what if I cry myself to sleep (again)
Epic Steddie Fic Rec | April 24th-May 7th 2023
Seems like spring has finally arrived for good and I am quite happy about it :)
Complete
🖤 Swing and a Miss by deadonarrival (Baseball Player Steve, Fake Relationship | 35K | Explicit): “Apparently they usually reserve the box for the wives and girlfriends … so either you’re gonna have to be my boyfriend or you’re going to have to sit in the stands with the fans. It’s not that bad, you just need to like, pretend to be my boyfriend so you can sit with the other WAGs and like, then you can be in the box and have all you can drink alcohol and snacks.” “Did you agree to this!?” Eddie asks. “If I say yes, how mad are you going to be?” Steve asks.
the reason comes (on the common tongue) by Beachfckerblake/ @stevebckley (Post-S2, A/B/O AU | 6K | Explicit): Eddie keeps Steve from succumbing to isolation syndrome after the fight with Billy and Steve offers to pay him back in a very creative way.
lose control by NicoBloodlust (PWP | 3K | Explicit): Steve has a plan. He’s going to seduce Eddie, but like, in a subtle way. Like he’s not trying at all like it's effortless. Except he’s actually trying really hard. He wants to make Eddie want him so badly, he’ll have no choice but to do something about it.
put your wings on me by hitlikehammers (Post-S4 | 4K | Mature): “Sorry. Again,” Steve breathes out once more like it’s Eddie’s for the taking, like they’re shotgunning just the fact of life between them and nothing more; “if that’s selfish.” — Or: a story about edibles, feelings, and the butterfly effect.
a cinematic vision ensued (like the holiest dream) by fivecenturiesverse/ @fivecenturiesverse (Post-S4 | 5K | Teen): Eddie and Steve have been spending a lot of time together since Vecna. They're co-parenting kids, getting high every night, and sleeping in the same bed. They basically share a wardrobe too. He thinks this is dangerous, its like they’re married, the casual sharing of intimacy, this space between them which feels like something and nothing all at the same time. He thinks it’s dangerous for him to pretend Steve sees it the same way, that one day Steve’s droopy, kind eyes are going to see right through him and he’ll lose this. This being a side of Steve’s bed that is his, a nightstand where his rings always pile, a draw of shirts in Steve’s bedroom that only Steve uses. He can’t lose it, so he shuts his mouth, turns out the light, and watches the slow breathing of sleep fill Steve’s chest.
like, for real? by NicoBloodlust (Post-S4 | 4K | Mature): But nothing could ever prepare him for what Steve does. Because Steve, fucking- Steve stands in front of him, close, really close, and looks at him, slowly and deliberately. Eddie can follow the exact path his eyes make, to his eyes, down his nose, over his jaw and chin, and finally, his lips. They linger there and then- then Steve takes a deep breath, so deep his chest rises and brings them even closer together and, still staring at Eddie with hooded, shiny, beautiful brown-green eyes, he sighs slowly. But it’s not just a sigh, it’s a sound, an almost but not quite moan.
where it counts by Adure/ @toburnup (Post-S4, PWP | 4K | Explicit): They finish the movie and when Steve pulls away, it's like Eddie's been branded, Steve's palm permanently emblazoned on his skin through his jeans. He must notice Eddie's hard-on but he doesn't say anything. They talk about the movie while Eddie keeps the blanket piled in his lap and wills his dick to calm down. "Next week?" Eddie asks on his way out, voice clumsy, tripping between words. "Yeah," Steve holds the door open for him, smiles easily like Eddie's not holding his jacket in front of him. So fucking obvious. "Next week."
a meeting between pages by loveinhawkins/ @loveinhawkins (Canon Divergent, S2 | 2K | Teen): There’s a table in the school library that’s nestled in the corner, right by a radiator; Steve has claimed it ever since his double block of ‘private study periods’ began. And it would be perfect, if his eyes weren’t instinctively drawn to movement at the front desk.Because for the past god-knows-how-long, Eddie Munson has been in a back-and-forth with the librarian.
an unconventional lookout spot by loveinhawkins/@loveinhawkins (Post-S3 | < 1K | General): It’s a long summer’s day—August 1985, to be precise—and all Eddie Munson wants to do is leave a broken down fridge in the junkyard. “I don’t know if you can dump those here, actually,” comes a voice from somewhere above. Eddie looks up and seriously contemplates the possibility that he’s contracted heatstroke while straining to remove the fridge from the back of his van. Because surely that’s not Steve Harrington sitting up on the roof of an old school bus like it’s a perfectly normal thing to do.
in for a penny, in for a pound by crushing (PWP, Virgin Eddie, Daddy Kink | 12K | Explicit): steve and eddie have been busy wasting time, getting high and telling dirty little secrets. the biggest of which being eddie's virginity and steve's seemingly insatiable lust. and maybe the crush they're both harboring.
WIP
🖤 better by you, better than me by palmviolet/ @palmviolet (Canon Divergent, Season 1-2 | 30/? | 158K | Mature | Warning: Violence): November 1983. Between unpaid bills, the supposedly straight jock he’s seeing, and letters from his convict dad, seventeen year old Eddie Munson’s got enough to worry about. But when Will Byers goes missing, it sparks a chain of events that will show there are more depths to Hawkins — and to certain people in it, like infamous Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington — than he realizes. / or, the excessively long slow-burn in which Eddie is involved in the Upside Down from the very beginning.
🖤 Reboot by plutosrose/ @plutosrose (Modern AU, Actor Steve & Eddie | 7/10 | 27K | Explicit): In 2012, Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson film a scene in the teen drama Normal Stuff that launches a popular ship on ao3. By early 2013, they aren’t speaking anymore. In 2024, Robin calls Steve with an offer to reprise his role as Andy Hartley in a reboot of their old show, with one important update–his character gets together with Eddie’s.
In Just Seven Days by Oddree13 (Modern AU, Fake Relationship | 3/7 | 6K | Mature): Steve doesn’t exactly care about relationships anymore. Not after Nancy broke his heart and Billy broke his face. He’s bored and just going through the motions the first time it happens. Noelle asks him on Monday if he’s busy that coming Friday and Steve figures why not? He takes her to the movies on Friday, takes her to bed on Saturday, and on Sunday he lets her down gently. She takes it in stride, and the next Monday it’s Jocelyn at his locker. Then Ginny. Then Cami. Soon a rumor starts that Steve Harrington will accept anyone who asks him out at the beginning of the week and end their relationship after seven days of dating. Eddie doesn’t believe the rumors. After all, to say Steve Harrington would ignore the glaring asterisk of heteronormativity is just insane. But when he catches the King being tardy on a Monday he puts his theory to the test. Suddenly Eddie has a boyfriend for the next seven days. Now he just has to not fall in love.
No More Retreating by 3MinsOver (Post-S4 | 4/5 | 39K | Explicit): When Eddie Munson doesn’t kick the bucket in the Upside Down, he realizes there are a whole load of things he might have died without doing. And who’s there to help him out? Why, Steve Harrington, of course.
oh, just one night more (and then i'll close the door) by Smalls (Time Travel, Post-S4 Fix-It | 13/25 | 33K | Mature): Steve closed his eyes, raised a hand to wipe the tears pouring down his face, and spared a moment to wish that he could go back in time. He thinks if given the chance, he could have become friends with Eddie. That things could have been different. Then he heard a horn blaring and abruptly remembered he was driving. *** (or steve has a lot of regrets and the universe decides to let him try and fix a few)
au where Eddie is the long suffering arcade employee, people watching from his spot at the counter and Steve is the hot new regular who dominates at DDR
You Are Mine part 2
The call time for the first day is ass o’clock in the morning.
Lounging in the green room and drinking coffee sleepily, the band and the siblings wait to be called for wardrobe and makeup.
They had their proper introductions the day before after signing the contract, so now they are all just yawning their way through small talk. Eddie and the boys are called first because their wardrobe is a little more involved today since it’s mostly scenes of the band performing.
They usually don’t wear a lot of makeup when they play, mostly eyeliner and sometimes lipstick if someone is feeling particularly ‘bonita’ that day.
After being artfully made to look like he’s dirty, wet, and hot and in the middle of a performance Eddie is walking back to the set when he sees Robin and Steve walking out of their respective changing rooms.
They look good, both of them wearing similar outfits, black comfortable-looking pants, and black shirts, Robin has her hair up in a ponytail with loose hairs framing her face and Steve’s hair looks carefully tousled like he had been running his hands through it all day.
“You look beautiful” he hears Steve tell Robin and not for the first time thinks their relationship is really stinking cute.
“You look hot,” Robin says teasingly and she pinches Steve’s stomach, “That shirt is way too tight, dude”
Eddie thinks the shirt is perfect, but what the hell does he know?
Steve snorts, “Yeah. Hey, what does my shirt say?” he asks her smiling playfully. He does a half-turn and shows her his back,
“Crew,” she says chuckling and turning, “And mine?”
“Crew” he answers laughing “And mine?”
“Crew, and mine?”
Eddie has a feeling this could go on for a while if he doesn’t stop it, ‘Who the hell does ‘Dude, where is my car?’ references in this day and age?’ He wonders charmed.
He coughs startling them and outright laughing at their abashed expressions, “Ready to set foot in the extravagant world of mediocre music videos?”
♫
The first scenes they shoot are of the band playing on a stage, with a bunch of extras below them to make it look like the place is packed.
They play their instruments without the sound plugged in and the song is overheard over the speakers so they can coordinate and make it look authentic.
They do a lot of different takes, with changes in angles and wardrobes, and at one point Argyle has Robin and Steve standing on the sidelines like they are watching the band from backstage,
“Look happy and excited, nod to the music. Just pretend you like the song or something” he indicates jokingly.
Robin chuckles and Steve whispers, “But I do like the song.”
Eddie snorts delighted, he really hopes Steve still likes the song after they wrap up because he’s going to be hearing it /a lot/ in the next couple of days.
Once they are done with their part the band takes a breather while they watch Robin and Steve shoot a few scenes of them running around the stage, moving the instruments, and setting up things. They both laugh and talk a lot while ‘working’, high-fiving when they cross paths. Argyle barely gives them any directions and looks extremely pleased, keeps telling them he loves their energy.
It’s a long, tiring day but it’s incredibly fun, he can’t remember a time when he’s had this much fun shooting.
The last scene they do is one where the band is sitting in the background while Robin and Steve are working in the foreground, Argyle is squinting at the set, lifting his fingers to frame the scene in his head, planning it all out,
“Steve, can you lift a bit of weight?”
Gareth laughs and says “Hey Steve! Do you even lift?”
Robin and Steve get along wonderfully with the band and over the course of the day they’ve gotten really familiar and jokey with each other. Steve laughs and rolls his eyes when he answers Argyle,
“Yeah, I’m good up to about 180? Why?”
Frank, the asshole, snorts, and whispers to Eddie, “Hey, isn’t that more than your weight? He can totally lift you up with no effort” Eddie lets out a little wheeze and hides it with a cough, punching Frank’s shoulder lightly when he laughs.
“Cool, cool, cool. I want you to lift that speaker and move it on top of that one, think you can handle it?” Argyle is telling Steve, who nods and smiles.
“Guys, just chat quietly among yourselves, Eddie, you just… you know sneak a few glances at them, look horny about it.” Argyle directs.
Looking at Steve, with his too-tight black shirt that shows all the muscles on his back moving when he lifts the speaker, Eddie thinks looking lustfully is not going to be hard at all.
They do the scene once but Argyle calls ‘cut’ before it’s done, “Ok, ok, ok. Makeup! Can you make my boy here look a bit more sweaty, please?”
Steve blushes a little and asks Argyle if he did something wrong but Argyle smiles at him and just asks him,
“Could you make it look… not so easy? Maybe, wipe your forehead after you lift it or something?”
Steve blushes harder and nods.
They go again and this time Steve makes it look like the speaker is heavier and shakes his hair out of his face, running a hand through it when he’s done and it’s such a good move, he looks so good.
Eddie completely forgets they were part of the scene but when Argyle yells cut and happily tells them they are done for the day, Eddie realizes he doesn’t even need to act enamored by Steve, he totally is.
‘Oh shit, Steve is gonna eat me alive.’
to be continued
part 1: ♫
part 2: is this
part 3: soon (still not tagging dolls, sorry)
☕ cafecito?
the media and fans have a field day with it. steve and eddie have been public for years yet there's pictures all over twitter of steve cozied up in a booth in the corner of whatever bar, tucked tight into gareth's side under his arm with eddie nowhere in sight. a different fan posts a tiktok of them from a different angle and a little closer and you can clearly see that steve is drunk. his eyes shine unfocused in the camera flash and his cheeks are flushed. in the video he laughs loudly at something and just before one of cc's security guards blocks the view, steve leans in and buries his face in gareth's neck and gareth's fingers go to his hair.
the cheating allegations come out after that. article after article with the photo on the front page but it's nothing but radio silence from the band's twitter. no statement from eddie or gareth. fans think they're hashing it out behind the scenes and are preparing themselves for gareth's exit statement from the band or for the news to hit of steve and eddie breaking up.
none of that happens.
gareth stays in the band, steve and eddie go on like normal. they're papped in a starbucks in new york looking just as much in love as they were before the scandal. eddie and gareth don't behave any different in the videos they post of each other or on stage.
it kind of dies down after that- until a video goes up on the band's youtube one afternoon, shot that morning.
they try to keep themselves as authentic as they can, show the fans that not everything is sunshine and rainbows in the industry, and that they're real people who do real people things, too.
in the video, someone knocks on a hotel door and jeff answers. he says something that's purposefully scripted very badly and it gets a laugh out of the guys. the video shows them walking into jeff's room and it's revealed that it's a room tour. they pan around the corner into the main room and there's a lump in the bed.
there's no awkward silence between them, just a laugh from freak and a "jeeeff, it's almost ten a.m." and then eddie's pulling back the covers to reveal a slumbering steve.
people watching expect the footage to cut off abruptly or for eddie to angrily demand the situation, but again, it doesn't happen. he just laughs and squats down on the side of the bed and runs his hand through steve's hair until he wakes up.
"hey, sweetheart," he says, his voice dripping with fondness as he smiles a syrupy smile that hundreds of fans have dreampt of being on the receiving end of. "have a good sleep?"
they see steve reach out and pull eddie in by the head for a kiss. the video goes back to its scheduled programing after that, eddie following steve into the bathroom to get ready.
they don't do many interviews in the span of all this happening so fans and the media are left wondering what in the world is going on between the five of them. the boys act the same on stage every night without any signs of jealousy between them.
and then steve is photographed wearing a hoodie that fans can clearly see belongs to freak just from the size alone. neither steve or freak are small guys, but the garment is like a dress on steve. it almost goes down to his knees and the arms hang at least three inches passed his hands. it threatens to hang off of one shoulder but goddamn does steve look cozy and comfortable, burrowing into the hood pulled over his head like a little hamster.
the hoodie isn't what gets their attention, though.
it's the fact that the picture is from the band's soundcheck, to the band's twitter, and that steve is sitting on gareth's lap at his drum kit, while wearing the hoodie, and while eddie is leaning down and kissing him. gareth doesn't look put off by it. he's looking somewhere off camera and laughing but his hand is still on steve's waist and steve's is tangled in eddie's wild hair.
it answers all and none of everyone's questions.
ignoring it pt. 1.5
Eddie has no idea how to be a boyfriend.
Obviously.
It’s just never happened before, he’s had no way to learn. He’s not sure if Steve is aware that they’re both supposed to be the “man” in the relationship.
Eddie can ignore that he wakes up to cold sheets because Steve is awake and away by 8 every morning. He’s not positive where Steve goes.
He can ignore the wet hair Steve returns with, like he had something to wash away. Something to hide.
Eddie goes a lot of places– deals, rehearsals, Hellfire, school (sometimes)– and a lot of it gets done in Steve’s car. He knows he’s costing a lot of money, he knows Steve doesn’t actually want to spend all of his spare change on gas.
He can ignore the way Steve rejects his money, like he’s too poor to pay Steve back.
He can ignore the way Steve gets during sex. The way he pulls back emotionally, even if there’s less than an inch of space between them. The way he gets clingy afterwards, but quiet, like he’s not sure what he’s actually supposed to do.
He can ignore it, because he’s happy.
He’s happy.
~~~~~~~
Part 2 from Steve’s P.O.V. with more plot on the way
UH UHH UHHHHHHH
STEDDIE.
FRANK AND BILL…
YEAH???
im writing it
prepare for me and this tlou au
Steve Harrington was born a siren, just like his mother. Perfect skin, rosy cheeks, silky soft hair. He had her eyes, her nose, the tilt of her lips. He was supposed to be the perfect son to match Mr Harrington’s perfect wife. Handsome and charming. The heir to the Harrington Empire.
His mother was beautiful, always looking perfect. Not a hair out of place or her lipstick smudged. Steve always thought his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world, as all kids do. Turns out he was more right than most. She was ethereal, unapproachable, gorgeous in a way you couldn’t quite place. In a way only sirens can be. No wonder his father wanted her.
When he got older Steve realised it was her siren song, that made his father want her. She could charm anyone with a flick of her hair and a swish of her skirt. A wink and a laugh and you would be entranced. And if she sang, spoke to you with a special lilt to her voice, you would be under her spell. And so he bought her to work parties, on business trips, dinners with potential work partners. And she would charm whoever he wanted charmed. And then his father would be promoted, given a raise, and the cycle repeated.
He didn’t love her, and he didn’t love Steve either. And so Steve didn’t sing. Ever. No singing in the shower, no humming in the halls. No karaoke or lilting his voice. He wasn’t going to entrance anyone. He wasn’t going to con his way to the top, just like dear old dad.
Steve became popular anyway. He was handsome, he was charming, he made people want to do things for him - just by existing. He was a siren. It was easier for him, dealing with people. He knows what they’re feeling, what they crave, what they desire. And it’s so easy to take that want and twist it just so. Make his life a little easier. Make it so maybe, his dad with love him if Steve does what he wants, just like his mother.
It doesn’t work. He’s a disappointment and his father doesn’t love him. He promises to himself to never sing again.
Mrs Harrington taught him everything he knows. What she didn’t tell him about, was the itch, the burning underneath his skin. The all encompassing desire to be in the water. He needs it. He craves it. Apparently, when he was a toddler, he would happily play in the bath for hours and hours and throw a hell of a tantrum when it was time to come out. As a kid, he would spend all Saturday swimming in the pool, only getting out when his father yelled at him.
It wasn’t the same as the lake. The pool was nice, but the water wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t natural. The first time he swam in a lake, on a free afternoon over summer vacation, he grew gills. The more he swam, the more prominent they became, the easier it was to swim. And then his fingers started to web together. It was freeing, it was everything, it was as natural as anything. Young Steve came home with scales growing on his legs only to be met with the stern face of his mother.
He couldn’t swim in the lake again. He can’t transform. People can’t know what he is. What she is. The itch gets worse. He’s constantly sipping at water bottles to alleviate the sensation. It doesn’t really work. He joins the swim team. That doesn’t help either. He doesn’t know how his mother does it.
He dreams of the ocean. His parents leave for another business trip. He sneaks out to Lovers Lake.
Steve hides his car in the trees, finds what he thinks is an old abandoned dock, and strips down to his underwear. He dives in with a perfect arch, and swims until the scales start forming. Coming up for air, Steve doesn’t realise how long it’s been — but it must have been a while since there’s a boy on the dock.
Shoes next to him, ripped jeans rolled up so he can dip his feet in the water. Long curly hair falling in waves around his face. A lit cigarette perched between pink lips. Chocolate brown eyes, fluttering lashes. He’s beautiful, and he’s singing.
Steve can’t stop staring.
Saw this as a tweet and couldn't stop thinking about it. You know it's 3am and Eddie just started talking out of nowhere and scared the crap out of Steve.
i could be honest, i could be human [UPDATE]
Rated E (for future chapters) | Steddie | Chapter 3/11
[ FIRST PART ]
Summary: “God actually hates me, He has to,” Steve muttered darkly, tipping his head back to look up at the sky. “Kinda rich, coming from God’s favourite Golden Child,” Eddie said, coming around in front of Steve. Seeing his tears, Eddie’s grin faltered. “Shit, who hurt you, Harrington?”
Chapter Three: October 1984
If it didn’t suck so much, Steve would probably laugh about his situation.
Once again, he felt sorry. Not for himself at the moment, even if it felt like he had been gutted, his chest hollowed out with a dull knife. Mostly, he felt sorry for hurting Nancy all over again. The first time he hurt her, it was him being cruel because he was hurt. This time, it was him trying so hard to make things normal for both of them again.
Maybe he felt a little sorry for himself, he thought sadly, his heart heavy with hurt.
He sat at the far side of Tina’s backyard on a bench that faced the forest, smoking a cigarette and trying really hard not to actually cry.
“Hey, Steve?”
Looking up at the sky, Steve blinked rapidly to compose himself before he glanced over his shoulder. “Hey Jonathan, what’s up?” he greeted, his voice only a little shaky.
“Is everything—I saw you come out here, and Nancy is—?” Jonathan stopped abruptly when Steve blinked a tear loose and it streaked down the cheek he could see.
“Shit,” Steve hissed as another tear fell and he scrubbed at his face roughly. “Fuck!”
“Is there some way I can help?” Jonathan asked, soft and genuine, and Steve wished he could be mad at him. If this happened a year ago, he definitely would have snapped at him, maybe even hit him just for seeing him cry.
Blowing out a gusty breath, Steve nodded. “Can you get Nancy home? She’s had a lot to drink and she doesn’t want me—my help,” he said quietly.
“Hey, don’t say that, she loves—” Jonathan started, and Steve cut him off with a sharp sound.
“Jonathan, please. I don’t—just… Make sure Nancy gets home okay?” Steve nearly begged, pinching the bridge of his nose as another stupid wave of tears welled up.
“Yeah, man, totally,” Jonathan said and he grabbed Steve’s shoulder with a gentle firmness that went a long way toward comforting him. “You okay to get home too?”
“I live down the street, man, I’m fine,” Steve chuckled, his voice still wavering and a bit watery.
“Oh, right, I guess I forgot,” Jonathan laughed, and that actually brought a bit of a real smile to Steve’s face. He must have been doing something right over the past year for Jonathan to forget that his parents were rich. “See you at school?”
“Yeah, see you at school,” Steve replied with a nod, patting Jonathan’s hand where it still held his shoulder before the other boy let go.
With a heavy sigh, Steve leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, hanging his head while his forgotten cigarette slowly burned down. He had been quitting that stupid habit, which he’d only picked up in the first place because Tommy smoked. Nancy always made a face when he would lean in to kiss her, even hours after he had smoked, so he gradually just stopped entirely. Of course, now that he was apparently cut loose from that relationship, he was back to his old habits. Would he go back to being King Steve, supreme asshole of Hawkins High? Reclaim his throne from that piece of shit Billy Hargrove?
Was he only a good person because he thought Nancy Wheeler was in love with him?
A new wave of tears welled up and he choked around a sob that stuck in his throat like shards of glass. He let the tears happen this time, staring listlessly down at the ground between his feet, miserably trying to figure out where his performance for Nancy ended and his actual personality began.
When he couldn’t immediately determine that answer, he let out a sighing sob.
He was probably too drunk to be thinking about it.
A shoe scuffed the ground just behind Steve and he tensed, screwing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course Jonathan didn’t actually walk away, too soft to leave his former-bully and sort-of-friend crying on Halloween.
“Byers, I swear to God, if you don’t go take care of Nance like I asked, I’m going to barge into the dark room every time you’re in there until I graduate,” Steve threatened half-heartedly. He somehow already did that more often than he cared to admit, but that was neither here nor there.
“Not Byers, Your Majesty.”
“Jesus Christ,” Steve hissed, sitting up to take a long drag from his cigarette.
Eddie chuckled behind him. “Damn, you’re bad at this, Harrington. Guess again.”
“God actually hates me, He has to,” Steve muttered darkly, tipping his head back to look up at the sky.
“Kinda rich, coming from God’s favourite Golden Child,” Eddie said, coming around in front of Steve. Seeing his tears, Eddie’s grin faltered. “Shit, who hurt you, Harrington?”
Hey Brother
Thank you to @nburkhardt, @doubleb11, and @straight4joekeery for the help brainstorming! I hope you guys like it and please leave your thoughts in the comments!
~*~*~*~
It was a quiet night at the trailer park and Steve was looking forward to spending a peaceful night with his boyfriend. Things had been hectic lately between work, the kids, and fielding phone calls from his parents so Steve desperately needed a night to just relax. He hadn’t been able to spend time with Eddie since the week prior during their weekly Buckley-Harrington-Munson movie night and if he didn’t get cuddles stat, he was going to go into withdrawal.
Unfortunately, Eddie did not share the same plans and instead was trying to coerce Steve once again into joining a DnD campaign with him and the kids.
“Come on, babe! The first day of the new campaign is tomorrow and the kids would love it if you joined. We can come up with a character sheet tonight, we still have time! And I will help you the entire time, it’ll be fun!” Eddie begged him.
Steve shook his head, “look Eds, I really don’t want to play. I’m more than happy just watching you guys have fun. Besides, you know how bad I am at math. I’d be really bad at it.”
“I’ll do the math for you! Come on, your jock prowess will really help you and you’re great at strategizing. What if I postponed the campaign for tomorrow and came up with a one shot instead? Then you would get your feet wet and it wouldn’t be too much pressure,” he jut his lip out in a pout and widened his eyes. It kinda made him look like a dejected rat but in a cute way.
Still, Steve shook his head. “No, I really don’t want to. Can you please drop this? I just want to watch a movie or something and relax. I don’t want to keep talking about your nerd game.”
All playful pretenses dropped and Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is about? The perfect Steve Harrington can’t play a game for nerds? I thought you were over all that.”
“Eddie, that’s not why. You know I don’t care about that anymore. I like watching you guys play, I just don’t understand it. Maybe some other time,” Steve placated him but it only served to make Eddie more mad.
“That’s bullshit, Steve!” Steve’s blood ran cold at his words. “You don’t think the ‘perfect jock’ can play a nerd game? That’s just complete bullshit.”
Steve just stood up from the couch and collected his keys from the table beside the door. He turned to look at Eddie and spoke softly, “I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m going to go home.”
“Steve-”
“No, no, it’s uh- it’s just bullshit, right? I’ll catch you later.” Then, he went to his car and headed home. So much for a relaxing evening.
How could things have changed so quickly? One second they were enjoying pizza and talking about dumb shit the kids had done in the past week and in the next they were arguing about nerds and jocks, the dumb shit from high school that didn’t mean anything. It’s all such… bullshit. He thought he was over all of that meaningless high school drama yet here he was. He was still messing things up without even trying. He should’ve just sucked it up and agreed to play the dumb game instead of ruining their night. No wonder Eddie was so mad at him.
When Steve got home, it was to a dark and empty house. He was alone once again with his parents on some trip, his boyfriend mad at him, his best friend out of town, and the kids no longer needing a babysitter. He hated this cavernous house, the bareness on the walls, and the emptiness that matched the feelings in his chest. He just wanted to go somewhere else, to be welcomed into another house that wasn’t so devoid of character. He thought that would be Eddie’s trailer but he wasn’t so sure anymore.
He was torn from his thoughts at the ring of the landline. Steve considered not answering it, thinking it may be Eddie trying to apologize or rag on him some more. After his comments of being bullshit, Steve thought he deserved some pettiness. Ultimately though, the Midwestern politeness ingrained in him pushed Steve to answer the call. “Harrington residence, this is Steve. How can I help you?”
“Steve? Oh honey, I’m so sorry to be calling,” a tearful voice murmured.
It took Steve a moment to place the voice but when he did, a strum of anxiety skittered across his chest. “Aunt Becky? What’s going on, are you okay?”
“Sweetheart, it’s your grandmother. She’s in critical condition and the doctors say she could pass at any time now. I already called your parents and they’re on their way. Honey, if you want to see her, you should come now.”
Steve’s heart dropped. His mother’s mother, his grandma, had always been his favorite. She babysat him when he was younger, called him every few weeks to check in, and sent him the most thoughtful presents on his birthday and Christmas. Despite the chaos of his personal life at the moment, he had to go see her. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t get to say goodbye to her after all she’d done for him.
“Um, okay. I’ll head up there now and I can be there in a few hours. Do you-do you need anything?” He asked his aunt.
“No, that’s okay. Drive safe and let your brother know, okay?”
Steve nodded in response before remembering that she couldn’t see him. “I’ll call him. See you soon.”
Steve hung up the phone before immediately picking it back up to call his brother. They weren’t close, especially after the events of Spring Break, but they were still family and he deserved the chance to say goodbye to his grandmother as well. There was no answer on his home phone so Steve dialed 9-1-1.
“Hawkins Sheriff Department, this is Officer Callahan. What’s your emergency?”
“Phil, it's Steve. I know we’re not really talking but Grandma is dying tonight and I’m going to Illinois to say goodbye. Can you please come with me?”
“Wha- Steve? How do you know? What happened?” Phil stammered.
“Aunt Becky called, she says that Grandma is in critical condition and the doctors say that she could die at any time. If we want to see her, we have to go now.” Steve’s voice was panicked as he spoke.
“Um- yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll uh, I just need to write a note and I’ll come pick you up, okay? I’ll be there in ten minutes,” his brother comforted, his voice gentle over the phone.
“Okay, bye.”
Steve rubbed a hand through his hair. Could this night get any worse? Not only was he on Eddie’s shit list, his grandma was dying, and now he had to sit in a car for four hours with his estranged, older step-brother. Lovely that this was how Steve’s life was going, just lovely.
He threw some clothes in a bag along with his hair care products and a toothbrush and then he sat on the trunk of his car in the driveway waiting for Phil. He didn’t know how long he would be gone but he’d rather be prepared. On the fifteenth minute of waiting, Phil’s powder blue Volkswagen Beetle pulled up to the curb and his brother’s head popped out of the open window.
“Let’s go, shitface! We don’t have time to waste!” He called obnoxiously.
Steve grumbled as he got into the car but quieted when Phil handed him a coffee.
“... Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” he waved away.
They drove in silence for a few minutes until they passed the Leaving Hawkins sign and Steve spoke up. “I hate the mustache by the way.”
“Why would you say that to me?!”
“It looks like an emaciated squirrel died on your face!” Steve said.
“That’s rich of you to say when you have so much hair it looks like a helmet!” Phil’s voice raised in defense.
“That doesn’t even make sense!” Steve sputtered.
They squabbled the entire four hour drive to Illinois and it brought a feeling of levity to Steve’s chest. Despite the circumstances, he felt better than he had in a while and all it took was minorly bullying his brother to get there.
~*~*~*~
Hopper has never been so confused in his life and that was saying something because he’s gone through some major shit. But getting woken up at the dredges of dawn to a panicked Eddie Munson showing up at his door would do that. Almost at the point of tears, he told him that Steve was missing after a fight they had the night prior and he was worried that something might have happened to him.
Hopper had to deal with Munson knocking on his door before appropriate business hours, the kids panicking because of Steve maybe going missing, and Joyce panicking that something could be going on with the Upside Down. Why else would Steve go missing?
Things only got more complicated and confounding when he arrived at the station to see a poorly written note from Callahan stuck to his desk. It read, ‘me + brother out of town, gma is sick. B back soon. Toodles.’
So now not only is his kid missing, but he’s also down a deputy, and he’s got the Party breathing down his neck annoying him about it.
Hopper took a big swig of his coffee and sighed, this was going to be a long weekend.
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Okay but what about fake dating AU but NOT the way you think. Hear me out okay.
Steve being tired of Dustin telling him over and over to ask out Robin bc they’re obviously in love. Steve has enough and says the only thing that he thinks will get Dustin off his back.
“BECAUSE IM GAY DUSTIN”
“That’s not true!”
“I have a boyfriend!”
“Who?!”
“Jonathan!”
Jonathan is chill and agrees to fake date. They tell the party they’re dating. Steve has a gay awakening. But Jonathan is not his type really. Realizes he likes metal heads when he and Eddie bond about being queer. Eddie Munson is incredibly jealous. ‘HES ACTUALLY GAY BUT TAKEN KILL ME NOW’ Eddie and Jonathan almost get into a fight. Chaos, man, chaos.
i could be honest, i could be human [Steddie WIP snippet]
Here is a snippet of a fic I'm working on that is kind of a "5 times Eddie asks Steve who hurt him + 1 time he actually does something about it" and takes place over the course of the show and into post-S4 territory. When it's done it'll be 6 chapters and will be rated E. Mostly I need eyes that aren't mine to see it. I'll be posting the actual installments on my writing blog @gerrystamour! Please consider reblogging this if you enjoy it!
Steve Harrington did not feel sorry for himself.
Sorry? Absolutely. For himself? No.
He felt sorry for how he treated Nancy, for what he said to Jonathan, how he let Tommy make a mess of the Hawk’s sign. But not for himself, even if he couldn’t blink without wincing and something smarted when he moved his jaw. Even if his knuckles ached and a molar was wiggling a bit too much for his comfort. The way Steve figured it, all together that was roughly only half of what he deserved.
Getting the shit beat out of him for being an idiot wasn’t necessarily unfamiliar to him, though the low-grade agony in his face was.
With a heavy sigh, Steve dipped the rag into the bucket of pink, soapy water and returned to scrubbing the red spray paint off the Hawk’s sign. It was slow-going, and the sun was setting, but he had just a bit of the last letter to clean, and then he would be done. He would be free to go home and figure out his next move.
He didn’t have any more friends, what with his fight with Tommy and Carol, and he was pretty sure he didn’t have a girlfriend anymore. Not after his stunning display of class and conflict resolution.
“Well, well, well,” came a sarcastic, yet excited voice from below. “If it isn’t the King of Hawkins High himself, Steve Harrington.”
part two: Gareth
They are doing great, they sound great, the coordination is great, the songs are great, it’s going great! After so many months of practicing to get back in form, their first show back… it’s great!
There are a lot of people in The Hideout tonight and their friends are there, he even sees Steve among the crowd, wearing the shirt he lent him and looking amazing. He snorted when he first saw him, thinking Eddie was going to flip when he saw Steve wearing a Corroded Coffin shirt.
But Eddie didn’t seem to notice Steve was there, too busy making googly eyes with a girl on the front line.
And it’s fine, Eddie used to do that sometimes when they played gigs before, he’s hot and plays a mean guitar, of course girls are attracted to him, and Eddie gets carried away when he’s playing, he doesn’t think, just acts. So he used to, on occasion, hook up with someone when they had a show.
‘But tonight? Really Eddie?’ Gareth thinks as he keeps glancing at Steve between songs, who smiles brightly and waves when he sees Gareth looking but lets his expression falter when he looks at Eddie.
And Gareth knows it’s because Eddie doesn’t know they know he likes Steve (and are okay with it). He knows it’s because Eddie doesn’t know his feelings are reciprocated. That he would never do something like this on purpose but, when he makes out with that chick on stage uncaring about everything around him and both Frank, Jeff and him automatically look at Steve, and he looks so fucking devastated, Gareth can’t help but be a little mad at his friend.
He really fucked up this time.
part one
part two (you are here!)
part three (soon)
part four (sooner)
part five (soonish) (end)
tag list!
does anyone have any recs for fics where eddie is a dick to steve? idk why they scratch such a particular itch for me but i love fics where eddie gets so in his head about 'King Steve' that he ends up being a real tool to him. bonus points if it's like. all of hellfire club bullying steve and bonus bonus points if the kids stand up for him
UH UHH UHHHHHHH
STEDDIE.
FRANK AND BILL…
YEAH???
im writing it
prepare for me and this tlou au









