Small introduction - You can call me Apple which is my online persona (and yes, like the fruit). My socials are all applepicken and itās different than my Tumblr because I had Tumblr for waaay longer than my new social rebranding a couple years ago. But you can find me on any other social platform using applepicken/ApplePicken if you so please! <3
It looks like I'm becoming more active on Tumblr again (thanks Hayley) so instead of changing my pinned posts weekly and losing them in the dumpster fire that is my brain rot, a master post seemed like the best solution.
ao3 profile - tomlenson
Steddie
As Good As I Wanted - ao3 link
Status: WIP, chaptered
Rating: Explicit
Parts: 3/4 (possibly more planned)
Important Tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Very Mild Angst, Slight Miscommunication, Top Eddie, Bottom Steve, Happy Ending
Summary: Robin convinces Steve to go out for drinks. Robin also, much to Steveās dismay, accidentally ghosts and then bails on him. Now heās stuck nursing a drink at the bar with a guy who at some point found the audacity to talk to him. To his surprise thereās another presence taking the stage here, another person who comes to his rescue, forcing Steve to face a reality he thought he left behind and attempt a convincing performance with a stranger who is not really much of one as Steve originally thought.
~ Cue the lack of brain cells, pining while fucking and dumb men thinking they have unrequited feelings dragged up from the past, a desperate phone call that turns a night of passion into a one night stand, awkward miscommunication at parent pick-up, and a happy ending. Not that kind of happy endingā¦ well yes actually, definitely that kind of happy ending.
Mood Board and Act 1
Act 2 with book cover art included
Act 3 with Text Edit
Good Omens
I'd Shoot My Shot (I'd Risk it All)
Status: WIP, not yet posted
Rating: Currently Mature, (eventually explicit)
Parts: N/A
Important Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Blood (possibly graphic), Eventual Smut (will tag appropriately)
Current Summary: Aziraphale leaves for Heaven, truths about Heaven, the Metatron's plans and Crowley's fall are revealed.
A preview of this WIP fic can be found here!
Good Omens Playlist
Fic Asks, linking in case someone sees and knows of one
Aziraphale looking like Michael Sheen's character Miles Maitland in Bright Young Things
The original tumblr post that took me into a nose dive of writing my own Good Omens fic
A post asking for websites best used for uploading photos on ao3
Ghost (COD)
Wraith - ao3 link
Status: Completed, chaptered
Rating: Explicit
Relationship: Simon "Ghost" Riley/Original Female Character
Parts: 4/4
Word Count: 43,329
Important Tags: Porn with Plot, Angst, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Military combat, Enemies to Lovers (technically), Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Hospital, Not a Y/N
Summary: Sgt. Eleanor "Wraith" Knox earned her codename for her specialist skills in marksmanship and knife handling, being the last thing her targets see before their timely end. She joined Task Force 141 under Laswell's recommendation, with praises even coming from Price himself. Eleanor fit in with the team perfectly, except for one - the one who works alone, the man with the skull mask and hardened shell, the one who doesn't like his authority being challenged.
Tumblr posts and edits made for Wraith
Mood Board
Photo/Text edit for part 2
Photo/Text edit sneak peak of part 3
Another photo/text edit sneak peak of part 3
The final tumblr post for part 3, finished and posted on ao3
Steve and Eddie being so clingy and touchy with each other that everybody thinks they are dating. But they are not. Steve's just touch-starved and Eddie just can't keep his hands to himself so, yeah.
On movie nights, they sit together and share a blanket; Steve usually ends up napping with his head resting on Eddie's shoulder or lap, as Eddie runs his hands through Steve's hair. When they're driving the kids around, they keep their pinkies, sometimes hands, linked over the console. They're always touching somehow, no matter what they are doing.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Robin says one day. Eddie had dropped by Family Video to chat and spent the whole time playing with Steve's fingers over the counter as he rambled away about his boss in the garage.
"Of course I know. Why?"
"Nothing. Just saying."
Six months later, Steve and Robin are drinking together at his house, watching some Mexican soap opera neither of them can quite understand, when Steve finally blurts.
"Eddie asked me out yesterday. We're going to Indy on Saturday."
Robin almost chokes on her beer. "What do you mean he asked you out yesterday? Haven't you two been dating for months?"
āNo? Weāre just friends. Hopefully not for long, though.ā
The Corroded Coffin boys having no clue about the Upside Down making Steve and Eddie's interactions appear 10x gayer...? My Roman Empire.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, of course."
"No, really," and Steve looks up through his eyelashes at Eddie. "Are you...okay?"
Eddie gives Steve the softest smile the boys have ever seen anywhere even near Eddie's face. Ever. It's not a performance, like it usually is, but it's a true, genuine smile, just for the two of them. Gareth looks away, flustered.
Jeff just stands there, slightly bewildered, and turns to Freak. "You think they're...?"
Freak nods absentmindedly. "Yeah, you know...yeah."
Steve calls Eddie randomly during their late night hangouts with a thought he had? The boys share raised eyebrows.
They know each other's favourite songs but Eddie can't even remember any of theirs? Very suspicious.
Eddie knows Steve's work hours and calls to make sure he got home safely? Strange things are afoot at the family video.
Things only escalate from there. Steve's making his way upstairs (to grab a bandaid for Eddie, who absolutely does NOT need a bandaid for a papercut) and Jeff stops him in the hallway.
"Listen, man, I just wanna know what's going on between you and Eddie."
Steve's face is the picture of innocence. "...what?"
Jeff sighs and scrubs his face. "I mean, I hate to, like, out you like this, but I just don't want Eddie getting hurt, you know? I mean, he's been through a lot--"
"I know," Steve interjects.
Jeff glares at him. "You realize it's, like, obvious to everyone around you both that something is definitely going on between you two? I'm just saying, there's a real possibility that someone could see that and accidentally make the right assumption. It's just dangerous, where we live, you kn--"
"Oh my God."
"Yeah, I know," Jeff nods solemnly, "It's really frustrating that you have to--"
"Jeff, oh my God. I didn't know."
"It's okay, we all make m--"
Steve looks shell shocked by this small nugget of information. Jeff had heard rumours from the kids of possible brain damage, and he'd never thought they might be true before, but he was starting to suspect it now.
"Are you okay? You look a little--"
Steve looks up at him. "Jeff, I'm queer. I like men. I like Eddie."
Jeff pauses. "...I know...?"
Steve mock-screams at him. "I didn't!"
Oh. Oh...? Oh.
"What am I supposed to do? Oh God, Jeff, he's right there, oh--"
Eddie peeks around the corner with a look of concern painting his concerning enough features. "Is everything alright? Are you okay? Is it--"
Steve sniffs roughly, looking at the floor with mild interest. "Eddie, I need to talk to you."
Eddie wastes no time in coming up to Steve's side. "What's u--mmh."
And then Steve's kissing him.
It's kind of like watching two trains crash into each other but one train is your best friend since middle school and the other is this guy he used to hate but now it's complicated, but it's not really complicated, they're just madly in love, but it's weird because Jeff still remembers that one time Eddie stepped on Steve's lunch by accident and Steve just yanked him so hard he fell off of the table.
Jeff has never really understood what those romance books meant when they said "two tongues fighting for dominance" but suddenly, he got it now.
"I think I'm Buddha," Jeff said, still staring at the train wreck that was Steve and Eddie's tongues fighting for dominance.
"What?" Eddie looked over at him, a trail of spit connecting his mouth to Steve's. Jeff wanted to bleach his eyeballs. Jeff wanted to spread his enlightenment.
"I said I'm going to go now. You guy stay safe." Jeff's voice did not sound like his own voice anymore. "Use protection and all that."
Jeff didn't think they heard him, but he didn't really wanna turn around and find out.
if i was an evil vampire very very clearly trying to entice you into my home for sexually deviant purposes would you still follow me home from the bar yes or no
Eddie has always enjoyed giving people nicknames, itās just something creative he does that makes people stick in his brain. Heās never forgotten a face and itās mostly because he has names to go with them.
Typically, he refers to acquaintances by their last name, friends by something jokey and embarrassing, and foes by nicknames that are a little mean and cutting.
Then there's Steve Harrington, who falls into his own category entirely.
Before, when he claimed to dislike Steve it would be:
āPerfect Harrington.ā
āSteve Harrington the gorgeous with his flowing locks.ā
āGuess what Mr. Hot Sports Man did now.ā
āCan you believe Beautiful Steve Harrington and his merry band of assholes?ā
āGod, look at Mr. Distracting showing off his amazing chest again. Heās such a poser.ā
āI was trying to order my usual, but then Steve āDreamboatā Harrington was behind the counter and he used his evil sorcery to make me say ā1 scoop of vanillaā by mistake. Now he probably thinks I'm boring.ā
He said the names in a mocking tone, but it always ended with just a hint of something longing. His friends would shoot each other knowing looks across the room whenever he came up with a new one for one of his Steve related tirades.
Then they started to become friends and the names took on a more teasing, flirty nature, which then slowly gave way to softer and more tender names like 'Stevie' and 'sweetheart' and 'honey'. The knowing looks from friends became looks that said 'here we go again' and Steve's reactions went from intense, puzzled stares to warm smiles.
One day, when Eddie's running late for their fortnightly movie night, the rest of the party decide to say something about it.
"So, I have to ask," Mike says. "What kind of magic spell have you cast on Eddie?"
Steve looks up and sees that everyone is staring at him. "Huh?" he blinks. "Were you talking to me?"
"Yes Steve, he was talking to you!" Dustin exclaims. "Who else here in this room does Eddie regularly shower with mushy pet names?"
"Okay, they're not 'mushy pet names'," Steve argues, rolling his eyes. "They're just nicknames, he gives everyone nicknames. I don't see why it's a big deal."
"Steve, he gives everyone else nicknames. Yours are something else." Max points out.
"How?"
"How?" Lucas asks. "Steve, last week he walked into me by accident, said 'Sorry Sinclairā and then turned to you and went 'Hey, angel. How are you today?'." He puts on a sickeningly sweet voice for the second one and Max laughs.
"Yeah and what about that time he threw a sunscreen bottle at Mike and said 'Stay safe, pasty', then saw you putting yours on and said 'Need help getting your back, darling?'" Max adds. Her and Lucas are snickering to each other by the end of it.
Mike frowns. "Don't know why he called me that. He's just as pale as I am."
Will pats him on the back. "Don't worry about it, he called me Bowlcut Junior two days ago when he was asking me to make a perception check."
"Oh so that's what the Bowlcut Senior thing was about," Jonathan mumbles.
"Steve, he likes you," Robin says, clearly spelling it out. "Or at the very least it's obvious you're one of his favourites."
"He does call you an awful lot of things even me and Jonathan wouldn't call each other," Nancy adds carefully.
"Eddie's just a sweet guy," Steve says.
"Eddie Munson is not a 'sweet guy'," Mike retorts, bewildered. "He killed off all of our characters in last week's session because we were ten minutes late."
"I mean if he went to all of that effort planning and preparing everything then you could have at least turned up on time."
"Thanks, mom."
"I did warn you guys he wouldn't be happy with us," Will points out with a grim expression.
Before anything else can be said, Eddie walks in with Gareth and Jeff trailing behind him. Everyone tries their best to look casual. Most fail. Luckily, Eddie's attention is zoned in on two people.
"Hey Sweet Prince, and Henderson and others," Eddie greets them. "I'll be right back, just gotta run to the bathroom because I was checking something under the van just now and it looks like I got into a fight with an octopus."
He lifts his arms, which are covered in oil.
"Oh shit," Steve says. "Yeah, no problem. Feel free to take a shower and borrow some clothes if you want, we'll wait."
"Thanks, sugar." He calls behind him.
The party's eyes are locked on Steve when he turns back to face them, causing him to flinch a little.
"What's up guys?" Gareth says as he and Jeff make themselves at home, finding a spot on the carpet.
"Yeah, you all looked super awkward when we walked in just now," Jeff adds. "What's that about?"
"We were just trying to get it through Steve's head that Eddie is basically in love with him," Robin fills them in. "Also, I don't know if I should be a little offended that we're 'and others'."
"Oh that," Jeff says, way too casual. "Yeah that's been a thing for years. Even back when he was pretending not to like Steve."
"Wait what?" Mike asks.
"Oh yeah, he used to call him things like 'Handsome Harrington' or 'Beautiful Steve Harrington' every time he talked about him," Gareth shrugged.
"Oh shit," Dustin says. "One time I tried to get him to hang out with us and he said no but he called you 'Pretty Boy Steve'."
"Can you guys just let this go?" Steve sighs, clearly getting annoyed. "It's just a thing he does, it doesn't mean anything."
"Yeah, sure," Jeff scoffs. "Keep telling yourself that. What are you trying not to get your hopes up?"
Steve is too quiet for too long, and he hates the way his friends expressions turn sympathetic toward him.
"All I'm saying is, do it back to him and see how he reacts," Gareth says with a knowing smile. "I dare you."
The opportunity doesn't arise until later, when Eddie gets up to go to the kitchen half way through the movie. He comes back with two drinks, one of which he hands to Steve while lifting the other to his lips.
Robin gives him a look that says 'what are you waiting for?' and Steve takes a deep breath before accepting the drink with a casual, "Thanks, babe."
And thatās all it takes.
Eddieās hand jerks, his brain short-circuits, and the drink completely misses his mouth. A splash of soda hits his chin, and the rest pours out on the Harrington's expensive carpet. Then he just stands there blinking like heās been hit with a stun spell.
His brain seems to come back online when he sees Steve's shocked gaze switch between him and the liquid soaking into the carpet.
"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" Eddie shouts, no longer in control of his volume. He sprints to the kitchen and returns just as fast with paper towels, dropping to his knees to try and soak up the spilled beverage. His face is bright red in a way Steve's never seen on him before.
Steve is still frozen, half-standing, watching Eddie frantically blot the carpet like it personally insulted him. The rest of the group is silent for a beatāstunned into stillness by the sheerĀ velocityĀ of Eddieās reaction.
Then Robin breaks the silence with a quiet, āOh my god.ā
Max snorts. āI think you broke him.ā
āLike, for real,ā Dustin adds, eyes wide. āThat was a full system crash.ā
Eddie doesnāt look up. āDonāt mind me, just ruining your house and my dignity in one fell swoop.ā
Steve finally moves, crouching down beside him. āEds, itās fine. Seriously. Itās just soda.ā
Eddie glances up at him, eyes wide and still a little dazed. āYou called meĀ babe.ā
Steve smiles, soft and a little shy. āYeah. I did.ā
Eddie stares at him for a second longer, then groans and drops his forehead to the carpet. āIām never gonna recover from this.ā
Steve laughs, nudging him gently with his shoulder. āYouāre doing great, sweetheart.ā
Eddie lets out a muffled noise that might be a whimper or a laugh, itās hard to tell. But when he lifts his head again, his face is still red, and his smile isĀ blinding. And Steve forgets they have an audience.
"I think I know a way you can make it up to me," he grins.
"How's that, babydoll?" Eddie asks, confused, but hopeful.
Steve pulls Eddie in for a quick kiss and says, "Take me out tomorrow night, when I finish work?"
"Absolutely," Eddie beams.
Their moment is ruined by fake gagging noises from the kids. "This is worse than Dustin and Suzie serenading each other with Never Ending Story," Lucas comments, receiving a middle finger in response from Dustin.
"I'm assuming band practice is off tomorrow then?" Jeff smirks.
"Sorry guys," Eddie says still looking at Steve with a tender smile. "Something incredibly important just came up."
Give me the Party taking Steveās kindness for granted and Eddie getting so pissed off by this.
But itās not like the kids are mean to him. They are not. They like Steve, love him, really, but teenagers hardly realize they are being dismissive and less than considerate to people who are doing things for them out of the goodness of their hearts and not because they have any kind of obligation to. And the Party are still teenagers so, yeah, being appreciative of other peopleās kindness is not really their forte at the moment.
So Eddie watches Dustin bitch about how Steve is late to pick them up at school or at Hellfire. Watches Max complain that Steve didnāt buy her favorite snack for movie night, and Mike and Lucas barging into the manās house, without even calling beforehand, to use his pool when itās too hot, as if they own the place or something. And every time he sees this shit happening he gets so mad because Steve has no obligation to do any of that. He owes nothing to those brats. He does all that because he wants to, because he loves those kids so much, he does everything they ask him to without asking anything in return; not even a āthank you, Steveā.
And thatās exactly what Eddie tells them. He doesnāt yell at them, nor does he try to force them into doing anything. No, Eddie takes another rote; he makes them see, with a soft tone and the most disappointed look he can muster, how much Steve has been doing for all of them, whilst they have been treating him so dismissively.
(And it doesnāt even take Eddie much to make them realize what they are doing because they are good kids and they do love Steve. Theyād never, ever hurt Steveās feelings on purpose. They just happen to still be a little immature, even after literally saving the world.)
After Eddieās pep talk, the Party makes sure to show their appreciation of Steve every chance they get. And Eddie will never forget Steveās stunned face the first time Mike said āThank you, man, appreciate itā after Steve handed him his favorite candy bar during a movie nightā¦ just priceless.
It takes Steve eight months to tell Eddie he loves him.
Not because he doesn't feel that way, but because he's afraid he's going to screw up again. He was an awful boyfriend to Nancy, he's always reminding himself, and he got his heart broken for that; he canāt do the same thing with Eddie.
So he waits, and waits, and tries to be the best boyfriend he can be this time around.
Eddie doesnāt like flowers, but he loves trinkets, so Steve is always looking for interesting stuff to buy whenever he sees a garage sale.
(Eddie freaks out when Steve shows up one night with a special edition of Lord of the Rings, autographed by Tolkien himself.)
They hang out at Family Video, at home and at Wheelerās basement when itās D&D night.
Steve cooks them dinner when his parents arenāt home and Eddie can spend the night, and also when he goes to Eddieās and Wayne is still working the night shift. He makes sure to always pack an extra lunch for Eddie to share with the kid whoās always hanging around the garage when Eddieās working and is always looking like heās skipping a few meals per week.
When Corroded Coffin has a gig, Steveās the first one to arrive at the bar even though he still thinks the music is too loud for his taste, and often with at least two members of the Party tagging along. He also comes back to the bar after dropping the kids off so he and Eddie can go home together.
He does this for weeks on end, as he tries to show with his actions what he still canāt bring himself to say aloud. Observes and learns everything he can about Eddie so he can love him the best way he can, the way Eddie deserves.
Itās eight months into their relationship when the words finally make their way out of his mouth, without Steve even noticing what heās saying until heās said it. And everything is pretty ordinary. Just a random morning, on a random weekend when both of them have the day off.
Everything is the same, but when Steve walks into the kitchen and sees Eddie making breakfast, wearing the bright yellow apron he gave to Steve as a joke, Steveās heart is so full and he feels so at peace like never before. Thereās something just right in that sight. Eddie, in his kitchen, hair still a mess and pillow creases on his face, humming a random song as he makes them both breakfast. It should feel like nothing much, but it feels like everything; feels like forever somehow.
And itās that feeling that finally ends Steveās doubts and insecurity. He closes the distance between them, hugs Eddie from behind and just mumble a small, āI love youā against Eddieās neck.
He canāt see Eddieās smile, but he can hear it when his boyfriend says, āMorning, sweetheart. I love you too.ā
Actor!Steve and Singer!Eddie AU where they have some sort of rivalry going on. But, hereās the thing, the whole thing is made up by the press.
It starts when a reporter, during an interview, asks Steve what kind of music he listens to in his free time. Steve names a few artists, mostly pop with a few classic rock bands in between, which leads the reporter to ask if heās a Corroded Coffin fan. Theyāre not classic rock, but they sure as hell are popular, but Steve just looks at the reporter and says, ānever heard of them in my life.ā
And he honestly hasnāt! But the press gets this out of context and of course Corroded Coffin fans are pretty pissed off, offended that someone as famous as actor Steve Harrington, king of period drama shows and romcom movies, is belittling their beloved band like that.
Another reporter, then, after a concert, asks Eddie what he thinks about Steve Harringtonās last interview, where he basically says Corroded Coffinās music is shit, and Eddie just says, āI have no idea who youāre talking about.ā
And he also hasnāt! Because they have been on tour for months, then they were working on new songs, and itās been at least five fucking years since Eddie had enough spare time to watch a show. Heās also no fan of romcoms or period dramas, so even if he had had the time, there was no way heād have watched anything Steve was in.
Thatās enough for the press to go wild with stories about disagreements that never really happened and thousands, maybe millions, of people on the internet discussing Steve and Eddieās rivalry and distaste for each other.
Neither Steve nor Eddie tries to explain the whole misunderstanding because, really, they both think itās so funny how so many people are buying all this crap. Tabloids talk so often about their ārivalryā that Steve does end up listening to Corroded Coffin and enjoys them a lot; he adds lots of their songs to his playlists. And Eddie finally caves and starts watching one of Steveās period drama shows; he gets pretty addicted to them, and Steve is hot as hell, so thatās kind of a bonus.
One day, a couple of months after this started, Steve is scrolling his feed and sees a post on a gossip page about someone who said they heard someone telling some other person that they heard Eddie Munson threatening to beat Steve Harrington up if the actor didnāt stop saying shit about his music. The post is so obviously lying that Steve spends a good five minutes laughing. Then, on a whim, he DMs it to Eddieās official page, with a message attached saying āJust please donāt beat up my face, I need it for workā.
Ten minutes later Eddie replies by sending a second post, this one also from a gossip page that claims their sources might have overheard Steve Harrington saying to his friends that Eddie Munsonās hair is the worst thing heās ever laid eyes on, followed by a message saying āSorry, but nobody says shit about my hair. It's hard work making these curls look so good.ā
Thatās how Eddie and Steve start talking, first just sending each other posts and articles they find funny about their made up rivalry. Somehow, this evolves into an actual conversation about other stuff, like their works, their lives, themselves.
They never really stop messaging each other, their weird work hours and busy schedules preventing them from actually meeting, even though they are dying to.
Then, four months into their unexpected friendship, Steve is in New York shooting a new romcom and Corroded Coffin is expected to play on a charity event there as well. And thatās how Steve and Eddie finally meet; at 1 a.m., on a Thursday, just after Steve wraps up shooting his new movie and Eddie finishes rehearsing for the concert heās playing the next day. They go out for pizza, even though is freezing outside and theyāre both tired as fuck.
The press and their fans are in shock when, a couple of months later, their official accounts announce, on a joint post, that Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson are happily dating and planning on going on an extended vacation together as soon as Corroded Coffin wraps up their tour. The couple also asks for people to respect their privacy and states that they donāt intend to give any interviews to discuss their relationship.
They spend the whole vacation laughing over the hundreds of posts and reaction videos their friends send them daily.
Iāve read the cutest fic ever by @toedenandbackagain and decided to draw a comic based on it!
Please, read it:
Ā https://archiveofourown.org/works/19840567
