#steve and el sibling supremacy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hbyrde36 · 5 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 11

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 ao3 link

*Eddie*

Eddie had never had a morning after.

How could he, when he’d never experienced a night before?

Until now, anyway.

And while they hadn’t gone all the way, so to speak, it was still the most sex Eddie had ever had, because it was the only sex he’d ever had. So he figured it counted.

It might have been his first, but he didn’t think anything would ever top this morning after. Whether last night was a one time thing or the start of something more, he’d always remember the day he woke up in Steve Harrington’s arms.

They must have shifted positions in the night. Eddie now found himself playing the little spoon with Steve’s strong arms wrapped around his waist. Though his body itched to move, to yawn, to stretch, he held himself still, basking in the heat of Steve's chest pressed up against his back, not ready to give up the moment quite yet.

With the press of a soft kiss to his bare shoulder Eddie discovered that Steve was awake too and that perhaps he hadn’t been doing as well a job pretending to be asleep as he thought. He smiled to himself as Steve’s lips continued to make trail upwards. He tilted his head back, exposing his neck in invitation which Steve gladly accepted.

“Good Morning.” Steve whispered in his ear.

Eddie turned in the other boy’s hold. Suddenly he couldn’t go another minute without seeing Steve's face. He looked ethereal in the soft morning light that filtered in through the thin curtains that covered Eddie's window. His hair was sleep tousled and his face still had the impression of sheet lines in it but Eddie was absolutely sure he’d never seen someone so beautiful in his life.

He settled back down on his pillow, happy now to be facing Steve. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Okay?” Steve said incredulously. He leaned in to capture Eddie’s lips once with his own, before moving on to pepper what felt like every square inch of his face with dozens of little tickling kisses. “I think that might have been the best night’s sleep I've ever had.”

Eddie giggled, high and unguarded before promptly hiding his face in the other boy's neck. Steve was being entirely too cute and his heart was full in a way he’d never felt before.

Steve’s arms tightened around him, pulling the front of their bodies dangerously close together. They were both growing hard, there was no hiding it since neither of them had bothered to get dressed again after making a mess of themselves last night. Eddie groaned, unable to stop from bucking his hips forward, pressing himself into Steve's thigh chasing a bit of friction. Steve moved against him as well, a soft moan falling from his own lips. Just then, a door slammed loudly somewhere else in the house reminding both boys that they were not alone in the trailer. And not only was it morning, but uncle Wayne and the girls were definitely awake and only a room away.

Eddie groaned again but for a very different reason this time. Steve chuckled and they reluctantly moved away from each other in unison.

Steve sat up on the edge of the bed, most of his lower half mercifully still concealed beneath the covers. “We should probably get dressed before anyone comes bursting in here huh?” He said, looking back at Eddie over his shoulder.

“Unfortunately.” Eddie agreed through a deep sigh. He waited until Steve was busy rooting through the bag they’d brought back from his old house before getting up to cross the room. He quickly pulled a clean pair of boxers on and then the first jeans he could find. It didn’t matter that they’d laid together naked all night, somehow the idea of walking around in the daylight exposed made him a little self conscious.

He felt better being at least mostly covered up, and went to the closet to pick out a shirt. He glanced at Steve and found that he was still rooting through the bag even though he was fully dressed now in his own jeans and a soft looking worn yellow sweater.

“We can always go back. If there’s something you wanted that I missed or anything.” Eddie remarked, trying to sound casual about it as he shoved an old black sabbath t-shirt over his head.

“No, it’s fine. It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid to want your own things, Steve. What were you looking for?”

Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “My letterman jacket.”

Eddie bit his lip and quickly turned back to the closet, as much to hide his face as to retrieve what he was hiding in there under a box of junk.

“See? I know it’s silly and I don't even...” Steve trailed off as Eddie stepped back from the closet and held the green and white jacket out to him.

He looked at the floor as he spoke, too embarrassed to meet Steve’s gaze. “I don’t even know why I took it, honestly. It was hanging there on the back of a chair in your room and I just, I don’t know. I couldn’t leave it there.”

Steve didn’t take the jacket, instead he tucked a finger under Eddie's chin, tilting his head up until their eyes met.

“Hey, I’m glad you took it.”

Eddie swallowed hard, nodding a little as Steve did finally take the jacket out of his hand. He instantly went searching in the pockets. It wasn’t until then that Eddie realized what he was looking for. Steve didn’t really care about the jacket, he just wanted what was in it.

“Oh.” Eddie breathed, reaching for his wallet on the nightstand .He quickly retrieved the polaroid that he’d been carrying around with him and handed it over. “Is that what you’re looking for?”

“Yeah.” Steve said, smiling broadly. “Thank you. It’s… it’s the only picture I have of us together. It means a lot to me” He looked at the image for a long moment then handed it right back. “Actually, could you hold onto it for a little longer? Keep it safe for me?”

Eddie nodded again, a little dumbfounded and at a loss for words as he tucked it back into his wallet.

Steve cleared his throat. “I, um, I’d like you to keep this too. If you want to.” He said, nervously offering the jacket back to him as well.

Eddie stilled, and couldn’t bring himself to look at the clothing item in question. His throat was suddenly dry, palms sweaty. It couldn’t mean…

“Are you asking me to go steady, Harrington?” Eddie joked, or tried to at least. He expected Steve to joke back or something but instead he looked Eddie right in the eyes, expression serious.

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Eddie said, voice barely audible at first. “Are you sure you want that? I mean… knowing what you do about me?”

“What? That you're brave, and sweet, and kind, and thoughtful, and… ”

“Steve.” Eddie grumbled.

Steve knew damn well what he meant. Eddie was a mystery to everyone, including himself. He didn’t know where he came from or who his parents were. He had powers that he didn't understand, he might even be dangerous. He was kind of a mess.

“I think I can overlook all that and see past it to your good qualities.”

Eddie couldn’t help but break out into a smile. “Such as?”

“Well, you’re pretty okay to look at.”

“Just okay?”

“Mhmm” Steve hummed, setting the jacket down on the bed before taking Eddie into his arms. They kissed, one, two, three times before Steve pulled back, suddenly looking nervous again.

“So, what do you think?”

Eddie marveled at how Steve could possibly think he would say anything other than a resounding yes. “I think you’ve made a big mistake here because you’re never getting rid of me now.”

“Sounds perfect.” Steve smiled and his whole face lit up with it like he’d just been given the greatest gift, as if he were the lucky one.

Eddie knew better.

He huffed a laugh and shook his head at himself. “First boyfriend and I manage to bag Steve Harrington. Maybe there is something to all those Satan worshiping rumors.”

“Eddie.”

“How else do you explain it?” Eddie teased.

Steve rolled his eyes, then paused, face screwed up in thought.

“Am I really the first person you’ve dated?”

Eddie shuffled his feet and fought to retain eye contact. “You're sorta my first… everything, Steve.” He knew he could have just not said anything and he probably would have gotten away with it, but he didn’t want to start their relationship with any sort of lies between them, even if it was a little embarrassing to admit.

He squirmed, watching as realization dawned on Steve’s face. “So yesterday, the kissing, and then last night… that was?”

“Yup.”

Steve slid his hands up and down Eddie’s arms eventually taking both of his hands and twining their fingers together. “Eds, why didn’t you say anything? I would have…”

The blush Eddie had been fighting off up till now rose up his face and neck. He rested his head on Steve's shoulder trying to hide it. “It's not really something you want to just blurt out in the moment. Besides, I wanted it. I wanted to take care of you.”

“Alright,” Steve murmured, kissing his hair. “But next time–”

He was interrupted by the not nearly distant enough sound of a cabinet slamming and cups and plates being set out in the kitchen.

“If we ever get another moment alone–” Steve tried to continue, but as if the universe was intent on reminding them that their time for now was up, there came a rough knock on the bedroom door.

“Breakfast, boys.” Wayne called out.

“I think these are my favorite waffles so far.” El said around a mouthful of Eggo, butter, and syrup.

“So far?” Wayne asked, amused.

“She’s a bit of an aficionado.” Steve answered, grinning. “All that effort making them from scratch and I could have been buying frozen?”

Eleven giggled, nodding enthusiastically before turning her attention back to Max. The girls seemed to have become best friends overnight. It warmed Eddie’s heart to see, Steve must have noticed it too if the fond smiles he was sending their way were any indication.

“So, what’s a guy gotta do to earn the homemade waffles, Harrington?” Eddie asked softly, lightly bumping his shoulder against the other boy’s.

Steve took his hand under the table and squeezed it. “I think we could work something out.” He said equally quiet.

Clearly the comment was meant for only his ears, and while the two girls were suitably distracted with each other (Max was explaining the basics of skateboarding to an enraptured Eleven), Wayne was peeking at them out of the corner of his eye.

Eddie wanted to kiss Steve right then and there at the table but he held back. Wayne might already be on to them and unless they cooled it Max and El wouldn’t be far behind. He squeezed back with the hand Steve was holding and reluctantly let it drop.

When everyone was finished Wayne gathered their plates and set about washing them, refusing Steve’s offer of help. Eddie didn’t know who the old man was trying to impress, knowing full well that if it was just the two of them they’d have let the sticky plates sit in that sink all day.

The phone rang, loud and shrill. Eddie jumped up automatically to answer it so his uncle wouldn't have to trail soapy water all over the place.

“Hello?”

“Hey, kid.”

It was Hopper, and he sounded absolutely exhausted. Memories of last night came barreling to the forefront of Eddie’s mind. In his happy haze he’d almost forgotten about the lab and the fire, but before he could say anything the chief was talking again.

“Listen, tell Wayne I'm sorry but I won't be able to make our fishing trip this weekend.”

What the fuck?

“What do you mean, what about the– “

Hopper cut him off, loudly interrupting before he could ask any questions. “Just tell your Uncle exactly what I said, okay? I gotta go.” He hung up without another word.

Eddie stared down at the receiver still sitting in his hand and had a terrible feeling he was missing something.

“That the school calling to tell me you didn’t show up again today?” Wayne asked from across the room.

“No, it was Hopper.” He replied. “Since when do you fish?”

“Ah, shit.” Wayne cursed, dropping the dish he was holding rather forcefully into the soapy water and quickly drying his hands. “Ed, what did he say exactly?”

Eddie repeated what Hopper had said word for word. Wayne visibly paled.

“Okay kids. You got 5 minutes. Pack what you can.”

“What?” Eddie squawked.

“Have you ever seen me go fishing? It's a code that me and Jim worked out a long time ago.” Wayne said.

Ok, well that made more sense Eddie supposed. “What does it mean?”

The older man sighed, raking a hand over his face. “In a nutshell it means we need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible… and we might not be coming back.”

“Fuck.”

It hit Eddie all over again, everything the man standing in front of him had done and continued to do to keep him safe. Wayne had known since day one that something like this might happen, and he’d been prepared to cut and run at a moment's notice with no questions asked and no concern for the fact that he’d be ruining his own future.

Steve tugged Eddie’s arm, spurring him into action. Right, no time to dwell on it now, he could be sappy later.

They rushed to his room.

“I got the girls covered, '' Wayne called to their backs. “Meet out front, quick as you can!”

Steve's bag was still packed and sitting open on the floor. He zipped it up and threw it over his shoulder then began to help Eddie with his own. He had an old army surplus bag stuffed under his bed. He pulled it out and they began to fill it with clothes until it seemed like enough.

Eddie scanned around the room wondering what was worth it to take. He wasn’t even remotely prepared for this scenario. He spotted Steve’s letterman jacket still sitting on the bed and added it to the bag, along with his battered old copy of The Hobbit. He snatched photos right off the walls, a few of him and Wayne, Claudia and Dustin, the boys.

Lastly, he looked up to where his sweetheart hung on the wall in front of the mirror. He hated to leave his beloved electric guitar behind, but it seemed silly to take it when he had no idea where they were going or exactly what kind of trouble they were running from.

Steve watched him, sad eyes full of sympathy as he rested a hand on Eddie’s back. “What about that one?” He suggested, tilting his head towards the old acoustic guitar that sat collecting dust in the corner of the room. “It’s light and you can play it without an amp.”

He had a point but Eddie still felt like it wasn’t important enough. Wayne was already shouting at them to hurry. He hesitated, and Steve made the decision for him, slinging the guitar over his own back with the shoulder strap and linking their free hands together.

Eddie took one last look around the room as they walked out, years of memories etched into the walls. He hoped that somehow Wayne was wrong and they would be able to come back here eventually, but he wouldn’t hold his breath.

The trailer park was calm and quiet as they loaded what little everyone had collected into Wayne’s truck and Eddie’s van. Neither of the young girls had any belongings and Wayne himself only had a few small boxes and bags.

“Max, Ellie, you want to ride with me or with the boys?”

El turned to her brother before answering. “Is it okay if I go with Mr. Wayne?”

“Of course, sweetie. You two keep him company, I've got this one.” Steve said, winking at her and hooking a thumb in Eddie’s direction.

El grinned and she and Max climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

Wayne walked over as he threw the last bag in the bed of his truck.

“Now, you boys follow me closely. Where we’re going ain't all that far but it’s in the middle of nowhere.”

They rode in silence.

Both too scared of what this all meant to manage any kind of conversation but they kept each other’s hands in a desperate grip over the center console. It only got worse when Wayne pulled off the paved road and onto a dirt one, barely distinguishable from the unbeaten path around it. The way was bumpy and they had to go slow until eventually the trees grew too thick and they had to stop altogether.

There was a small cabin sitting in a clearing not far off, Eddie figured they’d just walk the last few feet.

“Hopper’s cabin?” Eddie guessed out loud once they had all gotten out of the vehicles, though he already knew he was right.

His uncle didn’t question it, just nodded in agreement. “It’s been in his family for years. When you came along, Jim was the first to realize we needed an escape plan if there was ever a risk you’d been discovered. He wiped all record of this place from city hall and what-not as best as he could, and we stocked it up with supplies. I hoped it’d never be needed but I'm sure glad we have it now.”

The cabin was neat, clean, and a lot nicer than the one Eddie had imagined, though it wasn’t any bigger unfortunately. It would be a bit of a tight squeeze for the 5 of them, but not much worse than home had been really so he knew they would make it work.

Predictably, Wayne insisted that the rest of them should take the only two bedrooms.

Max and El set off right away to explore their new and hopefully temporary home.

Eddie knew it was pointless to argue with the older man but he felt like he’d cost his uncle so much already. It didn’t seem right letting him give up one of the only beds too.

“Wayne, I think… “ He looked at Steve before continuing, hoping the other boy would be okay with what he was about to offer. He must have understood and nodded encouragingly. “You should take the other room. At your age you should really be sleeping in a bed and me and Steve will be alright out here.”

“I know you didn’t just say at my age.” His uncle said, arms crossing over his chest.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, you should have a bed!”

Wayne looked at them in turn and sighed. “Boys, look, there's two of you and only one of me, and I don’t want to assume anything…” He trailed off, raking a hand over his suddenly red face. “I know you’ll tell me when you’re ready, but I think it’d be best for everyone if you had a little privacy. I’d just like to point out that the walls here don’t look much thicker than the trailer’s, so, keep that in mind.”

Eddie felt all the blood drain from his face. “Oh my god.”

“I'm not sayin’ I heard anything! But–” Wayne tried to continue, throwing his hands up in surrender, but Eddie interrupted him mid sentence.

“Oh my god Wayne, please stop talking. We’ll take the room and whatever else you want if you just please, please stop talking.”

Eddie chanced a sideways look at Steve. He’d been purposely avoiding the other boy’s gaze for the entire exchange, but they hadn’t yet talked about how open they wanted to be about their new relationship, and he was desperate to see how Steve was taking all this.

To Eddie’s shock he was watching the whole thing with barely concealed amusement. Clearly he was fine, at least with Wayne knowing about them. The whole thing was still completely mortifying, but he was relieved that Steve was taking it all in stride. Eddie was pretty sure he hadn’t come out to anyone yet really and he knew from personal experience how nerve wracking it could be to be seen, really seen, for the first time.

Wayne huffed a laugh and wandered off in the direction of the kitchen. Eddie snatched up his own bag as well as Steve’s and began to haul them both towards the bedroom they’d be sharing. He expected Steve to follow him, thought he had actually, until he overheard hushed voices on the other side of the cabin.

“Thank you for all this, for taking me and El in before and bringing us along now. I uh, I know how protective you are of Eddie and um, I just want you to know that this isn’t… I really care about him.”

“I can see that, son. Neither of you is very subtle, just uh, so you’re aware.” Wayne gave another breathy laugh. “I’m happy for the two of you and I want you to know I’ve got no problem with it. I've known about Eddie for a while and I love him just the same as I ever have. I support him. You too, Steve. He's got a good heart, and I'm glad he found someone who can see that and appreciate it.”

“Thank you.” Steve’s voice cracked on the short phrase and Eddie had to sneak a glance out the doorway to make sure he was okay.

Wayne had his arms wrapped around Steve, whose shoulders were shaking slightly. The older man was rubbing his back and murmuring to him quietly.

Eddie retreated back into the room and slowly began to unpack. He was so thankful for his uncle at that moment, for the sort of man he was, and the kindness he was showing Steve. He knew now what kind of people the Harrington's were. He wondered when Steve had last been hugged by a parental figure. It’d probably been a long time, well before he had disappeared and gotten locked up in that awful place. He had El, of course, and now he had Eddie too, but there was something different about having a trustworthy grownup in your corner. Someone who’d lived a bit. Who knew what life could throw at you and tried their best to keep you safe from it.

Eventually Steve came to find him and Eddie pretended not to notice the slight ring of red around his eyes. Steve smiled as he helped to put the last of their clothes into drawers. He seemed remarkably lighter, as if some long carried weight had been taken off his shoulders.

After all the drama of going on the run, their afternoon at the cabin was remarkably boring. There was nothing much to do except worry about the others and wait for some kind of word from Hopper. Wayne seemed sure the man would show up at any time. There was a phone on the wall, Eddie had noticed, but when he checked the line he found only dead air.

The girls had found a stack of old board games in a cupboard and were spending their time playing round after round of checkers.

Wayne busied himself in the kitchen, going over their supplies and throwing some kind of concoction together for dinner.

Eddie and Steve sat together on the couch trying to enjoy each other's company while stuck in the hell of waiting for the next thing to go wrong.

They all heard it when a car pulled up nearby, brakes squealing a little as it came to a stop. It occurred to Eddie as they all rushed outside that it might have been smarter to stay hidden until they knew if their visitor was friend or foe. But Wayne had been right in what he said earlier, they were out in the middle of fucking nowhere, the odds of someone just happening upon them there were slim to none.

Eddie never thought he’d see Hopper’s police SUV and feel such immense relief. He knew he probably owed the man an apology, several in fact. He’d always given the chief a hard time, he couldn’t help it. Hopper was ‘the man’, part of the system that Eddie had spent so much time and energy railing against, but he was coming to realize that under all his rough exterior the chief was actually a good guy, and way less concerned about the law than he could have been.

The driver's side door of the SUV opened and slammed closed, the sound echoing twice after as the rear passenger doors opened and closed. He wasn’t alone.

Chrissy and Robin raced through the trees, making it to the cabin before Hopper had made his way around the other side of his car.

Steve and Eddie turned to each other. Matching looks of surprise on their faces.

“Are you guys okay?” Robin asked when they got close enough to not have to shout.

Eddie went down the steps to meet the two girls, Steve following close behind.

“Yeah we’re all fine, what are you doing here?”

Chrissy threw herself at him abruptly, hugging him tight. “I’m so sorry it’s all my fault.”

Eddie tried to look at Robin over her shoulder, searching for any clue as to what the girl in his arms meant, but she was already busy talking a mile a minute to Steve.

He pulled back so he could see Chrissy's face. “What do you mean, Chris?”

“This, you having to run away from home and hide here. I should have known better than to come to your house last night. I should have known he’d follow me.”

“Wait, I thought, the fire- “ Eddie began, looking up to lock eyes with Hopper as he finally caught up to the group. “I thought this had something to do with the lab?”

“We’ll get to that in a bit but that's not why I gave you the signal to run. Jason Carver has been running around town all morning telling anyone who will listen that he saw Steve Harrington with you last night. That you’re the one who kidnapped him and have been holding him captive ever since. He also said you brainwashed his girlfriend and took Billy Hargrove prisoner. He thinks the D&D club at school is a front for your devil worshiping cult, and unfortunately there's a lot of small minded people in this town that want to believe him.”

“Fuck.”

Chapter 12

Thanks forever to @penny00dreadful for being the best friend, cheerleader, and beta in the whole fucking world💜

Taglist: @newtstabber @goodolefashionedloverboi @adaed5 @buckleybarnes @soaringornithopter @eddie-munsons-lunchbox @bestwifehaver @5ammi90 @sofadofax @ellietheasexylibrarian @manda-panda-monium @hardboiledleggs @mentallyundone @epiclazershark @herebedragons404 @estrellami-1 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @the-s-is-silent @brbsoulnomming @goinsteddie @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga

#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve and el sibling supremacy #good uncle wayne #chrissy cunningham #max mayfield #robin buckley #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #ao3 #steddie fic #steve x eddie

66 notes · View notes

grandapplewit · 2 years

Text

I think Billy and Will should be friends. I think they deserve it.

#also vecna has a type #traumatized gays name William with abusive dads😭🫡#or the mind flayer has a type #i guess #Billy and Will have the same pseudo sibling relationship that Steve and Dustin have #except they both actually have siblings #max and Jonathan bond out of spite #even though she’s literally never seen this man In Her Life #Billy Will and El sibling supremacy #Joyce is so happy that Billy and Will are friends because Billy unironically enjoys her cooking #and will let her mother him in ways her boys grew out of around the time Will disappeared #but only when no one’s watching #stranger things #Byler #harringrove #will byers #Billy Hargrove

166 notes · View notes

certifiedl0serloll · 1 year

Text

I WANNA SEE A -

Robin Buckley and Jonathan Byers pair.

why?: I’m not sure, they just seem like they’d get along you know? Kinda a rare pair but it would be cool to see

Mike Wheeler and Robin Buckley pair.

why?: I WANNA SEE THEM BE ATTACHED AF THE HIP BECAUSE POOR MIKE DOESN’TINTERACT WITH HIS ACUTAL SIBLING AND I JUST WANNA SEE THIS DUO

Steve Harrington and Jonathan Byers pair.

why?: AS A STONATHAN MULTISHIPPER I NEED THIS DUO WHETHER THIS IS PLATONIC OR ROMANTIC AND I WANNA KNOW WHY CHARLIE A JOE MADE OUT IN THAT ONE ELAVATOR THING.

Wheeler siblings pair.

why?: they like- never interact that it’s sad.

Dustin Henderson and mike wheeler:

why?: THEY’RE SO UNDERRATED

Wondertwins

why?: why not?

Lucas Sinclair and Will Byers pair.

why?: just because.

43 notes · View notes

liv45no · 2 years

Text

List of ideas for the Duffer Brothers for season 5

Willel sibling supremacy

Max happy and healthy

Will happy and healthy

El killing Vecna in the most badass way

Jopper <333

Jancy <333

Lumax <333

Steve and Dustin Mom & Son moments

Epic battle

The Party as friends cute moments

Robin x Vickie <333

Dustin x Suzie <333

Either Mileven or Byler being happy in love (I’ll take both yk)

Murray :DD

Therapy for EVERYONE

63 notes · View notes

untitled-byler-blog · 2 years

Text

random st headcanons [that I just found in my drafts from august 3rds ???] because I should be working on my poppins fic [still true]

mike in full grunge send tweet

someone help my poor child he is depressed

long-haired mike truther (though I don’t think this is an /unpopular/ opinion) [this aged like WINE]

mike constantly snagging holly’s scrunchies and putting will’s hair in pigtails once he finally starts growing out the bowl cut

nancy and jonathan parenting mike and will when they start dating so they can feel like they’re not hiding even though they’re not telling anyone (although Joyce totally knows but they don’t know that)

hopper reacting negatively to finding out will is dating mike (because of the Mikephobia™) but of course before he can explain that Will starts having a panic attack thinking Hop is gonna treat him the way lonnie would have and Mike just goes off on Hop circa end of season 2 but worse because that’s my best fcking friend you asshole

Unrealistic wish, Will is, like, happy – blease

WillEl best siblings

El is the first person Mike comes out to (when she breaks up with him) and he mentions his feelings for Will and everything clicks for her and she’s like “oh yeah that checks out” and Mike’s like “what” and she just smiles in the most cryptically endearing way and Mike has an absolute meltdown over it

Mike going to will for comfort after El dumps his ass (because she finally realised her boyfriend is behaving like a wet noodle) and mike is saying all this emotional stuff and Will is panicking not knowing what to do and just goes “i’m gay” and there’s absolute silence for like 3 whole minutes and then Mike pulls out El’s cryptic smile/“oh yeah that checks out” spiel and now will’s uncomfortable and Mike’s like “don’t worry about it”

but then he goes home and immediately screams into his pillow trying to figure out how to woo Will

Mike going to Nancy for dating advice and then Nancy going to Jonathan and Jon going to Will but it basically turns into a tragic case of telephone and El is cackling over the whole thing

Will has powers. I don’t know what they do but they’re sure there.

Robin adopting Steve’s gay sons

Will wearing Mike’s Hellfire shirt. It’s not a want, it’s a need

Mike “i apparently don’t sleep in actual clothing” Wheeler being like “hey can I stay over tonight” and Joyce (who knows about Them but they don’t know she knows) is like “sure” but Nancy (who was also over for dinner) is like “no” and just stares straight into Mike’s soul. Bonus points if Jonathan’s not even present.

Actually, yeah, Will/Nancy bonding over guns and how stupid Mike is

Elmike spying on said will/Nancy bonding moments

Max having a good recovery but not full recovery and getting mad at Lucas for doing everything for her because she’s "totally capable of taking of myself" but she secretly loves the attention

Erica/Max bonding

Aro/Ace El because you don't need to be in a relationship to have a fulfilling life (and she just loves [platonically] her friends so so much)

Dustin becoming an absolute ladies man by senior year (but always brushing them off because he's still with Suzie "she literally saved the world -- TWICE") effectively surpassing Steve's own reputation

Oh yeah speaking of which, once the cali gang tells Dustin about what suzie did he NEVER lets the group forget it

Argyle getting adopted into the party because he totally just accepted the most absolutely batshit nonsense that was El's rescue mission -- fecking King

Pineapple Pizza supremacy (because I said so) but the only person who doesn't like it is Steve (and he gets called homophobic by Robin and/or Mike every time he refuses to eat it)

The original party + Robin getting WASTED at the Jopper wedding and El and Steve having to rangle them all up and get them home

#Byler #jancy #jopper #elmike #willel #stranger things #headcanons #st headcanons #will byers #mike wheeler #mike wheeler i know what you are #(better than you do yourself)#shut up lilly #let's chat

60 notes · View notes

stfuhair · 2 years

Text

ok list of things i need on s5 besides the vecna thing

jonwillel interactions

wheeler older siblings interactions

robin will vickie bestest friends

will el wonder twins with powers

byler getting murray'd

jealous mike with will

max alive OFC

a group hug with the party and steve bc yes

argyle being insightful bc we know he is he just need the moment to humble someone and imagine if byler actually get "argyle'd"

sinclair siblings interaction supremacy

and girl union actually i have a hc that coincidentally all girls get left on the cabin bc they said it would be safer but thry say fuck it and go to the boys to find them struggling lmfao

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #lucas sinclair #eleven #dustin henderson #max mayfield #steve harrington #erica sinclair #robin buckley

61 notes · View notes

upside-down-theater-kid · 2 years

Note

1-stranger things

2- uhhhhh idk you can pick

3- davey

for ‘please’ asks

I was mostly done answering the first part and tumblr deleted the draft so here we go again!

Favorite character: El!

Least favorite character: Lonnie

5 favorite ships

Elmax

Byler

Ronance

Boyce

Literally all of the characters x therapy

Skip

Character I would be best friends with: Dustin

A random thought: We need scenes of Dustin being a theater kid since he’s canonically in Drama Club

Unpopular opinion: Billy is a piece of shit and him dying doesn’t redeem his actions and I have no idea why people ship him with Steve (probably not unpopular on the side of the fandom I’m on, but unpopular in the fandom at large I think)

Canon OTP: I don’t ship any of the canon ships, but I’ll go with Lumax since it’s the healthiest canonical romance and I see the appeal

Non-canon OTP: Elmax

Most badass character: El

Most epic villain: Heteronormativity (well, not very epic, but still)

Pairing I am not a fan of: H*rringrove. Billy is a piece of shit whereas Steve showed actual character development and they never had a single positive on-screen interaction. I have no idea why it has the most fics for Stranger Things on ao3

Character I feel the writers screwed up: Lucas, since he’s not the most fleshed out. Hopefully he gets more depth and screen time next season

Favorite friendship: Steve and Robin (Bi dumbass and swaggy lesbian is just the dynamic of me and @melencholypolywog)

Character I most indentify with: Maybe El?

Character I wish I could be: Robin ig?

Boyf riends

When I started shipping them: Even before I was into Be More Chill because I heard of the ship and I was like “huh that makes sense” then I actually got into it and I was like THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CANON IT’S SO OBVIOUS!

My thoughts: Autistic Boyf riends supremacy

What makes me happy about them: Just how cute they are and how supportive they are of each other when Jeremy isn’t SQUPed

What makes me sad about them: How Jeremy let his internalized ableism get in the way of his relationship with Michael, his so-called “favorite person” (yes autistic Jeremy isn’t bank canon but I don’t care)

Things done in fanfic that annoy me: I haven’t read a ton of Boyf riends fics so I can’t really say

Things I look for in fanfic: I haven’t read enough fics to tell, but I love it when they’re autistic!

My wishlist: Cuddles and infodumping to each other

Who I’d be comfortable with them ending up with, if not each other: I can’t think of any character for Michael, but I guess Christine for Jeremy. Out of all of the canon ships that I don’t ship, stagedorks is pretty good.

My happily ever after from them: For them to never break apart because they’re so cute

Davey Jacobs

How I feel about this character: He is amazing, he is everything, and he needs a break (and a hug)

Characters I ship him with: JACK KELLY! JAVEY SUPREMACY!

Favorite non-romantic relationship with this character: Him and Les. I like the dynamic of siblings that are polar opposites of each other

I don’t think I have any unpopular opinions about him (unless headcanoning him as autistic is considered unpopular)

One thing I think should have happened with him in canon: Him kissing Jack

Favorite friendship for this character: He doesn’t interact too often with most characters, but probably him and Katherine (mlm and wlw solidarity)

My crossover ship: This is hard! Uhhh him and Jeremy Heere ig?

#my friend that I tagged hasn’t had that account for too long which is why their blog is blank #they’re obvs not a bot #chaotic asks answered by me #the muppet of the plastics tag #<- do you mind if I use that as your tag?

8 notes · View notes

post-modern-prometheus · 3 years

Note

📓

ok so i do this thing where i write fic ideas in my notebook. after this one i wrote "holy fucking shit it costs ZERO DOLLARS TO NOT WRITING AGONIZING FANFICTION WHILE LISTENING TO SAD MUSIC" so prepare yourself.

basically it's the end of season 3... if the mindflayer had won.

under the cut cuz it got LONG

so basically the mind flayer kills el. hop's group cant close the gate in time. max n mike (who are paired off in this so i shortened it to mnm and that's so cute so kudos to me and also thats what im gonna do for this) and the gang upstairs have to like. watch el die. they ran out of fireworks and also mike tries to run to help el but max isnt stupid so she holds him back bc she 'cant lose two friends tonight'. steve and jonathan and robin manage to herd the kids out of the mall- except for mnm who are still downstairs, which is the reason nancy almost refuses to leave (it's always bothered me how she just ditches her brother when they first drive away but WHATEVER i just believe in wheeler sibling supremacy)- and they run to the car and drive away again. nancy's like yelling at jonathan for leaving mnm and they argue for a bit before nancy's like "what about your mom??" and jonathan's like "the mind flayer's still alive so obviously they didn't close the gate! which mean's she's probably-" and his voice just breaks cuz he thinks joyce is dead. and he admits that he doesn't even know what to do. lucas says heyyy let's go uh get my sister and dustin. so they go do that. meanwhile mnm are like holy shit el. and theyre kinda just standing there, not really sure what to do. billy sees them and so basically they just run away from him. and this whole thing turns into a post-apocalyptic thing as the mind flayer and the demogorgons and dogs try to take over the world ya knowwww. so mnm are like living in the woods n shit like those zombie movies and taking stuff from abandoned convenience stores n shit. everyone who was in the car and dustin and erica all get picked up by the government and taken to some safe area that's been set up and there are all these tests to see if someone is flayed and it's kinda oh no it's kinda like the maze runner you know what i mean in the sequels with that city? yeah. and hop, joyce, and murray escape into the upside down- which they can do bc portals are somehow opening up in a bunch of different places so the mind flayer doesnt catch them. they come out through another portal in hawkins and fight through this CRAZY battlefield that is now hawkins, with people dying left and right and explosions and soldiers and what-not... they make it to el's body and hopper LOSES IT. i feel like thered be a time skip here that picks up with them as those classic apocalypse survivors like mnm are, but they make it to the govt safe place when the story picks up again and joyce is reunited with will and jonathan. and that place is up north, but mnm headed to california for max's dad or smth idk the point is they're going in the wrong direction. ANYWAY this is super long and disorganized but YEAH

#sorry this took forever im in the middle of a tourney this weekend #it was pouring during todays game and i got DRENCHED TO THE BONE #my cleats were PUDDLES #and im exhausted #also idk if youre a marvel or st follower but i hope u like this either way srry hdfjksgds #stranger things

7 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 6 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 10

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 ao3 link

CW: Smut/NSFW

*Steve*

Sometimes in life there are people you just click with. Within hours of meeting them you know you’ll be friends for life, and it feels like you’ve known them forever.

Steve had a feeling that was exactly what happened between him and Robin during their insane car ride back to the trailer park.

She wasn’t the type of person he normally gravitated towards, not that normality held any sort of meaning in his life these days. Robin was blunt, with no filter to speak of, all the while being just a little bit awkward. She didn’t care that Steve had been missing, apart from the fact that she wanted all the gory details, for curiosity’s sake of course. Not in a cruel way, by the end it was clear that she had sympathy for all that he and the others had been through, but she was the first person to hear his story and not look at him with some level of pity. Even Eddie, who had been so great to Steve even as his own world began to come apart at the seams, had given him the look once or twice.

It was a little harder to concentrate on The Talk while he was driving, especially when he was so woefully out of practice after not having been behind the wheel of a car for so long. At least with Chrissy he’d been to give her his full attention, but Robin didn’t seem to mind the rambling way he explained things, and seemed to follow his off-the-track train of thought just fine. She poked fun at him whenever it was appropriate, and even once or twice when it wasn’t (though somehow Steve knew she meant no harm), and it made him feel wonderfully human again, and a little less broken.

“Jesus. You’re nothing like you used to be are you?” Robin said at one point.

“How so?” Steve asked, a little amused.

“If someone had tried to tell me that Steve Harrington, the same douchebag who asked dumb questions and dropped bagel crumbs on the floor in Click’s class every single fucking morning, would give a shit about some girl he found in the woods, I would have told them they were crazy.”

Oh.

He didn’t remember sharing any classes with Robin, but obviously they had. Maybe he was a douchebag.

Steve shrugged. “I guess…people change.”

“Clearly.” Robin said, huffing a laugh.

She paused for a moment and he glanced at her, noting the way she narrowed her eyes at him before continuing on. “But I'm not sure that’s it. I think maybe you’ve always been a good guy, it's just that no one ever expected you to be so they didn’t think to notice, and maybe, neither did you.”

Steve didn’t know what to say after that.

It wasn’t long before they were nearing the entrance to the trailer park, the car quiet for the moment save for the dulcet tones of top 40 radio coming from it’s speaker system.

“So, Eddie just happened to be the one to find you, huh?” Robin said softly, almost conspiratorial as he made the final turn into Forest Hills.

She nudged his shoulder with a knowing look in her eye. Steve wasn’t all that surprised that she had picked up on the energy between him and Eddie. She'd seen up close the way he had rushed to Eddie's side, maybe even clocked the way their touch had lingered as they stood there in the yard talking to her.

He’d certainly noticed the very not-straight way in which Robin had perked up when she spotted Chrissy Cunningham in their midst, and then immediately agreed to go with them.

Something else they had in common then.

Steve felt his face grow a little warm and glanced in the rear view mirror to see if any of his other passengers were listening in. They seemed to be otherwise occupied. Max was tucked into Chrissy’s side, listening to Lucas talking softly as he held her hand. Chrissy herself was staring out the window seemingly lost in thought, and Billy was unlikely to hear anything from where he was, locked in the trunk.

The urge to spill his guts to Robin about his feelings for Eddie was strong. It was miles ahead of where they should be as acquaintances go, and if that level of trust felt a little unearned, well, Steve would just roll with it anyway. Eddie had, in his way, predicted this budding friendship and Steve couldn’t help but trust in that. He had been right about far too many things thus-far not to. They had all accepted the bad premonitions without blinking so why not accept something good too?

Unfortunately, opening up to Robin would also mean outing Eddie without his permission, and Steve would never want to hurt him or anyone else like that. He and Eddie needed to talk anyway- about what they were to each other now, if anything, and how comfortable each of them was with others knowing. Steve decided that if Eddie gave him the greenlight he would tell Robin everything, but for now he would keep it to himself, mostly.

“I like to think we found each other.” He replied, unable to keep from smiling like an idiot at the memory.

In more ways than one.

She didn’t seem offended that he hadn’t confirmed or denied her subtle implication, and, as though she perfectly understood why he hadn’t, she didn’t push. He loved her a little bit for that, this girl he had only just met. It wasn’t often that people understood him like that, took the time to see past the packaging and really look.

“I don’t know what me and El would have done if he hadn’t been out there in the woods. We probably would have been caught and dragged back to the lab by now.”

She stared at the side of his face for a long time. It wasn’t until he parked in front of the Munson trailer and the others started to climb out that she spoke again, placing a hand on his arm to stop him from moving just yet.

“Why did you risk it tonight- being seen?”

Steve blinked at her, confused because, wasn’t it obvious? “We knew Max could be in trouble…it…we had to do something.”

Robin shook her head. “Even from what little I've seen and heard I know the others could have handled it without you. You could have stayed behind, safely hidden at Castle Munson with your magical little sister. Why did YOU risk it?”

He shrugged, not quite knowing how to answer, not that she waited for him to give one.

“I’ll tell you what I think. I think you’ve got a self sacrificial streak a mile wide.”

“I don’t…” He started to protest.

“Listen, Steve. It's shocked me to my core, but I like you. I really like you. I don't know how much I truly understand about what’s happening here, or what the future is going to bring if this Vecna creep really exists, but…try not to get yourself killed, okay? I think we could be really good friends, if you can manage to stick around long enough.”

They left Billy in the trunk.

Sure it was dark enough out to obscure their faces, but Steve knew that if anyone in the park did happen to look out their window it wouldn't be hard to make out the shape of two guys dragging a body out of a trunk. Also, with Hopper having arrived while they were gone and the addition of Max, Chrissy, and Robin to the party, they were honestly running out of standing room inside the trailer.

So, Billy could stay where he was for now, and at least this way they could feel Hopper out before making him aware of their latest crime.

Steve walked over to the van just as Eddie was getting out of it. He smiled broadly and it warmed Steve down to his toes. He wanted to kiss him, to brush lips over each of his dimples in turn before focusing his attention on that mouth.

Nancy and Jonathan came spilling down the front steps of the trailer, just in time to bring Steve back to his senses.

The couple’s eyes settled on Max, taking in her pale face and the way she clung to Lucas and Chrissy.

“Was it?” Nancy gasped, looking to him for answers as she wrung her hands.

“Henry, yes. We- we got there just in time.” Steve said.

She nodded, looking a little like she was in shock until Jonathan took hold of one of her hands and the two of them began to try and wrangle their brothers and the other kids.

“Hey guys, I'm sorry but we have to get you all home.” Jonathan called out.

Mike, Will, and Dustin all erupted into a cacophony of whining and complaints. Lucas was too focused on Max and she was watching the entire scene unfold with wide eyes.

“C’mon Will, you know how mom gets when you’re gone for too long.” Jonathan said, which quieted Will and Dustin pretty quickly. They all knew his mom had never quite been the same since ‘83.

“You too Mike.” Nancy added. “Do you even know what time it is? It’s a school night. Mom will freak out if we don’t get you home soon.”

“Oh please.” Mike spat. “Who cares about shit like school right now?!”

“Mike!” Nancy shouted

“What? It's bullshit Nancy! We’re just supposed to go on like everything is normal? When-”

Mike glanced around and lowered his voice, at least having the wherewithal to be quiet as he continued to argue with his sister.

“- when Eddie has fucking powers now and Steve is- I don’t know what the hell, and Eleven is real, and in danger, and there’s some evil wizard out there trying to kill our friends?!”

“That's exactly what you’re going to do. For now.” The booming voice of Jim Hopper came from behind them and the whole group turned as a unit, only just noticing that the man had stepped out onto the front porch and had been listening in.

Shit.

They were definitely not being careful enough.

Hopper shook his head at all of them as he tapped his hat on his leg.

“Anyone who’s staying, get inside. The rest of you- go home, and for the love of god keep your mouths shut about all of this!” He turned, grumbling, “There’s too many of you involved already,” to himself as he went back into the trailer.

“Who put him in charge?” Mike sneered.

“He’s a cop, I think they’re just wired that way.” Dustin said.

“He’s actually not a bad guy once you get to know him.” Max cut in, speaking for the first time since they’d left her house.

Everyone stared at her in surprise and she crossed her arms over her chest, a little of the attitude Steve had heard the boys talking about beginning to break through as she spoke again.

“Between Billy and Neil you don’t think we have the cops coming to our door every other weekend? Please...” She rolled her eyes. “Hopper might sound grumpy but he’s really just a teddy bear.”

“I heard that Mayfield!” Hopped bellowed from inside the house.

Max giggled as the rest of the group continued to look at her in amazement.

“What?! He takes me to the diner sometimes for milkshakes when things get bad.” She said with a shrug.

Everyone said their goodbyes and the remaining members of the party paraded inside.

Eddie went right to his uncle, whispering something in the man’s ear that made him drop his head into his hands and give the most long-suffering sigh that Steve had ever heard. Wayne walked off towards the hall closet a moment later mumbling something under his breath about a tarp.

Hopper was oddly subdued as Steve, Eddie, Chrissy, Robin and Max piled into the living room. Although, upon closer inspection Steve realized the man was trembling with anger. He was just on that level of angry where he was very fucking quietly seething and even Max was eyeing the man warily.

Wayne quickly found what he was looking for, which appeared to be a medium sized blue tarp and headed straight back out the front door. Steve and Eddie shared a look, rushing to follow behind the older man.

Steve popped the trunk to reveal Billy, staring up at them, eyes shining with rage and struggling against his restraints.

“Oh. He’s alive.” Wayne said, and began unfolding the sheet of plastic.

Eddie bent down so he could get his face as close to Billy's as possible and whispered threateningly in his ear. “You can keep struggling while we carry you inside if you want, but don’t be surprised when we drop your ass and you get hurt.”

Billy continued to glare but seemed to see the wisdom in Eddie’s words and stopped flailing, at least for the time being. They laid the tarp over him, tucking it under loosely to make sure he could still breathe and then together they awkwardly carried the bundle inside.

Hopper stared as the three of them reentered the living room and dumped the lumpy blue package unceremoniously on the couch, quickly unwrapping it.

“Jesus Christ! ...What? ...Why?” Hopper shouted as he began pacing around the small space. ‘You know what, no. I don't even want to know.”

He stopped in his tracks suddenly and growled in frustration. “No… no. Fuck. God damnit. I need to know. Spill.” Hopper stood in front of Eddie and Steve with his hands in his pockets and waited for them to explain.

As they did, with Eddie doing most of the heavy lifting, El appeared holding a stack of comic books she must have borrowed from Eddie's room. She took hold of Steve’s hand and smiled up at him. He could see the relief on her face that he’d returned safely and he felt a new surge of guilt for leaving her. He squeezed her hand to say he was sorry, to say he loved her, and she squeezed back.

When it was all done Eddie plopped down on the couch as far from Billy as he could manage. Everyone present ignored him as they continued to discuss things.

Hopper sighed. “I can’t say I'm happy about this, and I'm sure there were better ways to go about dealing with Hargrove here, but I'm glad you were there to help Max.” He admitted.

“Exactly Jim, that’s what matters here.” Wayne agreed, earning himself a little side eye from the Chief.

“Alright, so it sounds like she’s safe enough for now, assuming this music business keeps working but what’s the plan? Do we wait for this guy to attack again or are we going to try and take him on his own turf?” Hopper asked.

“We tried that already, in the game. Some of the party went into the Upside-Down while others tried to distract him. It, uh, didn’t work.”

“It didn’t work AND you died.” Steve corrected, taking the seat right next to Eddie. He wanted to take the other boy’s hand but settled for sitting closer than what might be considered strictly friendly.

“But if our only other option is to wait until he starts picking us off, then…” Eddie began to argue, but was interrupted by a frantic woman’s voice calling out over Hopper’s police radio from where it sat on the kitchen counter.

The chief lunged for it and quickly responded. “This is Hop.. Slow down and tell me what’s going on, Flo.”

“Hop?! Thank god. It’s the lab! There’s a huge fire over at Hawkins lab and they need all hands on deck over there.”

“Shit.” Hopper cursed, casting his eyes to the ceiling before clicking the button to respond. “Who’s been called?”

Flo’s voice came cracking over the radio again. “Hawkins Fire is on site now and they put a call in to Cartersville for back up. I sent Powell and Callahan over too but they need you on site to manage everyone.”

“Tell them I'm on my way.” Hopper said, signing off and slamming the radio back down.

Eddie must have sensed the tension growing in Steve as they listened to the call, he tried to hold on to him but Steve was out of his seat like a shot. “You gotta let me come with you.” He said to Hopper.

“Steve!” Eddie yelled at the same time Robin and Chrissy both shouted “No!”

“No, Christ, especially not you! You're in hiding, Steve! You have to stay here!”

“But what if it’s him, Hop?”

“I know, but..”

“It can’t be a coincidence!”

“I know!”

“You might need my help. Even if it’s not Henry, you don’t know what they’ve done, the things they have in that lab!”

“I KNOW!” Hopper shouted, loud enough that Steve flinched and El put her hands over her ears.

Hoper took Steve by the shoulders, the look on his face was still intense but his touch was gentle. “I know. Okay, kid? I get it, but I won't risk you going back there. I won’t risk any of you. I promise I'll come back as soon as I can and I'll tell you all about it.”

Steve nodded, a little dumbfounded that the man seemed to care so much. Then he remembered someone else who cared, if only a little and he stopped Hopper just before he had made his way out the door.

“There’s someone who works at the lab,” Steve began. “A Dr. Owens. He’s…he helped us. He saw me and El escaping and he let us go. I think he might be a good guy.”

“Owens. Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” He gave Steve an awkward but well meant pat on the shoulder, and then he was gone.

Steve stood by the door staring, mind reeling wondering how the hell this could have happened and what could it mean? He wanted to be thrilled at the prospect of that hellish place burning to the ground, it was a thing he’d dreamed about doing himself dozens of times since he and Eleven had met. Now though, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this couldn’t be good news.

A warm hand landed on Steve's lower back. The touch was firm and grounding. He knew by the scent of leather and denim and just a hint of cigarette smoke that it was Eddie.

“You okay?” He said softly, and for Steve’s ears alone.

“For now. I should check on El though.”

“I think she’s doing just fine.”

At that Steve finally turned around and saw that El had walked up to Max. It sounded like she was introducing herself. She took the redhead’s hand, urging her to follow her into the kitchen. Max looked back at Chrissy as though she were asking if it was okay. Chrissy smiled and gave an encouraging nod.

As the two girls walked off to the kitchen, they could hear El saying. “Come on, Mr. Wayne makes the best hot chocolate.”

Steve wasn’t fooled into thinking she didn’t care about what was happening at the lab, but the girl had a remarkable way of carrying on through the bad shit. Helping Max feel better would make her feel better too, and it seemed like both girls could use a friend so Steve didn't want to interfere.

He and Eddie made their way back to the couch and the girls, Eddie’s hand remained a steady presence on his back. He wasn’t sure if Chrissy noticed but Robin clearly did, and sent him a smirk to prove it.

“Looks like Red imprinted on you like a baby duck, Chris.” Eddie joked, though Steve knew he meant it.

“Yeah, I think she sees you as the person who saved her.” He added.

Chrissy frowned. “But, I didn't do anything. You…”

“You caught her.” Eddie interrupted. “You held her hand and told her it would be alright. She feels safe with you.”

“Oh, I don't know if I…” Chrissy trailed off.

“Listen, Chrissy, you don’t have to stay involved with this if you don’t want to. You’re a target, there's no changing that but we’ll do our best to shield you even if you want no part of this.” Steve bit at his lip, he couldn’t help offering her an out. They’d told everyone the truth to keep them safe but he knew how overwhelming it all must be. “I know what it is to get pulled into this stuff, to find yourself feeling responsible for someone you didn’t expect. It’s a lot.”

“No, I want to help. For the two of you, for Max and for myself.” Chrissy said, sitting up a little straighter in her seat. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. I do have to go home soon though, or my mom will worry and she can be a lot.”

“Same!” Robin said abruptly and a little too loud. “I mean, uh me too. About the staying involved thing. Also the home thing because gotta tell you- my dad? Craaaazy conspiracy theorist. He’s the one you can thank for me believing you about all this crap by the way. Unfortunately that also means I can’t just disappear or he’ll panic.”

As her ramble came to an end Robin’s cheeks reddened. Eddie was staring at her, in his defense he hadn’t yet been exposed to Robin's particular style of speaking yet since they’d ridden in separate cars before, but Steve didn’t think his attention was the reason for Robin’s sudden flush. Chrissy was smiling at her widely and leaning into her a little, amused by her speech and Robin was panicking.

She was saved by a knock on the door. Three sharp raps from god knew who. It was far too soon to be Hopper coming back, and they certainly weren’t expecting anyone. Eddie moved to answer and Steve followed, hiding behind the door so as not to be seen.

Eddie tried to open the door just a crack but the person on the other side forced it wide and suddenly Jason Carver stumbled inside screaming for Chrissy.

“Where’s Chrissy? I know you’ve got her here, Munson. Chrissy!” Jason shouted, any remaining words dying on his lips as he took in the odd gathering he’d just crashed. His eyes fell on his girlfriend first, well, ex-girlfriend now from what Chrissy had told Steve. He moved towards her but stopped, eyes growing wide as he spotted Billy all tied up, who’d started struggling again with renewed enthusiasm now that there was someone new in their midst.

He backed up, unfortunately bumping into Eddie in the process and he jumped, screaming again. Steve watched him take it all in, Robin, Wayne and the girls in the kitchen, and then finally Steve himself.

“Harrington?” He mumbled stumbling to the side. He took one last look at Chrissy and then he bolted. He was out the door and in his car before any of them could react. Steve still had Billy’s keys and so he ran out after him, but Jason’s car was tearing down the road before he’d gotten halfway to the Camaro.

“Don’t worry about it, son.” Wayne said as they regrouped.

“He’s gonna be a problem.” Eddie insisted.

“Not much he’ll be able to do in one night. Hopper will handle it. Go on and get those girls home so we can all get some sleep. We’ll figure it out in the morning.”

Steve had offered to stay behind and help Wayne keep an eye on Billy, as well as Max and El while Eddie drove the older girls home, but Wayne insisted they stick together.

Robin was dropped off first, they watched her stumble into the house half dazed after Chrissy had given her a hug goodbye. Steve caught Eddie’s eye and they shared a look, knowing they had both seen the same thing.

Chrissy was next, and In the back of Steve’s mind he knew they would have to pass right by his old house to take her home. They were neighbors. He just hadn’t thought about what it would be like to see the place again or how the sight of a for sale sign in the front yard would make him feel more abandoned than ever.

He didn’t say any of that out loud of course but he should have known that Eddie would sense something was up anyway.

Once Chrissy was safely inside, Eddie pulled away, turning in the opposite direction from the trailer park. Before Steve could form the words to ask what he was doing, Eddie was parking the van along the side yard of a house where the bushes were thick enough to hide the vehicle's presence from anyone who might be home.

Eddie turned in his seat, facing Steve. “It’s totally up to you, but do you want to go back to your old house? Just to see the place or maybe to get some of your old stuff?”

“Won’t someone see us?”

Eddie pointed out a path he couldn’t quite see and explained. “Through those trees and two backyards is the back of your place. I snuck in before, I can do it again.”

“Didn’t you get caught last time, sort of?”

“Technically, but I think Hopper is a little busy right now so we should be fine. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We can just go back, as long as you don’t mind borrowing my old sweatpants, ripped jeans, and worn out band tees.”

Steve ran his fingers absently over the faded Iron Maiden logo that was plastered across his chest. He was still wearing the clothes Eddie loaned him the night before.

“I think they look better on you, but kinda like wearing your clothes. I like that they smell like you.”

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and curled his fingers tightly around the steering wheel. “Steve, you can’t just say shit like that.” He groaned. “And you're wrong. You have no idea how good you look, what it does to me to see you in my clothes. I would have thought that was obvious with the way I embarrassed myself when you stepped out of the bathroom last night.”

“I thought you were looking at me like that because of how much of a mess I am.” Steve admitted, running a hand through his hair self-consciously.

Eddie took Steve's other hand and laced their fingers together, eyes full of sincerity as he said, “Sweetheart, I was looking at you like that because I had to physically stop myself from jumping over the counter to eat you.”

Sweetheart.

“Oh.” Steve breathed.

“Yeah.”

“I would have let you.”

Eddie grinned. “I think I’m starting to get that.”

Steve leaned in and Eddie met him in the middle, rubbing his thumb over the back of Steve's hand as their lips met. Steve melted into the kiss, he had been wanting to do this for hours but the two of them hadn’t really been alone since Eddie had left to pick the kids up from school. It was an effort to keep himself from climbing over the center console and straddling the other boy’s lap. He could have stayed there with their lips locked together for hours but as hidden as they might be it still wasn't a good idea for them to linger for too long.

Steve pulled back from the kiss reluctantly and let his forehead rest against Eddie's while he considered what he wanted to do.

“I think I want to go in.” He said, finally.

“Okay.” Eddie said, pressing a kiss to the back of Steve’s hand before letting it go.

As they snuck through trees and backyard shadows Eddie whispered to Steve all about how he had snuck into the abandoned Harrington house the first time by crawling through the laundry room window, shedding layers to fit through the small opening which was how Hopper had found him out.

When they finally made it to Steve’s backyard, Eddie headed right for the window again, not noticing that Steve had broken away and was no longer following him.

As much as Steve would get a kick out of watching Eddie pull himself up through the small opening, he recalled that when he was younger his mother used to keep a spare key to the back door hidden in a flower pot so that he could let himself in after school. Sure enough, the second pot he checked had a small rusty key sitting under it.

Steve smiled to himself and jogged over to where Eddie was. He’d already removed the screen and was starting to push at the glass. He stopped as Steve dangled the key in front of his face. “I thought maybe you’d prefer using a door this time so you don’t risk losing your vest again.”

“Where did you? …How?” Eddie sputtered.

“Did you even try to look for a hide-a-key the last time, Eds?” Steve said, laughing a little at the incredulous look on Eddie’s face.

It was downright eerie inside the house. Steve had been home alone a lot growing up and It had always been a little creepy and quiet. He was used to it. Sometimes he’d even play a little game with himself, a challenge where he’d see how long he could stand the silence before giving in and turning on the television or radio for company. What he wasn’t used to was the way his and Eddie’s footsteps echoed now in the empty space.

There was something about the lack of stuff, or maybe the sheets covering the few remaining pieces of furniture that made Steve want to crawl out of his skin.

“Is it all like this?” Steve asked.

Eddie hesitated for a beat but answered. “Pretty much, yeah. Except for your room. I…I don’t know why, but they left it all the way it was.”

“If they thought I was dead they probably just didn't care. Would have let whoever bought the place chuck it all out, or keep what they wanted.”

Eddie was quiet, likely not knowing what to say but began rubbing soothing circles into his back.

“It’s okay. I’m… I know I should be numb to it by now.”

“Hey, Stevie no. You’re allowed to feel however you want to feel.”

“Could you…” Steve trailed off, biting nervously on the inside of his cheek.

“What is it, what do you need?”

“I don’t want to see anymore, do you think you could just grab some of my clothes for me? There should be an old gym bag in my closet.”

“Of course.” Eddie said quickly, leaning in to kiss Steve on the cheek. “I'll be right back.”

Eddie was fast. He was back within 5 minutes carrying a small duffel bag that looked full to bursting. He took Steve’s hand and squeezed. Steve squeezed back as Eddie pulled him out the door.

“Come on.” Eddie said. “Let’s go home.”

When they got back Uncle Wayne was sitting on the couch, newspaper held up to his face reading, while a sullen looking and still tied up Billy was sitting on the other end looking half asleep.

“I tucked the girls into my bed for the night. They wanted to wait up for you two, but little Red was pretty tired so it wasn’t too hard to talk them into it. I’ll be alright out here, I assume you boys don’t mind sharing Ed’s room?” Wayne said with a pointed look.

“Yeah, that’s… we’re fine.” Eddie muttered, blushing. “What about him?” He asked, gesturing to their captive.

“We can’t keep him like this, and we don’t know how long Hopper is going to be or if he could even come up with an excuse to hold him.” Steve said.

“We already tried to reason with him once.” Eddie argued.

Steve hadn’t even realized that Wayne had left until suddenly the man returned, marching back into the room with a shotgun held loosely in his hands. The older man walked straight past them and over to Billy, shoving the barrel of the weapon right in his face.

“Okay boy, I hope you're listening because I'm only going to say this once. If you do or say anything that might remotely expose or endanger either of my boys or their friends, I will personally see you dead, do you hear me?”

Wayne paused, waiting for some signal from Billy that he was listening. He gave a small almost imperceptible nod. Wayne lowered the shotgun and harshly ripped the tape from Billy’s mouth. He winced but didn’t cry out although it had to have hurt.

“I ain't afraid of your piece a shit father either so don’t even think about getting him involved in this.”

Billy grit his teeth but nodded again, looking off in the direction of Wayne’s bedroom where they could all hear Max and Eleven still awake and giggling together.

“The girl stays.” Wayne said, interrupting before Billy could even ask. “In fact, consider that part of our agreement letting you leave here with your balls intact. You cover for that girl with your parents, make up whatever story you have to but she’s staying with us until this mess is over with. My boys are the only ones who can keep her safe now.”

Billy agreed to their terms and with no better options they cut off his bindings and let him go, though it pained Steve to return the keys to such a beautiful car.

It wasn’t as awkward as it probably should have been, climbing into bed with Eddie for the first time, each of them wearing nothing but boxers. It probably had something to do with how exhausted he was, the need for sleep overpowering any anxiety Steve would have felt in the situation under normal circumstances.

He still wanted to talk with Eddie about what they were doing. He was trying not to get too hung up on labels, and he knew in reality it had only been one day of them kissing, one day of them knowing that they liked each other, and there were so many bigger things to be worried about. But life was unpredictable, you could never truly know what was coming next or how much time you had. Wasn’t that the whole reason Steve had thrown himself at Eddie that morning in the first place? But now just didn’t seem to be the time. He didn’t want to risk popping their delicate bubble just yet.

They both layed down on their sides, the bed too small to allow for much else. With Steve facing Eddie's back and no more than a few inches separating them. Steve tried to just go to sleep but it felt wrong to be that close to Eddie and not be touching him. He slowly eased his arm around Eddie's waist and scooted closer letting his chest press up against the warmth of Eddie's back.

“Is this okay?” Steve whispered.

In response Eddie took hold of Steve's arm and pulled, wrapping it even tighter around himself as he leaned back into his hold. Suddenly Steve’s cock was pressed firmly against Eddie's ass and he began to grow hard almost immediately. He buried his face in the back of Eddie’s neck, embarrassed, and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down but it only made things worse. It was all he could do to keep from grinding against him.

“Sorry.” Steve whispered again and tried to back away.

Eddie chased right after him, turning so they could face each other and pulled Steve back into a tight embrace. With their fronts pressed so firmly together there was no hiding that he was hard too. Steve groaned and captured Eddie’s mouth with his own, their tongues finding each other quickly as the kiss became messy and desperate. Steve found himself whining into Eddie's mouth as the other boy slotted his thigh between his legs, providing pressure and friction in the place he was most desperate for it.

For a moment his entire world narrowed down to nothing but Eddie. The feel of his lips, the way his arms fell around Steve's body, the way they shared breath, It all felt so good.

Too good, actually.

Steve froze, afraid of ruining their good time before it had even begun.

Eddie stilled too, breaking their kiss. He brought a hand up to caress the side of Steve's face, pushing a few stray hairs out of the way as he looked deep into his eyes.

“Do you want to stop?”.

“No.” Steve admitted, softly. “It’s just that I’m… a little out of practice.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I…” Eddie trailed off.

Steve nuzzled into Eddie's touch and closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was about to admit this out loud, but he had to say it. “No, I…Eddie, I haven't even touched myself in two years.”

“What?”

“The lab…there were cameras everywhere, even in my room. I mean, the shower was private I think but…”

“You didn’t feel comfortable.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, so how about this. Why don’t you just lay back and let me take care of you.” Eddie’s hand disappeared from his face and began to slide down his chest leaving behind a trail of tingling skin.

Steve made a noise low in his throat “Eddie, I…”

“I promise I'll be gentle.” Eddie teased.

“That’s not what I'm worried about.” Steve gasped as Eddie’s hand moved lower, thumb pressing into the dip of his hip.

“And what are you worried about?”

“That I'm gonna cum the second you touch me.”

“I think that would be pretty fucking hot.”

Steve whined again and Eddie leaned in, kissing a wet line up Steve’s neck and taking his earlobe between his teeth.

“Can I touch you?” Eddie asked, his hot breath in Steve’s ear making his whole body break out into goosebumps.

“Yes.” Steve breathed.

Eddie pulled his leg out from between Steve’s and gently urged him onto his back. He ran teasing fingers up and down each of Steve’s thighs, getting closer and closer to his groin with each pass.

Finally, finally, Eddie dipped his hand into the waistband of Steve's borrowed underwear and wrapped his hand around his leaking cock. The simple touch drove Steve wild, his entire body growing impossibly hot with desire. Eddie stroked him slowly, it was dry save for the small amount of precum he was dripping, and a little bit clumsy, as though Eddie was as nervous and unsure as he was, but none of that made it any less earth shattering.

Tears streamed out of Steve's eyes as he bucked his hips, thrusting up into Eddie’s grip. He was overwhelmed and so close already.

“It’s okay baby, just let go. I've got you.” Eddie soothed as he kissed the tears away and continued to pump Steve's length.

He came with a soft cry and stars bursting along the edges of his vision. He surged up to crash his lips into Eddie’s, wanting to taste his mouth again as he worked him through his release.

Steve barely gave himself a moment to recover before attempting to return the favor. If he was honest he couldn’t wait to get his hands on Eddie for the first time. He hadn’t been with another guy before, not having discovered himself until he was locked away, but he knew what he liked and he thought it wouldn't be too hard to translate that to touching someone else.

He tried to reach for Eddie and found the other boy scooting away.

“You don’t have to…” Eddie started.

Steve was confused for a moment, almost hurt, until Eddie sighed and explained.

“I, um, came when you did.”

He sounded embarrassed, which was crazy to Steve. “That’s..”

“Sad?” Eddie said.

Steve couldn’t help it, he rolled himself half on top of Eddie, uncaring that they were both a bit wet and sticky and all but jammed his tongue down Eddie's throat.

He eventually broke the kiss, both of them panting. “That’s so hot, just like you said. That’s really fucking hot, Eds.”

“Oh.”

Eddie shimmied himself out of his boxers and helped Steve out of his own, both wanting to get them off before the mess could dry further. They didn’t bother putting anything else on, what was the point when it felt so good to be skin to skin. They continued to make out as they settled back under the covers, but It wasn’t long before long their kisses turned lazy, the day catching up with them as well as the afterglow.

Steve was almost asleep when the worry started to creep back into the back of his mind, and he couldn’t help thinking out loud. “Do you think the kids and everyone will be okay?”

Eddie, who had his arms wrapped around Steve, tightened his grip and dropped a kiss to Steve's temple as he replied.

“Yeah, they know what we’re up against. Red’s got El with her, and her headphones. Chrissy promised us she’d get hers on too as soon as got inside. The boys will take care of eachother, and they have Nancy and Jonathan too. Lucas lives right next to the Wheelers so he can sneak over there if he’s afraid to be alone. They’ll be alright.”

There was still plenty that could go wrong, Steve knew, but for tonight he let himself believe that everything would be okay.

Chapter 11

Thank you @penny00dreadful 💜

58 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 2 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 14

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12 Ch 13 ao3 link

*Eddie*

It was eerie walking through the burnt out remains of Hawkins lab. It would have been a surreal thing either way, but it was worse now that he was remembering.

Ever since he’d worked with El earlier that day, more and more had been coming back to him in bits and pieces—flashes of growing up trapped inside white walls, his early childhood wasted in the cold unfeeling hands of Dr. Brenner and his colleagues.

He made his way quickly to the building’s basement, slipping into the Upside Down through a newly reopened crack in the wall. It looked almost exactly as he had always pictured it—a cold, barren, and slightly alien landscape. A dark mockery of the town he’d come to know as home.

He walked on, choosing his direction based on instinct alone, trusting himself that he knew the way to the Creel house even if he’d never actually been there. He just had a gut feeling and let himself follow it. If he was going to do this, if he had any hope at all of getting Steve out of this situation alive, he’d have to trust himself—all of himself.

Chittering growls in the distance made Eddie freeze in place, trying to discern where they were coming from and make sure they weren’t headed his way. Just as suddenly, he also heard the soft footsteps of something coming up rapidly behind him, too light to be a demogorgon or even a demodog, but still concerning.

Before he could even manage to turn and check on the something, it ran right into his back with a quiet, “oof.”

He whirled around with his hands up ready to fight, only to come face to face with a wide-eyed and startled Eleven.

“What are you doing here?!” He hissed.

“What are you doing here?”

“El!”

“Eddie!”

The growling intensified, seeming much closer and in greater numbers than before. The sound sent shivers down Eddie’s spine.

“Okay maybe we shouldn’t be yelling.” He whispered, and took her by the hand, pulling her along at a jog in the direction he’d been going. They didn’t slow down or stop until he was sure they’d lost the unseen pack of predators.

“I should really be making you go back. Everyone’s going to be worried when they find out you’re gone.” He said when it was safe—safer.

“And they will not be worried about you?” She argued.

He shook his head, sputtering. It wasn’t the same thing at all!

She was…

And he…

“I’m an adult!”

“You need me,” she said, tearing herself out of his grip and putting both hands on her hips, in startling similarity to her adoptive big brother.

“El, you’re just a kid! Steve wouldn’t want you putting yourself in danger like this.”

She quirked a brow and raised both hands palms-out at a nearby fallen tree trunk that was at least as big around as she was tall. It lifted into the air seemingly of its own accord, though Eddie knew better, and was flung clean across the road to the other side.

“I am strong. We can get Steve out and fight Henry, together.”

She made a hell of a point, though he still didn’t like it. If anything happened to her he’d never be able to forgive himself.

“Fine.” He said between clenched teeth and motioned to the street ahead.

“He would not like you being in danger either, Eddie.” She said softly, slipping her hand back into his as they resumed their journey.

“I know.”

When the Creel House finally came into view Eddie was still struggling to come up with any sort of plan, and as they approached the front door with its cracked and filthy stained glass window, resigned himself to playing it by ear.

He was almost certain they no longer had the element of surprise on their side, having realized along the way that there was very little chance Henry didn’t already know they were coming. The way there had been far too easy to traverse, almost as if he were letting them in. Eddie couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

Still, they took care in avoiding the intricate web of vines that ran up and down the staircase on their way to the top floor of the house. No need to make things easier for their enemy if they actually had somehow flown in under the radar.

Eddie pushed the attic door open as quietly as he could and tiptoed inside, El following closely behind. The first thing he saw was Steve, strung up in a corner across the room by his arms and legs with the same tendrils that had littered the stairs, that seemed to be scattered all over this hell dimension.

His body was disturbingly limp, head lolled to one side, eyes closed, and Eddie hoped with everything he had that he was just unconscious.

Without taking so much as a second to glance around the rest of the space, Eddie rushed towards the place where Steve hung, only to find himself unable to move—his feet becoming glued to the floor about halfway there. Out of habit he looked down first, expecting to find one of those snake-like things holding him back, or or even some substance sticking him there, but there was nothing to see.

Eddie swiveled his head around and finally he saw him. Vecna—Henry, hovering with the aid of his own set of tentacle-like vines that seemed to grow out of his back, in the middle of the space in front of a large boarded-up window. He had a single long-clawed hand held in the air aimed in Eddie’s direction.

Eleven stepped out in front of Eddie, mirroring Henry’s stance and using her own power, somehow distracting him enough to sever the connection.

As soon as he was free from his invisible bonds, Eddie ran to Steve’s side, hands flying to his neck to check for a pulse. He sagged in relief as he felt a strong steady beat against his fingers, and briefly rested his forehead against Steve's chest, feeling its shallow rise and fall with each wheezing breath.

“I’m here, sweetheart. We’re gonna get you out, don't worry.” He whispered into the fabric of Steve’s shirt and pressed a kiss through it right over his heart.

“The same way you got Eleven out when you were both small children?” Henry quipped, having somehow overheard him. His voice was deep and gravelly, more a growl, like the creatures who served him, than actual human speech.

Eddie breathed Steve in, committing the feel and smell of him to memory one last time before turning to face the monster of a man that might in fact be his biological father, putting himself between his past and his present.

“Let him go.” Eddie demanded.

“And why would I do that, Eddie?” Henry asked, drawing his name out as if to mock the very idea of it, an expression of distaste pinching his disfigured face.

“Because, if you let him go… I'll stay.”

“We.” Eleven said firmly, stepping up to stand next to him—adding herself to the human shield standing between her brother and Henry. “We will stay, but only if you agree to let Steve go and leave the rest of our friends alone.”

“Is that what you think I want?”

“Isn’t that what this has all been about?” Eddie blurted out. “Sure, you wanted to get back at Eleven for sending you here, at me for abandoning you, but you wanted us by your side once and now you’ve taken the one thing that guaranteed we would come to you.”

“You think I took him to draw you out?” Henry threw his head back with a deep rumbling laugh, as he was slowly lowered to the floor. “I took him to hurt you, to hurt both of you. You serving yourselves up for me like this is merely a bonus.”

With a casual flick of his wrists, Henry sent both of them skidding across the floor until their backs smacked into the wall. More of Henry’s never ending supply of sentient vines began to coil themselves around Eddie's legs, starting at his ankles and snaking upwards until he was too entangled to move. Another set had taken hold of his wrists, pinning them out at his sides. Eddie struggled in their hold, trying to get any part of him free, to try and fight back, but it was no use. His bindings only grew tighter and tighter.

All he could do was turn his head and watch as the same happened to Eleven right beside him. She cried out, but the sound was cut off abruptly as a final slimy tendril wrapped around her throat. Her eyes went wide, tears streaming down her face as she was slowly choked into unconsciousness.

Henry must have been sandbagging before. He’d let El free Eddie from his hold, it was the only explanation. The power he’d just displayed was far beyond what he had shown when they first entered the attic.

But why?

Just to fuck with them? Just to make them think they had a chance? What did these mind games do for him—what did it prove?

Maybe he just enjoyed tormenting them.

Eddie screamed El’s name as her small body went limp and soon found his own head being wrenched back. His heart beat frantically as he was pinned in place against the wall by another tentacle sliding across his forehead and a final one around his throat, constricting his airway.

“It didn’t have to be this way.” Henry said quietly to himself, almost sounding regretful.

Eddie wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, tried to make his mouth form the words but could only open and close his lips like a fish struggling out of water. Before long, black spots began to dance over his vision, and Eddie could do nothing but glare at his would-be father as the darkness slowly overtook him, vowing to himself that if he ever woke up again he would see him dead. One way or another.

Miraculously, he did wake again.

Slowly, at first—small bits of sensory information flooding his consciousness. The feel of the hard floor beneath his cheek, the chill of the air that surrounded him, its stale and musty smell, the taste of ash sitting on the back of his tongue.

His head was pounding, but he was alive.

He took silent stock of his body, finding that, apart from the pain in his head and a bit of rawness around his neck, he was mostly unharmed. He was also no longer tied up.

Finally, he opened his eyes and sat up. Henry was still there back up in his high position, but he was in a trance, or at least he seemed to be. Though Eddie wouldn't put it past him to be putting on a show again. He looked next to him, half expecting, half hoping to find Eleven to be sprawled out similarly free, but she was gone.

He looked around in a panic, scrambling to his feet when he saw she was now hung over in the corner with Steve as if on some kind of gruesome art display made special for him. He ran to check on her. The ties that bound her were looser now, merely holding her up in place just like her brother. She was paler than ever but her pulse was strong.

She was alive.

He didn't understand why Henry hadn’t killed them when he had the chance, unless he’d been bluffing when he said drawing them out wasn’t his goal—unless he wanted something from them. Frankly, Eddie didn't care what his motivations were, he was sick and fucking tired of all of it. Henry’s mind games, his own fear, and doubt, and guilt. He had to find some way to end this.

“Ah, you are awake, good.” Henry said, drawing Eddie’s attention back to the rest of the room.

“What do you want? Why are you doing this?” Eddie asked. Less for an answer and more to buy some time for him to think, and for El to wake up. He couldn't do this alone, he knew that now.

“If you would only stop and think about it logically for a minute, you would see that I am not the evil villain you think I am. I’m the reason you were able to free yourself from that place, after all. Without me you would still be living under Papa’s thumb.”

It was true, in a roundabout way, but Eddie wasn’t fooled. “Then why don’t you just let us go and leave us alone if you’re not the bad guy in this story?”

“Humans are a unique type of pest, don’t you think?” Henry continued conversationally, as if they were discussing current events, or the weather. “Multiplying and poisoning our world all while enforcing a deeply unnatural structure of their own creation, as if it were some kind of improvement over the natural way of things. Some call it order, I call it a straitjacket. A cruel, oppressive world built on a foundation of made-up rules. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades. Each life a shadow, a lesser version of the one before. Wake up, eat, work, sleep, reproduce, and die. Everyone is just waiting for it all to be over. All while performing in a silly, terrible play, day after day. I didn’t want that for myself, nor did I want it for you. We can make our own rules, and restore balance to this broken world. Burn it down only so that we may save it, together.”

Together—together—together.

The word echoed in Eddie's mind like the ringing of a bell. Evoking thoughts of Wayne, Claudia, and Dustin—the boys. His friends, his family. Even Hopper, who he’d never liked but had unflinchingly had his back since the day he’d heard about the scared little boy who’d escaped from Hawkins lab.

A flash of white behind Eddie’s eyes, and he saw him, Hop. There were others with him too. Wayne for sure, marching along right next to him. The others were fuzzy though he thought he got a glimpse of Chrissy’s ponytail. They were all walking down an abandoned strip of road, ash falling lightly around them. He saw it all in a split second before the vision fell away.

“Son, Five, Eddie—you are capable of more than you could possibly imagine. You can see things, yes, past, present, future; but if you wanted, like me you could reach into others minds, explore their memories. With practice and my help you could influence their very thoughts, their feelings. You must see how this ability could be used for good? To control that which comes after, in our new world. To make sure it never comes to this again.”

Eddie feared for a moment that Henry would know what he’d seen. He knew the man was able to reach inside and root around in people’s brains, but no reaction came. He wondered if his own abilities served to block his father out. He would still have learned much through Steve’s mind and others, but to his relief it seemed as though he couldn't read Eddie himself.

He couldn't be sure exactly when the vision had found him from. In the now? In the future? He chose to believe it was in the present and if he could only stall Henry long enough, help would arrive. He hummed, crossing his arms over his chest and doing his best to look interested, if suspicious, hoping it would prompt Henry to continue.

“But first you must disabuse yourself of this idea that all human lives are precious. They are nothing but a source of power now. With each life I took back then I became stronger, more powerful. You and me? We are the only ones that matter. I had hoped for a time that Eleven could be like us, but she doesn’t have the constitution for it.”

Henry sighed, and there was that suggestion of regret again, as if he had truly cared about El at one point. Eddie didn’t buy it.

“When Papa finally realized he could not control me, he tried to recreate me. He began a program. Its subjects were powerful but none came close to having my abilities, the ones Papa was so desperate to wield. He came up with a new…experiment, and nine months later you were born.”

“You are better than they are.” Henry said, pointing a claw at his two captives. “Superior. For the first time in your life you could be truly free. Imagine what we could do together. We could reshape the world, remake it how we see fit. End them. Cut your ties to this pretend life you’ve been leading, and join me.”

And Eddie couldn't help it. He shook his head and began to clap slowly.

“For someone who claims not to be a villain it was one hell of a monologue, I'll give you that. I guess I can see where I get my storytelling abilities from. But, uh, I do have to ask—what the fuck is wrong with you? And where in that twisted, rotted-out brain of yours did you get the idea that I would ever, ever, go for that?”

“We are family.”

Family—family—family.

Another flash and he could see them, his real family, approaching and opening the front door of the Creel house. Inwardly, he could have cried in relief.

Outwardly, he scoffed.

“You’re not my family. Wayne, the only father I’ve ever known, he’s my family. Claudia and Dustin, and the boys, they are my family.”

He began to take short slow steps towards where Steve and El hung, which happened to be the furthest point from the attic door, keeping Henry’s eyes on him and away from where the others would hopefully be entering any minute.

Eddie gestured to El as he spoke. “She may have been lost to me for a while but Eleven is my little sister. And Steve…” He trailed off, smiling sadly to himself as he pictured his boyfriends face the last time he’d seen him awake—smiling, and warm.

“You said I was better than them, superior? But that’s where you’re wrong. There is no one better than Steve Harrington. He cares about people. He took in a girl he knew nothing about for no reason except it was the right thing to do. He loves with his whole soul, never expecting anything in return. That is greatness, that is power. And I would rather die right now than spend one day without him, or her, or anyone else I care about, in your new world order.”

Eddie stuck his hand into his pocket, trying to be casual about it, palming the small pocket knife concealed there before pulling the hand back out. For what good the small blade would do him.

“So, no, daddy dearest. I will not be joining you. I am nothing like you, and I never will be, even if we do happen to share DNA. You are nothing more to me than a monster who needs to be put down.”

Henry snarled, thrusting his clawed hand out once more, the unseen force sending Eddie falling backwards, landing on the floor hard. It stunned him for a moment, knocking the wind out of him as well as the knife from his hand. Before he could recover he was snatched up by the ankle, dragged across the room nearly to Henry’s disgusting feet, and then hoisted up to be dangled upside down in front of him, their faces inches apart.

Something small but heavy fell from his breast pocket to land with a metallic clink on the wood beneath him. He glanced down, barely registering the sight of his old Zippo lying there that he’d completely forgotten he had on him, before a gunshot rang out.

It was loud in the small space, or maybe that was because the bullet had whizzed right past his head to graze Henry in the shoulder. His body jerked with the blow and Eddie was dropped instantly.

He was dazed from the fall and the fact that he’d lost all hearing in his right ear, replaced by a high-pitched ringing sound. Hands grabbed him under the armpits from behind, at the same time someone, Robin he realized distantly, appeared in front of him, first scooping up his fallen lighter and then taking hold of his legs, helping to carry him back and away from the firefight.

More shots rang out and Eddie spun his head around just in time to see Hopper getting another shot off while Wayne reloaded, both of them brandishing matching hunting rifles.

When they finally came to a stop, Robin started fussing over him, as did Chrissy—who was, apparently, the person who’d gripped him up from behind. But he waved them off, slapping their hands away and shouting at them that he was fine and to check on Steve and El. They looked like they wanted to argue, but one glance at the two others hanging limp in the corner was enough to convince them to go.

“The lighter!” He yelled to Robin. “Everything down here hates fire, use the lighter to release them.”

Trusting the girls to that task, Eddie turned his attention back to the fight, watching Wayne step up to take his own shot while Hopper re-loaded. He also noticed for the first time that Nancy and Jonathan were there too, though they were stuck in the doorway, barred entrance by more of the vines. They must not have made it through before Henry realized he was being ambushed.

Jonathan hacked at the tendrils with an ax, while Nancy went at them with a can of Aqua Net and a lighter. Improvised flamethrower, color him impressed.

Eddie took a few deep breaths, sweeping the ground with his eyes for any sign of his dropped pocket knife, the only weapon he’d brought into this place with him.

His search was interrupted by the sound of both men’s rifles clattering to the floor, one after the other. Eddie’s head shot up and he had the perfect view of Wayne and Hopper both being lifted off the ground as if by invisible strings. The men’s bodies grew stiff as their heads were forced back and blood began to seep from their eyes and ears. It was the classic Vecna attack and he had no idea how to stop it.

Henry locked eyes with Eddie through the space between the two floating men and did his best approximation of a smile with his lipless mouth. Eddie jumped to his feet on shaking legs and limped towards them.

“Stop this!” He shouted, and it was the strangest thing—like his voice reverberated off the walls and back to him.

Henry looked shaken for a split second, but the emotion was gone as quickly as it had come. He made a show of considering his two captives before striking out with one of his hands, and sent Hopper’s body flying across the attic. He hit a wall and slid down, landing in an unmoving heap at the bottom of it.

Wayne began to make a gurgling noise, his eyes bulging, blood pouring out of them in increasing amounts.

“Mr. Wayne! No!” El shouted, running straight at Henry with both hands raised. Eddie didn’t know when she’d woken up but he was so fucking grateful for it. She screamed wordlessly, blood already trickling from one side of her nose from the effort.

Wayne fell instantly, released as Henry was forced to focus all of his energy on holding Eleven back.

It was like a juggling act. Henry could only keep so many balls in the air at once for so long, and that number seemed to be dwindling as he got tired. There were so many of them, and only one of him, it should have meant they had the upper hand finally, but nothing they did ever affected him for long.

Eddie lunged for Wayne, throwing himself down at the man's side while he sputtered and gasped for air.

“Hey, Asshole.”

Nancy, who had taken up one of the fallen rifles, shouldered the weapon, aimed, and fired—landing a perfect shot directly in the middle of Henry’s forehead.

El was freed from his psychic grip as Henry rocked back from the force of the bullet, but somehow he didn’t go down.

And Eddie? He’d had enough.

Why didn't he go down? Was he the fucking Terminator or something?!

Eddie was exhausted, frustrated, feeling all but hopeless as he’d watched his people get hurt again and again.

How dare Henry be stronger than all of them combined!

How was that fair?

They were outmatched.

He felt worthless, his powers no help to them in a fight like this.

Unless…

He thought back to that small room, the day when he’d been trapped together with Brenner for hours as a little boy. How he’d tried and tried but it was never enough, and he’d gotten so angry, and overwhelmed, and frustrated, and it had built and built until finally he’d just burst with it—slammed his small fist down on that table and sent all of Papa's papers flying.

Eddie felt similarly now, it had been building up in his blood since the moment he’d woken to find Steve gone, a rage simmering in his veins, flowing through his body like an electric current—all of it meeting at his center, coiling, getting tighter and tighter until he had no choice but to snap.

He screamed his fury, releasing it from his body as he pounded both of his fists down into the hard wooden floor.

Eddie was no longer a child, and though his power was wild and untried, it was fierce. He’d had enough sense to try and control the blast at the last minute, sending most of it forward rather than out in all directions. His own people staggered in place but those on their feet had managed to retain that footing.

Henry, on the other hand, had been knocked flat on his ass and Eddie was determined to keep him there. He threw a hand out using it to help focus what power he could still feel hovering just there outside of his body, concentrating on using it to keep Henry pinned to his spot on the floor.

Eddie stood, staggering closer to his target and felt a presence fall into step next to him. It was Eleven, adding her power to his as she held her own hand out to help lock their enemy in place.

His hand shook, his arm ached, and blood ran in thick hot rivulets from his nose down his chin, but he would not stop. He refused to falter when they finally had Henry on the hook.

Nancy stepped into sight on the other side of Henry’s splayed form, reloading the rifle she still held in her hands and aiming it down at her target. Jonathan joined her wielding a gas can Eddie hadn’t noticed before, something they must have carried in with them all the way from the cabin, and began splashing it all over Henry’s body, soaking him in the accelerant.

Jonathan dropped the gas can, and pulled out the lighter Nancy had been using earlier from his pocket. He tried several times to light it but it just wouldn’t catch.

Before anyone even asked, Robin appeared at Eddie’s elbow brandishing his own shiny silver Zippo. With one hand she flicked the lid up and struck the little wheel. The flame sparked to life instantly and she tossed it right down into the middle of Henry’s chest, setting his whole body alight in a millisecond.

Robin smiled, her face shining in the bright light of the fire.

“Flambé.”

Chapter 15

Thanks forever to @penny00dreadful for being the best friend, cheerleader, and beta in the whole fucking world💜

#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #steddie fic #fanfic #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #steve and el sibling supremacy #good uncle wayne

30 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 4 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 12

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 ao3 link

CW: Smut/NSFW

*Steve*

“What about Billy?” Steve asked once everyone took a seat on the cabin’s front porch.

It had taken a few minutes to calm Chrissy down and convince her that they didn't blame her for the trouble Jason had caused. Eddie kept assuring her that it was all okay, and of course she wasn’t responsible for anything her douchebag of an ex said or did, but it wasn't until Robin stepped in and pulled the other girl into a hug that she stopped crying.

Even now the two of them were sat together cross-legged on the porch floor, knees brushing, holding hands. Steve would have liked to do the same with Eddie, knowing they could both use a little comfort and reassurance too, but that sort of casual intimacy just wasn’t done between male friends, and while Wayne knew about them, no one else did yet. So he held himself back from reaching out while other eyes were on them.

He and Eddie really needed to have a conversation about that at some point. Preferably sooner than later.

Steve resolved to bring it up the next time they were alone. He was itching to tell Eleven about them. Robin too. His friendship with her might be brand new but if their barely coded conversation in the car was any indication, he was sure that she would not only be cool about it, but happy for them.

Hell, if he was totally honest he wanted everyone to know, would shout it from the rooftops if he could. He knew It was a crazy thing to think, but everything else that was happening aside? He had never been so happy. Eddie made him happy, and he wanted the world, or at least their little pocket of it, to know. He could only hope his new boyfriend felt the same.

“I think Carver was hoping he would press charges,” Hopper began. “But Hargrove refused to corroborate the story. I don’t know what you boys said, but you must have scared the shit out of him. He wouldn’t answer any questions, just kept repeating that he’d been home all night and didn’t know what Jason was talking about.”

Steve choked back a laugh and fought not to look at Wayne, who was sharing a pleased grin with his cup of coffee, and he was pretty sure Eddie was doing the same. They both knew it wasn’t due to their efforts that Billy had kept his mouth shut.

“Then these two showed up raising hell at the police station ready to defend you-” The chief continued, pointing at Eddie. “-to the death and give statements that Jason was making it all up.”

“What did you expect us to do?!” Robin yelled.

“The whole school was talking about it! We had to take action.” Chrissy added.

Hopper groaned, raking a hand over his face. Steve felt for the man, truly. He had to be exhausted. “Not that it even matters if Carver keeps up his crusade, but statements equal paper trail and I don’t think I have to remind you that this evil wizard or whatever the fuck he is isn’t the only enemy we have.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, the girls a bit sheepishly, but the chief was right. Fire or not, the lab and whatever shadowy sector of the government was in charge of it, was as looming a threat as Vecna.

“Ah shit, the whole school? Do the kids know what’s going on?” Eddie asked, shooting Steve a worried glance.

“You’re all kids.” Hopper muttered, mostly to himself, and sighed. “Claudia knows about this place, and I called her too when I realized how bad this could get. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all- “

As if on cue, Hopper's sentence was interrupted by the sound of leaves crunching under the wheels of a car, as a station wagon pulled in to park beside his SUV.

“-Showed up here at some point.”

Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Mike all clambered out of the car the second it stopped moving. Each one with a backpack over their shoulder and a sleeping bag tucked under their arm. They rushed through the trees, pushing and shoving each other as if in a race to be first to reach the house.

Lucas won, an unsurprising turn of events considering he was the only one of them who played a sport, and threw himself down next to Max and El who were giggling at the whole display.

Dustin was a close second, hitting the bottom step just behind his friend. What he lacked in physical fitness he made up for in passion. He and the other two younger boys took up posts against the railing across from Eddie and Steve.

“What’s with the sleeping bags?” Eddie asked, though the answer was obvious.

Dustin rolled his eyes. “Look I know you're on the lam now and everything, but it’s literally been less than 12 hours and you’ve already lost track of the days? It’s Friday!”

“So?”

“So, we’re sleeping over! We have the whole weekend to come up with a plan to defeat Vecna and discredit Jason Carver so you can come home.” Dustin declared.

Eddie stilled, and Steve felt his own heart drop. He didn’t know how much hope Eddie was clinging to, but based on his reaction he had at least partially come to realize what Steve had known from the second Wayne told them they had to go.

There was no coming home. They would never be able to set foot in the Munson trailer again.

Now that Steve knew about Jason giving him away, he was even more sure of that fact. It would take nothing for what remained of Hawins lab to connect Steve and El to Eddie and put the full picture together. They were past the point of no return now. No matter what happened with Vecna, if they survived, Steve, El, Eddie, and even Wayne would probably have to run and hide for the rest of their lives.

Steve couldn’t help reaching out then, smoothing a hand along Eddie’s back. He hoped no one noticed, or that if they did Eddie wouldn't mind. He just couldn’t not offer what little comfort he had to give in that moment.

There was no reason to burden the kids with those harsh truths though, not yet anyway. There would be time for that later.

“That sounds great Dustin, thanks. I'm glad you guys are here.” Steve said, saving Eddie from having to respond, and he leaned into Steve’s touch as if to say thanks.

Claudia made her way up about a minute later, hefting a grocery bag brimming with snacks that she dumped into Wayne’s lap on arrival.

“Right.” She said, a little out of breath. “They’re your problem now, Wayne. I’ll be back to help out in the morning.”

Eddie’s uncle took it in stride. He was probably used to hosting the group of teenagers, at least occasionally.

“Where are you going? Do you think it’s a good idea for you to be home alone right now?” Hopper asked her.

“Oh, I'll be fine Jim.” She said, waving him off. “I'm certainly not spending the night here. Also there's some sort of emergency meeting at the school tonight for the parents. Considering that it’s almost certainly about our boys, I think it’s best if I attend so we can see what people are saying about all this.”

Hopper huffed. “I didn’t hear anything on the radio about a meeting.”

“Be hard to when it's not on you.” She said, nodding down to the spot where it should have been attached to him.

“Shit.” He said, patting himself down. “I better get back before this whole thing spirals even further out of control.”

The chief jumped up out of his chair ready to take off but Steve was right there, getting up from his own spot to grab the man’s arm.

“Wait! What about the fire?” Steve asked. He couldn't let it go. He’d been patient so far because they had more pressing concerns, but he needed to know.

“Honestly, kid, it’s probably not what you want to hear but there's not much to tell. There was no one standing around outside according to the first responders on the scene. The place was mostly deserted before the fire started, apart from a few cars in the parking lot. The building’s a charred mess. They had a hard time putting the flames out, blamed it on whatever chemicals that must have been in the labs acting as accelerants. No one’s been allowed to search inside yet for potential survivors or victims. At first because the fire department deemed it unsafe, then come morning a government agency, whose name I was informed is classified, showed up and said they’d be taking it from there.” Hopper shook his head. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground for any sign of your Doctor Owens, but if he was in there… “

“He’s probably dead.” Steve finished the sentence for him.

“I’m sorry, Steve.’ He said, and it sounded like he meant it. “I’ll go check in at the station and then come back so we can figure out our next move.”

“Have you slept, Jim?” Wayne asked.

“It’s overrated.”

“Go home. Check on Joyce, get some rest, and come back in the morning.” Wayne said, and surprisingly, Hopper agreed.

He and Claudia said their goodbyes and left. The woman offered to give Robin and Chrissy a ride home but the two girls had decided to join in on the massive sleepover.

“The more the merrier I guess.” Wayne said gruffly, but it was clear that he didn't actually mind.

It had grown dark and a little chilly out as they talked so everyone piled inside and the negotiations for later sleeping arrangements began. Wayne split off to the kitchen, and Eddie, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since the boys arrived, quickly joined the fray, letting the kids know in no uncertain terms that the couch was Wayne’s and both beds were spoken for. Really they were just battling over floor space at that point.

It was loud and chaotic, and Steve took the opportunity to slip away from the group and retreat to the comparative quiet of his and Eddie's room, pressing fingers to his temples to try and relieve the pressure that had been building behind his eyes all day. He should have known a certain someone would notice his absence right away.

“You okay?” Eddie asked, opening the door just enough to stick his head inside.

“Yeah, just a headache.” He replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I saw a pretty impressive first aid kit in the bathroom. I bet there’s some sort of pain killers in there. I’ll be right back.” Eddie said, ducking out only to return a minute later with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. He shut the door behind him and shook a few of the pills out into Steve’s waiting hand.

“Thanks” He said, downing both the medicine and the water in one go.

“You don’t think… Eddie began hesitantly after a beat of silence, and it took Steve a moment to realize what the other boy was getting at.

“Oh! No, definitely not.” He said, shaking his head. He pulled Eddie down by the hand to sit beside him. “This is normal, for me at least. I get headaches all the time. It’s nothing. Besides, doesn’t Vecna usually go after people that are like- ” He paused, trying to think of the right way to say it. “Sad and depressed and stuff? People with real problems.”

“Steve, you were held prisoner for two years.”

Eddie had a point.

The past few years of his life had been mostly miserable save for a few stolen moments of happiness with his chosen sister. Even now that they had escaped, they still weren’t safe. They were being hunted by a legion of evil scientists and a man turned interdimensional monster with an axe to grind against an innocent girl who’d only done what she had to do to defend herself.

He shrugged it off, smiling despite it all as he wrapped his arms around Eddie’s neck, suddenly realizing they were alone, and he could do that. “Yeah, and now I'm here, and I have my sister, and you.”

Eddie’s hands found his waist like they were always meant to be there. “No need to get cute, Harrington. We’re already dating.”

Steve pouted. “But I'm always cute.”

Eddie laughed quietly. “You can say that again.” He whispered, pulling Steve into a deep lingering kiss.

Steve exited the bedroom about an hour later when Eddie softly knocked to say that everyone was eating dinner. The other boy had convinced him to lay down until his head was feeling better. He was glad for it now, to be able to stand in the middle of things without pain while the teens loudly talked and argued over each other. They seemed to agree that Eddie was their secret weapon, or could be if he could remember what his powers were and learn to tap into them.

“I think I could help you with your memories. If you’d want that.” El said, bringing the conversation to a crashing halt.

Everyone was quiet, waiting for Eddie to respond, and Steve had a bad feeling.

“I, um… I don’t, uh know if I- ” Eddie stammered.

“It’s not just about the powers either, it could help in a lot of ways!” Dustin chimed in, blissfully unaware of his cousin’s discomfort. “I mean, El remembers Henry from before and you’re older than she is. Maybe you know something she doesn’t. We need some kind of leg up here, and we can’t just assume that this Vecna is exactly the same as the one from the campaign. Who knows if he has the same powers, or less, or more. We’re fumbling in the dark here, and- ow! ”

Max elbowed him hard in the ribs, effectively cutting him off.

Eddie's head was down, eyes screwed closed and he was breathing too fast. Steve threw a look at Robin, a silent plea to keep everyone busy and away while he helped Eddie through whatever he was feeling. He slid an arm around the other boy’s shoulder, guiding him to the kitchen and sat him down in one of the chairs while he knelt in front of it.

Steve took both of Eddie’s trembling hands in his, and whispered to him softly. “Come on baby, you gotta breathe nice and slow for me, okay? Can you do that?”

Eddie kept his eyes closed but nodded slightly and tried to control his breathing. Steve ran his thumbs across Eddie's knuckles as they took deep even breaths together. It didn’t take long, just a minute or two and Eddie’s pulse slowed, but he still wouldn’t look up.

“Eds, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. If you decide you want to recover your memories one day, I fully support that, but you should do it for yourself, because you want to. I don’t want to see you forced into it when you’re not ready.”

Eddie shook his head. “I don’t know why the idea of remembering scares me so much, but what if Dustin’s right? What if I… “

Steve squeezed his hands. “It's not worth it if this is what it's going to do to you, and there's no guarantee that it would help anyway. We have a little time. The music is working so far, and he hasn’t taken any other victims yet. We’ll figure something else out.”

Eddie finally looked up to meet his eyes, and smiled softly. “Thank you.”

It was decided unanimously that that was the end of strategy discussion for the night, and when Eddie escaped to the bathroom to shower no one stopped him or said anything about what had just happened.

Steve helped the girls get set up in their room, digging extra blankets out of a closet and arranging them on the floor to make it a little more comfortable. Max and El invited Robin and Chrissy to crash on their floor so they wouldn’t have to deal with the boys. Robin kept trying to catch his eye. He knew she wanted to talk, to ask if he was okay but she accepted the little shake of his head without complaint.

He tucked El in even though Max was there, and she really was too old for it these days, though she didn’t seem to mind. It almost felt like old times.

By the time he was done Eddie was out of the shower, and he gratefully took his own turn in the bathroom getting clean. When he emerged, Wayne was sound asleep on the couch surrounded by the whispering voices of the younger boys on the floor around him, zipped into their sleeping bags. It was quite a sight, Steve wished he had a camera.

Going to bed together was awkward in a way that it hadn’t been the night before. Maybe because they weren’t as bone tired, or maybe because they had actually established themselves as a couple now and neither of them knew what to expect.

Whatever the reason, Steve didn't like the tension in the air when he’d come in from his own shower, but he thought he knew how to fix it.

He made sure the door was shut and locked before crossing the room to stand in front of Eddie.

They were alone again and Steve took full advantage of it, taking Eddie’s face between his hands and kissing him deeply while he pressed their bodies as close together as their pajamas would allow. Eddie tilted his head, melting into the kiss. He opened for Steve immediately inviting his tongue to lick in and explore.

Eddie gripped his shoulders and Steve's hands wound their way into hisdamp hair as the kiss turned desperate. Finally he was forced to pull back or risk passing out from lack of oxygen. Eddie whined and tried to follow, but Steve, remembering that there was a gaggle of teenagers in the next room, chuckled and slapped a hand over Eddie's mouth.

Eddie’s eyes widened and Steve brought his lips close to his ear. “If we’re going to do this we’ll have to be quiet. Do you think you can be quiet for me?”

He felt as well as heard Eddie swallow hard. He was breathing heavily through his nose, eyes dark and pupils blown. He nodded, chest heaving. Steve slowly removed his hand from Eddie's mouth and kept his voice at a whisper.

“Will you let me take care of you tonight?”

“Yes.” Eddie breathed.

Steve crashed their lips together again as he walked Eddie back towards the bed, sitting him down on the edge of it. Eddie looked up at him questioningly but sucked in a sharp breath as Steve knelt in front of him, realizing what he intended to do.

Steve looked down at the floor, confidence faltering a bit under the weight of nerves. “I want to… I mean, can I… ”

He must have looked even more unsure than he felt because Eddie reached down to caress his cheek and tilted his head up to look at him. “Hey, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

It was exactly what he’d said to Eddie earlier in the kitchen, and it made him smile, instantly more relaxed.

“It’s not that, trust me. I really, really want to do this. I've just never gone down on a guy before and I guess I'm afraid it won’t be good for you.”

Eddie quirked a brow. “Virgin, remember? I’ve never gotten a blowjob job before and I gotta be honest with you, just the idea of you putting your mouth on me has me about to cum in my pants, so I don't think there's any chance that it won’t be mind blowing.”

Steve leaned up, pressing another kiss to Eddie’s mouth as he slid his fingers into the other boy’s sweatpants and started to work them down his thighs. Eddie was right, just the idea of what he was about to do had him hard and straining in his own pants, and he had to palm himself when Eddie’s cock finally came free. It was bigger than he expected, a little red and leaking at the tip.

He started slow, darting his tongue out to lick circles around the head before taking just a few inches into his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was gag himself and throw up by accident. No matter what Eddie said, that would be decidedly unsexy. He bobbed his head a little, using his hand to work the remaining length the way he’d had girls do on him before.

“Oh my god.” Eddie moaned, just a little too loud, and threw his own hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds that followed.

It was all a little intoxicating, to be surrounded by Eddie’s scent, the warmth of his thighs so close to Steve’s cheeks, the weight of him on his tongue, the taste.

He loved it.

“Close.” Eddie whispered through his fingers before clamping his mouth shut again.

Steve already knew he wasn’t going to pull off, not a chance. He wanted the full experience, not just for Eddie but for himself. He wanted to know what it felt like to have his boyfriend spill on his tongue.

He tested out hollowing his cheeks and bobbed his head a little faster. Eddie’s breath quickened and his hips jerked, cock pulsing between Steve's lips. His mouth was flooded with warm slightly bitter fluid and he moaned around Eddie’s length as he swallowed reflexively, so incredibly turned on that one touch and he’d be coming too.

Eddie hauled him up into his lap, kissing him thoroughly, either not caring or not minding that he could taste himself on Steve's mouth. Without breaking the kiss he slid a hand into Steve’s pants, stroked him a few times, and that was all it took to have Steve seeing stars again.

Once they’d come back down to earth, and Eddie had cleaned him up with one of their bath towels, they snuggled down into bed together under the covers. Steve sighed contentedly, wrapped up in Eddie's arms was quickly becoming his favorite place to be.

“Do you think we could ever… tell people about us?” He asked softly, face pressed into the crook of Eddie’s neck.

“Is that something you want?”

Steve nodded, running his hand up Eddie’s arm. “I’d like to be able to tell El, and Robin. If you’d be alright with it.”

“Yeah I think that would be okay.” Eddie said, squeezing him a little tighter. Steve couldn’t see his face, but he could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m pretty sure Dustin already suspects, and I think I’d like Chrissy to know, if that’s okay.”

Steve sat up a little, beaming. “Yes, of course. Eddie. I… “ He stopped short, afraid he was asking for too much too soon.

“What?”

“I don't want to push you, if you’re not comfortable, but I don’t want to have to hide. Not here with our friends and family. If you would want to, I’d be okay with everyone knowing.”

“Oh. That's, um- ” Eddie hesitated.

Steve tried not to look disappointed. “Too much?”

“No, not at all.” Eddie said quickly. “It’s just, that’s a lot of people to come out to all at once, but I think I want that too. I don’t want to have to hide how I feel about you. I want to hold your hand, and sit too close, and have you call me baby and whatever other names you want without feeling like you have to whisper.”

“Yeah?” Steve said, happy tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Yeah, fuck it. We’ll tell them all tomorrow.”

“You think everyone will be okay with us?”

“I hope so, and if someone isn’t, then at least we’ll know.”

Steve woke with a gasp only a few hours later. Eddie was shaking him and shouting his name with an edge of hysteria to his voice that made it clear that something was very, very wrong.

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, taking in the other boy’s wide, panic stricken eyes.

“El’s gone. She’s not in her bed or anywhere else in the cabin.”

Steve tried to remain calm even as his heart began to race at a frantic speed. Maybe she’d just gone outside to get some air, or it could even be something as silly as her being in the bathroom, and they had somehow missed each other along the way. A fairly unlikely scenario given the size of their hideout, but he wasn’t willing to jump to worst case scenarios just yet.

He slipped out of bed, thankful that he and Eddie had slept in pajamas tonight. It saved him the time of having to find and put on pants in a tired haze. He opened their bedroom door quietly expecting to be faced with a room full of sleeping bodies, but the living area was empty.

“Wait, where is everyone?” Steve asked.

“They must already be out looking for her. Come on, we should hurry up and join them.”

Eddie was ahead of him now, holding the front door of the cabin open, waiting for him.

He felt like he’d missed a step somewhere.

Steve shook his head, trying to clear the sleep from his mind. He needed to get it together and find his sister.

He nodded to Eddie wordlessly and made a beeline for the door of the cabin. He flew down the steps and into the trees. It was dark out there in the middle of the woods, but he could see several beams of light in the distance from what he assumed were the other’s flashlights. He should have grabbed one himself, he realized, but he wouldn’t have even known where to look for it anyway. The moon was full, so he could at least see a little and it's not as if she would have gone far.

“Over here!”

He heard Dustin call out to his right and raced toward the sound of the younger boy's voice, trusting that Eddie would be right behind him. He ran as fast as he could but it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, the light of the younger boy’s flashlight was always just out of reach.

He glanced back to check on Eddie, knowing that his boyfriend wasn’t exactly an athlete, and skidded to a halt when he realized wasn’t there.

Steve turned a circle twice, squinting into the dark, but Eddie was nowhere to be found.

In the process of looking he lost track of Dustin’s light, or any sense of where he was in these god-forsaken woods. He was never going to find Eleven at this rate. Even if he did, he had no idea which direction would take them back to the cabin.

How had he gotten lost so fast, and what happened to Eddie? He was sure the other boy had been right behind him, he’d heard his footsteps.

Hadn’t he?

He needed to find one of the others, and fast.

“Dustin!” Steve shouted out for the last member of the party he’d seen, or heard anyway. Figuring he’d be the closest by and most likely to hear him.

“Dustin!” He tried again.

“Eddie!” He was getting desperate.

“Where did they all go?” He muttered to himself, worried and frustrated.

“Steve! This way!”

That was definitely Eddie’s voice, he’d know it anywhere. He sounded nearby too.

Steve sped in the direction the sound had come from until a figure with extremely short hair stepped out from behind one of the wide trunks and took off at a sprint.

El, it had to be El.

He adjusted course and ran after her, screaming her name until he was out of breath. She never turned around or even looked back. Why couldn’t she hear him? She must be terrified.

Suddenly he burst through the tree line and came face to face with a familiar stretch of chain link fence. It was the exact spot they had escaped through only days ago. He had no idea what would have made El come here of all places, but he wasn’t about to turn back now.

He pushed through the opening in the fence just as the sound of a heavy metal door creaking open reached his ears. He rushed to the exit door, assuming it was the source of the noise and luckily managed to catch it before it fell closed and locked itself. She must have used her powers to open it.

He called El’s name over and over as he searched the building, realizing far too late that something didn’t add up about all this. He’d wandered the familiar halls and even gone down into the lower levels of the lab searching for any trace of her, completely forgetting that there had been a fire here last night.

Yet there was no damage.

No burnt walls or signs of smoke. Hopper had said the place was a mess, surely it would take weeks if not months of cleaning and repairs to get it looking this good again. Steve's blood ran cold.

It could mean one of two things. Either he had never really woken up and was still in bed dreaming, or this was all an illusion.

At that realization, the quality of the light around him changed, taking on a sinister red hue, while the air that he was pulling into his lungs became thick and stale.

There was only one person, if you could call him that, that he knew of with the ability to create such convincing visions. The type of thing that could perhaps lure someone out of bed, trick them into leaving the safety of their friends and loved ones, and end up in the last place they’d ever want to go alone.

Vecna.

The crisp white walls of Hawkins lab fell away, leaving Steve in a place he did not recognize but had quite recently read an awful lot about. Particles fell from the sky like volcanic ash and crimson lightning flashed in the distance. Thick vines criss-crossed over the ground around him, seeming to come from everywhere at once. He had never seen the Upside Down with his own eyes before but he knew without a doubt that somehow that was exactly where he was.

Before he could get his bearings and figure out where in the alternate Hawkins he was, several of the vines came to life at once. Two of them wrapped around his ankles, pushing him off balance and sending him sprawling to the ground. Another set gripped him at his wrists, tugging them to either side, and a final tendril snaked its way firmly around his neck, pinning him to the dirt.

He thrashed and struggled to no avail as the hold on his throat became tighter and tighter. A shadow fell over him as his vision began to dim, and a pair of disfigured legs with the appearance of raw meat came walking into view. Steve’s gaze rose up the figure above him and he took in the disgusting sight in the distant way of someone who was about to lose consciousness. He was even uglier in person than Eddie's description painted him.

Vecna crouched, scratching over his face with a single long claw.

“Hello, Steven.”

Chapter 13

Thanks forever to @penny00dreadful for being the best friend, cheerleader, and beta in the whole fucking world💜

#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve and el sibling supremacy #good uncle wayne #chrissy cunningham #robin buckley #max mayfield #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #ao3 #steddie fic #steve x eddie

34 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 2 months

Note

For WIP Wednesday, I'd love to see more of "Life is a game" 💜

yes! thank you for this, we are at the FINAL chapter and I haven't touched this one since the previous chapter went up almost two weeks ago. 💜

The steady beeping of a heart monitor was the first sign Steve had that he was still alive. He came around painfully slow, the sharp scent of disinfectant driving the point home of where he was. Someone gasped. “He is waking up.” That sounded like... his sister. It sounded like Eleven and Steve tried desperately to open his eyes, strained to lift his head but it was as if every part of him was made of lead. “I told you he would.” Eddie! Oh Eddie. The two people he loved most in the world were right fucking there and he couldn't even manage to open his eyes. But what were they doing here? What happened? The last thing he remembered were slimy tendrils winding around his limbs, vines holding him down—squeezing. Vecna, looming over him. Steve’s heart began to race, the sound of the monitor broadcasting his panic to the room as its once even rhythm grew faster and more erratic.

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

#wip snippet #steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #steve and el sibling supremacy #stranger things #steve x eddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steddie fic

22 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 8 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 8

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 ao3 link

*Steve*

As soon as Steve set foot back into the trailer, Eleven launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her instinctively, feeling the way her body shook subtly under his grip.

Shit.

He hadn’t thought about how it would feel for her to watch him walk right out of the house after Eddie, leaving her behind with total strangers after everything they’d been through. He suspected her reaction wasn’t only about him either. Eddie meant something to her, even if he didn’t remember, and she had been so little when they’d last been together. It didn’t change the fact that she had found this person again who she’d thought was dead for so long, and then he ran away.

“I’m so sorry, El. I didn’t even think. I just wanted to make sure he was okay.”

She shook her head as best she could, while remaining tightly pressed to his chest. “It’s okay. I’m glad you went after him. He needed you. I just got scared.”

Steve’s eyes flitted to the kitchen where Chief Hopper now sat sipping coffee with Claudia, the man having arrived while he and Eddie were outside. He was sure that the sudden appearance of a cop had spooked El too.

Steve pulled back a little from their hug so he could look her in the eye. “Still, I'm sorry. I’ll always come back to you, no matter what happens, I promise. We’re going to be okay. We’ll keep each other safe, and we’ll keep Eddie safe too.”

“How?”

“I haven't quite figured that part out yet, kiddo, but I believe in us.”

El cracked a weak smile. “Me too.”

He walked with her back over to join Dustin on the couch. The poor kid couldn’t stop staring at her, as if he couldn’t believe she was real.

Which was fair.

Dustin was also practically vibrating with the need to ask questions, but when he did finally speak, it was only out of concern for his cousin.

“Is Eddie going to be ok?” He asked.

“Yea, buddy, He’ll be okay. It’s just a lot.” Steve said, trying his best to sound reassuring. He wasn’t sure he knew Eddie well enough to make that kind of assumption, but he did know for his own part, that he would do everything he could to make it true.

Dustin nodded like he understood. “Thank you for helping him. I know how Eddie looks, and how he can come off sometimes, but he’s a lot more sensitive than people give him credit for.”

They all looked up as Eddie and his uncle reentered the trailer. Steve met Eddie's gaze for a moment over the short distance of the room. His eyes were a little bloodshot, as if he’d been crying again, and Steve wished that they could let it all be, at least for the day.

He wanted to give Eddie a break to try to process everything that had happened so far before piling on, but Hopper was there now for whatever reason, and there was still so much that they needed to talk about. Not to mention the ever looming threat of another attack on El from One.

Eddie glared at Hopper for a moment before addressing his Uncle. “You wanna tell me what he’s doing here?”

Wayne let out a long suffering sigh. “Jim’s known about you since the beginning, son. He helped to hide you and supplied us with the paperwork and whatever else we needed to sell our story and get you enrolled in school.”

It was apparent that knowing all that didn’t change Eddie's feelings towards the man at all. He scowled as Hopper approached. Steve got the sense that there was history between the two of them, and clearly not all of it good.

“I know you’ve never trusted me, kid.” Hopper began. “And I'm sure that’s worse now because I tried to stop you from looking for Harrington here, but you have to know now that it was all for your own good. We couldn’t risk the wrong people noticing what you were up to and accidentally putting the pieces together.”

What?

Steve’s heart started to pound as he stared at the side of Eddie’s face. “You looked for me?”

“Oh yeah, he broke into your old house to investigate and everything” Wayne supplied with a wink, nudging his nephew’s shoulder.

Eddie’s cheeks turned red.

“Wayne!” He hissed, finally turning his head to look at Steve with a sheepish smile. All he could do was stare back in amazement, because Eddie had been looking for him. This sweet guy, who barely knew him, had cared enough to not only wonder what had happened, but actively tried to find out. It did occur to Steve that it might not mean anything, and could have had more to do with El and the latent powers Eddie likely had that they were yet to really speak on, but for now he chose to believe that maybe it could mean something.

Eddie’s smile fell abruptly as he gave his attention back to Hopper. ”Wait, why would looking for him have put me in danger?”

The answer came to Steve in an instant, and he couldn’t stop from blurting it out at the chief. “You knew I was at the lab.”

Hopper squeezed his eyes shut and slowly nodded, guilt coming off of him in waves. “I didn’t know right away, it was a few weeks before I put the pieces together. Ultimately it was the security footage from that diner you went to that confirmed it for me. As you can imagine, after Eddie came along I did a little digging into Hawkins Lab to try and figure out what was going on there. I didn’t get very far before I was asked by an old military contact to drop it. Actually, I was told to mind my own fucking business, or else, but I did learn a thing or two along the way about the man in charge, Dr. Brenner. I recognized him on that tape, and when I saw you two leave with him, I figured I had my answer.”

Eddie’s eyes grew dark as he got up in Hopper’s face. “You son of a bitch! You knew he was there all this time and you didn’t do anything about it?!” What kind of cop are you?!”

Without hesitation, Steve stepped between them, lightly placing his hands on the other boy’s shoulders.

“Eddie, stop. It’s okay. He couldn’t have gotten me out of there anyway. Not without getting himself killed. You don’t know what it’s like in that place. I’m glad you don’t remember. Part of me hopes you never remember because you deserve so much better than having grown up in that hell hole. I wouldn’t have wanted him to risk exposing you, they have to know you’re out there somewhere. I know it’s been years but these people don’t give up that easily.”

Eddie’s eyes had gone soft again as Steve spoke, but he didn’t say anything. Steve wondered briefly if he had overstepped. He didn't think so, but it was hard to tell what Eddie was thinking.

“I’m sorry, Steve.” Hopper said, drawing their attention again. “More sorry than I can say. How’d you manage to get out?”

Steve gave them all a quick but detailed description of their escape, ending with running into Eddie at Skull Rock. He hesitated to mention the attack on El, not ready to get into that quite yet. He wanted to hear more about Eddie’s dreams, and this game he and the kids had been playing first. He had a feeling that Vecna, as Eddie had called him, was Henry/One, but he couldn’t be sure so he brushed past it, saying that something had gone wrong in the lab that day. El looked at him questioningly but said nothing, and neither Eddie or Wayne brought up that none of it explained why she’d been covered in blood.

“That’s amazing!” Dustin exclaimed when it was all done. He turned to Eddie. “And you just happened to be there at Skull Rock, what are the odds! What were you doing there anyway?”

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know really, your dumb list probably put the idea in my head.”

“No, it’s gotta have something to do with your powers.”

Eddie stiffened, but tried to play it off. “Who said anything about powers?”

Dustin continued, oblivious to Eddie’s discomfort. “Well, it’s like our game, right? El can move stuff with her mind.” He said, waving a hand in the girl’s direction.

“What game?” Hopper asked, though his question went ignored.

“Yes.” El answered, raising her palm towards the coffee table and the several very breakable mugs that sat on its surface. Steve quickly reached out to push her arm down. “You don’t have to demonstrate sweetie.” He said.

Dustin glared at Steve, betrayed at being denied the opportunity to see Eleven in action, before returning to his argument with Eddie. “How else would you have known about El and the lab? Boom! Powers.”

The kid wasn’t wrong, but his tone left something to be desired.

“Don’t get cocky.” Eddie muttered. “It’s probably just subconscious memories or some shit.”

Steve caught Eddie’s eye and they shared a look. They both knew it wasn’t memories, but he wouldn’t push if Eddie wasn’t ready to deal with it yet.

This kid, however, was stubborn and had no such misgivings.

“No, that doesn’t make sense. You knew about El’s escape in ‘83! That didn’t happen until way after mom…” Dustin trailed off.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas.

“Oh. My. God. Are the demogorgons real too? And demodogs? Is the whole Upside-Down real?!” His face went through a complicated series of emotions, caught for a split second between glee at the idea that the world was suddenly far more magical than he realized, and horror, because, monsters.

“Demo-whats?” Hopper asked.

Dustin flapped a hand dismissively in his direction. “The monsters from our game.”

“WHAT GAME?!” Hopper bellowed.

The room fell quiet, finally giving the Chief the attention he wanted following his outburst.

It was Eddie who broke the silence, taking the lead to explain. “There’s a game that the boys and I play, we, uh, well, it’s hard to explain. To make a very long story short, some of the things I thought I made up for the game are apparently... real.”

Hopper looked skeptical. “Like what?”

“Eleven, for starters.” Eddie began. “The whole thing about the lab and her escaping? That was in there. It’s like..” He paused to think, and made a waffling motion with his hand. “We blended fantasy and reality, right? So we each play a version of ourselves, and all the other non-player characters are modeled after other people.”

Eddie’s eyes flicked to Steve right before he covered his face with his hands.

“God, this is so embarrassing. If I ever thought I’d have to explain any of this to other people…”

Steve couldn't bear to see Eddie spiraling again, so he tried to be supportive. “How bad could it be?”

Eddie raised his eyebrows and Steve almost laughed at himself. It had been a morning full of bad things and big revelations, so maybe that hadn’t been the smartest thing to say. Still, he needed to know.

“It could be important, who knows what else you picked up on that might turn out to be true or real?”

“I have notes for every part of the campaign so far but...” Eddie chewed nervously on his bottom lip.

“But?” Steve prompted.

Eddie blew out a long breath. “Fuck, I guess theres no way around this. You’re all in it.”

“Including you, Steve. You're one of the main characters besides the boys and El. You have been pretty much since the beginning. I’m sorry, I know that’s weird.”

It probably shouldn't have been such a surprise, what with everything else that had gone on so far, but Steve was shocked. A warmth blossomed in his chest at the idea.

“Don’t be sorry. That’s really cool.” Steve assured him.

Eddie’s mouth dropped open.

“Wait, really?”

Steve shuffled his feet, hoping that it didn’t show on his face just how pleased he was to know that Eddie had spent a significant part of the past two years thinking about and creating something that involved him.

“Yeah, it’s sort of flattering actually.”

Eddie grinned shyly and Steve couldn’t look away.

Wayne loudly cleared his throat. “As sweet as this is to watch, boys, maybe you should go get those notes you were talking about, Ed.”

Eddie’s face went beet red, and he stomped off down the hall without a word. He returned quickly, with a noticeable blush still coloring his cheeks. He walked straight past Hopper, who was looking at him expectantly, and handed the short stack of notebooks to Steve before plopping down on the couch, trying not to look at anyone.

Claudia got up abruptly, gathering her purse as she spoke. “Come on Dusty, we have to get going if you're going to make it to school on time.” The woman had been quiet for so long, Steve almost forgot she was there.

“Mom, are you crazy?” Dustin shouted. “We just found out that monsters are real. There's no way I'm going to school today!”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Hopper beat her to the punch.

“Oh yes you are. I don’t know anything about this monster stuff, but I do know a thing or two about the very real threat to all of us that is Hawkins lab. The best thing everyone can do for now to protect this whole... situation, is to go on about your lives as normal as possible, and do not draw attention to yourselves.” The last part was aimed at Eddie who pretended to ignore them all, suddenly fascinated with the hem of his own t-shirt.

Dustin floundered. “Does Eddie have to go to school?”

“Absolutely not.” Eddie said, finally looking up to glare at his cousin.

Hopper looked like he was going to protest that too, but then thought better of it and shrugged. “Eddie skips class enough that not attending school is just as normal as if he were to go.”

“Is that true, boy?” Wayne huffed.

“Unbelievable.” Eddie mumbled before getting up to open the door and usher everyone who wasn’t staying outside. “Okay Hop, well thanks for stopping by, don’t you have a job to get to - CHIEF?!”

Dustin begrudgingly agreed to leave with promises that he’d be back right after school to continue talking about this, and followed Hopper outside to the cars. Claudia hesitated in the doorway, smiling up at Eddie with shining eyes.

“I have never for one second regretted getting you out of that place and bringing you home. It’s the best thing I've ever done, right up there with having my little Dusty. You bring light into all of our lives and I'm so proud to call you family. I love you, honey.” She pinched his cheek and left.

Steve hung back, feeling like an intruder on the private moment happening so close by, but he couldn’t help listening. He was just so in awe of these people, of this unconventional family brought together by sheer chance, who’d protected a little boy no questions asked and loved each other so fiercely.

Wayne yawned loudly. “Okay, kids, I'm gonna head to bed now before I keel over.”

“You’re not going to give me shit about skipping school?” Eddie asked.

“If you really think that’s the first I've heard of it then you’re thicker than I thought. I wasn’t born yesterday, I know what you get up to. I’m just happy that you stopped selling drugs before I was forced to knock some sense into you.”

Eddie balked. “You knew?!”

Wayne cackled as he turned the corner towards his bedroom.

“I would like to go back to bed too.” El said.

“You can take my bed again.” Eddie offered.

She looked at the two of them in turn. “Will you come with me? I don’t want to be alone.”

It was unthinkable to say no to her, so the three of them piled into Eddie's room. Eleven settled down on the bed and was out like a light almost immediately. At Eddie's insistence, Steve took the desk chair and readied himself for the task ahead, while the other boy paced and puttered around the room.

He wasn’t sure how long it took, but Steve read straight through all four notebooks without taking so much as a single break. It was riveting, the story that Eddie and his friends had weaved. He had already known a few of the parallels he was likely to find between his lived experience and the saga laid out before him, but it was so much more than he ever could have imagined.

His heart broke all over again as he read about the three young boys finding Eleven in the woods, the same way he himself had done. He could remember with perfect clarity the fear that had shone in her eyes that first night, and how quickly he had come to the decision to take care of her as best he could, no matter the consequences.

He noted the similarities between Eleven destroying the demogorgon at the school and thus saving the day in the big climax to the first part, and what he knew of her defeating the creature at the lab when they’d first been captured. It probably didn’t matter now, but he wondered if she really had gotten stuck in that other world for a while, and if that was part of why he hadn’t seen her for so long. She had never said, only told him she had needed a lot of rest afterwards.

The second book came with more than one surprise. His own character, or ‘Game Steve’ as he was calling his doppelganger on the page, had gotten roped into helping Dustin search for an escaped creature that turned out to be a demodog. After a nail-biting confrontation in the junkyard with a small pack of the four-legged monsters, Game Steve cemented himself as the party’s babysitter and fierce protector.

Steve was floored. He knew it was mostly make-believe, but still couldn’t believe anyone saw him like that, and he found his vision blurring more than once as he continued.

He was intrigued by the reveal of Eleven, and how she had been off finding one of her escaped siblings and fellow numbers. He thought Eddie might have been trying to tell himself something with that little side-quest.

They had already touched on the big battle with the demodogs in the basement of Hawkins lab while El closed the gate, and spoke a little about how it went down in both the real and fictional worlds. The scars on Steve’s back burned with the memory, and he allowed himself to skim that part, not wishing to fully relive the horror of that night when it wasn’t necessary.

He started to take some notes of his own when it came to notebooks three and four. He had too many thoughts and questions to keep it all straight and things only got worse with the growing dread in his stomach as he neared the final pages.

There was no stopping the tears that fell in fat droplets to land on the back cover of the final black and white composition notebook when Steve was finished. His breath hitched as he finally lifted his gaze to look at Eddie, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, for the first time in what felt like hours.

“Steve?” Eddie stood, hovering over him with concern.

Steve didn't know where to start. He needed to tell Eddie about Henry, about Vecna. That he was real, that it was all too real, how he was now terrified at the possibility that Eddie had predicted his own death. But Steve couldn’t form the words. Not yet. His throat was tight with pain and panic.

When he didn’t respond, Eddie knelt down on the floor in front of him, bringing them eye to eye as he reached out a cautious hand. He gently wiped the wetness from Steve’s face with a brush of his thumb. Steve couldn’t help sinking into the touch, too far gone to care what it might imply.

During all of those long and lonely nights at the lab, Steve had started to suspect some things about himself. He realized, beginning with that first time when he told stories of old school days to keep El company in her coma-like state, that any time he spoke about the past, he never failed to find a way to bring up Eddie.

They hadn’t been friends, though Steve would have liked to be. They were from two completely different circles of people, only speaking on occasion, when chance or fate served to put them in a room together, or set them on the same path down the halls, however briefly. Though he hadn’t realized their meaning at the time, Steve came to cherish those memories, their short but friendly interactions, and the flutter he would feel in his stomach whenever he was fortunate enough to lay eyes on the other boy.

Steve knew what it was now, and that crush had only grown exponentially in the past 24 hours as he learned about what sort of person Eddie was.

Everything he had just read served as a stark reminder that you never know how much time you have left with someone, or when the next disaster is going to strike. So, while this was most definitely not the right moment by any rational person’s estimation, Steve gave in to the urge to lean forward, crossing the short distance between them, and joined his mouth to Eddie’s in a soft kiss.

After the all-to-brief touch of lips, Eddie pulled back with a sharp intake of breath, his hand still resting on the side of Steve's face. They stared into each other's eyes from inches away and Steve’s heart hammered inside his chest as he fought hard not to panic. Eddie searched his face, and he longed to know what the other boy was looking for so he could show it to him.

Steve swallowed hard, watching as Eddie’s eyes flicked down to track the bobbing of his throat. A soft whine came spilling out of Eddie’s mouth a split second before he crashed back into Steve. He smiled into the kiss and pulled Eddie up into his lap. He licked along the seam of Eddie's lips, asking permission, and was immediately granted entrance. Eddie opened wide for him and Steve let out a low moan, reveling in the feel of their tongues sliding against each other.

Eleven rolled over and let out a loud snore from where she still rested on the bed, and they sprang apart, both remembering suddenly that they weren’t entirely alone.

Steve covered his mouth to stifle the giggle that he couldn’t stop from coming, and was relieved to see Eddie's eyes sparkling with the same amusement. He quickly took Steve’s hand and pulled him to his feet. The pair tiptoed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind them.

They only made it two steps away from the room before Eddie had him pinned to the wall, overwhelming his senses with lips and tongue. He bit and sucked at Steve's lower lip until his knees went weak and they finally pulled apart, panting.

As they both caught their breaths, Eddie ran his fingers through Steve's hair and said, “Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?”

Steve frowned, paling as he recalled the reason he was so willing to throw caution to the wind. He slid down the wall to sit on the floor, pulling his knees to his chest to fit in the narrow hall. Eddie sat down next to him, close but not touching.

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood. We don’t have to talk about it, it’s...”

Steve reached over and took Eddie's hand, raising it to his lips to brush a light kiss over the back of it. He couldn’t let Eddie get the wrong idea, not for a second.

“I really like you.” Steve said.

Eddie’s eyes went wide. “Oh.” He breathed. “Well, In case it was unclear, the feeling is mutual.”

“I’m glad.” Steve said, giving Eddie’s hand a squeeze. “But, as much as I would love to spend the afternoon doing more of that, I need to tell you about...”

“Vecna?” Eddie guessed.

Steve dipped his head in a solemn nod. He wasn’t surprised that Eddie had figured it out, he was smart, despite what his history at school would reflect, and he paid attention.

“Among other things.” Steve said. “You had it right, about the hive mind. Everything from that place, the upside down, is connected. The possession? The way it controlled that guy in the third story? That happened to me. Owens got it out by blasting me with heat. You got that part right too, all of their strengths and weaknesses are as you said. I don’t know if the bats exist. I haven't even seen the other world for myself, but I'd be willing to bet they’re real.”

“And Vecna, is he..?”

“Alive? Yes. His name really is Henry and he was the first number, One. I don’t know his backstory to tell you if you got that right or not, but he is responsible for the deaths of the other kids. I was thinking about that. The day El fought with him and sent him into that other dimension, it has to be the same day that you escaped. The alarm would have been going off, just like Claudia said, and everyone would have been too distracted to see you slip away.”

Eddie jerked his hand back, leaning as far away from Steve as he could and wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered.

“What could you possibly have to apologize for?”

“Don't you get it, Steve? That means I left her there. I ran, and I let her fight that monster all alone. I mean, I always suspected I was a coward but here's the cold hard proof.”

“No. Don’t do that to yourself.” Steve pleaded. “You were just a kid, and we don’t know what the circumstances were. All that matters now, is that you both made it, you survived. If you had stayed behind, who knows what would have happened.”

Eddie clenched his jaw, clearly still upset with himself, but trying. “What else?”

“Brenner let Eleven think she killed Henry, she felt horribly guilty about it for so long. I figured it out a few months ago, that they suspected he was still alive and that they were using El to find him. I told her what I thought, we figured it would be easy for her to avoid him now that she knew what she was looking for but..”

“He found her. That’s what really happened yesterday.” Eddie finished for him.

“Yes. How’d you know?”

“The blood, the way it looked like it had been dripping out of her eyes. It’s exactly how I pictured it.” Eddie’s eyes glazed over a little as he spoke.

“You said the most recent campaign, the notes in that fourth book, that was all you, right?” Steve asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’m worried about how much hasn’t happened yet, and what parts might be real.”

Eddie hesitated.“...Shit, I hadn’t really thought about it like that.”

“Henry just made his first attack, there's no reason to assume it’s his last.”

“What do we do?”

Steve sighed, tilting his head back to thunk softly against the wall. “I think we need to bring them all in, everyone from your campaign who was affected by the Upside-Down. Especially Vecna’s victim’s. I think we should tell them. If it starts happening for real, it’s the only way we’ll have a chance to protect them. It’s up to you though, Eddie. You’d be exposed.”

“So would you and El.” Eddie pointed out.

Steve already knew what his sister would say. “I know.”

Eddie picked at a loose thread on the carpet, thinking. Finally he nodded to himself and looked at Steve. “I can’t let anyone die knowing I could have stopped it. I’m in.”

Together they formed a loose plan. Eddie would pick the boys up from school, they would be the easiest to convince and he might be able to gather Nancy and Jonathan on the way. Chrissy too if he could catch her on her way to cheerleading practice. They’d start there, and get the rest of the group, assuming they believed them, to help to bring the others into the fold.

They sat there in the hallway for a long time, with Steve resting his head on Eddie's shoulder as they talked. Steve didn’t want to think about the lab, and instead told Eddie about the few months he and El had shared at his old house. He could feel himself smiling like an idiot at the fond memories. Eddie shared more about Dustin, and the boys, about school and his fears that he was going to fail and have to repeat senior year again.

Eddie snaked an arm around Steve’s back, holding him close, and he found himself nodding off as they settled into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Eddie was forced to wake him, when it was almost time for him to drive to the school.

Steve yawned and stretched, rolling his neck from side to side. He might be stiff from sleeping that way, but waking up in Eddie’s arms was something he thought he’d pay any price for.

“Hopper’s not going to like this.” Steve pointed out as he walked with Eddie through to the living room.

“I know!” Eddie grinned. “All the more reason to do it.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but returned the smile anyway. “What should I tell your uncle if he wakes up?”

Eddie shrugged. “Just tell him and I ran to the store for smokes or something. I won’t be long.”

Steve blinked at him. He didn’t like the idea of lying to the man who was currently putting a roof over his head.

“Don’t look at me like that, Harrington. If you tell him the truth, he’ll call Hopper, and like you said he’ll hate our plan. In this case I think we’re better off asking forgiveness than permission.”

He couldn’t really argue that, so Steve just nodded.

There was a moment of awkwardness at the door, neither boy ready to part yet, even temporarily, and not knowing how to say goodbye. Steve wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly they were hugging. Eddie placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth, and then he was gone.

Chapter 9

Special thanks to @penny00dreadful for all your help once again! 😘

@steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @sofadofax @5ammi90 @meccaminayah @bestwifehaver @eddie-munsons-lunchbox @soaringornithopter @buckleybarnes @adaed5

as always, let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tags! 💜

#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #life is a game #meddling uncle wayne #steve and el sibling supremacy

55 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 10 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 3

Ch 1 Ch 2 ao3 link

*Eddie - 1986*

Eddie wasn’t dumb enough to break into a house in Hawkin’s wealthiest neighborhood in broad daylight, so he came back later that night once it was fully dark. Steve’s house backed up to the woods, so he parked a few streets over, where his beat up van would be a little less conspicuous, and snuck through tree-lined backyards until he reached the Harrington place.

He came alone. The kids would be mad when he told them about this, if he ever told them about this, but he wouldn't risk any of them being involved if he somehow got caught.

Eddie tried the back door first, thinking it might be kept unlocked for showings. No such luck. Looking at the flimsy lock, he thought about it for a moment because honestly, sliding glass doors are super easy to break into, but he decided it would be best not to leave any evidence that someone had been here.

Windows were next, and after trying several along the back and side of the house, he finally found one that was unlocked. Jackpot. It was tiny, and looked like it led into a laundry room. He took off his leather jacket and battle vest, knowing it would be easier to squeeze through without the extra bulk. He tossed them both behind a nearby bush and hauled himself up through the small opening.

Eddie’s not sure he’d be able to accurately describe just how creepy it was walking around Steve Harrington's empty house, if anyone ever asked. It was dead silent, dark, and the little remaining furniture was covered in white sheets. It made him jumpy, he kept expecting something to pop out at him, like a bad horror movie.

It only got worse as he explored.

There was nothing to see, as far as he could tell, on the first floor. Not that Eddie knew what he was looking for, exactly. He figured he’d know it when he saw it. Shivering slightly, he headed up to the second floor, where all the bedrooms were likely to be.

An odd sense of deja vu overcame Eddie for a moment as he looked down the hallway. He shook it off, knowing it was just him scaring himself. The first two doors led to an empty bedroom and bathroom, respectively. There wasn’t so much as a toothbrush left behind in the bathroom and every surface was spotless. The third one he tried is where things got…strange.

He opened the door quickly, expecting to find another empty room and move on. Instead, he found the fully furnished bedroom of a teenage boy. Eddie’s jaw dropped. The bed was made up with a dark blue comforter, and nestled between the two thick pillows was a small well-loved brown teddy bear. It looked like one of those generic stuffed toys you might pick up at the last minute in a hospital gift shop.

A low dresser sat against the wall opposite the bed, along with a bookshelf that held more model cars than novels. There was a wooden desk and swivel chair, and hanging from the back of it was Steve’s old letterman jacket. Eddie turned slowly around the room, taking it all in. Apart from it being a little too neat for your average 18-year-old, and the frankly atrocious wallpaper, it’s exactly what Eddie imagined Steve's space to look like.

If he didn’t know better, and if the rest of the house wasn’t deserted, he’d think Steve had just stepped out for the day, that he might be back any minute. Eddie wondered why the boy’s things had been left like this, and what would happen to it all when the house sold. Out of morbid curiosity he checked the drawers and closet. Both were full of familiar looking jeans, sweaters, and polo shirts. Jesus, the whole room was a goddamn time capsule. He wasn’t sure if any of this amounted to a clue or anything, but it was definitely the kind of weird shit he was looking for.

Reluctantly, he left the room to explore the rest of the floor. There were two more doors to try. One led to the master suite, as bare as the rest of the house, the last opened up to a set of attic steps. Eddie wasn’t a big fan of attics, they tended to have bats, another thing he wasn't a big fan of, contrary to what his tattoo might imply.

It was dark on the stairs, and he cursed himself for not bringing a flashlight. It seemed like a reasonable decision at the time, he hadn’t wanted to risk someone seeing his light through a window and calling the cops, but it was almost pitch black up there.

It wasn’t as empty as the rest of the place, he could make out the shape of several boxes stacked in one corner and a small bed frame or cot along another wall. He tried to walk around a little, but quickly ran into a beam and almost knocked himself out.

Deciding it was too hazardous, and since he couldn’t see anything anyway, Eddie turned back towards the way out. He tripped over something and bent to pick it up. It felt like a book of some kind. He was curious but couldn't see shit, so he tucked it under his arm and went back down the steps. He'd get a better look at it later, in the light.

It was definitely time to go, he’d already been in the house for much longer than he planned to be, but as he passed Steve's door again, Eddie felt compelled to take one more look. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw headlights turning into the Harrington’s driveway. Shit.

Eddie ducked down. It was unlikely that whoever it was would notice him in a second story window, but better safe than sorry. He had to get out of there in case whoever it was decided to come inside. Who on earth would be viewing a house this late at night? No, it had to be something else.

As Eddie crouch-walked out of the room, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Steve's jacket. It was stupid, impulsive, and someone would almost certainly notice its absence, but he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing the thing and taking it with him.

He hid behind a half wall in the living room until he heard the car and its mystery driver pull away. Not feeling like climbing through a window again that night, Eddie left through the back, though he was unable to lock it from the outside. He’d already broken all the rules, so what was one mysteriously unlocked door.

Walking around to the side of the house, he went straight to the bush where he had stashed his jacket and vest, but they were gone. Motherfucker, he was so screwed! Eddie might not have been caught red handed, but he knew that his vest stood out, it was personal. If whoever found it was curious enough, they could easily find out who it belonged to. He didn’t waste anymore time looking, if he stayed here it’d only up his chances of getting snagged. He took off through the trees and sighed in relief when he finally reached his van.

It was after midnight when Eddie got back to the trailer. Wayne was working so at least he didn’t have to explain where he’d been. He set the two items he’d stolen down on the bed to look them over, going for the book first. It was an old Jcpenney Christmas catalog dated December 1983. Tucked in between its pages was a purple marker with some kind of pink fuzzy puff ball thing on the end of it. Too juvenile to belong to Steve’s mom, and he was sure the guy hadn’t had any siblings. Maybe a younger female cousin had left it behind? He supposed it could be Steve’s, he wasn’t one to judge, but he’d be surprised. Eddie flipped through the pages, taking note of the items that had been marked. A lot of girl’s clothes, some pretty pillows and blankets, more stuff for a bedroom, but also nail polish and a friendship bracelet kit.

It was curious. He didn’t know what to make of it, and although it probably had nothing to do with Steve's case, he still tucked it safely away in his nightstand drawer when he was done looking through it. Just in case.

He picked the jacket up next and held it up to his face, breathing in deeply through his nose. It was faint, but he could smell Steve's cologne on it. He didn’t know what it was called, only that Steve had been wearing the same fragrance since junior high. Eddie would recognize it anywhere. Under that was the faint odor of cigarettes, and sure enough, when he dug into the pockets there was an old pack with two very dried out cigs left inside.

Damn Harrington, I didn't know you smoked, Eddie thought. Little bit of bad boy in you after all, wasn’t there?

He checked the other pocket and pulled out a single polaroid photo. Eddie’s breath caught in his throat as he looked down at the face he hadn’t seen in over two years.

Steve was pulling a goofy grin, no doubt for the amusement of the little girl who joined him in the photo. She smiled wide, eyes practically shining with happiness. She had dimples, and very little hair. Eddie didn't recognize her, but something about the girl was familiar, like he'd seen those eyes before. He wondered if she was the person the puffy pen belonged to, and who she was to Steve.

He took out his wallet and stuffed the photo inside for safe keeping. The jacket, he folded carefully and tucked under a stack of junk in his closet to keep it hidden.

Eddie slept in late the next morning. On top of going to bed well past one in the morning, following his criminal escapades, he’d spent the whole night running from one weird dream to another. All of them starring Steve and the mystery kid from the photo. It’d been a while since he dreamed of Steve, though it used to be quite a common occurrence. It made sense, Eddie figured, he’d been so fixated on Steve lately, it was no wonder the boy was haunting his dreams again.

Rolling out of bed, he threw on the first items of clothing he could find. Normally he wouldn’t bother until after coffee, but the boys were coming over today and they didn’t exactly respect things like decent visiting hours, or knocking on doors. The last thing he needed was Dustin and all his friends busting into the trailer to find Eddie standing in the kitchen in nothing but his holey underwear.

When he did finally step out of his room, he was doubly grateful that he had taken the time to get dressed. Sitting on the living room couch was uncle Wayne, who should have been sleeping, all of the younger boys, and chief Jim Hopper, who was holding Eddie's leather jacket and battle vest in his hands. He didn’t know how he hadn’t heard this many people in the small trailer, he must have really been out of it.

All eyes fell on Eddie when he entered the room. The boys were sulking, Wayne looked worried and Hopper… well, Eddie didn’t know the man well enough to interpret his expression, but it looked a lot like Wayne’s. Which was weird. He had clearly been caught, Hopper should be pissed. Why wasn’t he being arrested right now?

Hopper rose from his seat and approached Eddie cautiously. He held the bundle of clothes out to him and Eddie took it, eyes wide.

“I think we need to talk.”

*Steve - 1984*

The early days at Hawkins lab were rough. Steve was stripped of everything, given a plain gray sweat suit, and tossed into a windowless room on arrival. He could hear Eleven screaming his name over and over again, as she was dragged off somewhere down a long hallway.

His accommodations were bare-bones. A small cot was shoved against one wall, covered in only a thin cotton blanket and a single pillow. There was a small writing table with a chair, and a toilet and sink sat in the corner. He spent the entire first day pounding on the locked door and demanding loudly to see his sister.

He continued to beat on the door long after his knuckles had split and blood began to stain its surface. He screamed himself hoarse but didn’t stop until Brenner came by for a visit, and a warning. “I’ll remind you, Steven, that you are only here at my discretion, as a courtesy. I would just as soon have you killed as have you released, if you continue to be more trouble than you’re worth.”

He stops banging after that.

Steve gave it a few days, but when there’s still no sign of El he started to panic. Not having many options, he briefly considered refusing to eat the meals he’s served three times a day, until he remembered that a hunger strike is worth nothing when your tormentors don’t care if you live or die. All he would accomplish is making himself weaker, and that wasn’t acceptable. He needed to stay strong, for her.

In the end, three weeks go by before the door opens and he is finally greeted by a set of familiar brown eyes. She was wearing clothing similar to his own and her hair had been freshly buzzed. The smile on Eleven’s face was dull, but present, as he surged forward to wrap his arms around her.

He pulled back after a few short moments and studied her face. “Are you okay? What did they do to you?”

She didn’t answer, instead she took him by the hand and led him further down the hallway. Two men dressed all in white followed closely behind.

They entered a room through a set of double doors. The guards remained outside in the hall, or would they be considered orderlies? Steve didn’t know, and supposed it didn’t really matter anyway, the bottom line was that they were being watched closely. Steve hadn’t seen much of the lab yet, apart from his own cell-like room, but after hearing eleven’s stories, he would know this place anywhere.

“The rainbow room.” He whispered, a little awestruck to be seeing it in person. It was just as she had described, the bright colors standing out in stark contrast to the white walls and floor. There were various games and activities set up at different stations throughout the room. Eleven went straight for the chess board and turned to look at Steve expectantly. He looked around for another minute, willing away the painful tightening in his chest, as he took it all in.

Finally, he joined her on the other side of the game board. “I don’t know how to play.” He said softly.

“I’ll teach you.”

She patiently showed him how each piece was allowed to move. He didn’t really get it, but that didn’t matter, she explained, it was just something to make them look busy while they talked.

Steve inclined his head towards one of the cameras in the ceiling. “Can they hear us?”

El kept her attention locked on the chess board as she answered. “No, there’s no sound. Only video. If we are too loud, the guards might hear from outside, but otherwise we can talk freely.”

He followed her lead, attempting to look casual, disinterested even, as they spoke.

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to come see you. Papa wouldn’t let me until I agreed to help them put the monster back.” She said.

“Monster?” Steve asked, blood running cold.

“The day I ran away, I was looking for something, in the dark place..”

Steve nodded along. He didn’t really know what the dark place was, but he was used to this by now, not always knowing what she meant when she described something to do with her powers, but doing his best to follow along anyway.

“I didn’t find it, but something found me. A creature, taller than you, and it had no face. Its mouth opened like a flower. I shouldn’t have touched it. It screamed, and I was so scared. I pulled away too fast and I think it used me to cross over to this side.” She maintained a neutral face but her eyes looked haunted.

It was so hard not to react, to concentrate on their game, when all Steve wanted to do was comfort her.

“Is that how you got away? Because they were busy fighting the monster?” He asked.

“Yes. It’s been here all this time, they were able to trap it, but needed me to get rid of it.”

Steve ground his teeth. He could tell she blamed herself, but as far as he was concerned they brought her back here to clean up their mess. She wouldn’t have found the monster if Brenner hadn’t been forcing her to look for some mysterious bullshit. Why hadn’t they just killed the thing?

“I did it.” She continued, “but I was so tired after. I slept for a really long time. I needed to…” She trailed off. Her vocabulary had grown so much in their time together, but she still got stuck sometimes.

“Recharge?” Steve offered.

She let out a small smile. “Yes.”

“But you’re okay now? You’re sure?”

Before she could answer him, the doors opened and an unfamiliar man walked in. He wore a white coat over his brown suit, so Steve assumed he was another Doctor. Their time together was up, it seemed.

“Hey kiddo.” The man said, greeting El warmly.

Steve bristled, moving to stand in front of her.

“Please, Steve. There's no need for that. I’m not here to hurt her.”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the man dubiously. He didn’t believe it, but he knew there was no point in arguing.

The man shook his head and offered Steve a smile that, if he didn't know better, he would say looked fond.

“I’m Doc Owens” He said, extending a hand. Steve shook it automatically, years of having good manners drilled into him making it a reflex.

“It’s okay Steve, I will see you tomorrow.” El said, stepping up beside him.

“Will she?” He was looking at her as he asked, but the question was directed at Owens.

“Of course, that was the deal. Eleven has agreed to continue our work in exchange for having you here, and getting a minimum of one hour of family time.” Steve had to squeeze his eyes shut. He would not cry in front of this man, but god did he hate this.

“What exactly is your work?” Steve asks.

“You’ll have to speak to Doctor Brenner about that. I don’t know what I'm allowed to tell you. I’m sorry.”

The thing was, Owens sounded like he meant it. Steve didn’t understand. Maybe he was actually a nice guy, or perhaps he was just a good actor. Either way, Steve filed the information away for later.

He does, in fact, get to see his sister daily after that. He cherishes what little time they get together, even if he is frustrated at her new refusal to talk about what she does when he’s not around.”

Steve also gets put to work, finally. It’s nothing exciting, cleaning mostly. He isn’t given a key card, for obvious reasons, so he has to be escorted to each new area when he’s done with the last, but it's fine. He doesn’t mind cleaning, had always found it therapeutic, and honestly he’s just happy to have something to do with his time because he was starting to lose his mind here. The new job also came with an exciting perk, the opportunity to learn the layout of the building.

Eventually, Steve starts having his own weekly sessions with Doctor Brenner. He imagines this is what therapy would be like, if your doctor was a manipulative sociopath, that is.

“I’m sure by now Eleven has told you what we do here.” Brenner began.

Steve had refused to speak at first during these sessions, but was again reminded of the consequences if he chose to be uncooperative.

“She hasn’t told me anything, but I'm sure you know that. I’m guessing you threatened her into silence with me?”

“We both know that’s not entirely true. She told you about the creature, didn’t she?”

Steve scowled. “You’re right, she did tell me how she had to save your asses.”

“Now, son, It was her mess to clean up.”

Steve snorted.

“You believe she has done no wrong, but I wonder. Has she told you about the man she condemned to death by sending him into that place?”

Steve wasn’t dumb, contrary to popular belief. He knew what Brenner was trying to do, and it wouldn’t work. There's nothing this man could say that would turn him against El, but he never knew what information would be important, so he decided to play along for now.

“No, she didn’t”

“Henry was an orderly here. He’d taken a shine to Eleven, but it ended in disaster. More than one life was lost that day.”

Steve was at a loss for words. He believed in El, even if she had done what Brenner was implying, there must have been a reason for it. If it was true, she would tell him one day, when she was ready. He refused to let this man get in his head.

It’s been almost impossible to keep up with the days, but Steve is pretty sure it’s Fall the first time disaster strikes.

He and El were in the rainbow room when the alarm started blaring. They’d been having a good time laughing and drawing jack-o-lanterns with silly faces for each other. Steve wasn’t certain, but he thought it was near Halloween. As they drew, he told her about the holiday, and how kids would dress up in costumes and go trick or treating. He wished, as he did every day, that they were back home so he could show her these things instead of just telling her about them.

The sound of the alarm is jarring to Steve, but Eleven looks stricken, terrified.

Before he can form words to ask what’s going on, the two men who were tasked with looking after them today burst into the room.

“Time to go.” One of them said, as he gripped Steve roughly on the arm. The second man grabbed Eleven. They were forced out into the hallway, where he shrugged off the man’s grasp.

“What’s going on?” Steve demanded.

Neither of the guards answered or acknowledged that he spoke, Steve knew they wouldn’t. He was getting really tired of all this cloak and dagger bullshit.

When they reached his room, Steve was shoved inside. He expected them to move on quickly, to take El away, but instead he could hear the two men arguing in the hall.

“She needs to be put in her own room.”

“We’re in lock down, her wing is cut off from this side!”

“Take her back to the rainbow room then.”

“There's no lock on that door!”

“Fine!”

The door to his room abruptly reopened and Eleven stumbled inside. Steve could hear gunshots and men shouting. It was distant but still too close for comfort, and they were sitting ducks in here, trapped. Steve pulled El over and sat her down on the bed. She was shaking.

“Sweetie, please. Do you have any idea what’s going on out there?” He asked, carefully.

She was crying fully now, and he felt awful for pushing her.

“I didn’t mean to do it, I told them it wasn’t safe!” She wailed.

Steve's stomach sank. “What isn’t safe, El?”

Her lower lip wobbled as she spoke. “I opened a door. To the place where the monster lives.”

It’s not good news, but Steve thinks if these people were able to contain the thing once, they should be able to do it again, right? He’s about to say as much, to reassure her, when the sound of many echoing growls reaches them. More than one creature then, great.

“Is that..” He trails off, looking at her.

El shook her head. “I don’t know. It sounds…I think they are something different.”

Before Steve could panic further, the door opened again, revealing a frantic Doc Owens.

“Kiddo, I know you have no reason to help us but we need you. There’s too many of those things, and you’re the only one who can close the rift.”

Eleven looked at Steve for a long time before she nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“But, El, sending back just one monster put you down for weeks. What if..”

“I’m stronger now. It’s okay, you don’t need to worry. I’ll be fine.”

He knew he had no choice but to trust her, but he didn't have to let her go alone. “I’m going with her, I'm not letting her face, whatever those things are, alone.” Steve said, turning to face the other man. It was a statement, not a question. He was determined not to let her out of his sight tonight.

To his credit, Owens quickly agreed. “I understand. Come on, we need to go now.”

In the hallway, Steve asked to stop off at the supply closet. He knew better than to ask for a gun or something, but he didn’t want to run around empty handed either. Along with cleaning products, mops and buckets, the supply closet also housed some old sporting equipment, things that must have been leftover from the days when they had let the kids outside for exercise. Steve snatched up the baseball bat he had seen collecting dust in the corner, and the three of them headed for the elevator.

Steve was wholly unprepared for the things he saw that night. Like a pack of wild dogs, these smaller creatures, who shared the same flower petal mouths as their taller counterparts, guarded the gigantic pulsing red portal in the basement of the lab.

Several men wielding automatic weapons covered Steve and El as they boarded a platform that would lower them closer to the center of the opening. Steve’s head was on a swivel as he tried to keep his eyes on all of the creatures at once. He didn’t know how many there were, he tried to keep track but quickly lost count.

More than once he was forced to wind his bat back and swing, hitting the creatures in the head with a sickening crack, as they tried to get to Eleven. As if somehow they knew she was here to stop them.

Steve watched transfixed, as this amazing girl, who he was lucky enough to now call family, reached her hands out and screamed. She threw everything she had at it, as blood poured out of her nose in thick rivulets, and slowly the giant rift started to close.

Eleven swayed, and Steve was forced to drop the bat to catch her. She kept going as he held her up. He offered her his strength the only way he knew how. He held her, kissed the top of her head, and told her he wasn’t going anywhere. He told her how amazing she was, and that he believed in her.

As soon as the rift was sealed all of the dog-like creatures collapsed. Unfortunately, before that happened one of them got a little too close and sliced its claw into Steve’s back. He ignored the pain and kept a firm hold on his little sister.

When it was all over he lowered El to the ground slowly, careful not to drop her. She had passed out once her task was done. He worried for a moment that she had given too much of herself this time, but her pulse was strong.

Steve laid down next to her to catch his breath. He only meant to rest for a moment but he was fading fast. He didn’t know how bad his wounds were, but distantly thought he might be bleeding out. He reached for El, so afraid to leave her here alone, and managed to drag her to his chest before the world went black.

Chapter 4

@penny00dreadful @buckleybarnes @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @iaminmultiplefandoms @adaed5 @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @hotshot9 @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @stxrcrossed186 @5ammi90 @meccaminayah

#steddie fanfic #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #ao3 link #life is a game #steve harrington/eddie munson #alternating pov #steve and el sibling supremacy

77 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 3 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 13

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12 ao3 link

*Eddie*

When Eddie woke to a cold empty bed he immediately knew something was wrong.

Which was silly, right? It was only the second time he and Steve had spent the night together in the same bed, so how did he know that the other boy wasn’t just an early riser, or one of those people that had to get right up once they were awake?

Because he just knew.

In the same way that he knew so many other things that he really shouldn't, he knew that Steve was a lingerer, that he loved the feeling of being wrapped up, warm and cozy, and would stay in bed to the last possible second just to enjoy it for as long as he could.

Still, Eddie hadn’t yet learned to trust himself, his other senses, his instincts, his powers, whatever you wanted to call it, so he pushed the feeling down and tried to unwind the panic coiling in his chest. It was very early in the morning, he could tell by the quality of light coming in through the window. There was no need to wake everyone up in a panic– yet.

He tiptoed out into the living room, rightly assuming that all the boys would still be asleep, though uncle Wayne was no longer sprawled out on the couch. He checked the bathroom first, its door wide open revealing the obviously empty space, and a quick peek next into the girl’s room told him what he already expected. Steve wasn’t in there either.

He closed the door softly and rounded the corner leading to the kitchen, where Wayne sat nursing a cup of coffee.

He looked up in surprise at Eddie’s arrival, no doubt wondering why the hell he was up at this god-forsaken hour.

“Have you seen Steve?” Eddie asked, gnawing on his bottom lip.

Wayne shook his head, carefully setting his mug down on the table as he studied Eddie’s face. “I ain't been up long, don’t panic,” he added quickly. “Maybe he’s out front.”

Eddie nodded but found himself hesitating to move, almost afraid to check. Until he actually looked outside and got confirmation of his fears, he could pretend that everything was okay, that Steve had just stepped out for some air, and would be coming back inside any minute, but that thing is the back of his mind was still screaming at him that something was wrong, and it had only gotten louder since he first woke.

Despite his own easy words of reassurance, Wayne was up in a flash, and both of them shoved their feet into shoes and slung on jackets before heading outside.

Steve wasn’t on the porch.

He wasn't anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the cabin, and it was all Eddie could do to not let the panic completely overtake him. Freaking out wouldn’t get Steve back. He had to stay calm– had to think. He needed to wake up the others and come up with a plan, now.

–

Eddie was worried at first about how they would be able to let Hopper and Claudia that something was wrong when he knew the phone in the cabin was dead, but to his relief it turned out the chief had left them with a ham radio, set to a frequency he’d be listening out for in case of emergencies. So, Wayne got on the air to let the Hop know Steve was missing, as Eddie woke everyone else and got them up to speed.

When he was done with the boys he took a deep breath, preparing himself to face El and tell her that her brother, the person she loved and trusted most in this world, was gone without a trace. He knocked this time, waiting for the first grunt of, “come in” from what sounded like one of the older girls, before pushing open the door.

Something must have shown on his face because Robin was instantly on her feet at the sight of him.

“What happened, what’s wrong?” She asked.

He looked to the bed, glancing at El who was just beginning to stir from the noise, before quickly looking back at Robin, fighting not to let his face crumple.

“It’s Steve, he’s… “

“Eddie?” El’s voice rang out thick with sleep as she rubbed her eyes.

He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. “Steve, he’s…missing, and I don't know how long he's been gone… If he left, or was taken. I just woke up and he wasn’t there and he’s…”

El sat up suddenly and threw herself into Eddie's arms just as he began to fall apart. He’d meant to put on a brave face for her, but it was all too much to think about Steve being gone again so soon after they had just found each other.

She gripped onto him fiercely, and he held her back. More arms wrapped around them a moment later as Robin, Chrissy, and Max hugged them both, offering what comfort they could in this stolen moment before regrouping with the others to figure things out.

An hour later the cabin was full to the brim. It was standing room only as Claudia, Hopper, Nancy, Jonathan, and surprisingly Joyce, all filed in. She had apparently put her foot down after the school meeting the night before and demanded that Hopper tell her what the hell was going on.

She looked a little shell shocked on arrival. Eddie sympathized, he knew the feeling. She greeted Wayne and hugged each of the younger boys before turning to him and embracing him as well.

He stiffened for a moment before hesitantly winding his arms around her in return. He knew Joyce liked him well enough, even if it was only because he watched over the kids and kept them busy, but he was pretty sure she had never actually hugged him before.

She pulled back and patted his arm, giving him a sympathetic smile. “Oh, honey. Hop told me everything. I just need you to know it doesn’t change the way I feel about you, not at all. You’re still one of my boys, got it?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to be able to speak.

To make matters worse, her phrasing, her acceptance of him for being– different than she’d always known, reminded him of how he and Steve had planned to come out today. To tell all of the people in this room about their relationship. The idea had been a little scary to think about at the time, but he’d give anything for that to be his biggest fear right now.

“Alright. I think we should do one more sweep of the woods. I know Eddie and Wayne did a cursory search this morning, but now that we have more bodies we can span out a bit further in each direction. How about– “

“I can try to find him.” El said, just loud enough to be heard over him.

Everyone turned to look at her once, confusion colored the adults faces but the boys whooped, exchanging glances and smiles, likely at the prospect of getting to see her powers in action.

“Like, look look?” Eddie asked, miming the action of tying a blindfold around his face.

She nodded.

“And quiet right? You need quiet?” Mike asked.

“Yes.” She answered, but pursed her lips and quickly added, “Well, some noise. Like water, or– ”

“T.V. static?” Dustin supplied excitedly.

She brightened, smiling. “Yes, that will work.”

Eddie retrieved a bandana from his room while Dustin and Mike fiddled with television, adjusting the dial until the screen was full of snow. White noise filled the room as everyone held themselves silent and still. El sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor allowing Eddie to tie the makeshift blindfold around her eyes and block out the world.

The minutes ticked by, two, ten, fifteen, and Eddie was starting to get antsy. The only indication El gave that anything was even happening were a few muttered sounds of frustration. At the twenty minute mark she tore the cloth from her head and threw it to the ground in front of her.

“He is nowhere!” She shouted. “I look, and I look, but it is like he is nowhere at all!”

“Maybe her radar’s broken.” Lucas suggested.

“Don’t be stupid.” Mike said.

Dustin tapped his chin, thinking. “Maybe she should try to find someone else, just to test it.”

“She can hear you, dumbass.” Max said, smacking him so hard in the back of the head that his hat fell off. “Stop talking about her like she isn’t right there!”

“Sorry.” Dustin at least had the grace to look embarrassed.

“What about Jason?” Will said.

“Yeah!” Mike agreed. “Could be a good idea to see what he’s up to anyway.”

El shrugged and placed the bandana back over her eyes and only a minute or two after she started looking, she found him.

“He is inside a house. There are other boys with him too, all wearing the same jacket. They’re talking about Eddie, looking for him. Jason went to find Chrissy at her house this morning but she was not there. So they think he took her.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Of course they fucking do,” he said. Not that it mattered, he had bigger problems than some blonde jock inciting a witch hunt.

“This is such bullshit, someone needs to do something!” Mike shouted.

“Yeah, can’t you arrest him for making threats or something?” Max said, turning to Hopper.

“One problem at a time, kids,” the chief said, gruffly.

“So her radar is working, clearly.” Lucas said.

It was Dustin who finally posed the question. “But if it’s working, and she can’t find Steve, what does that mean?”

There was one very obvious answer to that question, but Eddie refused to even consider the possibility. Besides, if the unthinkable had happened, she still would have found his body… right?

Eddie crouched down next to El where she still sat on the floor. “What about the Upside Down?”

She tilted her head questioningly.

“The other place? Where Vecna, uh, Henry is?” He explained.

A look of fear crossed her face but she smoothed it away quickly and nodded, squaring her shoulders with a renewed sense of determination.

Almost as soon as she put the blindfold back on and had settled in for the search, her nose began gushing blood and she fell back forcefully, as if she’d been pushed.

“He is blocking me. He… forced me out.”

“Who?” Eddie asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Henry.”

“That’s a clue in itself, isn't it?” Robin said next to him. At some point she and Chrissy had joined him on the floor for moral support.

“Vecna’s got him. That has to be it.” Dustin said.

Hopper held his hands up. “Just, hang on a second, we don’t know that.”

“What else could it be?” Dustin said.

Hopper blew out a long breath, running a hand over his face. “I don’t know, but just ‘cause he– kicked her out doesn’t mean– “

Eddie interrupted, tired of wasting time squabbling. “Did you mean it before, El, about my memories? You can help me get them back?”

“I think so.”

Robin laid a tentative hand on his arm, no doubt recalling his hesitancy on the subject only the day before. “Do you think that will help?”

Eddie looked at her and sighed. “I don’t even know what I don’t know.” He said, throwing his arms up. “And at this point we’re out of time to find another leg up against this guy. If he’s got Steve, then we need to learn as much as we can so we can fight, get him back. I need to know what I'm capable of, how it works. Anything that might help.”

At El’s suggestion the two of them went into one of the bedrooms where it was a little quieter and more private, and she had him sit on the bed across from her so that they were facing each other.

“Close your eyes.” She said, and he felt one of her palms pressing flat against his forehead.

“The elevator, in the lab. The one you escaped from, picture it in your mind.”

“But I don’t remember that, I only know because Claudia said– “

She gently cut him off. “Pretend. Concentrate, let your mind make it real.” She took his hand. “I will be right here with you.”

He did his best to imagine what the elevator in a place like that might be like. Gray commercial carpeting on the floor of it, harsh fluorescent lighting at the top, its glare bouncing off the sleek cold metal walls.

It was simple, basic, a service elevator. No muss, no fuss, no decor needed for something only the cleaning staff and a few guards were ever going to see. No need to put forth the effort to front like they did with the rest of the common areas and the main lobby, where someone of importance might catch a glimpse.

The more he focused on the details, the more real it became, until suddenly he felt the floor below his feet vibrate. He opened his eyes and he was in the elevator. It was just as he imagined, save for the panel of buttons being on the wrong side.

His heart hammered in his chest. What was even happening right now? He started to hyperventilate, then heard Eleven’s voice echo through his mind.

“You are safe. It is not real, it is only memory. You are safe, in the cabin with me. Promise.”

“Okay.” He said shakily, unsure if he’d said it out loud or only in his head. It didn’t seem to matter, she heard him regardless.

The movement of the elevator stopped, a ding sounding as the doors slid open. He stepped forward expecting to find himself in a hallway but instead he was in a small room. He looked back confused, but the elevator was gone.

“Are you ready to try again, Five?” A familiar voice called from the side.

Five.

Eddie turned back and was suddenly staring down at a pair of huge brown eyes set into the thin face of a scrawny little boy dressed in clothes eerily similar to those Steve and El had been wearing when he met them at skull rock.

He knew those eyes. Intimately. They were the same ones that looked back at him through the mirror every goddamn day.

Sitting across from the boy– the boy that was him, was a white-haired older man dressed in a sharp suit.

Eddie shuffled backwards, desperate to get some distance between himself and this man whose mere presence made his skin crawl. Neither the man, or the child version of Eddie paid him any notice.

Right, this was a memory. They couldn’t see him.

He couldn't hurt him, not in the present, not anymore.

Papa.

Dr. Brenner, his brain supplied, just before the little boy began to speak.

“I don’t want to do this anymore, Papa. Can I go back to the rainbow room now?”

Brenner smiled at the boy but the expression screamed of faux sincerity. The corners of his mouth may have been turned up but his eyes shone brightly with disappointment. “Not until we’re done here and you can give me a clear and accurate vision.”

“I’m trying.” The boy said grumpily, slumping down in his seat.

“Not hard enough.” Brenner said, heaving a sigh. “I think maybe I've been too soft on you, Five. Letting you play, letting you read those books you seem to like so much. It was– shortsighted of me to allow you to indulge in such fantasies. You can’t keep your head out of the clouds, that’s the problem. Your imagination is your enemy, it muddies the waters and makes your predictions unreliable”

“I said I'm trying!” Eddie shouted definitely, pounding his little fist down on the table. Everything on its surface went flying as if caught in a shockwave, papers and pens sent scattering to the floor.

And oh Eddie remembered this day. Papa had been at him for hours and he was so exhausted.

His lessons had always been very different from the others, fraught with tension. The other numbers all had powers that revolved primarily around telepathy and telekinesis, abilities that Brenner and his cronies had some familiarity with, some basis of knowledge with which to model their training after, but Eddie– Five, he was unique. The first subject in the program's history to display the powers of precognition. They wanted him powerful, badly, but no one knew quite what to do with him, how to help grow and hone his power.

Brenner, unfazed by the display, gave the boy another disappointed stare and shook his head. “You could be our greatest asset, If only you would apply yourself.”

“I do not want to be an asset! I want to play! To go outside and see what’s past the fence!”

Even as a child Eddie knew asset was really a codeword for weapon, and he didn't want to be that. He was tired of this place and its rules, knew there had to be something better out there.

This was the day he decided he needed to escape, to take her and run.

El…

Eleven, his favorite little sister. He remembered her now– not as the girl who was sitting with him on a bed in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, but as the little girl from his childhood. She’d been having such a hard time lately. Some of the others were bullying her, had grown jealous, scared of losing Papa’s favor now that she’d shown them all how powerful she was. What she was truly capable of.

The light in the room flicked, dimmed, and the scene in front of Eddie grew dark for a moment before the light suddenly returned.

He was in a hallway.

A hallway littered with bodies, its walls painted with blood spatter, the sound of screams and gunfire not too far off.

The little boy that was him suddenly ran past, heading not away from the danger but toward it, towards the sound of his brothers and sisters dying.

He’d had a vision, a strange one, almost dream-like in its quality. He knew the orderly was planning something. He knew the man had a secret, and was pretty sure he knew what it was. Henry was like them, powerful. Papa had done something to separate Henry from that power. Eddie didn’t know all the details but he knew Henry intended to throw off his shackles if he could and escape.

Eddie did too. And so he said nothing. He kept his eyes and ears open, figuring that when Henry made his move it would cause a significant enough distraction to allow him and Eleven to escape as well.

Had he known…

Had he known what Henry intended to do he would have said something. He would have told Papa, would have warned everyone.

This was all his fault.

They were all dead, and it was all his fault.

Eddie ran after himself, catching up just as the boy burst into the rainbow room to find Henry and Eleven locked in a battle of wills, and the small girl was floating several feet up above the floor. Eddie’s heart sank, then and now.

Henry glanced from El to the boy as he entered. An odd look flashed across his face, but was gone before Eddie could decipher it, too distracted as he was by the sight of tiny, wounded Eleven. Her face was a pale ghoulish mask, blood poured from her eyes, nose, and mouth as she struggled against an invisible hold.

The boy threw his arms around her and tugged, trying to pull her to the ground, but she would not budge.

“Let her go!” He screamed at Henry, hands still locked around his sister's legs.

“You cannot help her now, my son, it’s too late. She made her choice. I offered for her to join me, to join us, but she refused.”

“Son?” The little boy squeaked.

“Yes, Five. I think it’s time you learned the truth about where you came from. Didn’t you ever wonder why you were so special?”

“No!” Eddie and the little boy shouted at the same time, the boy’s head shaking back and forth furiously.

This wasn’t a memory it was a fucking nightmare.

Eddie wrapped his arms around himself, wishing he knew how to end this. He’d seen enough. He remembered, and he knew what was coming, what he’d done.

“Back away now, Five. Let me finish her and we can walk out of this place together.”

And that little boy? That terrified child who just wanted to grab his sister and run?

He did.

He backed away.

And, seeing no way to fight against a monster of this caliber, truly believing that it was too late to save Eleven, he kept backing up until he hit the double doors, then turned tail and ran.

Eddie didn’t follow, he didn’t need to see what the boy did next. He recalled navigating the hallways blindly, eyes swimming with tears until he made it to the service elevator. Instead he stayed to watch as against all odds El gained the upper hand and sent that creep packing to another dimension.

Eddie woke from his trance gasping and sobbing.

He shoved himself off the bed and away from El as fast as he could, backing himself into the corner of the room before sliding down the wall to sit in a heap on the floor.

“I knew it, I fucking left you there! That bastard had you and I just fucking ran. And he…” Eddie cut himself off, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe. “He’s my… oh god.”

El got off the bed slowly and took a few steps towards him.

“Don’t.” Eddie said, shrinking even further into himself as she continued to get closer. “I’m… bad. Can’t you see that? Don’t you remember, weren’t you watching?! I’m bad. Why would you want to be anywhere near me after what I did to you?”

Eddie felt her small hands grip him firmly on either side of his face, tilting his head up so he was forced to look her in the eyes. “You. Are. Good. Eddie Munson.”

He whimpered, trying to look away but she wouldn’t let him.

“People lie. Henry lies.”

“But what if it’s true? What if I'm just like him?”

“Even if it is true, if he is your– father, you are not like him. You are like Wayne, like Steve–” Her voice cracked a little on her brother’s name and she paused, swallowing thickly before continuing. “Like me. And we are not like him.”

Eddie wanted to believe her but with the return of his memories came a seed of darkness, buried deep in his gut and growing by the second as it was fed by his guilt and shame.

He nodded anyway so she would let him go, and scrubbed at his face while he tried to pull himself together. He still had a job to do. As disgusted as he was with himself now, he could not let that get in the way of rescuing Steve.

He understood a little more of what he could do now, but he still lacked the skill to focus it. He could see all kinds of things from the past, present, and future. As a kid, and even now he supposed, the visions came on their own, unpredictable and often in dreams, though if he tried hard enough he could cause them to happen at will. He just didn’t know how to control what he saw. If only he could see what had happened to Steve, they might have a better idea of what to do to get him back, if he really was trapped in that place with Henry.

“Just think of him.” El said, as though reading his mind. And maybe she was but it was also likely that she had simply followed the same train of thought. “Like the elevator.”

“But that’s… I thought you did that?”

“No.” She said, shaking her head. “I helped. Gave you a push and, uh, piggybacked in your mind, but it was you, the power. You got your own memories back.”

“Oh.”

“Close your eyes.” She said again, directing him as before and he compiled without hesitation.

“Picture Steve, as you last saw him.”

Despite everything Eddie felt himself begin to blush, trying furiously not to think about what he and Steve had been up to before going to bed and only concentrate on the after– when they were cuddled together close in the dark, in the minutes before falling asleep. It was still incriminating as hell, but at least it was P.G.

“El, can you, um… see?” He said, trying to hold on to the image as he spoke. It was like trying to stand in two places at once.

“Yes.”

“And are you… okay with it? Me and him?”

“You love him.” She said simply, part statement, part question.

All things being equal, and if their world and situation were a little more normal, Eddie would argue with her that it was far too soon for words like that, but if he was honest, his feelings for Steve were big, undeniable, powerful things, and so he responded in the only way that was honest.

“Yes.”

“He loves you too. You make him happy. Why would I not be okay with that?”

“Oh.”

She made it sound so simple. It wasn’t, for a lot of reasons, but now wasn’t the time to explain societal hang ups, or the fact that Eddie wasn’t sure he was good enough for Steve anymore, had hardly thought he was good enough even before finding out about his potentially evil parentage.

“Focus on him, how he looks, feels, the details of his face, the room.”

Eddie did as she said, letting himself sink into the scene the way he had with the elevator, and when he could feel the wooden floor with its threadbare throw rug beneath his feet he knew he was in.

It was surreal, watching from a few feet away as he and Steve shared a few final sweet kisses before settling down, their breath evening out as each of them fell asleep.

He willed time in the vision to speed up as he continued to hold onto it tightly, fighting not to let his mind wander anywhere but the moment he was in.

It worked.

Seconds later Steve was sitting up, staring at and speaking to empty air, his words lost, garbled as the vision became hazy.

Shit.

“Why can’t I hear him?” Eddie mumbled aloud. Wondering about both himself now and his still sleeping form, then.

“I do not know.” El replied.

Eddie pulled the vision back into focus as best he could and managed to follow Steve as he ventured out of their room, still talking to thin air and eventually went outside.

How did he make it all the way to the front door without waking anyone up? It had to be Vecna, he’d done something to mess with Steve, to trick him and keep the rest of them from noticing.

Eddie kept watching, following Steve as he ran through the woods and continued running all the way to the lab.

That fucking lab.

Which still had an old gate in its basement.

A gate Henry must have reopened.

He let the vision fall away and opened his eyes to find Eleven wearing the same expression of worry that he knew was echoed on his own face.

It was true. Steve was in the Upside Down. He had walked right in on his own two feet and probably right into Vecna’s clutches.

“We will get him back.” El said, a steely determination in her voice that left no room for doubt. “We will save him, just like the superheroes in your comic books.”

Eddie wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that, for the first time regretting having let her and Max pilfer his collection. Heroes might save the day but they didn’t always live to see the next one, and El was entirely too young to be thinking about sacrificing herself for anyone else. If they were really going to do this, venture into that place to get Steve back, he’d have to keep a close eye on her or find a way to get her to stay behind.

A hot trickle ran down Eddie’s upper lip and he wiped at it without thinking, assuming his nose was just running from all the crying he’d done earlier, but the back of his hand came away smeared with blood.

“You need to rest now. Recharge.” El said.

“We don’t have time for me to rest. We need to go in there and get him out!”

Eddie was overruled.

When he and El returned to the rest of the group and explained what they’d seen, it was decided that they needed to stock up on firepower before going anywhere.

They hadn’t told the others about the past and what Eddie had seen in his memories, agreeing without needing to discuss it that it was his decision if and when he chose to share those details with anyone else, which he was grateful for. After everything they had been through, he wouldn't have been able to bear it if this was the thing that finally made everyone look at him differently. El seemed to forgive him, or at the very least wasn’t holding any of it against him, but there was no telling if the others would feel the same. He was having a hard enough time convincing himself that it didn’t change anything.

So, while Hopper, Joyce, and Jonathan made a trip back into town to stock up on weapons and any other supplies that might come in handy, Eddie allowed himself to be banished to his bedroom and tried to rest.

It was impossible to sleep surrounded by the memory of Steve, their mingled scents still embedded in the sheets. Though he was exhausted, he couldn’t stop thinking about Steve being in that place, afraid to close his eyes lest he fall into a vision of it. He was also struck by the way everyone was still rallying around him, each of his friends and family as hell bent on getting Steve back as he was, but he didn’t like the idea that anyone else might get hurt on his watch.

He was also terrified to let El go anywhere near Vecna, afraid of what he might do to her in retaliation for banishing him.

Maybe…

Maybe Henry would make a trade. If Eddie was, in fact, the monster’s son, maybe he would be willing to let Steve go, to stop attacking his people, if Eddie agreed to join him in his place. It was the only way he could see out of this mess without risking anyone else.

He slipped out of bed as quietly as he could and got dressed, at the last minute digging through his bag to find Steve’s letterman jacket, shrugging it on before adding his battle vest on top. It was probably silly, but he thought having a reminder like that of Steve and what they shared would give him strength.

The last thing he grabbed was a pocket knife, stuffing it into his jeans. He didn’t bother worrying about taking any other weapons. This wasn’t going to be a fight. It was barely a negotiation. He just had to hope Henry would accept his offer.

He clumsily snuck out the window, thankful that the boys and Max, as far as he could hear through the wall, were keeping the remaining adults busy by arguing against being left behind when the time came. For once he was on the side of the adults.

*ELEVEN*

After Eddie was sent to his room, Wayne insisted that Eleven should get some rest as well. She wasn’t actually feeling very tired yet, she had spoken the truth when she said Eddie had done most of the work, but she liked Mr. Wayne. He was kind, and smart, and if it would make him happy she would try to nap, but only after making him promise to wake her up and not leave her behind when they went to the Upside Down. They would need her, she was sure of it. She didn’t know how useful their weapons would be against something like Henry, but she had almost defeated him once, and for Steve, she could do it again.

El tried and tried but sleep would not come.

It was just… Eddie had been so sad earlier. He carried so much guilt now that his memories were back, and she didn’t know how to tell him that he was wrong. He thought this was all his fault somehow, but it wasn't. It was hers.

She was the one who set Henry free, tricked into giving him back his powers.

She was the one who’s failure to put him down properly had landed him in a world where he somehow became even more powerful, enough to come after her and others from a world away.

And then she’d drug Steve into things.

Just thinking of him made her heart hurt.

If it wasn’t for her, he would have never even heard of Hawkins lab, and would certainly not be in danger now. And Eddie? Eddie would have gone on with his life, happily having no idea of his own tragic beginnings.

She’d caused this and now it was up to her to fix it, and she couldn’t let anyone else be hurt by her failure.

She put some shoes on and wrapped one of Mr. Wayne’s flannels around herself, considering her options. She couldn’t tell the others, so simply walking out the front door wasn’t possible, they would never agree to her plan. They saw her as a child, a powerful one, but still a kid that needed protecting.

The window in her room was high, but El was able to slide a box under it to use as a step stool to pull herself up. She went through and landed hard on the other side, holding herself still once she landed until she was sure that no one had heard her rough landing.

She didn’t exactly know the way to the lab from here, but she remembered the general direction from Eddie’s vision of Steve, and when she concentrated she could feel the pulsing of the gate calling to her.

Too late Eleven realized it was maybe not the best idea to do this alone. She had made it to the lab and through the gate just fine, but the growls and snarls that could be heard in the distance were a terrifying reminder that Henry wasn’t the only monster in this place, and it wouldn't do Steve any good if she got eaten before she could offer herself up to as a trade for his life.

The growls came closer and Eleven got spooked, taking off at a run while she looked back to make sure nothing was on her trail, and ran smack dab into Eddie’s back.

Chapter 14

Thanks forever to @penny00dreadful for being the best friend, cheerleader, and beta in the whole fucking world💜

#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #steddie fic #steve and el sibling supremacy #good uncle wayne #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #ao3

29 notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 7 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 9

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 ao3 link

*Eddie*

Eddie pressed his fingers to his mouth as he walked down the front steps, still feeling the ghost of Steve's soft lips against his own. He felt like he was walking through a dream, instead of the nightmare that his life had become in the past 24 hours. Though that feeling began to drift away rapidly as he got into his fan and drove away from the trailer, and Steve and Eleven.

Once he was alone, with nothing to distract him and no sound other than the hum of the engine, Eddie couldn't help but start spiraling, just a little.

Could Steve have really meant what he said, when it was far more likely that he had just latched onto Eddie because he was the first person who’d helped him after two years in what was essentially captivity?

Did Steve actually like him, or was this some kind of Stockholm Syndrome thing?

No, that was for kidnappers.

Florence Nightingale syndrome?

It was a slightly better match, but it wasn’t as if he’d nursed Steve back to health or anything.

Okay, so maybe there wasn’t a fancy name for it, but the two of them had been pulled together under wild circumstances. Was it so surprising that they might cling to each other as anchors for their respective ships in this storm?

A little, considering they were both boys and he had been 100% sure that Steve Harrington was straight, right up until the moment he’d kissed him!

Eddie knew, at least for his part, that it was more than a thing born of shared trauma. He’d been crushing on Steve for years, and had fantasized about kissing him countless times. The reality of it had been better than he could have ever imagined, too good to be true in fact, or maybe that was him projecting his own fears.

It was a scary thing to be handed everything you ever wanted, and even more frightening to accept it when you’ve spent so long being absolutely sure that it would never be an option.

As he pulled into the high school parking lot he decided to just put the whole thing out of his mind for now, as best he could anyway. There were much more important things to worry about than his love life.

The bell rang, and he watched from his parking space as students began pouring out of the school. He spotted Mike and Will first, the two of them having grown so tall this year that they stood out from the crowd. He peered behind them, knowing Lucas and Dustin wouldn’t be far off. The four boys were rarely without each other, except when Lucas had basketball practice of course. Which he must have today, Eddie realized, when he found Dustin bringing up the rear on his own.

He stepped out of the van and made a beeline for the boys, wanting to catch them before they got on their bikes and took off.

“Hey shitheads!” Eddie shouted, hands formed around his mouth to boost the sound.

All three boys whipped their heads in his direction. Dustin’s expression morphed from a wide happy grin into a worried frown in an instant. Mike and Will just looked confused. Eddie jogged the last few feet to them, in a hurry to get everyone on board and get back home as soon as possible.

“Is everything okay?” Dustin asked, at the same time Mike said, “Where were you today?

“Everything is fine” Eddie began, holding significant eye contact with Dustin, then looking at the others. “But there is something back at the trailer that I need you all to come see.”

Dustin gasped.

“What is it?” Mike asked, sounding annoyed.

Will was quiet, watching it all go down with a slightly amused smile on his face. He was definitely in the running to be Eddie’s favorite today.

“All will be revealed in due time, young Wheeler. Go throw your bikes in the back of the van. I’m gonna see if I can snatch up Sinclair before his practice starts.”

Mike opened his mouth, either to ask another question or to argue, but Dustin elbowed him in the ribs and told him to hurry up. Will had already unlocked his own bike from the rack and was walking it towards the parking lot.

Yup, favorite kid.

Eddie set off in the direction of the gym. He opened the door only to see Chrissy who had just come from the girls' locker room. It was perfect timing.

She smiled at him and ran over, her sneakers squeaking on the court as she did.

“Eddie! You weren’t in school today. You okay?”

He smiled in return. Chrissy was a literal ray of sunshine and he couldn’t help but react to that, no matter how weird his day had been.

“Yeah, I just had some family stuff to take care of.”

He scrambled for a way to ask her to come with him. If things did pan out the way they feared, she was in very real and immediate danger, and he just couldn’t imagine letting anything happen to her.

He didn’t really want to give anything away until he could prove it, and there were too many prying eyes and ears for him to just blurt out - I found Steve Harrington in the woods! But he had to try something.

“I know you’re about to start cheer practice,” Eddie began, “But…uh, do you remember all that stuff we talked about in the library?”

Her smile faltered a bit but she nodded encouragingly.

“There’s been some developments and I'd really like to fill you in on what I found out, if you wanted to come back to my place? The boys are coming too, my cousin and his buddies.” He added quickly, worried that she might somehow take his invitation the wrong way.

Chrissy glanced nervously around the gym, and he was pretty sure she was about to agree to go, when two things happened at once. The outer doors swung open loudly, revealing Dustin, Mike, and Will, who must have gotten tired of waiting and came to look for him, he guessed, while the door to the boys locker room was also thrown wide as the entire basketball team came trotting out. They were buzzing with pent up energy and Jason Carver was at the head of the pack.

He spotted Eddie immediately and rushed over. With no hesitation the jock planted himself between him and Chrissy.

Jason crowded Eddie as he shouted in his face, “Get away from her, freak! She doesn’t want to talk to you. What are you even doing here?”

“Jason, stop!” Chrissy shouted.

He waved her back dismissively. “No, no, it’s alright babe, I got this.”

Eddie grit his teeth, fuming, and not only because of the way Jason was talking to him, he could deal with that, but the way he was so openly dismissive of his girlfriend. Someone he was supposed to love. Chrissy deserved better.

“What is it, Munson? You like to watch the girls while they practice, huh? You got a thing for looking up their skirts?” Jason accused loudly, then lowered his voice to a sinister whisper. “Or is it the boys locker room you’re more interested in getting a peep at?”

It was a dangerous accusation, and it unnerved Eddie a little that Jason might have suspicions about him. If he’d said what he did a little louder, there might be a lot more guys looking to jump into this fight. He tried his best to ignore it like he would any other barb, but it was an effort to keep from overreacting and rising to the bait

“Oh fuck off, you neanderthal. We were just talking.”

“What did you call me?”

Eddie looked at Chrissy over Jason's shoulder and rolled his eyes. She stifled a giggle, stopping abruptly and going wide-eyed when Jason turned his head to glance back at her.

“Don’t worry about it, Carver.” Eddie answered. “Now, if you would just kindly back the fuck up so I can finish my conversation with the lovely Ms. Cunningham here, I’ll be out of your hair in a jiffy.”

“I don’t think so. What makes you think she wants to talk to somebody like YOU anyway?”

In Eddie’s defense, it had been a long and mostly no good very bad day. He stepped into Jason, closing the very small gap that remained between them until they were almost nose to nose.

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” He said, jabbing the other boy in the chest with his finger.

Jason shoved Eddie away from him hard. He stumbled, but Will, Mike, and Dustin were all there to steady him.

“Stop it, Jason! He's my friend!” Crissy shouted again, still hovering but trying to stay out of the way. This time her boyfriend either didn’t hear, or completely ignored her.

Eddie shoved Jason right back, pleased when he had to take a step back to maintain his balance. Unfortunately, Eddie hadn’t really been in that many fights. Guys usually took one look at him and backed off, assuming he carried knives and shit just because he wore leather and a battle vest. He was briefly a drug dealer, so maybe that had something to do with it too. So, he was a little unprepared for Jason cocking back a fist and punching him square in the face.

Chrissy looked like she was about to jump on Jason’s back to stop him but suddenly Lucas was there. He caught Jason’s arm, stopping it before he could land another hit.

“I knew you weren’t really one of us Sinclair! I should never have told the coach I had a good feeling about you! I’ll have you thrown off the team for this!” Jason shouted.

He shrugged himself roughly out of Luca’s grip and walked back over to where the rest of the team was doing warm ups and pretending not to watch the drama unfolding in front of them.

Chrissy looked torn. She watched Jason walk away, bouncing her eyes between him and Eddie as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said to Eddie. “I don’t know why he gets like that.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault.”

She nodded a little to herself, sending a sad smile his way and turning to follow after her boyfriend.

Eddie sighed. He’d have to let her go for now and hope that tomorrow wouldn’t be too late. He felt like an idiot, he should have known better than to approach her when that meathead was bound to be close by.

“You good?” Lucas asked. Producing a small towel from his pocket and handing it to him to dab away the blood from his nose.

“Yeah, sorry if I made trouble for you.” Eddie said, gesturing off towards the rest of Lucas’ teammates.”

“Don't worry about it, they all know how Jason can be. I’m sure the whole thing will be forgotten by tomorrow. What are you guys doing here anyway?”

“We need you to come with us.” Dustin butt in.

Lucas looked at all of them in turn. “Party business?”

“Don’t ask us,” Mike said, hooking a thumb in Eddie's direction. “He won't tell us shit.”

“I’ll tell you everything when we get to the trailer, I promise. We can’t talk about this here. You in, Sinclair?” Eddie asked.

“Fuck it, why not. Didn't feel like dealing with Jason’s attitude today anyway.”

“Good choice.” Eddie said, grinning. “Come on boys, let's get out of here.”

On the way back to his van, Eddie noticed Nancy and Jonathan about to get into her car. He’d thought for sure that he had taken too long and missed them, but somehow he’d gotten lucky. Maybe the eldest Wheeler got caught up doing newspaper stuff after school. Whatever the reason, he was grateful. He told the boys to get in and trotted over to the couple.

Eddie found he had mixed feelings towards Nancy. She’d been so great about the investigation thing and told them everything they wanted to know, and she was nice about Eddie’s own reaction to it all, but there was a small part of him that bubbled up with jealousy when he thought about her and Steve being reunited.

He knew she was with Jonathan now, and had been for a long time, much longer than she’d dated Steve, but the thought still set his teeth on edge. He shook it off, he had no reason to think they would still be interested in each other, and even if they were, it’s not like he had a claim on Steve now just because they’d made out a little bit. Nancy cared about Steve, and she deserved to know that he was alive and safe. Well, as safe as any of them were now.

“Shit, man, what happened to you?” Jonathan said as Eddie got close. He must still have some blood smeared on his face.

Eddie shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “A disagreement between me and one of our resident jocks. No big deal. Listen, uh, are you guys busy right now?”

The two of them shared a look. “Not really, why?” Nancy said.

“I can’t tell you here.” He was getting really tired of saying that already. “I’m sorry to be cryptic about it, but I think you’ll understand when you see. I’m taking all the kids back to my house right now, could you follow us there? There's something I need to show all of you.”

The couple looked at eachother again, confusion clear on their faces, but for whatever reason they agreed. Probably because he already had their brothers roped into something. Oh well, he'd take it. This had all gone much easier than he thought it would, apart from the black eye he could feel forming.

The short ride back to the trailer park was uncharacteristically quiet. Dustin remained silent, though Eddie could practically hear the thoughts churning in his head. The other boys knew at this point that Eddie wasn’t going to give in, so there was no point in questioning him on the way.

He pulled in front of the trailer and got out, ordering the boys to stop when they tried to walk right inside, insisting they needed to wait for Nancy and Jonathan.

He and Steve hadn’t exactly planned this part but Eddie made sure to stomp his feet on the steps so that anyone inside would hear them coming. He turned to his small assembled crowd, feeling like he should give them some kind of warning.

“So, this might be a bit of a shock. Just…everybody try to be cool, ok?”

Eddie spun back around quickly to avoid the several sets of very concerned eyes that were aimed in his direction. He opened the door and stepped inside, doing a quick sweep of the room, finding Steve and Eleven sitting at the kitchen table with Wayne. He stepped further in, letting everyone trail in after him.

Wayne, who’d had a sandwich halfway to his mouth, let it drop from his hands to hit the plate with a little thud. He rubbed at his face muttering, “God damnit Eddie.”

Eleven didn’t seem surprised at the influx of new arrivals, Steve must have filled her in when she woke up.

“Wait, is that?” Lucas started to ask but was cut off by Nancy’s gasp of, “Steve?!”

Steve stood, giving her a little wave. “Hey, Nance.”

She hesitated, just staring at him for a handful of seconds before stepping forward and throwing her arms around him. “You’re alive.” She murmured softly into his chest, eventually pulling away to look at his face.

“Oh my god, you’re alive!” She said again, much louder this time and with tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked, reaching up to cradle his face in her hands.

Eddie had that feeling again. He knew it wasn’t right but he felt like she was touching something that belonged to him. He held the jealousy in, Nancy and Steve had been something to each other once upon a time, and they were entitled to this without his interference.

Steve lightly took her hands and lowered them from his cheeks. Then he finally looked up and met Eddie’s eyes, smiling as he said, “I’m okay, Eddie’s been taking good care of me.”

Oh and didn’t that make his stomach flutter. Eddie could feel himself blushing a little under Steve’s gaze, glad that no one was really paying attention to him. Everyone was too focused on the missing person in the room, now found, and the young girl at the table who was a stranger to all of them.

Steve broke their stare after a moment and looked around at the rest of the assembly crammed into the small space of the trailer.

“Hey guys.” He said, nodding to the younger boys.

Dustin, he greeted by name, causing the other three to look his way accusingly. He shrugged at his friends, mouthing the word sorry while looking far too smug to mean it, before walking over to take a seat next to Eleven.

“Hey man.” Jonathan said, finally emerging from a stunned silence as Nancy came back to stand near him. “I’m, uh, glad you’re alright.”

“Thanks.”

“So that’s it? You found Steve?!” Mike blurted out, finally losing patience. Honestly Eddie was surprised he’d lasted this long. “I mean, not that that’s not cool and all but what’s with the secrecy, and why is he here instead of with his parents or Hopper?”

Eddie finally sidled up to Steve, close but not touching like he really wanted to. He wasn’t sure how he was meant to act now in general, let alone in front of this many people, so he was happy enough just to be near the other boy.

Steve wasn’t.

He took that one step closer that caused their sides to brush and rested his hand on Eddie's lower back where no one else could see. “Are you still sure about this?” He murmured the question softly into Eddie’s ear.

Eddie nodded, even as his heart started to race from the gentle touch and the feel of Steve’s breath on his skin.

“There’s a lot we need to tell you all, starting with introducing you to someone. This is Eleven. She and I have been held against our will at Hawkins lab for the past two years.”

Mike, Lucas, and Will’s jaws all dropped simultaneously. Dustin grinned from his place next to the girl. She looked a little shy suddenly with all the attention and Eddie noticed Wayne gave her a little pat on the back in support.

As he watched the interaction, and how the girl smiled up at his uncle, it hit Eddie suddenly how lucky he was to have made it out of that place when he did. Luckier still that Claudia had found him and took him home. He could have died, or been made to spend the rest of his childhood in that place the same way Eleven had. He honestly wasn’t sure which one was worse.

Steve and Eddie took turns telling their parts of the story and then together explained the parallels between the game and the real world. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, it didn’t take much to convince the boys that they were telling the truth. They quickly accepted the fact that much of what they had played through was real and they even took Eddie’s backstory in stride, though they had a lot of questions that he didn’t have the answers to.

Jonathan and Nancy were a bit harder of a sell. He was quietly skeptical, while she kept trying to poke holes in everything and seemed completely unwilling to accept that anyone could have the type of power they were claiming. Finally, with a flick of her hand El sent a magazine that had been sitting on the kitchen counter flying in Nancy’s direction. She caught it on instinct, her mouth opening in a soft ‘oh’ of surprise as her brain caught up to what it had just witnessed.

The rest of the room went dead silent at the display, save for Dustin who was giggling like an idiot at having finally seen what he’d been waiting for since the morning. He offered her a high five, which she returned with gusto, smiling wider than Eddie had ever seen her in their short acquaintance.

Things went a lot quicker after that.

Wayne didn’t say much throughout the explanation, which wasn’t surprising to Eddie, his uncle had always been a quiet person, but he watched the man's face fall as they reached the end and had to tell of Eddie’s character's death at the hands of Vecna via the demobats.

“You boys said things don’t always go the same as your game, right? Do you think…does that mean…is that likely to happen, Eds?” Wayne's voice shook as he finally spoke. His worry for his nephew clear as day.

“We’re honestly not sure.” Eddie admitted reluctantly.

“That’s why we wanted to tell everyone who might be involved as soon as possible,” Steve added.

“There’s more too. Fred, and Patrick were victims in the story, and Chrissy. I tried to get her to come with us but her boyfriend interrupted.” Eddie said, mostly to Steve since the others had been there.

“Yeah! You should have seen it, Steve.” Dustin jumped in. “Eddie got a good shove in but then Jason punched him in the face.”

Wayne shook his head, grumbling softly, “Gonna have to call that school tomorrow. Ain’t right letting my boy get hit like that.”

“I’m fine.” Eddie insisted, catching his uncle’s eye.

“Jason Carver?” Steve asked, jaw tightening every so slightly.

Lucas nodded, answering him.

Steve touched his fingers lightly to Eddie’s chin, examining his face carefully. “Did he hurt you?” He said softly.

It was almost too much, the way Steve was looking at him, and a lump formed in Eddie’s throat. “I’m fine.” He forced out, hoping his voice sounded more normal than he felt. He swallowed hard and tried again. “I'll probably have a hell of a black eye later, but that’s all.”

“So, what do we do now, what’s the plan?” Will asked.

Steve and Eddie shared a look. “We hadn’t really worked out much past telling everyone what we had figured out.”

“What about Max and Billy?” Lucas asked.

Steve frowned. “Who is she again?”

“Max is a girl the boys tried to make friends with, she and her shitty brother, Billy Hargrove, moved here the fall after you got taken.” Eddie explained.

“What do you mean, tried to make friends?” Steve asked.

“We were all hanging out at the arcade once, a few days after we met Max. Billy showed up early to pick her up. He saw her and Lucas holding hands and he freaked out.” Dustin said. “I’m pretty sure if we weren’t in public he would have killed lucas.”

“Yeah, he said some pretty messed up stuff.” Will added.

Lucas sighed sadly. “She wouldn’t talk to us again after that.”

Will patted him on the arm. “She doesn’t talk to anyone, Lucas. It’s not your fault.”

“He’s right.” Mike agreed. “She always acts pissed off, but sometimes when she thinks no one is looking her eyes go all sad. I don’t think she has any friends.”

Eddie didn’t like the sound of that. “So, she’s alone, and possibly depressed.” He pointed out, looking at Steve.

“And If Henry picks his victims like you said, then…” Steve trailed off.

“She’s screwed.” Eddie finished the thought. “Do any of you dipshits know where this girl lives?”

The younger boys all shook their heads, they didn't know.

“Cherry Street.” Wayne answered out of nowhere.

Everyone including Eddie stared at him for a moment in surprise.

How and why the hell did Wayne, of all people, know where this girl lived?

“That boy you were talking about, the racist one? I know his old man, Neil. He’s a supervisor at the plant and a real piece of work, apple doesn’t fall far, y’know? You go get that girl, but be careful.”

Eddie gaped at his uncle. “You’re seriously on board for this?”

Wayne laughed. “As if I could stop you. You boys go, I'll handle things when Jim gets here.” He paused to check his watch. “Which should be any time now. Probably better if you stay out for a while and let me explain to him what’s going on. He’s gonna blow his stack.”

“Jonathan and I can stay and help you explain it to him, Mr. Munson. If that’s okay with you?” Nancy offered.

“It’s fine with me, and please call me Wayne.”

Steve wanted El to stay behind too. She wasn’t happy about being left out while her brother put himself in danger, but she agreed once Eddie promised to keep an eye on him for her. It was decided that the four younger boys would go along with Steve and Eddie to the Mayfield/Hargrove house, because at least she knew them a little from school, and it would be less creepy than two older boys showing up alone unannounced.

They were getting ready to leave when there was a knock on the trailer door. Eddie, thinking it was Hopper coming early, opened it without hesitation.

It wasn’t the police chief, it was Chrissy Cuningham.

She started profusely apologizing the second he opened the door, but stopped abruptly in the middle of her speech and let out a loud gasp when she spotted Steve hovering behind him.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you found him!” Chrissy cried out.

Eddie took her by the hand and pulled her inside, he didn’t want to risk his neighbor overhearing anything. “Actually, he sorta found me.” Eddie told her.

She smiled brightly at Steve and hugged him before turning back to Eddie. “Is this what you wanted to tell me?”

“This, and a lot more actually.”

Chrissy looked around, finally taking notice of just how many people were inside the small home.

“Why don’t we take her with us?” Steve suggested. “I think I can explain it to her on the way.”

Eddie shrugged and looked at Chrissy. “You up for a little field trip?”

Dustin called shotgun. Eddie would have preferred to make the trip with Steve sitting by his side, but he and Chrissy had crawled into the far rear of the van so they could talk, giving the back seat to the other boys.

The whole way there Eddie couldn’t stop staring through the rear-view mirror at the two of them huddled together. It wasn’t a jealousy thing this time, it was the fact that Steve kept catching his eye in the reflection, and smiling in a way that would’ve made his knees give out if he wasn’t already sitting down.

When he almost missed a turn for the second time, Dustin elbowed him hard in the side. “Eyes on the road, Romeo.” He kept his voice low enough that Eddie didn’t worry about the other boys hearing it over the music, but he still blushed and swatted at the kid’s arm. “Shut up!”

It turned out that Chrissy knew exactly where the house was, since Billy had been on the basketball team with Jason before he graduated. They parked a few doors down, trying to scope out the situation a little before going in.

It looked like the kids' parents must be out, as the driveway was empty, but a blue camaro that Eddie knew belonged to Billy was parked out in the street. That was going to be a problem. He had known better than to hope that the girl would be home alone but he still didn’t have any idea how they were going to do this.

“What if I went up to the door and distracted him?” Chrissy offered.

“Yeah! And then we can sneak around the back and find her window or something!” Lucas said.

Eddie chewed on his thumbnail, thinking. “If me or Steve get caught sneaking in a young girl's window we’ll get arrested.”

Honestly if they got caught doing this, getting arrested for that would be the least of their worries.

“You two can stay here then and keep watch. We got this.” Dustin said.

Eddie didn’t like it but he didn’t have any better ideas, so he reluctantly agreed. At least it was dark out now, so the kids had a decent chance of not being seen.

Chrissy slipped out the back door of the van, and they all watched as she walked up to the front door and rang the bell. It didn’t take long for the door to open, revealing Billy, silhouetted in the doorway by the lights inside the house. They weren’t close enough to hear what was said but just based on the guy's body language she must have been doing something right. He leaned against the doorframe with his hip, smirking at her as he listened to whatever it was she was saying.

They didn’t know how long she’d be able to keep it up so the boys quickly spilled out, going through a neighboring backyard to come up behind Max’s house.

With everyone else now gone, Steve climbed over the back seats and settled in next to Eddie, taking his hand right away and squeezing it. It would have been romantic, holding hands with Steve in the quiet dark, had they not been so worried about the others and what could go wrong.

About five or ten minutes had gone by since the boys had left the van, and Billy was still happily chatting with Chrissy by the front door. Eddie should have known that things couldn’t be this easy, that something was about to go wrong.

Out of nowhere, all of the lights in the house began to flicker wildly. Eddie’s heart sank. It had to mean what he thought it meant, there was no way it was a coincidence. They’d almost been too late, still might be if they didn’t get in there right now and try to help the poor girl.

Without a word he and Steve both leaped from the car, perfectly in sync about what needed to be done, and ran for the house. Chrissy was already looking in their direction, a panicked look on her face. Billy was distracted looking around at the blinking lights. Neither of them stopped or slowed their steps as they approached the door to the home, pushing right past a bewildered Billy and into the house beyond. He recovered quickly, following closely at their heels and shouting at them to get the fuck out of his house.

Eddie could hear distantly that Chrissy was trying to stop him or distract him, but he couldn’t concentrate on what was being said. They needed to find the girl.

Thankfully the house was small and the second door they tried turned out to be her bedroom. It was a crazy scene. The young redhead was standing in the middle of her room stock still, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He could see the boys standing on the other side of the window, they were banging on the glass and shouting. It looked like she'd been walking towards the window to talk to them when the attack started.

Finally Billy fought his way into the room. Eddie was sure that under normal circumstances fists would be flying by this point, but with the lights flashing and his sister having some sort of episode, it was chaos, and the guy didn’t seem to know how to respond to it all.

“Music right?” Steve said.

“Yeah, let’s just hope it works. Everybody look for a walkman!”

Chrissy, Steve, and Eddie started to tear the room apart as Billy continued to shout.

“What are you doing to her?! You better get the fuck out before I call the cops”

Chrissy quickly found it lying on the girl's bed half obscured beneath a throw blanket. She shoved it in Eddie's direction. He popped it open, and after all of this he was still somehow surprised to find that the tape she’d last listened to was in fact Hounds of Love by Kate Bush. He shook his head, rewinding the tape to the start of the last song that had been played before shoving the headphones over the girl’s ears.

He heard more than saw Steve bodily shoving Billy out of the room. Eddie was worried about him getting hurt, but he had to trust that he could handle it. Eddie had his hands full trying to save this girl. Once she was okay he could worry about everything else.

The song began, the volume loud enough that it could be heard in the room which had grown quiet in Billy's absence. When Eddie had envisioned this moment, the young girl’s first battle with Vecna, it had been to the soundtrack of Running up that Hill. Though he was a metal guy first and foremost, he enjoyed all kinds of music, and was able to appreciate Kate Bush for her theatricality. He didn’t know why that was the song his mind conjured up, had never thought to question it. That wasn’t the song that was currently blasting out of the girl’s headphones now, however Jig of Life felt more than appropriate under the circumstances.

🎵I'll be sitting in your mirror Now is the place where the crossroads meet Will you look into the future Never, never say goodbye To my part of your life🎵

“Come on, Red. You can do this.” Eddie murmured, shaking the girl by the shoulders. He wasn’t sure if she could hear him, and even if she could, he didn't know what he could possibly say to help her fight this thing.

🎵No, no, no, no Oh-oh-oh-oh let me live She said come on and let me live, girl She said come on and let me live, girl Come on, let me live This moment in time, she said It doesn’t belong to you”🎵

The lights stopped flickering so suddenly that it was jarring, and in the same moment Max’s eyes shot open. She gasped as if rising out of a deep pool of water, swaying on her feet, and would have fallen if Chrissy hadn’t been there to catch her. Max grabbed on to Chrissy's arms, gripping tight as her breath came in short gasps. She looked frantically around the room searching for a danger that was no longer there.

“You’re okay, you’re okay. It’s over. I got you.” Chrissy rocked the girl gently, murmuring comforting words into her hair over and over again as she fought to control her breathing.

Now that Max was free, Eddie finally tuned in to the noise happening in the rest of the house, and he could hear that the raised voices in the other room had reached a fever pitch. It wasn’t only Steve and Billy that could be heard now, but the younger boys as well.

He locked eyes with Chrissy over Max’s head. “Stay with her, I'll be right back.”

She nodded rapidly. “Go! Help them!”

Eddie rushed out to the hallway and found everyone in the living room. Steve was in the middle of it, the only thing standing between an enraged psychopath and the four younger boys. From what he heard, it sounded like Steve had been trying to explain to Billy some of what was going on, but he was refusing to listen. Then the boys had come bursting in, and Hargrove took one look at Lucas and lost it.

Billy had his back to Eddie, so the asshole didn't see it coming when he creeped up behind him, snatched a commemorative plate right off the wall, and smashed it over his head. Unfortunately, it didn’t knock the guy out like he had planned, but it did send him to the floor. Eddie jumped on him, holding his upper body down, while Steve quickly got the idea and took hold of his legs. Eddie yelled at the boys to find some rope or anything they could use to tie him up with. They returned quickly with a handful of zip ties and a roll of duct tape. They made it work, finishing the job off with an extra piece of tape over Billy’s mouth for good measure.

Chrissy and Max chose that moment to come out of the young girl’s bedroom, both staring open mouthed at the scene before them. Max’s eyes were wide but sparkled with amusement as she watched her step-brother struggle against his bonds.

“What are you going to do with him?” Chrissy asked.

“I have no idea, but at least we shut him up for now.” Steve said between heaving breaths. He sat down on the floor hard, using the hem of his shirt to dab the blood from his split lip. Eddie tried not to stare at the strip of exposed skin that the move had caused, but it was a losing battle. He knew it was fucked up to ogle the poor guy while he was bleeding, but he felt less bad about it when he realized that Steve was watching him right back, eyes full of intense desire. Apparently seeing Eddie smash a plate over some douchebag's head had really done something for him.

Dustin cleared his throat loudly, purposefully, interrupting the moment before either of them could do or say something they might regret in front of all these people. Eddie didn’t know whether to thank him for it or throttle him.

Lucas was the first to approach Max, the other boys following close behind him.

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked. The tender expression on the kid’s face told Eddie that his little crush on the redhead hadn’t dimmed at all since that awful night at the arcade.

Max gave him a small smile. “I have no idea what's going on or how you and your weird friends got me out of there, but yeah, I’m okay.” She said.

Chrissy stayed by Max’s side even as the boys swooped in to try and cheer her up, the poor girl was still clinging to her hand like a lifeline.

“Maybe we should take him back to the trailer with us, Hopper should be there by now. Maybe he can hold him for something down at the police station?” Steve suggested, mostly aiming the idea at Eddie since the others were occupied.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Eddie agreed. He offered a hand to help Steve. He took it, letting the touch linger a little longer than necessary once he was on his feet.

Eddie raised his voice to be heard over the small roar of all the younger boys talking at once. “Hey Red, you got a problem with us kidnapping your shitty stepbrother?”

“No.” Max answered quickly, then hesitated before continuing, “but uh, I don't think I want to be alone right now. Can you take me too?”

Chrissy released the girl’s hand in favor of wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she said, “I think you’d better come with us anyway so we can try to explain what’s happening to you.”

Eddie caught her eye and nodded in agreement. “We’re definitely not all going to fit in my van this time. Maybe we could take two trips?”

“One of you could drive Billy’s car. I know where his keys are.” Max supplied helpfully. Eddie was really starting to like this kid.

Together, he and Steve managed to pick Billy up to carry him to the car, the others going out ahead to keep watch and open doors. Halfway down the front yard, their captive started thrashing violently, causing them to drop him to the ground. Luckily for Billy, the lawn was pretty lush and probably cushioned his fall well enough, though Eddie sincerely hoped he hurt something in the fall.

They were working on getting him back up, Mike and Lucas now helping now too, when Eddie heard a rustle in the bushes separating Max’s house from her neighbor’s.

Great.

The last thing they needed right now was for some nosy housewife to spot them in the middle of - whatever this was - and call the police.

Eddie shushed the group and had them lay Billy back down on the ground. He crept over to where he’d heard the noise. It was very dark in the side yard, since Max’s house didn’t have any outside lights other than the single bulb on the porch. He squinted as he got close, trying to see if there was really someone there or if it was just a raccoon, only to get blinded as the creeper turned on a flashlight that was aimed directly in his face.

“Jesus H. Christ,'' Eddie shouted, stepping backwards as he threw his hands up to shield his eyes, and proceeded to trip over a branch and fall flat on his ass.

Steve was at his side quickly, making sure he was okay, and helping him up.

The mystery person with the offending flashlight had also come out of hiding. Eddie blinked a few times, trying to force his eyes to adjust. It took a second, but once they did he realized they were standing face to face with Robin Buckley.

“What are you doing?!” She asked accusingly.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Eddie insisted.

She crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing the two of them curiously. “So...you don’t have Billy Hargrove trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, and you and your merry band of freshman, along with whoever else, aren't getting ready to take him and his step sister god knows where?”

Eddie sighed. “Okay, it’s exactly what it looks like, but I swear we have a really good reason.”

“We’re not trying to hurt anyone.” Steve added.

Robin tilted her flashlight up again, shining it directly in Steve's face this time.

“Wait a second…Harrington?! I thought you were missing!” She all but shrieked.

Eddie slapped his hand over her mouth as he said, “Technically, he is still missing. It’s a long story.”

Robin glared hard and he lowered his hand for self preservation.

He turned to Steve, they hadn’t really talked about bringing Robin into things. She had mostly served as Steve’s side-kick in the game, and she wasn’t a victim of Vecna’s. She also wasn’t friends with anyone in the party, Eddie knew her from band but that was all. Now he wondered if there was some reason why, out of all the people in Hawkins, he had chosen her to be NPC-Steve’s best friend.

Steve seemed to read his mind. “You want to tell her?”

Eddie shrugged. “At this point we might as well.”

“I really love the way you’re talking about me like I'm not here, guys. Doing wonders for my belief that what you're doing has no nefarious purpose.” Robin said, clearly rolling her eyes despite the fact that they could barely see her.

“Look, we can explain everything, but you’ll have to come with us.”

She stared at the two of them, then looked towards the gaggle of kids behind them keeping watch over Billy. Finally, her eyes settled on Chrissy, going just a little wide as she recognized the cheerleader.

Oh, that was interesting.

“Okay, fine.” She said. “ But if anything happens to me I will haunt your asses!.”

Chapter 10

Thank you @penny00dreadful for beta reading once again!

Taglist: @yeahhhh-suga @steddie-there @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @sofadofax @5ammi90 @bestwifehaver @eddie-munsons-lunchbox @soaringornithopter @buckleybarnes @adaed5 @goodolefashionedloverboi

As always, i'm happy to add or remove anyone from the taglist. Just let me know!

#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve and el sibling supremacy #good uncle wayne #chrissy cunningham #max mayfield

49 notes · View notes