#after the piggyback | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anaxibiaclark · 1 year

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"Son of Bitch!" Was the first thing Steve hears as he enters the Munson household. Inaudible spitting and sputtering follows as he closes the front door behind him.

"Hey, Munson!" Steve calls, as he makes his way down the hall towards Eddie's room.

He still found it shocking that Sam's people gave Wayne a two bedroom home outside of Hawkins as a "sorry your nephew almost got killed by other worldly creatures," in order to keep things on the down low from the public. They were also willing to pay for all of Eddie's medical expenses, which was a blessing, especially since Eddie had numerous surgeries to repair the damage that was done by the Demobats.

As Steve approaches Eddie's bedroom, he can finally make out the cacophony of words that are spilling from the other boy's mouth. Followed by a sharp intake of breath, along with a pained groan, then silence.

"Eddie?" Steve calls again, turning into the doorway. Slight panic catches in his lungs when he spots a trail of blood that leads into the attached bathroom. His strides become more elongated, avoiding the blood.

"You..." Steve stutters out a breath when he sees Eddie sitting on the edge of the tub holding a bloody hand to his left side. "Jesus, Eds. What happened?" Steve asks, crouching in front of Eddie.

"I think I popped a couple of stitches." Eddie says weakly. "I must have moved wrong and the bolster pulled away from the graft."

"Let me see."

Eddie sits up as he moves his hand away from his side.

"Wow," Steve gives a slight grimace. "That is a lot of blood."

"No shit Sherlock." Eddie grits out after another wave of pain hits.

Steve's eyebrows pinch together as he stands.

"Sorry man," Eddie expels a shaky breath. "I'm really exhausted and so fucking uncomfortable right now."

Steve shakes his head. "Don't apologize dude." He takes a look around the bathroom. "Do you have any washcloths lying around that you don't mind getting bloody?"

"Yeah," Eddie answers slowly. "In the linen closet down the hall, top shelf."

Steve squeezes Eddie's shoulder. "I'll grab a couple to get you cleaned up, just sit tight Munson."

"I'll be waiting with baited breath."

"Glad to hear your sarcasm is still intact." Steve sing songs, making his way back to the hall.

After a few minutes, Steve returns with washcloths and first aid kit in hand. He parks himself on the toilet seat, placing the first aid kit on the floor. "Will it cause too much pain if you scoot a little closer to me?" Steve asks, pivoting towards the sink to turn on the tap. He places the cloth under the flow of warm water, wringing out the excess.

Steve can hear the swish of sleep shorts, as Eddie slides along the tubs edge. "Woah," he turns just in time to catch Eddie by the arm, before he can topple over. "I got ya." He says, setting the damp cloth back in the sink.

"Thanks," Eddie croaks, doing his best to reposition himself.

"Here," Steve says, placing Eddie's hand on his shoulder. "Hold onto me for balance. Grab my shirt if you have to."

"Don't blame me if your shirt gets ruined."

"A stretched collar is the least of my worries." Steve responds, feeling his collar get a little tighter at the back of his neck. "Uh, so, I'm gonna need you to lift your arm so I can remove the bandage."

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Eddie asks skeptically.

"I watched the nurse change your bandages plenty of times. I think I can handle it." Steve says with confidence.

He studies Eddie's left side, watching as blood slowly soaks into the waistband of his shorts. "Except..."

"Except. What. Harrington?" Annoyance can be heard in Eddie's voice.

"Except, you were comatose the entire time."

Eddie groans. "Do what you gotta do, man. I don't want to go back to the hospital. I'm so done with that place."

"Well, your bandage has soaked through, maybe the removal won't be too bad."

"Just do it." Eddie grits out.

Steve gets an easy grip on the bandage and pulls. He feels Eddie embedding his nails into his shoulder, even after the bandage comes away without snagging skin.

Eddie expels a shuddering breath.

"You doing okay?" Steve asks, discarding the soiled bandage. He then reaches for the dry cloth draped across his thigh.

He watches color return to Eddie's face as he nods. "Didn't hurt like I thought it would."

Steve hummes in response, then presses the cloth firmly to Eddie's bolster applying pressure to stop the bleeding. He can feel Eddie suck in a breath of air.

"Son of a bitch!" Is spat out shakily, then Eddie adds. "Warn a guy before you do something like that.

"Sorry," Steve says sheepishly. "I wanted to stanch the bleeding before it got worse."

"Just," Eddie takes another slow breath. "Be careful will ya."

Silence fills the room for a brief moment. Steve still applying gentle pressure to Eddie's side.

"You know, I've been thinking." Steve says quietly.

"Uh oh," Eddie responds, a small smile gracing his face. "That's not a good sign."

"Shut up, Asshole."

Eddie snickers, then cringes when his laughter causes pain to shoot down his side. "Don't make me laugh, man."

"Then stop being an Asshole."

"But it's so much fun to poke the bear."

"You're just as bad as Henderson." Steve responds with a shake of his head.

"Then, don't make is so easy." Steve can hear the smile in Eddie's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Companionable silence falls between them again. Steve continuing firm pressure on Eddie's side, which will be for another eight minutes he realizes as he looks down at his watch.

"So?" Eddie breaks the delicate silence between them. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh!" Steve perks up a bit. "A tattoo idea for you," he shrugs. "When all of this heals."

"A tattoo, huh?" Eddie responds voice a little shaky, resting his head on Steve's opposite shoulder.

"Yeah," Steve smiles, looking down at the shaggy crop of hair. "You'll probably think it's cheesy as hell and it definitely wouldn't fit the existing theme, but..."

"You gonna keep me waiting, big boy?" Eddie asks, a slight muffle to his voice. "Or..."

Steve interrupts Eddie before he can continue. "There's this mythological bird that Dustin keeps talking about. The bird's feathers are like fire and it's practically immortal." He notices a slight change in Eddie's breathing, as if it's matching his own rapid heartbeat.

He pauses for a moment, looking at the back of Eddie's head again. "Hey?" He asks quietly. "You okay?"

Eddie nods, his forehead digging into Steve's shoulder. "I'm good, Harrington. You can continue with your description of this bird."

A smile spreads across Steve's face, happy to hear Eddie's still interested. "So, from what I understand, when this bird reaches the end of its life, I guess it bursts into flames and from its own ashes its reborn." Steve pauses for a brief moment. "I think that's how Henderson explained it."

Eddie's quiet, breathing becoming more normal. "Why do you think a Phoenix would be a good fit?" He asks, turning his face towards Steve.

Steve shrugs, feeling Eddie's breath tickling his neck. "You've literally been through hell and back, dude.

Being accused of murder because some Asshole was pissed that a child got the best of him years ago and getting sucked into the bullshit that is the Upside Down." He expels a humorless laugh. "You were dead when we found Dustin cradling your body. I don't know how we managed it, but we got your heart going again and somehow I got your ass through that fucking gate." Steve is on a role now and doesn't stop. "Must have been adrenaline because I carried you to the Winnebago from your trailer and then into the hospital when we arrived."

Steve takes a deep breath. "It took fucking Hopper, coming back from the dead, to clear your damn name and even then you were literally trapped in your own fucking head for weeks. Thank God Eleven got her powers back, who knows what would've happened if Vecna got his claws into you."

Steve shrugs again, watching Eddie's head lift with the motion. "I don't know, man." He continues. "We've all been through some shit, but you and Max have taken the brunt of it this time around."

Eddie still has his head resting on Steve's shoulder. He watches as the other boy's back rises and falls with every breath. "You came back from something that would have broken me." Steve admits, breaking the silence this time. "If that doesn't scream rising from the ashes, then I don't know what does."

Steve watches as Eddie lifts his head, their eyes meet, almost like Eddie is trying to find the lie hidden within. No lie can be found, Steve is certain of that. He's had that damn bird crowding his head for weeks now, ever since Dustin first started spouting facts about it. A Phoenix would be the perfect fit to cover his friend's battle scars.

All thought vanishes from his mind when he feels chapped lips press against his. He makes a surprised sound that lodges in the back of his throat.

Eddie pauses at the sound and slowly pulls away. Panic washes over his face. "Shit, Steve." He says, slightly breathless. "I'm so sorry, man. I..."

Steve grabs Eddie by the nape of the neck and crashes their lips together, deepening the kiss. A pained whimper comes from Eddie as he realizes that he still has firm pressure placed against the bolster attached to Eddie's side.

They both pull away from the kiss at the same time. Steve looks down, relieved to find that fresh blood isn't seeping from the cloth pressed against Eddie's skin.

"Sorry," Steve sighs. "I wasn't thinking straight."

Eddie snorts out a laugh and cringes. "What did I just say, Harrington?"

Steve chuckles, "not what I was aiming for, but-"

A smile spreads across Eddie's face. He leans forward to brush a kiss over soft lips, then rests his forehead against Steve's.

"What now?"

"Well," Eddie draws out the word. "How about you get me patched up first, and then we can talk about what comes next."

"Right," Steve says sheepishly. "Let's get you cleaned up." He presses a kiss to Eddie's forehead before sitting upright again. "Your not bleeding anymore so that's a good sign. I'm gonna go grab a fresh washcloth."

Steve helps Eddie regain his balance on the edge of the tub before standing. He looks around the bathroom frantically trying to remember where he grabbed the washcloths from before.

"Linen closet, top shelf, hallway." Eddie supplies, knowing exactly what Steve was looking for.

"Right," Steve says slightly flustered. "I'll be right back."

Before he heads out the bathroom, Steve plants another kiss to Eddie's forehead.

#tw blood #tw mentions of blood #this has been stuck in my hand #and in my drafts for weeks now #sorry for how long of a hc this turned out to be #i had an idea #and it ran away from me #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #steddie headcanon #after the piggyback #not sure if i did these boys justice #but #i gave them their first kiss #steddie ficlet #which probably should have been on ao3

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prototypelq · 10 months

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i wish there was more vergil comforting dante in this fandom as well. it seems a lot of people just act like he's all completely fine now bc vergil's back. while i think that makes him happy he's built up a lot of issues that won't just disappear with the return of his brother.

HELL YEAH ANON

I believe there are like two opposing opinions in the fandom - the 'Dante is happy because Vergil's back' and the more angry one, usually made by authors who believe Vergil can't be redeemed, the 'Dante has so many issues because of Vergil he can't forgive him'. My opinion is that the middle of the truth here - Dante Is Very Happy to have Vergil back, however, his issues with his brother have Not been resolved and need more addressing.

Aside from Nelo story, which is a Huge can of worms that is plenty explored in the fandom (that's great), the other, much more recent one is that

Vergil literally made a repeat of Temen-Ni-Thing disaster, step by step, consciously, with Dante in the middle and A Lot of casualties. While the circumstances are different, it was still Vergil's own doing, and this time he managed to kill Dante PLUS revive him on human blood. Y'all remember how Dante feels about his demonic nature and sacrificing humans for a power boost? Yeah. This was done to him while he was in coma.

Dante's gotta get new issues to his already substantial baggage after THAT. And, again, it was done by Vergil. I want the bros to figure their shit out, and this really needs to be one of the topics they address.

so yeah, Dante haven't solved his issues for 30+ years, he's not gonna start solving them now by himself, he needs help. Vergil is really the only candidate for the role, as he is the abuser party here, but also because Dante won't trust anyone with this (pretty sure he wouldn't trust even Vergil with this if Vergil was not at the center of his issues and literally present throughout all of them)

thanks for the ask, dear anon! I can recommend an AU hug-it-out scenario that I really wish was actual canon, the fic is brand new and awesome! give kudos the author @whitebeakedraven very much deserves

#also let them hug it out #they need it #lots and lots of hugs #my fav fan trop is dante coaxing piggybacks out of vergil #they need it after everything they went through #dmc #dmc fic reccomend #dante sparda #vergil sparda #the sparda loser twins #raven's beautiful work

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