Judging by the chorusing round of sighs and disappointed head shakes from the kids, that was definitely not the right thing to say.
"We've nearly defeated Kyuss," Mike shouted, throwing his hands in the air and shooting Steve a severe glare.
"But all of you are passed out or paralyzed!" Steve shot back, gesturing around the table at the rest of the figurines which were lying on their backs.
"Yeah, but you're a tank! You could take out the monster with one more blow. Now we're going to have to do it all over again.”
But….wasn’t that the whole point? Doing this over and over again? Steve shot a helpless look at Eddie who just gave him his DM witchy grin and spread his hands open wide.
“You can change your mind, Sir Steven,” Eddie offered, “But be warned Kyuss is hungry for flesh,”
Steve hesitated, looking down and around the map.
“No…I don’t think I’m gonna.”
"God, you're so stupid sometimes, Steve," Dustin groaned, letting his head fall onto the table with a soft thunk as the rest of the party started yelling. Steve forced himself to smile, his cheeks flushing as his stomach did an uncomfortable flip flop. It was loud, it was hot, and Steve just wanted to go home.
"Stop it.”
Eddie voice cut through the rest of them. It wasn’t like he had spoken particularly loud, it was his tone. Severe, and brimming with uncharacteristic rage. Enough to make all of them quiet down and look at Eddie with wide eyes. Steve’s anxiety got even worse, and he was sure that Eddie was about to start yelling at him. Steve let his eyes slip down, shame making all the bones in his body ache.
"I'm sure all of you were strategic geniuses the first time you played, right? You never stumbled or needed a second to think about the right move to make?” Eddie practically snarled, throwing dirty looks at every one of the kids. Steve sucked in a breath and dared a glance up, not quite believing what he was seeing.
Eddie was defending him. Him. Steve. And he wasn’t done yet
“You all moan and grumble and fucking whine about how 'Steve never plays DnD with us', 'Steve won't even give it a chance', ‘He would see if he just played once’” Eddie said, raising his voice to a high pitched nasally yowl, “Of course he doesn't want to give it a chance, you are all being jerks.”
“Steve can handle it,” Max said with a roll of her eyes.
“Yeah he can,” Eddie agreed easily, sparing a quick glance over toward Steve, “but that doesn’t mean he should have to. Especially not from you all. You little nerds have never had to deal with this, because you’re always ahead of the rest, but take it from the guy who failed his senior year twice- Being called stupid your whole life hurts .”
Eddie let the final word ring out, not bothering to hide the pain that lived in those words. Steve had never really considered that Eddie might’ve heard the same things he did, cause Eddie was the smartest person Steve knew besides Dustin and maybe Will.
“From now on anyone calling anyone else stupid is getting 10 HP knocked off of their stats. Permanently. I don't want to hear that word. Got it?”
The kids all nodded, guilt weighing down their shoulders and lowering the mood. One by one they quietly apologized to Steve, Eddie nodding in satisfaction as they did.
Steve didn’t really know what to think. Eddie turned towards him, and Steve stiffened up, both worried and intrigued.
“You can roll to run away. That's actually probably the smartest thing you could do here, seeing as you're pretty much the only member of the party left standing.” Eddie said softly, giving Steve a gentle smile, “Still wanna do it?”
Steve nodded, ready to fight this battle another day.
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i don’t usually post oc fics here but!!! juno is a special character to me plus i am super fucking proud of this fic holy shit-
amea belongs to @dnd-mad-mind!!
juno is my dnd character!!
-
Juno liked to think the stars were a form of comfort for him. Many of the villagers had come by late at night expressing their worry for his well-being, simply because they never once saw him inside when the stars were out. A few villagers had come offering him tea. Once, an elderly woman sat by him simply to look at the stars with him, neither saying a word. She had shed a tear then, but Juno didn’t question it. He didn’t tend to. It wasn’t any of his business, was it?
There was one night, though, that had always held a place in Juno’s heart, even decades later. A human child, barely older than six or seven, had come by late at night, just before dawn. The child had been crying, Juno could tell. His eyes were puffy, his face red and blotchy. Juno usually didn’t pry into the lives of others, but he felt something tug at his heart this time.
“Is something bothering you, child?”
The child jolted upwards, apparently not realizing Juno was there. That was odd, considering Juno was an eight foot tall firbolg.
“Nothing, sir, I’m fine.”
Juno’s brows furrowed. It wasn’t as if this was odd, multiple adults had denied being upset to him before. Coming from a child, though, it was a bit worrying. Juno simply came over from where he had been leaning on his staff and sat beside the child.
“I won’t pry, then. Would you like a story?”
The child looked up, a bit confused, but eventually nodded, and turned to listen intently.
Juno smiled before turning his face to the stars again. “Long ago, before you, before me, before the stars and the moon itself even, there was a woman who lived in the sky all alone. Her name was Amea, and she was a goddess. Amea felt lonely, up there with nothing but darkness. So, do you know what she did?”
The child shook his head. “Did she find a friend?”
Juno chuckled a bit. “No, no, something much more than that. Amea saw the people down there, living their own lives, being happy. But, she also saw unspeakable suffering. She saw people more lonely than she was, ready to pass on with no-one there to comfort them. She took it upon herself to help these people. So, as these people went from one life to the next, Amea took their souls and guided them to little dots of light, and put them into the night sky, one after the other, even making a few art pieces with them in the process. She called these souls ‘stars’. These souls found happiness in one another, and Amea. However, Amea couldn’t be there all the time. Goddesses have jobs too, you know. So, she created the moon. The moon was made to watch over the stars, to protect them,” Juno said. By now, the child had begun tearing up again. Juno smiled gently.
“So, whenever you see the stars, just remember. Every single speck up there is one of the ones that came before us. One day, we will join them, myself many, many years before you do. But that isn’t a bad thing. The stars are happy, you see? They dance and play and sing, just like you and me,” he said. “Amea will welcome us with open arms just like any mother would. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”
The child had snuggled into Juno’s side at this point, staring up at the stars as well.
“Do you... do you think that’s where mama went?”
Ah.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, little one. She’s dancing and playing and singing with her new friends, the stars. When she’s done dancing, she’s watching over you, making sure you’re safe. As long as the stars are out, she’s up there, and when the stars are asleep, she’s right here,” Juno said, pointing to the child’s heart. “She will always love you, child.”
The child was crying again, but it didn’t seem like upset crying. He was curled tightly into Juno’s side, seemingly getting more drowsy as the night went on. After about half an hour, Juno looked over to see the child sleeping soundly against him. Juno smiled gently before scooping the child up and laying him down on one of the beds of the temple he lived in.
That child didn’t leave the temple, until two decades later. He had grown into a man, and though Juno had grown to become fond of his company, he had always known the day would come that the child would have to leave.
Years don’t mean the same to firbolgs as they do humans. A thousand years to a firbolg could mean the same as a hundred to a human. The child was still basically an infant to Juno, but to his fellow humans, would have been seen as mature. It was odd. The passage of time had never been something Juno liked to dwell on. Regardless, it happened, and the child left him with a teary goodbye, claiming that he had to leave on an adventure with his newfound friends to do something important.
Juno didn’t ask for details. He had adventured before. He knew how tiring it could be. He also knew how perilous it could be. Juno made sure to give the child a blessing before he left, as well as a symbol of their goddess, the Raven Queen. He wished the child luck, before returning to tending his graves, the same routine as every day before it.
Time was a fickle thing. So were the stars. Either way, they were both a constant in life. What they mean could be different from person to person. Juno chose to find comfort in them both, in a way. It gave him company for twenty years of his life, at least.
Juno looked to the stars once more before giving a single nod, and he could have sworn one of the stars shone especially bright that night.
Based on daydreams to the song of the same name by The Civil Wars (I tried to link it, but I think the link was ruining my reach). It's a little sloppy, but I'm impatient lol so enjoy!
Warnings: Minor Profanity
I’ve got this friend
I don’t think you know him…
Kieran had had eyes for you since he got to camp. You were stunning and the way you scrunched your nose before laughing made his heart flutter, but above all you had been among the kindest to him. Even when he had been tied up and distrusted by everyone you took the time out of your day even to just say hello and occasionally snuck some food to him when Dutch and Arthur weren’t around. He had no idea how someone mixed in with these kinds of gangs could turn out to be so kindhearted, but he quickly grew to love it. It wasn’t long before he’d been freed to walk around camp as he pleased and the two of you found the time to get to know each other and soon after that he realized how genuinely sweet on you he was, but unfortunately he couldn’t bring himself to actually admit it. He was afraid of pushing you away. He could try dropping hints, but subtlety was far from his strong suit.
He's not much for words
He’s hidden his heart away…
“Miss Y/n!” You were in the middle of keeping yourself busy in fear of getting hit by Miss Grimshaw again when you heard the familiar tenor of Kieran’s voice as he called out your name. You couldn’t help but to smile at the sight of him with his fishing pole rested against his shoulder which hopefully meant he was here to save you from chores. “I was about to go fishin’ and you look like you could use a break. Care to join?”
“Do you even have to ask?” You wrung out the last bit of laundry you were doing before sneaking off with him. Surely the girls wouldn’t miss one pair of hands no longer than you planned on being gone. You ran to your tent to grab your pole before meeting him at the horses. “Maybe we ought to take one horse. The less is missin’, the less they’ll notice us missin’.”
“I, u-uh, yeah. Sure. Makes sense.” His face was red as Molly’s hair and you turned away to mount his horse to hide your chuckle. It was so painfully obvious how he felt about you, but he was so easily flustered and it was adorable so you always waited to see how long it would take before he finally came out with it.
I’ve got this friend
I don’t think you know her…
The two of you settled in at a nearby river, standing close after casting your reels. You always enjoyed these little moments whether it was spent in silence or in quiet conversation. It was the only real alone time the two of you got and you lived for every second of it. He was somehow quieter than usual, and his hands kept fidgeting with his rod like he was already getting restless.
“Are you alright, O’Driscoll?” You teased, nudging him with your elbow. He only ever let you get away with calling him that without taking offense to it. “You’re gonna scare the fish away you keep movin’ your line like that.”
“I’m fine. I-I just got a lot on my mind is all. Nothin’ to worry about.” He smiled sheepishly, only glancing at you for a moment before he seemed to get nervous again and looked away.
“Care to talk about it? It’s just us, so feel free to be open about whatever’s buggin’ you.”
He let out a shaky sigh, reeling in and casting out again before finally turning his attention to you. “I just been talkin’ with one of the guys at camp. He said he was really sweet on you and I’m just worried he wouldn’t treat you right. I-I’m just lookin’ out for you is all…”
It took everything in you not to crack a big grin right there. He was so transparent, but you decided to play along with it. Besides, what was the harm? You put on your best innocently shocked face and lowered your rod. “Is that so? I’m surprised any of those old bastards would have a thing for me. I appreciate you carin’ about me like that, but y’know, it’s funny. I got this friend says she’s a little sweet on you too. She’s got quite the personality. I think you’d like her. She seems just your type and it’d be a real shame if you never met her.”
“Really?” He looked shocked that anyone would be interested in him and you couldn’t help but to smile this time at how oblivious he really was. You shook your head and rested it against his shoulder as you reeled your line back in, hoping maybe he’d get the hint this time.
“Yeah. Maybe we oughta head back to camp. Maybe I could introduce you to her.”
“At camp? But I done met all the ladies at- Oh…”
“It’s about time you goddamned fool!” A familiar gruff voice called out from down the river bank as realization finally settled on Kieran’s face and you both looked to see Arthur approaching with little Jack hot on his heels. “I knew you O’Driscolls were stupid, but this is a new level.”
“I told you! Stop callin’ me O’Driscoll!” Kieran whined practically in reflex at this point and Arthur laughed.
“The lady you been moanin’ over for weeks just told you she likes you and you’re worried about bein’ called O’Driscoll?”
“Listen, I, uh, yeah…”
“You are certainly one with words, boy.”
“As are you, Mr. Morgan. Now, if you’d please.” You spoke up with a shake of your head and a stifled chuckle. “Jack, while don’t you take Uncle Arthur to go find some flowers for your momma? I got a friend to introduce Mr. Duffy here to.”
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Steve managed to get away with hiding his dirty little secret for a whole six weeks.
Six. Weeks.
It would be impressive, but in all honesty, it wasn’t exactly that hard to accomplish.
A few things worked out extremely well in Steve’s favor. Not only was Eddie wildly lazy when it came to things he didn’t want to do, but Wayne also worked double shifts pretty much every single day. Both of those things meant that a lot of the housework in the trailer got pushed to the side, in particular the things that they didn’t like doing. It wasn’t that they were slobs, but neither of them really cared as much as Steve did about doing the dishes promptly or getting the laundry done often enough that no one ever had to do a sniff test to see if something was still fresh enough to wear.
And both of them really hated cooking.
And so after he moved in, Steve naturally ended up being the one doing most of the chores in the trailer. And, most importantly, Steve was the one making most of the meals.
He got up early to make breakfast, packed all three of them lunches, and usually put something to marinate in the slow cooker so dinner would be ready and waiting by the time they were all home. Eddie was happy because he loved pretty much anything Steve did for him, Wayne was a lot less exhausted now that he just had to come home, put his feet up, and wait for Steve to tell him to come get a plate, and Steve got to keep his secret.
So he got a whole six weeks into living with the Munsons before they finally caught on that Steve would only eat when he was the one cooking.
The kids love to tease Steve and call him an old man.
Well they call him lots of things. Mom, Goober, Steeeeeeeve, Party Pooper, Uptight, even Mother on occasions where Steve is being particularly annoying to them.
But old man is new.
It starts when they find him asleep on the new couch in the Byers's home. Steve doesn't even remember falling asleep, he just remembers waking up and having seven sets of eyes peering down at him and scaring the bejeezus out of him. The Party poked fun like normal, but moved on quickly to the next thing to snark about.
Then it kept happening.
Over and over. In Eddie's trailer when they play DnD and he's waiting to drive them home. During movie nights in the Wheeler's basement. Even at his job when they come over after school finishes. But, no matter how hard they push, Steve won't tell them why he's so tired all of a sudden.
He's just sure they would never let him live it down if he admitted that the reason he kept falling asleep was because he only felt safe enough to relax if all of his kid were close. He really can only sleep these days if knows that he would hear if they were in trouble and needed him.
