So Much Steddie All the time

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Start from the beginning

Chapter art by @house-of-the-moving-image

“Steve?”

The word is a whisper floating on air. A question. A plea. A prayer. Steve’s head whips up as if pulled by a string.

He doesn’t know what he’s been expecting.

He should’ve been prepared for this - he has seen the sight in front of him in a hundred and more nightmares after all - but somehow, it still manages to make his knees buckle and punch the breath out of him in a weak gasp.

The throne on its dais. The runes glowing on the stone steps. The writhing wall of vines all around it, twitching and hissing as they try to break past the invisible barrier.

Eddie on the throne.

Tag list:

@steddieas-shegoes @thefreakandthehair @thisapplepielife @runninriot @sidekick-hero

@penny00dreadful @tinytalkingtina @pennyplainknits @steddie-island @arelliann

@starthecozy @after-the-end-times @matchingbatbites @qomrades @yesdangerpls

@battythejester @ellaelsinore @eriquin @alexmundaythrufriday @sheldarp

@dam28lh @xjessicafaithx @grtwdsmwhr @swishyclang @bumblebeecuttlefishes

Actually... scratch that.

Eddie can't get used to it. And he wishes for his own dignity he could get past his swooning when those Dreamboat Harrington tendencies capture him.

Especially now, after Steve all but sauntered up the driveway to greet him with a featherlight kiss on the cheek.

There isn't anyone around to witness this (thank god), as Eddie stands shell-shocked and speechless, watching as Steve wipes sweat from his brow and shakes his head, damp tousles curling like a babe out of an MTV music video.

Steve bounces his basketball, the noise jolting Eddie back into existence. He breathes heavy as he takes his boyfriend in, his greedy eye settling on an obscene pair of gym shorts.

Eddie squares his jaw, lips quivering as he grits his teeth.

He postpones the next session, making excuses that are believable, but won't be if he takes more than two weeks to come up with a solution. And he's getting so close to the deadline and still can't come up with something good. So he tells Steve about it when they're hanging out, who asks him to recap the story. And then Steve promptly offers an exit that is actually really practical and perfect and oh my god how did I not come up with that this whole time, it was right on the nose - Steve Harrington YOU'RE A GENIUS! Eddie is so excited he kisses Steve on the cheek and runs off to find the closest piece of paper and pen to write it down.

Leaving Steve to his bisexual crisis. Which gets way worse when he later realizes that Eddie probably wouldn't do that normally (he's so wrong about that) so it didn't even mean half of what it meant to him (wrong again, this is the only thing that Eddie will think about every single day for the rest of his life).

Steve is always talking about the kids. About driving them to school and taking them to doctor appointments or trips. It's sweet, actually, how devoted he obviously is to his kids.

There's Dustin, who Steve is always driving everywhere and bragging about how smart he is. And there's also Max and Erica, his girls who have Steve around their fingers.

And, well, maybe Steve is young to have three kids already, but who's Eddie to judge?

But then Steve is mentioning a Lucas too when he talks about his kids, and a Jane, and okay now Eddie is kinda freaking out. He's been trying to give Steve space and time, to let Steve set the pace and decide when he wants to have the 'do you wanna meet my kids?' conversation, but Eddie can't help but blurt out, "Babe, how many kids do you have?"

Steve looks at him funny, as if Eddie is not making any sense. "What do you mean?"

"You've already mentioned at least five different kids. Is there any more?"

"Oh, they are seven in total."

Seven. Seven fucking kids. How the hell is that even possible? Steve is twenty-six!

"Jesus, how old were you when the first of them was born?"

Understanding glints in Steve's eyes and he laughs so hard that Eddie is a little offended. Who wouldn't be a little frantic after finding out their new boyfriend had seven kids?

"Do you wanna meet them?" Steve asks suddenly, unable to hold back a grin.

An hour later, Eddie finds himself meeting not a bunch of kids but a bunch of grown adults, well in their 20s too, who are very nice and cool but also extremely protective of Steve.

"Hey, idiot don't forget your dice." and he tosses the pouch at Dustin, who barely catches it because he's an unathletic loser. He scoffs and smiles anyway, "Thanks dad."

Before Eddie can process that, Dustin walks out, completely oblivious to the fact that he'd even said the D-word. Eddie stands there for way longer than he should, circling through pride, affection, and offense because he is NOT old enough to be a father!

A few weeks go by, Eddie pretty much forgets about it and chooses not to bring it up, because despite what everyone thinks, he isn't the biggest douchebag in the word. (He still is one of course but not the biggest!) Eddie forgets about it until another hellfire session is over, but Dustin took a little too long, and Steve Harrington comes marching into the school.

"Dude, I told you to be quick today! I promised Max and Lucas I'd take them to the movies!" The perfectly styled brunette started to scold, Eddie found himself a little hot under the collar as he glanced between Dustin and his much taller, much more attractive friend.

Dustin rolled his eyes, "Okay, okay, jesus, you're such a nag, mom." He added the "mom" mockingly, Harrington didn't even bristle. "I'm flattered to be compared to your mother, now move your ass." He demanded, dragging Dustin away by his bag.

Eddie was once again, stuck standing there for a little longer than he should've, before his feet were suddenly moving and he burst into the parking lot and luckily, somehow, Harrington and Dustin weren't in their cars yet.

"Henderson called me dad once!" He shouted over at them, a little out of breath. "If you're his mother I think I owe you a date! Or at least child support!" He called, giving Harrington a sharp grin even though a part of him was horrified at his own actions.

Dustin looked ten times more horrified than Eddie felt, but Steve just turned, glanced Eddie over, and paused. "That can be arranged." He smirked a little before getting in his car, Dustin followed, and even over the engine starting Eddie could hear the kid screeching about dignity or something.

They drove away but Eddie's heart was pounding louder than them turning out of the parking lot.

She really does but she wishes this man had more self-awareness of who he is and why exactly he can't just - "drop you off. Its raining and I'm already here, Robin. It's not adding to my commute if I let you out at the door."

"That's not the issue."

"Oh, so you don't care about the gas I’m wasting picking you up for school?"

She gives him a flat look, "No."

"Ungrateful youth."

"Okay, Grandpa," She cracks a smile. "It's not that I think you'd mind. It's that everyone else will mind."

Steve raises an eyebrow, "Why would anyone care that you get dropped off??"

"No one cares that -they'll care who is dropping me off?"

Steve is silent for a second - contemplating and also merging into the drop off lane - and then he asks, "Literally why would anyone care about that?"

"Because you're you??!"

"I’m me," He nods slowly. "Your coworker. Your friend. I’m not seeing the problem?"

"Steve 'The Hair' Harrington-"

"Hate that nickname."

"-starts dropping off a nobody girl from band and you think that's not going to disrupt the high school ecosystem? People will think we're dating."

"I don't even go to this school anymore??" Steve says. "Rob, I love you. Tectonically, or whatever. But no one is paying that much attention to other people."

"They are," She insists, "To you."

Steve shrugs.

He then reaches across her and pushes open the passenger side door because, "- oh look at that. The front door. Of the school. Where I’m dropping you off and, gasp. The world didn't explode."

Robin gives him a very flat look, "Don't say gasp."

He grins.

She grabs her backpack and her trumpet case, and tells him, "You're the worst."

"Feeling like the best right now."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

the fic is now finished! You can read this part alone if you just want to get a feel for it:

Eddie Munson had been missing for long enough that Wayne started to fear the worst. Even his visits to the hospital has become less frequent, though he knew the kind nurses would let him know as soon as anyone even resembling his nephew showed in their care. Not many Hawkins citizens shared that sentiment, dismissing his boy as a mental case for the way he carried himself, for how he stood out from the crowd. 

Other young men his age were the most antagonistic towards him, so Wayne was pleasantly surprised when approached by a well-groomed boy asking him about Eddie. 

They've only met a couple of times, Steve always eager to listen more about Eddie and Wayne eager to share the love he has for the son he thought he would never have. He never though of it more than a good person with a big heart, understanding his pain and willing to help. 

Until that boy approached him on his way from work. All their other encounters were accidental, usually at the hospital they both frequented. But Wayne can tell Steve was waiting for him, which matched with the way he was looking around, left him on high alert. He was glad the afternoon sun was still above them.

"Son." He smiles and nods at the boy despite himself. "Good to see you." 

"Mr. Munson." Steve nods back and to his surprise, falls in step with him instead of stopping to talk.

"Just call me Wayne, son," he corrects him not for the first time, eyeing him with curiosity. "What brings you to this part of town? The hospital is quite a way from here."

"Wayne, sir," Steve starts, but falls silent again. He takes another look around, through the tightly built houses of factory workers and the store fronts squeezed between them.

"Son—"

"I'll bring you Eddie. Alive and well, better than before, even. I promise," Steve suddenly blurts out, not looking at him. 

Wayne freezes in his tracks. 

His voice was flat, unimpressed, the barest hitch to it that no one would ever catch.

Steve just grinned, kept tracing his thumb over the back of Eddie's hand, figure-8s around the knuckles, the barest trace of maddening pressure that made Eddie's throat click around a swallow.

"Eddie," Steve said, solemnly, a tiny quirk of a grin hidden at the edge of his mouth.

"Hospital hand-holding," Eddie said, going for his most maddeningly pedantic, "is for coma patients and grandparents. Siblings, possibly. Spouses, I'll allow."

The grin wasn't hidden any more, curling Steve's mouth up into something indescribably soft. Eddie'd look away, look at the damp-stained ceiling, if that didn't feel like admitting defeat.

"So more than friends, is what you're telling me," Steve said, squeezing Eddie's hand a little tighter. Eddie had to bite back a soft noise - almost managed it, too.

"Are we even- " Eddie started, then redirected, to avoid the line forming between Steve's eyebrows. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"You got a problem with me holding your hand, Munson?" Steve asked, leaning in too close, his grin lost to the brightness of his hazel eyes, his weight leaning on the bed sheets and pulling them tight against -

Eddie failed at biting back a noise again. Closed his eyes as Steve looked down.

"Look," Eddie said, shake in his voice, hopelessness in his tone, "look this is progress, okay?"

"I guess boners require blood pressure," Steve said, his tone a little off.

"It's not my fault you're some kind of fairytale hero," Eddie said helplessly. "I can't help it if my dick's kind of in love with you now."

A pause, then another tightening of Steve's fingers.