#amanda's asks

Hey, bestie! I'll give you mine if you give me yours. 😉

Here's a headcanon I was just thinking about (which I will absolutely tie into my wip): I think Eddie's a novelist. I think he full-on writes his traumatic story into a series of novels (maybe ones that were adapted into a television series? No, too meta hahahaaaa)

But maybe they lean more fantasy. Instead of Vecna, it's Wizard. Instead of bats, they're baby dragons. Stuff like that.

Maybe it starts as little page-flippers that get published in Heavy Metal. And the first day he gets fanmail and Wayne hands him the letter, and he chokes up at the sweet little angel who wrote in to tell him his story was great, inspired the kid to start writing himself. 🥺

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Also for my WIPs, what do you wanna know??? I have about 80 in progress at the moment but I'm actively working on the follow-up to My Whole Life, Too tonight. I needed a break from the heaviness of Group Therapy for a minute. 😂

Hey bestie hahaha I'm obsessed with you. Thank you for these. They're making me feel so happy and festive.

But for SURE Eddie's a Burton-head. Like Edward Scissorhands??? Are you kidding me??? His Halloween costume for YEARS. (Although now we're in crossing-the-streams territory because Winona and it hurts my head so I'm moving on.)

But YES. You're giving him a run-down of your plans, maybe at the grocery store when you'd loading up supplies to make like five casseroles. And you told him before, but he thought you just mean that's what you were doing on Christmas, not both of you. And he whines because he doesn't have nice clothes. But you tell him not to worry. (You bought him a red and black flannel for Christmas and hand-stitched a little bat into the lapel.)

And I think that first year, he's probably still very self-conscious about how everyone sees him, especially your parents, but they welcome him with open arms, even let him carve the ham.

Oh for sure. Like before you, he fully pissed everyone of his friends off griping and groaning about the holidays. Robin firmly referred to him as Scrooge that entire Christmas at Family Video. When people would ask for recommendations, or if they had any more copies of Gremlins, she'd have to tackle him to stop him from saying something unpleasant to the customers.

And then you showed up with jingle bells around your neck and always humming carols (specifically Sleigh Ride, I mean, just hear those Sleigh Bells jingling, ya know? It's catchy), and Robin winced and tried to alert you of Steve's repulsion to the holiday, until he walks in with a Santa Hat and a big ole grin on his face. He even starts humming. And Robin has to tease him for being gross.

OMG I completely agree.

I feel like Steve has to be drug around to all of the occasions. Christmas at the Byers', Christmas at the Hendersons', Christmas at the Sinclairs. And you can kind of feel the anxiety radiating off of him, even though he'll never show it. Always bright smiles and charisma. (Insert gif of "This is finger lickin' good")

And then when you finally arrive home, he'll tuck you into his warm chest, covered in the hideously expensive cable knit his Mom got him, and he'll pull out a shiny black box from between the couch cushions. It's topped off with a lopsided red bow.

And the lights are all dim, save the glow of the tree, and his neck smells like pine needles and Mrs. Henderson's famous pecan pie, and he whispers sweet nothings into your hair as you protest his gift because you managed to scrape together enough to get him those new sneakers and sloppily knit him a pair of mittens. And he'd already given you a gift at each of the parties.

But he tutted and says he loves you so it doesn't matter. And you pop open the most mouth-watering necklace you've ever seen. It's dainty, and has the world's tiniest gem dangling from it that's a deep amber to match his eyes.

Well, first of all, I'm sorry for your loss. Siblings relationships can be really, really difficult and they ebb and flow over time.

I'm sorry my fic made you cry! But you have no idea how touched I am that you reached out with this lovely message. I love the Steve/Max dynamic because I do think he's provided her endless comfort over the years. He's been there, right beside her, saving her life since the beginning, and I do feel like she'd be really sensitive to that. I mean, he went to bat (lol) with Billy for Max and Lucas.

Thank you so much!!! I think never say never for a part 2. I actually have a bit of a story I think I'd like to write with that specific Reader, like the one that's always been there for Steve, through his entire life but just kind of in the background and watching them grow closer and closer. I think it'd be fun to play with, but in long-fic format.