Cas

written for the @corrodedcoffinfest april microfic challenge

prompt: polaroid | wc: 599 | rated: T | tags: established steddie, childhood memories, bad parents, emotional hurt/comfort, good uncle wayne | also on ao3

Steve finds Eddie outside smoking, eyes fixed on something in his left hand. He steps close enough to peek over his shoulder, causing Eddie to flinch hard when he becomes aware of Steve's presence.

   "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you. Is everything okay?"

   "I'm fine. I just- I don't know."

Eddie sighs deeply and looks back down at what Steve now notices is a polaroid. On it are two fairly young men, proudly holding fishing rods with their catch dangling from the hooks.

One of the guys looks oddly familiar and even though the long, wavy hair falling over his shoulders is deceiving, Steve recognises Wayne's gentle eyes immediately.

The resemblance between his uncle when he was younger and Eddie now, is striking. The same facial features drawing Steve's attention to the other man in the picture.

The guy is taller than Wayne, bulky, with short hair tucked under a hat, but it's clear who Steve is looking at.

   "Is that your dad?"

Eddie hums in response and Steve's heart breaks a little at the heaviness in his tone.

   " Sorry I didn't tell you. Got a letter from Wayne today. He's cleaning out the garage and found this along with some other stuff. Said he thought I might want to have it."

Steve slings both arms around Eddie's waist from behind and holds him pressed against his front for a little while, quietly waiting for the dam to break.

In all the time they've been together, all Steve's learned of Eddie's dad was that he was a troubled man, always on the run from himself and the law, never truly there for his wife and son when they needed him. He was never a father, more like a ghost that floated in and out of Eddie's life whenever he felt like it, until tragedy finally forced Eddie into Wayne's loving care.

   "Is it weird that I do want to keep it?" Eddie asks as if Steve has any say in it. "I mean. I hate him. I'll never forgive him for what he did. For not being there for me, not even when mom... you know. But he's still my dad. And having this picture kinda reminds me of where I come from. Does that make sense?"

It does. Steve knows the feeling too well. Even after the fall-out he had with his own parents a few years ago, they're still the reason for why he exists. Why he gets to have this wonderful life now, doing it different, better than they had.

That's why he still sends his mom a card for her birthday every year, not expecting anything in return, content to have grown out of the mould they tried to push him into.

   "I think that's why Wayne sent it to you. He could've just thrown it away and never tell you, but he didn't. He wanted you to have it for that exact reason."

Eddie stubs out his cigarette and turns to look at Steve, eyes wet but with a small smile on his lips.

   "Thank you. I really needed to hear that."

Steve pulls him in for a kiss and feels his boyfriend relax in his arms.

   "Baby?" Steve asks, brushing his fingers through Eddie's curls. "How old do think Wayne is in that polaroid?"

   "Somewhere in his late twenties, maybe. Why?"

   "Just trying to figure out how much time there's left before you lose all that beautiful hair."

This earns him a wholehearted laugh.

   "Will you still love me when I go bald?"

He’s been burned before. That’s what it feels like, anyway. People get close, closer, closest, all that light right in front of his face—and then they’re gone. The light fizzles out. And he’s in the dark again. So when an ember starts dropping into his orbit now, his whole body tenses on instinct. He doesn’t even know if he’s afraid of getting burned or afraid of watching it go out when it finally reaches him.

Eddie lands softer than anyone he’s ever met. One day he’s just this bright thing across a cafeteria, across a trailer park, across a field full of kids. Then he’s on Steve’s couch. In his kitchen. In his passenger seat. On the floor of his bedroom, laughing at his own joke. Right up against Steve’s skin.

It should burn. This ember on his skin. Steve waits for it to. His brain keeps insisting, any second now, this is going to hurt. He keeps his shoulders up around his ears, keeps a little distance tucked inside his chest, like that’ll make it easier when Eddie fizzles.

But it doesn’t hurt. He looks at the ember, bright against his skin, and it doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t dim.

It just…glows. It’s warm where Eddie presses up against his life, not scalding. It’s the kind of heat you lean into without meaning to. A hand on his shoulder. A knee against his on the couch. A voice at his side going, ‘Hey, you awake?’

Sometimes, when it’s late and they’re the only ones left by the dying fire in the Harrington backyard, Steve looks down and realizes he’s stopped bracing. Eddie’s light is right there on his skin and he isn’t flinching; he’s just admiring and holding his breath like he’s afraid to accidentally blow it out.

The thing is, embers always go out. Steve knows that. He can feel that fear like a ghost burn under the surface, even while he’s sitting there, bathed in Eddie’s warmth. He doesn’t know how to believe in an ember that might stay.

"You're not being arrested," The agent in front of them repeats for the hundredth time. "You're not being interrogated. This isn't an interrogation. It's an interview. We're gathering information on what happened tonight."

"That's what I'd say if I was interrogating someone," Steve shrugs. He turns to Robin and says, "That's how they get you."

"We're not trying to 'get you,' we-"

"They want to frame up for the mall burning down," Robin accuses. "You think you're so smart with your mind tricks. Well, we solved a Russian code with-"

"Robin."

"Oh," She's stops. Narrows her eyes. "Tricky."

"You already told us about the - what did you call it? The Mind Flayer."

"The flesh monster."

"Yes."

"We signed an NDA about upside down bullshit already so we talked about it. This is different. Duh."

Robin echoes, "Duh."

"Okay," The agent says. "Just tell up what happened when you were underground and-"

"Not without a lawyer."

The agent sighs.

The agent thinks they should've went to nursing school like their mother wanted.

The agent thinks the lord above that Mr Harrington and Miss Buckley's lawyer - Mr Harrington (father) - finally finished filling out his paperwork.

Steve's father looks pissed right up until he sees his son beaten half to hell. He opens his mouth to ask what the fuck happened when Steve turns to the agent.

AU/Inspired by Excess Baggage (1997)

Steve Harrington had tried just about everything to get his father’s attention. From freeing a dozen ponies from their pen at a country club charity gala, to burning down the library at his fancy private school—a move that nearly cost him his diploma—he’d acted out in every way a rich boy with too much free time could.Nothing worked. And so, he did what any reasonable human being in his place would do: Stage his own kidnapping. All he wanted was for his father to show he cared. What he got instead was Eddie Munson, a professional car thief about to have a very bad day.

Super excited to be teaming up with @kaspurrcat and @vthx for the @steddiebbang this year!!

It's finally time to reveal my project for this year's Steddie Big Bang! If you are into tattoo shop AUs and fix it fics (and the idea of Steve Harrington with a massive back tattoo), this one is for you!

I will be working with the incredible @sammichtastic (for the second year in a row, can you believe it???) and I can't WAIT to see the amazing art they will create for this!!!

Summary and snippet under the cut

Project Announcement: DEMOLITION | team #50

art by @digrupert betaing by @ghostintheclawmachine coming this fall! date to come

I'm so excited to finally announce my project for @steddiebbang 2026, and reveal the incredible team I'm going to get to work with!

DEMOLITION

Rated E est. 30-40k contemporary AU, demolition derbies, rivals to lovers, one-sided rivalry, plot with porn, a hint of Appalachian Eddie warnings for minor-moderate racism, misogyny, and homophobia; some blood and threat of serious injuries

Eddie's been driving demolition derbies since he was sixteen, and has built himself up a reputation: not just the guy with the gimmick of wrecking and rebuilding and wrecking old hearses, but a damn good driver and a great show. The Roane County Fair Hawkins Crash is his new white whale: the past two years he's won the title of Mad Dog—audience favorite, best show, craziest driver—but he's just missed first. But he just knows this is his year.

He's prepared for most everything except for the sponsor's rich, spoiled asshole of a son to be participating. (He's even less prepared for Steve Harrington to be a good driver, a great fuck, and maybe even a genuinely likeable person.)

Rivals to lovers and dirt and rust and car crashes, and not every car crash is a sex allegory, but a lot of the car crashes are a sex allegory. The sex is definitely a car crash allegory.

Excerpt:

Finally time to announce my very last minute decision of joining the @steddiebbang as project 065!

Went from not writing anything to finishing over 10k in 2.5 days. Gotta be a record for me 😂