Yeah Steve is my favorite. It’s because I’m a basic bitch. Liam 22 he/him pronouns captainliam3 is my main and I’m towardthesun on ao3 Also I give blanket permission for pod fics, fanart, generally anything anyone wants to make for my writing! Just give me appropriate credit and tag me so I can see :D
Hi there! I’m Liam your resident starter of ideas who sometimes finishes them haha. I take prompts, I write, I cry over fictional characters. I’m down for anyone to use my stuff as long as you don’t copy it directly word for word and say its your own, just give me credit!
LINK TO Latest CYOA poll: SCREAM OR GIVE UP
Most Recent Stranger Things fic (I have so many that I just decided to put the most recent one at the top now): Daisies
Summary:
He hacked out a few more harsh sounding noises, before he spat into his open palm, taking a relieved breath as whatever was lodged in his throat came out. Eddie would’ve been relieved too, confused, but okay now that Steve was safe.
And then he saw what was in Steve’s hand.
A daisy. Steve had just coughed up a fucking daisy. And, judging by the completely blasé expression he had on his face as he looked down at it, this wasn’t the first time.
======
When Steve wakes up choking on flowers, Eddie thinks that it might be the end.
It turns out to be just the beginning.
Link to Daily Drabbles (Not really daily anymore but drabbles!): https://archiveofourown.org/works/41514105/chapters/104115066
Tags I use so you can block or look:
-Writing(withacapitalW)- Everything I write
-Liam speaks up- Generally everything that’s originally mine
Trigger warnings are in general characterized with tw: (insert trigger)
-example MCD is tw: Character death
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Omega Steve who after spending years and years looking for a suitable mate so he can start a family decides that, actually, he doesn't need one to achieve his goal.
At 34, he decides to have a kid by himself with the help of a IVF Clinic.
The whole process is a little overwhelming, Steve has to admit. There are a lot of tests and appointments, the clinic hands Steve a list of possible donors so he can choose the ones he judges could be a good enough sire for his pup.
After a very long and thorough consideration, Steve picks an alpha a couple years younger than him. The file says he's a lawyer, used to be an athlete all through high school and college. No health problems at all and the scent sample the clinic gives Steve is pleasant enough. Not the best Steve's ever smelled, but still nice nonetheless.
The procedure is, well, a procedure. The doctors and nurses are kind and attentive. Everything goes smooth and without any trouble. When the transfer is done and the embryos are safe in Steve's womb, he is soon discharged and Dustin is there in the waiting room to take Steve home and to make sure his best friend is okay.
The kid (who's not a kid anymore, but in Steve's eyes always will be) stays over at Steve's for the night just to be safe, then leaves the next day after a surprisingly teary hug.
"Why are you crying, dipshit? I'm the one who should be getting emotional."
"This thing you're doing is so cool," Dustin sniffs. "You're finally gonna have your pup, man. This is your dream since always."
"If you make me cry, I'm gonna punch you," Steve threatens even though his eyes are already red and stingy.
Two weeks later, Steve goes back to the clinic to confirm his pregnancy, this time by himself, and he can't help but shed a few tears when the test comes back positive.
This is it. This is real. Steve's having a pup and he couldn't be happier.
After the confirmation, the clinic hands him a schedule of tests and appointments, and also explain to him the scenting sessions he should have with the donor he's chosen.
"The scenting helps with your hormonal balance through the pregnancy," Dr. Morgan explains. "It also helps the pup because they can sense their sire through you. You'll get samples of your donor scent once a week, but it's advisable that you come here once a month for a scenting session. These sessions are supervised by our team to ensure your safety, Mr. Harrington, and your pup's. They are very safe and also very quick."
The doctor also guarantees that Steve doesn't have to go on with these sessions; that despite the benefits they would bring, the scent samples were enough to keep Steve's hormones in healthy levels during his pregnancy.
In the end, however, Steve agrees with the sessions because he wants what's best for his pup, so if he needs to spend thirty minutes every month being scented by a stranger to achieve that, then that's exactly what Steve is going to do.
Steve starts to suspect there's something wrong when the clinic gives him the first scent sample and the smell of grass and earth makes him puke his guts put. Steve has a vague memory of it being alright when he smelled it the first time, but now it just smells rotten, like a dead, muddy field instead of the freshly cut grass ans rich earth he remembers.
But maybe it's just the pregnancy, Steve tries to reason. Dr. Morgan said that his sense of smell would get more sensitive, so maybe that's what she was talking about.
He endures it for two weeks, until he just can't anymore. It smells too bad, it smells wrong and his inner omega is extremely distressed every time Steve as much as looks at the scent samples.
After two weeks, Steve goes back to the clinic and explains what's been happening. Judging by the doctor's face, that's not something that should be happening at all.
"We're gonna run some tests to see what could be causing this rejection," she says. "We will find out what is going on, Steve, don't worry."
And find out they do. Four days later, he's back at the clinic and Dr. Morgan is finally able to explain what is happening.
"Your omega is rejecting the scent because the samples don't belong to the sire of your pup."
"What?"
"I am very sorry, Mr. Harrington, but the lab messed up and the sperm used in the fertilization did not belong to the donor you chose. It belongs to another donor, so that's why you're reacting so badly to the scent samples we've been sending you."
Needless to say, Steve freaks the fuck out. His heart is beating so fast the blood his rushing to his ears and he can't even hear what the doctor is saying anymore.
She's probably explaining what happened, how the lab messed up the sperm samples and some other shit. She's probably trying to placate Steve but he doesn't want to know or hear any of it right now. The only thing Steve wants to know is...
"Who is the donor, then?" He asks bluntly, interrupting the doctor's monologue. "Who's the sire of my pup?"
Dr. Morgan doesn't seem surprised by the question. She just hands him a file.
Steve opens it with slightly shaking hands.
'EDWARD WAYNE MUNSON. 35. MUSICIAN.', says the file, followed by the man's health info, physical description and a small plastic bag with a scent sample.
The bag is closed, the black cloth inside looks ordinary, and yet the faint smell of dark chocolate and cinnamon coming out of it is enough to calm down and quiet all the noise in Steve's mind.
It's finally right, his omega rejoyces. They found the sire. They are safe.
they never draw eddie wearing some sports jersey to support steve's favourite sportsball team is the thing. like yeah yes steve wearing eddie's band tees i agree we all agree. we are all in agreement. but why is it never reversed. makes me sad. it should be reversed sometimes at least. give me eddie in a sports sweatshirt and boxers reading casually on the couch and steve coming home and getting hard at the sight
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Eddie collapses back on the check-print pillow, limbs oozing like jelly. His body scorching, red-hot from head to toe. Sweating, heart beating so fast it feels like his entire body is pulsating.
His muscles ache, his hair a matted, tangled mess.
He stares up at the ceiling, his formally starry vision now clearing to a mild blur. His dry, kiss-bitten mouth open as he pants.
Steve cuddles up next to him, sticky with more than just sweat. His chest hair wet against Eddie's side.
He shakes his head, begging his dick to calm down at the renewed contact. At least give him a minute to recover from –
"Where did you learn... all that?" he squawks into the silence of Steve's bedroom.
A unfazed shrug momentarily jostles them.
"Dunno," Steve replies.
Eddie whines, "But... But – your hands! F-fingers... And you're so flexible. A-and the stamina! Your..."
His babbling evaporates as thoughts and... sensations tingle away and leave him unable to speak. He screws his eyes shut as delirium takes hold.
Steve wraps his arms around him, pulling himself closer. He presses a kiss to Eddie's shoulder that melts through him like a burn mark.
"So, I take it you had fun?" he asks, grinning against searing hot skin.
We're excited to bring you another round of the Steddie Bang this year. Please find the schedule below and keep an eye on our socials (steddiebbang here on tumblr, on twitter, and on bsky).
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Tags: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - 1990s, Breaking Up & Making Up, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Trauma, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Bisexual Eddie Munson, Marijuana, Alcohol, it starts a little angsty but happy endings are always promised in this house, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Blowjobs, Face-Fucking, thigh riding, Teasing, Dirty Talk, these two are the ultimate switch couple and i love them so much, semi-public blowjob at one point but no one is around, tagging 75k is tough so I'll include chapter-specific warnings as needed!, Choking, Steve Harrington Has a Praise Kink, Tattoo Artist Eddie Munson, Paramedic Steve Harrington, Podfic Welcome
Summary:
Eddie laughs from his position between Steve’s legs in the large bathtub, holding his glass as he rests his head back against Steve’s shoulder. Hot water soaks his muscles, sore everywhere that’d been so full of the man behind him.
He feels Steve’s arms wrap around his torso to pull him closer at the same time that warm, burgundy-stained lips brush his temple. Eddie’s glass tips just a bit, the unexpected movement sending sips of red wine into the bath water. He thinks for a moment that there’s something poetic about the red wine in the clear water, the way it mirrors the way Steve had helped clean his wounds in the same bathtub just months back.
Unfortunately, poetry only exists in hindsight. The blood wasn’t beautiful until Eddie had Steve to link it to, nor was the wine– it was just red.
Thanks for the rec!
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Happy December! Your word for December is... slick.
Slicked back hair? Slick roads? Is something slippery? Is someone trying to be slick? Omegaverse anyone? Who's to say! Actually, it's you. You're who gets to say because however you wanna interpret the prompt is up to you!
Your submission must be 501 words exactly when copied and pasted into wordcounter.net, we’ll comment a ‘🥧’ emoji when it’s been checked and queued, and all submissions are due by 11:59 PM ET on December 30th to be reblogged. Check the pinned post for all other rules and FAQs.
Once it's been reblogged, you can add to the AO3 collection for this month here.
We hope you had a great November and can't wait to see what you come up with this month! - Lex and Mickala 🫶
honestly? abandoned/on indefinite hiatus/very slow to update fics, even and especially AUs and longfics, are often some of my absolute favorites. and people who refuse to read them are missing out!
for one, stories don’t have to be finished to be enjoyable and worth reading. but also? an unfinished fic is a whole little universe that just keeps on existing in my head! their world stays alive for me in a way that doesn’t always happen with fics I binge read and finish, and i love it. i don’t know how their story ends, so it just keeps going! and even when those stories DO update and finish years later, they’ve been in my head for so long that they stick around like old friends.
so to any author with unfinished works: thank you SO much for sharing what you had without waiting to finish it first. you’re just giving me the gift of getting to spend more time with your story and your idea. if you do update again someday, i’ll be delighted to jump back in! but if you don’t, just know a little piece of your world still lives on in a beloved tiny terrarium in my brain. i promise i’m taking good care of it :)
i don’t normally ask this, but if this resonates with you please reblog it, so it can reach the authors who need to hear it <3
As promised, the spicy sequel to my Labyrinth AU Steddie Bang 2024 fic is finally here! It may have come later than I'd have liked, but it's ready just in time to celebrate one year of It's Only Forever!
Read the first fic here or on AO3
Forever After
Five years after Steve chose the Labyrinth—chose Eddie—over his former life, they're ready to choose each other again. This time with fancier rings, vows, and all their found family watching. But the real magic happens after the ceremony ends, and the newlywed Goblin Kings retreat to a hidden sanctuary for a wedding night neither of them will ever forget.
Chapter 1: The Sweetest Day
WC: 5161 | Explicit (in next part) | Ch 1/2 | AO3
Eddie blinked awake into a wash of gold spilling in through the tall windows of their bedroom. The sunrise moved slow and deliberate, dragging color across the sky with lazy brushstrokes in shades of pink and orange. It reminded him, as it always did when he awoke so early, of that first morning—years ago now—after Steve had made the choice to stay. The light had looked almost the same then as it did now, slanting across Steve’s bare shoulders where he dozed.
He was still the most beautiful thing Eddie had ever seen.
It all felt like a dream, but those perfect mornings just kept on coming, one after another with their breathtaking sunrises. There were sunsets too, full midnight moons, and even a meteor shower once, all watched from these same windows with him and Steve lying tangled together beneath their blankets. And with every day that passed, the love between them only grew bigger, wilder, richer, until Eddie could barely remember the boy who’d once thought himself unworthy of it.
For about the millionth time since Steve had come to stay, since they’d rescued Uncle Wayne and brought him back to live with them in the Labyrinth, since Eddie had regained a family, made friends, and found himself again, he couldn’t help marveling at it all. A life he never dared to dream of had become his reality practically overnight.
He hadn’t thought this kind of happiness even was possible.
Eddie shifted closer, burying his face into the warm curve of Steve’s neck, breathing in the familiar mix of soap and skin and sleep. His arm slid firmly around Steve’s waist, fingers tracing idle circles into the dip of his hip.
Steve stirred, a drowsy, pleased little hum slipping from his throat as Eddie ran his lips over his shoulders and atop the ridge of his spine—mouthing languidly at every patch of skin he could reach.
“Will you marry me, Sweetheart?” Eddie asked between soft kisses, his puffs of breath raising goosebumps across Steve’s lightly tanned skin.
Steve froze mid-stretch, his body stiffening under Eddie’s touch for a split-second, before relaxing again into his hold. “Baby, I don't know how to tell you this, but you’re a little late. I’ve been wearing your ring for five years now.”
“Not my ring,” Eddie murmured through a grin, bumping his nose against the back of Steve’s head. “That’s the Labyrinth’s ring. I had something a little different in mind for your other hand. If you ever decide to do me the honor, that is.”
Steve turned in his arms to sit up, blinking into the rising light before arching a single eyebrow.
“Come on,” Eddie crooned, pushing himself upright too. He caught Steve’s hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing the back of it once, twice, then continued peppering gentle kisses slowly up the length of his arm, and finally resting his cheek on Steve’s shoulder once he’d reached the top. “Didn’t you ever dream about your wedding day?”
With a barely-there sigh Steve tilted his head until the weight of it settled on top of Eddie’s. “We’ve already promised each other forever. Isn’t that enough?”
Eddie pulled back to shake his head, gathering up both of Steve’s hands in his own. “We could live and be together until the end of all things, and it would still never be enough.”
It was the truth, through and through, even if he was laying it on a little thick. But instead of melting the way he usually did when Eddie got all mushy and poetic, Steve dealt him a pointed narrow-eyed glare.
“You just wanna get me back into that white suit.”
Eddie shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. It wasn’t his only motivation for proposing by far, but he’d be lying if he said the image of Steve donned in head to toe white again hadn’t crossed his mind once or twice—or a hundred times. And he was pretty sure that particular fantasy went both ways.
“As if you wouldn’t kill to get me back in mine,” Eddie shot back, grin finally breaking loose.
“Touché.” Steve’s answering smile was wide and bright as the sun that framed him, but quickly dropped—along with his gaze—leaving him looking lost in unpleasant thoughts.
The rapid switch made Eddie’s chest tight. He released Steve’s hands, reaching up to cup his cheek instead, coaxing him gently back to the present.
“We don’t have to,” Eddie said softly—somberly, unable to fully conceal his own disappointment, though he absolutely meant what he said. He didn’t understand Steve’s reaction, and it stung a little, but he’d drop the idea in an instant if that’s what his sweetheart needed. Steve’s happiness was everything to him. Always had been, always would be. “I thought you’d be into this, but…”
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Steve whispered, pressing his cheek more firmly into Eddie’s palm.
Eddie let out a breath, relief flooding him, leaving behind that fluttery, too-good feeling he could never quite play cool. So Steve wasn’t necessarily saying no—he was just scared, or unsure, or maybe both?
He could work with that.
“Can’t you see it?” Eddie held his free hand up, thumb and index finger outstretched like he was framing up a photo. “Jonathan as the flower girl. Robin walking you down the aisle. Chrissy would stand with me as my best man, of course. Aaand—oh! Argyle could officiate!”
A sudden giggle bubbled up from Steve’s throat, quickly becoming a full-on chuckle that shook his whole body. Eventually he laughed so hard that tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes and he pitched sideways, sinking back into their plush mattress.
Okay.
Rude.
Eddie gave him a sidelong look, waiting for him to calm down some, mildly concerned that his beautiful boyfriend had finally lost his mind. “I'll grant you it would be funny to see Argyle all done up as a priest, but I'm not sure the visual is worth these hysterics.”
“Sorry, sorry, it’s just…” Steve began with a snort, rubbing the last tears from his sparkling eyes. He rolled over on his back suddenly and reached for Eddie’s wrist, yanking him down to land with a grunt on top of him. “I love you so fucking much.”
It was only natural to lean in for a kiss. How could Eddie resist tasting Steve's lips when they were so close and so tempting, no matter how many times he’d sampled them before, His long hair hung down around them like a dark curtain, making the privacy of their bedroom feel even more intimate for a moment, but he soon pulled back, letting all the confusion he felt show through a tentative smile. “I love you too..?”
With another bark of laughter, Steve’s hands came up to frame his face, thumbs stroking gentle arcs across his cheekbones. “I used to dream about my wedding day, you’re right about that. Granted, as a little boy in the hetero-normative world full of Disney princes and princesses, I only ever really imagined myself as the one waiting at the end of the aisle in a fancy tux while the hazy image of some imaginary girl in white walked towards me.”
“Sounds terrifying,” Eddie breathed, all solemn and serious.
Steve gave a somber nod of agreement. “Truly.”
After a brief stare down where they both tried to hold on to their grave expressions, Eddie broke first, letting out the loudest and least attractive cackle of his life as he leaned down to rest his forehead against Steve’s.
Steve's arms found their way around Eddie's shoulders, fingers threading into the hair at the nape of his neck. “Point is, to me, a wedding has always been just another stuffy event. A hoop to jump through. A show to put on for my parents and their shitty friends, but that’s not my life anymore, is it?”
Eddie’s mouth spread into a wide smile as he shook his head no, sending his curls flying in every direction at once. Steve’s answering smile was just as broad, full of joy and completely unguarded, and all Eddie could think about was making him smile just like that every single day for the rest of their lives.
“Our life,” Steve went on, “is wonderful, and beautiful, and magical, and our wedding day would be the same—will be the same. A day to celebrate our love and share it with our friends. Our chosen family.”
…Will be?
Eddie’s heart practically leapt from his chest. “Does that mean you’re saying yes?”
Steve slipped a hand between them, giving him a little boop on the nose. “Under one condition.”
“Name it,” Eddie rushed out, breathless and vibrating with excitement. “Name it, and it’s yours.”
“Do you…” Steve hesitated, biting his lip. “Do you think Wayne would walk me down the aisle?”
It didn’t happen often, but for a long moment Eddie couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything but stare down at Steve with his heart cracking wide open in the best possible way. No matter how long they’d been apart, Wayne meant so much to him. And here Steve was, not just understanding that bond and wanting to include Wayne in their ceremony for Eddie’s sake, but genuinely asking for himself. Steve loved Wayne, and Wayne loved them both like they were his own.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Eddie managed, his voice thick and unsteady as he pressed kiss after kiss to Steve's face—his forehead, his cheeks, the bridge of his nose. “I think he’d be honored.”
Steve beamed up at him, eyes suspiciously bright, and pulled him down into a proper kiss—deep and sweet and full of promise. “Good,” he said when they finally broke apart, a wicked gleam entering his eyes. “‘Cause I think I’d rather torture Robin by making her be my maid of honor.”
Eddie thought he knew what love felt like.
He’d known it in quiet moments—falling asleep next to Steve, watching Uncle Wayne laugh at Argyle’s awful jokes, seeing Chrissy and Robin steal kisses when they thought no one was looking. But standing here now out in the garden waiting for his future husband to appear at the end of the path, he realized he’d only ever glimpsed the edges of it. This. This was love distilled into its purest form, so wonderfully overwhelming.
The weeks of preparation has been a beautiful chaos. Steve threw himself into planning with the same fierce determination he’d shown navigating the Labyrinth that very first time trying to rescue his little brother, while Eddie mostly stood back and watched in awe as his sweetheart transformed the castle grounds into something truly fit for a fairy tale. Not that Eddie hadn’t contributed. He spent hours working out the magic needed to keep the weather ideal, oversaw construction of wooden pews of various sizes—extra small for the goblins, standard for the human and human-adjacent—and may have gone a little overboard with designing Steve’s ring. But seeing the way Steve’s eyes lit up as each piece fell into place had been worth every moment of restraint it took not to interfere, and every penny spent.
And now, finally, the day was here.
The resonant sound of stringed instruments filled the air, a quartet of goblins tucked off to the side coaxing surprisingly sweet and gentle melodies from their mismatched collection of violins and cellos.
Dustin was the first down the aisle. A far cry from the young boy Eddie had once kidnapped in the dead of night, the now nineteen-year-old college sophomore wore a three-piece suit in an elegant shade of dusty rose that made him look much too grown up for comfort. His role in the ceremony wasn’t a traditional one, but theirs was no traditional wedding. Dustin wasn’t there as a bridesmaid, but as something of a wildlife wrangler. He made his way down the aisle backwards slowly, both hands raised as he commanded his small army of miniature monsters.
The flower girls.
Half a dozen of the tiny faceless dogs that inhabited the Upside Down Woods flashed their rose-petal mouths in unison at the crowd of wedding guests sitting in their neat rows on either side of the aisle as they followed Dustin's every command. The four-legged-creeps still gave Steve the heebie-jeebies, Eddie too to be honest, but from the moment Dustin had encountered them on his first return trip to the Labyrinth, he’d been obsessed with taming them.
Eddie watched it all from where he stood at the front of the crowd, rooted beneath the hand-crafted arbor that had been Uncle Wayne’s wedding gift to his boys. So much care could be seen in its rounded edges, and in joints that fitted together so snugly they looked grown together. Made from the finest heavy oak, Wayne had planed and sanded and polished the wood until it gleamed like golden honey in the sun. He’d kept the shape simple, sturdy. The kind of frame meant to last.
Poetic, that.
As a final touch, white and blue fabric had been draped over the arbor’s beams, softening the lines, flowing down in wide ribbons that caught the breeze and danced like living things.
Chrissy beamed from her place at his side. His best girl, radiant in a tailored suit of midnight blue that brought out the brightness of her eyes. Her jacket nipped in at the waist before flaring out of her hips. It was paired with a flowing silk blouse the color of sea-foam, iridescent where it caught the light. A delicate band of baby’s breath sat nestled in her strawberry blonde waves. And Eddie couldn’t imagine having made it to this day, the happiest day of his life, without her.
When their part was done, and each of the horrifying dogs took a turn weaving themselves between Eddie’s legs as though giving their blessing, Dustin released them, tossing a handful of Tootsie Rolls out into the nearby field to encourage them to run home to their woods. The younger boy puffed his chest out with pride, turning his wide grin on Eddie and giving him and Chrissy each a quick hug before taking his seat in the front row.
Chrissy’s hand found its way to Eddie’s elbow, giving him a supportive squeeze as Jonathan trotted down the aisle next. He was dressed in his old guard uniform, balancing an ornately carved wooden box between his front paws, fluffy tail bobbing along behind him. He paused when he reached Eddie, dipping into a half-curtsy, half-bow, before padding on to curl up at Argyle’s feet—who stood behind, waiting to officiate—resting his head atop the ring box Eddie had commissioned for the occasion.
Robin came next, and Eddie had to bite back a grin at the sight of her. She'd fought Steve tooth and nail about wearing a dress, and to absolutely no one's surprise, Steve had caved almost immediately. She'd chosen a buttery yellow suit in a cut that mirrored Chrissy’s, the color somehow making the spray of freckles across her nose stand out even more. A fresh boutonniere of white roses and wisteria blooms was pinned to her lapel, and her hair—longer than it had ever been—was swept up and back, held in place with a series of pearl pins. She looked magnificent and entirely herself, radiating the same fierce loyalty that had once brought her back to Steve’s side to face down a giant mechanical Goblin.
As Robin took her place on the other side of the wide arbor, where she’d stand in support of her best friend as he and Eddie made honest men out of each other, there was a subtle shift in the music. The gentle classical melody that had accompanied the procession so far, gave way to something new. The arrangement tugged at Eddie’s memory. He knew this song, he was certain of it, but couldn’t quite place it until the familiar notes swelled. His heart recognized it before his mind did.
Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words, I don't just say
And nothing else matters
Nothing Else Matters. A song from Metallica’s past that was now part of Eddie’s present. Dustin had brought it back with him some time ago on this magical thing called an iPod. The song spoke to Eddie. He’d played it on repeat for weeks and it seemed Steve had quietly taken note.
Eddie was already fighting back tears.
At first Steve was just a far-off blur of white, half obscured as he walked between the rows of wisteria trees with their huge drooping clusters of blue flowers that led the way to the aisle. Wayne moved beside him, one arm bent to keep Steve’s hand cradled in his elbow, the other gripping the ebony walking stick they’d finally convinced him to use. The old man had stunned them all, voluntarily trading in his usual flannel and cap for a handsome gray suit.
When the two of them finally came around into full view and took their first steps down the aisle, the sight completely stole Eddie’s breath away.
Steve was always a vision, but the divine creature making his way towards Eddie now was truly something else.
As much as they’d joked that this entire affair was nothing more than an elaborate scheme to get one another back into the suits from the day they’d met and first fell in love, in the end they’d both chosen to go with something new.
From head to toe, Steve shimmered. Even his skin, by some trick of the sun, fancy cosmetics, or possibly his own magic, glowed with an inner light. The suit he wore was nothing short of a masterpiece—white on white, each shade distinct and deliberate. The jacket was molded perfectly to his frame, embroidered with trailing vines and delicate flowers that seemed to shift and bloom as he moved, each petal picked out in tiny crystals that shined like morning dew. The shirt beneath was sheer enough to show off the golden tan of his skin and the dark hair of his chest, the fabric gossamer thin and shot through with silver thread, adding yet another layer of sparkle .
His hair, the glorious mane he was so proud of, that Eddie loved to bury his fingers in, had been styled into an elaborate crown of curls and waves, woven together with strands of pearls, tiny white blossoms, with a few loose tendrils left to frame his face. It was all so reminiscent of the past and yet different, softer somehow, yet even more detailed. And full of their shared magic—like Steve had taken that memory and made it his own, turning it into a living fantasy.
Eddie barely noticed the goblins craning their necks for a better look, or Robin swiping at tears, or Chrissy’s quiet gasp of delight. For him, there was only Steve gliding towards him, each step shrinking the distance between them little by little, until the whole world narrowed to Steve’s face, and that brilliant, unguarded smile that never failed to make Eddie’s knees weak.
He was glad he’d kept his own ensemble understated. Not that Eddie could ever be truly understated. It just wasn’t in his nature. But he’d forgone the elaborate cloaks and dramatic collars of his inherited position and gone with something simpler for once. A sleek black suit that hugged his frame in all the right places, elegant without demanding attention. His hair remained wild an untamed. His collection of chunky rings adorned his fingers, a familiar weight beside the Labyrinth’s band, while a thick chain hung from his waist. He’d even kept his makeup minimal—a touch of eyeliner, because Steve loved it on him, and a quick swipe of mascara. Steve deserved to be the star today without anyone or anything dimming his radiance.
Halfway down the aisle, Steve’s eyes met his and Eddie forgot how to breathe. The look on his face was so pure, so open and full of love that Eddie felt it like a physical touch. Eddie’s vision blurred, tears pricking hot at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to look away or even blink. And by the time Steve reached him, his entire body felt like it might give out from the weight of so much joy.
Wayne released Steve’s hand with a gentle pat, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek before doing the same to Eddie. The old man’s eyes were shiny and red-rimmed but his smile was wide as he took his seat, and Eddie had to swallow hard against a new lump in his throat.
As if he knew, and he probably did, Steve’s hand found his, grounding him, and together they turned to face Argyle as one.
Sadly, their giant friend wasn’t dressed up as a priest, at least not fully. Eddie had worked tirelessly to source the appropriate garments in the creature’s size, but the overgrown baby had found the cloth too itchy and constricting. They compromised with a crisp white collar, and in place of a holy book, Argyle held Eddie’s well-worn copy of The Fellowship of the Ring in his large hands.
“We are gathered here today, my dudes, not just as witnesses, but as fellow travellers—companions along the road called life. As Bilbo said—”
Argyle pitched his voice up suddenly, performing in a vaguely ominous tone through a wide fangy grin.
“—It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.’" He paused, clearing his throat, looking between the two of them with his large eyes—serious as they’ve ever been—and his voice became his own again. “But sometimes, where you get swept off to, is exactly where you belong.”
There was a hush among the crowd, a kind of sacred stillness that even the more reclusive inhabitants of the Labyrinth respected. It was only broken by a warm wind that stirred through the garden, rustling the wisteria and brushing soft fingertips along the back of Eddie’s neck. He tightened his grip on Steve’s hand. He hadn’t realized how hard his heart was beating until this moment, like it was trying to fight its way out of his chest to get as close to Steve as possible.
"Love, like any great journey, isn’t always easy," Argyle continued when the air was through granting its blessing. "Aragorn once said to Arwen, 'I do not fear death. I only fear the sundering of our paths.' And she chose to walk his road, like our Stevie here chose to stay with Eddie, though it would change his life in crazy and far-out ways. Because that, brochachos, is what love asks of us—to stand side by side, even when the way is totally wild. To have faith in ourselves, and in each other."
With a sweep of his large hand and a small nod at Eddie, Argyle stepped back a little, an unspoken invitation to begin the vows. Jonathan stirred long enough to take his cue and raise the ring box up as Eddie reached for it, his hand trembling slightly as he lifted Steve's ring from its cushion.
For a second, he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He just stared at Steve, whose eyes were already glistening in the late afternoon light, warm and sure and so damn beautiful Eddie thought he might actually have died all those years ago and only now finally made it to heaven.
Then, he found his voice.
“This ring is not just a symbol of my promise to you, but a choice. A choice I hope we’ll both make not once, but every day. In weariness, in joy, in the calm of the Shire and the fires of Mount Doom. Always.” Eddie's breath hitched, his thumb brushing over Steve's knuckles. “You are the light in my darkness, my compass when I'm lost. It took a lot of pain, and so many years for me to get here, and I’d do it all over in a heartbeat if it meant finding you again."
He slid the band onto Steve's finger with infinite care, watching as it settled into its rightful place. It wasn't just a ring—it was Eddie’s promise made solid.
The ring itself looked almost alive, gold twining like roots around Steve's finger, each curve etched with tiny runes that glowed faintly in the sunlight. At its crown, a pair of sculpted hands rose delicately from the band, cupping a crystal sphere no bigger than a teardrop. The orb caught the light and fractured it into shimmering rainbows, as though it held a piece of the Labyrinth's sky inside of it.
Steve stared down at it, lips parted in wonder, turning his hand slowly to watch the light dance across the crystal. When he looked back up at Eddie, his eyes were swimming with unshed tears, his smile tremulous and perfect. "It's beautiful," he whispered, his voice cracking around the words.
"You're my safe place," Eddie continued, squeezing Steve's hands. "I vow to stand beside you—no matter the road, no matter the storm—and love you every step of the way."
Eddie bent forward, bringing Steve's newly adorned hand to his lips and pressing a reverent kiss to the ring that now claimed its home on his finger.
Argyle produced a handkerchief from beneath his collar and blew his nose with a honking sound that echoed across the grounds, his enormous eyes suspiciously shiny as he swiped at them with the back of one hairy wrist. "Yeah, that's the stuff," he said, voice thick. "Okay, Stevie, your turn."
Steve took a shaky breath, reaching down to lift the other ring from the box in Jonathan's paws. The silver band caught the light as he held it up between two fingers.
"Before you, I didn't know where my story was heading," Steve began, his words strong despite the tremor in his voice. "I was so busy trying to be what everyone else wanted, that I lost sight of who I actually was."
Even now, years later, hearing Steve acknowledge that pain still made Eddie’s chest tight, and filled him with protective fury at everyone who had ever made his gorgeous, wonderful, absolutely perfect husband-to-be feel anything less than extraordinary.
"But this place—you—gave me direction," Steve went on, his voice firmer, conviction growing with each word that passed his lips. "Meaning. A place to belong that I chose, not one that was chosen for me. You make me feel brave and smart, like I can do anything as long as you're beside me."
Steve's thumb traced over the silver band, his touch feather-light.
“I promise to choose you every day the way you chose to break your own spell for me. To love the boy from Indiana and the Goblin King equally, because they're both you. All of you. And I wouldn't change a single thing."
Steve's hand was steady as he slipped the ring onto Eddie's finger, the metal cold against his skin for only a moment before it seemed to warm—to pulse with its own gentle heartbeat.
Silver, polished to a blinding shine, chased with carvings so fine Eddie could barely believe they were real. Roses wound their way around the band, each bloom set with a tiny sapphire. At its center was a larger stone the deep blue of the ocean at night, cut and set into the shape of a working compass.
Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn't look away, not from the winking sapphires or the way the compass hummed against his skin, whispering promises in his ear. No matter how twisted the Labyrinth became, or what shadows might try to pull them apart, he would never be lost. Steve had given him a way home. A way back to him, always.
Tears spilled over, tracking hot down his cheeks. A laugh bubbled up from his chest, watery and useless. He lifted his gaze to meet Steve's and found the same overwhelmed happiness reflected back at him, the same glassy eyes brimming over, the same desperate, bone-deep love.
Argyle sniffled loudly and ran his hairy wrist across his eyes again, his shoulders shaking. "Well, dudes, that's it. Rings exchanged, promises made, epic love declared, blah blah blah. By the power vested in me by, like, the universe, Middle-earth, and the Labyrinth itself—I now pronounce you partners in all things, soul-bonded, eternally rad, and totally married."
Eddie and Steve locked eyes, matching grins spreading across their faces as they waited.
And waited.
The moment hung in the air for what felt like forever, anticipation building until Eddie had to bite his lip to keep quiet. Steve's eyes danced with the same barely restrained laughter.
Jonathan—still sat at Argyle's feet—let out an exasperated huff. He set the empty ring box down on the grass and scrambled up Argyle's leg with surprising agility, using the giant's long fur like climbing rope until he could plant himself on one broad shoulder and nudge Argyle's fuzzy cheek with his wet nose.
"Oh!" Argyle startled, blinking like he'd just woken up from a dream. "Right! You may kiss, my dudes!"
Laughter rippled through the guests, human and goblin alike, but it all faded into the background as Steve reached for him, pulling him close with both hands framing his face. Their kiss wasn't hurried, wasn't for show. It was full, slow and tender—sealing years of loving and laughter and devotion into one unbreakable knot.
A cheer rose, raw and raucous, goblins stomping their feet against the earth while Dustin whooped loud enough to echo off the trees. Robin cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered something profoundly inappropriate that made Chrissy dissolve into scandalized giggles, and Uncle Wayne—crying like a baby—rapped his cane against the seat of his bench.
Magic answered the call too. The trees all around them released a sudden rain of blossoms, blue petals tumbling in slow, fluttering spirals, like snowflakes made of silk and sky. Eddie pulled back just enough to watch them fall, his breath catching at the sheer beauty of it, at the way they collected in Steve's hair and on his shoulders like confetti. It was impossible to tell if it was Steve's doing, or if the Labyrinth itself had filled with the love in their hearts and burst with it, but it didn't matter.
They broke apart only when breathing became necessary, foreheads pressed together, both panting and grinning wide enough to hurt.
"Husband," Steve whispered, testing the word like it was some secret only passed between them.
"Husband," Eddie echoed, and dipped Steve back to kiss him again.
Part 2: A Sinful Night (coming soon!)
All my thanks to @penny00dreadful and @pearynice for their always incredible beta work and cheerleading. Love you girls so much!!
Eddie accidentally gets a dog. Well, okay, it's not really an accident. It's more just that his new apartment is too big and too quiet while also being too loud (seriously, do all buildings creak like this at three in the morning?), and he just thinks maybe having another living, breathing thing in the room with him might help with the whole sleep thing. So he chooses the saddest looking puppy at the pound. The lady asks him warily if he's had a dog before, but lets him leave even though he says no. It's a dog. How hard can it be?
Its very fucking hard.
The puppy hates the first three foods Eddie tries until he's terrified she's going to starve. And she cries. All. Night. No matter where he tries to let her sleep. She cries in her crate, and on his bed, and on the dog bed on the floor beside the bed, and on the couch where he tries to sleep with her.
Not to mention that he can't seem to name her to save his life. Every name he settles on makes it a day, at most, before he decides it's wrong.
She's super smart. She learns to sit and lie down in the first week. By week two, she's rarely having accidents in the house. But she's just so Sad. To be in his apartment? In his life?
Finally, in desperation, he calls Dustin. But Dustin's never had a dog, so he calls Mike. And Mike is pretty sure that Eddie should not have a dog, so he calls his sister. But Nancy is busy with real, actual life so she calls Robin, who hates problem solving alone and calls Steve.
Harrington explains this as he stands at Eddie's door in his sports clothes, with his hands in his pockets and his sunglasses on his head, his hair all…hair like in the summer sun. As the fucking puppy just whimpers behind him.
And although he'd shown up nonchalant, practically aloof, chewing gum and looking bored, the sound breaks open Steve's face. (Which breaks open Eddie's heart, but they'll deal with that later.)
In four minutes flat, Steve is sprawled on the floor, and the puppy is wiggling delightedly beside him, gnawing on the stupid bone Eddie had been trying to give her for days.
“You're a dog whisperer,” Eddie says reverently.
And Steve laughs at him. “She's just nervous because you're so tall. C'mere.”
Unsure what else he can do, Eddie lies down across from Steve, the puppy between them.
“She probably misses her siblings. She'll settle down in a few weeks. What's her name?”
Eddie, who has lost the plot a bit, doesn't reply. Because Steve looking at the puppy with so much affection makes him really need to reach out and…bite? That can't be right.
“She looks like a Frankie to me,” Steve murmurs.
And even though Eddie thinks it's dumb to name animals after people, he finds himself nodding, and floundering, and resolving immediately to make sure it's only a matter of time before they own a dog.
Which is how Frankie (who has not stayed respectfully small) winds up kicking him violently for an hour every other night as Steve snores softly on her other side. And how Eddie, every time, gives up and sleeps on the couch.
“Y’know,” Robin huffs, “When you said, ‘Gee, Robbie, let’s go to the Autumn Festival,’ – ” her impersonation of Steve truly is terrible, “I figured we’d be sipping hot cocoa by an open fire, or petting some adorably squishy little furballs! Not trudging through mud for miles to pick moulding apples. Do we even get to keep these?”
Eddie ducks as she wildly swings an arm towards their precious apple bounty. Steve simply glares at his best friend, readying himself to ascend the next wooden step ladder.
“Are you done?” he says with a bitchy quirking of his brow.
Eddie bites his lip to stifle a giggle. He is sure Robin might throw one of those dreaded rotten apples square at his noggin if he doesn’t keep quiet.
Robin folds her arms, “I hate you. Munson, there’s no way you are enjoying this, right?”
Steve simply laughs before deftly stepping straight onto ladder’s second rug. It causes his maroon sweater to ride up, exposing a sliver of skin and a delicious collection of moles near his belly button. His already skin-tight jeans stretching oh-so-tight across his supple ass.
Eddie grins. He has been grinning a lot today...
“Yeah… You're right, Buckley… Apple picking is absolutely unbearable.”
He yelps as a sharp punch connects with his arm, causing him to drop the basket of apples while Robin cackles away with laughter beside him.
AO3 is set to be down for maintenance on Friday September 26th, so it's the perfect time to actually write all those ideas we keep talking about! To encourage the writing spirit, Guild is going to be hosting
20 continuous hours of sprint sessions!
There’s zero pressure to stay the whole time. Pop in for even just a session or two, or hang out longer if you like.
Bring your WIPs, your playlists, and your favorite snacks (Eggo waffles encouraged). We’ll face down word counts together, armed only with caffeine, friendship, and an insane amount of chaos. This isn’t about having the most words or writing the longest. It’s about keeping the spark alive while AO3 is offline. Whether you’re working on a chapter that’s been haunting you, drafting something brand new, or just want to hang out with other writers who love Stranger Things, this is your chance to plug in and power through!
Let’s make maintenance day into motivation day.
Click ✨here✨ to join the server and get hyped up!
We’ll see you in the Upside Down (of AO3 downtime) >:)))))
