing words into her ear. They turned to Eddie, who kicked the tire of his car, running his hands through his hair with guilt written all over his face, and they turned to Y/n, understanding of what happened, what was done to her, washing over her, and how she held onto Steve like he was all she had and they thought that the person who did this to her, was worse than any upside down monster could ever be, because he was human.
I'll write a second part if you want one I guess. I'm not even sure if it's okay, I just needed to write this.
Taglist: (If you are tagged in red, it means I couldn't tag you. Here are reasons for that. Comment if you want to be added or removed, but please understand that I am not replying because I get alot. If you do not receive a notification that I added you, check here again to see if your name is red, or message me.)
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hbyrde36 · 9 months
Text
Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy) Pt. 2
I'm going to tag anyone who I think was interrested in following along. If you'd prefer not to be tagged, just let me know!
Part 1 ao3 link
*Eddie 1986*
Dustin burst in the door without knocking. A habit Eddie had been trying to break him out of for years. One of these days he’d do it at the wrong time and see something he’ll wish he hadn’t. Maybe then he’d learn his lesson.
“So, don’t freak out but…”
“Ugh” Eddie groaned, pushing his face further into his pillow. “It’s never good when you start a sentence like that. At least let me get some coffee first.”
“Fine.” Dustin relented, stomping back out into the kitchen of the Munson trailer.
Ten minutes later and with coffee in hand, Eddie motioned for Dustin to continue with whatever nonsense he’d woken him up for this morning.
“I told the guys about Steve, about you knowing him.”
“Dustin!” Eddie shouted, incredulously.
“What? It’s not like it’s some big secret or something!”
“You didn’t know!”
“No, I didn't. But I should have realized, and I shouldn’t have said what I did the other night about him. That wasn’t cool. That’s why I told them, because I felt bad, and because I was thinking that maybe we could do a little investigation of our own?”
The kid meant well and it was sweet that he wanted to do something to make Eddie feel better, but what did he think he and a bunch of teenagers would be able to do about it?
Eddie shook his head. “I already told you man, his parents are loaded. I’m sure they left no stone unturned. What could we possibly do that they haven't already tried?”
Dustin’s face spread into a cocky grin. “For starters, Mike talked to Nancy. Did you know she dated Steve for a little while right around the time Will got lost in the woods?”
He had known that actually. In fact he vividly remembered catching the two of them in the boy’s bathroom that one time. He’d never thought about it in reference to Steve’s disappearance before though. The couple had broken up a few months before it happened.
“Yea, okay. So, they dated. What’s that got to do with anything?”
“I”m not sure if it does, but the police never even talked to her. Mike said she was willing to talk to us about him, if you want.”
Eddie couldn’t believe he was actually considering this, but it was hard to deny how intrigued he was to learn more about Steve. Even if it didn’t lead to any answers about what had happened to him.
“You know what? Fuck it. Let's do it.” Eddie declared, slamming his now empty cup down on the table for emphasis.
“Language! I am a child!.” Dustin gasped, in a dramatic impersonation of his mother.
“Shut it, nerd.”
“You literally play D&D with children! Who’s the nerd now?!”
-
Eddie had never really had a full conversation with Nancy. They said hi in passing, and whenever he came to the house to play with the boys of course, but that was the extent of it. Now he was supposed to sit here in the Wheeler’s basement, like it was any other day, and talk to her about her ex boyfriend. Awkward.
Or, maybe not. 
According to Dustin, Nancy knew all about their game, including how she, Steve, and many others were used as characters in it. She understood their curiosity. She herself had always thought that there was something suspicious about the whole thing. That maybe there was more going on in Hawkins than a single missing boy.
“Do you remember the day in the cafeteria, when Steve got into that screaming match with Tommy and Carol?”
Eddie shook his head. “No, but I heard it was brutal.” He’d skipped out early that day to meet up with Rick for more product. The whole school was buzzing about it the next day, he could have kicked himself for missing the show.
“It was. I was shocked. I had never seen him act like that. I know he and I hadn’t been together that long, so I could be wrong, but It seemed so out of character. I mean, everything he said was true, and those two probably deserved it, but the three of them had been best friends for years. He never stood up to them before, so why now? It felt like it came out of nowhere.” 
She paused, taking a breath and gathering her thoughts before continuing.
“I remember him looking at me, just before he stormed off when it was all over. He didn’t look mad, it was more like.. I don’t know, scared, maybe?”
Well, that was a little ominous. Eddie and the younger boys shared a look as Nancy got up from her seat on the couch and started pacing.
“He called me later that night and asked me to come over so we could talk. When I got there, he stepped out onto the porch instead of letting me come inside. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but looking back, it was a little odd. We sat on the steps and he said that he was sorry, but he couldn’t see me anymore. I asked him if there was someone else, but he said no. He just wanted to be single for a while and concentrate on other things. It was fine. I don’t think either of us were too upset about it. We hugged and said our goodbyes, and that was the last time I spoke to him.”
She stopped pacing, standing directly in front of Eddie as she finished her story.
“I still saw him around, of course, and heard about how he quit the school teams. Which seemed weird, because, what was this more important thing he was focusing on? Clearly it wasn’t sports. Then he started skipping school, so it wasn’t about his grades either. I started to wonder if maybe he had gotten into drugs or something.” 
Or, he could have just been lying to let you down easy, Eddie thought, but that wasn’t very kind. Instead he said, “If he was, he wasn't getting them from me.” 
Dustin gasped. “Wait, dude, are you really a drug dealer?”
Fuck. “Um. No?”
“You are! You’re totally a drug dealer!” Dustin said, bouncing in his seat and pointing a finger in Eddie’s face.
Eddie groaned. “Please stop yelling ‘drug dealer’ before Mike's parents hear you and kick me out!”
“Does that mean you smoke pot?” Lucas asked.
 “Can we smoke pot?” Mike added quickly, grinning.
“Absolutely not!” Eddie and Nancy shouted, simultaneously.
He turned to her, hands raised. “For the record, I don’t sell anymore. Not since my supplier went to jail.”
Dustin’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh shit, is Reefer Rick a real person?”
Nancy gave Eddie a hard look.
“What?! We all used people from our life in the game!” He said defensively. “Look, guys, I think we’re getting off track here.”
“Is there anything else weird you remember about Steve from before he disappeared?” Will asked Nancy, speaking for the first time. Eddie threw him a grateful smile.
“Not that I can think of.”
“What about his parents?” Lucas asked.
“I never met them, but he always said his dad was an asshole. The way he talked sometimes, it sounded like they weren’t around a lot.”
The image of it flashed in Eddie’s mind for a moment. Steve, all by himself in that big empty house of his. Haunting its hallways in the middle of the night. He shook his head roughly to clear it. 
Maybe it was silly to think of it that way. What teenage boy wouldn’t love having the house to himself? No one hasling you or telling you what to do. He couldn’t explain why, but somehow he didn’t think Steve liked being alone.
Eddie was startled when Nancy placed a hand on his arm. She looked at him, face pinched with concern. He realized suddenly that they were alone. He’d been so lost in thought that he didn’t realize the boys had left. She saw him looking around and explained.
“I sent the boys upstairs for lunch. It looked like you needed a minute.”
“Yea, sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.” He got up to collect his things, and headed towards the basement steps.
“It’s the time of year. I get it, I've been thinking about him a lot too.” She said, following him.
Eddie shook his head. It wasn’t the same, she was allowed to think about Steve. To miss him. What right did Eddie have? “That’s different. You dated the guy. We weren’t even friends.”
“You’re allowed to miss him, Eddie.”
“No, I'm not.”
“He thought you were brave, y’know.”
“What?” He stopped walking, but couldn’t bring himself to turn around to face her. 
“He told me once, the first time I sat with him for lunch. You had jumped up on your table, ranting and raving about whatever had bothered you that day.” She sounded amused at the memory. “Tommy and the others sneered and complained, but not Steve. He smiled as he watched you. He said, ‘sometimes I wish I could be brave like that. Just stop caring about what everyone else thinks and be free’.”
He finally looked back at her over his shoulder. She smiled at him kindly, it seemed genuine so he returned the gesture.
“Thanks, Wheeler.”
-
Eddie didn’t stay to join the boys for lunch, though he did make plans to meet up with them the next day. He needed some time alone to process what they’d learned so far. He did his best thinking in the van, so he drove around town aimlessly, blasting Metallica and trying to sort through it all. 
Eventually he made his way to Loch Nora, slowing when he reached Steve’s street. He’d never been inside the Harrington house, but he knew where it was. There was no car in the driveway, so he rolled to a stop in front of it. A ‘For Sale’ sign was stuck in the grass a few feet to the right of the mailbox.
He hadn’t realized Steve’s parents were selling the place. Good, Eddie thought. It would make his next task that much easier. He’d come up with a plan, of sorts, as he cruised around Hawkins. The first step? A good old fashioned breaking and entering.   
-
*Steve 1983/1984*
Two days after finding Eleven out in the woods, Steve cut ties with all his friends. He made a big scene out of calling Tommy and Carol assholes in the middle of the cafeteria, to really drive the point home. He turned himself into a social pariah overnight, anything to keep people from wanting to get close to him.  
He let Nancy go. It was easy enough. He found that he wasn’t even all that upset about it, he knew she wouldn't be too sad either. He’d seen how she looked at Jonathan that day at school, when the news broke that Will was missing. They would get together before too long, he was sure of it.
He quit the swim team, basketball, and only continued going to school because dropping out would be too suspicious. He started skipping days a lot. 
-
Eleven, who he’d taken to calling El for short, needed her own space. He would have loved to decorate the guest room for her, would have let her paint the walls and everything. Unfortunately, his parents still came home on occasion, and it would be too hard to hide. Instead, they worked together to fix up a space for her in the attic. Even when they were home, his parents never went up there. 
He didn’t know anything about little girls, but neither did El, so they figured things out together. He set her up with a T.V. to keep her company when he was gone during the day. He gave her a bunch of catalogs to look through, and told her to take a marker and circle anything she liked. Clothes, bedding, curtains, toys, he bought it all. Perks of the Harrington name, and a credit card with a high spending limit.
By the time her attic room was done, she finally felt secure enough to sleep in her own bed. She felt safe in the knowledge that her new brother wouldn’t abandon her as she slept, or lock her inside. Sometimes though, he would wake up to find she’d come into his room in the middle of the night. Almost always when it rained.
They quickly became a little family, he and El. Steve didn’t have any siblings, hadn’t thought he even liked kids, and certainly never knew how much he wanted a little sister until she came along. He taught her what he knew about the world, and in return he learned the importance of patience and kindness.  Together, they discovered unconditional love. 
For a few wonderful months, life was good. There was a little hiccup in January of ‘84, when eleven accidentally knocked a vase off the counter in the kitchen. It was fine. She caught it with her mind before it hit the floor, then levitated it back upright on the counter. It was the first time she’d used her powers in front of Steve. Powers he had been completely unaware of.
He’d hyperventilated for a while, but once he recovered he explained to her that, ‘No sweetie, I didn’t know you could do that, but it’s fine. I promise. No, I'm not afraid of you. It’s just another part of you, and I love who you are.’
It was another turning point for them, a catalyst that compelled her to explain more about where she came from. What sort of things they did to her at the lab, and she finally told him all about Papa and the other children. 
Steve had never pushed her on any of it, happy to just keep her safe, and wait until she was ready to talk. Once she did? Well, he was fucking livid. It was all he could do not to go to the newspapers, or Chief Hopper, and blow the whole thing wide open. Hell, he would have found the place himself and burnt it to the ground if he didn’t know for a fact that there were other kids living inside. 
In the end, he did nothing. Too afraid that if he was caught, or worse, there would be no one who knew about El, or where she was. There would be no one to take care of her.
-
It was all his fault. He should have known better. It was his job to take care of her, and he had failed in that task spectacularly. It was spring break 1984, Easter Sunday. He’d just wanted to take her out to breakfast, something he could remember doing with his own parents for the holiday when he was young. Back when they at least pretended to give a shit about him. 
They were as safe about it as they could have been. He picked a small restaurant two towns over, where no one would recognize them. She looked so happy when she smiled at him over her massive stack of waffles.
He didn’t see it for what it was, when the two nondescript white work vans pulled into the parking lot of the diner. Movies had him envisioning a legion of fancy black town cars pulling up on him one day, a swarm of dark suits surrounding him, demanding to know where the girl was. He should have known that Papa would be a bit more subtle.
The bell above the main entrance door dinged as a new customer entered. El looked up reflexively at the sound and her eyes went wide. It was the only warning Steve had before a tall man with white hair and an impeccably tailored gray suit slid into the booth next to him.
“Hello, Eleven. You’re looking well.”
Steve watched as she curled in on herself. Turning back into the little girl he found in the woods right before his eyes. 
“Papa.” She gasped, bottom lip trembling.
The man turned to look at Steve. “I’m Dr. Brenner. Now, don’t go getting any big ideas, young man. I have people on every door to this place. You’ll never make it to that pretty car of yours in time, and I can assure you that if you try, they will not hesitate to..deal with the situation.”
Steve froze, not remotely prepared for this scenario. He didn’t know what to do and was scared of making a misstep. He wasn’t afraid for himself, he didn’t care what happened to him, but he was terrified for El, and the possibility of losing his sister forever. 
“Here’s what's going to happen.” Brenner continued. “Eleven is going to leave this place with me, right now. You, Mr. Harrington, yes I know all about you, are going to go back to your life and forget that any of this ever happened. If you so much as think about telling anyone what you’ve seen, we will know, and we will come for you.”
“I’m not going to just let you take her.” Steve protested, heart pounding.
“You don’t have a say in the matter.”
“If you take her then you’ll have to take me too!” Steve raised his voice a little too loudly, drawing the attention of the other diners. 
“That’s not an option.” Brenner hissed. “I have no need for someone like you”
Steve lowered his voice to a whisper, knowing that angering the man further wasn’t going to help. “I’m not leaving her. I’ll die first. You’ll have to kill me right here and now in front of all these people. Do you really want to make that big of a scene?”
Steve could tell the man was considering it. “Please.“ He begged. “I'm sure you can find some use for me. I’ll do anything.”
Brenner sighed. “Very well. You will both follow me outside. Leave your car keys on the table, Steven, you won’t be needing them.”
The man slid out of the booth, threw more cash than necessary on the table, and walked out the door.
Steve scrambled out of his seat at the same time El did, and they collided in a desperate embrace. She was shaking, crying. Steve ran his fingers through her short curls. 
“I”m sorry El, i’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
She looked up at him, blinking through tears. “It’s not your fault, they would have found me eventually, one way or another.”
“I’ll get us out of this somehow, I promise.”
She took a small step away from him and shook her head. “No, Steve. You have to let him take me. Only me. You have a life, parents, a family.”
He shook his head, taking her small hand in his. “You are my family El. I’m not leaving you. We’re in this together. You and me, always.”
Part 3
@penny00dreadful @buckleybarnes @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @iaminmultiplefandoms @adaed5 @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @hotshot9 @manda-panda-monium
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corroded-hellfire · 1 year
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Big Brown Eyes - Eddie Munson x Reader, Part 4
Summary: It’s time for your first date with Eddie and your nerves almost get the better of you. Everett also becomes a big hit at the kid’s high school graduation. You can read part three here!
Note: I feel like I need a permanent spot in all of my fics to thank @munson-blurbs for all her help 💚
Warnings: language, anxiety, near anxiety attack, I think that’s it?
Words: 9.5k
[Big Brown Eyes masterlist]
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“This one? No, wait. This one?”
Nancy rolls her eyes at you as she sits cross-legged on your bed. She watches as you dig through your drawers and closet, tossing different articles of clothing around the room. A pair of shorts have landed in her lap, two bathing suits are flung over your mirror, and a pile of t-shirts sits by your feet. 
“Do you really want my opinions?” Nancy asks. “Or are you just talking to yourself and I’m fortunate enough to be here to hear it?”
“Help me,” you beg, turning from your closet to face her. 
“Okay, okay.” Nancy pushes herself off the bed and walks over to you. She guides you by the shoulders and gives you a gentle shove until you’ve taken her previous spot in the bed. The blue and green bathing suits are pulled from your mirror and Nancy tosses the green one to rest on your dresser and the blue one on your lap. “This one. First of all, the color looks perfect on you. Second of all, Eddie won’t be able to stop staring at the cutouts where your skin will peek out.”
“Now what do I wear over it for lunch?” you ask. 
There’s a squeal from down the hall and Everett’s ferocious giggling brings a smile to your face. When you left them in the living room ten minutes ago, Steve and Everett were surrounded by Legos and toy dinosaurs. You’re afraid to see the state of the room now. Steve may be an amazing dad, but he’s a horrible maid. 
“Simple denim shorts,” Nancy says, bringing you back to the matter at hand. There are a few pairs scattered around the room, so you take a look around and decide on a pair that landed just short of the bed. You scoop them up and put them in the pile with the bathing suit in front of you. “Now, tank top or tee?”
“Um… T-shirt,” you decide.
“Here. This Grateful Dead one.” Nancy tosses it to you, and you catch it with a smile. You weren’t a big Grateful Dead fan, but last Mother’s Day Everett saw the t-shirt with the colorful bears on it at the store and told Steve that’s what he wanted to get you. 
Nancy leaves the room so you can change into your outfit for the date, and you quickly apply some waterproof mascara once you’re dressed. The living room is noisy as you walk in. Nancy’s on the floor with Everett and Steve and you’re sure all Everett had to do was flash those wide doe eyes at her and she agreed to play as the T-rex. 
“The bears!” Everett says when he sees your shirt.
“They look good, right?” you ask him, looking down at your outfit. 
“Yeah! Pretty!”
“Thanks, baby.” You kneel down to give your son a kiss, but he tries to thrust a Stegosaurus doll into your hand. “Aw, Ev, I can’t. Remember? I told you I’m going out and you’re going with Daddy and Nancy tonight?”
He huffs, dropping the toy to the floor, and you know he’s more upset that you won’t play than the fact that you’re going out. 
“Want us to head out?” Nancy asks and you shake your head.
“No, just lock up when you leave. I think I’d get a hissy fit if I insist the dinosaurs be moved elsewhere.”
“Have fun,” Steve says, accepting a Pterodactyl from your son.
“Yeah. Have fun,” Everett echoes.
He reluctantly takes his attention from his playtime to give you a hug and kiss goodbye. Nancy squeezes your arm and gives you an encouraging wink before you stand. As you head for the door, you can’t help but wonder how Everett would react if he was a little bit older. He’d never known you and Steve together as a couple, so the concept of Daddy having Nancy and a different home has always been normal to him. But in a few years, he’ll come to realize that his home life isn’t typical. Would Everett be mad you’re going out on a date? Would he throw a fit? Cry? 
You realize you’re borrowing unnecessary trouble and force your thoughts to stop where they are and head out the door. Jogging down the steps and walking over to your car, your mind decides it needs to stress out about something. Not only is this the first date you’re going on since you had Everett, but it’s the first date you’re going on that’s not with Steve. Who you already knew before you dated. This is a brand new experience and you don’t do well with those. 
Turning up the radio as you pull out onto the road, you’re hoping the music will let you relax a little. The hope was futile though, as you feel your heart rate increase and your breathing speed up. Part of your brain is yelling at you to turn around, go home, where it’s nice and safe, and hide away from the world. But that’s not what you really want. 
“Shut up.” Talking to your anxieties out loud might not be very helpful, but what’s the harm in trying? You want to see Eddie. You want to spend time with him. You’re not going to let your traitorous brain deter you from that. 
Thumbs beating an erratic rhythm on the steering wheel as you pull up to Lover’s Lake, you can physically feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins. With a deep breath, you put your car into park. A movement out of the corner of your eye catches your attention, and you turn your head to see Eddie climbing out of his van. He’s wearing black swim trunks and a black Black Sabbath t-shirt. He hasn’t seen you yet, so you take the moment to just look at him. He’s so effortlessly beautiful. You study from his slightly frizzy hair down to the old canvas sneakers he’s wearing on his feet. When you’ve finished admiring him, you’re startled to realize that your body feels perfectly calm. There was no more rapid heart, shallow breathing, or dizzying feeling of anxiety. It brings a smile to your face, and you take it as a good sign that just looking at Eddie has a calming effect on you.
At the sound of your car door opening, Eddie turns and a grin lights up his face when he sees you. He comes over to meet you halfway, instantly pulling you into a hug.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he says as he squeezes you against his chest. “How are you?”
“Much better now,” you tell him truthfully. You pull back and the way he looks into your eyes makes your legs turn to jelly. “How are you doing today?”
“Also much better now.” He hasn’t taken his arms from around your body, and you don’t mind one bit. Deciding to take advantage of it, you lean into him and are rewarded by his smile becoming even brighter. 
“So, what’d you bring?” you ask. “If I recall, you said it was going to be something even better than fast food.”
“I am a man of my word,” Eddie says. He slips your hand into his and brings you over with him to the back of his van. The doors are already open and there’s a blanket neatly folded next to a large picnic basket. “I’ve got bread with all the sandwich fixings you could want. Potato salad, white wine - or lemonade, because I wasn’t sure if you drink or not. And, not to brag, but I actually made our dessert from a recipe I found.”
He hands you the blanket and he slides the basket over his arm so he can close the doors.
“I’m impressed,” you tell him as the two of you walk closer to the water’s edge. “What did you make?”
“Cherry cobbler bars.” 
You shoot him a smile as you spread the blanket down over the grass. Eddie sets the basket down on one corner and you take a seat opposite each other. The yellow blanket is softer than it looks, the cotton comforting against your bare legs.
“How’d you know cherry is my favorite?” you ask. 
“I must just know you,” he says with a wink. 
A flush comes to your cheeks as Eddie starts to unpack the food from the basket. He gives you a choice of drink and you decide to have one of each. Eddie mixes the wine and lemonade together, saying he’ll see how it tastes, but the face he makes when the concoction touches his lips has you giggling so hard your stomach hurts. He pours the cup out on the grass and refills it with just lemonade. 
Making sandwiches with Eddie shouldn’t be as fun as it is, but he makes you laugh constantly as you both sift through the meats and toppings scattered around the two of you. He scoops some potato salad on your plate, then his, and you both tuck into your food as you keep up a stream of steady conversation. Eddie tells you about his old job back near Evansville, how much of an asshole his boss was, and how the garage here in Hawkins was Heaven compared to that place. You tell him how you always had your nose in a book in high school and how that naturally led you to start your job at the library, since the staff there had known you since you were about six. 
“What’s your all-time favorite book then?” Eddie asks. “Or is that too hard for you to pick?”
“Oh no, it’s definitely Pride and Prejudice. Is that too cliche of an answer? Aw well, it’s the truth. What about you?”
“Another cliche answer coming at you,” Eddie says between bites of his turkey sandwich. “The Hobbit.”
“Oh, I’ve been wanting to read that to Everett at bedtime,” you tell him. “He’s in his Dr. Seuss era though, so I think we’re still working our way up to Tolkien.”
Dirtied plates back in the basket, you and Eddie stay on the blanket talking well after the thirty minutes that are needed before you go into the water. The day is warm with a nice cool breeze, only a few wispy clouds in the bright blue sky, and the surface of the lake shines and glitters like it’s been sprinkled with thousands of small diamonds. 
“Would you like to go for a swim?” Eddie asks, tilting his head at you, his dark eyes drawing you in. 
“That sounds nice,” you say.
Eddie stands and strips his shirt off, leaving you speechless. It’s not the first time you’ve seen him without his shirt, thanks to the surprise visit by his place yesterday, but seeing him in all his ridiculously gorgeous glory would take you a lifetime to get used to. He glances down at you, doing a double take when he sees you staring. A smirk dances on his lips and there’s a dusting of pink over his cheekbones.
“Staring might not be polite but it sure is flattering.”
“O-Oh, sorry,” you stutter, an embarrassed smile coming to your face. 
“Please, don’t be.” Eddie offers his hand down to you, which you happily accept. He helps you stand, but you're suddenly self-conscious about stripping down to your swimsuit. Eddie stretches his arms over his head as he looks out at the lake and you’re not sure if he’s giving you a moment of privacy on purpose or not, but you take advantage of it and slip out of your t-shirt and shorts. 
When he turns back to you, he’s a gentleman, not obviously ogling you like you’d just done to him. But he does smile, pulling you closer to him and resting his hands on your hips.
“You look good in blue,” he says. His thumbs rub over bare skin where they come across a cutout in the bathing suit, and it sends a rush of goosebumps over your skin.
“Thank you,” you say softly. Your hands have nowhere to rest but on his bare skin, so your fingertips brush over his collarbones. The black widow spider tattoo attracts your attention and you run your forefinger over it. 
“You like spiders, too.” The words are almost mumbled under your breath, but Eddie catches them.
“Hmm?” he asks.
You blink a few times, eyes coming up to meet his.
“That was the first thing I heard you say,” you explain. “Everett told you he wasn’t afraid of spiders, and you told him that you like them too.”
“Oh yeah,” Eddie says as he remembers. “He said that Spider-Man is his favorite.”
“He is.” You look back down to his tattoo and rub your finger over it again. “That why you got this tattoo? Because you like spiders?”
“Partly.” There’s a mischievous glint in Eddie’s eye that makes you raise an eyebrow at him. He shrugs sheepishly. “One of my buddies from high school, Jeff, thought it was weird that I liked spiders. Because he’s afraid of them. So, I got this like a few months before I knew his family was having a Fourth of July barbeque at his house. Then I whipped my shirt off and he looked like he was going to shit himself.” 
“Such a good friend,” you say with a giggle. “Teasing the poor guy like that.” 
“Mm, he got over it,” Eddie says with a shrug. He starts walking backwards towards the lake, leading you along by your hands. “Come on, let’s get in.”
Eddie’s feet hit the water first and his face scrunches up, making you laugh.
“Cold?” you ask.
“Only a little,” he says, but he keeps walking backwards. Soon the water hits your toes and you let out a small squeal at the cold bite. It really wasn’t too bad, more of a shock after sitting in the nice warm sun for so long. 
Eddie lets go of your hands once the water reaches his small waist, and he has to wade further. He doesn’t take his eyes off of you though, and the moment that you’re at the same level as him in the water, he swims over and wraps an arm around you. 
“Hi,” you say as you relax your body against his. He feels warm and safe, and it makes you never want to let go of him. 
Eddie pulls you out until it’s a little deeper and your toes have to stretch more and more just to be able to walk along the riverbed. When it’s starting to become too hard for you, you pout, and Eddie is instantly there, holding you up to his level with his arms around your middle. He starts to keep moving deeper though, bringing you out where he knows you can’t touch the bottom. You’re about to huff at him for it when you catch sight of the smirk he’s trying to suppress. He likes that you can’t touch here. That you have to hold onto him for support. Deciding to give into him, you wrap your arms around his neck and bring up your legs to wind around his hips. 
“This what you were looking for?” you ask.
“Pretty much,” he admits. 
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” you tell him as you rest your forehead against his. 
“How many guys do you say that to?”
“Two. You and a three-year-old.”
“So, I’m in good company,” he says. 
Eddie slides his thumbs over the cutouts in your bathing suit, hands holding you firmly by the hips. It’s nice to just wade out in the water together like this, enjoying the nice weather and being held by one another. 
“I’m glad we’re finally on a real date.” Eddie breaks the peaceful silence after a few minutes.
“Me too,” you tell him. “To tell you the truth though, I was nervous on the way here.”
His brow pinches together in a frown as he looks up at you. “Why? Nervous to see me?”
“No, no,” you say with a shake of your head. “Me wanting to see you is basically the only thing that was able to break through my anxieties and get me here.” You shrug and start to play with the wet hairs at the base of Eddie’s neck. “I’m not very good with ‘new’ in my life. It stresses me out. Even the good new, like this. But honestly? Once I pulled up and saw you, that all went away. I didn’t feel stressed or anxious. Just excited to see you.”
The smile that lights up Eddie’s face has your stomach doing somersaults. He takes one hand from your hip and cups your jaw with it.
“I was really excited to see you, too,” he says. “More excited than I’ve been for anything in a long time.” 
“Yeah?” you ask as you rest your forehead against his.
“Mhmm,” he hums. 
Eddie’s thumb strokes over your cheekbone a few times before he leans in and softly presses his lips against yours. It feels as if your heart has stopped in your chest as you move your lips against his. Eddie’s arm tightens around your waist, and you pull yourself closer to his body with the arms you have wrapped around his neck. The feeling of Eddie’s tongue swiping across your top lip has you instantly parting them for him, letting him lead this kiss deeper. You and Eddie only break the kiss because you can’t stop smiling, but you quickly lean back in for another taste of his lips. 
“I feel like a teenager again,” you muse. “Just making out wherever and whenever I get the chance.”
Eddie smirks, but it’s endearing, never mean. “Well, if you want the full experience, we can always makeout in the back of my van.”
You gasp. “Eddie!” you scold him, swatting at his bare chest. 
“Is that a yes?”
“What happened to ‘there were never any girls in high school,’ Mr. Munson?” you tease. “Doesn’t sound like it was your full teenage experience.”
“Well, maybe I have some making up to do,” he says with a waggle of his eyebrows. It makes you giggle and lean in to press another kiss to his lips. The jolt it sends through your body is so strong that you wouldn’t be surprised if Eddie could feel it coursing through your body under his fingertips.
“Mm, okay,” you hum against his lips. “Let’s go make out in the van. But then we have the cherry cobbler bars.”
“Deal.” 
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Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist,
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this
Everett dances in his car seat, banging his little head to the Poison song playing on the radio like he was born to be in a mosh pit. It makes you chuckle when you watch him over your shoulder in the passenger seat. Steve keeps glancing at him in the rear-view mirror, bringing a smile to his face as well. The little boy looks even more like his dad’s mini me in their matching green polo shirts. You hadn’t planned on dressing him identically to Steve, but it was the only way to convince him to wear a nicer shirt than an old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tee.
Telling him he was going to see his aunts and uncles graduate got about the reaction you expected it would. He’d asked if that meant he could play with them. When you explained that he was going to sit with you, his dad, and some of his other aunts and uncles to watch them walk across a stage, he seemed to care less than he already did. You already knew he wouldn’t sit still through the long ceremony, out in the heat of the June Hawkins day, sitting on uncomfortable bleachers. But you were hoping there were enough people in the crowd that he knew that would be able to keep him occupied. Hopefully they’d humor him as he bounced from familiar face to familiar face. 
Nancy had stayed the previous night at her family’s house so she could help set up for the graduation party taking place there this evening. But as soon as Everett gets out of the car, she’s the first face he sees. She’s getting out of her dad’s car with Holly right behind her and Everett starts bouncing on his toes in excitement.
“Nanzy!”
She looks at the call of her name and smiles when she sees the miniature Steve excitedly waving at her. You scoop him up in your arms and meet Nancy halfway in the parking lot, handing Everett over as he makes grabby hands for your best friend.
“You missed me? You saw me yesterday,” she tells him.
Everett just shrugs and lays his head on her shoulder. “Yeah.”
“Are you and Daddy matching today?”
Her notice of this gives him an extra boost of energy and he nods his head enthusiastically. 
“Yes! I look like Daddy!”
Steve gives Nancy a kiss hello and you walk with them and the other Wheelers to the football field, where the ceremony will be taking place. Robin, Vickie, the Sinclair’s and Mrs. Henderson are already there, so your gang joins up with them. Everyone fawns over Everett, much to his delight. He soaks in all the compliments about how cute he is and shows off his dimples just to prove everyone’s point further. Joyce and Hopper join you soon, Jonathan trailing behind them, and Everett makes his move on them as well. He happily sits in Hopper’s lap and asks to see the shiny badge he knows the police chief always has on him. 
“This seat taken?” 
You look up, having to squint because of the sun, and see a familiar face smiling down at you. It’s pure instinct to stand up and wrap your arms around Eddie’s neck. He chuckles as he hugs you back, pressing a kiss to your cheek.
“Hello to you, too,” he says. 
“I didn’t know you were coming,” you say. And it wasn’t from lack of communication. You and Eddie had talked on the phone every night since your date last weekend. He even came by for lunch at the library on Wednesday. 
“Thought I’d surprise you.”
“Mission accomplished.”
Max’s mom comes up behind Eddie, along with an older gentleman that Eddie introduces as his Uncle Wayne. 
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Wayne says, making a pink tinge appear on Eddie’s face. You’re about to respond when there’s a bump against your thigh. Everett’s holding onto your leg, peeking out shyly at the man he’s never met. “And you must be Everett.”
The boy hides his head fully behind you and you give his hair an affectionate pat. 
“C’mere you.” You pick Everett up and hold him on your hip. “This is Eddie’s Uncle Wayne. Can you say hi?”
The toddler perks up, just realizing that Eddie’s standing there. You’re a little surprised he remembers him after that brief encounter a few weeks ago. But his eyes light up and he gives Eddie a big grin.
“Eddie!” His voice is full of joy, and it warms your heart.
“Hey, little dude! I missed you.”
“Missed you,” Everett replies, causing you to get slightly misty eyed.
The speakers crackle to life, the feedback making Everett cover his ears. The Vice Principal approaches the podium, and you take your seat on the bleachers. Steve is on your left, Eddie on your right, with Everett perched in your lap. He’s already antsy and wiggling around so you can only imagine how restless he’s going to get over the next two hours. 
Eddie’s lips against your ear surprise you and you let out a little squeal, making Everett look back at you and Eddie chuckle.
“I missed you, too, you know.”
“That’s good,” you tell him. “Because I missed you. Are you here for any graduate in particular?”
“Um, I think the only one of the gang I haven’t met is El. But I’ve heard about her from everyone. Plus,” Eddie pauses and leans in closer to whisper directly to you, “Wayne is pretty in love with Max’s mom. He doesn’t believe me when I say the feeling is mutual, but it definitely is.”
You giggle and sneak a peek over Eddie’s shoulder where Ms. Mayfield and Uncle Wayne are talking, heads close together. 
“That’s adorable,” you say. 
Everett hops off your lap and moves onto Steve’s, little face already painted with boredom as some school official drones on. Steve looks at you and raises his eyebrows. It takes you a moment to realize what he’s trying to communicate.
“Oh!” You lean back so the men on either side of you can see one another. “Eddie, this is Steve. Steve, this is Eddie.” They’ve heard enough about each other that they need no more introduction than that.
“Nice to meet you,” Eddie says, extending his hand to your ex.
“Likewise,” Steve says as he shakes his hand. 
Everett catches sight of Eddie’s rings again and leans across your lap to grab his hand before he can take it away. Eddie chuckles and lets him inspect them, watching him with an adoring expression on his face. Your son doesn’t seem to notice that his bony little elbows are digging into your thighs. 
The speaker at the podium switches out for another and the list of student’s names starts rolling. 
“Gotta pay attention now,” you lean down to whisper to Everett. “They’re going to call names and we’re going to clap.”
He reluctantly lets go of Eddie’s hand and straightens himself in Steve’s lap. His brown eyes stare out at the field, waiting for a name he knows. 
“William Byers.”
Everett doesn’t realize he knows that name until everyone around him starts to cheer. But he quickly gets into the spirit and claps his hands together so fast he stings his own palms. Now that his interest has been piqued, Everett is anxious for the next person he knows to walk across the stage. He squirms in Steve’s lap, small attention span kicking in.
“Hey,” Steve says in his ear. “Do you see Aunt Max out there?”
His little eyes squint as he scans over the sea of students donned in green caps and gowns. After a quick assessment, he pouts and shakes his head.
“No?” Steve asks. “Look for her red hair. I think she’s the only redhead out there.”
Everett takes another look and gasps when he spots his favorite aunt, pointing at her and bouncing up and down on his dad’s legs.
“Aunt Max! I see her!”
“Good job, buddy,” Steve says. 
“Dustin Henderson.”
That name Everett recognizes right away and beams as he watches his Uncle Dusty Buns, unruly curls tucked in his cap, walk across the stage and take his diploma. 
“Yay!” Everett yells out as the rest of you clap and cheer.
“He’s about the cutest thing ever,” Eddie says to you. 
“Dustin?” you reply with a playful smirk. “Adorable, right?”
Eddie rolls his eyes, a fond smile gracing his features, and knocks his shoulder against yours. His hand twitches where it sits in his lap and your eyes notice as he goes to reach for you, but quickly pulls his hand back. It’s understandable. The two of you hadn’t talked about any affection shown in front of Everett because you hadn’t thought they were going to be in the same place at the same time for a while. 
“El Hopper.”
As you clap for your friend, your son wriggles his way out of Steve’s lap. Hopper lets out a loud whistle as his daughter makes her way to get her diploma, and Everett giggles at the sound. He turns towards you and you’re ready to help him into your lap when he walks right past you and stops in front of Eddie. He smiles up at the man in front of him, big brown eyes meeting bigger brown eyes. Eddie doesn’t hesitate and helps Everett onto his lap when he struggles to climb. 
“Hey, buddy,” Eddie says. 
“Hi,” Everett answers. 
Out of the corner of your eye you see Steve watching Everett. Or is he watching Eddie? You lean in to whisper in Steve’s ear.
“Everything okay?”
Steve nods and leans in to reply.
“How many times have they met?” he asks.
“Just once before.”
“And Everett isn’t still shy around him?” Steve asks. 
“He never has been. Walked right up to him at Dustin’s like he’s known him all his life.”
“That’s weird,” Steve says.
Your face pinches up in a frown as you turn your head to look at Eddie with your son again. Everett is as happy as could be, talking animatedly about something - you’re not even sure what he’s going on about, so you know Eddie has no clue - but Eddie is listening intently, smiling at the babbling boy.
“Why weird?” you ask, turning back to Steve. 
“He’s always shy around new people. Why not Eddie?”
“You’re making this sound like a bad thing,” you say. 
“Just weird,” Steve says with a shrug before returning his attention to the ceremony. 
A sigh escapes you as you look back over the field as well. Steve’s always had a jealous streak in him. It didn’t rear its head often, but you could tell that’s what’s happening here. Not jealousy over you dating Eddie, but of Everett showing Eddie so much attention so quickly. Sure, Steve’s never been the only adult man in his son’s life; he has more uncle and grandfather-like figures than you could count. But Eddie is someone Steve’s age and he isn’t “Uncle Eddie.” He’s just Eddie. A guy who is dating his mom, even if the toddler doesn’t understand the concept of dating. But you’ve been on one date with the guy. You’re not putting all your eggs in one basket when it comes to being with Eddie, no matter how much you like him, so why is Steve acting like Eddie’s about to become Everett’s new dad?
“Maxine Mayfield.”
Eddie’s cheering alerts Everett to his aunt’s name being called. He claps his little hands together and lets out a string of “woo woo woo’s.” 
“Want me to take him?” you ask Eddie as Everett keeps wriggling around his lap.
“No, I’m okay,” Eddie says with an easy smile. “Unless you want him?”
“No, you’re fine with him as long as you’re okay with his squirmy little butt.”
Everett wrinkles his nose up at this term and you boop the tip of his nose with your finger. Your son shakes his head, as if to dispel your touch from his face. 
“Lucas Sinclair.”
Erica’s loud cheer from the row behind you catches Everett’s attention and he looks at her over Eddie’s shoulder. She gives him a wink that makes him giggle and start to clap his hands along with everyone else. 
You’re surprised at how well behaved the little boy is being. He’s generally a well-tempered child, but a graduation could be boring for adults, let alone small kids. You were afraid you’d miss some of your friends’ names being called because you’d have to take Everett out into the parking lot or bathroom. 
“Mommy?” 
Maybe you thought too soon.
“Yes, baby?”
“M’hungry,” Everett says. 
This you were prepared for. Everett’s favorite snack was always packed in your purse. You’d only made the mistake of not having food for the hangry toddler once, and it’s not something you’d ever want to repeat. 
Everett’s eyes get wide when he spots the small red box of raisins. He makes grabby hands for them, but you hold them back once you’ve opened it, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Please?” he asks.
“There we go.”
“Thank you,” he sing-songs. 
Little fingers go digging inside and he sighs in contentment once he’s popped one in his mouth. He fishes out another one and you’re about to remind him only one at a time, but he lifts the raisin up, offering it to Eddie. 
“Aren’t you the sweetest?” Eddie asks. “But those are yours, you enjoy them. Thank you for sharing, though.”
Everett just nods his head as he finishes chewing what’s in his mouth.
“Michael Wheeler.” 
Mike takes his diploma and fist pumps in the air as he comes across the stage. You hear Holly giggle somewhere around you, and you don’t even have to be looking at Nancy on the other side of Steve to know she’s rolling her eyes at her little brother. 
Finally, the ceremony comes to an end and Everett watches in delight as all the green caps go flying into the air. You scoop up Everett from Eddie’s lap when you all start for the exit. He struggles in your arms, wanting to be put down, but there’s too many people to let him wander freely - even if he was holding your hand. 
Once the group of graduates that he knows meets you in the parking lot though, he’s like an entirely new kid. He wants to be held by all of them. He wants to give each of them a hug and try on Will’s cap. It’s far too big for him, obviously, but it makes for a funny picture as Karen Wheeler snaps the camera as the cap falls over his eyes. 
Everyone takes photos with each other; their families, friends, and each graduate wants a picture with Everett as well. He’s delighted by the attention and giggles as he’s passed from uncle to aunt to uncle to aunt. Max presses her lips against his cheek for their picture and Everett squeals in pure delight. 
“Can I keep him? Please?” Max asks once the photos are done. She’s still holding him and he’s happily fiddling with the tassel from her cap.
“Sure,” you tell her. “But you’ll give him back.”
“Never,” Max declares.
“Try and get him to go to bed on time and see how well that goes. Then we’ll talk.”
“Nah, I don’t believe that,” Eddie says from next to you. He’s giving Everett a playful smirk, who giggles in return. “Everett, you’re always a good boy, aren’t you?”
“Yep!”
“You can help Max out then,” you say, nudging Eddie with your elbow. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“We’d have fun!” Eddie says. “Play some guitar.”
“Guitar?” Everett’s interest is piqued and he’s staring at Eddie with wide eyes. 
“I told you,” you say to Eddie. “Guitar is his favorite.”
“Yeah!” Everett cheers.
“I’ll play it sometime for you, little dude.” Eddie’s grin at the boy falters and he turns towards you. “Uh, I mean, if that’s okay with your mom?”
Part of you doesn’t want Everett to get too attached in case it doesn’t become something more serious between you and Eddie. But another part is saying that he’s already so engrained in your friend group, that even if it doesn’t work out for some reason, he’ll still be around and in Everett’s orbit. 
“That sounds nice,” you say, giving Eddie a reassuring smile. 
His dark eyes light up and his body relaxes in relief. You didn’t realize how anxious he was for your answer to that question. He knows how much Everett means to you, and he clearly has an affinity for the little boy as well, so it makes sense that you being okay with him and Everett interacting takes some weight off of Eddie’s shoulders. 
“Hey, stop hogging my God son.”
Dustin walks over and puts on a pout as he looks at Everett in Max’s arms. 
“I’m his favorite aunt,” Max says. 
“I’m his favorite uncle,” Dustin shoots back. 
“Don’t put my poor boy in the middle of your squabbling,” Steve says, walking up and slinging an arm around Dustin’s shoulders. 
Everett watches all of his favorite people around him with wide brown eyes, looking from person to person. He seems content in Max’s arms, but you’re pretty sure he’d be happy in any of the people next to you’s arms. 
Nancy comes up behind Steve and puts her hands on his hips. She peeks her head around his torso and smiles.
“Everyone ready to go?”
“We’re heading to your place now?” Max asks.
“Mhmm,” Nancy hums. 
“You’re riding with me, Red,” Eddie says.
“Why?”
“Because I drove your mom and Wayne here. Forest Hills carpool.”
Max sighs and squeezes Everett in her arms, making him protest when she hugs him too tight.
“I’ll see you soon, kid,” she tells him. She sets the toddler down and he’s immediately unhappy. 
“Want Aunt Max!” 
“You’ll see me in a few minutes, Ev,” she tells him. “We’re going to a party together.”
His face lights up like a firework.
“Party?”
“Yeah, buddy,” Dustin adds. “We’re all going.”
Everett claps his hands together and does a happy little wiggle. 
“Come on, you,” you say as you pick him up. “Let’s get going.”
Instinctively, Eddie leans in to kiss you goodbye, but stops, again unsure of what you’re comfortable with in front of your son. Not quite ready to answer any questions Everett might have before you can sit down with him and talk about Eddie being in his life more, you turn to give Eddie your cheek to kiss. He happily does so, a smile on his face. Everett wants one as well, and sticks his cheek out towards Eddie, who obliges him with a chuckle.
You catch Steve watching the interaction - Nancy as well, but she seems to think it’s cute, while her boyfriend has a look on his face like he’s trying to do calculus in his head. He’s your ride to the party so you’re sure some sort of conversation will happen on the ride over. 
Max heads off with Eddie, Dustin to find his mom, and Nancy to catch a ride with her parents. She may have been intending to drive with you and Steve, but she clearly senses there’s going to be a talk happening as well. 
You make sure Everett is buckled in tight and hand him one of his toy dinosaurs to keep him occupied. It was unlikely there was going to be a full out argument, but you still didn’t want Everett to be listening in. Once you’re buckled into the passenger seat and Steve has pulled out onto the main road, he opens his mouth.
“So, uh, we should probably talk,” he says.
“Okay. I don’t really know what to say, though.”
“Well, I mean.” He sighs and runs one hand through his hair while keeping the other on the wheel. “Is he, like…your boyfriend?”
“I don’t know,” you tell him honestly. “We’ve technically only been on one date, but we talk every day and he drops by my work for lunch sometimes.” 
“And you’ve, um…” Steve waves one hand in the air, making a vague gesture, and your face blooms scarlet.
“That’s none of your business.” It comes out sharp, maybe the harshest you’ve ever spoken to Steve.
“Jesus, no, not that! I was going to say kissed. Cause I saw him lean in and then not know what to do.”
“Oh,” you say, face cooling down a bit. “Yeah. But he and I haven’t talked about how we’re going to be in front of Everett yet. I wasn’t really planning on him being around Everett yet, but I didn’t know he was coming today.”
“They seem to like one another.” Steve doesn’t sound particularly happy about admitting that.
“What, you’d rather they didn’t?”
“What? Shit - uh, sugar. No. That’s not what I meant.” He lets out another sigh and you can see the frustration drawn on his face. “It’s just kind of weird for me.”
“He’s not trying to be his dad, Steve,” you tell him. 
“No, I know. I just-I guess I just never really thought about this before. Like, how you felt when Nance and I got back together.”
“No,” you say with a frown. “Didn’t really bother me. Only in the very beginning when she came home for the summer and was around him so much. I felt like this surge of protection and wanted to be like, that’s my baby. But it passed pretty quickly. She’s never tried to be his mom; she’s just someone else in his life who loves him. I like seeing her and Everett together.”
“She’s also your best friend,” Steve says with a shrug, as if he’s explaining this to himself. “Jesus, I don’t know why I feel like this. I know it doesn’t make sense.”
“Feelings sometimes don’t make sense,” you say. “Hopefully this passes quickly just like mine did.”
“I guess,” Steve mumbles.
“You could always try getting to know Eddie,” you offer. “Or you could wait until he and I are more serious.”
“So, you think it’s going to be a serious thing?” Steve asks.
You can’t help the grin that tugs your cheeks up. 
“I think so. I don’t want to jinx it, though. But I really like him.”
“Good. I’m happy for you.” He reaches over and gives your leg a pat. “You deserve it.”
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Thank God that the Wheeler’s have a huge backyard. There’s enough room for the tables and chairs set out for the guests, the food tables all set up, and for Everett to run around without knocking anything over. Yet. 
The three-year-old tornado tears through the yard, stopping at every familiar face to say hi or to see if they’ll play with him. Holly is kind enough to get out her old Hungry Hungry Hippos game and play it with him for a while. 
The small round table you’re seated at holds a few toy dinosaurs that you’re sure he’ll come back to eventually. Steve, Nancy, Robin, Vickie, and Eddie are the others at the table with you. Eddie’s arm rests against the back of your chair and you take advantage and lean into his body. 
“Would you look at them?” Eddie says with a shake of his head. “They’re like clueless teenagers.”
Everyone at the table keeps stealing glances at Wayne Munson and Susan Mayfield sitting next to one another a few tables over, smiles on both of their faces as they’re immersed in their conversation.
“Having Max as a cousin should be fun,” Robin says to Eddie with a teasing look. 
“She and I kept giving one another looks on the ride over here, trying not to laugh at their attempts at flirting.” 
“Not everyone is good at flirting,” Vickie says, and Robin’s jaw drops open. Vickie laughs at her girlfriend’s affronted face and ducks out of the way as Robin tries to playfully smack her arm. 
Steve’s unusually quiet and your awareness of that keeps you slightly on edge. There’s nothing you can do about it, but you blame your maternal instincts for just wanting to make everything okay. Or maybe that was your anxiety. Either way, you try to let it roll off your back. 
“Burgers are done!” Jonathan calls from over near the grill. Everett barrels over to you as you and your friends stand to go get your food. 
“Whoa, easy there,” you say. He raises his arms up and you let out an “oof” as you pick him up. You walk behind Nancy towards the grill, but Everett leans in to whisper in your ear.
“Gotta go potty.”
“Okay, babes,” you tell him and press a kiss into his hair. “We’ll be right back, just going to go inside to use the bathroom.”
“I’ll grab Ev’s burger,” Steve says. “He still doesn’t like-.”
“Pickles, right,” you finish for him. 
“Want me to grab yours?” Eddie asks, and the offer damn near melts your heart. 
“Yes, please,” you tell him. “Ketchup and lettuce, please!”
“Got it.”
“Thank you!” you call to him as you disappear inside the house to find a toilet for the toddler.
Vickie and Robin are filling their plates when Karen taps Nancy on the shoulder and asks her to come help her bring something out from the kitchen. It leaves Steve and Eddie alone, waiting in line for food.
“So, uh,” Steve starts. “You two have another date planned?”
“Oh, no, not set in stone. But I was going to ask her before the party ends,” Eddie tells him.
“And you’re like…serious about her?” In his gut, Steve knows this is wrong. He knows he’s overstepping; he knows it’s not his place. But it doesn’t stop him. 
“Well, yeah,” Eddie says. “I mean, as serious as someone could be after really only having one date and knowing each other for a few weeks.”
“Good,” Steve says as he grabs two hamburger buns: one for him and one for his son. “It’s just I see how Everett really likes you. I don’t want him to get hurt, you know, if he becomes too attached and it doesn’t work out.”
Eddie hadn’t thought about it that way. Yes, he had every intention of being with you for as long as you allowed him to be, but things happen. Life happens, as Eddie knows far too well. Just the very thought of hurting you made his stomach sick, but he didn’t think about how Everett might feel if something were to go wrong. Eddie knows he and Everett have been getting along great, but it never occurred to him that Everett might already be becoming attached. So attached that it would hurt if Eddie just disappeared from his life. Hurting either of you was the last thing he ever wanted to do. 
The sound of Robin’s raucous laughter jars Eddie out of his thoughts and back to the task at hand. He grabs two buns and two hamburgers, building them for the both of you. He adds ketchup and lettuce, just as you requested.
When you come back to the table with Everett, Eddie’s arm is no longer hanging off the back of your chair. You think that maybe he’s waiting for you to sit down first, but when you do, he still doesn’t put it back up there. He hunches forward over the table and takes a bite out of his burger. Everett climbs onto Steve’s lap and munches on his food right alongside his dad. 
“You okay?” you lean in to whisper in Eddie’s ear. 
“Mhmm,” Eddie assures you through bites. It doesn’t convince you, though. 
He remains quieter for the rest of the party than he had been before. He’s more subdued, looks less comfortable being here. Yeah, today was the first time he met Robin and Vickie, but they were chatting away like old friends only an hour ago. 
As the sun begins to set, Wayne and Susan say they think it’s time for them to head out. They say their goodbyes to everyone, as do Max and Eddie, but you pull Eddie off to the side before he can leave.
“Hey,” you say, pulling his hand into one of yours. “Um, I was wondering if you wanted to go on another date? You know, whenever you’re available?”
“Oh, well, sure,” he says, but he won’t meet your eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
“Wait,” you say, gently grasping his chin and making him look at you. “What’s wrong?”
He almost says it’s nothing. It almost comes out, but he doesn’t want to lie to you. You deserve so much more than that. 
“It’s just, I’ve never dated a mom before,” Eddie says with a shrug. “I, uh, I mean that I’m not sure about…” Eddie’s brain has lost the ability to make words function properly. I don’t want to move too fast for you or Everett. I’m scared he’ll become attached to me and it would hurt him if things don’t work out. But those thoughts won’t form on his tongue. “I like you a lot. A lot. It’s just…”
Your heart drops in your chest. Of course this is happening. It was too good to be true, this thing you had going with Eddie. He’d not seen you really be a mom before today. Yeah, briefly when you first met, but today he had an up close and personal look at the mom part of your life. Obviously, he didn’t like it, right? That’s why he’s saying all this? He’s realizing the full weight of what dating a woman with a child is like and it probably intimidates him. You don’t blame him though, that’s a lot of responsibility and baggage to chain yourself to at 23. 
“It’s fine, Eddie.” You let his hand drop from yours and you stick both of yours in your back pockets. If you look him in the eye, you know you’ll cry, so you focus on the front of your sandal digging into the grass below you. “I get it. It's a lot.” 
“Yeah, i-it is,” Eddie says. He takes a deep breath and licks his lips. Slowing things down with you is hard because you’ve already become such a presence in his everyday life. But he knows it’s the right thing to do for everyone involved. Best just to come out with it, he figures. “That’s why I think we should sl-.”
“Right,” you interrupt him. Hearing him say the words out loud would absolutely crush you, so you don’t give him the chance. Knowing Eddie doesn’t want to be with you is hard enough but hearing that voice you’ve come to love so much to actually say it would erase all the sweet things he’s ever said to you in your mind, only to be replaced by the searing painful goodbye. “Eddie!” Max calls impatiently, waiting by the Wheeler’s gate. Eddie glances at her over his shoulder but turns back to you and opens his mouth to speak.
“You should go,” you say, still not letting him talk. “They’re all waiting for you.” Your voice is wobbly, and you reach up to wipe away a traitorous tear that’s escaped. Eddie’s eyes track the tear down your cheek, and he frowns, both in confusion and concern. He leans in to reach for you, but you step back and out of his grasp.
Head ducked, you turn away from him and make your way back over to Steve at the table. Eddie watches you walk away, wondering what just happened. 
“I want to go,” you tell Steve quietly. Everett is fast asleep in his arms, but he manages to rise from his seat without disturbing him. 
“What?” Steve asks.
“I want to go home,” you repeat. “Now.”
“Um, okay,” Steve says, frowning at you. “Let me go say bye to Nance.”
“Fine. I’ll take him to the car.” You open your arms and Steve carefully transfers your son to you. “Tell everyone I said bye, okay?” You don’t wait for an answer before you head into the house with Everett, making your way through the house and out the front door. Going out of the gate would’ve been quicker, but Eddie was over that way. Trying not to jostle the sleeping boy too much, you manage to open the backseat and buckle him in. Steve approaches the car as you slide into the passenger seat. He eyes you warily as he gets in and starts the car. Arms tucked across your chest, you stare out the window. 
“Everything okay?” Steve asks. Obviously, he knows it isn’t. He knows you better than almost anyone in the world though, so he knew you wouldn’t just come out and say anything without a little prodding. 
“I don’t want to talk about it,” you say as Steve pulls the car out onto the road. 
He gives you a few minutes. Clearly, you’re trying to work through something, and he decides to give you a little time to digest it before he tries again. 
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“Eddie, what the hell was that?” Dustin asks after he watched you hurry out of the house with Everett in your arms. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” Eddie says, ignoring Max’s huffiness from the gate. “I’m not sure what just happened.”
“What’d you say to her?” Dustin asks.
“She didn’t even give me a chance to finish talking.” Eddie rubs his hands over his face. “I might’ve fucked up, man.”
Dustin sighs and motions for Max to hold on for a minute.
“Tell me what happened.”
Eddie doesn’t feel like he should reveal what Steve said. Next to his parents, the person who loved Everett most in the world was Dustin. Of course Dustin would agree with what Steve said; that going too fast and having Everett become attached could end up being terrible. It makes total sense, after all. Eddie doesn’t want to seem like he disagrees and thinks he’s trying to move in on Steve’s place as his dad or anything.
“I was just trying to tell her that maybe we should take it slow because of Everett, you know? I don’t want him to be confused or think I don’t care about him if this doesn’t work out.”
“Is that what you said?” Dustin asks. 
“Not really,” Eddie admits. “I wasn’t sure what exactly to say and then she cut me off and seemed to get upset. I was telling her how I like her a lot.”
Dustin closes his eyes and rubs at his temples.
“What the shit is happening?” he asks no one in particular. 
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“You can talk to me, you know,” Steve says once you’re about halfway home.
“What’s to say?” you ask, eyes never leaving the road in front of you. “I got dumped.”
“What?” Steve asks, too loudly with a sleeping child in the back. He winces and glances in the rearview mirror to make sure he didn’t disturb him. Ev’s still out like a light, though. “What are you talking about?”
“Eddie started saying how he likes me a lot but how dating a mom is hard, so…” You trail off and shrug your shoulders, refusing to cry before you get into your apartment. 
Steve’s brow furrows as he turns the car into your apartment complex. Shit, this may be my fault, he thinks to himself.
“It’s whatever,” you continue when Steve stays silent. “Should’ve known, right? Who’s going to want to date a young mom?”
“Hey,” Steve says, your words breaking him from his previous train of thought. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not? A young dad is cute to girls. They fawn all over him when they see him simply taking care of his own child. But a young mom? Guys don’t want to be tied down like that. Be with a girl who has so many responsibilities and they can’t just swing by whenever they want to hook up.” 
Steve doesn’t have an answer for that. He parks the car in front of your building and turns off the engine.
“Do you want me to take him tonight?”
“No,” you answer. “I’ve got him.”
As gently as you can, you get out of the car and maneuver Everett out of his seat without waking him up. His head lolls on your shoulder and you shut the back door with your hip.
Steve steps out of the car but you only call out a quick goodbye over your shoulder before you’re headed up the stairs to your apartment. It’s hard to unlock the door, but you manage, and get you both inside. You kick your shoes off and head to Everett’s room. You’re about to set him on his bed when you realize you don’t want to let go of him. The rocking chair in the corner of the room catches your eye and you make yourself comfortable in that, adjusting Everett where he lays against your chest.
His hair is soft where you press soft kisses to it. It smells like his bubble gum shampoo, and you close your eyes and focus on it. You wrap your arms around the small boy and hug him to your chest tightly, without squeezing him too much. Tears start to leak down your face and drops plop into his inherited Harrington hair. Releasing a shaky sigh, you rest your cheek against the top of his head. Rocking yourself back and forth in the chair, you’re not sure if you’re trying to keep Everett soothed in his sleep, or you in your current state. 
You’d really had hope with Eddie. He seemed as close to perfect as possible, which you guess should’ve been your first clue. But maybe this is for the best, you try and tell yourself. Maybe you’ll be a better mom on your own. Alone. The tears start to fall heavier, and you squeeze your eyes closed, focused on feeling the warmth of your child in your arms. His soft breathing is the only sound in the apartment, other than the occasional sniffle from you. He makes a soft cooing sound and snuggles his face into your neck. It makes you smile, and you press another kiss to his head. Everett was all you really needed after all. If life is just you and him, you think to yourself, that wouldn’t be so bad. 
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shares-a-vest · 11 months
Text
had to write a Steve-centric Mother's Day thingy too. this one is sad like my Eddie one yesterday, but at least my boys are smiling by the end???
Mother's Day, 1998
Eddie tries not to watch from his prime position on the couch as Steve paces back and forward in the kitchen. He stops every now and then to linger by the phone mounted on the wall near the table.
Okay so maybe Eddie peers above his notebook once or twice and follows swiftly by looking down at Joanie, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of crayons as she colours at the coffee table. Steve sighs loud enough that the sound travels into the living room. Eddie listens as he punches in a number and walks off, presumably stretching the cord as far from earshot as possible.
"Shit," he curses.
"You swore," Joanie chimes, not looking up from her colouring book.
"I expect a freebie today, munchkin," he peeks out from his notebook to find Joanie glaring.
"...Fine," she agrees after a long pause.
He grumbles and scribbles out the most recent lines of his poem, the rhyming couplet suddenly feeling too saccharine for the general mood of today.
He should have known better, considering Steve emerged from the bedroom relatively late (for him) cradling his favourite sickly little furball Meatloaf like a baby - which he continued to do all morning. The poor thing is now teetering on the kitchen island, abandoned and desperate to get down.
Eddie hops up, rushing to the cat before he can get into too much trouble. Meatloaf whimpers, his meow more like a cry, regardless of whether his keeper has left him on his lonesome or not. He cringes at the sound. It's just so goddamn sad and certainly, a noise he could do without today especially.
He releases Meatloaf, now free to roam the apartment. But the scamp follows the phone cord stretching to the bedroom, his wobbly back legs catching and slipping every few steps as he hurries along, presumably on his way to get stuck under a piece of furniture.
Eddie makes a beeline back to the couch, not wanting to eavesdrop on Steve's phone call. He can hear murmuring, which he convinces himself is a good sign. At least Steve's mother actually picked up the phone this time.
Eddie tosses his notebook to the side, now uninterested in his tradition of writing a Mother's Day poem for his own mother. He chews at his nails, a fidgeting tactic to stop himself from twirling his hair. At least if he chews his nails, the worrying technique will be lost on Steve who won't be able to fixate on Eddie's feelings to distract himself.
"What going on?" Joanie wonders suspiciously, craning her neck to look down the hall.
"Uh…" he hums.
He really doesn't know how to answer. Mrs Harrington isn't exactly a frequent topic of conversation - if at all, for that matter.
"Is Dad calling Ganma?" Joanie's eyes light up at the enquiry.
If Eddie was feeling mean enough, he'd blame all of this on Dustin and Suzie. Traditionally they all spend Mother's Day doting over Claudia, aka, Joanie's precious Ganma (a toddler mispronunciation turned official familial title). But this year Dustin was far too busy with work to take time off, let alone a weekend plus a few days, so Claudia took it upon herself to travel to them. And, with Nancy and Robin back in Hawkins visiting Karen Wheeler, Eddie was left with Steve and Joanie in the city for Mother's Day weekend.
In hindsight, he should have called up Wayne to come for a fun-filled Pa-centric weekend instead.
Joanie walks over to the couch expecting an answer.
"Oh, uh. No, honey," he splutters, "Dad is calling his mom."
His daughter frowns, "Oh."
Yeah, kid. 'Oh' is an understatement.
Eddie pats the empty space next to him and Joanie reaches up with grabby hands, wanting uppies. He obliges.
Joanie fiddles with the buttons on the front of her unicorn-patterned onesie, lost in thought for a long while before cutting the silence with a heartbreaking, "He'll be happier when we call Ganma."
Eddie reaches for his notebook, deciding on writing his mom a verse about this blessing of a kid.
Steve soon comes back, hanging up the phone without a word and sets about making lunch. Eddie quickly scoops up Joanie and plops her on the floor to resume her colouring.
"Steve?" he asks tentatively as he practically tiptoes to the kitchen.
"What?" Steve snaps, tone biting.
He fusses with the twist tie at the top of their loaf of bread, not really committing to any of the sandwich-making efficiency he typically possesses.
"We could go out for lunch?" Eddie suggests, immediately regretting it.
"What, so we can see everyone celebrating Mother's Day? Even though my mom hates me? I shouldn't have done that... Idiot... Stupid."
Steve shakes his head.
"Sweetheart."
"I'm sorry," he whispers, voice throaty and strained, "Today is worse for you. I just set myself up to be upset."
He looks up, teary-eyed.
Eddie chops his hand through the air between them, insistent, "Completely difference circumstances, Stevie," he takes his hand and tugs, "Come sit down, I'll make us some lunch in a bit, yeah?"
They turn to exit the kitchen and are faced with Joanie, clutching her colouring book to her chest while Blondie and a surprisingly not lost Meatloaf circle her feet.
"Can we call Ganma now?"
Okay, so this kid is absolutely a precious little bean, a blessing who is the light of Eddie and Steve's lives in ways they can barely articulate sometimes.
But she often lacks the ability to read the room as she escorts her battalion of cats around the apartment.
Eddie could blame the sheer amount of time Joanie spends with Robin 'I Don't Have A Strong Grasp of Social Cues' Buckley, but he knows he is the exact goddamn same.
Steve pinches his nose before removing his glasses to rub at his eyes, "Yeah, baby, we can call Ganma."
He recovers enough to check his watch, needing to extend his arm almost fully to see it. Meanwhile, Eddie quickly shoos Joanie back to the living room as he picks up the phone.
They let Joanie take the reins, watching on from the couch as she excitedly recounts her week at preschool to Claudia (and she spoils the gift they had bought that is currently in transit while she's at it).
Eddie feels Steve sinks down in his seat and lean into his side.
"You wanna talk about it?" Eddie asks, trying to remain casual by doodling in the margins of his now-finished poem.
"Maybe later," Steve breathes heavily.
"We aren't doing this again, staying here. We'll at least see Wayne for the weekend."
Before Steve can argue, Joanie is waving the phone in Steve's face. He takes it and sniffles.
"Happy Mother's Day, Claudia," he says, clearing his throat, "I love you."
Whatever Claudia says in return, it's enough to make Steve smile.
more of this informal au HERE
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strangerquinns · 1 year
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Deadly Reunion | Chapter 4  
Eddie Munson x female!reader // a stranger things apocalypse au
summary: You and Eddie have been best friends since childhood. But when the outbreak happened five years ago, you were torn from one another in the chaos. but now you’re left alone, after your group was killed by another radical crew, leaving you to seek out what was once home. // zombie apocalypse Hawkins set in 1993
warnings: angst + adult themes w/ descriptions of violence, blood, torture + other zombie apocalypse related issues
word count: 2.5k+
⪻ previous chapter | next chapter ⪼ | stranger things masterlist
Eddie’s arms tightened around you as he held you close against his frame. As your arms did the same, you could feel him shaking within your arms. You weren’t sure if it was the shock or excitement of him seeing you. But you knew that your mind and body couldn’t catch up with what was happening. After the long, tiring, and deadly journey to get back to Hawkins – you were finally back with him. The last piece of your old life that seemed to be left after all these years.
After a few moments, Eddie pulled back and grasped each side of your face. The rough calloused feel of his palms against your sun-kissed skin was oddly comforting. Your eyes closed for a few seconds, causing stray tears to cascade down your cheeks before they opened again. Staring intensely into his large doe eyes.
“I can’t fuckin’ believe it,” Eddie spoke, even with the bandana tied across his face, it was obvious to see him smiling. Especially with his dark eyes sparkling with a life that had been missing for a while.
“Fuck!” a deep voice groaned from behind the both of you.
Turning slightly to look over your shoulder, you saw the man you’d knocked down before stumbling up from the ground along with the assistance of the other woman. His hand cupped over his face with it scrunched up in pain. You took a few steps back away, stepping away from Eddie, as the man came to his full height.
Though these people were obviously with Eddie it didn’t mean you trusted them. The man before you had long, dark brown curls that nearly fell along his shoulders with sun-kissed strands of blonde through them. He was almost as tall as Eddie, possibly only a couple inches shorter. But larger when it came to his body, his shoulders spanning wider and his arms appearing bigger.
“Did you really have to fuckin’ hit me in the nose?” He spoke with another groan, pulling his hand away from his face. It took a few seconds to realize that it was none other than Steve Harrington. Your eyes widened to see another familiar face.
“Sorry, didn’t exactly know who you were,” You spoke with defensiveness to your tone. Eyes glared slightly as you looked back toward the former King of Hawkins High.
“Can’t blame the girl for defending herself, dingus,” The woman beside him spoke, rolling her eyes, before reaching up to pull down the cloth tied around the bottom of her face. Her hand reached out toward you quickly with a smile causing her blue eyes to sparkle with kindness, “Robin, Robin Buckley.”
Your guard slowed slightly as your attention moved away from Steve and toward Robin. You knew of her from high school but couldn’t exactly say that you knew her. She was from the band, and in your Science fifth period. You repeated your name to her as you firmly shook her hand.
“As much as this reunion is nice, we should be heading back to camp. The night is coming,” Nancy spoke, apprehensively looking toward you. “Hopper is going to be worried if we’re not back in time.”
You perked up slightly to the sound of a familiar, “The Chief?”
Eddie nodded his head, stepping up toward you again, hating that there was a small distance between you. He felt like he was in a vivid dream and at any moment you would be retaken from him.
“We have a camp about four miles from here,” Eddie spoke.
“Eddie,” Nancy scolded glaring toward him with wide eyes. She looked toward him for a long moment like they were silently communicating with each other. She gave her head a slight shake, it was subtle, but you didn’t miss it.
“You’re not thinking I’m leaving her out here do you?” Eddie spoke with a harshness to her voice.
“We don’t know if she’s got another camp, let’s not assume,” Nancy spoke with a tight voice. Steve and Robin standing on the sidelines of the conversation.
“I don’t” You answered quickly. Your eyes move from Eddie to Nancy. You didn’t miss the sadness that settled into Eddie’s eyes as he looked down at you. “I-I’m alone.”
“For how long?” Robin asked.
“A long time,” You spoke, body stiffening and signaling that was all the information that you were willing to give. Robin nodded her head, silently understanding.
“She’s coming with us,” Eddie emphasized again.
“She could be bitten or scratched.” Steve said, “We don’t know what we could bring back to Camp, Munson.”
“I’m not bit, and I’m not scratched.” You whispered with a shake of your head, already feeling a heavy sense of unwelcome settling over you.
That small bit of hope you’d felt before was quickly dwindling.
“Doesn’t matter. We don’t know you.” Steve spoke stepping toward you, Eddie quickly moving between you two. “We have a camp that has already been through enough, we don’t need a trespasser messing that up.”
“Steve,” Robin spoke firmly, moving toward him and standing beside Eddie. “Eddie knows her, and are you honestly going to leave someone out here alone? We both know you’d feel guilt the moment you walked away.”
Steve seemed to be having an internal fight with himself before he sighed deeply and shook his head. “Fine. But if Hopper says she’s out, you know you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
He was speaking to Eddie.
Eddie nodded his head before turning to look down at you, “Are you wanting to come back with us?”
You looked at him for a long moment, before answering, “I just traveled halfway across the country to find you, I’m not exactly letting you out of my sight any time soon.”
Eddie chuckled slightly before nodding his head and placing a hand gently on your shoulder. The two of you followed along behind the others heading north through the woods. With each step, your stomach fluttered with nerves.
“So, where did you travel from?” Robin asked after a long tense moment of silence between all of you.
You hesitated for a moment, before speaking, “Tennessee,”
“You were there this entire time?” Eddie asked, his stomach dropping at the thought of you only being a few states away this whole time.
A better outcome than what he’d believed all these years. That you were dead.
“No. My mom and I were in the south mostly. She had family there and thought it would be safer when the outbreak happened. But…we never made it. Instead ended up with a few different groups…traveling through Georgie, Alabama…last place was Tennessee. She wanted to come back home.”
You felt a ball form at the back of your throat as the thoughts of your mother came back to your mind. Over the last few months, you hadn’t given yourself the proper time to grieve her. Instead, focus on getting back to Hawkins and surviving.
A tense silence fell over you all again, a deep frown settling on Eddie’s lips. He could tell from your body language that something was wrong. But would wait for a more private moment to ask.
“You traveled through all that and hadn’t become a Flayed,” Steve spoke, his tone indicating his disbelief.
“Obviously,” You snapped.
“I think you’re pretty badass to make it this far on your own.” Robin smiled “Might be a piece to the group that we need.”
The rest of the walk was in tense silence as you all wadded through the forest that surrounded Hawkins. You were confused about where they were leading you, no longer expertly familiar with the town you’d grown up in. But when you came across the reinforced fence and the building came into view. You knew exactly where you were.
“You turned the Lab into an encampment?” You asked.
Eddie reached to pull down his bandana, giving a clearer view of his face. Seeing the shadow of a beard growing along his jawline. The years that you two have been apart showing with how grown he looked. It was the boy you’d fallen in love with still; you could see that with the cheeky smile, he’d give you. But with a cringle around his eyes that seemed to be more defined as he neared his thirties.
“Little bit more than a camp,” Eddie smirked, guiding you along the fence till you all rounded toward the front.
You quickly noticed the stations and boardwalk that aligned the top of the reinforced wall. People with guns strapped to their bodies paced along the lengths, clearly on patrol. The wall made it hard for you to see beyond that, except for the top of the old Lab building peeking over the top. Robin and Steve waved to a few people up on the wall as you all neared the front of the gate.
You stopped, along with the others, the moment you came to the large double doors that led into the camp. Standing at the top of the wall was a man that didn’t seem familiar. But with the way she glared down at you, he made your stomach roll.
“Seems you brought home a straggler,” The man spoke, his voice deep and heavy.
“She’s an old friend,” Eddie spoke quickly, the cheekiness gone, instead replaced with seriousness. “She’s alone and needs shelter.”
The man chuckled with false humor, “Hopper isn’t gonna like this.”
“I think once he sees who it is, Hopper isn’t gonna give much of a fight.”
The man grumbled slightly before nodding his head toward someone you couldn’t see. Soon the gates began to move with a loud mechanical sound that vibrated harshly against your eardrums. You cringed slightly and only moved when you noticed Eddie do the same. When you walked through the gates of the wall, you gasped loudly at what was in front of you.
“Oh, fuck,” You gasped with widening eyes as the rebuilt town was in front of you. “Y-You live in an Establishment?”
Eddie looked down at you with eyebrows pulled in confusion, “A what?”
“An establishment? A rebuilt town?” You spoke, “Never heard of those.”
“Obviously not, sweetheart,” Eddie chuckled.
“My friend Judy told me she’s seen one before. People that had basically rebuilt and started over,” You spoke with amazement, “I thought she was bullshitting me.”
“It took us a while to get like this,” Eddie spoke, guiding you through and toward the main building. “Took apart some of the old homes and brought the supplies here so we could rebuild. Also moved trailers from Forest Hills to make room for homes, medicine, food storage.”
As Eddie spoke you were able to quickly see what he spoke of. The front lawn of the old Lab was filled with trailers, small buildings, and some tented-off areas. From the distance, you could hear the soft sounds of farm animals.
“Is that a sheep I hear?”
“Yeah,” Eddie smiled “Got ’em from the farms that were left abandoned. We have our own food, though we still must go on patrols and outings for other supplies.”
“This is amazing,” You spoke in shock and amazement, your head swiveling so much you were sure your neck would hurt the next day.
Steve led you all up the path and through the double doors of the Lab. The shock didn’t stop as you’d only noticed then the lights that filled the front lobby and surrounding hallways.
They had electricity.
Eddie laughed and brought his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him more, as he pulled you further into the lobby. “We use this building for housing, more medicine. The Lab was running off its own power source so that’s how we’re able to have electricity. Something shady must’ve been going on here before the outbreak, but it’s become our home…thanks to Hopper.”
“He’s in charge I’m guessing?” You asked.
Eddie nodded his head, “Pull anyone in town that started from the outbreak in. Fortified and built it everything you see from the ground up.”
“Munson!” a voice shouted from the end of the hallway.
The both of you turned your heads toward the source, you jumping slightly from the sudden loud noise. The man walking toward you was a man you were all too familiar with. Another father figure that was in your life growing up. Age had caught up to him with the gray of his hair and beard. But you’d know Jim Hopper even with it being over six years since you’d seen him last. Hopper stopped short the moment he seemed to recognize who was standing beside Eddie. His face paled as if he’d seen a ghost standing in front of him. But it quickly went away before he stalked toward you both.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Hopper spoke as he neared closer.
“Chief,” You spoke with a nervous chuckle, “Long time no see.”
“I’ll fuckin’ say,” He nodded his head with a smile, “Where the hell have you been kid?”
“Long story,” You spoke, fighting the urge to rush toward him.
You might’ve known these people in the past, but times were different now.  
“Found her out on patrol,” Eddie spoke from behind you, “Didn’t think you’d give much of a fight if she were to find shelter here.”
Hopper shook his head with a heavy sigh, “No. Is it just you?”
You nodded your head, “Just me,”
Hopper frowned with a heavy sadness, seeming to understand what you weren’t saying at that moment.
“She’ll have to go through the quarantine process. We can’t blindly let someone into the Camp, no matter if we knew that from before or not.”
“Can’t we just examine and see that she’s not bit? She already swore she wasn’t.” Eddie spoke with a slight panic appearing in his tone.
You looked over your shoulder to Eddie with a slightly worried face.
“You know the rules, Eddie.” Hopper spoke, “We’ll take good care of her, you know this.”
Eddie hesitated for a moment, he was ready to argue more with the man standing in front of him. But he sighed heavily and nodded his head slightly, before stepping toward you more. He stood between you and Hopper, gently grabbing your hands, and bending down so his eyes were more level with yours.
“I’ve to say goodbye for now,” Eddie spoke softly, causing you to stiffen slightly. “But not for long.”
“Eddie,” You whimpered, a fear coming over you that you didn’t understand.
“Shh, shh…it’s ok. I promise. Do you trust me?” Eddie asked, his eyes looking deeply into yours.
You nodded your head before swallowing down the fear that was itching up your throat. Eddie hesitantly stepped away from you, suddenly bringing Hopper back into view along with two others.
Your stomach rolled again knowing why the fear was approaching. But though you were back in your hometown surrounded by a few you know. You were essentially in an unknown place, putting your trust in others. Something you hadn’t had to do for a while.
“Let’s go, kid,” Hopper spoke, before turning and leading you down the hall toward the unknown.
Hope you all enjoyed the next chapter. The reader is in the camp with Eddie, but there are still some things they will have to get over. Leave your thoughts!
reblog + like if you enjoyed it!
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strawberryspence · 10 months
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i will never let you fall, i'll stand up with you forever
if this makes anyone cry, please don't blame me. someone 👀 gave me this idea... ( @thefreakandthehair / @henderdads )
-
Eddie loves visiting the beach.
He has gone to two in his life. However, he always longed to go visit more, to pick one too many seashells and collect them all, to play in the water and bask in the warmth it brings. He has been to lakes, lots of them. However, growing up in Indiana doesn’t really entail a lot of beach days.
The sun passes through his skin, warmth and gold against him. There’s a lovely breeze sifting through his hair, intertwining him to the wind. The sand is soft on his toes, the feeling barely even there.
Arwen laughs as the sand washes on her toes, like Mother Nature herself tickling her with her kindness. Eddie watches her carefully, as she giggles and splashes at the water. A turtle comes up to the shore, making her yelp in excitement. It’s crazy how much she’s grown in the last few years, it’s like watching album pages being flipped in haste.
There’s soft snoring beside him, making Eddie turn. Steve’s eyes are closed, his chest humming with every snore. His hair sweeps against the wind, his freckles illuminated by the sun. He’s gotten old, wrinkles and glasses permanent in his face. Eddie doesn’t really care. He’s always been Eddie’s golden boy, he always will be.
He’s clutching a book about parenting, but Eddie doesn’t think he needs it. Arwen’s growing up perfectly and Steve’s doing great.
From a far, Eddie can see Nancy and Robin laughing at the fruit stand. So much time has passed now that they’re holding hands in public and no one bats an eye. They deserve it, he thinks. The happiness and pride radiating from them.
He turns his attention back to Arwen, his heart dropping when he sees her in the ocean, wading through the waves. She’s barely seven, the water stops just above her chest even if she’s still close the shore.
“Steve! Wake up!” Eddie tries to shake him awake, but Steve stays asleep, batting his hands away.
Eddie turns to Robin and Nancy, but they’re too far. He sighs, taking off his shoes, not that it matters. He rushes to the ocean and calling out to her, “Arwen! Come back!”
Arwen turns to him, familiarity shining through her eyes, something that still makes his heart stutter, “Eddie! Come swim!”
Eddie holds out his hand, “I know, honey! But you have to go back to the shore!”
She pouts, “But the turtle!”
“Ask Stevie for one, but we have to go!” Eddie pushes, as he feels the water pulsating around him. He looks around the water, surprised to see that people have run away. There’s something wrong.
“There’s a kid!” Someone shouts from the crowd, “A wave is coming!”
“Eddie! What’s wrong?!” Arwen shrieks when the water sways against them, fear evident in her eyes.
“There’s a wave coming. Hold my hand, honey. Come on. It’s going to be okay.” Arwen nods at him, wadding closer to him and trying to clutch his hands.
“I can’t!” She panics, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
“It’s okay, honey. I got you!” Eddie catches her in his arms, concentrating all his power in protecting her. The wave surges forward.
“ARWEN!” Steve shouts from the shoreline and before Eddie can even look back, the wave sweeps them away into it’s hands.
Eddie’s not really sure how he does it, how he holds unto Arwen and brings her back to the shore. It’s the same adrenaline he felt when he had to dive through Lover’s Lake, following three people he barely know.
Steve runs through the crowd, Nancy and Robin right next to him.
“Come on, honey. You’re okay. You’re okay!” Eddie says, his hair dripping with water. He presses on Arwen’s chest. She coughs water out, bleary eyes opening and looking around.
“Oh thank God.” Eddie sighs, as Steve takes his daughter in his arms.
Steve’s shaking hard, and Eddie fights the urge to reach out, “Oh my god, you scared us.”
“I am okay, dad. I am okay.” Arwen reassures, clinging unto her father’s neck.
Robin wraps a towel on her as the people finally disperse as the commotion dies down, Nancy running a comforting hand against her back.
“Don’t ever do that to us again!” Steve wails pulling her away and brushing his hand through her wet hair, “Does anything hurt? Do you want me to call the doctor?”
Arwen shakes her head, smiling widely at her father, like she hasn't almost drowned minutes ago, "It’s okay! Eddie was with me!”
Steve freezes as Robin audibly gasps, her hand immediately clutching Steve’s shoulders.
Nancy’s mouth opening wide in shock, asking, “Who?”
Arwen, unaware of the tension she has caused, squeals, “Eddie! You know Eddie! My friend! He's always on the beach! He held on to me and brought me back.”
"Is that the reason you keep on wanting to go to beaches?" Robin asks, her own voice quivering.
"Yes! He's only on the beaches! He never goes away!"
“Peanut,” Nancy says softly, “What does Eddie look like?”
“Well,” Arwen looks at him, but he’s not far enough for it be apparent that she’s looking at someone not there, “He’s always wearing a shirt with a skull, like the one Uncle Dustin wears. He has long curly hair and he has pretty eyes.”
Eddie watches as the look on Steve’s face crumbles. It’s like watching his heart break into pieces right in front of his eyes. There has been so many handful moments that Eddie has seen Steve look like this because of him.
From the time Eddie pushed Steve out of the way, from when they were trying to revive him after their fifth and last go with the Upside Down, to the time they were burying him, to the time Steve went to what should’ve been their first date.
“Is he here? Is Eddie here?” Steve asks, sounding so broken and so young. Like it hasn't been twenty years since Eddie Munson died.
Arwen blinks at him, ready to say yes before Eddie jumps, pursing his lips, his dimples dipping, “Honey, don’t say I am here. Tell them I am not here. Please.”
Arwen’s brows furrow in confusion, but she shakes her head, “Eddie’s not here.”
Steve opens his mouth, but no words come out. “Are you sure?” Robin asks for him instead.
“He’s not here.” Arwen purses her lips, her dimples dipping and damn, that’s her lying tell.
Steve sees this almost immediately, recognition flooding in his features. He moves forward to kiss her forehead, “Okay, bean. I believe you. Can you do me a favor?” Arwen nods.
“The next time Eddie comes and shows up, can you tell him something?”
Arwen lets her eyes stray back to Eddie before looking back to her dad, “Sure, dad.”
“Tell him Stevie says thank you for saving his bean.” Steve chokes, but he pokes her stomach to make her giggle, “Tell him that I miss him everyday and I am glad that he’s around. Our metal guardian angel.”
Eddie holds up a hand on his mouth, turning away so Arwen won’t see his tears. He wipes it off, trying to get a hold of himself.
“Eddie says that!” Arwen exclaims in recognition, “He said he was my guardian angel, but he’s my friend.”
“That’s right, bean.” Steve approves, “That’s right.”
“Come on,” Robin pushes, knowing what her best friend needs right now, “I got you some pineapple juice!”
Arwen giggles as Robin and Nancy carry her off, swinging her between their arms. Steve stands still, his arms wrapping around himself as he watches the ocean and sun dance together.
“Eddie.” Steve blurts into the wind, making Eddie turn to him, “I know you’re here.”
Eddie laughs, his vision blurry with his own tears, “I am always here, sweetheart.”
He walks closer to him, watching the tears stream down Steve’s eyes. Eddie tries to wipe them away, his hands going through him.
“I did great, didn’t I?” Steve asks, making Eddie nod, “I am glad you’re here to watch her grow.”
Steve lets his eyes roam around the shore. For a moment— just a split moment— his eyes makes contact with Eddie’s. It fleets away soon after.
“I want to be around for Arwen as much as I can, but when I am ready, when it’s time…” Steve trails, letting his eyes flutter shut almost as if he can feel Eddie’s touch, “Please be there.”
Eddie smiles, “I’ll be there, Stevie.”
Arwen calls out, “Dad! Look at this seashell Auntie Robin got me! It has eyes!”
Steve wipes his tears, smiling at his daughter, “Give me a second, bean!”
“See you later, Eddie.” Steve whispers into the wind, before he starts walking back to his daughter.
Eddie watches from a far, watching as Steve throws Arwen into the air causing another burst of giggles. Nancy and Robin chuckling as they watch the father-daughter duo.
“See you later, Stevie.”
Arwen waves at Eddie, watching her friend slowly dissipate with the wind, like he's going home to the skies and ocean. The ocean is blue and bright, the sky beaming as it meets the ocean halfway.
She smiles. It's okay.
Eddie's never really gone. Not as long as Arwen visits beaches.
Luckily, Arwen loves visiting the beach.
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unholyhelbig · 5 months
Note
Feral!Nance going wild over her "friend" Robin being beat up on a fight for being gæ
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Title: I'd Like to Know You
Ship: Nancy Wheeler x Robin Buckley
Warnings: Homophobia, blood, usage of slurs, classic 1980's close-mindedness.
[A/n: Did this cure my writers block? Maybe. But probably not. Also, I didn't proofread]
Main Masterlist | Read my stuff on AO3 | Leave Requests
There was a distinct sound that accompanied broken ribs. It was a pop that was often muted and overruled by a grunt, or a scream, or any type of frazzled sound. Nancy Wheeler was sure she broke her ribs the first time she handled something stronger than a handgun. Of course, they were just bruised, but it still took her a few moments to pull gunpowder-soaked air into her lungs.
The sound she heard when Robin Buckley’s side slammed into the slate gray 1979 Camaro was undeniably that of broken ribs. She’s been shoved into the door with enough force to enact the quiet crunch, and to Robin’s credit, she barely made a noise.
Tommy Hagen pulled his hand back, already thick and crusted with blood, and brought it down into Robin’s mid-section, not allowing her to catch her breath. She coughed up a black burst of gore, spilling over Tommy’s letterman jacket.
Carol Perkins sat on the hood of an adjacent car, her heels on the fender, her gum a delicious type of purple that Nancy could smell from here as she stretched it over her tongue and let it pop against her lips in a sticky mess. She looked bored- had the audacity to be unamused as Robin lay wounded.
Nancy took a step forward before she was halted by a hand on her shoulder. It was warm and tender and filled with worry. “Nancy, don’t. It’s better to leave it.” Barb Holland grimaced, holding her books closer to her chest.
When it came to Robin Buckley, people tended to look the other way, including Nancy. There had been rumors that circulated about her since middle school, cruel names that were thrown around, written on her locker with dark cherry red lipstick. She carried herself with dignity and took beatings as if they were nothing.
But today was undeniably cold, the parking lot was empty aside for the two perpetrators, and Nancy. Barb had stayed by the doors of the school, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. She would easily close herself away to avoid confrontation and urged Nancy to do the same.
“Seriously, Nance, please.”
She appreciated what Barb was trying to do. Neither of them was one for intervening, also figuring that someone else would. But there was no one else. Nancys eyes darted around the parking lot once more. The sun was starting to set, and the toe of Tommy’s boot kicked into Robin’s collarbone. She was cornered.
Nancy clutched her math textbook until her fingers burned against the cold. She gave an apologetic look to Barb who was already retreating further into the school, before she heard herself shout. “Hey!”
The girl’s voice echoed through the lot with enough power to catch Carol’s attention. Tommy righted himself, turning halfway to peer at Nancy. It took him a few moments to recognize her as she took long and calculated steps across the lot, avoiding the patches of ice.
“Wheeler!” he laughed, holding his arms out like a sadistic ringleader. Blood dripped from his knuckles onto the pavement. “I didn’t think you’d ever show your face around here after your little peep show at the movies.”
“I hope it was worth it, Wheeler.” Carol cackled strangely, hauling herself from the hood of the car. She crossed her arms over her chest and snapped her gum twice more.
Nancy ignored them both in favor for calculating all of her strength and anger into the direction of her textbook. She slammed the calculus second edition into Tommy’s cheek with as much force as she could muster. It made an odd sound that was drowned out by his grunt of discontent.
When his head lifted, a bright flourish of blood edged by a purple forming bruise was obvious against his cheek. His fingers touched the gash, and when he pulled away, he was stunned.
Nancy growled, “Don’t touch her again. Or next time it’ll be more than a textbook.”
“Are you threatening me?” He looked back at Carol as if to confirm. “You’re threatening me for this… this dyke?”
Nancy’s eyes darted down to the girl on the ground. She groaned and spat a mix of saliva and blood onto the cement. She’d heard the slur before, it was one of the choice vocabulary words that sprawled Robin’s bike, her garage, her locker.
Her hands worked faster than her mind, clutching onto the lapels of Tommy’s jacket. She shoved his back against the side of his car. She didn’t’ have enough strength to break bones, but his breath still escaped him.
“You’re used to getting away with whatever you want because you’re a pretty boy, and a jock” He snickered at her and she lifted him from the side of the car and slammed him back down, harder this time. “Listen to me, Tommy. You may think you’re big and strong right now, but you’ve peaked. All you’ll ever be is some washed up highschooler that beat up someone smaller than him.”
His smile was slowly fading, the blood from the cut on his cheek staining his lips a hot pink, diluted color. Nancy wanted to give in to her anger, to make him hurt more than he was hurting now. And for what? For a stranger who clutched her splintered ribs and watched her with a deep, ghostly, stare.
“I’ll tell you a secret, Tommy. After you graduate, you will be the small one. The world is cruel to people who are cruel to it, Hawkin’s especially. And I have the sinking feeling that you’ll never leave Hawkins. Not alive if you keep this up.”
He let out a small noise from the back of his throat, not having a rebuttal at the ready. For good measure, Nancy lifted her knee and slammed it into his crotch with a decent amount of force. Tommy fell into her with a sharp groan, hands quickly going to his manhood.
She shoved him off and let him curl into a ball on the pavement. Carol rushed to his side, rubbing soothing circles on his back. She sent Nancy a poisonous stare, teeth grinding on the grape gum that was surely losing its flavor.
Nancy brushed it off as the adrenaline in her veins started to wear thin.  She used the last of her gall she scooped Robin Buckley off the ground and draped her arm over her shoulders, pulling the girl to her side. She smelled thick metal, of salt that was laid on the road to melt ice.
They got halfway across the parking lot before Tommy gained his voice back. It was pinched with pain. “You’re fucking dead Wheeler! You and your little girlfriend! Dead!”
She paid him no mind, leaning Robin up against the side of her father’s station wagon as she fumbled with her keys. Her fingers were shaking now, but that hardly mattered. She opened the door and shoved the trumpet player unceremoniously into the passenger seat before she climbed in herself.
Nancy peeled out of the parking lot, the tires squealed, and Robin clutched the dashboard, clearly fighting back bile that rose in her throat. Nancy hadn’t thought this all the way through. Where was she supposed to take this stranger who was bleeding profusely?
“You,” Robin spoke for the first time. It was breathy with a rasp Nancy couldn’t pin. “Shouldn’t have done that.”
She nearly hit the brakes on the station wagon if it wouldn’t’ sent them careening into the woods bordering the road. Nancy was heading home, it was subconscious, but she figured she could go in through the basement door and keep her parents from worrying.
“A thank you would work.”
“I… could have handled…it.”
“Yeah, you looked like you were handling it.”
Nancy pulled into her driveway, not paying much attention to her park job, the Station wagon was overlapping the grass. She rounded the side of the car and gently pulled the girl up. There wasn’t resistance, Robin didn’t’ have it in her, that much was clear. Though, she looked at the house, and its surroundings.
It took a few moments to navigate Robin down the stairs to the basement, there was a steady build of ice against cement. She nearly slipped, but the two of them held each other upright and welcomed the warm glow of the basement.
Her little brother was in the small part of the room that was draped with old Christmas lights, pillows, and blankets. Mike sat up an snapped his copy of X-men #134 shut. He took in the sight of Nancy, of her pink sweater that was wicked with dried blood and the injured girl that was wrapped around her.
The first words out of his mouth “I’m telling mom.”
“Do it and your Death Star model gets it.”
Nancy had used the threat before, but there was so much hostility embedded in her voice that Mike swallowed thickly and nodded before dashing up the stairs. She had to trust that it worked as she gently set Robin on the sofa.
There was a first aide kit in the cabinet above the toilet. When she returned, Robin was slumped against the cushions, staring up at the old posters on the ceiling. She blinked slowly and it was clear that it pained her to pull air into her lungs.
Nancy’s softness as she instructed Robin to sit up surprised them both. She used warm water and soap on a washcloth. There was more blood than clear skin on Robin’s face, and Nancy tenderly began to wipe it away, avoiding the gashes and lacerations.
She found Robin’s eyes fascinating. They were a deep shade of pillowy blue, and they held so much pain. As she wiped the russet color away from the girls cheeks, she was met with a smattering of freckles, and soft pink lips. She’d never looked at Robin Buckley before. In fact, most of the time she actively tried to look away.
“What you did back there… it was really brave. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
Nancy scoffed, sliding her fingers against Robin’s jaw as she pushed her head to the side and scrubbed at a strip of dried blood. “Tommy is a dick. I meant what I said. You have way more potential in this world than he does.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I don’t have to.” Nancy busied herself with finding a bottle of alcohol and a few cotton pads. Robin winced when it touched the cut on her chin, breathing through her clenched teeth. “Sorry, sorry.”
“Most people would have walked away, you know? I’ve never expected Hawkin’s to be this giant welcoming committee with balloons and confetti, but this? It’s usually a witch hunt before and after class. Tommy and his friends… they’ve never gone this far.”
“And they never will again.”
Nancy was surprised by the earnest in her words. She was suddenly aware of their closeness. Nancy was practically draped across Robin to reach the laceration against her hairline. She was unbelievably warm, and entirely beautiful. It made Nancy’s stomach roll, something she attributed to the adrenaline.
Robin swallowed hard, turned her face away. She repeated, quieter this time. “You don’t even know me.”
“Give me a chance.” Nancy urged, placing a bandage carefully on something that was certain to scar. “Let me in, let me get to know you.”
She meant it genuinely. Robin was interesting, and she was wounded, and Nancy swelled with the need to learn everything about her. She shouldn’t have turned a blind eye, it shouldn’t’ have come to this before she gave in and peeled the girl from the sidewalk.
“You kind of owe it to me,” Nancy smirked, bumping the girls shoulder softly with her own “Being your knight and shining armor and everything.”
“Oh, come on, I could have handled it.” She smiled.
“Right, right, totally. I believe you.”
The two of them laughed, Robin’s hand pressing into her ribs, she flinched. “Oh, ouch.”
Nancy felt worry course though her, squeezing Robin’s knee. There was a need to protect her, a stranger that she wanted so desperately to know.  “I’ll go get some ice. And dinner. Dinner is a must.”
“You really don’t have to do that.” Robin said.
“Oh, I know, but I want to.” She lingered by the stairs, eyes soft with emotion. “I might not know you, Robin, but I know that you deserve kindness.”
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bylersecretsanta2023 · 3 months
Text
from @the-bee-graveyard, to @bylerspookie
Just when Joyce thought she couldn't get more excited for her younger son to come home for Christmas, he called her and told her he was bringing home a partner for Christmas.
That was December 3rd, and ever since then Joyce already dropped everything to prepare. Jonathan and Nancy had been together for years, and El brought home a boyfriend or two since she started college. But Will never once even entertained the possibility of being in a relationship, never mind bringing them home.
"You're going crazy," Hopper chuckled as she rearranged the food on the table for the third time Christmas Eve. None of her kids were here yet, Jonathan and Nancy made a stop at the Wheeler's to say hi and help Karen to prepare with whatever she needed for tomorrow. El was catching a ride home with Max and Lucas and called them about forty five minutes ago from a payphone to say she'd be about an hour. They hadn't heard from Will since he left Chicago about an hour and a half ago, but he couldn't be far. "Is this about Will?"
"I just want this to be special for him," Joyce replied. "I want him to know that we love and accept him." Will didn't specifically say the person he'd be bringing home would be a boy, but Joyce knew. She was his mother, she'd known since he was twelve years old. She loved him just the same for it, and she desperately needed him to know it.
"You fought a bunch of creatures from the Upside Down for him, I think he knows you love him," Hopper said, getting off the couch and kissing her on the forehead. "Go get dressed. I can finish up here." Joyce hesitantly got up to go put on the outfit she'd planned two weeks ago for the evening.
When she came back out Jonathan and Nancy were sitting on the couch, laughing with Hopper. Jonathan had his arm around Nancy. The last time he was home he asked the two of them what they thought of him and Nancy getting engaged sometime in the future, planned it for a trip they booked for February. Joyce could barely talk to Nancy without getting so excited she accidentally spilled the secret.
As they exchanged hugs and greetings El walked through the door, dropping the array of multicolored gift bags in her hand to throw herself into her father's arms, pulling Joyce into a hug after a few seconds of Hopper.
"So all we're waiting on is Will?" Jonathan said, picking up some of El's gift bags to put under the tree. There were so many presents at this point under the trees really meant in a ring around the tree.
"And his partner," Joyce replied. Jonathan's face lit up, like it was the first time he'd heard the news. "He didn't tell you? He's bringing someone home with him this year."
"I mean, he mentioned once or twice that he was seeing someone, but the way he talked about it he didn't make it seem like it was all that serious," Jonathan said. The both of them looked at El for confirmation, El lived only twenty minutes outside of Chicago, surely she would know something she didn't. But she just shrugged and sat down at the dining room table, patiently awaiting her brother's arrival.
They didn't have to wait much longer, only about five minutes later did the door click open, revealing Will standing in the doorway. Joyce was so excited to pull him in for a hug, she didn't even comprehend how she knew the person standing behind him until she looked up and saw Michael Wheeler standing there in her doorway in a nice red sweater.
It clicked for Joyce right away, but from the look on both Hopper and Jonathan's faces, it clearly took them a few second, and Will taking Mike's hand, for them to get it.
"You," Hopper said, pointing and Will, his expression unreadable, even to Joyce. "And him?" His finger moved from Will to Mike. Will nodded. "Jesus Christ Will, there aren't any better looking guys in Chicago? You had to settle for Wheeler?" He threw his arm around Will's shoulder and pulled him in for a tight one armed hug, the tension in the room dissolving.
"How long has this been going on?" Joyce asked, gesturing between Will and Mike with her fork as they gathered around the dining room table to dig into the food. She felt almost stupid for not picking up on it sooner. Will had been in love with Mike for as long as she could remember, and of course Mike would love him right back, it was impossible not to.
"A while," Will admitted, blushing. "We've wanted to tell you the while time, but we were just waiting for the right moment. And we never found it, so we just decided screw it- he was coming to Christmas. Took the pressure off."
That was the last Joyce questioned either of them until after dinner, not wanting to disturb the rare peace that had fallen over the Byers household. For the first time in years there wasn't a monster to fight or a battle to win, Joyce could just be happy taking in the sight of the people she loved most in the world.
It wasn't until much later that night she brought it up again. Jonathan and Nancy long since retreated to Jonathan's room, and Hopper, El, and Mike were wrapped up with whatever Christmas movie was playing on the television. When Joyce got up to clear the dishes off the table, Will wordlessly followed.
"Does he really make you happy?" Joyce asked as they scrubbed dishes side by side next to the sink. "Mike?" She mentally cursed herself for throwing in his name. Will knew who she was talking about, she was just making it weird.
"Yes, he really does," Will replied, unable to keep the blush from creeping into his cheeks. He stole a quick glance back at Mike as the darker haired boy leaned over on the couch to take popcorn from the bowl in El's lap. "Is that okay?"
"Don't even ask me that," Joyce said. "Anything that makes my son happy is more then okay. But it has to make you happy, okay? Don't do anything because you think it's what I want, or what Jonathan wants, or what Mike wants. Do what Will wants."
"I will mom, I promised," He chuckled a little bit as he said it, but Joyce knew it came from the heart. Will was incapable of saying things that didn't, it was one of the million things she loved most about him.
"You shouldn't be over here helping me scrub dishes. It's your first Christmas with your boyfriend. Go over there and be with him." Will finished scrubbing the dish in his hands before he even acknowledged what she said.
"Thank you mom."
"You won't be thanking me tomorrow when I stand around and laugh when Hopper gives Mike a nice stern talking to tomorrow morning. Now go." She took the sponge from Will's hands and watched as he walked over and squeezed down between Mike and El on the couch.
Mike almost automatically repositioned himself to have his head resting on Will's shoulder, Will's hands found their way to Mike's hair, winding them into his dark curls mindlessly as they laughed at the movie. When he thought no one was looking Mike pressed a soft kiss to Will's neck, and Will kicked him lightly with his foot.
Joyce smiled to herself and got back to the dishes, letting the boys have their moment.
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salamandergoo · 2 months
Text
@strangerthingswritersguild Prompt: “I can’t lose you”
Carol hit the brakes a little harder than necessary as she pulled up to the Harrington house.  It looked the same way it always did, imposing and empty.  Tommy hissed a curse as he jerked forward.  "Jesus, Care."
"Don't be a wuss."  She reached over to grab her purse from the floor by his feet.  "Come on, you've been dragging your feet all day, it's time to talk to him."
"He's a dick, we don't have to talk to him!"
"He was my friend first and I say we do.  You've been pouting and I miss him."  She hopped out and smoothed down her sweater, hands on her hips as she waited for him to make his way around the truck.  "Come on!"
"I'm coming, fuck."  He was pouting.  Carol rolled her eyes and walked past the familiar BMW and up to the front door.  She knocked firmly three times and waited.  "He's not here, let's go."
She huffed and reached to grab Tommy's arm.  "Give it a second.  God, you're impatient."
She wanted to turn tail and run too.  She'd been best friends with Steve since first grade, when he'd been the quiet kid in the back of the room.  His hair had always been so pretty, she'd thought it was prettier than hers.  She'd started sitting next to him, and they'd been inseparable ever since.  Tommy had come around a year later, and then the three of them were always together.  Until this last week after the creep Byers had knocked Steve around and fucked something up.
She crossed her arms over her chest and rocked on her heels a few times, head jerking up when the door opened.  "You look like shit," Tommy said, voice softer than he usually let it get.
And Steve did kind of look like shit.  His bruises were mostly yellow now, and she could see where he'd been picking the scabs on his lip and nose.  And the bags under his eyes were dark.  She knew he'd use concealer over them when they got bad, when his dad was home for extended periods of time mostly, but she knew his parents weren't due home for another couple weeks at least.  Steve stared at them for a long moment before started to close the door.
"Hey!"  She jerked out her arm and tried to catch the door, hissing when it crushed her fingers against the door frame.  "Ow, fuck!"
The door flew back open, Steve reaching out to cradle her hand in his.  "Shit, I'm so sorry Carrie..."
"It's fine, It's fine."  She grimaced.  It wasn't broken, she'd broken enough fingers and toes as a cheerleader to know that, but it hurt.  "Can I get some ice for this?"
"Yeah, come on."  He glanced at Tommy warily before turning and leading them inside.  They'd been here enough times that she could probably navigate the house blind.  Steve kept it uncluttered enough that she wouldn't even trip.
She took off her shoes at the door, more on instinct than anything else, Tommy copying her.  It was quiet in the house.  They'd usually be laughing or yelling over each other or watching a movie, filling the space with noise.  It felt unsettling.  All the curtains were drawn, making it feel later than late afternoon.  She perched herself on the counter and held out a hand to take the ice pack Steve offered.  She pressed it against her hand and when it was quiet for too long, when it felt like she could hear the throbbing ache in her hand, she jerked out a leg to kick Tommy.  "He has something to say."
"I do?"  He squinted at her and yelped when she kicked him harder.  "Ow, Jesus, okay."  He looked at Steve with the same sour expression he'd been wearing all week.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry, okay?  Can we just go back to normal?"
Steve let out a sharp little laugh.  "Go back to normal?  No!  Nothing is normal anymore, man.  We can't just go back to what we were."
"What's that mean?"  Carol frowned, studying him.  "Steve, did something happen?  Is it creepy Byers?"
"No, it's not- Jonathan didn't do anything, okay?"  He grimaced.  "The pictures were creepy, but Nancy forgave him, and like, they were of her, not me, so I guess it's fine."  He crossed his arms in the way that looked like he was hugging himself instead of being angry.  "It want anything he did."
"He beat you up!"  Tommy threw his arms wide, nearly poking Carol in the eye.  "And who cares if that slut forgave him?  She's sleeping with him, of course she did.  You don't have to."
"She's not sleeping with him."  Steve curled in tighter on himself and it looked like he would lash out if they kept poking.  "It was a misunderstanding.  Her little brother is friends with his brother and they'd been looking for him.  She's not a slut, we shouldn't have done that.  I didn't want to do that."
Tommy shoved his hands in his pockets and took them back out, seeming unsure of what to do with them.  He was going to lash out too.  And Carol didn't want that to happen.
"Yeah, okay.  It wasn't cool of us to call her a slut, we fucked up," she conceded.  "Not sure how we got away with that," she admitted.  "I kind of expected Chief Hopper to call Mr. Hagan."
"He was... preoccupied."
"Yeah, yeah, finding the Byers brat, I know."  She narrowed her eyes.  "And Nancy...?"
"I fucked up my chances with her.  Wouldn't be surprised if she never looks at me again.  Or she wants to be friends?  She's giving mixed signals."  Steve untensed just a little.  Good.  That was good.  "I apologized to Jonathan.  I shouldn't have talked shit about his family.  I mean, everyone knows his dad sucked.  And I called him a... well."  Steve leaned against the counter.  "I broke his camera, man."
Tommy frowned.  "He.. had it coming though."
"Maybe.  Maybe.  But it's not like he can get a new one.  It's not like when we broke your bike after running into that fence when we were twelve, like, your parents got you a new one.  Jonathan works so they can pay the gas bill and for groceries, you know?"
Tommy just about snarled until Carol put a hand on her shoulder.  "So now that freak is your best friend?  What about us?"
"What about us, Tommy?  You made it pretty fucking clear that we-"
"Hey."  Carol cut in, holding up her hands.  "Look, you apologized to Byers.  That's fine, you can do that.  But we're trying to apologize to you.  Are we really throwing away the last ten years over this?  We... miss you, Stevie.  We can't lose you, not like this.  We haven't been apart this long since... god, since your parents made you go to New York all summer in middle school."
"I don't want to be an asshole anymore.  I don't like what we've become.  I've been too afraid to lose you guys, but... I can't keep standing by while you spread rumors about the drama geeks or pushing Munson's friends around."
Carol scrunched up her nose.   "It wasn't a rumor, Mandy totally got chlamydia from fucking some dude on vacation, I heard her talking about it in the bathroom."
"And they're fucking dweebs who play that satan game, they don't matter, Steve."  Tommy crossed his arms again, but was notably less agitated.  "And they make fun of us anyway."
"Yes, they do matter.  Okay?  No one's gonna care about who we pushed around in high school once were out of here."  Steve kicked at the ground.  "None of that shit matters, not when-"  He closed his mouth so fast Carol could hear his jaw click.  He shook his head and she leaned in closer.
"Not when... what, Steve?  What happened?"
"I can't tell you."  She almost couldn't hear him.  "I'm not allowed, I... signed these papers."
"That's bullshit."  Carol hopped off the counter.  "Tommy, your dad is a lawyer, anything Steve signed is like, void or whatever."
"That's not how it works."  Tommy took a slow step towards Steve.  "Did someone hurt you?"
"...not exactly."  Steve rolled up the sleeve of his shirt.  There was a stitched up gash in his arm.  "I wish I could tell you.  I can't, though.  They'll... I don't know what they'll do."
Tommy touched Steve's arm, gentler than he was even with Carol.  "Stevie," he whispered.  "We'll... we don't have to be assholes, we can ignore the freaks, okay?"
Steve nodded slowly.  "...okay."
Carol stepped up to Steve's other side and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.  "What can we do?"
"Nothing."  Steve swallowed and shook his head.  "I just... I want to get through the next few years so we can leave this fucking town."
"Okay."  Tommy pulled him in closer.  "Okay, we'll leave someday.  I promise," he whispered.
Later that night, the three of them tangled in Steve's room like they hadn't been since they were kids, Carol and Tommy made eye contact over Steve's head as he snored softly.  "...thanks," Tommy whispered.  "For making me come over here."
"We weren't going to lose him over something stupid."  Carol shrugged as she held Steve's waist.  "Not after this long."  She sighed.  "Are we really gonna have to, ugh, be nicer?"
"It looks like it.  He's worth it though."
"Yeah."  Carol laid back down with a hum.  "Yeah, he is."
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afewproblems · 8 months
Text
To Better Things Ahead (Than What We Left Behind)
Okay, there's a video of two ladies in a golf cart and one is trying to teach her friend how to shotgun a white claw and it has SUCH Steve and Robin energy that I had to:
"Okay, so you just put your mouth on the hole that you made," Steve says patiently as Robin lifts the can to her face.
She glares balefully as she does so, with one eyebrow raised and skepticism clear in her eyes.
"Listen carefully now Buckley, these are important life skills after all," Eddie says conspiratorially to Robin and Nancy as he leans down to grab a beer for himself from the cooler, he gestures to the can as he turns to Nancy who nods. Eddie leans down a second time to grab another can and Steve can't help but stare.
How can he not, Eddie’s ass is fully on display as he leans forward, and the borrowed red trunks hug him in all the right ways. He looks at Steve briefly and winks with a wide lascivious grin complete with dimples. 
Steve tries to tamp down the blush that threatens to emerge, rolling his eyes as he scoffs loudly. 
He could easily blame it on the heat but Steve is also fairly certain that Nancy has now caught on to how the blush only ever surfaces when Eddie teases him --or when he took off his shirt earlier and tossed it at Steve's head.
It's not Steve's fault, he’s only human after all.
He ignores the way Nancy's blue eyes follow him with a small knowing smile as she takes the beer Eddie offers.
It's a Saturday and one of the few days that Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Eddie are completely free of obligations --school is out for the summer, the kids are all at the arcade, and none of them have been scheduled for work.
They settle beside the Harrington pool; no one has ventured into the water just yet but given the height of the sun and the rising temperature, swimming hasn't been completely written off for the rest of the afternoon. 
Nancy rubs a layer of sun block on her arms and readjusts the umbrella Steve set up for her and Robin --who had previously demanded it not five seconds before abandoning the shaded seat to squeeze herself in beside Steve on the sunbleached lounge chair closest to the pool's edge.
"Okay Birdy, now in a sec you’re gonna crack the top of the can and you’ll want to tip it slightly so gravity helps you --then just start suckin’,” Steve continues, trying his best to ignore their audience and the strange flash of deja vu that hits him. 
He looks up briefly at Nancy and wonders if she feels it too. 
It's been a slow process, getting used to sitting  beside his pool again without the constant reminder of everything that happened that night hanging over his head. 
He still hasn’t reinstalled the diving board, not yet.
Steve’s gaze wanders, catching Eddie staring, the barest hint of pink begins to bloom along his cheekbones as he gestures with his beer can, "you better watch your apprentice Stevie--” 
He says it just in time for Robin to crack the top of the can and a fountain of beer to explode out of it, directly into Steve’s face. 
The can continues to spray out of the top as Robin thrusts it away from herself, opening her mouth to say something only to let the one successful mouthful of beer run down her chin and onto her knees.
No one says a word for five whole seconds as Steve wipes the beer out of his eyes.
Nancy and Eddie are frozen on the lounger across from them. Nancy looks as though she’s not sure if she’s allowed to laugh and her hands are braced on the seat on either side of her to launch herself off the chair at a moment's notice.
Eddie lifts a ringed hand to cover his open mouth, slapping his palm to his face just in time to catch a bark of laughter but not fast enough to cover it completely. 
No one can hear it though over Steve trying to catch his breath between gasping hysterical cackles. 
“Robin!” he manages to wheeze as he wipes his face with his hands again to remove the last of the beer.
She’s not listening at this point having doubled over, her shoulders heaving in silent laughter as she screams, “I breathed out!”
“Why would you do that?!” Steve splutters as another laugh splits his face into a wide grin, he slides off the lounger and onto the concrete as Robin flops backwards on the seat, holding her stomach as tears stream down her cheeks. 
Steve leans over with his hand braced on the lounger and takes a deep breath to slow down the laughter, “Jesus Christ”.
“You’re both absolutely covered in beer,” Nancy says at the same time Eddie crows, “that was fucking awesome Bobs!”
"I can't take you anywhere," Steve breathes out finally as Robin sits up and meets his gaze, looking past him for just a moment before letting her eyes snap back to his face with a wide mischievous grin pulling at her lips.
Steve barely has a moment to really register the look before Robin's bare foot is lifting up to press into his chest with enough force that he's tipping backwards.
Steve manages to squawk, "Robin--" in a strangled voice before he hits the water with a huge splash. Steve kicks out his legs to try and bring himself upright and breaches the surface with a loud gasp.
Steve sputters and whips his hair out of his eyes, taking deep breaths, "what the fuck Robin," he spits out a horrible mouthful of pool water and wipes his face again to see three sets of eyes staring at him.
Eddie stands in between Nancy and Robin, who cackles gleefully at Steve.
"Come on," she giggles, "you were covered in beer, easy solution," she gestures at the pool and shoots him a wink at the offended huff Steve lets out.
"So what's your excuse?" Eddie asks slyly as he lifts his hand to the small of Robin's back and gives her a gentle shove, she opens her mouth in a gasp as she stumbles forward, losing her balance, and falls into the water beside Steve.
Eddie turns to Nancy who crosses her arms at him with a fierce glare.
Steve doesn't understand how he ever thought Nancy Wheeler was some delicate flower with that fire burning behind those blue eyes.
She lifts a single eyebrow which is enough for Eddie to step backwards with a muttered, 'oh shit,' before he's turning towards the pool himself. Steve can't help but laugh as Eddie launches himself into the water in a fairly decent approximation of a cannonball, making the water tip up onto the concrete patio. 
Robin swims up beside Steve as Eddie surfaces, whipping his hair around like a dog as Nancy scolds him with a laugh in her voice.
"Did you ever think we'd get here," Robin asks him quietly, her eyes on Nancy as she takes off her sandals and walks around to the ladder on the far side of the pool.
Steve hums, quiet for a beat, as he thinks of the last time he went swimming in this pool with Nancy Wheeler.
The warm summer air and sunlight rail against the cool wind and the blanket of stars in his memory, Tommy and Carol’s jeering is slowly replaced, piece by piece, with Robin’s full belly laughter and the utter joy on Eddie’s face as the beer can exploded.
Barb's face will always be there, lingering in the shadows of his yard, but as Nancy looks at Steve with a new bright smile before tipping her face towards Robin, Steve can't help but wonder if this is how they're supposed to feel at twenty.
"I hoped," he says quietly with a shrug as Robin nods and gently knocks her shoulder into his own.
Robin reaches out and squeezes his hand once under the water before she wades towards Nancy, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes as she goes.
A hand touches Steve’s lower back and slides around to the scarred edge, it tickles lightly as  Eddie uses the contact to swing himself like a pendulum until he’s gliding through the water in front of Steve. 
The sun warmed water rises in the small wake Eddie creates and Steve can’t help but admire the way the light paints his skin.
“If this is what Harrington parties were like back in the day, I think it's safe to say I am pretty put out having skipped ‘em,” Eddie gives him a lopsided grin as he edges closer.
Steve snorts even as Eddie inches even closer, as his other hand comes up to trace the scars on his other side. 
“Nah,” Steve says with a soft smile, from this close he can see the faint freckles across Eddie’s nose, “you didn’t miss much”.
Eddie laughs as he leans in, “well, we got time to make up for it, hey sweetheart?”
Steve closes his eyes as Eddie runs the tip of his nose down his cheek. 
They have all the time in the world, and Steve can’t wait.
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