Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, Wayne Munson, The Party
Tags: Temporary Character Death, Secret Relationship, Body Horror, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Comes Back Wrong, Dream Sharing, Soul Bond, Exploring the Upside Down, BAMF Steve Harrington, Cannibalism (Mild)
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
[Link to fic] | [Link to art]
↳ Keep reading below for a sneak peek!
In the end everyone is aware of this:
nobody keeps any of what he has,
and life is only a borrowing of bones
A story in three acts
Or:
After Eddie’s death, Steve is lost. He hides his and Eddie’s past on and off relationship as he pours whatever is left of him into keeping his friends safe, and fighting the apocalypse that’s landed at their door.
He avoids sleep, too terrified of what he will see, haunted and tormented by dreams of Eddie, dreams that feel all too real. He avoids them until he can’t anymore, wiling to accept anything of Eddie he can have as the world falls apart around him.
When nothing is as it seems, Steve will find that the most horrific hells and the most beautiful hopes are two sides of the same coin. A lost boy returns, battle lines are drawn, and each player must fight a world that is older and stranger than they’d ever thought before.
Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, Wayne Munson, The Party
Tags: Temporary Character Death, Secret Relationship, Body Horror, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Comes Back Wrong, Dream Sharing, Soul Bond, Exploring the Upside Down, BAMF Steve Harrington, Cannibalism (Mild)
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
[Link to fic] | [Link to art]
↳ Keep reading below for a sneak peek!
In the end everyone is aware of this:
nobody keeps any of what he has,
and life is only a borrowing of bones
A story in three acts
Or:
After Eddie’s death, Steve is lost. He hides his and Eddie’s past on and off relationship as he pours whatever is left of him into keeping his friends safe, and fighting the apocalypse that’s landed at their door.
He avoids sleep, too terrified of what he will see, haunted and tormented by dreams of Eddie, dreams that feel all too real. He avoids them until he can’t anymore, wiling to accept anything of Eddie he can have as the world falls apart around him.
When nothing is as it seems, Steve will find that the most horrific hells and the most beautiful hopes are two sides of the same coin. A lost boy returns, battle lines are drawn, and each player must fight a world that is older and stranger than they’d ever thought before.
Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, Wayne Munson, The Party
Tags: Temporary Character Death, Secret Relationship, Body Horror, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Comes Back Wrong, Dream Sharing, Soul Bond, Exploring the Upside Down, BAMF Steve Harrington, Cannibalism (Mild)
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
[Link to fic] | [Link to art]
↳ Keep reading below for a sneak peek!
In the end everyone is aware of this:
nobody keeps any of what he has,
and life is only a borrowing of bones
A story in three acts
Or:
After Eddie’s death, Steve is lost. He hides his and Eddie’s past on and off relationship as he pours whatever is left of him into keeping his friends safe, and fighting the apocalypse that’s landed at their door.
He avoids sleep, too terrified of what he will see, haunted and tormented by dreams of Eddie, dreams that feel all too real. He avoids them until he can’t anymore, wiling to accept anything of Eddie he can have as the world falls apart around him.
When nothing is as it seems, Steve will find that the most horrific hells and the most beautiful hopes are two sides of the same coin. A lost boy returns, battle lines are drawn, and each player must fight a world that is older and stranger than they’d ever thought before.
Any recommendations on hurt-comfort Buddie that will make you cry? HEA please!
I started to answer this but accidentally clicked on a Tumblr link so I gotta start over 😂
I haven't read Buddie fics in a while so these are a bit older. (I'm going to catch up soon! I've just been in a phase where I'm either reading Teen Wolf fics or physical books)
Also haven't updated my bookmarks yet. Sadly a lot of great authors I'd normally recommend have turned anti-Buddie since April and I'd rather not promote them in Buddie posts if they're not safe to follow anymore as a Buddie fan.
Please check the tags of a fic before reading in case something is triggering for you!
the things that haunt me in the middle of the night by justhockey
2,4k, rated G
He gasps for breath and it feels like a reflex - like coming up for air after being sucked under. Like a desperate, manic thing.
He’s safe, he knows that. Knows he was never really in much danger anyway. But the sound of it all - the waves, the rain, the crashing and the thundering - it echoes in his head, ricochets through his bones. It lives inside of him, he guesses, even after all these years. That fear, the exhaustion, the crippling terror of finding the surface only to realise that Christopher was gone.
He rubs at his sternum, tries to breathe deeply, tries to blink away the memories of the day the water nearly took everything from him.
I let my guard down by bucksclipboard
6,5k, rated M
"It didn’t stop. Buck went from hoping the packages were from someone special to suspecting someone was toying with him. The hopeless romantic in him was slowly wilting. When he opened the latest letter, suddenly he was not so sure his secret admirer was of the good-natured kind. "
or: who needs police protection when you have eddie diaz by your side?
Cut me slack (I've watched your heart stop) by kat_atthewisco
Rated G, 5,4k
“Well, unfortunately I am calling you specifically for your role as Mr. Buckley’s power of attorney. He does need a couple of decisions made about his care that he’s not fit for at the moment. If you’re able to get here soon that would be best, I can’t tell you much over the phone.” To her credit, Deirdre does sound apologetic, and Eddie’s panic has begun to ratchet back up.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can, is he- please, how bad?” Eddie repeats.
In which Eddie gets The Call from Cedars-Sinai while he's off work thanks to a healing injury. Being Buck's emergency contact is suddenly a very real thing.
Never More To Leave Here by devirnis
Rated T, 10,2k
"Can you remind my brother that we were supposed to get lunch?” Maddie asks.
“Uh sure,” Eddie says slowly, confused. “But why don’t you just call him yourself?”
“I did, a couple times, but he didn’t answer. I assumed he was still with you?”
Eddie thinks back to last night, to Buck specifically making plans to go back to his own place so he wouldn’t be late for lunch with Maddie. Buck had texted him when he got home, just a simple night :) that still made Eddie’s heart flutter, so obviously Buck had made it back to the loft… But there haven’t been any texts from Buck all morning. Not that that is necessarily unheard of, but especially over the last few weeks it’s become rarer and rarer for even a few hours to go by without Eddie’s phone dinging with a message notification from Buck.
A small tendril of worry curls around Eddie’s ribs.
BTHB: locked up & left behind
Diagnosis: Dumbass by snarkymuch
Rated T, 2,7K
Christopher scrunched his face, then stopped rummaging through his pack to grab something from the ground—something that turned out to be his phone.
“No, nope—who do you think you’re calling?” he asked, trying to reach for it, but Christopher had already hit the button, dialing someone—whom he’d bet anything was his father.
Christopher pulled away, out of reach, phone to his ear, then a moment later saying, “Yeah, I’m okay, dad—yeah, I know—no, but he fell out of a tree—”
“He is fine, though!” Buck yelled, hoping to stop the inevitable freakout from Eddie. “Eddie, do you hear me? I’m fine!”
--or--
Buck takes Chris out for a light hike, somehow ends up falling out of a tree, and Chris patches him up while waiting for his dad to arrive.
Presumed Dead by inkonmyheartandonthepage
Rated G, 4,4K
The fresh air was supposed to have been good for Buck. A small hike that he had done a million times. A nice hike that gave him a workout and at the same time allowed him to sift through his thoughts and feelings and to focus on what he really wanted.
Instead, he’s stuck in the middle of nowhere at a rest stop watching some asshole drive away in his jeep.
OR
The 118 crew arrive a fender bender only to find it's Buck's jeep on fire and the body inside dead and burning.
The monsters turned out to be just trees by Ink_Dancer
Rated T, 8,4k
Buck and Eddie are searching for a missing person, and they're already lost in the woods when Buck gets injured and makes their situation a lot more complicated. With the sun going down, they're forced to spend the night outside, with only each other for warmth and shelter.
(set post-buck's recovery from the firetruck, but no other specific time markers. nebulously within the show's canon.)
It's what my rotting bones will sing when the rest of me is dead by heartbeatdiaz
Rated T, 12,4k
"Eddie? Eds, can you hear me?” Buck rubs his knuckles against Eddie's sternum, a little too harsh, a little too desperate. "Eddie!"
Eddie croaks out a weak, barely there, whine as Buck's knuckles do the trick and his eyes open in slits.
"Evan?" He chokes out, his voice so hoarse and raspy that it must have been hurting his throat. "You're real?" He whispers in awe, his hand twitching as his side like he wants to reach up to Buck— touch his face— but he's too weak to do that. Eddie's brow furrowed but a small smile graces his lips, barely there. "I didn't give up. I made it home to you."
or;
the one where a call goes wrong and leaves everyone thinking eddie was dead, buck finds about the will through a letter and comes to some other revelations in the process.
and in which eddie finds his way back home and finally gets to be happy with the love of his life.
BTHB Prompt: Missing and Presumed Dead
Let me go by tawaifeddiediaz
Rated T, 8,1K
For the first time since he met him, he wasn’t sure where Buck was, and it was driving him insane. His shift ended three hours later than Eddie on Tuesdays, and today, he had texted saying that he was going to pick up groceries.
After that, he hadn’t returned back home.
Kindness: What Connects Us by FandomLife54
Rated T, 9,6k
Still off balance, Buck slams his left heel onto the roof, heaving forward to catch the collar of that yellow shirt. And there’s no conscious decision making here. It’s all instinct, and he’s grateful for it. If he’d given his overzealous mind the chance to consider another way, he would have missed his shot. Instead, his arms hurl the boy into the hands of another survivor...
And his right foot misses the edge.
OR
Buck catches Chris before he rolls off the firetruck, and it's him who falls back into the retreating waters of the tsunami. Unconscious and seriously injured, he's unaware that his team has been searching for him, never giving up as the days pass.
A leaf falls on loneliness by iimpossible_things
Not rated, 11,1k
Buck doesn’t think that if he were to say, “I’m in a bad place”, that anyone would turn him away. Really, he doesn’t. The 118 has too many good, kind people for that.
But every time he wants to open his mouth, to say something, to reach out to Eddie or Bobby or Hen or Chim, he hears Eddie yelling, “you’re exhausting.”
So each day he does his job and he laughs and he jokes and he pretends he’s the care-free goofball he’s always been. And each day he packs away his bruises and his worries, takes them home to his empty loft with its quiet rooms, and licks his wounds in silence.
And I watched a part of myself die 'cause no amount of freedom gets you clean by himbobuckley
WARNING: rape/non-con. Rated T, 10,2K
Buck goes out drinking after a particularly tragic call and the night takes a turn for the worse when he's targeted and assaulted. Struggling in the aftermath and unsure how to handle it, Buck tries to distance himself from his friends and family, believing that with time he can simply move past it on his own. Eddie notices something is wrong with Buck and desperately tries to get through to his friend, fearing the worst.
or:
Buck goes through the fucking ringer. eddie notices something's horribly wrong. you can contact my lawyer for emotional damages.
or:
“I heard about what happened yesterday,” Eddie says softly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. And that I didn’t know. I should’ve gone out with you, or made you come over, or-”
“Eddie,” Buck interrupts. “It’s- it’s okay. I just went out drinking. It’s fine.”
“Drinking alone?”
“Yeah,” he stammers. “Yeah, alone.”
“Hey listen, why don’t you come over tonight? We can do a movie night. And… I have something to tell you.”
“I’m sorry, Eddie,” Buck murmurs, feeling the tears welling up again. “I don’t think I can tonight.”
“Hey, wait Buck-”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Blue skies by spaceprincessem
36,7k, rated T
“Most babies are born as accidents,” She says suddenly, like she’s decided that Buck has passed, that she can trust him with this.
Buck doesn’t really have an answer because that question hits way to fucking close to home. A year or so ago he would have said, yes, I was an accident, so I know how that goes, but Buck knows better now. Knows that he would almost give anything for that answer to still be yes. Evie’s finger works under the seal to rip it open, a stack of important looking papers dumping out onto the table in front of her.
“Not me,” she says without looking up as she organizes them into a neat stack, “I was engineered.”
And.
And Buck’s pretty fucking sure a giant, cataclysmic hole has ripped right open, dragging him down to the earth’s core where he vaporizes into dust.
{or Buck meets another savior baby and everything comes crashing down}
Leave The Light On (I'll Be Coming Home) by HMSLusitania
Rated M, 44,4k, fandom classic
“We’re here for our grandson,” Helena says.
“Chris is still sleeping,” Buck says.
“I meant, we’re here to take him back to Texas,” Helena clarifies.
“Yeah,” Buck says. He’s too tired, way too tired to be tactful. “Over my dead body.”
--
An accident on a call leaves Buck with custody of Chris after Eddie is... missing presumed.
While they navigate their new family circumstances -- and fight to stay together, despite Eddie's parents' best efforts -- a John Doe wakes up in a coma ward with no memory of his own life beyond the knowledge he has a son named Christopher and, somehow, he needs to get home.
Over The Age, Over Again by mintedwitcher
Rated E, 16,5k
EXCERPT:
He would’ve fallen down the cliffside if it hadn’t been for Bobby on the winch. Because that… that’s Buck’s jeep. There’s no denying it, no mistaking it. That is Buck’s jeep. Hanging almost sideways off a ledge, the driver’s side doors flung open with the force of the fall. And further down… no. No it can’t be… a man, smashed against the rocks. A massive pool of blood. But Eddie can see the familiar white sneakers against the dirt.
No Sight For Heart Eyes by znks
Rated E, 20,5k
“Buck, Karen, and Eddie stayed on the couch and talked while the kids settled on the floor to draw. It all felt so wonderfully normal that Eddie found himself forgetting that he hadn’t just closed his eyes in serenity as he leaned against Buck.
That’s what made the spell breaking so painful.
“Dad! Look! I drew the firetru- Oh, wait, it’s okay you can see it when you’re all better!” Christopher said it so cheerfully, not even hesitating before going back to swapping out pens with Denny.
But Eddie felt it like a shot to the chest.
He couldn’t see his son’s drawings.
Buck and Karen had barely paused in the conversation, but Eddie could hear how strained it became, both of them obviously knowing exactly how heartbreaking the moment had been. Buck’s arm wrapped more tightly around Eddie’s waist, chin resting on his shoulder.”
losing your sight for a week sucks but at least eddie has buck to guide him through his healing or at least through his own house
This has inspired me to go read more recent hurt/comfort Buddie fics! I haven't been super active on this account but hopefully I can update this soon :)
Reblog to let your followers know that despite your current obsession your previous obsessions still exist and are simply lying dormant until they awaken and strike again
i've been reading a lot of stranger things steddie fics over the past 2 months so i've decided it's time for me to make one of my requisite fic reclists, both for myself, and for anyone else interested. here's my usual reminder that i prefer lengthy fics, and that i am also a sucker for canon divergent fics (which basically all of these are bc eddie is alive post s4 obviously unless it's a time loop fic—if i tag a fic as "canon divergent eddie lives", assume this means the fic is compliant through the end of s4 except for eddie's death) and happy endings. all these fics are complete, though it's possible that if the fic is part of a series the series may not be complete. i will try to always add appropriate tags!
T = teen
M = mature
Ex = explicit
NR = not rated
bracing for impact by writersagainstwritersblock (1/1 | 9k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; wayne POV; steve has bad parents; outsider POV
wayne watches as eddie falls hopelessly in love, with of all people, goddamn steve harrington.
it's not a big deal by aidaronan (1/1 | 11k+ | M)
canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; mutual pining; angst w/ a happy ending
eddie survives, but his entire life is locked away in the upside down forever (his books, his dnd stuff, his guitar.) everything that wasn't on eddie when steve carried him into the ER, gone.
so naturally steve starts giving him things. handing eddie back those little outward markers of who he is.
you oughta know by thisapplepielife / @thisapplepielife (1/1 | 12k+ | M)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; future fic; angst w/ a happy ending
days stretch out, long and slow. steve tries to ignore the only thing he’s sure of: eddie ran. he ran from him, ran from all of them.
or: steve's having a rough couple of years, thanks for asking.
compliant fic: i'm brave, but i'm chicken shit (1/1 | 13k+ | M)
eddie POV; eddie centric; 1990s; recreational drug use
introduced me to my mind by alchemystique (2/2 | 16k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; mutual pining; getting together; happy ending
"eddie," wayne says, and eddie fights the urge to scream, or laugh, or cry.
"i'm not running," eddie tells him, even though that is a fucking lie.
"you should call him more," wayne says, and eddie rubs the meat of his palm into his eyeballs until he sees stars. doesn’t think about what 'call him more' means in context—do they talk about him?
series: sweet leaf (4/4 | 16k+ | T)
outsider POVs; rockstar!eddie; period typical homophobia
steve harrington's guide to making it work by eggbertsheggbert (8/8 | 23k+ | NR)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; bad harrington parents; steve is kicked out; angst w/ a happy ending
steve harrington has never been good at asking for help. especially not since he started being seen as the protector of the group. so, when his parents kick him out after discovering his sexuality, he figures he can get extra shifts, save up, and get a place before anyone realizes anything is wrong.
join steve as he takes on the weight of the world. he's got it figured out, he's definitely NOT struggling, and—above all else—he can make this work.
the power of love by lacerta26 (8/8 | 27k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; outsider POVs; series; post-canon; coming out
jim gets mostly to the end of the house and then someone speaks.
"i came out here for a smoke," eddie, his voice low, hushed.
"yeah, but this is much more fun," steve now, almost laughing but not quite.
*
jim had only stepped out for a cigarette when he learns something new about steve and eddie and if this was one of the boys bringing home a girl, he’d have the exact stern words to make sure they were being a gentleman but his usual shovel talk isn't quite going to cut it because he has to let them know it's fine, more than fine, for them to be who they are, here.
hands where i can see them by SolarMorrigan / @solarmorrigan (12/12 | 29k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; multiple POV; established relationship; emotional hurt/comfort
eddie thinks that he and steve have a good thing going; being friends with benefits is honestly a pretty sweet deal. steve is a great friend, the sex is great, everything is great. except for the fact that steve hadn't realized they were only friends with benefits.
except for the fact that steve thought they were in a relationship.
except for the fact that eddie doesn't realize how much he'd valued that relationship until it's gone (and he's trying his damnedest to get it back).
it's alright if you love me by alivingfire (7/7 | 31k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; outsider POV; character study; 5+1; steve-centric; hurt/comfort
"oh, haven't you heard? steve harrington doesn't cry."
in which steve harrington breaks up, breaks a few hearts (including his own), breaks free, and finally gets to break down.
or: 5 times steve didn't cry, and 1 time he did.
off the beaten path by pukner (6/6 | 34k+ | M)
canon divergent post s3; alternating POV; queer awakenings; cliffhanger ending (must read sequels)*
"i'm saying this," says steve, loudly, cutting him off, "because someone i love is, uh, gay. and i love them, but like, platonically. and also me calling you a queer might've been a little hypocritical, in retrospect."
there is a long, baffled pause.
"what," says jonathan, "steve, are you—are you coming out to me?"
steve frowns, "oh, yeah, i guess i am. cool."
or, post season 3, steve manages to figure out that he's bisexual, despite his best efforts to repress it, comes out to robin and jonathan byers of all people, and figures himself out. also, there's a cute guy who might be actually insane running the kids' dnd club and he's got his eye on him. and his bandana.
too bad eddie munson hasn't had a similar revelation. he's still under the impression that he's a straight man obsessing over steve harrington for normal, extremely heterosexual reasons.
OR: steve figures out he's bi before eddie figures out that he's gay. eddie still manages to fall first.
series: *off-script (2/2 | 67k+ | Ex)
eddie POV; internalized homophobia; mutual pining
a tattoo is worth a thousand words by writersagainstwritersblock (18/18 | 40k+ | M)
canon divergent post s3; eddie POV; babysitter steve harrington; getting together
"ambidextrous, princess, it’s what makes me so good with my hands." eddie wiggled his fingers.
"you mean for guitar?" steve asked, completely missing the innuendo, and also nearly knocking eddie flat at the thought that steve harrington knew he played guitar.
"you stalking me or something?" eddie asked.
steve frowned. "uh, no, but your band played in the middle school talent show, it's pretty hard to forget a thirteen year old screaming death metal before his voice dropped."
eddie almost laughed at that. almost. "you saying i'm unforgettable, princess?"
"if that’s how you want to take it, munson."
eddie realized this was turning towards something far more dangerous than taunting a boy known for getting into fights, like flirting with a very, very straight boy known for getting into fights.
OR
after the events of season three steve shows up on eddie's doorstep asking for a tattoo... and then keeps showing up much to the dismay of eddie's traitorous heart.
sequel: visible ink (12/12 | 57k+ | M)
outsider POVs; firefighter!steve; tattoo artist!eddie; found family
the one in which a time loop is fucking exhausting. by badpancake (12/12 | 41k+ | T)
canon compliant; time loop; steve POV; temporary character death; suicide; angst w/ a happy ending
it’s the first time in a while that he doesn’t know what comes next. he’s dove into the water hundreds of times. screamed as his flesh was torn apart, heard master of puppets in the distance and held back tears. felt max’s cold, small hand in his as she laid in the hospital bed. there are things that always happen, no matter how hard he tries: el doesn’t arrive in time. eddie dies. max is put in a coma.
steve fails. they lose.
"steve, how many loops have you been through?"
his head is nodding, and his eyes are watery, and eddie has approached him like a spooked animal.
"i lost count.”
AKA: the one where steve harrington is stuck in a time loop, and eddie munson is really fucking hard to save, or: fuck volume 2, these bitches are in love.
steve the reluctant by rachtay13 (7/7 | 46k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; oblivious steve; steve plays dnd
robin raised her brows.
"you know what, harrington?" she nodded her head. "yeah, you know what? i dare you to make a friend. i dare you."
read for steve in denial, excessive d&d gameplay, robin as a mermaid, and eddie's glinting rings.
as one reader said "the most frustratingly dense version of steve i have ever read and i am HERE for it."
you're so fucked up and i love it by genericfanatic (18/18 | 54k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; eddie POV; accidental relationship; hurt/comfort
eddie munson hated steve harrington. he'd apparently saved his life, dragged him out of hell and got him to a hospital while nancy rushed behind him working on alibis and half truths to prove he couldn’t have murdered chrissy. and here he was, doomed to live for the foreseeable future, in debt forever to steve fucking harrington.
but eddie really hated how normal steve fucking was.
where do we go from here? (quietly fading away) by allandmore (9/9 | 60k+ | M)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; angst w/ a happy ending; non-graphic violence
"what's scarier than saving the world? figuring out what to do afterwards. i get it," eddie turns on his side, one shoulder on the wall, and grips the front of steve's shirt. His face is so close steve can feel the warmth of his breath. "but we've got time now. right, steve? we bought us all time. time to figure all our shit out. isn’t that what matters?"
OR
steve harrington struggles to find purpose after the upside down.
(but maybe purpose doesn't have to be big. maybe it's helping dustin navigate sophomore year. maybe it's reminding robin to send in college admission letters. maybe it's eddie munson. maybe).
star of the masquerade by glorious_spoon (6/6 | 64k+ | M)
canon compliant; eddie POV; time loop; temporary character death; angst w/ a happy ending
steve jerks awake, sitting up so quickly that robin almost topples over and staring wildly around the room. when his gaze lands on eddie, he blanches visibly.
"oh, shit," he mutters. "come on, no. come on. not again."
"harrington?" eddie asks slowly. he does not love the way that steve is staring at him right now. he really doesn’t. steve looks like he’s staring at a ghost, a bloodied monster, like eddie is something that should not exist in the light of day. "you good, dude?"
one size fits all by entanglednow (10/10 | 65k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; fake/pretend relationship; misunderstandings; slow burn
steve just wanted to do something nice for a friend, he doesn't mean to get eddie's ring stuck on his finger, and it's definitely not his fault that everyone he knows is jumping to conclusions.
renegades (leave a light on) by queerofthedagger (13/13 | 66k+ | Ex)
canon divergent s2; eddie POV; road trip; slow burn; strangers to lovers
eddie doesn't expect to get into trouble for his recent drug business, although he probably should have. even less does he expect steve harrington of all people to save his sorry ass with a nail bat that looks awfully at home in his hands. least of all, though, does he expect harrington to insist on skipping town for a while to avoid the fallout.
the winter holidays of '84 seem intent on proving him wrong on all fronts. thrown into a spontaneous road trip-slash-cut-and-run to san francisco—just until things back home blow over, munson—eddie has all the time in the world to confront such questions as: why would harrington care to help him? why does he wake up from nightmares more often than not? and, maybe most importantly, why is the former king so ready to leave hawkins behind on a whim?
or: idiot boys make impulsive idiot decisions, and along the way—reluctantly but inevitably—they fall in love. a story of endless winter streets, finding family, and leaving home to find a new one.
falling without caution (people watching) by super_skam310 (10/10 | 66k+ | NR)
canon divergent eddie lives; eddie POV; slow burn; eventual happy ending
steve harrington is a man that demands your attention; whether your give it willingly or not is inconsequential. eddie's camp tended to be in the latter category.
OR
eddie's borderline obsessive watching of steve spanning from steve's freshman year to season 4, culminating in the unfortunate realization that the king had been dethroned the moment nail bat hit monster flesh and that maybe steve harrington was lovable all along.
in the margins by foxy_mulder (4/4 | 70k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; angst w/ a happy ending; suicidal thoughts; hurt/comfort
steve is having a hard time adjusting to the new normal, after everything that went down. he doesn't want to bother his friends with his problems, though, when they've got so much weight on their shoulders already.
steve stumbles on an alternate version of hawkins, where none of it ever happened. everyone’s alive, his headaches are gone, his friends actually want to hang out with him, and he’s…happy.
(the party has to fight another monster. but this one doesn't prey on people's fears. it preys on their deepest desires.)
skull rock era by chattrekisses (11/11 | 71k+ | Ex)
canon divergent s2; steve POV; slow burn; internalized homophobia; fix-it
steve harrington never planned for eddie munson.
steve was supposed to marry his high school sweetheart, have 2.5 children, and take over the family business. he was supposed to live a blissful life on a nondescript cul-de-sac, complete with a white picket fence and a closet full of tasteful polo shirts. he was supposed to make a graceful transition between being the golden boy and being the american dream.
mediocrity was what destiny had designed for steve. reality had other plans.
(or, steve and eddie, against all odds, fall in love.)
roll for seduction by spikeisthebigbad (37/37 | 74k+ | Ex)
canon divergent post s3; steve POV; steve plays dnd; fix-it
when steve reluctantly agreed to play dungeons and dragons with the hellfire club he expected to hate every second. he did not expect to spend his friday nights flirting with eddie munson.
what if eddie and steve were dating during season 4? starts after season 3, and eventually ventures into season 4. not canon compliant.
in over my head by staymagical (16/16 | 75k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; head trauma; temporary amnesia
one moment, steve is entering his room, ready for bed, and the next he's in forest hills staring at a very confused very concerned eddie and the run-down remains of the old munson trailer.
three hours later.
thus begins a secret shared between friends, steve leaning on eddie as they try and understand and navigate this new terrifying post-concussion symptom of steve's. with vecna dead and the gates closed, it can only be steve's own scrambled brain giving up on reality. it's a race against the unknown, trying to find answers and search for solutions before it happens again and steve isn't sure how long he can keep pretending he is alright when he is anything but.
leave the light on sometimes all night by anniebibananie (7/7 | 78k+ | M)
au—no upside down; steve POV; hurt/comfort; slow burn; eventual smut
june 1986
steve is lonely.
he’s always been lonely, honestly. an empty house, absent parents, friends that didn’t really know him. frankly, he probably doesn’t really know himself, either. it used to be easier to ignore—between sports and parties and searching for the next girl to hang around with.
then nancy wheeler told him he was bullshit. in the wreckage of the storm, he realized she probably hadn’t been that off base to call his life bullshit.
[life in hawkins, indiana is boring, ordinary, no supernatural entities. steve still changes.
luckily, he still makes some new friends, too. certain people are simply meant to be in the same story.]
the lathe by palmviolet (13/13 | 82k+ | M)
canon compliant; steve POV; time loop; fix-it; angst w/ a happy ending; implied self-harm
"this time, do it right. this time eddie won’t bleed out in his arms, in anyone’s arms. this time, steve will do it right."
— or, steve relives the day they try to kill vecna over and over, and eddie just can't seem to stop dying. steve finds this totally unacceptable.
sequel: disaster / lucky (1/1 | 7k+ | M)
coda; eddie POV; implied/referenced self-harm; trauma recovery
it's got what it takes by rose235b (20/20 | 83k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; friends to lovers; slow burn
“i can walk you to your car if you need to go though.”
eddie’s hand stopped moving. robin’s eyes snapped towards steve as if it wasn’t a nice thing to offer.
“i’ll just maybe grab the vest so i can leave it for tomorrow.” he was undeterred though. if he could help eddie munson after the worst period of his life by literally just walking, steve would walk across the entire state of indiana.
eddie looked back at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he seemed to search for something on steve’s face.
“okay.” it came out softer than steve was used to eddie being.
steve's on his never ending quest to make up for past mistakes. eddie's post-vecna mess of a life seems like the perfect place to start.
-
or, two idiots fall in love very slowly to the tune of 80s music.
(something happens and i'm) head over heels by gibbouslunation (11/11 | 94k+ | T)
canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; head trauma; angst w/ a happy ending
eddie made a strangled disbelieving noise, expression flickering. "you are not apologizing to me right now, for like, feeling a normal way about stuff. i can’t believe you."
steve pushed a shaking hand through his hair. his heart rate no longer in his ears meant he felt he could at least think a little more clearly. "maybe it was the heat. doesn’t always have to be something messed up, right?"
eddie gave him a placating nod. "sure, heat exhaustion is a helluva thing."
it had been happening a lot recently. the…forgetting. zonking out. whatever. he was pretty sure he was just extra exhausted, it had been a few weeks since everything but it might have just been the adrenaline or something finally wearing off. sometimes it was like he just forgot someone was speaking, or couldn’t remember for a moment what they’d been talking about. like blinking out of a fog maybe.
it does not get better, in fact, it actually continues to get worse.
water closet by stillmadaboutpetra (7/7 | 103k+ | M)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; found family; slow burn; character study
steve's heard that a lot of life changing conversations usually happen in the kitchen or on the porch, but in his experience, it's the bathroom.
a series of bathroom conversations (plus a whole lot of everything else) that slowly change steve, and his little world, in the wake of surviving vecna.
burned on the pyre by oklahoma (13/13 | 105k+ | Ex)
canon compliant; steve POV; time loop; temporary character death; angst w/ a happy ending
"i’m gonna save your life, eddie munson."
-
caught in a time loop created by eleven where he is forced to relive the same day over and over, steve has to come up with a plan to kill vecna entirely while also making sure eddie and max don’t lose their lives in the process.
the beat has just begun by forgetthemoon (12/12 | 106k+ | M)
canon compliant; steve POV; period-typical homophobia; fix it; slow burn
vecna dies. so does eddie. the world doesn't split open. in the aftermath, steve goes home to an empty house.
well. almost empty.
steve sighs, hanging his head. one more thing. then he can go to bed. the dirty towel can wait until later. he tosses it towards the bathtub without looking and turns to the sink, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste. when he looks in the mirror, eddie's staring back at him.
lonely is the night by intrajanelle (23/23 | 109k+ | T)
canon divergent post s2; canon rewrite; eddie POV; hurt steve; angst w/ a happy ending
harrington had fallen, splayed in front of his preppy little beemer, like the jock equivalent of a fallen fucking angel. eddie, not having thought this through, watched harrington’s eyes roll to the back of his head, and said, "well, crap."
or: post-season 2, eddie and steve get to know one another.
i can give you a heartbeat by soupbitchin (14/14 | 113k+ | T)
canon compliant; eddie POV; ghost!eddie; happy ending; fix-it
being dead isn’t like eddie thought it would be.
for starters, he’s a lot more alive than he expected.
or, the ghost of eddie munson’s still hanging around, and he’d really appreciate if someone could notice him, thanks.
the end is here (and we do it a hundred times over) by placebythering (13/13 | 125k+ | M)
canon compliant; steve POV; time loop; temporary death; suicide; angst w/ a happy ending
steve jolts awake, staring up into the dull beige of the camper’s ceiling. there’s a distinct brown stain, likely from a leak. the cushion of the back seat is hard against his back, and if he strains he could hear yelling and laughing from the outside.
he wonders if he’s finally lost his fucking mind.
—or, steve relives the day of the end over and over again.
caught in the middle, helpless again by margosfairyeye (14/14 | 131k+ | Ex)
canon compliant; eddie POV; time loop; angst w/ a happy ending; canon-typical violence
fuck, eddie has been here before.
the deja vu was bad enough but this is like, double, this is like deja deja vu or deja vu vu or something, this is unprecedented shit here.
and eddie knows what comes next, knows like the roiling ache in his stomach that they’re going to go in, go though the portal and into the upside fucking down and didn’t they already do this?
-- --
eddie loops through the time from lover's lake to his death, over and over again.
blood, love, and rhetoric by sourpastels / @lesbiansidney (18/18 | 143k+ | M)
canon compliant; alternating POV; eddie lives; canon typical violence; accidental roommates
eddie believes three core things about the art of performance. 1. all the world's a stage. 2. performance is both a weapon and a shield, he wields it as both. and 3. you can’t act death.
to quote stoppard: “it’s not gasps and blood and falling about—that isn’t what makes it death. it’s just a man failing to reappear, that’s all…”
and eddie had gasped and bled and fell about, and was foolish enough in that moment to believe that was death. but he forgot a crucial step: he reappeared.
or: steve is taking it day by day, flitting between the high school and the hospital and hopper’s cabin, locking any thoughts of eddie munson away at the back of his mind. meanwhile, eddie is just trying to get out of the upside down, with nothing but a nail-shield and the world's worst company.
sleight of hand by smithereen (19/19 | 143k+ | Ex)
canon divergent post s2; alternating POV; internalized homophobia; slow burn
steve needs a weed dealer. he gets a bit more than that. (this is an AU set a couple months after the snow ball in season 2.)
take the money and run by thisapplepielife / @thisapplepielife (22/22 |143k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; road trip; getting together; future fic
"rules. like, there’ll be no eating in my car. you're not driving my car. no heavy metal," steve keeps listing, "you’re not picking up women and fucking them in m—"
"i'll try to control myself," eddie interrupts with a quip, a smirk. fucking girls in steve’s car, or anywhere else for that matter, isn’t going to be an issue, unless something pretty fundamental shifts in him.
steve continues, completely ignoring eddie, "you’ll wipe your feet. you're not dragging dirt all over my car. no hitchhikers. no cutesy road games. no smoking in the car. i'm not paying for all the gas."
"ass, gas or grass, got it," eddie says, like he's taking this very seriously. he is not taking this seriously.
or: road trip!
if your heart surrenders by asbealthgn (39/39 | 163k+ | Ex)
canon divergent pre-s1; alternating POV; slow burn; secret relationship; angst w/ a happy ending
“that one’s on the house, okay?” eddie says, and steve opens his eyes to look back down at him. on his face is the slightest hint of concern, and something else steve can’t place.
he’s still holding his hand.
"thank you," steve says. he’s not sure exactly which thing he’s thanking eddie for, the weed or the hand in his or the lack of judgment at his fucked up head. he just knows that he’s grateful.
eddie gives him a smile, a gentle curve of those pretty lips. "anytime, harrington."
tuesday's gone with the wind by thisapplepielife / @thisapplepielife (9/9 | 184k+ | Ex)
alternate universe – no upside down; eddie POV; rock band; drug use; plane crash
corroded coffin's leased plane went down on june 13th, 1995 in the woods of louisiana.
ten people on board died.
eddie munson survived.
before he survived, he really lived.
companion series: wildflowers...and all the rest (15/15 | 151k+ | Ex)
gareth POV; original female character; one shots; growing old; slice of life
gossip by jcmadgirl (11/11 | 213k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; pre-canon; sexual assault; angst w/ a happy ending
steve's whole life story, told through multiple snapshots of the events that made him into the person that he is today.
or,
a rewriting of stranger things from steve's POV.
i never did believe in miracles (but i've a feeling it's time to try) by cuoredimuschio (26/26 | 215k+ | M)
canon divergent eddie lives; multiple POV; slow burn; mutual pining; getting together
eddie is beginning to think that, somewhere in the helter-skelter of surviving the upside down, being swarmed by possibly rabid but definitely rancid demobats, and charbroiling vecna’s slimy ass, he accidentally tripped through the wrong gate and landed in an alternate dimension. well, a different alternate dimension than the one he was already in.
because steve harrington is flirting with him.
vignettes of lost connections by hardlyhalcyon (halcyonfrost) (50/50 | 229k+ | Ex)
canon divergent pre-s1; alternating POV; secret relationship; angst w/ a happy ending
steve harrington and eddie munson had met long before dustin henderson dragged steve down to reefer rick's cabin. hawkins wasn't a huge town, and there was only the one high school, but the two were never friends. didn't even like each other. in all their darkest moments however, they somehow found company together.
or the one where steve has depression, eddie becomes his safe space, and when eddie encounters battles he can't fight, steve reminds eddie of his own strength.
a pre-/peri-/post-s4 fic with steddie before s4 events, continuing through and after.
as the world falls down by daeneryske (36/36 | 245k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; bad harrington parents; period typical homophobia; angst w/ a happy ending
after saving eddie from the upside down, steve hides him at his house while the party concocts a plot to clear eddie's name. what steve doesn't expect is how much he likes hanging out with eddie as they get to know each other.
under the looming shadow of the mind flayer threatening to destroy hawkins, steve and eddie realize they're each grappling with their own darkness, from steve's father's impossible expectations to eddie's feelings of worthlessness.
their friendship develops into something more even as the party prepares to fight Vecna and his monsters one last time. steve must decide if he's ready to shrug off the rigid roles assigned to him and become his own person. eddie must learn to embrace what steve has been trying to show him every day since nearly dying: that he's worth saving.
nothing else matters by bigskyandthecoldgun (31/31 | 279k+ | Ex)
canon divergent post s2; steve POV; secret relationship; period typical attitudes; everybody lives
"you ask a lot of questions about me," steve tells him.
"because you're interesting," munson says, quiet and honest. "you're a lot different than what i've heard."
steve hums, eyes closed. "yeah," he says, eyes fluttering open when munson takes the joint from him again, "you are, too."
or:
steve ditches the prom to get high.
the man that i could be by ohstars (26/26 | 325k+ | Ex)
canon divergent post s3; steve POV; secret relationship; period typical homophobia; angst w/ a happy ending
"steve harrington isn't straight. it's been a few weeks since he sat on that bathroom floor at starcourt with robin, where she shared her biggest secret with him and unintentionally unlocked an entirely new side of steve. since he’s had to come to terms with being open to exploring that side of him, but he's finally acknowledged that he's most likely, definitely, without a doubt into guys."
--
after coming to terms that he may be queer, steve harrington does a little exploration on his own and meets the one and only eddie munson. just as things are going well and accepted the fact he's falling for eddie in their own little bubble, steve's world is shaken by a tragedy he can't quite talk about. and when the dust settles and he's nearly ready to put the pieces back together, his worlds collide when he realizes his eddie is the same eddie playing D&D with the kids. the same eddie who's now wanted for murder thanks to another upside down monster. how will he save the day when he can barely focus watching his ex mingle with his monster fighting team?
series: the men we've become (4/4 | 45k+ | M)
future fics; alternating POVs; domestic living
since you've gone (i've been lost without a trace) by steddieeddie (7/7 | 300k+ | M)
canon divergent s4; multiple POV; comatose steve; grief; angst w/ a happy ending
may 31st 1986, two weeks until graduation. robin, eddie, and nancy are all set to walk across the stage, eddie being given a free pass after the whole ‘almost framed for murder’ thing. the three have been trying to be excited about their graduation, but it feels almost mundane to be excited when steve wouldn’t be there. they would be sat out on a football field in the blistering heat while waiting for their names to be called, with dustin and max in the crowd, cheering them on in steve's place. there would be fake smiles plastered to all their faces, no matter how realistic they tried to make them.
none of them have genuinely smiled since steve got vecna'd.
sixty-five days. steve had been in a coma for sixty-five days. the doctors keep telling the party that it doesn't look good, that steve's injures had been severe, and that they didn't know if, when, he would wake up.
but they refused to lose hope.
he'll wake up.
it's just a matter of time.
OR
five times steve harrington didn't wake up, and one time he did.
the most dangerous thing (is to love you) by brokebeatle (21/21 | 304k+ | Ex)
canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; shared trauma; slow burn; period typical homophobia
"i know you care about what those little twerps think of you, and i can assure you they think way too highly of you," eddie says with a wink, and steve gives a half-hearted smirk for just a moment. "but look…i know i can’t ask you to stop worrying about those kids, so how about this? you worry about them, and you let me—actually let me—worry about you."
steve pushes his hair back, and yet again, gravity instantly pulls it back down, since he’s looking at his feet. "…i don’t need anyone to worry about me."
"too fucking bad. someone’s gotta do it, and it’s gonna be me."
"why?" steve replies with a raspy laugh, shaking his head slowly.
"why? why." eddie crosses his arms tightly across his chest, knocking his foot into steve’s again with a bit more strength. "because we’re friends, dipshit."
—in which eddie's got a reason he's been planning on leaving hawkins since long before the world almost ended. the only thing keeping him in town at this point? his promise to be friends with steve harrington. and eddie doesn't break promises.
the queer community was formed by people who were deemed strange and abnormal in society based on them not conforming to expectations about sexuality & gender. there are no specific boundaries bc this isn't a club. a cishet guy that likes wearing dresses who fights side by side with us for true liberation, is 100x more queer than a millionaire gay man who's besties with companies that sell us watered down versions of our own culture for profit during pride while donating to homophobic lawmakers every other month.
i'm gonna say this again because it really pissed some people off: yes, I would rather have a cishet GNC man who stands with queer people, is involved in our spaces and our culture, stands up for us when we are attacked, and is active in furthering queer liberation, than a rich gay man who spits on the lower-class queers who gave him the ability to be out, who sells his soul to corporations who couldn't give less of a shit about us, just for the wealth and power of capitalism. Fuck that guy. I'm not saying he isn't gay - he is! Nothing can take that away! But we have the saying "not gay as in happy but queer as in fuck you" for a reason. The family-friendly gay millionaire isn't my brother. The poor crossdresser who has been a part of this community since it's inception is. Fuck your bootlicking bullshit.
Can I speak my truth. I don’t think Brienne is even a little gay. I think she’s a kinsey zero who false positives on everyone’s radar. I think if you dropped brienne into new age 2024 she would get treated as a lesbian in her day to day life but whenever a woman liked her she’d be like. Ummmmmmm I’m really sorry but I don’t. Feel like that. I think she’d give lesbianism the good old college try bc of the direness of her male love life and come down firmly on the side of not attracted to women. I think she is quintessential pnw woman who you think is a slam dunk homerun lesbian based on everything about her who drops the word husband on you. I think she gets clocked on sight and mentions a partner named Jaime which makes people go. Okay. Partner i know that game. Jamie easily the name of a lesbian. Easily. And then she drops the he pronouns and you go. Well. Could still be a weird lesbian. And then Jaime is a business major in a frat with generational wealth. And HE is the kinsey five in the relationship.
