So, there isn't much I contribute to this fandom, but if there is one thing I know how to do, it's read some fanfiction. I've read thousands of Steddie fanfics in the last two months (well over 10 million words), so coming at you live from my brain is a list of some of the best AU Steddie fanfics on AO3.
Starting off with the classic, YOU'RE DIVINE by Oonionchiver
Note: Vampire!Eddie at its absolute best. Nothing else to say other than this is my favorite fanfiction ever written and published on AO3, and I say that as someone who has been reading fanfiction for over 15 years. This is it. This is the best one you'll ever read.
BANDAIDS FOR THE HEART by LexiRoseWrites
Key tags: alpha/beta/omega dynamics, Omega!Steve Harrington, Alpha!Eddie Munson, Nurse Steve Harrington, Single Parent Eddie Munson, Loss of Virginity
Note: This is a really, really adorable fic about Eddie, a single parent, and Steve, a pediatric nurse who takes care of Eddie's daughter in the ER one day.
A MESS OF HOLY THINGS by ghosttotheparty
Key tags: College Student Steve Harrington, Musician Eddie Munson, Religious Guilt, BDSM, Loss of Virginity
Note: This is a college!AU where Steve grew up sheltered and very religious. When he meets Eddie, he finds himself straying from God and towards... well, something else.
HEAVEN CANNOT WAIT FOREVER by rabidheart
Key tags: Age Gap, Professor Eddie Munson, Student Steve Harrington, Kink Discovery, BDSM
Note: Another college!AU where Steve is a student and Eddie is his art professor. This one is delicious and devious. Mind the tags.
CAN'T YOU JUST MAKE IT GO FASTER? by toethemoon
Key tags: Sugar Daddy Eddie Munson, Sugar Baby Steve Harrington, Rockstar/Famous Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington Adopts Max Mayfield, BDSM
Note: In this one, Steve is a graduate student who adopted Max. When he falls on hard times, Eddie offers to be his sugar daddy. Things get complicated quick. This one is criminally underrated at only ~6k hits.
This week's writer spotlight feature is: @lexirosewrites! They have forty-four Stranger Things and forty-three Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson works on archive of our own!!
An anonymous nominator recommends the following works by lexirosewrites:
24-Hour Diner
On Thin Ice
And the Sun will Rise
Bandaids for the Heart
Waking Up In Vegas
A/B/O isn't for everyone, but Lexi writes it in a way that it IS. I've always been a fan of the trope, but Lexi writes A/B/O in a way that expands beyond the basics. They've expanded their universes to play with common A/B/O themes in ways I've never seen -- each one feels fresh and exciting. And yes, they're popular in their own right, but they have so many hidden gems!! I just adore them and the work they've done beyond the tropes and tags. They put so much work into their stories and building their community, pushing through all the fandom bullshit to bring joy to their bubble of fandom. They're easily my go-to author rec for anyone getting into steddie and/or A/B/O and they deserve all of the love!! And if you're seeing this Lexi, thank you for continuing to create and share your beautiful ideas with us. ♥ - anonymous
Below the cut, @lexirosewrites answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!
Why do you write Steddie?
I love the chemistry that Steve and Eddie have. They’re two people who make no sense together and yet they make so much sense together? They have a good mix of parental issues and they’re on opposite sides of the social spectrum, which makes for a lot of fun exploring their relationship.
What’s your favorite trope to READ?
I’m a sucker for soulmate fics. They’re my true weakness in life.
What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?
I love to write about mutual pining. I enjoy making it clear that both parties are pining and suffering under the delusion that their feelings are unrequited.
What’s your favorite Steddie fic?
This is such a hard question. I don’t read as much as I used to, but the one I reread the most is “Consummate Professional” by Eddywow for sure. It’s just a cute fic and the smut is A+ as well!
Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?
I’ve worked through most of my favorite tropes at this point, but I’m excitedly planning a timeloop fic set in the omegaverse.
What is your writing process like?
It’s a bit of a mess, truthfully. I start with unorganized bullet points to brainstorm things I think will happen in the fic and slowly arrange that into a real plot with actual events and not just some loose threads of a story. Then, I just go chapter by chapter to put them in order and make changes as necessary after that.
Do you have any writing quirks?
I write omegaverse fics almost exclusively. Which I’d say probably qualifies as a quirk! I also just have a habit of writing recurring themes in many of my works. For the most part, they all have angst, lots of pining and miscommunication, and a perfectly cozy happy ending with a big bow on it.
Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?
Oh, I hate waiting. The moment a chapter or fic is done and someone has at least skimmed it over for big issues, it gets formatted and posted. The only times I wait are for events like the Big Bang or a gift for someone’s birthday!
Which fic are you most proud of?
“Bandaids for the Heart” is the work closest to my heart because I’m a nurse and I got to use my love for nursing to write about my job and craft a whole story out of it. I’m very proud of how it turned out and the fact that I finished it despite some personal challenges along the way.
How did you get the idea for 24-Hour Diner?
I actually got an ask on tumblr with the prompt that inspired me to write it!
When writing 24-Hour Diner, what was something you didn’t expect?
I actually have a longer Mafia AU fic and I was worried they’d end up being too similar, but I enjoyed finding little ways to distinguish it as its own fic.
What inspired On Thin Ice?
I love to ice skate and a friend in my discord server was gushing about HexieWrites’ “Carve Your Name Into My Chest,” which made me want to explore my figure skating background.
What was your favorite part to write from On Thin Ice?
There’s a scene where Steve gets injured and Eddie has to carry him off the rink. Every story has at least one “that’s the scene I really want to write!” and that was the one for this fic. I love some good hurt/comfort!
Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?
That’s so hard to narrow down, but I’d have to say that it’s a scene from my fic “Bad Beat,” where Steddie are at prom and Eddie pulls out a granola bar from his tux pocket because he knows Steve likes them… even as Steve is fully planning on pranking him for a bet. It’s a heartbreaking scene and I think about it a lot.
Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?
I’ve got lots of upcoming fics, but I can’t share most of the titles yet since they’re gifts! However, I have a The Greatest Showman inspired fic called “A Million Dreams” that’s getting posted in early January!
Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?
I’m honestly so grateful to have the support that I do for how niche most of my fics are. Most people in the Steddie community have been incredibly kind to me and I really appreciate it, even if omegaverse isn’t their cup of tea. I’m just here to have fun and make new friends!
Thank you to our author, @lexirosewrites, and our nominator! See more of @lexirosewrites' work featured on our page throughout the day!
Writer's Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!
happy fic rec day! once a week i pick one of my favorite authors and put the top 3 fics (to me) from their repertoire on here. all of them have so much more that deserves to be on the list, but i have to stick to my own rules, etc, so always make sure to check out their masterlist/ao3 for more! all previous week's links will be on my masterlist on my blog.
this week is @lexirosewrites! omegaverse is not something i was into before the steddie fandom, at least not on purpose, and no one does it like lexi. as always, read the tags, don't like any of them, don't read them, and if you're mean to lexi, i block you 😇 (i'm also gonna go ahead and say that while their newest fic being posted is only one chapter in, it probably will move to a top 3 spot when it's done: Waking Up In Vegas)
lexi's tumblr | lexi's ao3
The Bunny and The Wolf Series
Rated E
Eddie is mafia boss. Steve becomes his. End summary.
Favorite thing about this whole series (and it is being continued actively right now with another wip) is that it somehow is so long but feels so fast paced. So much happens, you get every emotion, you get so many amazing characters.
On Thin Ice
Rated E
Guys, it's a figure skater/hockey AU. It's like Lexi went into my brain and said 'I know what you want and need and I'm going to provide' and then did it better than my imagination ever could.
Favorite line: “It’s like…” Eddie takes a deep breath, his eyes locked on Steve’s lips with an intensity that’s almost frightening. “It’s like- like I can’t be near you anymore because every time I am, I want to kiss you so badly it hurts, princess. It’s like I want to scoop you up and carry you away to somewhere safe and warm where I can tear this pretty little piece off you.”
Online, Offline (Out of My Mind)
Rated E
Virgin Celebrity Secret Omega Steve and Big Dick Just A Guy Alpha Eddie is apparently something that was on my 'I need this' Bingo Card. Add in scentmates/soulmates? I'm the biggest fan.
Couldn't even begin to find a favorite line or even a favorite part with this, but there is soooo much Robin and Steve being platonic soulmates in this!
