#eddiemonth day 5
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Eddie's Month Day 5 + Whumptober Day 5
written for @eddiemonth and @whumptober-archive
Prompts:
Eddie’s month day 5: Role Model | Slow Down - Ozzy Osbourne | Brave
Whumptober day 5: “You better pray I don't get up this time around.” - Debris | Pinned Down | “It's broken.”
Rating: Mature
Relationship: Eddie Munson/Steve Harrington
WT: injuries, hospital
WC: 1308
Some moments define your life.
Moments that seem like others and then, when you rethink about them, you realize that they were particular moments that changed your entire life.
The first one was the day Wayne decided to visit his brother when he came back from Vietnam.
Eddie didn’t really like the silent man who kept smoking one cigarette after another while looking at him with something that he wasn’t able to define. It took him a few years but he finally understood that he was looking at him with pity.
That day, even if Eddie didn’t know it, was the day Wayne decided that the kid deserved something more than a junkie as a mother and a petty thief as a father.
It took Wayne almost three years to gain Eddie’s custody, but in the end, the State was more than happy to give a troubled kid to an adult who was willing to raise him while his parents were in prison.
That day, the first day he met Wayne, Eddie was wearing a band t-shirt his father shoplifted somewhere and that was way too big for him, but he loved it.
He still has it, somewhere.
The image has faded and the cotton is so thin that it is almost see-through, but Eddie keeps it as a relic.
Another moment that will define his life forever is the day Chrissy Cunnigham, lovely Queen of Hawkins High ,sat with him and asked him for drugs. The strong kind, not just marijuana as most of the tough kids in high school did.
And he said yes.
Now that they are getting ready to fight an interdimensional monster he asks himself: why did he say yes? Why didn’t he tell her to have fun with her friends instead of searching for consolation in drugs?
He should have never said yes.
But he thought he was helping.
He thought that he could have helped her, little by little, gaining her trust and helping her see how beautiful and kind she was, inside and out.
But they didn’t have the time.
When he turned toward her with the little plastic bag, he found himself deep in a shitty horror movie with a fucking monster ready to kill every stupid teenager in Hawkins.
So he did the first thing he learned when he was a kid.
He ran away.
Like he had run away from his father when he used to come home drunk and tried to beat him.
Like he had run from the bullies that were trying to cut his hair.
Like he had run from the police when he was dealing a few miles away from the trailer park.
Eddie has run all his life. He is a pro at running. Could win a fucking medal if he wanted to.
But tonight is different.
Tonight they are at war.
And what is worse, is that he has a kid to take care of.
The look that he has shared with Harrington has said everything there was to say.
The knight is going to slay the dragon and he is going to keep the kid safe, and he fucking will.
The adrenaline of the concert he has played on the roof of the trailer is fading away fast, those monstrous creatures are trying to get into the trailer and Eddie can’t allow that.
If they get inside they could hurt Dustin, and even get into their dimension.
No fucking way.
So Eddie does what he knows best: he runs.
The only difference is that this time he is running toward the peril instead of away from it.
Fuck it.
If the ex Keg King was able to fight a fucking monster with a nailed bat and nothing more, he could do the same, right?
He is a man. His role in society is to protect the people he cares for!
He takes the bike and the demobats follow him. He looks around him, he will never make it to the woods as he was thinking.
He leaves the bike and takes the nailed shield.
He just has to hold the line. Someone will come to help him. That is what happens in all his books.
Straider will appear from nowhere and will save him.
The demobats shriek and he yells at them.
He closes his eyes.
Now that he is alone, surrounded by demobats, he doesn’t feel so brave anymore.
He thinks of the old faded t-shirt. He should have put it on for good luck.
He would like to be buried with that on.
No stupid suit for him.
He falls.
Everything hurts.
Someone is screaming his name when the earthquake starts and the bats fall to the ground. Dustin is holding him tight.
“I didn’t run.” he says, tasting blood in his mouth.
“No, no. Look at me! Look at me!” Dustin screams, and then someone else is kneeling at his side.
“We have to bring him back. Now.”
“But…!”
“Robin, Nancy, help Dustin. I think his ankle might be broken.”
Someone is lifting him, and Eddie whimpers when they move him.
“Hey, if you are still complaining, it is a good sign.” Steve says, sounding cheerful.
“Harrington?” he asks, confused.
His vision is blurry, but someone is carrying him in a fireman’s carry and is running through the debris of the earthquake.
What happened?
When did it happen?
What the fuck is going on?
They are not going back to the trailer, they are going down a crack in the ground.
“Are you sure, Steve?”
“Do you have a better idea, Rob?”
It seems they are out of ideas because Robin and Nancy keep going down a few feet away from them.
“You get to the other side with Dustin, then you’ll help me with Eddie.”
“Slow down, big boy.” Eddie complains.
“You will rest when we get to the other side. Just hold on.”
“You better pray I don't get up this time around or I’ll ruin your reputation. The golden boy brought me to the other side. How does it sound as a title?” he tries to joke.
“Better than being killed by a maleficent creature with psychic powers, honestly. But I’d prefer something like ‘brought me to the dark side’, it sounds more badass, doesn’t it?” Steve replies and Eddie laughs. Everything hurts, but he laughs.
They are still walking down the crack when Steve groans “I asked you not to do anything stupid.”
He did.
But for once Eddie wanted to be the brave one.
“Are you angry with me?”
“Don’t die on me and I might forgive you.”
Steve.
Brave Steve.
The expendable one.
Still, the one that is bleeding to death is Eddie.
“I didn’t run.”
“I know. But a friend of mine told me that there is no shame in running.”
“Wise man. You should introduce us one day.”
“I will. Now hold on tight. I’m going to push you through the crack and I don’t think it is going to be fun.”
Spoilsports, Eddie thinks, and the burning pain is the last thing that he feels.
***
When he opens his eyes he is in a hospital, his right arm is handcuffed to the bed and there are two figures asleep on some cheap plastic chair.
One is Steve, his hair messier than ever, the other is Wayne, who has a duffle bag at his feet with a faded t-shirt half out.
Eddie will quickly find out that they do not have a home anymore, and all their belongings are in that duffle bag.
He will learn that he is still the first suspect in the murder of Chrissy Cunnigham.
He will remain handcuffed in the hospital for weeks, but when he will finally leave, hand in hand with Steve fucking Harrington, he will wear a faded t-shirt.
Almost see-through.
#whumptober2023#no. 5#pinned down#You better pray I don't get up this time around#stranger things#fic#injuries#hospital#stranger things fanfic#my fanfic#steve harrington#eddie munson#steddie#eddiemonth#eddiemonth day 5#medusapelagia#medusapelagia fanfic
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Magic That'll Last a Lifetime
It took me far too long but it is here. This has become affectionately known as the Eddie & El 5+1 but it ended up as a 4+1 instead. Still Eddie & El though :)
This was written for @eddiemonth, day 5, role model. Title from DIO's Last in Line. I'm not writing for the day the song is actually a prompt for, and @unifiedcreationsrbr got me to see that song as an Eddie & El song with their own fic, so. Here we are!
Warnings: None, this is all just a lot of fluff. Though it does reference Flight of Icarus, which I read while writing this.
Wordcount: ... a whooping 4751
El didn't know what to expect when she was woken up by frantic knocking on their front door. A shot of fear ran through her, making her blood run cold and forcing her to think about what she knew for a fact in order to stay calm.
One was dead, she was sure of that. The gates had only briefly opened with his death but the tear had healed itself into an earthquake. Hawkins had survived, just a little worse off.
It was over. Well, the Upside Down part of things was over.
“We didn't know where else to take him.” That was Robin's voice, coming in a little muffled through the closed door to her room. She sounded nervous. “Steve's parents are coming home tomorrow, if not later today, and everyone else lives with their parents; I know Joyce wouldn't mind but—”
“It's fine, Buckley,” her dad assured, as El finally got out of her bed. She heard some more muttering, then Robin's hurried steps out. El opened her door just in time to see Steve carrying someone — Eddie — inside.
“Is that him?” Another voice questioned, surprising El. Agent Stinson met her eyes and smiled briefly at her, though it looked a little like a grimace.
She didn’t react and turned back to Steve. He’d asked her to check in on Eddie a few days after they all returned from California, and Russia, and the Upside Down. The fact that most people she knew had to go there made her so angry.
El opened her door further, nodding at Steve to bring Eddie to her room.
She wanted to help in any way she could.
(She hadn’t realized then, but that decision left her with another very good friend.)
——
Somehow, Eddie was mostly used to a bunch of rambunctious teenagers just barging into his new house, nearly on the edge of town. The thing was, there was usually a lot of noise heralding their arrival; some car or another, their shouts as they approached the front door.
They made noise, and the noise let him and Wayne know they would be getting company.
Maybe Eddie had been too distracted writing, or the music was too loud this time, but hearing the creak of the front door opening sent ice through his veins. He stood up, grabbing the closest thing he could use as a weapon — his dice bag — and walked slowly to the front door.
But instead of any intruder that still wanted his head on a pike, he saw one of the kids standing there, smiling at him.
“Hey, Eddie,” El greeted him, wiping her feet on the mat before walking in. He saw a flash of red hair right behind her. “We tried knocking, but the music was too loud.”
Eddie sighed, lowering the dice bag. Max walked past him with a smirk, heading straight to the cassette player and replacing his Heaven & Hell tape with one of her own.
“We are here to practice braiding,” Max announced, raising a plastic bag she carried on her free hand.
He knew better than to argue with the two of them; Eddie had been told that El was feeling self conscious over her slow-growing hair — he'd certainly been there — and Max hadn’t really gone out at all since everything happened — he’d also been there, just recently being forced to go out by Wayne and Nancy of all people.
He waved his arms towards his couch. “Have at it, then,” he conceded, watching as El walked over and sat down, eyeing his D&D stuff curiously. “I need to finish that.”
El turned to look at him, and Max glanced between the two of them, putting her hands on her hips in a move so reminiscent of Steve that Eddie had to hold in a laugh.
“We are not practicing on each other,” Max said pointedly, looked straight at him with a raised brow. “The only other person who could help is Mike.”
Eddie made a face at that. He could not see Mike letting his hair be braided, which…
“This is about the curly hair?”
Max looked at him with an expression that screamed “duh”, while El was smiling brightly at him and nodding.
He sighed, silently resenting the fact he’d lost his ability to say no to these shitheads. No matter how nice and sweet some of them were.
“Let me get these out of the way, then.” He gathered the things he’d left in the living room floor and placed them on the nearest chair.
He sat on the floor in front of El on the couch, and Max sat next to him, taking a magazine out of her bag. She flipped through it with a face of concentration, but soon sighed in frustration and tossed it away.
“I don’t know why I thought that would help.” Max propped her elbow up on her knee, resting her head on her fist and staring at Eddie with a frown. “I don’t think you know what to do either.”
“Hey,” Eddie admonished, but he didn’t have much defense; he never bothered figuring it out. “I at least know you don’t brush curly hair dry.” He frowned, trying to remember what he knew. “Or at all, I guess.”
“That's a start,” Max said with a shrug.
“Eddie,” El called softly, leaning forward a little while Eddie leaned back to see her. “Can we try braiding your hair, please?”
Eddie nodded — it probably looked ridiculous upside down — and stood up again. “I’ll deal with this,” he said, gesturing to his hair, “and put on something that won’t bother me when it inevitably gets wet.”
He left the girls to chat, stopping first to change, then to wet his hair. He grabbed a towel and the wide-tooth comb Steve had left weeks ago.
If the idea was practice, they’d all probably be here for a few hours.
(And, shit, it had been fun. The girls bombarded Steve with questions when he showed up, also without warning, and seeing the guy speechless when he finally looked at Eddie was nice.
But, as Steve also pointed out that evening, he should probably start remembering to take care of his hair. Example, and all that.)
——
It took Eddie a few seconds to place what woke him up, but the final notes of Creeping Death faded and a soft click kept the next song from starting.
“Thank you,” El said, keeping her voice down. She’d come over earlier in the afternoon, no real excuse as to why, just a couple of books and worksheets in her bag. They’d been doing their own thing since.
“No problem, kid.” He could picture Wayne as he spoke, standing just a couple of steps away from their cassette player, looking over the mess of papers the two created in the time it took him to get groceries. “Need anything else?”
“Music?”
El and Wayne had interacted a few times since she started showing up at their house, but El was still a little wary of his uncle. It was funny to watch, even though Wayne was increasingly lost on what to do for her to like him.
Not that she disliked him. El had said once that she struggled a little with strangers outside of the Party, but explaining that was pretty complicated.
Eddie opened his eyes to see his uncle glance at the kid briefly, a twitch of his fingers that Eddie was familiar with after years of living with the man; he wanted to reach out and ruffle El’s hair, but it was clear they weren’t at that point yet.
Her hair was just starting to grow out, curling in the heavier parts like Eddie’s when he’d been in that same situation years ago, and no one but Hopper and Joyce were allowed to touch it.
(Well, and Steve, as of late. That guy was meticulous, so of course he’d be allowed.)
By the time Eddie’s attention snapped back into the present, The Call of Ktulu was a couple of minutes in, and Wayne had already gone back to whatever he was doing. He stretched, groaning at the pull on his scars.
“Hi,” El said, smiling once he turned to her. She had their box of tapes in front of her, a few of them set aside; some of Eddie’s metal tapes, some of Wayne’s country ones. “Wayne said you needed some sleep.”
“Wayne says a lot of things,” he retorted, voice raised so his uncle could hear him. He heard a loud, wordless affirmation from the kitchen. Eddie stood up and leaned over to see just what tapes El had set aside to listen to.
“Oh, hey.” He spotted his Rising tape and pointed at it. “This is one of my favorites. Wanna give it a listen?”
El nodded. Eddie thought she might like this one; she’d already listened to a few songs from DIO’s The Last in Line and Black Sabbath’s Heaven & Hell and liked them just fine.
He hoped she’d enjoy Rising; it meant a lot to him.
Once Tarot Woman started playing, he sat back on the couch and picked up the book that had fallen on the floor at some point during his impromptu nap.
Eddie opened On a Pale Horse where he last remembered reading but didn’t try continuing it. Instead, he watched El get back to her worksheets in silence, gently bobbing her head along to the music.
Maybe they could pay a visit to a music store soon.
——
They were well into summer, now, and the kids were starting to get ready for their sophomore year. The entire group had gone to Steve's place to use his pool, probably for the last time this summer, and while Steve seemed to enjoy running around for their friends — for all he complained, the twitch of a smile didn’t go unnoticed by Eddie — Eddie himself needed to get away from the sun, the noise, and, most importantly, the water splashes.
The kitchen was empty, and the only sound came from the back. Eddie took the moment to check the fridge for any other snacks, but came up empty. Of course the little shits got everything, he couldn’t even be surprised.
It also seemed that Steve hid whatever alcohol had been here from the kids, and Eddie wasn’t about to snoop around and potentially cause problems for him.
He turned around and spotted El walking into the kitchen, head down and a frown on her face. She pulled a stool out and sat at the counter before she even realized he was there.
Eddie waved with a bemused smile. El blinked at him a couple of times before returning his greeting, though with a much more sheepish smile.
“Got tired of the noise too?” Eddie questioned, moving to lean across from her. “Because the boys are particularly noisy today.”
“No,” she said, only to immediately frown. “I mean, yes, but that’s not it…”
He raised a brow, waiting for her explanation.
“They are talking about school,” she mumbled, rubbing the tip of the beige towel over her shoulder. “I don't like hearing it.”
Eddie nodded. He hadn't liked school since the end of his sophomore year either. He supposed it was all a little different for her, though.
“Anything specific they’re saying?”
She shrugged, tracing some pattern on the counter. “They seem… excited.”
El didn’t elaborate for a long moment, and Eddie hummed, moving to the other side of the counter to sit next to her. He waited another beat, but she didn’t look up from the patterns she was drawing.
“I’m guessing that excitement is not shared.” It wasn’t a hard guess at all. He didn’t know much because Jonathan didn’t seem to know much, but if he’d had to guess, Eddie would bet the move to the other side of the country was rough on the three of them. “Moving around and changing schools suck.”
El nodded and finally looked up to face him. “School sucks.”
“Hey!” It startled a laugh out of him. “You’re the one saying it, not me.” Eddie shook his head, seeing El smile a little. “But you’re right, especially when you’re somewhere new.”
“I didn’t know anyone!” El exclaimed with a little more energy than Eddie expected. “Will was there, but…”
“He was your brand new sibling, not quite the same,” he hedged. “What was it like?”
Her brows furrowed, and Eddie expected her to shrug and change subjects; most of his friends did that when he inevitably poked into something they didn’t want to talk about.
“It was nice, at first,” she mumbled after a moment. “Going to school, with everyone else.” She placed her arms on the counter, resting her chin against her arms. “It got really hard, and people are stupid.”
Ah.
“Felt worse than everyone just telling me about school,” she added. “School is hard.”
With a sigh, Eddie adjusted himself on the stool, mimicking her position as much as he could. “I can’t really help with the actual school part of this experience,” he started, lightly tapping a song against the counter. “But I agree that people are stupid. And you wanna know something?”
He waited for her questioning hum before continuing. “People out there,” he answered, raising his head enough to gesture toward the front door. “They don’t know us, right? They don’t know what happened. And they’ll say shit to make themselves feel better about something.”
Eddie turned his head to face El. She was looking at him with slightly wide eyes, and god, she was too young. They all were, of course, but El had had even less chance to just be.
“You, young lady, are probably the coolest of us all, y’know?” He added. “I cannot begin to imagine just going on as normal after all I heard you went through.” El narrowed her eyes, staring at him with an expression he didn’t know what to make of. He ignored it. “Makes you pretty cool.”
El kept staring at him until she sighed, looking away. Eddie waited, knowing that whatever she had to say would come out when she was ready. She looked at him again, a confused little frown on her face that Eddie poked without much thought.
It made her laugh as she smacked his hand away, so that was a win.
“There was this girl,” El started slowly and softly, looking back at the doorway to make sure there was no one else listening. “She seemed nice, but… she wasn’t. She said and did things.”
“Ah, some of the worst, I see.”
She nodded and started messing with the tip of her towel again.
“How do you…” She trailed off, looking a little hesitant. But she took a deep breath, and asked, “How do you just ignore what they say?”
Well. Eddie pursed his lips, looking away. “Wayne helped a lot, actually.” He shrugged as best as he could while resting his head on his arms. “There’s nothing wrong with being different, right? He’d say, ‘wrong are the people who have a problem with you’.” He hadn’t really said it like that when he first did, but it was what stuck to Eddie all the same.
“There’s always gonna be something that people won’t like about you, something they’re gonna complain about.” He straightened and nudged El with his shoulder. “Personally, I think you have a lot to be proud of, not everyone can say they are a superhero.”
El nodded slowly, but her smile was growing little by little. “I can’t actually say that either.”
Eddie turned to her slowly, trying to maintain the unamused expression. Thankfully, she broke first and dissolved into giggles.
“This is what I get for trying to be sincere,” he complained halfheartedly.
She leaned against his side, resting there for a moment. “Thanks, Eddie.”
——
“Shit!”
“Well,” Eddie started, trying not to laugh at Dustin's indignant expression over his awful roll. The boy was always particularly fun to torment in D&D. “That’s another one down, I guess.”
They were close to the end of this one-shot, one final puzzle away from reaching the ceremonial sword they needed to deliver to the elven kings to end their feud on who should rule the kingdom, but since they got to this maze, it had been one failed roll after the other; the attacks, the wisdom checks he had not explained the purpose of at all.
Or, he hadn’t explained to any of his players. El was also trying her best not to start laughing next to him, though her smile was far too amused. Eddie had also told her not to mess with the dice, and she hadn’t as far as he could tell, so this was all their damn bad luck.
Dustin sat down with a huff, which meant that Arnie was the last one standing for the end of this adventure.
Will, who had taken being the first to fall gracefully enough, Jeff, Mike, Lucas, Gareth, and now Dustin.
This was not supposed to be that hard, but he supposed it was quite a difference from his usual plans; no one had realized the secret to getting the sword yet, and he wasn't sure anyone would.
What a shame.
“So, Thokas,” Eddie called to Arnie. The dwarven bard was the last one standing, and whether he would make the right call or not remained to be seen. “What are you going to do? There are five doors in front of you.”
Arnie was frowning, looking at his character sheet tensely, doing his best to ignore the divided clamoring of their friends.
With a deep breath, he announced, “I’m going through the fourth door.”
Hm. Solid thinking, no one had tried that one yet.
“You know the drill,” Eddie replied, gesturing to the dice in the middle of the table.
Arnie’s roll was better than most previous rolls, but El’s grimace as she looked between the dice and Eddie’s notes caused him, and everyone around him, to groan.
“Are you kidding me?!”
Eddie shrugged, keeping his face neutral. They really seemed out of luck, but he was hoping someone would finally get it!
“This is ridiculous!” Mike groused. He kept on complaining about the door room while Eddie rolled for damage.
Well, at least it wasn't over just yet.
“Fuck it,” Arnie shouted, folding his arms over the table. “I’m putting my dagger away, I’m not fighting anymore.”
Jesus H. Christ, finally.
Eddie heard El let out a relieved sigh next to him. Granted, Thokas only had 3 hit points left; the way things were going, he wouldn’t have been able to do much even if he’d still been willing to fight.
Everyone else, though, was complaining loudly. Even Will, but he was glancing at him and his sister with suspicion.
“The moment the dagger is back its sheath,” Eddie started, slowly standing up. El stepped away, closer to Will. “You see the room around you shift as if it were all made of smoke.” He waved his arm over the table. “The only doorway left is wide open, and you can see your goal on the other side.”
Thokas did get the sword, finding all his allies alive and well when he stepped back out of the vault room. Most of his players seemed a little lost on just what happened, though, but no one said anything until the actual end of the session.
“Dude,” Mike groaned after putting his notes away. “Why was this entire thing non-combat? You never run a non-combat game!”
“This clearly wasn’t non-combat,” Gareth interjected with a smirk, always willing to antagonize Mike for some reason. “But you have a point,” he added, turning to Eddie with narrowed eyes. “You have not done anything like this in years.”
Eddie shrugged with forced nonchalance without getting up from his chair. “Gotta spice things up, y’know? Besides, illusions are fun.” Gareth’s eyes narrowed further. “If any of you have actual complaints,” he added, voice slightly raised to be heard over the pockets of conversation that had formed around the table, “Take it to the lady over there. It was her idea, not mine.”
El smiled brightly at the hush of conversation when everyone turned to her. Will was glancing between the two of them as if he’d suddenly made sense of something — probably why she was asking about D&D at home.
“Should we be worried you two are hanging out?” Will asked after a moment, trying to sound exasperated but, in reality, sounding far too amused.
“Absolutely,” they both replied in unison and without looking at each other.
——
There were only so many people they could fit inside their new, government-issued house, and Eddie kind of needed a break. Well, there weren’t that many people, it wasn’t a capital-P party.
It was just his 20th birthday.
Eddie was trying not to feel bad for sneaking out of his own birthday party. There was even a cake that he suspected came from Claudia. Or maybe Joyce. Hell, maybe they worked together, he wouldn’t know.
Either way, he needed a break, so he’d snuck out to the front porch, pack of cigarettes and lighter in hands.
He was almost done with the second stick when he heard the front door open.
“Had a feeling you’d be out here,” Hopper declared after he sat down on the steps. Eddie turned to him with a raised brow but still held out the pack in offering. Hopper shook his head. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah,” he replied slowly, frowning a little. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
The expression Hopper turned on him was… unimpressed, he supposed. But it was a valid question.
“Wayne mentioned that Al called.”
Eddie groaned, loudly, as he dropped his head onto his knees and the cigarette into the ashtray between him and Hopper.
The sole reason this party was happening in November was his dad’s admittedly empty promise to visit in the week of his birthday. Eddie wasn’t sure why he bothered not making plans. Some distant hope, he supposed.
The party was only happening at all because Wayne insisted that the company would lift his spirits a little.
“He’s been in and out of my life since I was eight,” he started, his voice probably muffled to Hopper. “And after everything, I’m not sure I even want him around.”
“But he said he’d be here.” Eddie heard Hopper sigh. “Almost dying tends to make people want to give out second chances.” Eddie snorted, raising his head and turning to Hopper with a disbelieving expression. “New chances, fine.”
Eddie nodded slowly.
When Al had called, Eddie had expected some excuse, another scheme, something. Anything but the check-in full of concern he’d gotten. He wanted to be upset it had taken him half a year, but the government people kept a tight leash on what information ever made it out of Hawkins, let alone reached wherever the hell Al Munson was this time; he wouldn’t really have known to call — or where to call, he supposed — for a while.
But given how everything went down in ‘84, Eddie should have known he wouldn’t keep his word.
“Since we’re on the topic,” Eddie started with a grimace. Hopper turned to him with a raised brow, expression pretty much unreadable. “I, uh… wanted to say thanks? For, you know,” he gestured to his surroundings and paused. “Everything.”
Hopper hummed, turning back to stare out at their driveway and the handful of cars parked there.
“Clearing your name is the least they could do, Munson,” Hopper said. “And so is getting you and your uncle a new place. No one ends up tangled in this shit willingly.”
“Most people don’t even know this shit is there to get tangled in,” Eddie immediately said. He shook his head soon after. “It’s just… You know,” he shrugged, “Thanks for doing it twice.”
Objectively, Eddie knew Hopper hadn’t been a very active part of the process, busy trying to come back from the legally dead and making sure El was safe to exist in Hawkins. But still, it was kind of nice to have one more person try to keep his already abysmal reputation from sinking further.
“I still stand by what I said.” Hopper briefly glanced at him. “You’re not your father, Munson.”
Eddie opened his mouth to interrupt, but Hopper continued before he could figure out what to say.
“Running after seeing—” your very nice classmate die— “what you saw this year is perfectly reasonable, if you ask me, but you still decided to help.”
“That wasn't entirely selfless…”
“Sure,” Hopper shrugged. “You still stuck around. After.” Hopper gestured back to the house and turned an assessing glance at him. “Which is good, because I have no idea how you and Harrington keep taking in these kids. They are all far too loud.”
That startled a laugh out of Eddie, which, given the seemingly satisfied smirk on Hopper’s face, had been his intention with the topic change.
“Guess it’s all the trauma bonding,” Eddie said.
“Nah, it's more than that.” He shook his head. He was frowning a little in thought. “I think other than Sinclair, none of them had much in the way of decent male figures in their lives.”
“Will has Jonathan,” Eddie corrected before frowning. “Wait, are you saying I'm a ‘decent male figure’?”
“Yep,” Hopper said, eyebrow raising in an unspoken challenge. “And I know Will has Jonathan, but Joyce says he hasn't been this excited about that game you all play since the summer of last year.”
Eddie nodded. Will had mentioned that he hadn't played any D&D at all since he moved last year. He didn't even take his books, everything going to Erica instead.
He supposed that, sometimes, it helped to have a new group to play with.
“And it also helps he’s moving on from Mike Wheeler.”
Eddie almost choked on his laughter. “Not you too!” He groaned. “Mike’s not that bad!”
“Whatever,” Hopper said, shaking his head. “The point is that those kids are better off for having you around and having a place to be.”
Hopper said it matter-of-factly, not realizing — or ignoring — that his words kind of… brought Eddie up short.
(Eddie knew what he wanted the Hellfire Club to be, what he did by playing it all up. Hearing it acknowledged by anyone else, let alone by Hopper, was just a little surprising.)
“Now, I’m pretty sure you’re to blame for the weekly fight over the stereo,” he said with a raised brow, but the stern expression didn’t hold for long, giving place to a fond smile. “But El’s looking lighter lately, less worried about everything.”
The sound of the front door opening drew their attention from the conversation, saving Eddie from having to figure out a response, and they could see El’s expression brighten once she spotted them.
“Found them!” She shouted back into the house. “Time for cake,” she announced before turning to walk back inside, leaving the door open for them. A lot of voices drifted out.
“See what I mean?” Hopper asked, hooking a thumb in his daughter's direction. “Loud, all of them.”
“She's the quietest,” Eddie argued because it was true, at least in comparison. Her and Will, the two of them tended to let things… happen around them, for the most part, not really intervening until they were asked or had to. Though Will had his moments of being right in the middle of the chaos, especially during D&D.
“She also has psychic powers.”
Fair enough.
Eddie stood up, dusting imaginary dust off of his knees. Hopper did the same, though not without groaning. He would have poked fun, but it didn’t feel right to.
“I’m glad you’re alive, Eddie.”
“You too, Hop.”
(They didn’t really talk for the rest of the night, but Eddie did learn, due to a slip up from Dustin, that El had defended him, loud and clear, in the middle of the school cafeteria. No one really explained what happened, but Eddie did notice how some people stared at them. Weeks ago.
El, local superhero, standing up for his honor? Unexpected. And maybe a tally under the Not Quiet column.
Hopper and Joyce only smiled in his direction, Hopper decidedly more smug than anything. They surely knew.
Well, he was just gonna have to help her get louder then, because he sure as hell was keeping these kids around.)
#Stranger Things#Eddie Munson#El Hopper#Wayne Munson#Jim Hopper#Eddie Munson & El Hopper#(they are the cutest ok)#Eddie as El's role model#eddiemonth#Day 5#WeresWriting#Next up: Day 6! Whenever I get to it. I make no promises anymore
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@eddiemonth day 5: role model
slow and steady wins the race, or: eddie teaches mike to play guitar
#mike wheeler#eddie munson#stranger things#st4#stranger things fanart#stranger things fan art#eddie munson fanart#eddiemonth#lexidoodledoo#2023#mike looking up to eddie is something that can be so personal
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written for @eddiemonth
Day 5, Prompt: Role Model (and Brave if you squint)
read on ao3 | link to my ao3 Eddie Month series
“Will’s out of practice, but I think he’s excited to play again,” Mike says, sliding Eddie’s worn D&D notebook across the small hospital bed tray. “You know, when you’re up for it, of course. I mean, one of us could DM me or Will, I mean, but we’re not as good as you.”
“Who told you flattery works on me, Wheeler?” Eddie jests, grinning up at him from his hospital bed. “Yeah, yeah, of course, I’ll DM something for you sheep. It’ll give me something to do in here while those government people work their cover-up magic.”
Eddie watches as a smile takes over Mike’s entire face, eyes crinkling in the corner. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen the kid so happy before. And all over a game. They really are nerds, aren’t they? Before Mike has time to give his input, something Eddie knows he is gearing up to do because he always has input, there’s a knock on the closed hospital door.
“Mike?” Nancy calls as she cracks the door open. “There you are. The boys are looking for you. Something about a vending machine?”
“Oh, shit,” Mike swears, eyes wide.
“Duty calls?”
“Yeah, we’re trying to bride the guy in charge of stocking the machine on Max’s floor to give us snacks for free,” he says, walking backward towards the door. “I’ll bring you back something if our mission is successful.”
Eddie places a request for a Milky Way and a bag of chips, which Mike mentally notes before disappearing into the hallway. Nancy’s about to head out behind him, already pulling Eddie’s door shut when he calls out to her.
“Got a minute, Wheeler Senior?”
Nancy hovers in the doorway, nose turned up. “Only if you promise never to call me that again.”
Eddie laughs, mimes crossing his heart as best he can earning a shake of Nancy’s head. Still, she steps into the room, closing the door behind her before making the short trip to his bedside.
“How are you doing?” she asks, eyes scanning him from head to sock-covered toes.
“Now that I’m finally awake, I just, uh, wanted to properly say thank you,” Eddie says, wincing as he tries to adjust his position in the bed. It’s already raised to a seated position, but he’s still not comfortable. His torso burns and the wires hooked up to him clink against the bed frame and it’s hell, but if he doesn’t adjust himself soon his foot is going to fall asleep and the only thing worse than getting nearly mauled to death by bats in a hell dimension is the feeling of pins and needles in his feet.
“Thank me?”
“Oh, don’t play coy, Wheeler. You saved my life,” Eddie says, finally settling on his side. “Henderson told me how you took over carrying me back after Harrington’s own wounds got the better of him. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course, I had to do that! I wasn’t going to let you die down there.”
“I wouldn’t have blamed you. I mean, I almost got us all killed.”
“You— what?” Nancy asks, eyes wide in confusion. Reaching behind her, she grabs the spare chair (the one Wayne’s been sleeping in every chance he gets) and drags it towards the bed. The legs screech against the linoleum tile, but it doesn’t seem to phase her. “You saved us, Eddie. Saved Dustin, definitely.”
“Tell that to his fractured leg.”
Nancy shakes her head and reaches for his hand that doesn’t have an IV needle shoved into it. She looks at him with a face of determination. One not unlike the face she had when she explained their plan two weeks ago in the stolen Winnebago. This is Nancy on a mission. Except, Eddie’s not sure what the mission is this time.
“Stop,” she says, squeezing his hand. “Just stop, okay? You didn’t fail us or whatever you think you did. You kept Dustin safe. You bought us more time. I would have liked it if you didn’t use your body as bait.” She glances at his exposed arms, wrapped in gauze, some already bloody again. “But you did what you had to do. We all did what we had to do. And we’re alive. That’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, but I—“
“No,” she scolds, glaring at him this time. “I don’t want to hear it. You don’t get to downplay what you did or think you’re some— some fuck up. Because you’re not. You are a hero. A brave hero! And I won’t let you say those things about yourself, especially not when Mike could overhear you. You’re his role model, you know?”
It hurts to laugh, but it bubbles out of him anyway. It’s not the happy kind of laughter, though. It’s of the unamused variety. The kind of laughter he’s used at aiming at Jason and the rest of the jocks in the Hawkins High cafeteria.
“Don’t bullshit me, Wheeler. M’not that kid’s role model.”
“You are, though,” she says, doubling down. “Mike never shuts up about you. He was miserable this summer when the Byers moved, and he realized he was starting school without his best friend and girlfriend. I swear he almost jumped out of my car on that first day of school. So imagine my surprise when he climbed in the car at the end of the first day with a genuine smile on his face.”
“All I did was give him a place to eat lunch.”
“No, you gave him so much more than that. Mike’s always had friends, sure, but he’s never had a role model. Not like the others do. I mean, Dustin has Steve, which is weird. but it somehow works. Will has Jonathan. Lucas has his dad. But Mike? Mike’s always sort of floundered in the role model department. I mean, you’ve seen our dad. He doesn’t exactly get Mike.”
“What? And I do?” Eddie asks, still not entirely buying Nancy’s words. Though, he should know better than to doubt Nancy Wheeler. After all, this is the girl who has guns, plural, in her bedroom.
“Yeah, you do. More than either of you realize.”
Eddie considers that for a moment. Thinks about the way Mike’s cheeks have always turned the slightest shade of pink in his presence. The way he always, always found a way to bring up Baby Byers in conversations. The memory is hazy, but he remembers watching him in those first few hours he woke up from the coma. Mike reaching for Will’s arm when Eddie’s eyes fluttered open.
And then he thinks of himself. The lingering glances he’s snuck in the hallways. The flirtatious jabs he threw Steve’s way when he was running for his life, sure he was going to die.
Once again, he’s left stunned by Nancy. Though, really, he should have seen this one coming. She is a journalist, after all. It’s her job to be observant.
“Alright, fine,” Eddie concedes. “Maybe I’m Mike’s role model. But if I’m being straight with you, Wheeler. I don’t think I’m going to be any good at the job.”
“You’re already good at the job,” she says, squeezing his hand once last time before pulling away. “Just keep it up. And you know, get better so you can play that damn game of yours.”
“You know, there’s always room for more players at the table.”
Nancy laughs as she peels herself off the chair. “You’re funny, Eddie. Unfortunately, I’ve got a real battle to get ready for. Not to offend, but I prefer to take on the monsters in real life now.”
He shakes his head, smiling fondly as Nancy makes her way to the door. “You know, if anyone should be Baby Wheeler’s role model, it’s you.”
“Yeah, well, Mike’s still a stupid teenage boy,” she shrugs. “But thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Eddie salutes her before letting out an embarrassing yawn. Nancy muffles a laugh into her head before reaching for the door. “Hey, Eddie,” she says, glancing over his shoulder. Eddie hums, eyes already drooping. “For what it’s worth, you should also maybe stop being so hard on yourself when it comes to Steve. You’re good for each other.”
* * *
Eddie’s woken from his brief nap a few minutes later by Steve. “Was that Nance I saw leaving your room?” he asks, dumping an armful of vending machine snacks onto the hospital bed tray. The shitheads must have had a successful mission, after all.
“Uh, yeah,” Eddie nods, dazed from being woken up and also the reality of Nancy’s final words to him finally hitting him.
“Oh, no, I know that look,” Steve says, collapsing in the chair previously occupied by Nancy. He kicks his feet up on the edge of Eddie’s bed and tears into a bag of Doritos. “She gave you one of her ‘cut you to your core’ Nance speeches, didn’t she?”
Eddie just nods.
“Shit, I’ve been there,” Steve says, patting Eddie’s shoulder. “It sucks in the moment, but let me tell you. Eventually, you’ll realize she was right all along and thank her. Nance is never wrong.”
“Yeah,” Eddie says, stealing a glance at Steve. “I’m never doubting her ever again.”
#eddiemonth#eddie munson#nancy wheeler#mike wheeler#steve harrington#eddie munson ficlet#nancy wheeler ficlet#mike wheeler ficlet#steve harrington ficlet#eddie munson & nancy wheeler#steddie#eddie munson fic#nancy wheeler fic#steddie fic#dani writes
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fuck it friday saturday
i was tagged by @just-my-latest-hyperfixation 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
i was ALSO planning to keep kinktober/@eddiemonth stuff mostly under wraps unless you're in the discord where i've been spam posting snippets as i write them sdklfjsd but fuck it! here's part of [throws dart at board] Day 5!
The engine revs over the sound of a Madonna song as they whip out of their parking spot, and Eddie settles a hand on Steve’s leg, high up on his thigh and skimming under the hem of his shorts.
“Go left,” he says as Steve comes to a stop at the exit from the beach lot, waiting for a break in traffic to turn right.
Steve darts a look at him, lips twitching toward a smile. “But we live that way?”
“I know,” Eddie says. He squeezes Steve’s thigh, skates his hand up higher. “But I really want to fuck you in the backseat of the car, and that would be a lot harder to get away with if we were parked in the middle of Ocean Avenue with a bunch of tourists walking by.”
Steve’s cheeks flush a pretty pink and his smile widens. He glances in the rearview mirror. “This car doesn’t have a backseat.”
“Okay, then,” Eddie says, raising his eyebrows. “You can ride me in the passenger seat.”
Steve glances over at him, eyeing him up and down, and then he switches his blinker over to go left. “I’m all gross and sweaty right now. Covered and sand and stuff.”
“Why do you think I want to do it in the car?” Eddie asks. “Got to get to you before you have a chance to shower it all away.”
Steve’s nose wrinkles. “Really?”
“Dude.” Eddie lets his hand creep higher until his knuckles are just brushing against the bulge in his swim trunks. He hears the hitch in Steve’s breath and grins, eyebrows twitching up. “This is like… three separate teenage Eddie fantasies wrapped into one. Sporty Steve in a sports car? Please.”
no pressure tags @penny00dreadful @hbyrde36 @vegasol @stargyles @farahsamboolents @shares-a-vest
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Landslide
@eddiemonth Oct 1st: Parents | Rating: G| TW: mentions of general mistreatment of a child, parental death
Eddie knows his parents aren’t perfect. When he’s younger, he thinks about how they try. Well, his mom does. His dad seems to try but between being gone for long periods of time doing god knows what and being in jail, he’s not around much to try.
His mom loved music. He always remembers that when he thinks of her. They had the same dark curls, the same dimples in their cheeks, and the same need to move whenever they heard music. Eddie is 5 when he hears his mom play guitar for the first time.
He was always fussy. Big brown eyes always welled up with tears that threatened to fall. His mom had the bright idea to sing him a lullaby and it was like a switch flipped in his head. Eddie’s eyes dried and he stared at his mom like she personally made the stars shine in the sky.
She taught him different songs and introduced him to rock music. Fleetwood Mac. His mom loved Stevie Nicks and so Eddie did too. His first concert was when he was 9. He could remember it like it was yesterday when he closed his eyes. Rosie had a friend in Chicago who let them stay for a few days. He sat on her lap on the grass as he watched Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks sing at each other. He was hypnotized by the way Stevie twirled around on stage, Christine McVie behind the keyboard, and Mick Fleetwood banged around on the drums.
He remembers the way his mom played with his hair as he bounced around. She took his hands and spun around in circles with him. Held him close, swayed with him, and sang Landslide in his ear like he was something precious. His mom loved him.
She taught him to play guitar. Put bandaids on his knees when he played too rough. Taught him how to leave food out for the stray animals.
Eddie loved his mom.
Then one day, she got sick. He went to live with Wayne. They visited her in the hospital with his dad. His dad didn’t love him as much as his mom did but he still held him tight as he cried. Al Munson didn’t cry. He didn’t cry when he shaved Eddie’s head as he bawled his eyes out. He didn’t cry when they lowered Rosie into the ground. He didn’t cry when he signed over his parental rights to Wayne.
Al Munson was like a ghost in Eddie’s life; floating in and out whenever the invisible barrier between them broke down enough to let him in.
Steve presses play on a tape one day and it sends Eddie back. A bright smile stretches across his face as he taps his foot.
“What?” Steve surveys him with a weird look.
“I like this song,” Eddie says as he rises to his feet and turns to face him. He holds his hand out and Steve takes it without thinking. Just like he always does.
“You like Fleetwood Mac?” Steve raises an eyebrow as Eddie spins them in a circle.
“I saw them live. 1975, man.”
Steve eyes him warily.
“My mom loved them,” Eddie explains.
Steve’s expression softens. “Your mom was a smart lady.”
“She was alright,” the corner of his mouth twitches up into a smile. Shows off the dimple that mirrored his mother’s own. “She would’ve loved you, you know.”
Steve just holds him closer.
#eddiemonth#eddie munson#stranger things#eddie munson fic#my writing#i wrote this in 20 minutes sorry if it shows
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@eddiemonth day 5: role model
i think eddie would like to make collages, meticulously cutting out pictures from magazines he grabs from the thrift store<3 this is my digital rendition of that!
#eddie munson#eddie munson edits#like it isn’t but it is. yknow. he didn’t make this but he did#eddiemonth#lexposts#edits#collage#lexcollages
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FAQ
When does the event begin?
The first day to post is October 1st, and it will run through the entire month, until Halloween (the 31st).
Where are all the prompts?
We’re releasing them a little at a time, so they don’t overwhelm you all at once and to give you a little something to anticipate ;) There should be a new batch of prompts posted every 5 days—so the 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, and 23rd of September. The masterpost is here, to see the most recent update!
What can I make?
Anything that could be considered a fanwork. Fanfiction, artwork, gifsets, edits, moodboards, playlists… canon ships, reader inserts—so long as your creation features Eddie Munson, have at it!
How do I make sure you see my work?
Put @eddiemonth in the caption!
Is NSFW allowed?
Yes, so long as all characters involved are over 18. Just be sure to tag it with #eddiemonthafterdark, and put any explicit content under a read more. You may also consider using Tumblr’s community labels, and artists might prefer to host their art elsewhere. That’s perfectly fine!
What should I tag?
Use #eddiemonth, and if it’s NSFW, #eddiemonthafterdark. Do please make sure to properly tag individual ships as well, or x reader fic as #xreader, for people’s blocklists. We will also be tagging diligently, so anything that slips through the cracks should still be filtered out on this blog. We’re here to celebrate Eddie, not get into ship wars!
Do I have to do every single day?
Boy, what an undertaking that would be! No, you do not have to do all 31 prompts this October, unless you enjoy the sort of challenge that provides. You can pick and choose which prompts you are most inspired by, do every other day, one per week—it’s up to you!
Can I use a prompt, song, or trait on its own, or do I have to use all 3 at once?
You can pick and choose which you take inspiration from! We tried to coordinate the tone of each so they can be used in tandem, but if you don’t like the feel of one or another you’re welcome to omit any part and just use whatever you are most inclined to.
Are late works accepted?
Yes, no need to worry about lateness, we’ll keep checking back a couple weeks after the event is over!
Is there an AO3 collection?
Yes, here it is! If you need help posting your work to it, we have a tutorial here. You’re welcome to post your works to it, but it is in no way required.
Is there a playlist of every song?
We’ve got one we’ll be adding to as the prompts come out, here!
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Runaway
Ladies and gentlemen, wolves and ghouls, it's October now! How wild is that?
This is my entry for Day 1 of @eddiemonth. Fic's titled after the song prompt for the day, Runaway by Sword, that is in no real way in the fic.
So, without further ado... werewolves :D
Warnings: Parent death. Not described in detail, but fairly obvious, at the very end.
Wordcount: 1941
Eddie was itchy. So, so itchy.
His Ma said it was normal, and laughed a little at the face he made at that. The laughter was a lot louder when he tackled her into a hug, but she didn't stumble much, just swiftly picked him up for a quick squeeze.
He wondered if he’d be as strong as her, some day; his mother was the strongest wolf Eddie had ever met.
(He had been ten years old when he first wondered about Lauren Munson’s strength. His opinion hadn’t changed, even after everything that had happened later.)
“You two ready to go?” Wayne asked, poking his head inside the kitchen. Wayne had joined his Ma on full moon runs years ago, before Eddie even knew they were all werewolves.
To his nine-year-old self, that had been the coolest revelation. His parents had spent the last year teaching him everything he needed to know for his first shift. But neither of his parents warned him it would itch so much!
Wayne laughed when he told him that, ruffling his hair. “It does suck,” he agreed. “I think I was itchy that whole week, when I first shifted. Very restless, too”
Eddie looked up at his uncle, horrified. He thought that if he’d had to deal with this for anything more than a day, he would have gone insane.
His Ma laughed softly, shaking her head at the two of them. “You’ll get used to it in no time, Eddie,” she reassured. “Shouldn’t be itchin’ much after tonight.”
He looked at Wayne, who nodded seriously.
They were out of the door after his mom grabbed the bag of extra clothes. His dad was in the car, looking at them with a smile. He always looked a little happier during the full moon.
“I’ll see y’all in the park,” Wayne told them as he walked to his own truck.
There was no one out on the street, but Eddie still looked around carefully; he understood pretty quickly the importance of being careful after many horror stories, real and fairy tales alike.
Once he figured it was safe, Eddie ran to the car and clambered into the backseat, making his dad laugh as he stumbled slightly.
“Hey, kiddo,” he greeted, turning on his seat to face Eddie. “Feeling itchy yet?”
“So much!” he groaned, dramatically falling sideways until he was lying down. His mom entered the car at that moment. “Can’t wait to shift!”
She laughed lightly. Eddie knew she worried about how he’d fare when the full moon actually came, but he maintained that it was one of the coolest things about them all.
——
Well. Eddie knew it wasn’t gonna be painless. Everyone told him that the first shift is hard. But he was already exhausted, and he’d just shifted. He still had a run to get through!
He felt a nose poking his back, heard a nearby huff of amusement, but he didn’t move, not yet. He was left alone for another few minutes as the aches in his body subsided.
Now that he was getting used to the new shape, it wasn’t so bad. He flexed a hand — paw? — and knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed. He flexed the other paw, slowly working on getting all his limbs under him so he could stand up.
It was a little weird, this difference in… everything. In a move that felt very natural, Eddie shook his entire body as he stood, feeling a little more settled.
He blinked his eyes open slowly, adjusting to his surroundings. The full moon illuminated the woods well, but there was a sharpness to everything around him that he knew for a fact he didn’t have as a human.
It was kind of cool.
The first wolf he saw was a black one, lying down a few feet away from him in the middle of bright snow. He recognized his dad almost immediately. Once Eddie managed to focus on his face, his brown eyes looked proud, and he tapped one paw on the ground, calling him over.
Eddie moved on unsteady legs, slowly trying to gain confidence. His dad nosed at him once he got close enough — checking in — and grumbled something that Eddie registered as a question.
He tilted his head, unsure how to respond. They hadn’t actually talked about what would come after the shift yet. He had time to figure it out, though; as soon as he figured out how to move around on snow without stumbling.
——
The full moons that followed were easier. He still ached and felt sore all over, but it wasn't as disorienting anymore.
The four of them had just returned from a run. Wayne had already shifted back and left to get the car, probably for Eddie’s benefit; he’d run a lot, feeling free in a way he hadn’t expected. They are in the same park, the same four wolves spending even more time together.
(Pack runs had always been his favorite way to spend the full moons, even when the pack was reduced to two people. It took a good few years for it to properly grow once more, but it was a happy, united one. Eddie couldn’t complain.)
Despite the freedom, though, tonight he was exhausted. There was something about spring that seemed to have energized him in the beginning of the evening, but whatever it was, it was long gone.
He grumbled something meaningless, moving closer to his mom. She was still in wolf form, her dark brown coat almost disappearing into the night.
Using her side as a pillow wasn’t exactly soft, but it was warm and brought him comfort anyway — it was his mom, there was no comfort like his mom’s.
She nipped at his neck, causing him to shift around trying to escape her. He leaped away from her, growling tiredly, and earning a huff for his troubles.
His mom grumbled in response, glancing at his dad a few steps away from them. Nap with him, then. His dad — pretty much invisible at the moment if he hadn’t known he was there — was always the first to fall asleep after runs, and Eddie was always the one to wake him up when Wayne arrived with the car. But he didn’t want his dad right now, and he wasn’t above whining about it, not here.
She huffed, amused, but let him rest next to her all the same, in one of the best naps he’d ever had.
——
Eddie knew a few things about being a werewolf so far.
Eddie knew he had the size of a normal, near-adult wolf; knew that the actual adults, especially his mom, were much bigger than him.
He knew that being able to run with his parents and his uncle was the best part of it all.
It hadn’t taken him long, two or three moons, to get the hang of moving and communicating as a wolf; a lot of it came naturally.
What wasn’t coming as naturally was the control needed. It had been months since he first shifted, and, so far, he’d only been able to do it during the full moon.
And he understood it was early, it hadn’t anywhere near a year, but… he wanted the practice.
So, here he was, in the middle of the woods with his uncle.
Which, in retrospect, might not have been the best idea.
“Sorry, kid, I don’t know how else to explain it.”
He groaned, flopping backwards onto the ground. “This is hard,” he drawled.
At least it was summer, so if anyone showed up, the fact that Eddie was wearing nothing but shorts wouldn’t raise too many questions.
“I think you’re stressin’ about it,” Wayne declared a moment later. “It takes time, Eddie, you gotta let your body get used to it all.”
“I know,” he mumbled, staring at the sky. The late afternoon always had the prettiest colors during the summer. “It’ll come naturally when the time is right,” he quoted, with an honest attempt at imitating his father. It got a snort of laughter out of Wayne, at least. “I just…”
He trailed off. Wayne let the silence be only for a beat before he made a questioning noise. Eddie sighed.
“I don’t know,” he grumbled and closed his eyes with a sigh. “You guys are like, cool.” He raised a hand as if to wave his comment away. “The coolest people I know!” Eddie sat up once more and shrugged, not raising his eyes to meet Wayne’s. “I just… wanna be like you guys.”
He did look up when Wayne approached him, kneeling in front of him and ruffling his hair gently. Eddie grumbled halfhearted complaints about the curls becoming messy.
“Don’t think that’s possible, Eddie,” Wayne replied just as gently. “You’re probably the best part of us all, combined. Your own cool person.”
“Yeah?” Eddie straightened, trying not to smile too wide; given the way Wayne smiled in return, he probably failed.
“Definitely,” he reached out and patted his head. “Now come on.” Wayne stood up and helped Eddie up. “Let’s get some lemonade, yeah?”
——
It wasn’t even a full moon. It wasn’t even night, yet. Eddie had just wanted to help his aunt Mara gather some plants and flowers before fall truly set in, before their runs were closer to home because they couldn’t really justify not being bothered by the cold.
It was supposed to be the first step of his favorite part of the year.
But he’d heard the heavy steps, the distant growl. He saw his mom tense, noticed the scent that didn’t belong in early fall. He froze, clutching the jasmines in his hands and breathing deeply like his dad had taught him to.
Eddie heard the soft whimper, and looked up at his Ma. Whatever she saw in his face was enough to get her moving, taking his hand and walking briskly to a denser part of the woods.
They walked until they reached an old den made by the wolves in the territory, now abandoned.
“Shift,” his mom whispered, “and get in there.”
He would’ve complained about his clothes, but there was a stranger in the territory, and aunt Mara might have been hurt; he knew not to question his mom.
He wished he could celebrate, though; this was the fastest he’d been able to shift outside of a full moon so far, but other than a faint smile from his mom, there was no acknowledgment. There was no time for one.
She walked further into the woods, leaving Eddie to burrow into the den. But he couldn't stay, refused to.
Until he hit his growth spurt, he would look like a normal wolf, which there were plenty of in the surrounding area of his mom's pack; he could sneak back into the house and get help.
He crawled out of the den, listening for any approaching sounds, but everything was distant. Even the birds seemed to have momentarily stopped singing.
And so, he ran.
A pained howl echoed throughout the woods, closer than he’d expected — halfway to the house. He turned, seeing a flash of brown-black fur to his left, just in time to see his mom hunch over and almost fall into a growing pool of blood.
She was hurt. The whimper that escaped him was drowned out by her warning howl.
It was cut short by the sound of a gun.
Eddie was running back to the house before the hunter could overcome his surprise at his presence.
He knew, in a distant way, that she was gone. And without Lauren Munson, everything was about to change.
#Stranger Things#Eddie Munson#Wayne Munson#Allen Munson#werewolf Eddie Munson#(still irked we know *nothing* about his mom but oh well)#parent death#parent death tw#Things were actually going really well for the Munsons before her death#eddiemonth#Next up: Day 5! (y'know on Oct 5)#WeresWriting
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Eddie's month day 11 + Whumptober Day 5
written for @eddiemonth and @whumptober-archive
Prompts:
Eddie’s month day 11: Pirate | The Last in Line - Dio | Adventurous
Whumptober day 5: “It comes and goes like the strength in your bones.”
Cold Compress | Infection | “I don’t feel so good.”
Rating: Mature
Relationship: Eddie Munson/Steve Harrington
WT: injuries, sickfic
WC: 2265
Being a pirate wasn't exactly Eddie's dream.
He wanted to be an artist and travel the world while playing his lute, but his father thought that it would have been easier selling him to the pirates than trying to raise him after his mother’s death, so Eddie lived all his childhood on a boat, learning how to make a sailor knot and avoid a noose around his neck.
But even being one of the most famous pirates in the world couldn't help him when the royal guards found him in a brothel and sentenced him to death.
Hazard of the job.
He has had a nice life after all, he has traveled all over the world, met people of every color, and even found himself a lovely second in command.
Yes, because after the big storm that almost destroyed the Black Fire, they found a lifeboat with a young boy an inch from his own death.
That's how Steve Harrington, the only heir of the Harrington dynasty, quickly became Eddie's second in command.
Eddie looks at the sun that is rising, it's probably the last time that he can see the dawn, so he tries to enjoy it.
There is a moment when the blue of the night shifts into red and then pink, and Eddie thinks about the color of Steve's lips.
He laughs a dry laugh. He should have said to his second in command that he was deeply attracted to him instead of going to a brothel to take off the steam.
Well, he will have time to think about that in hell.
The telltale sounds of footsteps and keys clanging one against the other catch his attention.
He asks himself if they are going to send a priest or not, he is not the religious type but he would gladly exchange a couple of words with someone before leaving this life.
The metal around his wrist is cold and harsh, but he doesn’t complain. He always knew that sooner or later he would have ended like that.
At least Henry Creel will not have his treasure. He hid him too well to let someone as stupid as him find it. The only one who has a possibility is Steve, and Eddie is very pleased with that. Maybe he will think about him when he will spend all the doubloons that he will find.
Sweet Steve, never killed anyone but managed to terrify the Black Fire’s men enough to make them obey his orders.
He will fucking miss waking up and seeing him still asleep a few feet away from him.
“Are you having a nap in there, Munson? Maybe I should come later.”
Eddie turns toward the door, seeing the familiar face of his second in command.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Freeing you? Or do you have other plans? The boys are ready to sail as soon as we get there, so step back and move your stupid ass from the door.”
Steve takes the keys and opens his cell.
“How?”
“Later. Now move. It will not take long for Creel to find out that his men are having a rest!”
Eddie nods and follows him, running toward the exit of the prison.
Steve stops, pushing Eddie behind him “Fuck.”
“What?”
“They are waiting for us. I have seen at least three archers. There is another exit?” he asks.
“How the fuck would I know! They didn’t exactly give me a tour, Steve.”
“Fine.” Steve kisses the golden necklace with the crucifix that he has worn since the day they met each other. The one that became so hot under the sun that left a burning scar on Steve’s neck “Here goes nothing.” he wraps Eddie into his arm and then starts to run, shooting at the leg of the archers.
“Kill them! Kill them!” Eddie yells, but Steve keeps moving, dragging Eddie with him until they get to a little boat hidden in the dark of a tunnel.
“Give me your gun.”
“Eds…”
“Give me the fucking gun!”
Steve sighs but gives him the gun and starts to paddle toward the secret cove where the others are waiting for them.
A couple of arches point at them and Eddie shoots them in the head, feeling almost merciful.
“Muson!” a familiar voice screams and he sees Henry Creel’s blue eyes pointed at him.
He is holding a quiver and Eddie has no more bullets.
“Shit.”
Someone pulls him from his jacket and Eddie falls in the water.
When he reemerges he notices that Steve has flipped the boat, using it as a shield.
"Genius idea, Harrington!” he praises him, while they keep swimming toward the cove.
When they get there the crew cheers them and they quickly leave the bay.
“You know what? Almost dying made me want to live even more adventures! What do you say? Are we going to have some fun?” he asks the crew, Steve is a few feet behind him, smiling at him.
Everything is fucking perfect.
***
The next few days everyone on the ship is excited about the new plan for assaulting a boat that is transporting species from the Indias. The only one who doesn’t seem enthusiastic is Steve.
Even if they sleep in the same room they almost don’t see each other.
Eddie is worried. Did he say something wrong?
He tries to give space to the boy but on the third day that he is ignoring him he goes to him, locking them in the hold.
“So what? Did something happen, Harrington? Is your conscience giving you shit? I did what I had to do. I kept us alive!”
Steve nods, without turning.
“Come one, Steve. Look at me! Tell me what the fuck is wrong!” he yells, turning the boy harshly.
“I… I don’t feel so good.” the boy replies before falling to the ground.
“Steve?! Steve?! Help! Someone! Help!” he yells, but he is the one who closed the door, so the crew has to break in.
“What happened?” Henderson asks, getting closer.
“I don’t know. He told me that he didn’t feel good and fell to the ground.”
Will Byers gets closer to them “He is burning up.” he states and in that moment Eddie notices that the golden skin is covered in sweat.
“What the fuck?”
“Bring him to his bed.” Will says, while running to his cabin and gets back with many potions.
“Hey, Steve? Stevie? Can you hear me?” Eddie calls him while washing his face with a wet towel.
Will strip him and they see it, a red angry wound on his left arm with a dirty bandage around it.
“When did this happen?” Eddie asks, looking at the crew.
“He was ok when he came to rescue you!” Dustin protests, and when Will removes the bandages they see the point of an arrow stuck in his flesh.
“Creel.” Eddie growls, looking at the injury.
“We have to take out the arrow. It’s causing an infection.” Will states, taking a little knife and sanitizing it with a burning candle.
“Hold him.”
As soon as the hot blade touches Steve’s skin his eyes open wide and he starts to trash around, but they are holding him tight.
“Bite this.” Eddie says, giving him his own belt to bite.
He sees tears in the eyes of the boy while Will opens the wounds and finally removes the point of the arrow, and then he loses consciousness.
“Steve?”
“He passed out. It’s for the best because I have to clean the wound.” Will says without stopping his work until he feels satisfied, then he stitches the wound and puts another bandage on.
“What now?” Eddie asks, looking at the feverish boy.
“Now we pray.” Will replies, washing his hand in a bowl “We have done all we could. Now it’s his body that has to fight the infection.”
Fuck.
“Try to make him drink something and keep his temperature down with some cold compresses. How far is the nearest island?”
“At least two days.” Lucas replies, looking quickly at the maps.
“Make it one.” Eddie orders.
“But…”
“I don’t give a fuck Sinclair. I want Steve to see a doctor as soon as we can and I don’t give a fuck if you will have to blow on the sails.”
“As you say, captain!” he replies, running back to the helm “Have you heard fleabags?! We have to run! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
When Eddie is left alone with Steve he takes his hands into his, kissing the knuckles and feeling the sweat on his skin.
“Steve, you can’t leave me. Do you hear me? You can’t fucking leave me! Not like this! Please. Come back to me. Come back…” he whispers, changing the cold compress on his forehead and winching at the warmth that the boy irradiates.
***
Will comes a few times during the day to address his condition, the wound seems better but the boy has never gained consciousness. They manage to make him drink some drops of water and keep his lips wet, but the fever is still high.
“He needs medicine stronger than the one I have.” Will explains to him “I can’t do miracles Eddie!” he complains when the black-haired man starts to yell at him that he has to do something.
Eddie is not a religious person, but that night he prays to every single god that he knows, he even takes Steve’s necklace with the crucifix and hides it under his shirt, he doesn’t want to risk that anyone would steal it.
When they finally get to the closest island Will and Dustin go to find a doctor and bring him on the boat.
“This will cost you. It will cost you a lot.”
“I’m Eddie Munson, Captain of the Black Hell. It’s your own life enough of a payment?” he asks, holding his knife at the man’s throat.
“You don’t do my kind of job on this island without meeting some pirates. I want the money.” The man replies unamused.
Eddie growls but takes some doubloons and throws them at him.
“Half now and half if he survives.”
The man smirks, taking the money and then looking at the injury.
“Your boy did well, the wound is well cleaned, his body just needs some help to fight the battle.”
He takes some liquids and starts to mix them, but when he tries to make Steve swallow the medicine it just falls from his lips.
“Shit. Do you have something that could help? We have to push the medicine in his mouth. It’s not like you can kiss him, right?”
He absolutely can.
“How much?”
“All the vial, if you can.”
Eddie takes it in his mouth and then pushes the bitter liquid into Steve’s mouth, trying not to lose even a drop of the precious medicine.
“What now?”
“He will need another dose in a few hours. And after that, he is on his own.”
Eddie stays with him, cleaning the sweat from his face, doing his best to keep him hydrated, while he keeps staring at the vials on the table.
He will give the second vial to Steve and if it will not work… he will follow him.
He writes a few notes for the crew, holding Steve’s hand all the time.
When it’s time he takes the vials in his mouth and pushes it in Steve’s mouth, licking his tongue for a moment.
If this is going to be their only kiss he wants to enjoy it as much as he can.
Steve’s tongue twitches under him.
“Steve?” he calls, astonished.
The chestnut boy opens his eyes “Eds?”
“I’m here. I’m here.” he replies holding him tight “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t feel so good…”
“I know, baby. You gave me quite a scare, but now you are better. Aren’t you? Come on, drink some water.” he pushes a cup of water against Steve’s lips.
“I had the strangest dream…” he tells him, his bright-for-fever eyes staring at him “I dreamt that you kissed me.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah…”
“And did you like it?”
Steve blushes and nods “I did. I’m sorry if it’s not appropriate or…”
“I kissed you. And I’d love to kiss you again. It’s that alright?”
Steve nods and they kiss. It’s just a peck, a simple touch of lips but it’s the best kiss ever.
“Now sleep a little. I’ll be here with you.”
When Steve falls asleep Eddie takes the doubloons and gives them to Dustin “Bring this to Murray and go have some fun, As soon as Steve is feeling better we are leaving.”
The boy nods, smiling.
Eddie looks at him running through the crowd.
Garreth, his oldest friend, gets closer to him “Did something happen?”
“Something did happen, Gar. Something did happen.” Eddie replies with a smirk.
The other sailor nods “The two of you will be ok if I go have some fun too?”
“We will.” he answers “I think that we are going to be more than ok.”
When he comes back to his cabin Steve is still asleep, but his breath is calm and regular and he is not burning up anymore.
Eddie gives him back his necklace with the crucifix and then takes a doubloon.
“You are going to be a nice addition to my collection.” he says to the golden token.
A few months later Eddie has the same necklace with the crucifix Steve has and they share not only the cabin but also the bed.
#whumptober2023#no. 5#Cold Compress#infection#I don’t feel so good#stranger things#fic#injuries#stranger things fanfic#my fanfic#steve harrington#eddie munson#steddie#eddiemonth#eddiemonth day 11#medusapelagia
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Can you feel it?
What is this? A brand new fic for @eddiemonth? And so soon after?? (shut up this feels soon)
This is day 06, crush, and is in the same continuity as day 5. Named after Mansionair's Astronaut (Something About Your Love), that like. Please listen to them. They are a whole vibe, I love their music.
Warnings: None, this is just even more fluff. Extremely sappy get together. Steddie. I should start calling this section, like. tags or smth.
Wordcount: 2968
If he were to be honest with himself, Eddie hadn't expected to keep this monster hunting party in his life, not for long. He expected everyone to go on their way, while he was fumbling just to get out of the town.
Well, some people did go their own way. Older Byers was off to college in California with Argyle, after some extensive talk with his family and with Nancy, and Nancy herself was off in Boston.
But everyone else? Well, the kids had to finish high school before going anywhere, and Robin had decided to take a gap year that was about to end. And Steve…
Between joint recoveries and sharing almost the same group of people (and eventually truly having all the same friends), they had spent a lot of time together. They had become friends, good friends, not necessarily by choice, but the truth was that Eddie wouldn't change it for the world.
But sometimes, it was nice to just… exist. To be able to not think about the feelings he’d realized that were growing not too long ago. About how, even though he’d only noticed them recently, the feelings hadn’t been really new. About how it looked reciprocated, sometimes.
Eddie expected to hear about Steve’s plans to get out of town any day now, maybe tag along with Robin, so why do anything about the something that was brewing, right?
Deep down, Eddie knew Steve wouldn’t leave before the kids’ senior year started. At the earliest. Eddie felt pretty much the same already, after knowing them for only a little over a year. According to Robin, they did have that effect somehow.
(Something about how young they all were to have been at the whole supernatural thing for years.)
After dropping El and Will back home, he’d driven himself to a secluded little clearing, having to go the long way around so he’d actually be able to drive his van into it. But it was worth it, it’d always been worth it.
Eddie grabbed a few of the blankets stashed at the back of his van and threw them on top of it before climbing up himself. Setting up his little makeshift bed up there was a quick process; a couple of blankets to make the roof a little more comfortable, and the rest bunched together into a pillow.
It wasn’t particularly good, but it was part of his summer routine at this point, so he settled down, lying on the roof of his van. He watched the clear, evening summer sky fade into night, watching the stars come out slowly and then all at once as the animal sounds faded and changed to accompany the sky.
Some birds — owls, if he had to guess — and bats were flying overheard, occasionally cutting his vision of the stars and changing the tracks of his thoughts; the song he’d been working on, the campaign Will wanted to run for Hellfire next, Robin’s entirely too chaotic packing process, and how that girl might have surpassed him in terms of organizational chaos. At least Eddie could find his shit in half the time it had taken her to find the shoes she was taking with her.
The crunch of steps on fallen branches drew him out of his thoughts, making him turn in its direction.
“Jesus, how far is this place,” Eddie heard in a very familiar grumble. Steve was closer than he probably expected to be, and it didn’t take long before Eddie could see him on the treeline. “Uh… Hi.”
“Hi,” Eddie returned, waving at him from where he lay with a grin. “Funny seeing you here.”
Steve rolled his eyes and walked closer. He was wearing some ridiculous yellow shorts and what looked like an old NASCAR shirt, color and design faded with time. It was a little different from what Eddie was used to; more relaxed, like he didn’t have anyone to impress. Which was good, Eddie didn’t need to be impressed by style.
(Eddie knew, objectively, that Steve genuinely enjoyed the polos and all that, but it was still nice to see him in something else. Something softer.)
“What are you doing out here?” Steve asked once he was close to the van, just enough to still be able to see Eddie.
“Looking for Scorpius,” he stated simply, gesturing for Steve to come up. While Steve climbed to the roof of the van, Eddie adjusted the pillow of blankets so they could lie side by side. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was expecting to find you in the trailer,” Steve started, leaning back on top of the blankets on his elbows with a frown on his face. “Wayne directed me over here.” Steve looked around, frowning even harder when he glanced at the ground. “You said you’re looking for scorpions?”
“Scorpius, not scorpions,” Eddie corrected softly, turning back to the stars. “The constellation.”
Steve let out a soft “Oh,” turning to glance at the sky before lying down and making himself comfortable.
Eddie had the vague knowledge that Scorpius was closer to the horizon line, but he’d have to drive up to Hop’s old cabin and the nearby hill to actually look for it, and he just… didn’t want to go that far.
(Didn't really want to be looking over all of Hawkins.)
“What’s the story?” Steve asked after a couple of minutes spent in silence. When Eddie turned to look, Steve was already watching him, his little smile illuminated by the moon. After a beat, he added, “Constellations have those, don’t they?”
Eddie nodded, struggling a little to find his words with the way Steve was looking at him. “It’s uh…” He cleared his throat and turned back to the sky. “It’s the scorpion that killed Orion.”
He could still feel Steve’s eyes on him, waiting for more.
“Orion was a hunter, the best one humanity had to offer,” Eddie started, gesturing to their surroundings as if it could encompass every person in the world. “But he was just a human, you know? And if even the gods of ancient Greece were flawed, imagine how bad a human could be.”
He glanced at Steve, finding all of his attention still focused on him.
“His flaws are not really the point, though.” He shook his head, continuing the story. “At some point in his life, Orion was hunting with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals, and… Well,” he grimaced, “He claimed to be able to hunt every animal on Earth.”
“To the goddess of the hunt?” Steve questioned with that particular tone he had when he thought something was stupid. “Rather arrogant of him.”
“Yeah, but Artemis was fond of him.” Steve raised an eyebrow at that, but it took Eddie a moment to realize how his words could be taken. “Not like that,” he added, chuckling. “Artemis was a virgin goddess, none of that.”
Steve hummed, his expression betraying his surprise. “Good for her.”
Eddie blinked at Steve, at this tone of awe that he had.
“Where does the scorpion come in?” Steve asked, a little furrow appearing between his brow that Eddie wanted smooth out, though he had a story to finish.
“Right,” Eddie sighed out, turning once again to the stars. “Gaia, the personification of the Earth itself, didn’t like Orion’s claim.” He paused, then added, “She’s the mother of all life, so.” He gestured nonsensically upwards, finishing his story with as much a deadpan tone as he could muster. “She sent a giant scorpion to kill him.”
“A giant—” Steve burst out laughing, shaking his head in some kind of attempt to regain his composure. “Sorry, I’m sorry, just—”
“It’s kind of a silly conclusion?” Eddie asked with a smile on his face as well as in his voice. Steve nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “Greek mythology is kind of… Dramatic, like that,” he explained with a shrug. “Orion’s hubris got him killed by a giant scorpion—” Steve snorted, but reined himself in quickly— “And they were both raised to the sky as constellations as a warning against humanity’s arrogance.”
Steve hummed, gaze unfocused when Eddie looked at him. “Where are they, then?”
“Uh…” Eddie blinked and turned to the sky to blink some more. “Orion is not visible this time of the year, and Scorpius is closer to the horizon,” he said, raising his arm to point in the general direction he remembered the constellation being.
Steve hummed, but didn’t say anything, letting the silence and the warm evening air envelop them. Eddie expected it to grow awkward, for Steve to say something, for himself to end up fidgeting. Instead, it was easy to just exist together like this, lying side by side and watching the night sky.
“Are you okay?” Steve asked, some indeterminate time later. Eddie could feel Steve move about, slowly as to not risk falling off the side, and settle on his side, holding himself up on his elbow. “El was all…” He gestured toward his face. “All frowny, and she only does that when she’s worried. Dustin also said you seemed down.”
Eddie sighed, wishing those kids paid just a little less attention. “I’m good,” he said, keeping his tone light. “Just thinking, you know?”
“About?”
“What happens now, I guess?” He hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question. “We got a couple more practice sessions before Jeff and Arnie are going back to college.”
“Gareth’s not going anywhere out of state, though, right?” Steve asked with a thoughtful little frown that Eddie couldn’t resist smoothing out with a finger this time. It earned him a soft laugh and a smack to his hand. “You guys can keep Corroded Coffin going?”
Eddie shrugged as much as he could while lying down. He tried that once, making it on his own, but it didn’t seem as worth it now.
“Think I’d rather not split the band,” he said, grimacing and knowing that Steve would pick up the story he wasn’t telling.
“So,” Steve drawled, eyes narrowed at Eddie like he’d be able to figure out whatever was going on in his head. “The plan is just to wait?”
Honestly, Eddie hated that idea, but what else could Corroded Coffin do? “Sure.” Steve eyes narrowed further, going unfocused again. “What?”
“The kids will be starting their junior year,” he stated.
Eddie hummed to let Steve know he was listening, but he had no idea where the guy was going with this.
“You should come to Indianapolis with me,” he announced.
Eddie blinked at Steve, processing his words for a moment. The offer seemed to come out of nowhere. He expected Steve to leave Hawkins at some point, he’d been preparing for that news, and now it came with an offer to tag along?
“I don’t really have any plans yet,” Steve continued, probably taking Eddie’s silence as hesitation. “We’d have to look into places, and Indianapolis is just an hour away, but it should be enough for a fresh start, right?”
Eddie nodded, a little numbly. “You, uh…” He shook his head to dislodge his surprise. “I think Gareth’s going to community college in the city, actually.”
“Is he, now?” Steve raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed and not surprised.
“Right, you two talk a lot now.” It was still rather amusing that the two of them hung out so much, even without Eddie. “Will?”
“Of course it’s about Will,” Steve scoffed, waving a hand in a flourish. “It’s why he picked Indianapolis. But don’t change the subject,” he added with a smack to Eddie’s arm.
“Alright, alright!” Eddie laughed, rubbing his arm. He’d have rolled away from Steve if it didn’t mean rolling off the roof of the van. “I guess Indianapolis is pretty good…”
Steve beamed at him, a smile he’d been seeing more often as the time passed. Usually, Steve was being a little shit when he smiled like that, but sometimes, he just seemed… happy.
“You could, I don’t know, teach kids how to play the guitar.”
That made Eddie laugh, surprised at the suggestion. Not that he necessarily disliked it.
“Who’d even let me?” He asked. “Maybe I’ll find work at a record store, that seems more likely.”
“If you want to, I’m sure you could find something.” Steve shrugged, that grin not fading from his expression. “Who says you can’t do both, anyway?”
And… Well, Steve had a point. Maybe he could find a store that offered lessons?
“Why are you asking me to go to Indianapolis with you?” The question was asked before Eddie even processed that it was something he wanted to know. He grimaced as soon as it was out. “Not that I don’t want to, god knows I wanted to be out of this town three years ago now, but just— I thought you might tag along with Robin?”
Steve’s expression softened, a serene smile replacing the wide grin. “I thought about it. Robin’s going to Indianapolis University anyway, though, and…” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I think I’d like you there too.”
“You think?” Eddie questioned with a raised brow. It was easier to tease and joke than really look into that sparkle of mirth in Steve’s eyes and hope it meant what he wanted it to mean.
Steve shook his head, sending his hair all over the place. “I know. Got used to your noise, Munson.”
“Well, I’m making your life interesting, so you’re welcome.”
They were both smiling when Eddie finally let himself look Steve in the eye, finally relaxed enough even though he hadn’t escaped thinking about Steve, or his actual presence. It was fine. There some tentative plans to get out of Hawkins, together, and maybe Corroded Coffin would forever be a high school band that didn’t really go anywhere — Eddie was only starting to be okay with that idea, though — but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something else with music.
Steve laid back down on the van after a moment of silence, turning his gaze to the sky. Like this, they were touching pretty much from shoulder to knee, and Eddie was trying not to move too much, conscious of the warmth radiating from Steve.
Steve, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have the same hang-ups, nudging Eddie’s hand until he could take it in his own.
“This okay?” He asked softly, not turning his head and not seeing Eddie already looking at him. Eddie squeezed his hand and intertwined their fingers as response. “I wasn’t planning on talking to you about Indianapolis tonight, you know?” His admission was soft, barely above the ambiance of the woods at night. “I was just gonna keep you company.”
“I’m glad you did.” Eddie let himself take in Steve’s face and what freckles he could see in the dark before turning away. “Easier to think I can actually get out of here when I have a tentative plan.”
“You can, Eddie,” Steve said, firmly squeezing his hand. “I meant it, I’d really like if you came to Indianapolis with me.”
He could feel Steve’s eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, and he refused to loosen the hold on his hand. Eddie sighed, turning to face Steve’s small, determined frown.
“Sometimes,” he started, hesitating before pulling their joined hands closer. “I kinda wish you were still some degree of asshole.” Steve frowned, ready to interject, but Eddie continued before he could. “‘Cause it would make getting over this ridiculous crush so much easier.”
Steve pulled their hands closer to himself this time, and Eddie could see him pursing his lips. He’d been paying too much attention, enough to know this was Steve trying to rein in one of those rare, goofy grins that had been one of the things that made Eddie fall in the first place.
“What if,” Steve started, slowly letting the grin take hold, as he started absently playing with the one ring Eddie forgot to take off before climbing up the van. “I don’t want you getting over this ridiculous crush?”
Eddie blinked at him — he felt like he’d done that a lot tonight, almost constantly surprised by Steve despite how close they’d gotten. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t seen this coming, too close to see what, eventually, might become obvious in hindsight.
“You mean that?”
Steve’s grin came out, full force, in the face of Eddie’s soft tone. He slowly brought Eddie’s hand closer and pressed an oh so soft kiss to his knuckles.
“I mean it.”
Eddie didn’t really know what to say to all that, the smooth jerk knew it and could probably see the blush undoubtedly rising on his cheeks. But there was one thing that he needed to double check.
“You know I’m—”
“Asexual?” He filled in after Eddie cut himself short. “Yeah, I do.” Steve was back to messing with the ring on his hand, looking at it with an expression Eddie still hadn’t figured out. “And I think…” He paused, frowning a little. Eddie kind of wanted to bite him. “It might apply to me too?”
Eddie rolled closer to Steve and pressed a kiss to cheek, feeling the heat rising the longer he stayed there.
“Thanks for telling me,” he mumbled against Steve’s cheek. He pressed another quick kiss before settling back down. “Feels good to know, doesn’t it?”
Steve’s laughter was light, giddy. He rolled onto Eddie this time, hugging him as close as possible.
“It really does.”
Eddie knew they would talk come morning, and they would define just what they wanted and were to each other. But for now, cuddling and laughing under the night sky with ridiculous Greek stories was all Eddie wanted to be doing.
#Stranger Things#Eddie Munson#Steve Harrington#Steddie#Asexual Eddie Munson#Asexual Steve Harrington#eddiemonth#day 6#WeresWriting#This got so sappy#and not at all what I was originally going for#I wanted a RWRB reference. Ended up sort of there anyway#(Orion is really only visible during winter I didn't know that)
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WIP Weekend (of sorts)
One day I'll do this properly but for now...
Y'all remember @eddiemonth? I am still trying to write stuff for it. As it stands, work + university is not helpful toward writing anything at all. Plus, my second prompt fill, day 5, is uh... over 4.3k words. Why write short lil stuff, right? I'm gonna have to work on multiple at once at this pace.
So, I'm here, going to ask y'all to send asks with the prompt you want to see some of. The one I'm already working on is not gonna be (officially) included, so they are all gonna be brand new snippets :)
Think of what @ladykailitha does on Wednesdays, yes? Please, send asks. I wanna write. I need incentive.
To the prompts!
Day 06_Crush
Day 07_Wayne
Day 08_Rockstar
Day 09_Cowboy
Day 12_Soulmates
Day 13_Monster
Day 18_Journaling
Day 19_Scifi
Day 20_Folklore (yes I added this to the list later)
Day 21_Hellfire
Day 22_First concert
Day 26_Corroded Coffin
Day 27/28_Haunted House/Ghost Hunting (two in one 😃)
#Steddie#as most of these are. Even the *one* that kind of isn't actually is#I will say right off the bat. The soulmate one is probably not gonna be what people expect#Eddie Munson#If anyone does want to know what I'm doing with Day 05... :)
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