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thegoblinboy · 4 months

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So you guys remember this post that I posted the other day? The one where Eddie makes a deal with Steve to read a book for him? Well I kind of have been working on more for that. (Slowly but surely) and I kind of want to post and get an opinion on this scene I wrote for it, I still have to edit it but for the general idea I was just curious to see if I should I keep it in the oneshot

Eddie had told himself that he wasn't going to pay attention to Steve Harrington after their agreement in the library. But he was never good at holding himself to his own word. Ten minutes after he had left Steve by himself in that aisle, he found himself wandering the school hallways. Specifically near the nurses lounge, where he spends possibly five minutes standing outside of in hopes of hearing Steve inside.

When he realizes he wasn't going to actually know if the king was in there without actually walking in there himself he becomes slightly agitated.

An idea pops into his head when he hears the bell ring, signaling the end of the period and the beginning of the next. He scurries to the side of the hallway, where he can catch every face that passes him. Crossing his arms as he leans back a bit, glancing over faces before finding exactly the one he needs.

He nearly tackles Gareth when he sees the familiar flannel vest. Quickly shoving him in the direction of the nurses office, with some struggle. Enough struggle that the book in his hand was nearly smacked away towards the wall to their right.

"What the hell dude!" Gareth's voice squeaks a bit.

Eddie may have accidentally chosen the wrong trooper for this job. With how much he was concentrated on this singular quest he had forgotten Gareth was one to piss off fairly easy. His nose was already scrunching up and he was already starting to smack Eddie's chest as his face began to match the color of his flannel.

"Eddie what the fuck!" Gareth finally gains some control as he quickly turns around and shoves Eddie backwards and into a couple of passing bystanders.

Awkwardly smiling, Eddie wiggles his fingers apologetically towards the group of kids before he's quickly walking back up to Gareth. Realizing he was going to have to come up with a good excuse as to why he had to go into the nurses office and check to see if Steve Harrington was inside.

Making a whoopsie face Eddie quickly leans forward and plops his hands down on the other's shoulders. "Sorry Gare bear didn't mean to startle you but I need your assistance my kind sir." He tilts his head and bit and hopes that his smile could possibly soften the other's anger. Just enough to receive his help.

Gareth grumbles a bit as he angrily lifts his hands up and squeezes his fists dramatically. As if he was reenacting choking Eddie out. As he angrily growls a bit he then smacks the others hands off from him as he glances down at his watch. Making even angrier noises when the bell goes off again, telling both him and Eddie they were late to their next class.

"This better be fucking good Munson." He growls out a bit before crossing his arms around his chest.

Eddie laughs a bit awkwardly, "Well you see- I kind of need you to walk into the nurses room for me and check to see if Steve Harrington is in there." He puts on his best smile again, but this time it wasn't working nearly as well as before.

Gareth's eyes were starting to do that squinty thing, along with his fists digging into his sides. Eddie's pretty sure that the boys left eye twitches a little.

"Did you seriously just nearly tackle me in the fucking hall way just to get me to check and see if his highness was in the nurses office?" Gareth's voice carry's no tone as he talks, which was not a good sign for Eddie.

"Language young Jedi, do you talk to your mother with that mouth?"

"Eddie!"

"Fine, I may or may not have done that. But it's important, I'll let you do whatever you want with the next character you build." He promises as he brings his hands up. "Scouts honor."

Gareth takes a moment to think before he's grumbling and turning to enter into the nurses office. The bell on the door dings lightly behind him as Eddie carefully starts to pace back and forth down the hallway. Chewing on his nails a bit as he keeps an eye on the door.

Five minutes pass before the door opens again with Gareth holding a hall pass. His face was not as red anymore, and he now had a lolly pop in his mouth.

"So?" Eddie asks impatiently.

"No sign of him," Gareth answers before he adds, "now can I go back to class? Or do you want me to go in there and find out how big his feet are from his file next?" He sasses.

"Oh shut up, and get to class you little asswipe." Eddie grumbles a bit. Mood slightly soured as he realizes the Steve didn't listen to him.

A soft "bitch" is sent his way before Gareth is leaving him by the nurses door.

Eddie swings back to the library, just to make sure that he didn't miss Steve in there. When he realizes there was no use in searching he plops himself down at one of the tables that sat in front of the check out area.

Sulking just a little as he checks the time, seeing he barely had twenty minutes of class left. Deciding that there was no point in going he ends up opening the book from earlier and slowly begins to read the first page.

Yeah sorry to be that guy I just need an opinion and I don’t have any beta readers rn. Also I need help deciding a name for this oneshot oh my god

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corrodedcoughin · 2 years

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Eddie would have all these little dashboard charms in his van that aren’t entirely fixed in place so go rolling around when he takes sharp corners or brakes too quickly. Wayne and Steve conspire to slowly take them out of the car, he’s got that many he’d never notice if one or two go missing. They reason for it’s for his own safety but their sanity definitely factors in too.

The morning Steve removes the first one Eddie barrels into the trailer ‘WHO has moved Patricia? He was in the van last night and now he’s gone. And I know it wasn’t me!’ Wayne and Steve just look at each other, knowing that ‘Patricia’ (a shark with a cowboy hat that ‘swims’ when it’s okay panel is lit up), is lying in the bin, hidden beneath potato peelings. Eddie leaves in silence but glaring at them both as walks backwards out the door he came in.

Patricia turns up in the van the same evening and Eddie pets his head and smiles as he drives Steve home ‘did the bad men take you away Pat? Don’t worry it won’t happen again. Will it Steve?’ Eddie gives Steve a very pointed look and Steve just mumbles ‘no Pat’.

‘Good. All of you are safe. Isn’t that right, Steve? Won’t happen again. Will it steve?’ Steve carries on with a sigh, ‘no Eddie.’

The NEXT morning Eddie goes into his van and all his charms and statues are superglued to the dashboard. It’s a compromise he’s more than happy to accept. He does miss seeing how far he can make them roll when he’s taking wide turns though.

#Wayne superglued them after Steve to do anything else #couldn’t handle the frosty attitude from Eddie the whole day #Wayne understood. he’d been on the receiving end of Eddie’s stubborn ways for years #steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington

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withacapitalp · 1 year

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Future steddie fic where corroded coffin had a brief stint in their early years but never made it big big and eventually they settled down and were happy with their respective partners every so often getting together to play a few shows.

Then modern day catches onto their music and Eddie's story and they end up going viral. It's super awesome to get so much notoriety and they even are looking to potentially go on tour again. There's just one big problem.

Eddie and Steve have kids.

Eddie could promise to the cows come home that he is only going to be gone for a few weeks, a month tops, but Steve doesn't care. He's adamant that he will not give eddie approval to go (he can go if he wants but Steve is not going to say he's okay with it) and they get into some pretty big arguments over it because this was Eddie's dream, and Steve thinks their family should be the focus not Eddie's dreams.

Eventually Eddie decides he's doing it regardless of what Steve feels (both of them not really listening and just being stuck in how they feel) and Steve tells Eddie that if he does this he isn't coming back to them.

He can go stay with Wayne or the boys or whoever, but Steve refuses to raise his kids in a house with a parent who will leave anytime they decide their work matters more than their children.

#Eddie still goes btw #it's a happy ending I promise but they go to a SHIT TON of marriage counseling #bc it's Steve letting his own childhood trauma influence his stubbornness #and Eddie letting his single focus get in the way of seeing the bigger picture #Eddie does end up going on tour again after they sort their issues out but he waits until summer break #and he brings Steve and their two kids along #and the other guys bring their kids too #it's actually a really nice time and Eddie is much much happier with this tour as opposed to their first one #steve harrington #stranger things #st #eddie munson #steddie #st drabble #st4 #steddie ficlet #stranger things 4 #steve and eddie #stranger things ficlet

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domsaysstuff · 1 year

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I find it so funny that both steddie and ronance are Eddie and Robin looking at KiNg Steve Harrington and Nancy "suCh a PRisS" Wheeler and realizing that they're actually really badass and kind and sweet and having a lot of gay feelings about that as they should

#like they both know that they're hot but then s4 and it turns out that they are not only decent humans #but eddie discovers that steve just cares about people and is so earnest and a good fucking dude #and eddie is such a sl*t for kindness like all steve had to do was thank him and say to him to not be so hard on himself #for eddie to turn into a babbling mess #meanwhile robin knew nancy was badass since s3 but she never really realized how fucking just sweet she was?#and then there nance was asking her if 'that means we are friends?' with shyness and robin was gone on her #like it was genually so fucking sweet and robin still aches from it from the way nancy wheeler is a badass and stubborn #and full of hard edges but then she can be so fucking *sweet*#both eddie and robin are waay to gay for this two #meanwhile steve and nancy are just looking at the two stumbling disasters and are like 'fuck *heart eyes* i want that one'#steddie #ronance #fruity four #stranger things #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #eddie munson

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mcdannowave · 1 year

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And you’re his ‘Sunshine’ 🌈

#h50 4x20 #pessimist #Annoying #reaction gif #scott caan #danny williams #hawaii five 0 #mcdanno #you're not fooling anyone Danno #''Well.this 'cloud' will be around you way often. until ur PT is finished''...''We already live on the same house.how is that possible?''#''For starters I'll help u at home w/ the exercises. w/ no slouching. physical therapy is no joke Danno''#''Oh I know that.I took care of one stubborn SEAL once..and then again.bc the Neanderthal gets shot at /alot/''#''Hey..i'm alive and here. aren't I?''...''Of course u are.I was ur backup..and ur nurse..and the conscience in ur shoulder''#''C'mon. i'm not that reckless''...Danny just raised his browns and was deciding if he was laugh or not at that #''Ok Mr Tough Guy..u can help me at home.but push me over the limit w/ ur annoying aura and next time.u gonna sponge bath urself''#Steve didn't argue.Just made a 'zipping' motion over his mouth and smiled at his Danno #''Can't wait to help u w/ the sponge bath btw....'' ''Steven..my leg is almost fine.i don't need ur help on that''#He said.walking to the parking lot to his next appointment..''Oh.. I will insist on that. Better safe than sry''.Steve smirked his way away #and Danny could only thought: Well../some/ help in the shower would be nice (even if just a chair was enough)#he wouldn't pass the opportunity to have Dr Steve there for him....#headcanon tags #mine

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fastcardotmp3 · 1 year

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I don't read a lot of soulmate aus just because it's not a genre that appeals to me much personally, but I kinda want one where the main love interests are very much not soulmates.

A world where finding your soulmate is actually as rare as it statistically would be, a world where your soulmate probably speaks a different language and lives in a different country and will likely never cross paths with you that makes the whole thing all the more newsworthy when someone actually does find their soulmate.

And what this means is that most romantic relationships? They're not between soulmates, they're just between people who love each other and choose to keep doing the work of loving each other (or don't! because just like in the real world sometimes it just doesn't work out like that)

There are (mostly scam) services to try and take advantage of desperate people who want to find their soulmates; there are people trying to get famous just so there will be more eyes on their [author's choice soulmark] and it might be recognized (and subsequent famous people who always cover up their soulmark to keep people from faking a matching/ complementary one)

There are rom-coms about the ideal soulmate meet-cute and dramas about a relationship split apart when one of them actually meets their soulmate and it's this ingrained part of culture while still being something SO DAMN RARE.

So here's the thing, right, is that Steve and Eddie aren't soulmates.

They're not born to fall in love, they're not meant to be, the universe actually does its level best to drag them away from each other in the form of near-apocalypses and regular old human conflict alike, but even still.

Even still, they see one another at the start of the world all over again, scarred and changed and new; they see each other as they reform themselves from scraps and they hold each other up as they learn to walk away from the wreckage of what they've lost in the process of winning.

And they do what so many have done before them, they choose.

Squabbles and complexities and incompatible natures made to fit with work and effort and a boatload of pure and simple love, even if none of the rest is pure or simple.

Years of it, onwards out of Hawkins and maybe even back again; years of it through further changes and versions of selves, always together in one way or another, even during the hard bits.

They are not meant to be.

They have marks that do not match and it doesn't matter because why chase after something like that when they have this right in front of them.

Because maybe here's the thing, right, is that there's something just as rare as finding your soulmate.

Creating one.

Choosing so much and so often with all the determination at the goddamn root of your person that the mark on your body actually changes to match the choice you've made. The love you have built rather than found.

Because the universe is a fickle thing, she finds the lives of humans short and is fondly exasperated with their impermanence, their altogether restlessness in the face of finding something never promised to them, but she's never claimed to always get it right.

The universe is in charge of a lot of things, but human choice is not one of them, and so when two boys stumble into each other's lives in the face of unspeakable violence and terror and blood, when they stay in each other's lives even after they are no longer fighting in the same war, well.

She's an ever-changing thing, and she has done this before and will do it again, not the removal of one soulmate but the addition of a second, because if someone is willing to create space within themselves for someone they're not intrinsically linked to, stubborn enough even, maybe she can honor that.

And if Eddie Munson wakes up one morning, catches sight of himself in the mirror after a shower and sees something new that he did not put their of his own volition; if Steve is still asleep in the bed on the other side of the hall, not yet aware of the way the universe has shifted to accommodate the work they have put into tying themselves together on the fucking journey of a life they're stumbling through...

It's all still just a choice they already made, isn't it?

#dot post #dot fic #steddie #steve x eddie #steddie stranger things #stranger things fic #steddie soulmate au #i just think if there are two bastards stubborn enough it's them right

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incorrectgenv · 1 month

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Jordan: If I die, my funeral is going to be the biggest party ever and you're all invited

Emma: If?

Marie: Great, the only party I've ever been invited to and they might not even die.

#gen v #genv #gen v prime #gen v incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes #jordan li #marie moreau #limoreau #marie moreau x jordan li #mariejordan #the dynamic trio #me you and your friend steve #emma and marie are besties #emma myers #jordan and emma sibling vibes #jordan and emma's sibling agenda #can Jordan li even die?#they may be too stubborn

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afewproblems · 10 months

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In My Heart is a Memory (And There You'll Always Be) Part One

So! Awhile back now I received an anonymous prompt - which I can't post all of (yet) since it will spoil this new WIP which has gotten away from me in terms of length (as always). Needless to say we begin with Steddie childhood friends AU and continue from there!

Thank you to the nonny who sent me this beautiful prompt, I can't wait to take you on this journey!

Steve never thought it would end this way.

He tries desperately again to loosen the fishing line that has wrapped itself around his foot, trapping him in the frigid grey water. Steve paddles up again to take a deeper breath only to find that he's unable to fully breach the surface enough to breathe.

He gulps down a mixture of water and air, sputtering as it hits his lungs and chokes his throat. He realises, deliriously, that he might actually die here, alone in the woods at twelve years old.

This is why his mother had forbidden him from swimming in the lake, especially by himself; she had told him a million times not to go down there alone.

Steve slips under again, watching as the last few bubbles of air fly towards the surface above him, his vision begins to tunnel as he belatedly wishes he had thought to tell someone that he was going to lovers lake that afternoon.

Two strong hands suddenly appear on both sides of him, grasping Steve by the arms, hauling him out of the water.

"Shit, he's caught on something, Ed, hand me my knife, hurry," a gruff voice says as Steve is dragged into a boat, he sputters and coughs, gasping for air as his lungs burn and seize.

"Is he okay?" another younger voice says anxiously.

Steve opens his eyes just enough to find a wide pair of brown eyes staring back at him, a boy with a mop of curly hair sits beside Steve, he chews his lip nervously as the older man works on cutting away the tangle of old fishing line that had caught Steve earlier.

"This is why we always take our lines with us instead of leavin' em in the lake," the older man huffs as he severs the last knot holding Steve's leg, "he should be okay, you're lucky we were here kid".

All Steve can do is nod, his chest and throat still sore from his near drowning.

The other boy, Ed, inches closer but doesn't touch him, he looks around the boat with raised hands as though looking for some way to help.

"I think we're done fishing for today," the old man huffs, if he's anxious his voice doesn't show it, but Steve can see the worry in his dark eyes.

"Give him your coat Ed, let's bring our catch home to warm up".

The words seem to jumpstart the other boy as he hurriedly shrugs off his jean jacket and draps it clumsily over Steve's shoulders.

"You got a name kid?" the man asks gently before his expression finally shifts to one of panic, "aw hell, we gotta warm you up, you ain't even shivering".

"His lips are blue," Ed blurts out, his brow pinched with worry, "Wayne--"

"I see it, sit with him would ya, I'll get the engine going again," Wayne grunts out as he switches places with Eddie. The boat tips slightly as they move making Steve hiss as cold water tips over the side and onto his legs.

"My name's Eddie," the teen yells over the roar of the engine motor as it jumps to life; he sits down on the bench across from him, "what's your name?"

"S-Steve," he manages to get out between chattering teeth, his body finally beginning to shake in an attempt to warm itself back up.

"Don't worry," Eddie murmurs sagely, "we'll take care of you, right Uncle Wayne?"

Wayne nods with a tight smile as he begins to steer the boat back to shore.

"I don't need the hospital," Steve grumbles from the back seat of the pickup truck, eliciting an exaggerated eye roll from Wayne in the rearview mirror.

Heat blasts from the vents as soon as they pull away from the dirt side road by the docks and Steve is finally starting to warm up. Wayne had helped him step his shaking limbs into his discarded clothing they found on docks, but his damp swim shorts had soaked through his jeans, leaving a small persistent shiver running through him.

"We ain't leaving it to chance kid," Wayne grouses at him, "you inhaled a lot of lake water back there and I've spent enough time in a boat to know you need to be checked out by a professional".

Steve pouts in the back seat next to Eddie who looks between Steve and his uncle with a sharp furrow between his brow.

"Couldn't we take him to our place Wayne, we can look after him there," Eddie says with a toothy grin, he winks at Steve before catching Wayne's unimpressed glare in the rearview mirror.

"No, hospital first," he grumbles but the words are without heat and if the fond smile is anything to go by, Wayne seems more exasperated than angry.

Which is good.

Steve can't begin to picture how angry his own dad will be when he gets home.

Maybe enough for the belt again.

He shivers again and feels a bony shoulder connect lightly with his own; Steve looks up to find Eddie staring again, this time with a shy smile.

"You good," Eddie asks, a hint of nervousness in his voice, "sorry 'bout him".

He holds up one hand to block Wayne's vision of Eddie's face and points towards his uncle into the palm of his hand, "the old man’s stubborn sometimes".

The absurdity startles a wild giggle out of Steve that Eddie soon matches.

Wayne keeps driving, his eyes travelling between the road and the rearview mirror at the two boys giggling in the backseat. Wayne shakes his head and smiles slightly as they pull onto Main Street.

"Are you at Hawkins Middle? I don't know if I've seen you there before," Eddie asks abruptly, interrupting the laughter.

"I'm going to the highschool next year which is kind of cool," Eddie continues, not waiting for Steve to answer which is almost a relief given the strange exhaustion settling in Steve’s bones the longer they sit there.

"I heard from one of the other older kids at the tra--the park that there are a ton of clubs to join and even one for Dungeons and Dragons --you heard of it?"

Steve shakes his head, "is that like a board game or something?"

Eddie barks out a laugh and launches into an explanation, the words tumbling out at a mile a minute to the point that Steve isn't sure what he's even talking about anymore.

"And you use your character traits to help decide what to do, then the roll you get from your dice determines if you are successful or not!"

Steve frowns slightly, it doesn't sound like any board games he's ever heard of but it has dice, what else could it be?

"It's hard to explain without like showing you the books," Eddie admits, picking at a stray thread from the hole in his jeans, "I'll show you later at school, maybe?"

Steve can count on one hand the number of times he's actually been invited to hang out or play with another kid over the years that wasn't orchestrated by his mother.

He's not much for board games, but if that's what Eddie's inviting him to play, who is Steve to say no?

"Do you get to fight Dragons? Like a knight?" Steve asks quietly, his throat still sore from earlier. He laughs when Eddie nods so excitedly his whole body practically vibrates before jumping into a new explanation of the different characters people could play.

Steve spends the whole time listening with a wide grin on his face. He doesn't think he's ever met someone who talks so much, but Eddie has so much to say and he wants to tell Steve of all people.

He's too tired to add anything himself, the adrenalin from earlier seems to flow out of him, sinking into the back seat.

"Do you have Newson for English?" Eddie asks as they enter the hospital and Wayne takes them to the counter, he speaks with the nurse at the Emergency Room intake desk in a hushed voice, letting Steve and Eddie continue their conversation.

Steve shakes his head, feeling suddenly warm, much too warm and tired.

"Maybe we have the same lunch period, I want to show you the players handbook on Monday," Eddie practically vibrates beside him with excitement, "you can sit at my table and…Steve?"

Eddie suddenly sounds so far away, Steve struggles to stay upright and sways heavily into the other boy's side.

"Steve?!"

There's a commotion around him, people yelling and touching him suddenly, but he doesn't want that. He's so warm, it's hard to think, his vision begins to tunnel again.

The last thing he sees as a pair of gentle hands lay him down is Eddie worried brown eyes staring into his own as his world goes dark.

***

The first thing Steve realises when he wakes up, is that he's in a hospital bed.

The second is that he's alone.

The steady beat of the heart rate monitor almost lulls him back to sleep but he fights to stay awake.

Steve peers around the room, spotting his mothers coat and purse on the chair in the corner.

Shit.

This is what he was hoping to avoid, his parents finding out he deliberately disobeyed their rules and landed himself in the hospital.

Steve tries to sit up but the movement pulls at the strange tubing around his face and the IV in his arm. He hisses at the tug of the needle and flops back down against the flat pillow behind his head.

The heart rate monitor ticks up slightly at the movement, seemingly calling out to the nurses at the station outside.

As if on cue, a nurse steps into the room, followed by his mother.

Diane Harrington always looked put together. Pearls, heels, never a hair out of place.

Today however, Diane's pale wane face stares at Steve in stony silence. No makeup, her hair sits flat against her head. A fine tremor runs over her clenched hands but she smooths down the front of her shirt to hide it.

"Looks like someone's awake," the nurse says with a kind smile.

She picks up the chart at the edge of the bed as his mother walks around to the chair that has been pulled up closest to Steve's side. She doesn't sit.

The nurse is around his mom’s age, maybe a little older if the laugh lines around her mouth are any indication. Her blond hair is streaked with grey as well and pinned back to let the small white hat sit properly on top. Her light brown eyes trace over the page of his chart and a slight crease begins to form between them as she frowns slightly.

"What is it?" Diane says, the words come out smoothly; Steve tries to make eye contact with her, to see just how mad she is about this, how mad his dad will be when they get home, but she ignores his gaze.

"The doctor will be in shortly, he'll explain," she says apologetically before placing the chart back down at the edge of the bed.

"Steven," the nurse says softly as she walks towards him, on the side opposite his mother, "my name is Claudia, and myself and Doctor Sattler will be taking care of you today".

Steve nods, suddenly shy as Claudia reaches into the pocket of her white apron and shows Steve a long black tube with a shiny metal circle at one end, the other is split down the middle into two angled sections at the other end.

"Steven, this is a Stethoscope, I'm going to use it to listen to your heart and your lungs, so I'm going to need you to sit up, can you do that for me?"

He nods and begins to shift, slowly this time to avoid jostling the IV this time.

"Steven," Diane says sharply from her place beside the bed, she still isn't looking at him, "you need to answer when you're asked a question."

"Sorry," he mumbles, abashed at his mother's words.

Claudia's frown returns as her eyes dart between Steve and Diane, but she remains silent and simply places the stethoscope into her ears.

"This will be a little cold," Claudia warns as she lifts up his shirt to place the metal against his back, "okay, you're going to give me a big deep breath," she instructs softly, giving him a smile.

Steve breathes in, it's not painful, but there's an awful pressure in his chest that makes him wince, the strange whistling sound his breath makes also doesn't help.

Claudia must notice because she tuts and tells him she just needs a few more breaths from him.

She moves the metal from his back to his chest and asks him to take two more deep breaths for her, on the last one his chest spasms and his throat constricts just enough to make him begin to cough horribly.

Steve doubles over, uncaring this time of the pull on the IV, he can't seem to catch his breath this time.

Steve registers his mother and Claudia trying to speak to him and a gentle hand on his back rubbing in a soothing circle but all Steve can think is, I can't breathe, as he coughs up a glob of frothy pink liquid into the sheets covering his legs.

The steady beep of the heart rate monitor begins to increase to a constant frantic pulse, I can’t breathe, he wants to scream but his throat constricts around the words, it feels as though an elephant has sat itself in the middle of his chest as he registers something being pressed to his mouth and nose.

"Try to take a deep breath, one mississippi, two mississippi, that's it sweetheart," Claudia pats his back gently and keeps a steady hold of the mask over his face.

The pressure in his chest slowly begins to relent as he follows Claudia’s direction, one mississippi, two mississippi, in and out. The constant puff of air around his nose and mouth seems to finally be helping.

"You're going to give us even more grey hair before we discharge you huh kiddo," a new voice rumbles from the door.

Steve looks up wearily at a man in a white coat with horn rimmed glasses staring down at him. There is a kind smile on his face, much like the one Wayne had when he helped Steve exit their truck earlier that day.

Was it still Saturday? Steve looks around again for the window, he could have sworn it was still light out.

"What are you giving him?" Diane whispers above Steve, she hazards a brief glance at him before looking back at the doctor who lifts a syringe to pump something into the IV tubing, but Steve isn’t paying attention, he’s trying to find the clock he had seen earlier on the far wall.

"Just something to help him breathe a little easier, that's all," the man says gently as he takes Steve's chart from the end of the bed where Claudia had left it.

"BP is a little low," Claudia murmurs, she lets go of the mask and lays Steve back down onto the bed, smoothing his hair back lightly as she leaves his bedside.

"Steven, my name is Dr. Sattler, I heard you had an interesting morning today?"

Dr. Sattler gives Steve and his mother a warm smile as he places the chart back down on the bed, he eyes the machines at the bedside for a moment before taking Steve’s wrist gently in his hand and lifting the face of his watch up to meet his eyes.

He nods and lays Steve’s hand back down onto the bed, above the covers.

Suddenly a bright light is shining into Steve's eyes, he winces slightly as it moves quickly, “Steven, can you tell me if you hit your head at all when you were in the lake today?”

Steve tries to think back to the lake. He remembers getting his foot caught in the discarded fishing line, the feeling of water running down the back of his throat, filling his nose; the way the light began to fade as he sank down--

“Steven?” Dr. Sattler prompts again, his brow creases in the barest of frowns.

Steve swallows once and shakes his head as a shrill beeping noise fills the room, everyone flinches, whirling around to the machines before Steve's mother snatches her purse from the nearby chair and rips the buzzing pager out to turn it off.

She glares at the message, "I need to make a call, I'll be back".

Dr. Sattler frowns but steps aside to allow Diane to sweep out of the room.

"Well Steven-"

"Can you call me Steve?" He asks, the words so quiet that Dr. Sattler and Claudia both tilt towards him to hear.

The doctor reaches for the chart again, his eyes flick to Claudia once before landing back on Steve with a small patient smile.

"Of course, Steve," he says deliberately before clearing his throat, "I'll wait for your mother to come back to go over our plan for you okay?"

"Are you," he whispers, "am I going to need a shot?" Claudia tuts this time, coming around to the side of the bed to brush his hair away from his forehead, "you were so brave for your IV," she says brightly, "if you need another I'll hold your hand, how does that sound?" Steve blushes as his little face scrunches into a grimace. He knows he wasn't awake when they gave him the IV.

After a beat, he shakes his head, "It's okay, I'm not a baby". Claudia purses her lips and pats his hand gently, "I don't like needles either, sometimes I need someone to hold my hand, no shame in it, okay?"

Steve chews on that thought for a moment, rolling it around in his head, why would adults be scared of anything?

His dad had made it perfectly clear over the years what real men were like, and being afraid of things never once made the list.

Steve looks up at the nurse and meets her kind eyes, a softer brown than he'd ever seen before with fine lines in the corners creased into a smile.

"I'd hold your hand, Miss Claudia," Steve agrees eventually.

She smiles at him and pats his hand again before stepping away.

"I'll go find your mother, there's only one payphone on this floor so she can't be far," she asserts to Steve before making her way to the door. She whispers something to Dr. Sattler on her way out before disappearing through the door.

"While nurse Henderson tracks down your mother, I'll see if radiology has your scans ready, sit tight kiddo”.

Steve nods as the doctor tries for a small reassuring smile but the effect is lost in the tightness around his eyes. Dr. Sattler pushes open the door which swings back and forth as he disappears into the hallway, leaving Steve to lay back against the flat pillows and scratchy hospital sheets, with only the steady sound of the monitors and the clock on the wall to keep him company.

A new wave of exhaustion sweeps over him suddenly, now that he’s alone.

He wishes Eddie had managed to convince his uncle to let them just go back to their place, he would have been okay if they had just stayed in the truck - he probably wouldn’t have passed out if they had just gone to Eddie’s house.

Steve glares at the ceiling at the unfairness of it all, a small part of him knows that it’s for the best that Dr. Sattler and Miss Claudia are looking after him now, but what will his dad say about the hospital bills, or the bed rest?

He’s not sure how much time has passed. It’s been harder to keep track of here without a proper clock in the room but the sun has moved, carving long shadows in his room in between the copper evening light. He must have drifted off at some point since his mother has suddenly returned as well as Dr, Sattler.

Miss Claudia is nowhere to be found and Steve finds himself feeling rather bereft at her absence.

Diane Harrington stands beside his bed, her hands wrapped so tightly around the strap of her purse that her manicured nails dig into the palms of her hands and her knuckles have been stained white.

Dr. Sattler stands in front of a large box affixed to the wall, it’s lit up with two translucent black and white images on it that the doctor keeps pointing to different areas of the strange lumpy white images while he talks.

“To put it simply, Mrs. Harrington, it’s not good”.

Oh.

Steve feels as though the bed beneath him has dropped away while Doctor Sattler continues speaking.

Steve had aspirated a lot of water into his lungs while in the lake and was already in the beginning stages of pneumonia because of it. So Steve would need to stay on his course of antibiotics and oxygen for at least a week to let his lungs heal and rest as much as possible.

Diane’s expression does not shift during the conversation, remaining artfully neutral the entire visit. She nods and asks questions about Steve’s medication and when he would be allowed to come home.

A flicker of something crosses her face when Dr. Sattler mentions the inhaler Steve would likely need to carry with him at all times.

“For how long?” she asks sharply as Dr. Sattler flips through Steve’s chart once more.

He hums and purses his lips, “honestly, it depends, he could need it for a few months, he could need it for the rest of his life,” he shakes his head and sets down the chart, “we need to see how his lungs look after the inflammation goes down to really be sure”.

“What does that mean?” Steve blurts out, drawing their gaze towards him.

Steve bristles slightly as Diane shoots him the barest of glares. He’s the one in the hospital bed, he can’t even ask questions about what will happen to him?

“The tissue in the lungs is very sensitive and delicate,” Dr. Sattler continues, his words come out slowly as though he is carefully sifting through to choose the best ones, “so, what that means is you may need medication to help your lungs function properly”.

“Steven’s father was hoping for him to join the varsity swim team in the next few years,” Diane says wearily, the first hint of emotion finally seeping into her voice as she sinks into the chair holding her purse.

Steve winces.

It’s no secret that his father’s goal for Steve, his…expectation, is for his son to follow his example to the letter.

Varsity swimming --perhaps even basketball if he takes after his father’s lithe frame of six foot two. Get into college on an athletics scholarship, graduate with a business degree to eventually take over the family business --not that Richard has ever once explained just exactly what he does for a living.

Steve would then marry a nice girl, one he'll meet at college since Hawkins won't have any girls good enough for the Harringtons, and eventually pump out two grandkids for Diane to fawn over.

This was the plan for Steve’s life, there was no room for error.

“Mrs. Harrington, there’s no reason to think he won’t be able to do these things--”

But the words fall flat as Steve’s mother gets up from her chair and stalks out of the room, leaving a wake of disappointment and silence behind her.

A lump begins to form in Steve’s throat and he tries to blink away the harsh sting in his eyes. He knew he shouldn’t have gone to the lake that morning, he’d been told so many times never to go by himself, not when the Harringtons had their own beautiful inground pool installed just three summers ago.

Dr. Sattler breathes out a long weighty sigh and lifts a hand to scratch at a missed patch of stubble on his chin.

He looks between the closed door and back at Steve, seeming to make a decision.

"Okay son," Doctor Sattler sighs, "you're going to hear things over the years about what you will or won't be able to do".

Steve lifts his hand up to wipe at his eyes as discreetly as he can with the doctor at the edge of his bed and nods.

"This does not need to define you, there are plenty of athletes out there with lung conditions and I would encourage you to keep active, it might actually benefit you to do so".

Steve manages to hold back a scoff just barely and nods, dropping his gaze to his feet beneath the blankets.

"I'm not saying you need to go out and run a marathon," Doctor Sattler says dryly at the incredulous expression on his face.

"But you will need to keep them strong and exercise will help with that, so if you like swimming, keep swimming, okay kid?"

He pauses again and adds, "no smoking while you're at it".

Steve's mouth drops open in protest, he's never smoked, well, not a full cigarette at least.

One of the neighbour kids, Tommy, had smuggled cigarettes out of his dad’s pants pocket and taken them to school for everyone to try. Steve had nearly thrown up at the taste and the feel of acrid smoke filling his nose and mouth.Tommy had laughed so hard about Steve spitting into the grass outside the baseball dugout and proceeded to tell everyone he could find.

Steve still associated the taste of cigarettes with Tommy's laugh, the sound turning his stomach just as easily now.

Steve shakes his head under the doctor's unimpressed gaze, "I-I dont--"

Doctor Sattler raises his eyebrow and cuts Steve off with a sweep of his hand, "sure son, just make sure you don't continue, especially because your lungs are still growing and we want to capitalize on that as much as possible".

The doctor pats Steve's shoulder awkwardly, letting his heavy hand rest briefly before he turns away towards the door once more.

"Anyway, I have a feeling you'll be getting a few more lectures in the future so that's enough out of me, you best settle in kiddo, you'll be here for at least a week".

Steve nods tiredly, he can hear his dad's voice in his head now, 'this is the stupidest thing you've ever done Steven--'

"Get some rest, no sense worrying about it now," Doctor Sattler says as he slips out into the hallway without a knowing furrowed brow.

And with that Steve is alone once more.

The light outside his window is beginning to fade into the horizon; he wonders belatedly if Eddie will look for him on Monday.

Steve rolls over, ignoring the new sting behind his eyes and the heaviness in his lungs as he wonders how he can miss someone he just met this much.

Part Two Now Up!

#childhood friends au #pre-steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #hurt steve harrington #afewproblems writes #In my heart is a memory and there you'll always be #is this from a song from The Fox and the Hound #we love a protective and stubborn wayne in this house #claudia henderson is a nurse and I will die on this hill because I love this idea #steves parents can kick rocks #steve harrington has bad parents #thank you again to the nonny who inspired this I hope you will like where I take this and I hope you know that i appreciated you sending it

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trensu · 10 months

Text

A part of a continuation of Hawkins Halfway House for Homeless Horrors which is also on AO3.

Robin liked to make fun of him but she didn’t understand his early bird tendencies. Steve grew up playing multiple sports. That kind of lifestyle gives the body expectations. If Steve didn’t do his morning jogs, he’d be crawling up the walls halfway through the day with all his pent up restlessness. He’d tried on multiple occasions to convince her to join him since it hadn’t escaped his notice that Robin was also full of restless energy. She laughed in his face every time.

Okay, she might also have been laughing at him for his jogging outfit, but screw Robin! What did she know about athletic clothes? And there was nothing wrong with yellow! It was a happy color! Why wouldn’t he want to wear his favorite color doing one of his favorite activities?

He ran his usual route. It took him down the main street where he got to see all the shop owners get their stores ready for the day. He waved at Mr. Newby as he jogged past his electronics shop. He liked Mr. Newby. He’d helped Steve pick out the walkman he used during his morning run, and then fixed it when Steve dropped it and Robin stepped on it two days after Steve bought it. When Steve jogged past the diner, Benny gave him his usual nod of acknowledgement, which Steve returned with a smile.

Steve mapped out his jog so it lasted him the better part of an hour and finished with a quick circuit around his neighborhood. Between the main street and his neighborhood was a pleasant patch of green. There were enough trees to attract small woodland critters but not so many trees as to block out the morning sunshine. It provided a nice division between living quarters and the modest shopping district Hawkins boasted.

Steve started to slow his strides now that he was entering the last leg of his route. He looked down to fiddle with the walkman clipped at his waist in order to fast-forward the tape to the next song. In the moment of distraction, Steve tripped over a ball, of all things. Steve managed to catch himself before earning what would’ve been his third concussion. Feeling a bit huffy, Steve bent down to grab the ball that nearly murdered him.

It was a well-loved thing. A red, white, and blue basketball, scuffed up and worn smooth from use. He had no idea what it was doing at the side of a road near the woods.

Except no, wait a minute.

Steve blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes. He was on the sidewalk in front of an unfamiliar house. A black boy was peeking over the battered old fence surrounding the house. He had a bandana tied around his forehead and a sheepish expression on his face.

“Sorry!” the boy called. “I didn’t mean to throw it so hard! Can you give it back, mister?”

“Uh, sure,” Steve said, still trying to figure out how he arrived here. He didn’t recognize the street at all. Instead of throwing the ball back, he walked it over. The boy grinned at him when he handed the ball over the fence.

“Thanks!”

“No problem, kid,” Steve smiled back. The boy looked ready to dash back to the big tree off the driveway that had an old basketball hoop attached to the trunk. Steve cleared his throat. “Hey, could you tell me what street this is? I think I got myself turned around.”

“Oh, sure!” the boy said. “This is Upside Down Avenue. If you go that way and turn right, you’ll be on Flayer Drive, but if you go this way and turn left you’ll be on Creel Street.”

“...I don’t think I know those. Do you know which direction to get to the shopping district?”

The boy opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by barking. He let out an ‘oof’ when he was bowled over and out of view. The barking grew louder and more agitated. Was this a dog attack? Dogs could do some really bad damage on a kid. There wasn’t any screaming but what if the kid had hit his head and lost consciousness?

Steve, in his worry, ran and leapt over the fence. He barely cleared it but the fact he cleared it at all would be very impressive later when he wasn’t trying to save a kid.

When he landed on the other side, the boy was sprawled on the ground with a very, very large puppy on him. It growling and tugging at the collar of his shirt. It didn’t appear to have actually bitten the boy, though, so that was good.

“Erica, get off me! He was just asking for directions!” the boy said over the growling. He rolled over, taking the large puppy with him. He grabbed at the long black fur on the puppy’s neck and yanked her off him with surprising strength.

The puppy struggled out of the boy’s grasp and plopped down next to him. It had stopped growling and seemed to be sulking. The boy got to his feet and tried to dust himself off but the grass stains were not going to come out either, Steve knew this from experience. Steve crouched down next to the boy.

“Are you hurt?” Steve looked closely. He thought he had seen some scratches on the boy during the scuffle, but they were gone when he tried to find them now. “I thought that dog had you.”

“Nah, that’s just my dumb little sister. She can’t hurt me that bad,” the boy said with a shrug. The puppy let out a yappy sort of bark and the boy stuck his tongue out at it. Steve looked between the two of them.

“Your sister?” Steve asked. The boy’s eyes widened and a small growl started up in the dog.

“My little sister’s dog!” the boy yelped. “That’s what I meant. This is my little sister’s dog.” The boy looked really nervous. He was probably embarrassed. Steve gave him a smile.

“That’s alright, I get my words mixed up sometimes, too,” he said easily. Steve thought the dog snorted at that, but that was ridiculous. He probably imagined it. He got up and went over to grab the battered basketball that had gone flying when the boy had been bowled over. He threw it to the boy who caught it with ease. “So, you like basketball?”

The boy’s face lit up. “Yeah! I wanna join the team when I go to school.”

“Heck yeah, bud,” Steve grinned. “I used to be captain of the basketball team when I was in high school. It’s a lot of fun. What grade are you in?”

“Fifth,” he said. “But I’ll be going to Hawkins Middle School next year so I wanna be ready to try out by then. Hey, hey, can I show you what I can do? And you can tell me if I’ll make the team or not?”

Steve checked his watch. His run had already gone longer than it should have, and he still had to figure out how to get back to familiar ground so he could get home. On the other hand, he was stuck with another lousy afternoon shift. He didn’t technically have anything urgent to get done before then. He ran a hand through his damp hair to clear it from his face. He wondered where the kid’s parents were; they’d probably freak out about having some random guy watching their son shoot hoops. The kid looked at him so hopefully, though.

“Sure, I can do that,” Steve said.

The kid pumped his fist in victory, but the puppy started barking loudly. It circled the boy agitatedly. The boy tried to shove the puppy away but the puppy pranced out of reach before circling him again.

“Shut up, Erica! You’re spazzing for no reason,” the kid snapped.

“Lucas!”

A red-haired girl stomped across the yard at an alarming speed. Wisps of hair not tied back with the rest whipped around her face as a gust blew over the yard. Lucas nearly dropped the basketball with how quick he turned to see the girl. He did trip over the–still shockingly big, seriously, Steve didn’t know puppies could get that big– puppy who had stopped circling him the minute the girl shouted but had sat directly behind Lucas. The ball rolled over to where Steve stood.

“Max!” Lucas said, flustered, as he picked himself up. But Max didn’t acknowledge him. Instead she planted herself firmly between him and Steve. She glared at Steve furiously.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Max, it’s fine,” Lucas said, reaching out to touch her shoulder but she shrugged him off roughly, her wide eyes never leaving Steve even as the wind picked up.

“No, it isn’t. He could be anybody,” she said. Her hands were balled into fists and trembled slightly. She saw him noticing and paled. She crossed her arms defensively so her hands were completely hidden. In response, Steve relaxed his stance. He kept his hands in full view and kept his movements gentle. He knew what fear looked like when he saw it.

“You’re right,” Steve said calmly. “I’m Steve. I got lost and Lucas was nice enough to let me know where I was so I can try to find myself back.”

“You told him what?” Max asked, alarmed. It was Lucas’s turn to get defensive.

“He was on the other side of the fence! It wasn’t a big deal. And now the fence let him in, so it’s all okay anyway.”

“It will be,” Max hissed. “Eddie heard Erica barking. He’s on his way.”

“Shit,” Lucas groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“Language,” Steve scolded reflexively. A stronger gust of wind blew around him. His eyes started to water from all the wind. He rubbed his eyes to relieve some of the grittiness and kept them at a squint to protect them from the wind. He could barely see anything.

“How did you get here before Eddie?” he heard Lucas ask Max, apparently ignoring Steve’s scolding entirely.

“I told you, I’m a zoomer.” For the first time since she arrived, Max’s voice held a hint of playfulness.

“Zoomers aren’t a thing,” Lucas snorted in amusement.

The wind let up enough by then that Steve could open his eyes, just in time to see a man walking towards them. The puppy shot off towards the man and then kept pace with him, yipping the whole time. If it weren’t a dog, Steve would have thought it was tattling on him. With the wind whipping that dark curly hair around, Steve couldn’t get a good look at the man’s face, but he moved his body fluidly and with surety. Seeing such confidence in movement always made Steve’s stomach swoop pleasantly.

When the man reached them, he placed a gentle hand on Max’s shoulder.

“You can cool it now, Maxie,” the gorgeous man said, gesturing vaguely upwards. His voice was tender and low and Steve had the ridiculous desire to swim in it. Max didn’t look at Eddie but nodded firmly once. The wind around them finally died down. “Why don’t you three go inside?”

“But nothing happened! Erica is making it sound worse than it was,” Lucas protests. “And I still need to practice!”

“You can practice later. Go inside now,” Eddie said. Lucas looked ready to argue but Max grabbed his hand and started to drag him back. Lucas all but melted when her hand touched his, and he followed her, starry eyed. The puppy was close at their heels. In unspoken agreement, they both waited until the kids were out of sight before conversing. Steve reached out to shake Eddie’s hand.

“Hey, I’m Steve–”

“I know who you are,” Eddie scowled. “How did you get in here? That fence is warded and I know you don’t have Jeff’s card anymore.”

Warded was a weird way to say locked, and Steve had no idea how Eddie knew the guy that scammed him that time. Unless it was someone else? Jeff was a common name…but there was only one Jeff that gave him a card. Steve shook his head.

“I don’t know if the gate was locked or not. I sort of jumped the fence?”

Eddie blinked at him. “You…jumped the fence.”

“Yeah? I mean, I don’t go around jumping into people’s fenced off property, but I thought Lucas had gotten hurt so I kind of reacted without thinking.” Steve ran his hand nervously through his hair. Eddie had eyes that were…wow. They’d probably be prettier if they weren’t glaring at Steve, sure, but Steve wouldn’t survive if Eddie’s eyes looked at him with the same softness he had when he had spoken to Max.

Eddie stomped over to the fence and hovered his hands over the top of it. Then down the side of it without ever actually touching the wood. Whatever it was that he was doing, it made his brow furrow. He looked back to the house, scowl still firmly in place.

“What are you doing?” Eddie asked loudly.

“Nothing!” Steve responded. He was literally just standing there, confused as hell.

“I’m not talking to you,” Eddie snapped at him, then returned his attention to the house. “You let him jump over like it was a regular fence? What are you up to, huh?”

Steve felt a retroactive burst of fear when he remembered electric fences existed. He felt stupid a split second later because the fence was the plain wooden plank kind. It wasn’t even a good wooden fence. Frankly, it looked about ready to collapse in on itself.

Steve was about to say so when he saw the house shiver. It shifted like a guilty child shuffled their feet.

“What the fuck,” Steve said instead. “What the fuck.”

Eddie let out a long sigh.

“Seriously, did you see–”

A captivating song flooded his senses. There was a brief moment of ‘this has happened before’ but it was washed away before Steve could grasp it. It wasn’t important. What mattered was that beautiful Eddie was singing his beautiful song.

“Go home, Steve,” Eddie said while the song swirled around them. “Forget.”

–

Steve threw his keys in the bowl kept near the entry. Far more gently, he took off his headphones, coiled them around his walkman, and set it next to the bowl. On the couch, Robin lounged and read one of her weird literature books. Clearly she was enjoying her day off. She looked up when Steve entered.

“Hey dingus, what took you so long?” she asked.

Normally, Steve’s morning run cleared his head. It helped him get ready and focused for the day. Today, though, Steve’s mind felt like a muddy puddle. He half wanted to go on another run but that probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

“Steve?” Robin asked. She wore a concerned expression. Steve realized that he hadn’t answered her question.

“Got turned around,” Steve mumbled.

“You got lost,” Robin said in disbelief. “On the run you’ve been doing every day since we moved here?”

Steve shrugged. “Some kid gave me directions, I guess? But I'm home now.”

He didn’t know why he said that last part out loud. It seemed important but obviously Robin could see he was home. Robin’s expression became even more concerned.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Steve nodded numbly. He didn’t want her to worry. There wasn’t any need for it. He was home now.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Steve said. “I think I’m gonna take a nap before work.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

Robin did not sound convinced but she let it go, much to Steve’s relief. He headed to his room. A nap would help him get his head straight.

#trensu tells stories #hawkins halfway house for homeless horrors #stranger things #steve harrington #lucas sinclair #erica sinclair #max mayfield #eddie munson #steddie #this is one scene of maybe four total #Eddie is a very stubborn guy so it takes him a while to warm up to steve okay #he'll get there eventually

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