#ladykailtiha writes
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Paper Hearts Part 8
Here we go! The end! This is not the last foray into this little 'verse however! There will be a sequel called Sweet Surrender. It will chronicle their first date, their first time (so it will be mature), and senior prom. Look for that starting next week.
Still not sure about WIP Wednesday tomorrow, but I'll keep you posted.
Steve gets to see one of the recipients of his pinks hearts, Eddie spirals a bit, and true love prevails. As it should.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7
****
Steve was finally able to witness one of his anonymous hearts being received on Tuesday. Last week all the hearts had been shoved into people’s lockers, accidentally following the lead of Steve’s admirers. He strongly suspected Chrissy was the reason for that.
But in the three days leading up to Valentine’s day, the hearts were being passed out in classes. Something teachers strongly objected to but students loved.
He was in his geometry class, trying not scratch out his own eyeballs from the sheer monotony of all the numbers starting to blur together, when Chrissy and another junior cheerleader came into the class, but as it was merely quiet student time and that he wasn’t actively teaching, there was nothing the teacher could do but silently stew.
They started listing off the names of the students who had gotten pink hearts alphabetically. Steve wasn’t surprised when he got a small stack again. Most of them were from Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam. The first name was weird, but others seemed fairly normal. And of course, one from Kas.
He looked around and saw that some kids were snickering because they were getting to the later half of the alphabet and Joni Quincy. She was little fatter then her classmates but in no way overweight. But that didn’t stop people from mocking her. The fact that she braces didn’t help either.
“Joni Quincy!” Chrissy said, clearly.
The class got so quiet you could hear her sharp gasp.
“Are you sure it’s for me?” she asked shyly, like she was expecting to be pranked or tricked.
Chrissy shook her bright ponytail. She came over to the girl’s desk and handed her the heart. It was only the one, but Steve could tell it made all the difference. She smiled brightly and laughed.
“That’s sweet!” Nicole said over her shoulder. “Anonymous. But it’s still cool someone thought of you.”
The rest of the class went well until afterwards when one of the members of the football team grabbed out of her hand.
“You shouldn’t send notes yourself,” he sneered, holding it above her head so she couldn’t get back.
“I didn’t!” she cried.
Steve stood up and swiped it out of the dude’s hand. “Leave her alone. The point of the friendship hearts are for stuff like this. Knock it off.” He turned and glared at the teacher.
The teacher stared back at Steve for a moment and then sighed.
“Mr. Olsen, please refrain harassing your fellow students.”
The kid just shrugged and stormed out of the class. Steve handed it back to her.
“It is a sweet message,” he said with a smile.
-Joni
Braces may suck right now,
But the smile you’ll get in end
Will be worth it, so don’t hide your smile
A Former Braces Wearer
She returned his smile widely, showing off the braces. “It is. It was nice to get a heart.”
Steve just nodded and then gathered up his stuff to go. He could feel the warm glow in his chest expand as he watched her talk with one of the other girls in the class about the heart.
It felt good.
****
All week long, Eddie watched Steve get the pink hearts and brighten every time. They had a couple of classes together and he always lit up when the hearts arrived.
Sometimes, he would catch him looking disappointed, but by the end of the day that kilowatt smile would be back on.
He couldn’t figure out the cause. There never seemed to be a rhyme or reason for the change in mood.
So he asked one of the Hellfire Club members that had classes with Steve to see if she noticed a difference.
“Maybe it’s your special hearts,” she said with a grin.
Eddie rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not. Come on, at least take this seriously. Oh! Maybe he’s getting them from Nancy!”
“Why would he even want pink hearts from her?”Janice said cocking her head the side in confusion. “Like he was madly in love with the girl and it’s pretty damn clear that whatever went on that week in November, it really crushed the guy. I’d think he’d be disappointed getting one from her rather than not getting one from her until it appears later in the day.”
He frowned. But that had to be it. There was no way that Steve was interested in his hearts. Maybe he just liked the color change and that’s what it was. Because there was no way he was interested in the heart giver unless he thought that it was a girl’s name. Kas could be short for Kassie after all.
Janice grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “You are spiraling and it’s a little freaky, stop.”
Eddie head snapped, he had forgotten she was even there. He turned on his most charming smile. “You’re talking to the head freak, baby. Can’t get freakier than me.”
She rolled her eyes, not charmed in the slightest. “I know what you are, Edward Munson. Don’t you forget it.”
He kissed her cheek. “Never.”
As he walked off, a locker slammed and Janice jumped. She turned around to see Steve Harrington standing up from his locker.
He hadn’t been there when Eddie came up to her, she knew for a fact. Eddie wasn’t stupid enough to talk about someone when they were literally feet away. So he must have come later. Which meant the question was ‘how much did he hear?’
She really hoped the answer was none of it.
****
Steve had to go out and get a different book for all the all the hearts he had received. He still kept the ones from ‘Kas’ in his wallet. Those were his favorite.
He never was good at hiding his emotions, despite what his father had tried to drill into him over and over again. So when he would get pink hearts every period, he would be disappointed when the Kas hearts weren’t there.
Which was rude. He enjoyed all the hearts he got. He loved every little silly message, even from the ones Dustin said were clearly from a metal band.
He had fun taking the hearts with names he knew weren’t in the year book to Dustin, because he would explain the reference to him.
By Wednesday night, Steve had added three more Kas hearts to his wallet. All sweeter than the last.
He knew he was developing a crush on whoever this was.
Then Dustin finally figured it out the day before Valentine’s day.
“It’s probably a dude,” Dustin said with a grimace.
Steve tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Dustin got out a large hard back book and flipped through it. He stopped on a page about half way through and handed it to him.
Steve sat on the kid’s bed with a thump. He must have read a dozen times before he looked up at him.
“But they’re friendship hearts,” he said. “Why would it matter if it’s a guy or not?”
Dustin sat on the bed next time him and gently took the book back. “Because you’re acting like you do when you have a crush.”
Steve blinked at him a moment. He frowned in thought. “You think so?”
He nodded.
“Oh.”
He thought about all the times he wished it was Eddie who was Kas and then it hit him. He wanted it to be Eddie, not because he had a crush on Kas, but because he had a crush on Eddie.
“And if I said I didn’t mind it?” he asked softly. “That it might be a boy?”
“Are you gay?” Dustin asked, rearing his head back in confusion.
Steve shook his head. “Both. I like both.”
Dustin frowned appreciatively. “Okay then.”
“Okay?” Steve wasn’t sure he was hearing this. He had always imagined that there would be more screaming involved.
“Okay,” he repeated. “You have a big heart, it makes sense that you’d like both.”
Steve gave him the biggest hug. “Thanks, Dusty.”
“Oh!” he said, pulling away after a moment. “I found out about that Dorks and Dweebs club you were talking about!”
Dustin glared at him. “It stands for Dungeons and Dragons. Something I’ve told you over and over again.”
Steve ruffled Dustin’s hair. “The club is called The Hellfire Club and they do accept freshmen.”
“They named themselves after that club in The X-men?” Dustin squealed. “That’s so cool.”
Steve blinked for a moment. Yeah, that made more sense then a bunch of high schoolers naming their club after a Satanic and gay club from the 1800s. Hey, he read. He had found a book on history of clubs in England at the local library, and thought they meant soccer. They had not.
Dustin bombarded him with questions about the club and Steve answered him the best he could. After all the kid figured out his Kas so it was the least he could for him.
****
Valentine’s came and Steve was the recipient of three red hearts. But as he searched through the pink hearts there was no Kas. The end of school came and he still hadn’t looked at the red hearts yet.
Eddie came up to his locker as he was shoving his books into it. “Hey, Stevie, why the long face?”
Steve sighed and closed the locker, turning around to sit on the floor. “I’ve been getting these pink hearts from a specific person all week and all last week and I didn’t get one today. So I guess I’m a little bummed by it.”
Eddie dropped his bag and sat down next to Steve. He drew his knees up and draped his arms over them, linking his thumbs together.
“Maybe they sent a red heart instead?” he said, bumping their shoulders together.
Steve shrugged. “They’ve been all pink hearts up until now, so...”
“What makes this one so special then?”
“I have a friend that is really big into D&D,” Steve murmured.
Eddie gasped and held his hands to his chest. “You, Steven Harrington, has friend who like’s D&D?”
“He’s more like a little brother to me,” he explained with a shrug, “he’ll start high school next year. But anyways, he’s been telling me all the references from pink hearts from the ones that wanted to be anonymous.”
“And there’s a D&D reference in there?” Eddie asked, looking over at him. He knew there was, but maybe Steve had been getting hearts from someone else in Hellfire or another secret D&D nerd he knew nothing about.
Steve nodded and pulled out his wallet. “It’s the same person that left the hearts on my door over the weekend.” He pulled out all ten hearts to Eddie’s awe.
“You kept all of them?” he whispered as he gently took them from him. Eddie fanned them out like a deck of cards and then tilted his head. “They’re out of order.”
Steve frowned as he watched Eddie successfully put them in order and a pattern emerged. The colors had shifted darker and darker with each day. Until the one he got yesterday was a really dark pink.
He looked down at the red hearts that he had set on the floor to pull out his wallet. He picked them up only to be snatched from by Eddie.
“Nicole Hawkins?” he said dismissively and tossed it over his shoulder. “She’s too boring.”
Steve huffed out a laugh.
“Lindsey Addams?” he said with a snort, tossing it after Nicole’s red heart. “Has a boyfriend and is only looking for someone she can use to make him jealous.”
Steve smiled. That one he knew. He was down on all the gossip, he just didn’t know Eddie was too.
He handed the final red heart to Steve and smiled. “There you go.”
Steve took the heart and his smile matched Eddie’s when it showed it was from Kas.
“You know,” he said softly. “I wanted them to be from you. He told me about Kas the Betrayer and how whoever was sending them was probably a guy. But I wanted them to be from you since I told you my secret.”
Eddie gulped. He hadn’t been expecting that. He had been shoring himself up that Steve would think it was a girl and he would walk away with a broken heart when he found out it wasn’t. But staring at this gentle boy with a big heart who just wanted to do something nice for the girls that wouldn’t get even so much as a single pink heart, he knew. He knew that there would be no walking away for either of them.
“They’re from me,” he admitted. “I fell so hard for you, Stevie. And I hoped that by gradually changing the colors of the hearts you see that I was gearing up to tell you I loved you.”
Steve blushed and ducked his head. “Sorry I missed that.”
Eddie bumped their shoulders together again. “It’s all right, I got to see the cutest pout when you thought I hadn’t given you a heart today.”
“You’ll let me make it up to you?” Steve asked, raising his head.
“Take me out on a date and shower me with that patented Harrington charm,” Eddie said with a grin. “And we’ll call it even.”
Steve laughed. “Looks like I have plans for Valentine’s day after all.”
Eddie stood up and held his hand out to him. Steve took it and Eddie helped him to his feet.
“Sure do, big boy,” he said with a grin.
Steve laughed and let Eddie lead him out to the parking lot. It was nearly empty but that was perfect.
Eddie walked Steve to his car.
“I’ll pick you up at five, okay?” Steve whispered.
Eddie pursed his lips and nodded. He walked away, but as Steve got his in car, Eddie suddenly leapt into the air and whooped!
Steve shook his head and smiled fondly. He had started the month feeling sorry for himself and now he had a date with a sweet boy on Valentine’s day.
Life was already looking up.
****
Tag List:
1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @spectrum-spectre
2- @slv-333 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson
3- @messrs-weasley @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv
4- @wonderland-girl143-blog @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690
5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon
6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @fullpoetrybread
7- @disrespectedgoatman @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @moonshadows-13
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9- @dotdot-wierdlife @ravenfrog @dauntlessdiva @thelittleclare @steddieyourself
10- @dam28lh
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Season 1 AU. After the events at the Byers house, during that time when Nancy has broken up with him, Steve decides he's turned over a new leaf and so must everyone else. Nicole, Carol, Tommy H. He catches Tommy getting into a fight with one of Eddie's sheep and tells him to knock it off.
Eddie who was about to come in swinging is impressed. And maybe develops a little crush on new Steve.
Steve starts becoming a hard ass on and off the court, pushing his friends to be better people and in Tommy's case a better player. The coaches at first tell Steve to go easy on the team, but when they start seeing the results, they back off and let him at it.
He pushes Tommy to get counseling from Ms Kelly for his anger issues. And it works.
So Steve starts branching out and targeting other bullies and not just his friends.
He breaks up what he will later learn was a deal gone wrong between Eddie and a football player, causing Eddie to blurt "Marry me!"
Steve laughs and tells him to buy him dinner first.
Eddie is mortified. And all the Corroded Coffin boys make fun of him for it.
But Steve starts popping up wherever Eddie is and his poor little cynical heart can't handle it.
Steve is being nicer to people. Including a certain blonde trumpet player in Mrs Click's class. He tells her he has a problem remembering names, but asks her for help in the class (he lost his study buddy, Nancy and picks Robin.)
Now Steve can't be everywhere and so the bullies start being more slick about it. Taunts and sneers. Hip checks and "accidental" tripping.
But one of these bullies target Gareth, a freshman. One of the varsity basketball players, a senior.
So Steve challenges the guy to a game of one on one. If this dude loses, he'll give up his place as captain and make it Steve. If Steve loses, he'll give up basketball and his one man mission to stop the bullying.
Nancy who was in the hall at the time turns to one of her friends and asks her if that was as hot as she thought it was it. The other girl can only nod.
Everyone shows up to this game. And the bully is confident. There is no way that this scrawny little junior is going to best him.
Only for Steve to win.
Everyone is stunned.
Afterwards, Eddie asks if that date was still on the table. Steve laughs and says he'd been waiting all month for Eddie to ask.
Nancy who was one her way to ask Steve to take her back, is upset when she overhears this conversation. She lost her chance with Steve.
Which of course changes season 2 because now that King Steve is king for a different reason, Billy's antics get shut down fast. Not just by Steve, but Carol and Tommy, too.
The possibilities are juicy on how else it changes things.
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Just on my Steve is smooth operator when he sets his mind on someone agenda. Because remember even Robin thinks he’s striking out because he doesn’t know what he wants. Cue him deciding he wants Eddie and cranking that charm up to eleven.
***
Steve took a deep breath. He was good at this. Just because he had struck out with girls lately didn’t mean he didn’t know how to come on to someone.
He waited until he had a handful of witnesses that wouldn’t hate crime him for this.
Eddie came into Family Video with Dustin, Lucas, and Mike to rent a movie. Will and the rest of Byers family were in the process of moving back to Indiana, so it was just the three boys today.
Steve had sent Robin to make sure there weren’t any other customers before he made his move. He walked up to the metalhead and stepped into his space until their bodies were almost touching.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
Eddie squeaked. “Are you talking to me?”
Steve hummed appreciatively. “Do you see any other doe eyed, dimpled cheeked, long haired metalheads around?” He wrapped his finger around one of Eddie’s curls.
Eddie turned bright red. He pressed his lips together and shook his head.
“So beautiful,” Steve murmured. “Please let me take you out tonight. Say that you will.”
“Yes,” Eddie croaked.
Steve purred. “So good to me.”
Eddie nodded.
“Is seven o’clock good for you, babe?”
“Yes.”
“You are too good to me, gorgeous,” Steve whispered. “I’ll pick you up then.”
Eddie nodded again, his lips pressed into thin line afraid to break the spell that Steve had placed on him.
Steve leaned forward and Eddie let a little moan as he moved past his lips to whisper in his ear.
“I don’t want our first kiss in a video rental store, but make no mistake I will kiss you tonight. I will kiss you breathless.” He twirled the hair in his grasp a little further. “Will you be a good boy and wait for me?”
Eddie let out another squeak. “Yes.”
Just then the door opened and another customer came in.
“That’s too bad, beautiful,” Steve purred, gently untangling his finger from Eddie’s hair. “I’ve got to get back to work. See you tonight.” He patted Eddie on the chest and went to go help the woman who had walked in.
It took Eddie a moment to come back online.
“Did Steve just flirt with me?” Eddie squeaked looking over at the three boys.
Lucas nodded, wide-eyed. “Yeah, man. He hit you with Harrington charm, hard.”
“And did he just ask me out?” Eddie said, his voice a little clearer.
“Yeah, dude,” Dustin said. “It was the smoothest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Eddie nodded and shoved his hands in his jeans’ pockets. “And I said yes, right?”
Mike rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why, but yeah, man. You said yes.”
Eddie jumped up and down, fist pumping and whooping it up. “Yeah baby!”
Steve looked over his shoulder and grinned. He turned back to his customer, shaking his head fondly.
“Aren’t you going to do something about that young man?” the woman sneered.
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Steve said with a soft smile. “I’ve got it covered.”
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The Rockstar and the Teacher
Just thinking about a rockstar Eddie and a school teacher Steve who have been together for a decade, but Steve is kept out of the limelight by his choice.
He doesn't want to have his kids harassed because of who he's dating. Plus the whole gay man= pedophile in the minds of most parents.
Things are going great until they aren't.
Steve sees a tabloid with the headline "Eddie Munson photographed outside local bar with boyfriend, hints there may be a spring wedding!" and he's furious. Like seeing red, pissed off.
Because the guy next to Eddie is not Steve.
Whoever he is, he's dressed the same as Eddie. Leather jacket, long hair, chains everywhere.
But he barely has time to get worked up because even though Eddie had been in LA working on the band's next album, he is bursting through their house in Hawkins's door.
Eddie skids to a stop when he sees the tabloid on their kitchen counter and holds up his hands.
"I'm sorry, baby," he mutters and Steve chokes back tears, "I was trying to get home before you saw that."
"Why would you do that to me?" Steve cries.
Eddie slowly pulls out his phone like he's getting it out for a cop and hands it over to Steve, who takes it with a frown.
"It's not me, sweetheart," Eddie says. "I can prove it."
Steve looks at the phone and it instantly opens to Steve's face.
Eddie can see the hope spark in Steve's eyes as he looks through Eddie's phone.
Text message after text message about Eddie planning on getting Steve a necklace with both of their initials on it from Steve's favorite jewelry designer.
Eddie's phone pinging him at a nearby bar, but not the one the photo is showing him coming out of at the time it was taken.
Then the final evidence. A fan photo of Eddie and the girl taking a picture just outside of it the other bar at the time other Eddie was supposedly getting his picture taken with his "boyfriend".
"My management and PR team are on it, Stevie," Eddie tells him. "We think it was a setup from the jewelry guy. He lured me to the bar so that they could stage the pap photo."
Steve frowns at the phone in his hand, his fingers gripping it so tightly that his knuckles go white.
"Why?"
Eddie runs his hands over his face. "Honestly?" Steve nods. "To get you to come out in the public eye."
Steve looks at the phone and then back at the paper on the counter. Eddie can see his heart sink.
"I'm sorry," Steve murmurs. "I've been selfish. If I had just gone to LA with you been your partner all of the time, this wouldn't have happened."
Eddie takes Steve's face in his hands. "You are my partner all of the time. Even when we're apart. You weren't being selfish. You had just gotten your degree when we made it big. You wanted to use what you had paid for, and rightly so. This is on them, not you. Never you!"
Steve lets out a shuddered breath and then nods. "Okay."
He lets out another breath and Eddie smiles as Steve straightens his shoulders and cracks his knuckles.
"Give me two hours and I'll have this sorted."
Eddie doesn't doubt it.
****
Two hours later, Steve comes out in a beautiful cream suit and silver mesh top.
Eddie looks up from his place on the sofa and licks his lips slowly. He had been messaging Chrissy, his manager while Steve was doing whatever it was in his office.
"Wow, baby you look good enough to eat."
Steve grins. "It's a good thing you're hungry because we're going out to dinner."
Eddie stands up quickly and puts a hand on Steve's waist. "Are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to. We're already suing everyone for defamation of character and libel."
Steve grinned. "Oh yeah. I've already spoken to Robin and Chrissy and they're onboard."
"K, baby."
****
They arrive at the restaurant and they sit in Eddie's little two seater.
"Last chance, Stevie," Eddie said, looking out at the waiting reporters. "Just say the word and we'll go somewhere more secluded."
Steve shakes his head. "Let's do this."
Eddie gives his hand a squeeze and gets out first.
"Eddie! Eddie!" one reporter calls out. "What do you have to say about that picture in The Sun?"
"That's not me," he says calmly. "That's not my boyfriend. I would never cheat on him that way."
Then a burst of questions asking about his real boyfriend as he moves around the car to open the other door.
Steve steps out looking like sex on legs. But also like nothing anyone pegged as Eddie's boyfriend.
Eddie kisses his hand and Steve blushes.
Suddenly all the questions are directed at Steve, asking if he's the boyfriend? How long have they been dating? What's his name?
Steve just bats his eyelashes and says quite clearly, "I would ask you to respect our privacy during this trying time."
BOOM!
Mic drop.
The reporters clam up, the cameras stop flashing as they stare at him in open mouthed shock.
Eddie swoops in and gives Steve the biggest kiss. And the only reason it was even caught on camera was because the video camera hadn't stopped rolling.
They go inside and Steve gets two messages on his phone and Eddie asks if he's going to look at them, but he shakes his head.
"It's probably just Robin wanting all the inside scoop."
So they finish their meal and walk back out to the valet, hand in hand. It's then when Steve pulls out his phone. He was right about the first message, the second one was from a private number and merely said:
-Ben fatto, mio caro*
Steve smiles and kisses the the screen before tucking his phone back in his pocket.
As they drive home, Eddie asks about the texts.
"Just my mom telling me she was proud of me in the only way she could."
Mrs. Sophia Harrington was too conceited to send him anything directly, especially since Clint Harrington had cut Steve off years ago due to him being gay. But she could send a single message from a private number that she would never use again, to let her son know that she was proud at how well he had handled the reporters.
Eddie just smiles and they drive home in comfortable silence.
****
Steve goes to work the next morning and stops in at the principal's office. He smiles when he realizes the press hasn't figured out who he is yet. But it will only be a matter of time and he knows it.
The principal holds up a printed copy of his resignation and demands to know the meaning of it.
So Steve tells him.
"Steve..." the principal whines when he's done.
"You know you're going to have parents banging down your door the second it gets out," Steve explains. "It's easier for me to just walk away now and not wait for you to have to fire me."
The principal sighs but agrees. "You'll be missed."
Steve nods and stands up. At least he'll have time to say goodbye to his kids.
By lunch time it's gotten around the school that he's leaving but not why.
Steve had sworn his kids to secrecy so everyone could say goodbye, but a couple of his students come and hang out with him at lunch to talk about it.
"I knew you had to someone cool," the one kid says. "You knew too much about Corroded Coffin to be lame ole Mr. Harrington."
Yeah, Steve isn't going to miss that one kid.
He makes it through the school day and some of the parents have setup an impromptu farewell party on the front lawn of the school.
It's a tearful goodbye, but Steve feels lighter as he makes his way to car with all his things, then he has in years.
****
The news breaks on who he is later that night and Steve doesn't envy the principal's headache tomorrow, but cuddled up with Robin and Eddie on his sofa, he really can't find it in himself to give a fuck.
They'll later go on the Tonight Show and talk about how Steve had been in the closet for years and how he was forced out by this stunt with the photo. He talks about how other celebrities had been forced out too and that apparently it's not just for famous people.
That because he was with a famous person that meant he had no rights either and how that has to start changing.
He's happy he's out now, but it should have been on his own terms and not the media's.
There ends up being a spring wedding, but just the following year as Eddie and Steve tie the knot, two beautiful rings on their hands and a dazzling necklace at Steve's throat with their new initials on it EM and SM.
There is a mysterious gift of two tickets to a private villa in Italy after their honeymoon that has them both grinning like fools.
****
Here's a little gay Italian Steve for you.
*Well done, my dear
Tag List: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie
@chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666
@goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog
@justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690
@anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon
@cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt
@useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95
#my writing#stranger things#steddie#ladykailtiha writes#gay steve harrington#italian steve harrington#rockstar eddie munson#teacher steve harrington#light angst
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Just a little silly thing I thought of watching The Airborne Toxic Event music videos and how it seemed like whenever they needed violin, piano, tambourine...whatever it was always Anna Bulbrook playing.
So what if we steddified it? Steve just picking up whatever instrument Corroded Coffin needs to fill out a song and suddenly he's on tour with them and Eddie still isn't sure how it happened.
****
Eddie was getting frustrated. The band had been working on this song for the last two weeks, but there was still something missing. And he only had mere minutes to finish it before Steve came to pick him up.
Not because they were dating or anything, though...Eddie mentally slapped the side of his head. He was getting off track. Steve was picking him up because his van was in the shop until Friday and Steve had offered to taxi him around.
Like the fucking saint he was.
He screamed his rage, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. But into the resulting silence, he realized it had become too quiet.
When he looked up he saw Steve standing there with a shocked expression on his face.
"You good there, man?" he asked with a grimace.
"Don't mind him," Brian huffed. "He always gets like this when we're stuck on a song."
"Can I hear it?" Steve asked.
Everyone just looked at each other, not speaking.
Steve rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, not a metalhead, I know. But I am a classically trained musician, maybe I can figure out where it's gone wrong."
"Fine by me," Jeff said with a shrug. "What's it going to hurt?"
Eddie looked up at Steve's earnest face and sighed. "All right, if there are no objections. Let's start it at the top."
And the band played.
"Play it again," Steve muttered.
They looked at each other again, but Eddie just shrugged and they played it again.
Steve nodded. "Okay, I think I've got it. Can I borrow that old keyboard for a sec?"
Gareth looked behind him with a frown. "I mean I guess."
Steve set it up and plug it in. "Brian start on your cue."
The band watched as Brian laid on the base. Steve nodded in time to the music and then began to play a melody on the keyboard. He pointed to Gareth who immediately started banging away.
Eddie came in on vocals and suddenly the song was really coming together.
They practiced it a couple more times, Steve playing the melody line on the keyboard and when they were done all four of the Corroded Coffin boys stared at him in shock.
"Holy shit dude," Jeff said. "What the fuck was that?"
Gareth nodded. "Yeah, man. Eddie hear can play by ear and read music, but that was something else entirely."
"You're going to have to play it with us on Tuesday at the Hideout," Brian said.
Jeff and Gareth agreed. They all turned to Eddie, Steve included.
"I don't know why you're looking at me," Eddie huffed. "I'm down."
Steve just grinned.
****
But then it kept happening. The song was a hit with the Tuesday crowd because of course it was.
They were working on a song and again they were running up against a brick wall. They had already incorporated Steve's piano into it, but it was still missing an extra beat.
They had gotten permission to practice at local college's music room and Steve was getting bored.
He had his part down. There were only a couple of parts were the piano came in so he cast his eyes around the room looking for something mess around with.
His eyes lit up when he spotted his prize. He walked over to the table and picked it up, the clatter of the small metal jingles rattling as he did so.
The band stopped playing and glared at him.
"Don't mind me," he said smugly. "Keep playing."
They went back to starting from the top and as Gareth came in on the drums Steve hit the instrument against the side of his leg in time to the beat.
It stunned Brian so much he missed his cue, his jaw on the floor.
"Stevie..." Eddie said warningly. "What was that?"
Steve grinned. "You said you needed an extra beat. I'm providing the extra beat. Just trust me."
The other band members looked at each other, but did as he suggested.
Sure enough when the chorus came in, and Steve started playing the tambourine, it took everything ounce of professionalism the band had not ground to a complete stop. Then for the verses Steve would play his part on the piano and it just blended so well.
Eddie ran his fingers over his face. "Jesus Christ, Stevie, warn a dude, yeah? You are just sitting over there like a musical genius and it's seriously making the rest of us look bad."
Steve thew back his head and laughed.
"So it's a hit then?"
Everyone groaned.
Jeff shook his head. "Yeah, man. It was a hit."
Steve just grinned.
****
They were recording their first real album in a real studio and while the producers were a little unsure about this weirdo who dressed more like Bruce Springsteen than Kirk Hammett, they had contracted the whole band so they let it slide.
It took Steve two weeks to impress the producers.
Steve had been using the studio off hours (which he did pay them for) to record lullabies on the violin for Robin and Lucas. Violins were the only things that would soothe their anxieties and keep the nightmares at bay.
He had finished his little recording about an hour ago was merely laying down melodies and such that he would play back to see if he liked them.
If only his parents could see him now. Using all that classically trained music to guess Russian code, play lullabies for frightened kids, and preform in a metal band.
Clint Harrington would probably keel over on the spot.
He was so wrapped up in the music, just letting it flow over him that he didn't notice that he had gathered an audience.
He finally stopped and the mic from the sound booth crackled to life startling him.
"Shit, Stevie," Eddie's warm voice said from above him. "Do you think you could play that haunting melody again?"
Steve blushed and then shrugged. "I mean I guess. It was just me playing around. Why?"
"Because everyone in here thinks it's just what Blood-Red Skies needs."
Steve furrowed his brow and then nodded. "Can you pump the track in through the speakers?"
"Yeah," Eddie said breathless. "Just give me a moment to find it."
It was barely a moment or two before Steve's tape was replaced by the recording of the song.
The song was hauntingly beautiful. Eddie only singing vocals as rest of the band played.
It was raw and emotional.
Steve let the song play through before he signaled to play it again.
This time when Eddie begins to sing, Steve begins to play the violin. That beautifully sad sound he had played just to get it out of his head beginning to raise.
"Holy shit!" a new voice came through. It was their producer Kenny Fontaine. "You made that up?"
Steve shrugged. "Sometimes I get music in my head and I need to get out."
"Teach me to play the piano part!" Eddie blurts wrestling the mic away from Kenny. "So that when we play it live you can be on violin and I can sing and play."
Steve grinned. "I'd love that."
I love you.
****
They are playing it on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to promote the release of Blood-Red Skies.
The tension between Eddie and Steve is thick that Johnny calls them out on it.
And that's when Steve leaned over and kissed Eddie right on the lips.
Johnny is absolutely freaking out and in a good way.
They spend the rest of the interview tucked into each other's sides like puzzle pieces.
Even later, ten years down the line when Corroded Coffin is selling out stadiums, Eddie and Steve always end the song with a kiss.
****
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Slipping on my evil author gloves and cracking my knuckles before diving in!
It's post-season 4 (with the canon divergence of Eddie living) and Steve and Eddie are falling in love while they figure out how to destroy Vecna for good.
But there are moments when it's quiet at night Steve will hear someone shouting his name.
"--TEVE!"
But it's always garbled like static over the walkie or shouts underwater. And every time Eddie pulls him close and whispers that it's just a nightmare. No one is calling him, everyone is safe.
They defeat Vecna and Eddie and Steve make plans to leave Hawkins together.
But when Steve arrives a little early at the trailer, he finds that Eddie was just going to slip away without telling him.
Eddie laughs. Tells him that no one wants him around. The kids will get driver's licenses and won't need rides anymore. Robin will run off with Nancy to Emerson and he'll be left all alone. Like he deserves to be.
But as Eddie starts laughing, Steve can hear the yelling again.
"Get the tape out his tape deck in his car!"
Steve is frowning. Who's tape deck?
Eddie notices the little confused frown and mockingly tells him that he was just too dim to notice that everyone secretly hated him.
Suddenly the air is filled with music.
Soldier boy, made of clay
Now an empty shell
Twenty one, only son
But he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
Do just as we say
Finished here, greetings death
He's yours to take away
Eddie's face transforms from mocking to enraged. His body starts shaking and convulsing. There is a strange after image and Steve takes a step back.
Vecna appears and Steve turns around. In the doorway of the trailer is the real Eddie and behind him is Steve's bedroom. He doesn't even look back, he starts running.
His back erupts in pain multiple lines burning all the way down.
****
Eddie walks into the Harrington mansion cautiously. He's never just strolled right in without Steve calling out to him.
But his car is here and none of the kids have heard from in 24 hours and even Robin is freaking out. Steve was supposed to work that morning, but never showed.
Two things that Steve would never do.
He starts searching the house but comes up empty. He's standing in the main hallway rubbing his chin when he hears it. Whimpering.
Eddie storms up the stairs and throws open the bedroom door. Steve is on the bed, complete asleep but clutching the sheets as he tosses and turns.
Eddie grabs the walkie and screams code red! And tells everyone to get their asses to Steve's ASAP.
Everyone who could get there arrives within minutes.
"I can't wake him!" Eddie screams as everyone stumbles into the bedroom.
Everyone tries what they can to wake him, but nothing.
Then El comes bursting through the door. "It's Vecna!"
"Why would Vecna target Steve?" Dustin asks and everyone glares at him. "What? I'm not saying he's not important or whatever, but..." he waves at El, Nancy, and Will. "Like."
Eddie growls and screams. "Get the tape out his tape deck in his car!" He turns to Robin. "Where does he keep his Walkman?"
Robin ran for his top drawer and handed it to him.
Dustin wasn't back yet.
"Dustin!" Robin screams as everyone else watches in silent vigil.
Dustin comes scrambling up the stairs and hands it to Eddie.
"Why is it a Metallica tape?" he says softly.
Eddie jams it into the Walkman and hits play. He places the headphones over Steve's ears and holds his hand as he waits. He was about to say he didn't care what the tape was when the song starts playing. The volume up as loud as it could be.
"Shit."
"Eddie?" El asks, tilting her head to the side.
Eddie and Dustin share a glance of just shattered emotions.
"It's called Disposable Heroes, El," Mike whispers.
Suddenly the air is still and growing stale with each passing moment as they all take in the meaning of that.
Then Steve comes to, gasping and crying. Suddenly he's covered in bodies as they all desperately try to hug him all at once.
Eddie gets close and whispers, "You are loved, Steve Harrington and tell Vecna he made a mistake targeting you. We will come for him with a fierceness like the of a fire storm."
El grins. "Done."
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The Harrington Pattern Part 1
Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late uploading today, but I went to bed early last night and forgot to schedule this.
Oops!
But! Welcome to what I've been calling Steve is a History Nerd agenda. We see in season two on Steve's essay for colleges that he can link his grandfather's military service with his prowess on the basketball court.
It is also surprisingly well written. *shakes fist at the Duffers stop telling us he's stupid and then showing the opposite, please! Let him be smart, too!*
Summary: The Renaissance Fair is finally back in Hawkins after three year absence (Starcourt was built on the fair site and after the fire it was bulldozed back to it's original field). Everyone is excited, even Steve to everyone's amazement. But Steve is hiding other hidden depths as he offers to help the kids make their costumes for the Fair.
Lucas is struggling with being both a nerd and a jock and fears the judgment of his friends. Steve sets out to help him overcome those doubts to be himself.
Tagging the untaggable: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
***
Nobody expects Steve to be excited for the Renaissance fair. Dustin, Will and Lucas spend hours plotting bribes, schemes and out and out manipulations to get Steve to agree to take them. Even Robin expected him to side with her about the dust and the filth. Eddie expected him to be dismissive of the fantasy aspect of it.
Boy were they all wrong.
For it was Steve to bring up to the group after a rather successful D&D session.
In his hand was a bright pink flier and a wide grin on his face.
“Guys! The Ren Fair is back this year,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “I’ll finally be able to show off that tunic I’ve been working on.”
All heads turned to Steve in shock.
There was a cacophony of questions.
“Since when did you know how to sew?”
“What do you mean back? I didn’t even know Hawkins had one to begin with!”
“You want to go to the Ren Fair?”
“Why would you want to spend all day in the heat and dirt?”
Steve looked around at all off his friends in shock.
“Guys, I love the Ren Fair,” he muttered. “Didn’t you guys know?”
All their jaws dropped.
And Eddie? Eddie felt an icicle to the heart at the sight of Steve’s hurt expression.
“You’ll pardon the peasants, my liege,” Eddie said, bowing grandly. “I’m afraid we have all be harboring under the delusion that Ren Fairs were beneath your notice.”
Steve blinked at him a moment. “But I love that stuff. It’s the history and sword fights and jousting. It’s the like medieval Olympics. It’s the romance and chivalry of knights fighting for a fair maiden’s hand. It’s getting to dress up in fancy clothes and rip into turkey legs like a savage. What’s not to like?”
Dustin frowned. “Who here knew Steve liked history?”
Robin and Nancy raised their hands. They looked around waiting for me people to join them. But they stayed down.
Steve ducked his head and scuffed the floor with the edge of his sneaker.
“The ex-girlfriend I’ll buy,” Dustin continued. “But Robin didn’t become friends with Steve until after he graduated so how did she know?”
Robin blinked at them owlishly. “You mean you guys don’t know?”
Everyone looked around each other and then shook their heads.
“Steve was in my AP history class my junior year,” she said as if this was know fact.
“You do know that AP stands for advance placement, right?” Mike asked.
Eddie smacked the back of his head. “She was in it, dude. Don’t be an ass.”
Steve looked up at him and smiled a little.
Good, Eddie thought. Nothing like a little Mike violence to cheer up Steve.
“He wrote an essay for early placement college exams,” Nancy said. “He didn’t get a chance to turn it in because of our second go round with the Upside Down, but it was really good. It needed a little neatening up with the actual writing, but the history was solid.”
Steve blushed. “Thanks.”
Dustin looked skeptical. “What’s your favorite part of history?”
Steve opened his mouth and then closed it again. “I liked hearing about my grandpa’s time in the US army during WWII, but that was more because he made it interesting. But I really like the Industrial Revolution. Or rather the first Industrial Revolution. There have been four. The first one was from 1760-1840 and featured heavily in the textile movement.”
The room was silent.
“Why textiles, Stevie?” Eddie asked as the silence grew awkward.
Steve lit up like a child at Christmas morning and he began talking about the British textile movement.
“What the hell?” Dustin huffed, breaking into Steve monologue.
Steve ducked his head again and blushed. “Just because I’m not interested in science and fantasy doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” He straightened up. “And yeah, sometimes I get things wrong. But everyone does at some point. In fact I get a hell of a lot more flack for my intelligence than Eddie does and he repeated his senior year twice!” He took a deep breath and then ran his fingers through his hair.
“No offense,” he said waving to Eddie.
Eddie looked up at him with earnest eyes. “None taken. I concur.”
They all looked around at each other in shock. Like they hadn’t realized that they had done that.
After a few moments, Steve put his hands on his hips and pointed at all of them.
“So do you guys want to go or what?”
Eddie sat back with a smile as everyone roared their approval.
*
“No corsets,” was Robin’s only firm and fast rule for Steve when it came to dressing her up for the Ren Fair.
Steve looked her up and down. “Why on earth would I want you in a corset? Have you looked in the mirror?”
“Uh...” Robin said. “Is that a trick question? Of course I have. I don’t what that has to do with saying no to corsets though...”
Steve rolled his eyes. “In order to give you the curve you need to match the proper silhouette you would need to be cinched to hell. And as this is supposed to be fun.”
He grabbed her hand and started hauling her toward his car.
“Where are we going?”
“Thrifting!” he said with glee.
It took three different stores and a stop at the mall to get everything he needed.
“Give me three days,” he told her when he dropped her off at her house. “And I think you’ll like what I come up with.”
Robin eyed him warily. “If you say so.”
Steve laughed.
He crashed the next D&D session, showing up early to pick them up.
“What is everyone wearing to the Ren Fair?” he asked with a note pad on his lap and wagged the pen in his fingers.
“You want us to dress up?” Mike asked, eyes wide.
“Why not?” he asked with a shrug. “I’ve made my costume and currently reworking some thirfted threads for Robin’s outfit.”
Eddie blinked. “You made your costume?”
Steve shrugged again. “Yeah. I like sewing.”
There was suddenly an uproar and he held up a hand. “I can’t make you a full outfit before the Fair, but I can make over already made clothes to make them more historical. And maybe for next year I’ll have the time to make something special for everyone.”
Dustin eyed him suspiciously. “Like what?”
“Like tailoring pants to a tighter fit,” Steve explained “adding a sash or belt, turning old coats into vests and cloaks, things like that.”
They still weren’t sure how that would work out.
“Now I talked to Joyce and Claudia,” he continued. “And they’re both willing to help out in making sure everyone has something nice to wear. That includes Max and El.”
“Are the fair maidens joining us?” Eddie asked.
Steve nodded. “Yeah. Joyce is doing El and Will, Claudia is doing Dustin and Mike, and I’m doing Lucas and Max. Eddie said he already had a costume, so I didn’t have to worry about him.”
Eddie grinned. “You better believe it, pretty boy.”
Steve ducked his head and blushed. “So we’re all going thrifting with a $5 limit for each of you. But I wanted to brainstorm some ideas of what you wanted to go as so we don’t waste time wandering around.”
Everyone started shouting at once and it took Steve a good ten minutes before he got everyone calmed down enough to get what they wanted. Dustin wanted to go as a hobbit, but Steve had to nix that one.
“You don’t want to go running around the grounds barefoot,” he explained with a wince. “It’s not safe.”
“I’m going to have to agree with Stevie on this one,” Eddie said. “You guys have never been but there is all sorts of stuff laying around. It’s not indoors and the pathways are dirt lined. Think the state fair. It’s more like that then going to comic book convention.”
Dustin grumbled but conceded the point. Steve got them to decide on... well not quite peasant gear, but more rough around the edges than what Steve would be wearing.
Well, all but Lucas. He didn’t want to wear what they were wearing but he refused to say what he did want to wear.
So Steve dropped him off at home last.
They pulled into his driveway and Steve turned to him. “Do you not want to dress up? Because I won’t make you.”
Lucas picked at the loose string on his sweater. “It’s not that. I just remember the last time we did a group costume and they all thought I should be Winston because I was black like he was.”
Steve frowned for a moment. “The Ghostbusters, right?”
Lucas nodded. “I knew if I brought it up they’d shoot me down again.”
“So what did you want to go as?” he asked.
Lucas huffed out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a stupid pipe dream anyway. Especially since you have to make Max’s dress and Robin’s costume, too.”
He opened the door to get out, but Steve reached over and slammed it closed.
“One, Robin’s costume is almost done,” he said counting out on his fingers. “Two, do you really think your girlfriend is going to want to wear a dress? And three, let me be the judge on what’s too much for me, okay?”
Lucas huffed a laugh at his second point. “Yeah, that was dumb of me.”
“So what is it?”
Lucas looked down again and heaved out a sigh. “An elf.”
Steve’s mind was whirling with the possibilities. “What colors?”
“What?” Lucas asked, not sure he heard Steve right.
“What colors would you want it to be?”
He pulled out the notebook and scrambled for a pen. Lucas pulled a pencil out of his bag and handed it to him.
“Uh I was thinking of a light blue and with a silver trim?” he said hesitantly.
Steve sketched something out. “Like this?”
Lucas leaned over to look at the drawing. “A little shorter so I’m not tripping over it and maybe those puffy pants?”
Steve adjusted the drawing and Lucas nodded.
“Yeah, like that.”
“All right,” Steve said. “I know exactly what to do and how to do it. It won’t be perfect because I don’t have time to do it right so I’ll be doing a lot of cheating. But yeah, it’s doable.”
Lucas gave him a hug. “Thanks, man.”
*
Steve called the one person he knew he could help him.
“Eddie,” he said the second the other man picked up. “I need your nerd connections to do a huge favor for Lucas.”
“Wha’cha got, big boy?” Eddie asked with a grin.
“You wouldn’t happen to know any Trekkies would you?” Steve asked chewing on his bottom lip.
“That depends, Stevie,” Eddie replied, “what’s the need?”
“Pointed ears.”
Eddie hummed. “I’m assuming you’re thinking Trekkie because of Spock and that’s a good thought. But I’m guessing since we’re going to the Ren Fair our stalwart ranger is wanting to be an elf?”
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Do you know anyone who can help?”
“Better than that,” Eddie said. “I know where to get the ears in the right... shade?”
Steve perked up. “Oh? I’m guessing Jeff?”
“Right in one, darlin’,” Eddie said with a soft smile. “I’ll give him a call and then call you back.”
“Thanks, Eds,” Steve breathed. “You’re the best.”
“Thanks, doll.”
****
I am so excited for this, guys. You have no idea. I'm little history nerd myself and this really fun to play around with.
Just a heads up. We WILL be addressing Mike's casual racism from the Ghostbusters scene because I don't like that it's never been addressed.
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
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Paper Hearts Part 3
Thank you for the lovely response to this story, it makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
This chapter is just 2000 words of Wayne and Eddie being sweethearts to Steve.
Part 1 Part 2
****
Eddie led the way through his trailer to the kitchen past Wayne, who was sitting in his armchair reading the newspaper, a defeated Harrington limping behind.
“What did I tell you about bringing home strays, Ed?” Wayne huffed, a small, gentle smile on his face.
Eddie shook his head, his curls flying. “I’m just watering and feeding this one before I return it back to its owners.”
Harrington blushed and ducked his head. “I got lost.”
Wayne’s eyebrows shot up. He looked over at Eddie who nodded his confirmation.
“This is my Uncle Wayne,” Eddie introduced them. “This is Steve Harrington, Uncle.”
Wayne’s eyebrows stayed raised. Of all the people Eddie could have brought home, he was pretty sure this was the biggest surprise.
“You got your car?” he asked.
“This dumbass was out running around with his head in the fucking clouds,” Eddie scoffed.
Wayne’s glance at Harrington was far more appraising. He looked him up and down, taking in the sweat on his brow, the limping, the slumped shoulders, and vacant expression.
“You do that often, son?” he asked Harrington, folding up his newspaper.
Harrington just shrugged. “I like running to get out of my head.”
Wayne licked his upper lip slowly, calculating. “Uh-huh.” He looked over at his nephew, who had his hands on his lower back and staring at the floor. “There is some leftover beef from Sunday.”
Eddie jumped excitedly. “Yes! That would be perfect.”
He loped over to fridge and pulled out a Tupperware container. He set it on the counter. He got out two plates and a glass. He filled the glass with water and handed it to Harrington.
“Don’t worry, princess,” he huffed. “Our water comes from the same place as yours does.”
Harrington rolled his eyes. “I’m not worried about you poisoning me.”
“You’d be the first,” Wayne said with a chuckle.
Harrington furrowed his brows and looked between them in confusion.
“Surely,” Wayne said in amusement, “you’ve heard about Ed’s reputation going to that school of yours.”
Harrington shook his head. He looked down at his feet. “I mean, I hear rumors and shit, but I really don’t believe that he chased three freshmen with a hunting knife.”
Eddie threw back his head and laughed. “You would pick the one rumor that was actually true.”
Harrington’s head snapped up. “What? Why would you do that?”
Behind him the microwave beeped and Eddie hurried to get their food out. He piled on the food and handed it to him.
“Because they were trying to buy drugs off me,” Eddie muttered as he handed Harrington a fork.
Harrington blinked at him a moment and then nodded. “Is there an age that you do start selling to high school students?” His eyes went wide and looked at Wayne in panic. “I mean, if you were selling drugs. Not that you do or anything.”
Wayne chuckled and shook his head. “I am more than perfectly aware of my nephew’s side business, thank you. I wish he didn’t have to do it, but he hasn’t had a lot of choices in the legal employment racket, not for someone like Ed. But sometimes a couple of grams sold is the difference between not having to chose to pay the water bill or the power bill.”
“Uncle Wayne and I set down ground rules when I started dealing,” Eddie huffed. “One of them was not selling to anyone under the age of sixteen.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Harrington ate his food in silence.
“Do you need to call your parents?” Wayne asked. “Won’t they be worried where you are?”
Harrington shook his head. “They’re going to scream the same amount if I was five hours late or on time. I’d rather just deal with it the once thanks.”
Eddie and Wayne shared a worried glance over his head. Eddie was far too familiar with that nugget of parental discipline, because that’s exactly what Al would do with him.
“You ready to go, Stevie?” Eddie asked as he set their now empty plates in the sink.
“Don’t worry about cleaning up, Ed,” Wayne said. “I’ll take care of it while you take him home.”
Harrington blinked up at Eddie after he used his given name. “Oh, yeah. Of course. Thanks for dinner and the water.”
Wayne nodded. Eddie led the way back out to the van.
“All righty,” he said, pulling his door closed. “You’re gonna have to give me directions, pretty boy.”
Harri–Steve blinked at him for a moment. “I thought everyone had been to my house at one point or another.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, dude?”
Steve just curled his hands on his lap and then mumbled directions.
Eddie cursed himself in his head. He had gotten the other boy to come out of his shell a little bit while they were talking to Wayne, but now the lid had slammed shut.
Because Steve was right. Even though he only invited the popular kids, his parties always exploded way past the original guest list. But Eddie had avoided it when it was Steve’s place though. Dealing at Hagan’s or any of Steve’s former pals was easy enough, his van fit right in with all the vehicles no problem. But in Loch Nora? Yeah... that was like showing up to a funeral in torn up jeans and smelling strongly like booze.
“Let’s just say my van is a little more conspicuous in Loch Nora,” he said after they had driven in silence for a couple of miles.
Steve’s head snapped up. “Oh. Shit. Yeah. My neighbors might not call the cops on any of my parties but they would absolutely be on the horn if they saw your van parked anywhere on the street.” He picked at his nails. “I keep forgetting shit like that.”
Eddie risked a glance at the other boy, whose shoulders were rounded against being bullied.
“Dude,” he huffed, “the whole fucking school saw what you looked like when you came back after tangling with Billy that kind of damage leaves lasting affects. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Steve scoffed. “Asshole fucking cheated. Took a plate to my head and then just started wailing on me. Probably would have killed me too.”
“So what stopped him?”
“Being tranq’ed by his step-sister,” he snorted. “She was visiting a friend of hers. One Billy didn’t approve of because of the color of his skin. Billy threatened to kill the kid, so I hit him. Would have won, too, if he hadn’t fucked me up with the plate.” He took a deep breath. “Anyways, they had some tranquilizers because one of their parents were having trouble sleeping. She grabbed one and jabbed it into his neck.”
“Pretty brave thing to do,” Eddie conceded. “Sounds like there were two badasses there that night.” Then he shook his head. “So you got the shit beat out of you for defending little sheep and Wheeler still went for Byers? I don’t know, man, sounds like she wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit her in the ass.”
Steve huffed out a breath of laughter before he caught himself. He hid his smile under his fist. “Something like that, yeah.”
They pulled up to his house and Steve let out this strange little pained noise. Like it was relief and disappointment all rolled into one. A sound Eddie was far too familiar with.
“My parents aren’t home.”
Eddie looked over at him in curiosity. “How can you tell?” Because yeah, the front lights were off and the house seemed quiet, Eddie knew these houses were big enough that if there was a light on in the back of the house, it couldn’t be seen from the road.
“The garage is closed,” Steve huffed. “They only close it when they leave. They have to show off to the whole neighborhood the cars they drive.”
Eddie blinked at Steve in confusion. “Aren’t they worried someone will steal their car?”
Steve shook his head. “It’s insured, plus they don’t believe anyone would rob them in their fancy house while they’re home.”
Eddie looked up at the large house, so big it could only really be called a mansion. “Are they stupid or arrogant?”
“Both.”
“Look, Steve,” Eddie said, stopping him briefly. “I need to apologize and every time I see you you distract me. So I’m just going to come out and say it. I’m the one that shoulder checked you the day you hurt your hand.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed dramatically.
“You see, you had this far off look my uncle gets sometimes and the best thing to do is make a noise or bump into him. Just something that reminds him that his not where ever his mind is and that’s in the present. But I heard these assholes saying that they got their kicks out of kicking your stuff and stomping on your hand and I realized that it was my fault that happened and I’m really, really sorry.”
Steve stared at him for a moment. “Oh. Hey, it’s not your fault, you were only doing what you thought would help. I wasn’t spacing out or whatever. I was just feeling sorry for myself over a stupid holiday. But apology accepted, I guess.”
Eddie nodded, feeling a little bit better about it.
Steve hopped out of the van and he turned back to Eddie. “Thanks for the ride, Eds.”
He slammed the door behind him and walked up to his big, dark, lonely, still house and Eddie felt a small pang of something like pity for the guy. And wasn’t that a kick in the teeth.
When he got home, Wayne was waiting up for him.
“Did that boy get into any trouble when he got home?” were the first words out of his uncle’s mouth. Not so much as a ‘hello’ or ‘by your leave’.
Eddie shook his head. “They weren’t home. I don’t know if they went out to dinner without him or if they just went on one of their infamous business trips.”
Wayne cocked his head to the side. “What’s so infamous about them?”
“They leave so often,” Eddie murmured, “that Steve is pretty famous for the ‘rich kid, empty house’ trope you see movies these days.”
“He’s got friends he can stay with, doesn’t he?” Wayne pressed.
Again Eddie shook his head. “He blew up his friends group awhile back, called them all assholes and bullies over some chick. Then the chick broke up with him over the eldest Byers boy.”
Wayne patted the spot next to him on the sofa. “Tell me about this Harrington kid. You used to all the time, ranting and raving about something or another that he did and then you just stopped.”
Eddie flopped down on the sofa with a heavy sigh. “Like there wasn’t anything to tell after that, you know. He just faded into the background. Gave up his title of King of Hawkins High and then Friday happened.”
“And you found out he was being bullied,” Wayne finished. “I see. That’s got to be rough to go from being surrounded by people to not having anyone there for him.”
Eddie threw his head back onto the back of the sofa and let out a loud groan. “Like it’s my thing. Picking up the lost and the lonely. But this one comes with a lot more baggage than the others and I’m not afraid for me or the rest of my friends but...” He buried his fingers into his hair and screamed.
Wayne nodded. Eddie befriending Steve could make things worse for him and not better. But inaction might hurt the boy in the long run.
“Maybe do something for him that he doesn’t know it’s you,” he suggested to his nephew. “That way he knows he’s not alone, but your reputation won’t make things worse for him.”
Eddie frowned for a moment and then his eyes went wide. “Oh! I think I know exactly what to do!”
Wayne smiled at him. “I figured you would.”
****
Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
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Love is Kind
All of the stories I was reading today were sad Steve and it made me cry so I wrote happy Steve to make me feel better.
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
***
Jeana looked down at the purple water lilies in Steve's hand in distaste.
"Water lilies?" she asked, frowning. "Not red roses?"
Steve looked at her in confusion. "Yeah, your favorite flower in your favorite color."
"Yeah," she agreed, reluctantly taking the flowers. "But red roses are more romantic for Valentine's Day."
Steve went from wilting in disappointment to her reaction, to standing up straight with a spine of steel. "Oh I get it now." He took bouquet back from her forcefully. "Yeah, we're done."
Jeana's eyes went wide. "You're breaking up with me on Valentine's Day over a bunch of flowers?"
"No, Jeana," he said coldly. "We're done because you didn't tell me you wanted red roses. I assumed that the cheaper more personal water lilies would be the perfect thing for Valentine's Day."
Jeana winced.
"Ohhh..." Steve said, "I get it now. You wanted the Harrington money." He rubbed his fingers together. "Despite the fact that I work at a book store. That I told you when we first started going out that I had been kicked out."
Jeana rolled her eyes. "You still wore nice clothes and had fancy hair products in your bathroom, like I was supposed to believe that obvious lie?"
"I save for those!" Steve hissed. "I can't use anything else for my hair, I've tried. And yeah, so sue me for buying something nice once in a while."
She peeked around him to see the table was set with romantic candles and another bouquet of water lilies. "You weren't even going to take me out to eat?"
Steve tossed the flowers on the counter behind him. "Why else would I have you come here instead of picking you up?"
Jeana threw her arms in the air. "I thought you were supposed to be this Romeo, this Casanova."
Steve's nostrils flared. "Out!"
She stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere until we talk this through!"
"There is nothing to talk about," Steve said, spinning her around and pushing her toward the door. "You were expecting me to shell out a shit ton of money on you, money you thought I was hiding from you. It's clear you were never interested in me, only the money and prestige the Harrington name brought you."
He opened the door and shoved her through it. "Goodbye."
He slammed the door behind her and gripped his hair tightly. Not enough to pull but just enough to feel pain at pressure of his tugging.
Now he had dinner that was about to be ready in ten minutes, no girlfriend, and a dessert he had slaved over all day.
He needed to call someone to share this with. Robin was doing Valentine's with Vickie so she was out.
Then his eyes lit up. He knew exactly who to call.
He walked over to the phone and dialed.
"Hello, Munson's Funeral Parlor, you tag 'em, we bag 'em," the warm baritone came through the line.
"Eddie!" Steve said with a giggle.
"Stevie!" Eddie greeted back. "To what to I owe this pleasure?"
"How goes your anti-consumerism night in?" Steve asked, avoiding Eddie's question.
"Eh..." Eddie said. "Could be better. I'm watching violent movies to make myself feel less lonely."
Steve chewed on his bottom lip. "I have a warm lasagna, fresh breadsticks, and a nice bottle of wine and suddenly sans a girlfriend if you wanted to have some company."
"What happened with Jeana?" Eddie asked.
Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She didn't want me, she wanted the Harrington money, the King Steve charm, and a Casanova, not Steve Harrington who works at a queer little book shop in the middle of town."
"Well, fuck her," Eddie said. "Her loss. You bet I'll be there, sweetheart. Just give me time to put on my shoes and I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Thanks, Eds."
*
Steve opened the door a few minutes later to find that Eddie somehow had found sunflowers in the middle of fucking winter.
“Where are on earth did you find these, Eds?” Steve asked, breathing in the scent of his favorite flower.
Eddie tapped his nose knowingly. He spotted the water lilies in the vase on the table and dumped them in the trash. He replaced them with Steve’s sunflowers.
“There, that livens up the place better,” he said, turning to Steve, “don’cha think?”
Steve smiled back at him. “Yeah it really does.”
He went and made up their plates as Eddie opened the wine. He set them down on the table while Eddie filled their glasses. Steve trotted back to the kitchen and pulled out the breadsticks that were warming in the oven. He put them in a nice basket a covered them with a towel. He set them on the table between Eddie and him.
“This looks fantastic, Stevie,” Eddie murmured and dug into the lasagna. “Ooh. This is better than fantastic. This is divine.”
Steve hurried to take a sip of his wine to hide the flush of pleasure at the compliment that dusted his cheeks. And judging from the smirk on Eddie’s face, he hadn’t been successful at all.
“So what were you watching before I interrupted you?” he asked, blush still staining his cheeks.
“Chinatown.”
Steve grimaces. “That is pretty violent. A little depressing too.”
Eddie shrugged, stabbing another bite of lasagna. “Was kind of the point. Didn’t want anything happy or romantic today.”
Steve picked up his glass and held up to Eddie. “I’ll drink to that.”
Eddie laughed, but clinked their glasses together and drank when Steve did.
They polished off all of the breadsticks, all of the wine, and about half of the lasagna. Steve put the leftovers in the fridge.
“You want a soda or something?” he called from the door of the fridge.
“I’ll take a beer if you have one,” Eddie called back from the sofa.
Steve grabbed two beers and handed one of the cans to Eddie.
“I thought you preferred bottles, babe,” Eddie said, popping open the can.
“I do,” Steve muttered darkly. “They were Jeana’s.”
Eddie cackled. “Here’s to stealing your ex’s shitty beer!”
Steve laughed too. “Cheers!”
Eddie went over to Steve’s record player and put on some Metallica he’d left over here and then flopped back on the sofa next to Steve.
“Thanks for coming over,” Steve murmured over the screaming riffs of Master of Puppets. “Rob is over at Vickie’s tonight and didn’t want to ruin her Valentine’s day, too.”
Eddie smiled softly. “And since I refuse to participate in the rampant consumerism of the day, there would be nothing for you to ruin.”
Steve chuckled. “That and you’re my best friend. I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d want to spend it with.”
This time it was Eddie’s turn to blush and he shoved a lock of hair in front of his face to hide the redness of his cheeks. He pushed playfully at Steve’s shoulder. “Fuck off. I’m sure there are lots of people you could have called that would have come running.”
“Rob was first pick,” Steve said, “you were second. I mean it, Eds. I wanted to share everything I’d done for her with you instead.”
Eddie’s blush reached his ears and stained the column of his throat. “You keep that shit up and this boy is going to start thinking impure thoughts.”
Steve blinked for a moment before he laughed. It wasn’t a harsh or hurtful laugh. It was bright and cheerful. “You put out on the first date, Eds?”
Eddie who was starting to think he’d taken it a step too far, stared up at Steve in amazement. He got his wits back fast enough to quip, “Only if they’re pretty enough.”
Steve ducked his head and scratched the back of his neck trying to hide his embarrassment. Well maybe that was the wrong word. Charmed. He was fucking charmed.
“You think I’m pretty?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Eddie raised Steve’s chin with his finger. “The prettiest boy I’ve ever seen, Stevie.”
Steve gulped. “And if I told you that I’ve had the biggest crush on you for so long?”
“Then I would ask why we aren’t dating, sweetheart,” Eddie murmured, leaning in close.
Steve let out a shuddering sigh. “Because I didn’t think I was an option for you.”
Eddie half knelt on the sofa, cupping his face in his hands. “You are my number one option, honey. Just say the word and I’m yours.”
“Mine.”
Eddie grinned and then kissed Steve gently on the lips. He pulled back after a moment. “This isn’t just because you’re lonely on Valentine’s Day, right?”
Steve pulled Eddie onto his lap and brushed their noses together. “No, baby. She was only ever a placeholder for you. And a piss poor one at that. She never loved me for me. Not like you.”
Eddie chuckled. “And what makes you think I love you, pretty boy?”
“Because you knew I would be sad and brought me sunflowers.”
Eddie kissed Steve fiercely. “You are too clever for your own good, honey. Yes, that is exactly why I brought them. Because I didn’t want you to be sad. Because I wanted you to feel loved.”
“And I do,” Steve murmured. “I love you, too. So so much.”
“Good.”
They resumed kissing. It was darker. Deeper. More potent. Eddie could write songs and poems and books filled with the love he felt for this man and finding out that he felt the same.
All the bookstores and libraries in all the world couldn’t begin to fill the amount of pages Eddie would need to even try and convey how he felt in that moment.
But it could be summed up in one word.
Ecstasy.
Just pure ecstasy.
*
Robin wasn’t sure if it could be called a walk of shame when she had told Steve that she would be spending the night at Vickie’s, but walking into their shared apartment after the wild sex they had had last night she did feel a little silly.
She stopped short when she saw who was in her kitchen making breakfast in Steve’s track pants.
“Eddie?” she squeaked.
Eddie looked up at her with a grin. “Welcome home, Bucksters! If you haven’t eaten yet, pull up a chair and grab a stack of pancakes. I’ve made plenty.”
“You’re not Jeana,” Robin said stupidly.
“Nope.”
“Steve would never cheat,” she said, again trying to figure this out.
“Nope.”
“You two are a couple now?” Robin asked, her brain still in first gear.
“Yup!”
Just then a very sleep rumpled Steve came wandering out of his bedroom and latched on to Eddie. “I missed you.” He kissed Eddie’s neck.
Eddie kissed his temple. “Sorry, sweetness. I got hungry.”
“Mhmm..” he muttered. “Does smell good.”
“Morning, dingus.” Robin crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You want to tell what this is about?”
Steve looked over at her and gave her a dopey smile. “Jeana sucked. Only wanted the Harrington money and not me. Called Eddie over to make me less sad. He brought me sunflowers and made me very happy.”
Robin looked over at Eddie who half shrugged around a clingy Steve. “That’s the gist of it.”
“Got it,” she said. “I’m happy for you both.”
She grabbed a plate and pilled on the pancakes, with Steve releasing Eddie to do the same.
As the three of them sat down and ate Eddie’s pancakes, Steve smiled happily to himself.
He was with the two people he loved most in all the world and he wouldn’t change a thing.
***
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#my writing#stranger things#steddie#ladykailtiha writes#valentine's fic#fluff#minor steve/female oc#breakup
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Random steddie thought of the day:
Eddie is shocked to find out that when Steve turned eighteen whenever his parents weren't in town, he'd go to the nearest big city and make out with guys. He wouldn't call it sex, though he did get off a lot, but nothing went into any holes so he doesn't think it counts. He's always super careful, he knows there is a pandemic going on.
But he doesn't go as Steve, he goes as (insert middle name here, I went with Linus) an alter ego of his. The rich preppy clothes are gone, the expensive hair products and anything thing that might scream STEVE HARRINGTON is gone. He slicks back his hair and wears a baseball cap.
All his clothes are thrifted, even down to the watch and shoes. He borrows Robin's parents' car so no one recognizes the Bimmer.
He wears cropped tops and booty shorts, he does everything he can to become someone else.
So when Robin tells Eddie this, she tells him that Steve doesn't date these guys, he's never wanted to allow them into his life and the fact that he's is seriously considering it with Eddie is a HUGE deal.
Only Eddie is a little hung up on a guy he met in Indy. So beautiful and funny. He doesn't remember the guy's name or if he ever got it. But he fell in love with this guy just a little bit.
So to cover up for the fact that he's an idiot, he tells Robin there is no way that Steve could become someone else. He's just too Steve.
So one night when the older teens have had a little too much to drink, a little too much weed, Robin convinces Steve to become Linus to prove to Nancy, Jonathan, and Eddie that Steve isn't the dumb jock everyone says he is.
So Steve drunkenly stumbles away to go get ready and the other teens get a little more stoned, so Eddie might be a little excused when he freaks out when Steve steps out as his dream guy.
Everyone else is laughing and cheering Steve on, but Eddie is instantly sober. And he has very mixed feelings about this. Because on the one hand, he knows who his dream guy is and the real person is every bit as wonderful as he remember, if not more so. But at the same time he feels disappointed Steve didn't remember him, didn't remember the night they shared together. And that hurts.
Steve notices that Eddie isn't laughing and tugs at the hem of his crop top nervously. And that shatters something in Eddie. That this beautiful boy just wants to be loved and fucking hell, he can do that. He walks up to Steve and runs his fingers through his hair to fluff it back out again so that it's Steve again.
Steve gasps at the motion and his eyes meet Eddie's. "Baby?"
This time it's Eddie's turn to gasp. "You do remember?" Baby is what Eddie would go by when he was just looking for a hook up. When men would ask his name, he'd tell them they could just call him their baby.
Steve chewed his bottom lip. "A little. I won't lie and say that a lot of that time didn't just blended together. But I remember how safe I felt with you."
"God damn it, Stevie," Eddie cursed, "you are my high school crush, the man of my dreams, and my rescuer and protector, what chance did I have against all that? I love you."
Steve leans forward and they start kissing. It's a while before they come up for air, but when they do they find that the other three had gone home because they didn't want to witness what will most likely come next.
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Staking My Claim Part 1
Hello! Because of my flu, I've been working on low stakes stuff to help with my foggy head. I promise this week to be back on to the WIPs I have going to be build up my backlog again.
This started off as a silly "let the boys be goofy" and turned into a "found family with ONE goofy moment in it". Sorry about that. I blame the cough medicine honestly.
***
Eddie and his friends were enjoying a rare night where they didn’t have to play at Cora’s Den in Indy when it happened.
Now, Cora’s Den wasn’t gay bar per se, but as it was one of the most inclusive places in Indy, the normies considered it one.
So when he came back from going to the bathroom he leaned into the center of their table so he could whisper. “Tell me that’s not Steve Harrington at the bar in a crop top and cutoffs.”
All three of his friends turned to the bar as one.
Gareth smacked his lips. “As much as I would love to, man, no can do.”
“And is he really flirting with that dude?” Eddie asked with a wince.
Jeff raised an eyebrow. “I’m seriously doubting that. Looks like Stevie could use a rescue.”
Eddie turned and looked over. Sure enough the guy that had been flirting with Steve had been replaced by a new guy. And one that didn’t look like he was getting the hint to fuck off.
“Go on,” Brian said. “You know you want to. He’s clearly got a thing for the guys and you might even get laid for the first time in months.”
Eddie nodded curtly and slapped the table. “Right.”
*
Steve was having a good time until this guy came along. He just wouldn’t take no for answer. He wasn’t looking to go home with anyone. His parents had just blown out of town again and Steve was looking for a way to blow off some steam. Relax after the last week of sheer exhaustion of dealing with them and their judgments. He usually went with Robin so that people would leave them alone. Only she had the late shift tonight and the early shift in the morning.
He was going to wait until the weekend when they could both go and have fun, but Robin insisted that he go, otherwise he’d be moping around Family Video all week. So he came out tonight, not really out to get drunk, or laid, just to have a good time.
This was not that.
Suddenly an unopened bottle of his favorite beer was being pressed into his hand as a warm arm wrapped around his waist.
“There you are, baby,” a soft voice cooed. “Sorry I’m late, work was a nightmare.”
Steve let himself relax into the man’s side. “I’m just glad you made it, Eds.”
Eddie grinned at him. “I swear old man Thacher is getting worse in his old age.”
Steve laughed. “I know, right? I went in for an oil change and he berated me for twenty minutes on why couldn’t I just do it myself.”
Eddie frowned. “Don’t you have a BMW that requires a special oil?”
Steve pursed his lips and nodded. “Yup!”
Eddie turned to look at the guy who was standing there with his mouth open. “Are you still here?”
The guy bristled. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I was here first.”
“He’s my boyfriend,” Steve said, straightening up, but still remained plastered to Eddie’s side. “Eddie Munson. Lead singer and guitarist for Corroded Coffin. You know, the band that plays here every weekend?”
“Yup,” Eddie lied easily. “So where’s Birdie tonight? Working the late shift?”
“Ha!” the man snapped. “That’s not his friend’s name. His friend’s name is Robin! I knew you were a fake.”
Eddie blinked at him as if the man had grown three heads. “Robin Buckley. Robin is a bird. Bird plus Buckley, ergo Birdie. I have nicknames like that for all my friends. And any friend of Stevie’s is a friend of mine.”
Steve rubbed his nose along Eddie’s jaw affectionately. “And how did you know what her name was?” he asked, not even looking at the guy. “I don’t think I recall seeing you around before.”
The man’s face paled and he turned on his heel, storming off in a huff.
“Thanks for that,” he murmured into Eddie’s ear. “I’m usually pretty good at getting assholes to lay off, but he wouldn’t take no for answer.”
“Your inner mean girl couldn’t make him go away?” Eddie whistled. “That is persistent.”
Steve giggled. Then he blushed and looked down. That was when he remembered the drink in his hand. “So what’s with the unopened beer?”
“I didn’t want you to think I was another creep by bringing you an open bottle.”
Steve looked up at him and blinked a couple of times. “Wow, you really are my knight in leather armor tonight.”
Eddie took the bottle and popped it open with his bulky ring on his middle finger. “There you go.”
“That was so hot,” Steve said stupidly.
Eddie threw back his head and laughed. “Duly noted.”
*
Steve was invited back to their table and had an absolute blast.
He was coming back from the bar with a couple of drinks in his hands when someone bumped into him, almost making him spill the drinks.
“Hey, watch it!” he hissed.
Immediately Eddie was at his side in an instant.
“You okay?” he asked taking a couple of the drinks from him.
“Yeah,” Steve groused. “Just some asshole not watching where he was going. I didn’t even get a drop on my shoes.”
Eddie snickered. “Yeah, okay. You and your jock reflexes.”
Steve leaned over and whispered, “I’m also very flexible in bed.”
“As in top or bottom or are we talking positions?” Eddie asked, running his tongue over his bottom lip slowly.
“Both.”
Eddie threw back his head and laughed. “No need to go so hard, baby. I was already wanting to take you home with me tonight.”
“What about your friends?” Steve asked grinning back. “It sounded like you all share the apartment.”
“We have a signal for if we bring anyone back,” Eddie assured him. “Also we know to keep it down because the apartment walls are thin and not just inside the apartment.”
Steve’s mouth formed an O. “I got you.”
He knew there were pros and cons to living in an apartment. Having your neighbors that close were definitely a con.
“You still living at home?” Eddie asked as they made their way through the crowd.
Steve nodded. “Yeah. It’s not like my parents are ever there. Though it would just be my luck that they’d come home while I’m out the queerest bar in Indy.”
“Not a fan of queers?” he asked once they reached the table.
“They’re fans of Reagan,” Steve said with a grimace. “I’m pretty sure that automatically puts them on the opposing team.”
The entire table recoiled in sympathy.
“Fuck, that’s harsh!” Jeff said. “Thankfully my parents aren’t Reagan supporters, though they have raised many an eyebrow at Eddie here.”
Eddie face turned into a feral grin.
Brian shrugged. “My parents don’t care as long Eddie doesn’t shove it down their throats.”
Steve rolled his eyes. That old nugget. Walking down the street holding hands with someone of the same gender was shoving it down their throats as far as they were concerned.
Gareth looked at his friends wide eyed. “Um...sucks to be you guys I guess, but my parents adore Eddie, don’t mind him or I being gay and threatened to sue the school over the devil worshiping allegations about our D&D club. So...”
“Three cheers for the Hughes family!” Eddie said.
They all cheered and clanked their glasses together. They downed their drinks and roared with unrestrained joy.
Steve could feel a rush of blood around his ears. The room faded in and out and it sounded like Eddie and his friends were under water. He staggered off his stool and nearly stumbled to the floor.
Then the world went black.
***
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Also I'm not sure if this post canon or no monster AU. I can't decide, but it's ambiguous either way.
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Paper Hearts Part 1
Remember how my posting schedule was going to be based on strictly vibes from now on? Yeah this is why. I have three chapters of this completed and only two of most everything else because I hurt my right wrist on Wednesday evening (I think I overextended my elbow and it fucked up the tendons in my wrist, because I've done that before on my arm and it feels like that).
So instead of getting more work done on stuff that is literally paragraphs away from the end of the chapter I'm having to tap into my backlog. Which is what it's for. But it is annoying.
I am also aware it's nearly May, but my muse was never one for sense.
Summary: Hawkins High is selling paper hearts to help raise for senior prom. $3 for red romantic hearts and $1 for pink friendship hearts. Steve hasn't dated anyone since the horrific breakup with Nancy on Halloween and so he decides that he's going to send pink hearts to senior girls who wouldn't normally get any hearts at all. When Eddie hears about this he can't help be intrigued. It goes against his very well curated Munson Doctrine. But as events keep throwing them together, Eddie learns there is more to King Steve then meets the eye.
Also a note: the use of the other's last name when it's their point of view is deliberate. As they get to know each other more, the more first names get used.
****
Steve was staring at the huge sign with a sense of dread. In big pink and white letters on a red background screamed the words:
PAPER HEARTS FOR YOUR VALENTINE
$1 FOR PINK FRIENDSHIP HEARTS
$3 FOR RED ROMANTIC HEARTS
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CLASS OF 1985
SENIOR BALL
Valentine’s Day. That time of year for lovers and romantics. That used to be him. But not since Nancy broke his heart by breaking up with him for Jonathan Byers.
There would be no paper hearts in locker this year. Not even pink ones. Nancy had well and truly blown up his life and she got to walk away scott free.
He didn’t know what to do anymore. He pinched his nosed and rubbed the end. He wasn’t going to cry in the middle of the fucking main hall of Hawkins High.
Just before he was about to start moving again someone shoulder checked him, sending back to the floor and all his stuff sprawling around it like some fucked flower.
“Watch it, Harrington!” the voice growled as whoever it was sped off down the hall.
Steve didn’t even bother looking to see who it was. It could have been anyone these days. His former friends. Billy and his ilk. Hell, even the nerds and geeks got in on the action lately.
He knelt down to start cleaning it up when someone else kicked his books toward the lockers. He managed to get most of it picked up when he reached for the last notebook. Someone stepped on his hand and ground down, hurting Steve and ripping the cover off the notebook, crinkling the first couple of pages.
He shoved it into his bag and cradled his hand to his chest. He looked at his watch and sighed. Lunch was nearly over and he hadn’t even made it to the cafeteria yet.
There was nothing for it, he had to get to his next class. He walked into the class room just as the bell rang, but instead of heading for his usual spot near the front he made for the back of the class. There were always a few empty seats around Munson. The guy was terrifying on a good day.
And Steve hoped it was a good day.
****
Eddie made to class on time by the skin of his teeth. He slid through door just as the bell rang above his head. He was about to lope over to his usual spot in the back when he stopped dead in his tracks.
He looked up at the front at the deliberately left open seat and back at the seat next to his with a raised eyebrow. He wisely said nothing as he flopped into the torture device known as the chesk. Dair? Whatever the hell it was called where some unspeakable horror thought to combine a desk and a chair.
Eddie glanced sidelong at his new companion. The recently deposed king of Hawkins High sat slumped in his chesk, head down, just staring at its surface as if held the meaning to life the universe and everything.
Which if Harrington asked him, he would have been told forty-two.
He pulled out his notebook and noticed that Harrington did not do the same. Curiouser and curiouser. He pulled out a pencil and settled in to avoid falling to sleep today.
He was taking notes and doing the assignment like he was supposed to when about half way through class the teacher called out to him.
“Mr. Harrington!” she shrieked. “If you are going to be sitting in the back, please have the decency to pay attention in class!”
A couple of kids snickered.
“You were talking about how the Fool is used to lighten the absolutely horrific scene above him of Lady Macbeth as she tries to get blood out of her gown,” he muttered, scratching his cheek with his left hand.
That was when the teacher and Eddie noticed the same thing at the same time.
Harrington was cradling his right hand to his chest.
“Mr. Harrington is there something wrong with your right hand?”
“I accidentally hurt it during lunch,” he said with wince.
The teacher tapped her foot and crossed her arms. “And why didn’t you see the nurse?”
“It happened right before class,” Harrington muttered, “and I didn’t want to be late.”
The teacher huffed and shook her head. “I will give you note for your next teacher, but you will see the nurse after class, am I understood?”
He nodded.
“Mr. Munson,” she cried out, shrill. “If you’ll share your notes with Mr. Harrington after class so he does not fall behind.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He continued to keep an eye on Harrington throughout the whole class but whenever their English teacher tried to catch him out, she would fail every time.
When the bell rang Eddie started shoving his stuff into his backpack. “You sure you even need my notes, Harrington? That was pretty impressive shit you pulled out of your ass today.”
Harrington just shrugged. “Just because I was paying attention doesn’t mean it won’t bleed out of my ears with all the algebra and chemistry stuff I have later.”
Eddie winced in sympathy. “Yeah, I hear that. What’s your locker number and I’ll just slip a copy of my notes in the slots.”
“323B.”
“They got you on a lower locker?” he asked with a grimace. “That’s jacked up. Even Mr. Super Senior here got a top locker. Does the secretary hate you or some shit?”
Again Harrington shrugged. “I’ve got to go. I’ll catch you later.”
Eddie folded his arms at looked at him. “You’re not going to the nurse’s station, are you?”
This time it was Harrington who winced.
“That’s what I thought,” he huffed. “I’m walking you to said nurse’s station because it could be broken and if you don’t get that looked at, you’ll be in more than just a world of hurt, man. You could fuck up your hand for life and you wouldn’t be able to anything in that hand ever again.”
Steve’s eyes went wide as all color drained from his face.
“Shit.”
Eddie grabbed both of their backpacks and headed for the door. “Yeah, shit.”
Harrington hurried to catch up, hand still cradled to his chest.
“How did you know that could happen to my hand?” he asked softly.
Eddie eyed him sidelong, but the kid wasn’t being an ass. In fact he would say Harrington was being earnest.
“My uncle works at the machinist plant up the road,” Eddie explained. “One of his buddies broke his hand on the machine and refused to get it looked at. Guess how well that worked?”
“Was it the plant’s fault?” Harrington asked. Eddie cocked his head to the side. “That you uncle’s friend got hurt?”
Eddie reared his head back in shock that Harrington would even ask.
“No, man,” he said shaking his head. “He was goofing off, being a dick. Uncle Wayne always said that if you knock on every door asking for the devil, one day he’s gonna answer.”
“What happens when the devil comes looking for you?” Harrington muttered to himself and Eddie couldn’t help but wonder what this kid had seen.
Because he knows haunted. And Harrington looks like he has an attic full of ghosts.
Once they got to the nurse’s station Eddie waited for him. When the other boy came out he asked how it went.
“She says it doesn’t feel broken,” he huffed. “But that if it doesn’t improve over the weekend after icing at least three times a day, to come back on Monday and she’ll order an x-ray.”
Eddie nodded. “Right. See you around, Harrington.”
He had barely turned around when Harrington called out to him. “Wait!”
Eddie turned back around to have a piece of paper shoved into his hand. “I got the nurse to excuse us both.”
And before he could even reply the other boy was tearing off down the hall as if the devil himself was chasing him.
And after that comment he’d heard, Eddie couldn’t be sure he wasn’t.
****
Steve was curled up on his bed, icing his hand, staring up at the ceiling, and wondering where the fuck his life had gone so wrong.
Okay so he could answer that one, actually. Demogorgon ate his girlfriend’s best friend while in his backyard. While him and said girlfriend were having sex for the first time.
Yeah... that was all kinds of fucked up.
He still couldn’t believe that Nancy sided with Jonathan about him taking pictures of their first time.
So now Valentine’s Day was two week away and he was dateless, friendless, and unpopular. He wished he could just be called a loner. But a loner was cool and Steve wasn’t even that anymore.
He just had to make until the end of may and then he could graduate, leaving this town in his rearview mirror for good.
Steve knew that he would have to struggle through this fucking holiday and Senior prom then it would be smooth sailing from there.
He had all this money that he would normally spend on his girlfriends, but now he didn’t even have that. He supposed he could blow it all on beer and weed and then he could enjoy the weekend for a change.
Steve sat up suddenly, the ice pack falling from his hand to hit the floor with sploosh!
Now that was an idea.
He still had one thing in the school that was nonpareil and that was gossip. In fact, it was easier to hear all the dirty little secrets because no one cared if he was standing there.
A smile spread over his face.
That could actually work. It would be a great way to spend his allowance and it would be fun.
He got up and put the ice pack back in the freezer. He couldn’t do anything about it right then but once his hand was better he would formulate his little plan.
Steve was suddenly excited for the first time since he dropped Dustin off at the middle school’s Snow Ball.
He was going to make this holiday fun even if he had to manufacture the fun himself.
****
Eddie was pissed. A little at himself, but mostly at how Harrington was being treated.
He had to sit through lunch and listen a bunch of stupid jocks brag about stomping on Harrington’s hand when he was trying to pick up his stuff off the floor in the hallway yesterday.
They had been hoping for an actual break, but the asshole thought he’d only bruised it.
The reason Eddie was a little mad at himself for this was because he was the one that had shoulder checked Harrington. He had only been trying to get the guy out of his daze. Not send his shit flying.
And then to have someone deliberately stepping on his hand. Fuck. Not even Hagan ever went that far.
Stev–Harrington didn’t deserve that kind of bullying. No one did.
But he could see the twisted sort of appeal, though. And fuck if that didn’t make his stomach turn.
To see the deposed king and want to mock that? Want to dig the hurt in as deep as he could? To drive home the lesson that popularity was fleeting and that existence was a curse?
Yeah, Eddie could see the appeal.
But he wouldn’t. He might make fun of literally everyone and everything but his own interests, but to make turn that into actual cruelty? That was were he drew the line in the sand.
He went home feeling sick to his stomach. And of course Wayne picked up on it immediately.
He jutted his chin at the chicken and rice on Eddie plate that he had only merely pushed around with his fork.
“What’s got you so twisted around the bend?”
Eddie put his fork down and hid his mouth with his clasped hands, elbows on the table.
“I fucked up today,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean for it to go as it did.”
“What did you do?”
So Eddie told him. “I wasn’t trying to hurt him, but he got hurt anyway.”
“That does sound pretty bad,” Wayne agreed. “And as you say, you were trying to help only for it to go very awry. And since you didn’t about it until after the fact you couldn’t apologize and that’s what’s eating you up inside.”
Eddie nodded around his fists, his lower lip quivering.
“You’ll just have to find a way to apologize on Monday,” Wayne said wisely.
Eddie sighed. It was the best he could do. It wasn’t as though he could call the guy up or show up at his house. The first because he didn’t have the guy’s number and the second because he’d get the cops called on him so fast by the neighbors.
It would just have to wait until Monday.
****
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
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Spooky season is here and I was just thinking about that tiktok (maybe) of the couple at the haunted house where the guy pushes the girl onto the feet of the ax wielding haunt and then the girl and haunt have a conversation that ends with the girl chasing the asshole with the ax and the haunt happily following her.
But make that Steddie. Steve as the girl. Set between seasons 3 and 4, but in a world where Steve going on a date with a man is surprise not a thing of revulsion (as in people would surprised that he was dating a guy having been a ladies man in high school, but no one would give him shit about it). Because it's my sand box, damn it. I make the rules here!
*
Steve wasn't sure what possessed him to go on this date with Jeremy. He didn't like haunted houses. He had seen too many real horrors in his life be frightened of fake ones. But Robin said he could pretend to be scared and cling to the guy's arm, maybe even get a kiss out of it.
What he wasn't expecting was for it to actually terrify him. He was clutching Jeremy's arm the whole way through, chanting in his head "don't hurt them, it's not real." Over and over again whenever the urge to push the actors away or in one extreme case when they were in the haunted hospital break the doctor's nose.
The actor looked too much like Dr Brennan, and while the patient on the gurney wasn't a girl or even had shaved hair, but Steve's protective instinct went into overdrive. It took every ounce of self-will Steve had to keep clutching Jeremy's arm.
They finally hit a room that didn't look so bad. It had a wood floor and four garish statues, one in each corner. Their fog machine was working in high gear but seemed to collect around one figure in particular.
It held an ax over its head, its mouth open in a silent scream. The robes that gathered around its sandled feet were perfectly rendered in stone. The sleeves of the robe revealed a couple of bat tattoos on the right forearm.
Steve was entranced, he let go of Jeremy's arm for the first time since they started and took a step toward it.
It was then the actor jumped off his pedestal and swung his ax down.
Jeremy did the inexplicable. Maybe even outright despicable thing. He pushed Steve forward into the waiting arms of ax murder. Steve stumbled landing on the actor's feet.
"Whoa!" the actor asked. "Are you okay?" He put the ax down and helped Steve get to his feet.
"Did he really just shove me at you to save his own ass?" Steve asked in shock.
The actor cocked his head to the side. "That's what it looked like to me. I hope that was a friend and not a date..."
Steve winced. "Sadly, the latter."
"Fuck, dude," the actor said. He spotted the ax. "You want to get revenge?" He picked up the ax and handed it to Steve.
Steve laughed. "Hell yeah!"
He ran after Jeremy, very plastic ax in hand, the actor cheering him on.
The next room was holding Jeremy so that he wouldn't be split from Steve and gotten lost. It was full of evil clowns. Something that apparently Jeremy was terrified of, judging by the screaming he had been doing.
The actors spotted Steve coming at their prey with an ax and Eddie cheering him from behind, they immediately clocked what had probably gone down. They let Jeremy pass them and two of the clowns broke off to chase him out of the haunted house, gaining cast members with each passing room (still enough remaining to scare other patrons but obviously gaining a crowd to hound this guy.)
He exited the haunted house screaming obscenities at Steve and the actors. The crowd laughing and pointing. He got into his car and drove off.
The smile slid off Steve's face. "Fuck. There goes my ride home."
The ax murder laughed as all the other actors went back inside. He pulled off his hood to reveal a mess of dark brown curls and grey face paint around his eyes on his lips. "I've gotcha, big boy."
"Eddie Munson, right?" Steve asked when he finally placed the face.
"Aww," Eddie cackled. "You do remember me."
Steve scoffed. "Kinda hard to forget."
Eddie's grin grew big. "Duly noted." He scratched the back of his head. "I am sorry about the shitty date though."
Steve shrugged. "It turned out more fun then I thought it would."
Eddie cocked his head again. "True. It's not every day you get chase away a bad date with plastic ax."
Steve handed it back to him. "Shouldn't you be getting back? Won't the other patrons find it odd when the room is empty of scares?"
Eddie smiled slyly. "Who says I left my post unattended?"
Steve's eyes went wide. "How many more of the statues are actors?"
Eddie leaned forward into his space. "I'll never tell," he said sing-song.
Steve laughed.
"Just let me inform my boss I'm taking you home and clean up this makeup, I'll get you home, Stevie," Eddie said.
"You don't have to do that," Steve mumbled. "I'm sure I could call someone."
Eddie shook his head. "Nah, I've got you."
"Thanks."
Ten minutes later Eddie was back on the pavement standing next to Steve. He was back in his usual shredded black jeans and leather jacket. But he wore a denim vest over top of it.
"I like the vest," Steve murmured. "I like pins and things."
"Patches," Eddie said.
Steve hummed his confusion.
"The other things are patches," Eddie explained.
Steve smiled. "That's cool."
Eddie pulled up to Steve's house without asking for directions.
"Should I ask how you knew that?" Steve asked as he got out of the van.
Eddie just waggled his eyebrows as he got out of the van too.
"You gonna walk me to the door, Eds?" Steve asked with a smirk.
"These woods behind your house are pretty fucking scary, dude," Eddie said with a huff of laughter.
Steve just shook his head and bit his tongue to avoid saying exactly how much.
They got to his door and Eddie pressed a kiss to Steve's lips.
It was sweet and warm. "What was that for?" Steve asked, breathlessly.
"Isn't that what you do at the end of a date?" Eddie asked with a teasing grin. "Walk them to door and give them a kiss good night?"
Steve laughed. "Yeah. Yeah it is. Good night, Eds."
"Good night, Stevie."
Eddie walked to his van. "If you want to go on a date that doesn't end you chasing your date with an ax, you know where to find me."
Steve grinned. "I might just take you up on that. Provided it's not another haunted house."
"Don't worry, baby," Eddie said with grin. "I'm loyal. Just a one haunted house kind of guy."
Steve shook his head and unlocked the door. Before he close it behind him he could hear Eddie celebrating, cheering and hollering.
Robin was never going to believe him when he told her how his date went.
But that's okay. She was right. It was fun.
*
Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @itsall-taken @goodolefashionedloverboi @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @bookbinderbitch @littlewildflowerkitten @redfreckledwolf @scheodingers-muppet @mira-jadeamethyst @vecnuthy
#my writing#stranger things#steddie#ladykailtiha writes#haunted house#bisexual steve harrington#steve's date is a jerk#eddie to the rescue
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Paper Hearts Part 4
I finished it!! It will have 8 chapters. I'm excited for you guys to see where this goes! I'm still working on Sweet Home Indiana and will be focusing on that until ITS done. Then we'll be back our regularly schedule WIPs.
We have Eddie's big plan and Steve gets his flirt on.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
****
Steve slipped into the kitchen and there in his mother’s neat handwriting was a note telling him that there were leftovers in the fridge and that they would be home again next Friday.
He sighed and opened the fridge. He immediately closed it when he saw what the leftovers were.
Boiled cabbage with chopped bacon and carrots. It wasn’t bad if it was made correctly, but his mother boiled any flavor and nutrients out of the poor vegetables and then tossed in cooked bacon to hide its sins.
He opened the cupboard and pulled out a small can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup and made that. He was craving the sodium. Eddie’s beef was good to get his body to stop shaking, but he had sweat so much he needed to replenish the salt he’d lost.
Once Steve had eaten and drank another glass of water he went to go get a shower and get ready for bed. It was no use trying to get back to his homework now. He had managed to blow up his whole evening by getting lost.
He had no idea how he got to Forest Hills or even why his feet carried him there in the first place. He could feel the weariness seeping into his bones from running for so long.
He undressed and got under the scorching water, letting the heat carry away his pains. His mind ran through all the things that Munson had done for him. The guy had no reason to be nice to him, but he had been more than gracious.
Then it hit him. Munson had called him Stevie, and without thinking Steve had called him Eds.
Eds.
Where the fuck did that come from? They weren’t friends, they could barely be considered acquaintances. Was his brain reaching out to the guy subconsciously? Is that why he ended up at the trailer park? Everyone knew that’s where Munson lived. Who knew how many times the guy had been called trailer trash, but the older teen seemed to rise above the insult.
Steve shook his head, spraying water everywhere. Just because Munson picked up lost sheep, didn’t mean he’d be willing to taken in an injured wolf. Because that’s what he was, reformed or not, Steve would never be a sheep. He would always be a wolf. A predator.
But at least as a wolf he could protect those kids with everything he had. And he would, even if it killed him.
The water had long since turned cold by the time Steve stepped out of the shower. He completed his after shower routine mostly on autopilot as he kept going over his interactions with both Munson men. He didn’t really have good interactions with dads or in this case uncles. But Munson’s uncle Wayne treated him with kindness and he could see where the older boy got it from.
He dressed into his pajamas and slid under the covers. He rolled over on his back and tucked one arm under his pillow, staring up at the ceiling.
Steve thought back to the apology. One Munson really didn’t have to give but did anyway. He thought about the other jocks that bragged about hurting his hand. He held it up and looked at the fading bruise. It wasn’t as though he was even basketball anymore. Hurting his hand wouldn’t do anything but make it hard to do his homework and all he had to do is show his teachers his hurt hand and he’d get extensions for that. Like he had for his concussion last November.
But then again Tommy H. never had reasons for the people he hurt either. He just liked the power he got seeing the person helpless.
He placed his hand over his heart and let himself drift off the sleep, brown eyes and dark curls haunting his dreams.
****
Eddie had originally bought the red heart for himself like he had told the two juniors. But staring at it now, he had a better plan for it. Because that last wall, that last bastion of defense crumbled to ashes when he realized that despite the fancy car, the big house, and the expensive clothes, Steve Harrington was more like Eddie than he thought possible.
Wayne’s approval of the boy cemented that for him. Because if he could take one look at Steve and decide he was worth saving, then Eddie raring to go full steam ahead for a rescue mission.
Eddie could tell that the hearts were made from simple construction paper, like the kind found just about anywhere. He knew it would be technically cheating to just simply make more instead of buying them, but he had no intention of contributing to a dance he was never going to go to because one, it wasn’t his year; two, the whole gay thing; and three, the one person he would want to go with if the gay thing wouldn’t get him hate crimed, wouldn’t give him the time of day.
Well, all right, that might have changed with the whole rescuing him from wandering alone in the dark thing.
He forgave Eddie about being a dumbass, so maybe there was hope for, at the very least, a vast decrease in hostility. And he was willing to take what he could get.
He decided to wait until tomorrow after school to get the construction paper and hope that the high school hadn’t bought up the town’s supply.
On his way out the next morning, Wayne stopped him.
“You don’t have to tell me, son,” he said gently, “but you got feelings for that boy?”
Eddie froze and turned slowly to face his uncle. “What gave you that idea?”
Wayne chuckled and shook his head fondly. “Boy, when you’d go on rants about the Harrington boy, you’d describe his floppy hair, his hazel eyes and how unfairly good looking the kid was. I didn’t say anything because it did sound like he’d been a bit of an ass. Only after last night I got to thinking and was wondering is all.”
Eddie closed his eyes and opened them slowly. He let out a long shuddering breath, his bottom lip quivering.
“I–I don’t...” he closed his eyes again. This wasn’t Al. He wasn’t going to get beat for admitting it, but still it was so hard to say. So he just nodded.
Wayne came up and wrapped his arms around his nephew. “It’s a hell of a lot tougher batting for the other team, but I trust your judgment. Just promise me that if he shows signs of liking you back, you take the chance to tell him how you feel because...”
“You miss one hundred percent of the chances you don’t take,” they said together.
Eddie dropped his bag to the floor and hugged him back. “I know, old man. But I promise if there is a chance, I’ll be brave enough to take it.”
“Get going,” Wayne said, voicing cracking with emotion.
He pulled back and nodded. He reshouldered his backpack and got in his van.
He had a lot to think about and that really wasn’t conducive to paying attention in class or to his friends as they talked about their upcoming D&D session.
Gareth kicked his shin causing him to yelp.
“What the fuck, dude?” Eddie hissed.
“What the fuck is up with you?” Gareth hissed back. “You’ve been going on and on about the mind flayer for weeks and now that it’s literally this weekend, and you’re off in some other realm.”
Eddie blinked at him for a moment before his brain came back on. He shook his head to clear it.
“Yeah, sorry, man,” he said around a pretzel. “Weird night last night.”
“What happened?” Jeff asked, tilting his head to the side.
So Eddie told them. “He was like a ghost, guys. If Wayne hadn’t seen him too, I would have thought I was hitting Mary Jane a little too hard, you know?”
“I didn’t realize he was getting bullied,” Brian said, frowning. “I would have thought with Hargrove giving the dude a wide berth, that everyone else would have too.”
“Untouchable,” Jeff agreed. “The fact that jocks are now splintering into factions tells you what kind of control Steve actually had on them.”
Eddie rubbed his chin. “I don’t know how true this is, but if Harrington wasn’t lying, he’s a real sweetheart, too.”
Then he leaned forward and explained about the pink heart scheme.
“So,” Gareth said, steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them, “you’re telling us is that we have been seriously remiss in our duties in collecting lost sheep.”
The older teen sighed and shook his head. “I’d like to collect him, but I’m afraid the wolves might decide to rip him apart before we got him to safety if we tried.”
Jeff winced. He knew what Eddie was talking about. Steve Harrington wasn’t the usual lost sheep. He might be bullied now, but as King, Harrington had run far too long with the wolves to think that they could protect him one hundred percent of the time.
“So what are we going to do?” Brian asked. “Because if we let this slide, we’re throwing our lot in with the bullies and that’s something I refuse to do.”
A grin spread out over Eddie’s face, closed lips and dimples entrenched into his cheeks. “We’re going to make the school think that he’s just as popular as he ever was.”
The other three boys looked at each other in confusion.
“So what have you got?” Gareth asked, his own grin starting to take over his face.
****
Eddie made sure to get to class early so he could see where Steve was going to sit. He tried to tell himself it was about the dude’s hand, but it wasn’t working. He wanted to see if the former Hawkins royalty would chose to sit with his old friends or by him again.
He didn’t have long to wait. Steve walked in not long after he did, just as the bell rang. He didn’t even look at his old desk near the front and beelined it for the chair he had sat in on Friday.
The teacher picked up on the change immediately and wrinkled her nose. “I am to suppose that you are taking up permanent residence in the back with Mr. Munson, Mr. Harrington?”
Steve half shrugged as he began to pull out his things for class. “I got more work done, Mrs. Dixon and I really want to graduate on time.”
Mrs. Dixon nodded. “Agreed and as long as you continue the level of attention from last week, you are permitted to stay there.”
About half way through class while Mrs. Dixon was grading papers, Tommy H. turned around and kicked Steve’s chair. “Suck up,” he hissed.
Steve puckered his lips and wagged his eyebrows. “Why? Do you want to be next?”
Tommy turned back around, his face bright red.
Eddie raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side as he considered everything about that interaction.
A little blossom of hope sprouted in his chest and he fought to keep it down. Steve had insinuated that other people were gay for years, but to Eddie’s highly trained gay ears, that sounded like Steve was offering to suck Tommy H.’s dick and that Tommy didn’t exactly turn him down.
Curiouser and curiouser, he thought tapping his lips thoughtfully. More research would have to be done.
He pulled out a different notebook, the one he used for campaign notes and song lyrics.
He wrote girls over one column and boys over the other and began tallying what he knew about the former King of Hawkins.
A shit ton went into the Steve liking girls column, but there was surprisingly more in the liking boys column then he would have thought possible. He looked up to catch Steve smirking at him.
Eddie quickly covered his notebook and stuck his tongue out at Steve.
The other boy shook his head and went back to doing the assignment. Eddie was more careful about what he left out in the open because he didn’t want Steve teased for it nor did he want him to see that Eddie was trying to figure him out.
The bell rang and the notebook was suddenly whisked off his desk.
“Hey!” Eddie cried, looking up to see Steve dancing away with the notebook teasingly. “Stevie!” He grabbed his bag and chased after the other boy. But the other boy was a jock and Eddie was wheezing for breath by the time he caught up with him at his locker.
“Give that back,” he huffed.
Steve gave him a bright smile and handed it back. “I just made a minor addition.”
Eddie frowned as he flipped through the pages but didn’t see anything. Steve took it back and turned to the correct page and leaned close so that only Eddie could hear.
“I trust you’ll keep my secret,” he whispered and then dropped to one knee to start getting into his locker.
Eddie gulped at the sight and turned to the paper to avoid saying something stupid. There in bold capital letters under his girls/guys columns was the word BOTH.
He looked up at Steve who had stood up. Steve winked at him and then walked away, leaving a shocked Eddie behind.
****
Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
Tag List:
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
@spectrum-spectre @slv-333 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie
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The Harrington Pattern Part 3
Hello! I'm going to be posting this one straight through on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays until it's done. I've got three more chapters completed after this one. Though there maybe a small hiccup as I might finally be moving cross country. I will keep you posted.
Here we have Steve finishing up the last of the comments and he gets one visitor too many.
Part 1 Part 2
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
****
Steve was sitting at the table with Mike. He had shown him how to make the tassels and handed him the leather strips to just let him go to town.
He was putting in the metal rings in the armholes of Mike’s tunic for the tassels to be tied to.
After awhile Mike looked up from his work. “What made you get into sewing?”
Steve looked up at him and just stared at him a moment. “I about to say the most rich boy sentence in existence and if you laugh at me, I won’t finish your tunic.”
Mike raised an eyebrow and then scoffed. “Whatever, man. You don’t have to tell me.”
"I got fascinated by it,” Steve explained, “when my mom took me to a tailor to get a suit made for me for my first piano recital when I was eight."
Mike’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
“It was so interesting, dude,” Steve insisted. “I was more interested in it then the piano lessons.”
“Wait,” Mike said, “you play piano?” He screwed up his face confusion. “I didn’t know that.”
He shrugged. “I mean, I quit when I got to high school because it was at the same time as basketball and my dad wanted me focus on sports.”
Mike waved his hand at the tunic in Steve’s hand. “Piano wasn’t good enough for your dad, but sewing was?”
Steve barked out a bitter laugh. “There is no way in hell my parents know about this, dude.”
Mike reared back and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I sew by hand,” Steve explained, “because there is no way in hell my mom would let me use her sewing machine.”
Mike’s frown deepened. “You did all this in secret? What the hell?”
“What would your dad say if you took up sewing?” Steve muttered darkly.
Mike blushed and ducked his head. “Probably that it was girly.”
“And yet the tailor I went to was a man,” Steve pointed out. “So how does sewing make you girly but most tailors are men make sense?” Mike just shrugged because it didn’t. “Also while we on that bullshit, why is a tailor seen as an honorable profession when a seamstress has the connotation of being associated with sex? Like what the fuck?”
Mike’s ears burned as he deeply regretted bringing it up.
“Just finish those tassels, man,” Steve huffed going back to his own work.
Mike did as he was told and bent back over his tassels.
*
All week long people were coming in and out of Steve’s house so often that Steve was startled by the knock at the door.
He was annoyed. He was literally an inch away from finishing Will’s extension and the interruption was decidedly unwelcome.
To say he was surprised when Officer Callahan was standing there looking as much if not more annoyed than he was would be an understatement.
“Uh...” Steve muttered. “How can I help you, Officer?”
“Hey, Harrington,” Callahan said with a heavy sigh, “it seems your neighbors are complaining that you’ve been having people coming and going all hours of the day and night. They think it’s been pretty suspicious.”
Steve quirked an eyebrow and Callahan huffed out a laugh.
Steve did some heavy thinking to make sure he didn’t have weed out before he said, “Nothing shading going on, I promise, Officer. Just being making costumes for the Ren Fair coming up this weekend and all my friends keep stopping by for last minute fittings.”
Both of Callahan’s eyebrows went up. “What now?”
Steve waved him in. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Callahan looked around him, but followed Steve into the house with a half shrug.
Steve brought the police officer into the kitchen where he had been working with the aid of the natural light streaming through the big windows. On the table there was Will’s tunic with its inch of ribbon to go. There were bobbins of thread, spools of ribbon, and swaths of fabric literally covering almost every inch of the table.
“I’m just putting on the finishing touches on Will Byers’s costume,” Steve explained. “You remember Will, don’t you?” His smile was just this side of innocent.
Callahan coughed. Because of course he did. Everyone knew who Will Byers was.
“Right,” he said scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’ll be sure to pass that along. But maybe tell your friends to come during the day?”
Steve smiled brightly. “Oh of course, Officer. This is the last one I’m working on, though. And Will will be stopping by this evening.”
“You sure this is the last one?” Callahan asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“Oh yes!” Steve said. “The first day of the Fair is on Thursday and we’re going all three days.”
Callahan nodded. “I’ll leave you be then.”
Steve showed him to the front door. Callahan stopped.
“Is this Fair thing any fun?” he asked nervously.
“I’d like to think so,” Steve said with a half shrug. “It’s like the State Fair, so it can get hot and dusty, but there are jousting and sword fights, little plays at night. Things like that.”
Callahan chewed on the bottom of his lip before he nodded curtly. “See ya, later, Harrington.”
“Bye, Officer!”
He slammed the door and went back to finishing the tunic.
Once he was done, he held it up to the light. You couldn’t even tell where the extra inches were. It looked seamless.
He yawned and stretched, feeling please with himself. He looked at his watch. He still had plenty of time before Mrs. Byers brought Will over for the final fitting.
So Steve wandered over to the sofa and laid down. He figured he could a few winks before then and let himself drift off to sleep.
*
Steve was woken by the sound of someone pounding on the door. He looked out the window, but it was still light out. He sat up and looked at his watch again to see that only an hour had passed.
He got up and before he could even reach the hallway whoever it was started knocking again.
“Hold your horses, man!” Steve yelled.
He threw open the door, annoyed for the second time today. But at least this time it was a far more pleasant a surprise.
“Eddie!” he greeted. “Were we hanging out today?” He didn’t think they had anything on with it being so close to the Ren Fair.
“Nope!” Eddie said with a grin. “A special delivery!”
Steve’s eyes lit up. “Holy shit! They’re ready?”
Eddie pulled out a long thin box and handed it over. Inside were two brown elf ears.
“And they’ll match?”
Eddie tilted his hand back and forth. “As close as we could without the recipient being there.”
Steve hugged him. “Thanks, man. This is going to mean a lot to Lucas.”
Eddie cleared his throat and reluctantly stepped back. “I’ve got band practice, but I wanted to drop these off so Lucas can have them before we go to the Ren Fair.”
“I appreciate it,” Steve said, his cheeks dusted pink. “I’ll see you on Thursday.”
“Yep!” Eddie said, skipping backwards and almost falling off the porch.
Steve jerked forward, but Eddie righted himself before he could fall.
“Bye.” Eddie turned around and practically ran back to his van.
Steve shook his head fondly. He went back inside, but he knew it was useless to try to nap some more. He was wide awake and maybe a little excited, too.
So he went to get make himself some dinner before Joyce and Will arrived.
*
For the third and final time that night there was a knock on Steve’s front door. At least this time he was ready for it.
He opened the door to reveal Joyce and Will. “Come on in. I just finished it up this afternoon.”
“It’s so sweet of you to do the final alterations,” Joyce said. “It really was a big help to Claudia and me, so we got together and made you brownies as a thank you.”
She shoved the plate in his hands and with her eyes dared him to refuse.
Steve would admit later that he thought about protesting until the smell of warm chocolate hit his nose.
“Oh wow,” he murmured. “They smell delightful.”
Joyce smiled. “Let’s see it then. El has been going on and on about the gold trim on her dress for days and I can’t wait to see Will’s.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Byers,” Steve said brightly. “Follow me.” He led the way into the kitchen. “Is Nancy and Jonathan going to come to the Fair?”
Joyce and Will shared a glance behind Steve’s back.
“No,” Will said bitterly. “I even told Jonathan that he didn’t have to dress up, but he doesn’t want to go.”
Steve hummed. “Maybe once he sees how much fun you had on Thursday he’ll want to join us for Friday or Saturday.”
Will’s eyes lit up and Joyce smiled fondly at Steve.
“Perhaps,” was all she said.
They reached the kitchen and Will gasped. His tunic was a simple warm brown color but the gold trim just brightened up the whole thing and gave it a rich feel to it.
“Oh Steve, it’s beautiful,” Joyce whispered, giving Steve’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.
“Put it on, Will,” Steve instructed. “It’s going over a shirt and belted so we won’t need to check width, just length.”
Will nodded and pulled it over his head. It fell to the perfect place just over the kneecap so that when Will belted it, it would be above his knee.
“You can’t even tell inches were added,” Joyce said. “Do you like it, Will?”
“Yeah,” he replied with a huge grin. “It’s even better than I imagined. Thanks, Steve!”
He leapt on Steve to give him the biggest hug. Steve staggered back a step but caught the lankly teen and hugged him back just as fiercely.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Joyce playfully swatted her youngest son. “I can’t believe that even with me adding two inches to the hem after we measured still wasn’t enough to counteract your growth spurt!”
Will blushed. “Sorry, mom.”
She just grinned and kissed his cheek.
“Well it looks like we’re all ready to go,” Steve said with a smile. “I can’t wait for Thursday.”
Will smiled back. “Me either!”
****
Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @thespaceantwhowrites @paintgonewrong @mogami13 @beelze-the-bubkiss
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The Harrington Pattern Part 2
A longer chapter today because it didn't want to end. It's Steve finishing all the costumes.
@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
Part 1
****
Steve worked on Max’s costume first. Like Robin’s Max was going to be a pirate. He had the names of a couple of lady pirates in his back pocket for them to pull out if they ran across assholes at the Fair.
Because Max was underaged he set out to find a less form fitting costume then Robin’s.
He found a large men’s black shirt and pants and tailored the waist to fit Max’s slender form. Paired with the boots and the hippie vest he dyed red, she looked bitchin’.
Then he focused on Lucas’s costume in secret. Every time someone came by, Steve would hide it out of sight. He didn’t want anyone to see it before it done.
Whenever anyone would ask about it he would pull out the tunic that he had been working on for his costume.
It was blue and white in a checkerboard pattern. Blue on the right of the top portion and then on the left on the bottom portion.
The pants that he was using for Lucas’s costume were similar to Steve’s for his.
Not loose like Max’s, but not tight like Robin’s. He knows it’s technically inaccurate, but he wants to be comfortable and he’s not about to make a poor little sophomore to-be uncomfortable either.
He finishes it with a week to spare and then picks up the other outfits from the moms.
He throws a party and has them all make their own weapons for their costumes.
Lucas is the only one that didn’t join in.
Steve put his arm around Lucas. “So why aren’t you in there making something, too?”
Dustin is making a spear, Max is making a cutlass, and even El is making healing potions with water and food coloring.
“I don’t know what to make,” Lucas admitted shyly.
“What does your ranger use?”
“A bow,” Lucas said. “But I wouldn’t know even where to start with that.”
Steve smiled. “A bow’s easy. Come on, I’ll show you.”
He helped Lucas build up a stick with toilet paper and aluminum foil.
“Shouldn’t it be curved?” Lucas asked as Steve was putting on the handle.
“Nope!” Steve said cheerfully. “It curves when the bow is strung.” He added the long string and the bow bent. “See?”
“Oh!”
Lucas pulled back on the string and the bow bent further.
“It’s more for looks,” Steve said with a wince when the bow remained bent. He straightened it out. “But let’s make you a quiver. No arrows though, your mom would kill me.”
Lucas laughed.
“It’s so cool you know all this stuff, Steve,” Will said. “Why don’t you ever want to join us for D&D? I think you’d be really good at it.”
Steve flushed. “Too much math and I’m not very good at the role-playing part.”
“What would you do if you could play any character?” Eddie asked. “It doesn’t have to be any of the classes or races.”
Steve licked his lips. “You won’t make fun of me for it?”
Everyone looked down at their feet. They were swiftly learning that teasing Steve was one thing, but that they tended to take it too far.
“Go on,” Eddie urged. “If anyone makes fun of you for it, I’ll nuke their character to hell.” He grinned at all the kids.
“That has no effect on me,” Max said, tossing her hair back. “I’m not in your nerd game.”
“Whatever you say, zoomer,” Eddie said with a wink.
She gasped. “Who told?!”
El tilted her head to the side. “Why? Is a zoomer a bad thing?”
Max deflated. “No.”
Eddie winked at El and the girl blushed.
“So Stevie, what would you like to be?”
“The merchant.”
“But that’s–” Mike stopped when he saw Eddie’s glare. He licked his lips. “Wouldn’t it be more fun to be the hero?”
Steve tilted his head to the side and then scratched his cheek. “Um...I’m not trying to brag here. But I’ve been the hero in real life. It’s not fun. It’s terrifying. But being able to armor and arm the heroes? Make sure they have everything they need to succeed? Now there’s the dream.”
Eddie rubbed his bottom lip thoughtfully.
“That’s his DM thinking face,” Dustin said.
“Is that a bad thing?” El asked.
Lucas shrugged. “Sometimes. It can end in us fighting the worst Big Bad ever. But it can just make things more interesting. Like a tidbit of backstory for one of the NPCs.”
“So a former hero who has retired and settled down with the love of their life to sell the fruits of their travels...” Eddie spoke out loud more to himself than to everyone else. “Magic items, healing potions, weapons and armor the shopkeeper is willing to part with now that they’ve settled down.” He looked up at Steve with a grin. “I like it.”
Steve blushed hard.
Will lit up. “Does that mean the next merchant we meet is going to be Steve?”
Eddie’s grin got bigger. “Anybody have a problem with that?”
Everyone turned to look at Mike. “Hey, I don’t care what your NPCs do, man. As long as the story’s good.”
Steve’s blush spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears and down the column of his neck.
He cleared his throat. “Everyone done with their weapons? Because I think we should do a final fitting so we can make sure nothing needs to be adjusted.”
“Why?” Will asked. “Don’t you think our mom’s did a good enough job?”
Dustin crossed his arms. “Yeah. I thought you trusted our moms.”
Steve sighed. “It’s because you’re adolescences. Your bodies are always constantly changing. Lose weight, grow two inches, fill out in weird areas. I just want to make sure everyone is going to have a good time next week, okay?”
Will and Dustin looked at each other and then nodded.
“Yeah, okay,” Dustin conceded.
“There are three bathroom and four bedrooms,” Steve announced. “So there should be rooms for everyone to change into their costumes.”
They all grabbed their costumes and then dashed for their favorite rooms to try and get there first. Max beat Dustin to the upstairs bathroom, sticking her tongue out at him before slamming the door. So Dustin got Steve’s bedroom.
All the other kids went scrambling for the other bathrooms and bedrooms while Lucas was left standing in the middle of front room, looking down at his sneakers.
“Did you want to try yours on right now?” Steve asked, leaning down to try and look Lucas in the eye.
“I don’t know if I want to be an elf anymore,” he muttered darkly.
Eddie and Steve shared a concerned glance.
“Did someone say something?” Eddie asked. “You were really happy about it when you were making the bow with Steve.”
“Not really,” Lucas said with a shrug. “I just kept thinking about the ears. I know I can have Will draw some really good ones, and he wouldn’t give me shit about it, but...”
Steve sighed. “But you know that Mike would. Fuck, I’m going to kill that kid.”
Lucas waved his hands. “No, no. It’s fine. I’ve got an old pirate costume from a school play I did. I’ll just join Queen Max’s crew.”
Eddie licked his lips. He didn’t have them yet. Jeff was still making them. He shared another glance with Steve.
Steve nodded.
Eddie turned back to Lucas. “It’s up to you, man. But Stevie and I have something in the works regarding the ear situation.”
Lucas glanced between Eddie and Steve but couldn’t find any indication that they were mocking him.
“This isn’t a prank to make me look stupid, is it?” he asked, just to be sure.
“Scout’s honor,” Steve said holding up the correct salute.
Eddie snorted. “Of course you were a boy scout. Could you be any more perfect?”
Steve blushed and ducked his head bashfully. “I’m really not.”
“Anyway,” Eddie huffed, shoving his hands in his back pockets. “Try on the outfit at least. Because you don’t have to be an elf with the costume Stevie made for you. But at least see it before you dismiss the idea completely out of hand.”
Lucas took a deep breath. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m being stupid. I shouldn’t care what they think anyway. Just as long as I’m having fun.”
“That’s the spirit!” Eddie said clapping him on the shoulder. “So where is this masterpiece, my liege?”
Steve walked up to the sofa and pulled out a plastic bag. He thrust it at Lucas’s chest.
Lucas looked down at the bag a moment before taking it from him. He pulled out the warm grey breeches first. They weren’t the broad kind that Steve had made for Max, but they were loose enough that they would hang a little over the top of the boots.
“They’re so soft...” he whispered.
“They’re made out of light weight material to keep you cool,” Steve explained. “There will be absolutely no heat stroke or heat exhaustion on my watch.”
Lucas let out a small huff of laughter and he took that as one for the win column.
He then pulled out the pale blue gambeson, it was trimmed in antique silver ribbon.
“It’s not strictly historically accurate,” Steve said with a shrug. “But I figured I could take liberties considering it was supposed to be fantasy based.”
“Steve...” Lucas said, voice rough from emotion. “It’s perfect.”
He threw his arms around Steve and hugged him tightly and Steve hugged him back twice as fierce.
“Let’s put these away for now,” Eddie said gently tugging them from Lucas’s grasp. “You try them on after everyone leaves.”
Lucas nodded and let Eddie pull them away, but he kept hugging Steve.
Suddenly there was a burst of activity as the other kids came back. Robin, too.
Steve let go of Lucas to take a look at his ragtag crew of misfits. Robin and Max’s costumes he knew would fit to perfection. His exacting standards would bow to nothing less.
The costumes that Joyce and Claudia made were good too. He let out a little breath through his nose.
“Looking great, guys!” he told them. He tugged Will’s tunic a bit. “You grew some, there.”
Will looked down and blushed. “I didn’t even realize.”
“That’s because you’ve been wearing shorts,” Steve explained, “so you just didn’t notice.”
“You were right to make sure the costumes still fit,” he murmured, trying to pull the tunic down to the right length.
Steve’s shoulders sagged. “You were just trying to defend your mom, dude. It’s fine.”
Will and Dustin still shared a look of chagrin anyway.
“I can add a couple of inches to the hem,” Steve continued. “I have some ribbon that will hide the extra material.”
Will nodded.
Steve moved on to Dustin and tugged on the side of his shirt under the vest and then tugged on the waistband too. “Don’t tell your mom this, but you’ve lost weight. She’ll freak out and try to feed you the entirety of your cupboard.”
Dustin blushed. Claudia Henderson was notorious for constantly feeding anyone who came through her door.
“But I’ll just pin it in case your weight fluctuates again,” Steve said. “The hazard of being teenagers unfortunately.”
Dustin nodded with a sigh of relief.
Max’s was perfect, as was El’s beautiful red dress.
But she was looking at the ground twisting her hands together.
“What’s up, Supergirl?” Eddie asked.
She looked over at Will and then down at her feet again. “I don’t want to be ungrateful. Joyce did an amazing job.”
Steve tilted his head. “But?”
She sighed. “But I was wanting a gold trim, but Joyce didn’t have any and I didn’t want to make her buy some...”
Steve held up a finger and then dashed off.
But he was back before they even had time to wonder where he had gone. In his hand was a cloth bag that he handed over to her. “Pick your ribbon. It’ll take me a day to add it to the dress, no problem.”
El looked down at the bag in shame. “Steve...”
He clicked his tongue. “I don’t want to hear it. I have to extend Will’s tunic anyway, adding ribbon to yours would be cinch in comparison. In fact, why don’t you both pick a matching ribbon to be twins.”
Will and El perked right up and the two of them wandered over to the sofa and began sorting through what Steve had.
That left Mike. Steve walked around the outfit. It had a white, billowy top with broad black pants and red tunic to watch El’s dress.
“Looks good, Mike,” he said. “Is there anything you’d want a little different? I don’t mind adding to your costume, too.”
Mike chewed his bottom lip. “There is the one thing. I asked Claudia about but she said she wouldn’t have the time...” He looked over at Dustin and blushed.
“What’s that?” Steve asked.
“Little...” Mike grunted. “I don’t know what they’re called. They aren’t strings or tassels, but kinda a cross between the two to kinda hang down off shoulder of the tunic...”
Steve pulled out his drawing pad and doodled something out really quick. Mike peered over his shoulder.
“A little more spaced,” Mike muttered.
Steve erased and doodled some more.
“Yeah, like that.”
Steve nodded. “I can do it, but you want to see something cool?”
Miked nodded back and Steve left the room again. He came back with a weird little device.
“This is what I use to make tassels,” he explained. “I’m betting Claudia doesn’t have one.”
Everyone looked at Dustin.
“I’ve certainly never seen one if she has,” he replied.
Steve nodded again. “That’s what I thought.” He showed them how to make tassels and Mike’s face lit up.
“This so cool, Steve,” he whispered.
“Do you want to make your own tassels?” Steve asked, gleeful at finally finding a common ground with the prickly teen.
“Can I?”
Steve shrugged. “I don’t see why not. You’ll just have to do it here. I’ll get the leather scraps from the tanners on Saturday and you can come over on Sunday to do it, okay?”
Mike nodded. “Thanks, man.”
El and Will picked out a nice braided gold ribbon and he set it aside, making a note to grab another spool to be on the safe side.
Soon it was time for everyone to leave.
Eddie took home Mike, El, and Will. Leaving Steve to take home Max, Lucas, and Robin.
Steve turned to Lucas. “You okay with these two seeing your costume?”
He figured Max was fine, but Robin might be a no go.
Lucas looked at her thoughtfully.
“I can go make us all lunch if you don’t want me to see it yet?” Robin suggested.
Max hopped up. “I can help. I want to be surprised next week.”
Lucas let out a sigh. “Thanks, ladies.”
Max rolled her eyes and Robin snorted as they wandered toward the kitchen.
Steve tossed Lucas the bag and immediately he began to strip. He put on the costume and ran his fingers over the material.
“Steve you really out did yourself.”
Steve grinned. “Bend, twist. Make sure you can move in it. I don’t want you popping a seam.”
Lucas did as he was told and Steve circled around him.
“Looks good,” he said. “Now go take a look in the mirror. Then tell me what you think.”
Lucas nodded.
Five minutes later Lucas came out with tears streaming down his face.
“Oh no!” Steve cried. “It’s that bad?”
Lucas shook his head and then launched himself into Steve’s arms. “It’s perfect, Steve. Thank you.”
Steve blushed. “You’re welcome.”
****
Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13
@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @thespaceantwhowrites @paintgonewrong @mogami13 @beelze-the-bubkiss
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