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#claudia henderson 🐈
shares-a-vest · 10 months
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Wayne shuffles to the door, desperate to answer the incessant knocking that sounds like whoever is on the other side is going to beat the exterior fly screen straight off its hinges. He is greeted by Claudia Henderson, clutching her handbag strap tight across her chest and looking very serious.
Although it might just be his sleep-deprived inability to gauge the emotions of chipper 9-to-5 receptionists who wear cosy sweaters. He checks his watch. He’s only been asleep for about an hour after getting home from night shift - what with waiting for Hurricane Eddie to finally head off for the garage.
“Hello, Wayne,” Claudia nods and purses her lips.
He scrubs a hand over his face but steps back nonetheless to let her in. Claudia is one step in the doorway anyhow.
“Coffee,” he not-so-much asks as he moves to the kitchen.
“No, thank you,” Claudia says politely, “I usually wait for my morning tea break.”
He looks over to find her pulling out his assigned chair at the breakfast table. She looks nervous, if a little pissed off as she gathers her handbag up on her lap. He blinks harshly and pinches his nose enough to press his forefinger and thumb into the inner corners of his eyes. He really needs to wake the hell up a little more, it appears.
“What did Eddie do?” he sighs, looking over the drying rack on the sink for one of the mugs he has in his rotation at the present time.
“Oh, Eddie hasn’t done a thing!” she insists, a smile evident in her voice, “I’m here about Steve.”
Cubs mug it is then...
He frowns again and turns back to Claudia, confused. And the woman looks like she was expecting such a reaction because she huffs and straightens up, looking like she is readying herself to give a sermon on the kid.
“I need you to help me convince that boy to move in with Dustin and me,” she explains, promptly holding up a defensive hand, “Now, I know he stays here, mostly This isn’t about anything to do with you… Or Eddie…”
She tacks that last mention of his nephew on with a tone and a knowing look.
Wayne clears his throat. It’s certainly far too early in the morning for the ins and outs of that conversation. He flicks the kettle on to drown out the awkward silence between them.
“Have you uh...” he hums and scratches the back of his neck as he searches for words, “Have you talked with him about this, at all?”
Claudia squeaks out a noise he assumes is a negative as he quickly spoons coffee into his mug. He’ll settle for black coffee for now - he really cannot be assed to stand up for much longer, even if he did have the sense to quickly step into his comfy slippers when Claudia came a-pounding on the door.
“And you want my help specifically?” he says, raising his voice above the steaming kettle that is whistling away in boiling readiness.
“Yes!”
He waves a hand in the air, “Well, what about Robin?”
“Oh, gosh, no! I can’t talk to that girl,” he barks a laugh that makes Claudia startle in her seat, forcing her to clarify, “I mean she is a steel trap about that boy!”
Wayne smirks and nods as he heads for the table with his piping hot - and hopefully, heavily caffeinated - beverage, “He’s not the biggest talker when it comes to himself.”
“I’m not one to speak ill of other mothers,” Claudia says in a hushed tone, “God knows, I am not perfect. But where are his parents?”
She rocks a little with each word like she has needed to ask that question for a good long while. Of course, Wayne thinks about Steve’s parents. A lot. Because the boy almost never mentions them.
He shrugs, “He says they stayed away on business.”
“After everything that has happened in this town?” she argues, voice growing shrill with worry, “Did he tell you what actually happened with the mall fire? It was more of that other dimension nonsense!”
He almost chokes on his coffee. He knows a little - there was no way around it with Eddie in the hospital surrounded by all those secret nurses and doctors. But he didn’t know Claudia Henderson knew about some of it too. Still, he decides to remain cautious and gestures for her to continue.
“And he’s been concussed more times than he can remember!”
She slumps back in her seat with a look of such horror, Wayne thinks the sweet woman sitting opposite him considers it her closing argument.
Wayne taps on the rim of his coffee cup. They would have to tread carefully, not ambush the kid.
“He does get a lot of migraines - ” is all he can think to say.
“ - And he has dizzy spells,” Claudia cuts in, leaning forward. He can see tears starting to well up, “I just want him to be looked after. I know he’s a young man with his own life and everything, but he still needs a parent to care for him, to support him.”
“Yeah,” Wayne nods firmly, “Yes, he does.”
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slowandsteddie · 4 months
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ITS THAT TIME AGAIN
Claudia Henderson POV pretty please 💕💖🐈
Wayne’s face immediately lit up the second he saw her and it had her blushing like she was still just a school girl. She was almost tempted to try and hide behind her hair, but then she remembered the effort that she had put into the updo and left it alone.
Dusty grumbled and it made her pout at him playfully. “Sorry, baby. You were outvoted, but I’ll make spaghetti when all the leftovers are gone.”
That seemed to appease him for the moment and that was enough for her to start getting all the ingredients together for dinner instead of fretting over her boy. Wayne easily found his way into her space in a helpful way. He did kiss the side of her head when the opportunity arose and Claudia almost squealed over it. Nearly five years and she still got excited over the affection he had to offer.
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shares-a-vest · 11 months
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Eddie rushes down the narrow hall of the trailer, his cereal bowl still in hand as he chuckles away at whoever has awakened a grumpy Steve from his beauty rest by pounding on the door at 7am.
He opens the front door to find an equally frustrated Dustin Henderson, all prim and proper, dressed ready for school. Dustin practically shoves a large cooler bag into Eddie's hand, giving him a split second to hold his cereal bowl at arm's length so as not to spill it.
"What's this?" he asks, frowning.
He attempts to peer into the bag but can only see the tops of at least two plastic containers at the angle his full hands have forced him into.
"Lasagna," Dustin informs - though it's more like a droning deadpan.
"Goody," he beams, bopping up and down on the spot as his young friend rolls his eyes.
"Dusty!" Claudia chides from the car. She spots Eddie looking directly at her and switches to a motherly smile, "Oh, hi Eddie, darling."
He waves, "Thanks, Claudia."
"Come on, Dusty, we have to get over to Steve's or I'll be late for work."
"Okay!" Dustin calls over his shoulder a little too sweetly. He narrows his eyes as he conjures up his most threatening tone, "You know who doesn't get any lasagna because of you assholes and your cartoon cat-like appetites?"
Eddie grins, "Stevie isn't home, Dustybun!"
"Eddie!" he stomps his foot.
He cackles in the face of the kid's annoyance. And maybe also because Steve is literally here in the back room, likely still grumbling away with his cute-as-hell bed hair as he tries to go back to sleep.
Dustin turns back to his mother, "Mom! Eddie said Steve isn't home."
"He isn't?" she asks so innocently, Eddie's heart swells. Bless this woman, "Well where - oh," Eddie can see her clutching her proverbial peals, "Well, never mind. I'll just keep it in the fridge at work for the day."
He smirks for a moment before he turns his attention back to Dustin, who looks like he is trying to telepathically channel El's superpowers so he can smoke him to smithereens.
Eddie blinks and feigns interest, "Oh, I'm sorry, who doesn't get any of Claudia's mouth-wateringly delicious lasagna?"
He rocks back and forward on the balls of his feet as he bats his lashes waiting for a, surely deafening, response.
"Me!" Dustin screeches, "Mom is so busy making you guys food all the time that now when she makes lasagna, saying, 'Oh, this is for the boys' that doesn't include me - her son!"
"Well you'd better learn how to cook some for your hungry wittle self," he teases. If his hands were free, Eddie would lean forward and give Dustin a condescending pat on the belly. But alas, he has to settle for wiggling his fingers through the bag's straps as he smiles, "Toodles, Dusty."
He only just catches Dustin's gaping stare for a split second before he closes the door on him completely like he's poor Kay Corleone. He cackles away as he heads for the kitchen. Steve, though hard of hearing - especially when he's all bleary-eyed and half awake - must have heard at least some of it because he calls out a smile-filled, "Eddie?".
"Coming, pretty boy!" he calls down the hall.
He sets his bowl down on the bench and makes quick work of dividing four servings of lasagna between the fridge and freezer, both spaces crowded thanks to Claudia's cooking.
"Guess what we are having for dinner..." he coos as he makes a beeline straight for Steve once he heads back to the bedroom.
Meaning, he jumps on the bed and tickles his boyfriend silly.
"Whaaaaat?" Steve whines as he attempts to duck under the blankets before settling shoving a pillow over his head.
"Lasagna!" Eddie shouts to the heavens, fist-pumping while he's at it.
Steve slides the pillow off his face and stares at the ceiling with absolute dread.
"Oh no, not her lasagna!" he dry-sobs, clutching the pillow to his chest.
Eddie drops his hands in his lap, offended.
"You don't like Claudia's lasagna?" he recoils, clutching his own nonexistent pearls.
Steve shakes his head, looking both worried and apologetic as he admits, "It's just too much food, man. Like, it's a kind gesture. And I love Claudia and all but, it's only me at home. And the servings are huge!"
"Oh, please!" he scoffs, "You practically inhale food."
"Not that much!"
Eddie flops back onto the mattress, narrowly missing Steve who is totally crowding the single bed. He places his hands over his own belly, rubbing at it as he hums contentedly.
Steve props himself up on his elbow and slowly quirks his brow as he looks Eddie over with a worrying level of amusement. He watches as Steve's eyes flit to the Garfield plushie sitting at the foot of the bed - a gift he had forced his boyfriend to buy him in commemoration of their first weekend away together in Indy a few months back.
Steve pinches his nose and mutters, "Jesus Christ."
"What?" Eddie asks, genuinely curious.
Wait.
"I'm dating Garfield!" Steve exclaims before falling face-first onto him in a fit of giggles.
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shares-a-vest · 5 months
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@steddiemas Day 6: Baking and Cookie Decorating (Winter Wednesday)
Sicky-sweet Steddie decorating cookies from Dustin's (very irritated) POV
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“Steve! What the fuck?”
“Dusty!”
He stills at the sight of his mother, materialising from behind the island countertop with a fresh tray of Christmas cookies in hand. Yeah sure, they smell delicious but Dustin still manages to make the intended disapproving face at her chiding.
Honestly, the woman swears like a sailor. She’s only scolding him because they have company. That company being Steve, who is currently standing at the counter too, piping bag in one hand and a cookie in the other as he stares back at him like a guppy.
Dustin glares. If he was still going to hang around here so much, why didn’t he just move in with them and not the Munsons when his parents skipped town?
He purses his lips. Eddie.
This all has to have something to do with Eddie. Why else would Steve be standing in the kitchen, wearing a frilly apron and looking far too pleased with himself while he and Dustin’s mother bake what can only be described as an industrial amount of Christmas cookies?
He has that look too, all angelic and innocent and cozy like an absolute dingus. The same look Steve has had on his face ever since he and Eddie announced they were an item.
A sicky-sweet, ooey-gooey annoying item.
Dustin opens his mouth to say all of that but he catches Steve catches his eye and smirks at him. Shit.
He looks at the cookies, smelling a hint of cinnamon.
Steve quickly returns to his task: shakily piping icing onto the cookie in his hand just in the knick of time as Dustin’s mother turns around.
Goddamn it, their aprons match.
Dustin pinches his nose.
“Steve wanted to make some cookies for Eddie and Wayne,” his mother explains, arranging the newly baked tray on the counter in what appears to be her typical assembly line.
“Yeah…” Steve nods, channelling any shred of concentration he has into the wobbly icing he is applying to a tree-shaped cookie a mere inch from his face.
Dustin reaches for the platter plate filled with neatly decorated cookies but his mother waves his hand away.
“I don’t get any!” he asks, “They can’t all be for Eddie!”
“No,” his mother says and he smiles as she gestures to a Tupperware container already filled, “Those are for Wayne to take for his last shift at the Plant before Christmas break.”
“And mine are…”
“Oh, Dusty!” she grumbles, “I’ll make you some another time! I thought you’d be gone all afternoon.”
“I ran out of money.”
“Poured your pocket money into trying to beat the Star Wars Flyer high score again, didn’t you?” Steve mocks, snorting a laugh as he sets a cookie on the Christmas plate.
Steve’s icing efforts are so wobbly and uneven that they look as if he has left them out on his back decking on a hot summer afternoon.
“No,” Dustin lies, “I – ”
The sound of the door out to the backyard squeaks open and Eddie skips inside like he’s a perfectly-timed sidekick from a goddamn TV show.
Dustin glares again. Bingo!
“Ms H.,” Eddie says, giving a faint salute before producing a bag of something from behind his back.
“Thank you, thank you thank you!”
Dustin watches, mouth agape as his mother makes a beeline for Eddie, takes the bag of flour (as the label says) and kisses the idiot right on his cheek.
Eddie smiles, his deceptively cherubic dimples indenting his cheeks as he flutters his eyelashes like the world’s biggest kiss-ass.
He then rounds the counter and slips onto the kitchen stool, practically knocking Dustin off his axis as he goes.
“Dusty,” he quips, straight in his ear.
“Piss off!” Dustin curses, flinging his arm through the non-existent space between them to shrug him off.
“Dusty!”
Eddie raises a hand to his chest, clutching his proverbial pearls, “So rude of you to speak to a guest like that, Dustin. And in your mother’s home!”
Steve barks a laugh, squeezing his piping bag enough that a great blob of icing plops onto a bare cookie.
“Oh, no,” he mumbles, looking down at the spillage utterly shell-shocked.
Eddie plucks a cookie from the Christmas plate, and Dustin folds his arms with a huff as he watches him hold it up without any protests from his mother.
He holds the cookie up, examining it carefully.
“Did you make this all by yourself, Stevie?” Eddie feigns wondering aloud, using that tone he does with Steve that is all flirtatious.
“With Claudia’s help,” Steve replies, smiling all sickly sweet it makes Dustin want to barf.
Again – ooey-gooey and just so goddamn annoying.
Claudia elbows Steve in the side and chuckles, “I only provided the recipe, really.”
“You’re giving away family recipes now!” Dustin complains.
“I’d hardly call Gan-Gan’s recipes sacred,” his mother defends, making a face, “In fact, I’ve changed them so much over the years, they are more mine than hers, so I can give them to who I damn well please.”
Eddie leans forward, pointedly looking at Dustin and nods in condescending agreement, his scraggly hair flopping in his face
His mother doesn’t catch it – she never does – and simply turns back to the oven. Meanwhile, Steve reaches for another cookie and hands it across the counter.
Dustin perks up until he bypasses him and hands Eddie another treat.
“Here,” he says with a flick of the wrist, “Try this one.”
Eddie again scrutinizes the treat, pouting and all considerate with the typical level of dorky theatrics Steve seems to go ga-ga for.
In rolling his eyes, Dustin regrettably glances at Steve, who is biting his lip with anticipation.
Eddie takes a bite, humming loud and rather obscenely and yet, once again, Dustin witnesses no scandalised response from his mother.
“You like it?” Steve smiles.
“Takes as good as you, sugarplum,” Eddie hums, dropping – and spitting – crumbs everywhere.
“Guys!” Dustin begs, fearing his eyes are going to roll into the back of his skull and never return, “Stop it!”
“Dusty!” now his mother stands to attention, “You can stop being so rude!”
Eddie snickers and hops up from his seat to stand impossibly close to Steve at the counter. Steve hands him the piping bag, the pair grinning at each other as they set about decorating yet another tray of Christmas cookies.
Dustin stomps his foot and marches out of the kitchen, ignoring the chorus of giggles behind him.
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shares-a-vest · 1 year
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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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shares-a-vest · 2 years
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Wayne Munson calls Eddie "boy", with fatherly affection. Sometimes he says it with a warning tone, but that only happens when Eddie is being a little shit and needs telling off.
Wayne calls Steve "son", with fatherly affection. Sometimes Steve gets super emotional about it because his own father never says "son" with any kind of love.
Claudia Henderson calls Steve and Eddie "the boys" or "my boys", with motherly affection. She'll chuckle and say, "oh, you boys" with a knowing look and it takes far too long for them to realise Dustin told her they are boyfriends.
She also refers to them as "Steven" and "Edward" respectively, on occasion and they'll allow it, not correcting her like they would anyone else.
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shares-a-vest · 2 years
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Claudia Henderson makes food for both Eddie and Steve because she hates the idea of any of Dustin's friends going without parental attention, namely home cooked meals. She knows Steve is home alone a lot and invites him over for dinner and sends him home with leftovers plus other food she just happened to make. He doesn't want to take it but she insists. He is overly thankful and always returns the containers completely spotless and will drive across town to return them promptly.
When Claudia discovers Dustin's new friend Eddie is home alone a lot because Wayne does shift work at the plant, she not very subtly asks Dustin when his overnight shifts are. When he refuses to answer, she just straight up asks Eddie and he's wierded out but answers regardless.
The next time Wayne's nightshifts roll around, the Munson's find a completely embarrassed Dustin at their door with food while Claudia sits in the car and kindly waves from a distance. Dustin says nothing and silently shoves the containers in his hands, expecting Eddie to make fun of him, but he doesn't. They are genuinely thankful and Wayne insists Claudia didn't have to make them food and he swears to return the favour on his next day off.
This goes on and on until one day Claudia is so busy with work that she can't make anything for the Munson's and Dustin is desperate to not lose any coolness in the eyes of Eddie and he doesn't want to disappoint Wayne. He hurriedly grabs food that Steve had made (knowing Claudia is busy with work and it's easier for him to make Dustin meals then have Dustin come over "unexpectedly" to scab dinner unannounced). It's different to what Claudia typically makes but the Munson's don't question it. On his way out the door for his shift, Wayne tells Eddie to wash the containers and give them back seeing as Dustin is right there working on a campaign.But of course Eddie forgets. Wanye makes a note and sticks it on the refrigerator but Eddie always forgets to check reminders he leaves all over the house.
So now Steve's mum's good Tupperware is somewhere deep in the cupboard at Eddie's house and he continues to lecture Dustin about losing it. Dustin insists he didn't lose it to the point that Steve questions whether he even took it over to the Henderson's in the first place and Eddie remains oblivious, even when they have an argument about it right in front of him.
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