lightfish

Hey. So.

Remember @resande's incredible fanart Wild thing? (If not: go do yourself a favour and check it out rn. oh my god. right now.)

I was... inspired to write something, as they say, and. It somehow turned into a full blown 60k+ words sexy steddie stripper-au. Oops.

Forever thanking lovely @resande for letting me roll with this! I had so much fun spinning this story out.

Read it on AO3!

Updates on Sundays.

Tags below the cut:

Chapter III: Purple

The bonfire

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“Wanna kill it?” Eddie asks, turning and offering the joint back. 

He's holding it with the filter towards Steve, pinching it between thumb and forefinger. 

Eddie probably expects Steve to take it from him, but Steve wants to take the hit directly from Eddie's fingers.

So he does. 

Finding courage from God knows where, he leans his head forward, so very slowly. When he reaches Eddie's hand – is it trembling a little? – he opens his mouth just enough to wrap his lips around the end of the paper filter. Inhales the smoke and holds it inside his lungs, welcoming the burn it brings. 

He looks up. 

Eddie's eyes are transfixed on Steve's mouth as a dark blush stains his cheeks. Mouth slightly agape. 

Steve pulls back an inch, exhales against Eddie's fingers. Eddie's eyes shift to meet his own, and… his pupils are blown.

Heat pools in Steve's stomach. 

Steve knows it must show on his own face – in the burning cheeks, in the way he swallows around nothing. 

Shit. No going back. 

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Read on AO3!

Image credits below the cut

Chapter 7: Shifting tracks

CW: aftermath of violence, brief description of bruising

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Eddie is sleeping on his back, head cushioned against the folded blanket Steve left him. His arm covers his eyes, the bats tattoo and the curve of his bicep prominent under the soft halogen lights. The other heavy blanket must have shifted during sleep, leaving his side exposed. 

The white t-shirt has slightly ridden up his side, showing a collection of dark red and bright purple bruises, apparently fighting each other for space on Eddie’s skin. 

Steve slumps against the doorframe, his lungs emptying out far too quickly, the shock leaving him breathless.

He is too preoccupied with looking at Eddie’s midsection to notice he’s awake. When his gaze drags up again, he sees Eddie's dark eyes peeking out from under his arm, a small smile playing on his lips.

Eddie covers his eyes again. 

“Like what you see, Harrington?”

Steve knows perfectly well he’s messing with him, finding a way to make a shitty situation lighter – yet his traitorous cheeks burn all the same. 

“Shut up, Eddie,” Steve bites out, letting worry seep through his words. “Who did this to you?” 

“Steve–...”

“Tell me.” Steve knows he’s being relentless – he can’t help it.

“Not – not now, okay?” Eddie rasps, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

The only movement in the staff room is the rhythmic opening and clenching of Steve’s fist, tight enough for his short fingernails to leave half-moon marks in his palm.

“Fine. Later, then. We’re going to my place.”

Eddie jerks his arm instinctively, careful not to move his midsection. 

“Your place – as in, your house, Harrington?”

“Yeah, Munson. Fairly sure you’ve seen it before, too. Don’t act so surprised,” Steve adds, the corners of his lips tilting up a bit. “I’m not letting you go home until I know you’re safe.”

“Didn’t know knights in shining armor held people hostage.”

“This one does. Now, get up. Or… I can carry you bridal style,” Steve smirks, teasing him back. 

“Your choice,” he adds, feeling his own smile faltering until… it bleeds into something else. 

Eddie’s eyes slide over Steve's biceps, his forearms, his hands – still slightly smudged with grease. He tugs the blanket up towards his face, not quick enough to hide his flush. 

“Think I can manage,” he mumbles from under the thick fabric. 

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A little snippet from the latest chapter! 🔧⚡️

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She once catches Steve trying to decipher the diagrams of a manual in his break and pointedly looks at him until he feels her eyes on him.

“You’re holding it upside down, Steve,” she says, when Steve looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

He groans.

“I was – uh… Checking the perspective. You know?”

“Yeah, well… You better change perspective altogether by changing the page, dingus.” She snorts, flipping the pages herself to find the correct diagram. 

Upon studying the page Robin opened for him, Steve thinks out loud, "How did you know it was a –... ‘Clogged fuel line’?”

Robin smirks, pointing to Steve’s ear. “Machines speak, Steve. You just need to listen.”

She leaves Steve starstruck on the bench, going back inside.

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