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The aftermath of Vecna’s curse produced a varied array of effects on The Party. As a steady flow of families flocked away from Hawkings, the California Gang went against the current of U-HAULs and moved back into town, with Hopper and Joyce finally becoming the couple everyone saw coming for years, and the ragtag family this formed, was a weird but welcome development that ended up making perfect sense.
Adolescence paired with heavy and repeated bouts of trauma brought on different dynamic and personality changes amongst all of them; where Will, finally free of years under the heavy shadows cast by the upside down and his personal struggles, came out of it a more open, happier, and carefree almost-adult whose unrelenting support from his ever-growing family, allowed him to become a bold yet still very wise voice, a kind leader the rest of the group couldn’t help orbiting around as he took over the infamous Hellfire Club by unanimous vote and helped by the fact that no one would dare oppose his right hand woman, Lady Applejack. The duo overtook not only D&D club, but debate, model UN, mathletes, Art club, Yearbook, Habitat for Humanity and obviously Student Government. By graduation, he was so well loved, he was runner-up for Prom King, only surpassed by Basketball Team Captain, debate vice president and Hawkins Sweetheart Lucas Sinclair.
In direct opposite, Dustin's close encounter with the near-death of his friends and mentors ended up sobering his overall demeanor. The formerly loud teen whose brass behavior and rash opinions that often bordered on rude, mocking and frankly hurtful at times, turned into the reflective and considerate member people reached out for help, especially after he was the first one amongst them in getting his driving license, slowly taking over the caregiver role, giving a much-deserved rest to Harrington’s babysitting skills.
Similarly, Max experience softened her edges, her smiles and even her voice, mostly saved for quiet conversations with Lucas, becoming the balanced couple at the center of everything, supporting Will’s outlandish visions, joining in most of his club ideas (except Future Business Leaders of America, there was not enough change in Max for this) and attending semiregularly to Lucas games, but the young man was very understanding of her aversion to crowds and loud sounds, so he was never upset when she ditched his rallies for private girls nights with El.
Jane Hopper’s life blossomed around so much love, her mother-daughter relationship with Joyce helped her as she learned, well into her teen years, about healthy human interactions and life itself in an environment where no part of the world or reality was at risk and required her to sacrifice her peace of mind. And frankly? It allowed Joyce to focus her infinite mothering instincts to good use as her other sons went out into the world.
To no one’s surprise, Jane and Mike’s relationship did not survive a lot of these changes. As they let themselves grow, their kinship transformed into a beautiful friendship, but much to Hopper’s relief, it never went back to their preteen fervor. Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship was another casualty, as Robin and the Wheeler girl went off to college and Jonathan reigned in his travels to a college that allowed him to enjoy his family as a son instead of a father figure; although most of them saw this as perhaps a large pause, the space the young adults might need to find themselves and their way back to each other down the line. Only time would tell.
Steve and Eddie perhaps surprised everyone the most, after the whole end-of-the-world debacle, where Harrington had to literally crawl out of the depths of hell with a barely alive Munson on his back, the older kids’ response to the end of the world as they knew it, their hometown practically falling to pieces, and everyone going back to business as usual, was falling deeply and irrevocably in love with each other. After the final battle, Steve refused to leave the hospital for weeks, alternating between relieving Lucas of his reading duties by Max’s bedside and sleeping at Eddie’s side whenever Wayne wasn’t able to stand vigil by his nephew. When both patients were finally discharged, the welcome home party seemed to also celebrate Steve rejoining the real world, looking thinner, tired but with an unrelentless smile. Afterwards, the boys had appeared joined at the hip and the friendship of the unlikely pair did cause onlookers around town to raise their collective eyebrows and scratch their heads, but it was a welcome development for the Party, who watched Steve’s zealous and unrelenting care mesh with Eddie’s always surprising sunny attitude, this resulted in an onslaught of Mom-Steve and Eddie-Dad jokes that turned out to be prophetic, when the older boys realized their kinship went way beyond camaraderie forged by fire.
This is how one lazy Sunday afternoon found the two young men sprawled around Eddie’s (thankfully) new and cleaner mattress, tracing each other’s demobat scars, half a joint forgotten in an ashtray, golden light bathing them in the warmth of a tad too hot summer afternoon.
“But honestly Harrington, how did The Hair, Hawkins Golden Boy actually end up falling for Hawking’s infamous demon child?” Eddie asked, looking playfully at Steve, his voice gaining his trademark theatrical tone “I can understand you tumbling down into the depths of my absolute gorgeousness once we were in the thick of it, I mean, the Munson charm is an acquired taste, but what could set you off in the first place?”
Steve face right next to Eddies abdomen, hands still all over the pink map of hurt, brow furrowed in concentration as if the marks had personally offended him and he could erase them by sheer force of will, looked up from his place as he sighed “I don’t think I could put like a pin on the moment, I mean it wasn't like a lightbulb moment of truth, god knows Robin pretty much had to step in and SPELL a lot of things for me…”
“Well, you had clearly withstood my ravishing looks for years” Eddie replied, flipping his hair sitting up to greater comedic effect “I had paraded my flamboyant ass for way too long all over the Hawkings High halls to no effect on you” Something lurked behind for a quick second in Steve’s eyes at this, and Eddie narrowed his eyes for a second, making a quick pause and taking note, but blabbered on “And talking about my character, even during the whole ordeal, my behavior towards you was always mocking and bordering on rude, I mean, first thing I ever did upon seeing you again was pointing a deadly weapon to your neck” At this, he traced Steven’s scars there, pressing his index and middle fingers to feel his pulse as the younger boy eyes flutter at the touch.
Steve scoffs, eyes still closed “Don’t think you could have killed me with that, but I see your point”
“I TOTALLY COULD HAVE! I’m a dangerous individual, Harrington, ask the angry mobs!” Eddie exclaims, but stops himself from going off, as Steve opens his eyes looking grave, the metalhead checks himself, knowing that his boyfriend (!!!) mood sours at the mention of his still kinda sketchy reputation around town, new Accidental Hero status notwithstanding. “Fess up Stevie, I was constantly teasing and almost downright mean to you from day one, I pretty much spoke to you to get a rise out of you, did you fall in love with my crass impertinence?” Eddie asks giving him a small peck on the lips, full distraction mode to chase off the clouds menacing Steve’s eyes in such a lovely afternoon. Honestly at this hour of the day, the entirety of Eddies room was bathed in tones of red and yellow, the sun covering everything in almost golden rays. Eddie felt he could spend the rest of his days not looking at anything else after being preserving them in amber was real, that time could really stop moving as he brushed Steve’s cheeks with his thumb.
Steve, effectively distracted, seemed to ponder the question “Your...Flamboyance did you call it? did work on me in the end, honestly, as an expert in good hair I was able to recognize a great example” he started in a jesting mood, smiling slyly as he sat up, brushing a stray strand behind Eddie’s ear “no but seriously, your quick wit did factor in, and honestly? You surprised me from day one, how quickly you went from running from the law in a panic to leading the attack against a bunch of bats in your first encounter with the whole upside-down madness? I was DEFINETLY not as cool as you on my first go, I DID start running on my first go. And you were not that rude to me really, if anything you let go of any high school grudges pretty easily, I would not have resented you if you had more of a problem with being friends with ‘The King’ douchebag, you had no context to know I had changed at all” Steve replied, making air quotes at The King moniker. “It made sense that you were wary and defensive at first”
At this, it was Eddie’s turn to snort dismissively “You can say I was mean baby; it was nothing short of rudeness, but I guess you ARE a bit into being manhandled, aren’t you princess?” he asked, with a light pinch at Steve’s ear, ramping up his speech, with his Dungeon Master storytelling tone he added “Truth is, it makes sense that The King was captivated by my snark, the most sought out bachelor in town, sick of courtesy, boot-licking and flattery, bored with eyelash-batting blondes attentions; after dealing with the darkness and grit of the real and surreal world, you were sick of your adoring fans boring you to death, I roused and interest you because I was so unlike them. Any regular jock would have hated me for it, but your true nature betrayed you, the noble and just hero of this tale who deep in his heart of hearts despised the fake and the sheep who crowded you until a frankly dashing but insufferable loudmouth bother came along to turn your world upside down again, pun completely intended” Eddie finally winded down his rant “am I close? I think I am close, I’m calling it, it’s canon now, because honestly, it’s not like you knew anything else about me or my character to think good of me”
Steve rose as a response “Come on, that’s not entirely true, I’ve just mentioned your action-hero moves, stupid and totally uncalled for and against everything I told you or not” He paused frowning slightly at Eddie, remembering his stubborn move that caused his chest to mirror Harrington scars “Was there not something for me to admire in the way you took your chance at buying us more time not before making sure Dustin was safely on the other side?”
“Oh, come on, Dustin is a national treasure, he’s to be protected at all costs, anyone would have done the same, and my move proved to be mostly useless in the end, but go off, my good attributes and stats are yours to boost and boast” a cheesy grin cover Eddie’s face while saying this “And in turn, here I vow to forever pick on you and tease you, till I’m out of ideas and you go blue in the face” At this, he pinched Steve’s cheeks, whose eyes were looking a bit clouded again, as he took Eddie's hand in his, playing running his fingers over the naked places where rings would normally spin an clink. Eddie recognized this as one of his frankly sparse reflective moments and let the moment breath in silence. “And… What made you… look at me?” Steve asked. Sounding a bit embarrassed, not even entertaining using words like ´like´ or ´love´ in his almost inaudible question, his eyes still studiously fixed in their joined hands.
Eddie had to pause for a bit. He knew better than to rush into his reply as he understood that his flippant mood would not do. His automatic answer that would require him gush about Steve’s looks and bravery, saved for another day. “I’ve already told you how surprising it was to discover the love the kids had for you wasn’t unwarranted, but frankly, it wasn’t that much of a leap of logic. I am a storyteller, an observer, I must confess I did watch you hurting and mocking people around you, but it was not lost on me how you simply walked out of it. I did not know where you’d gone, and as Dustin regaled me with stories of your bravery and all around badassery, I couldn’t help but embellish you, hoping for some kinship to my own lone-wolf brooding persona. But nothing could prepare me for the real Steve, once we both were able to drop our masks and swords. Or bats and broken bottles” At this, he raised one hand, pushing Steve’s face up to look back.
Here goes nothing...
“Truth is, I was absolutely blinded by how much and how deeply you care. I was not expecting it. And I saw how loved, protected, and acknowledged you made everyone around you feel and… I went absolutely feral. I am a coveting, hungry beast Steve. A selfish scared coward that had defined himself by what he did not want, what he hated, by everything he wasn’t, whose mind was suddenly crowded by the knowledge of you. I refuse to think of anything else.” Eddie may have had a couple more paragraphs to gush about his feelings, once he got started, he got all riled up, but he was abruptly interrupted by Steve crash-kissing him senseless. Whatever was left unsaid between them, could wait.
Once they parted, Steve’s stare was focused, his brow still furrowed as he looked deep into Eddie’s “Sometimes it feels like I was sleeping for 20 years, a night that ended up in a terrible nightmare before I was able to wake up. One of those dreams where you see yourself as someone else, and everything makes sense as you are in it, but the moment you wake up, everything seems illogical, you were being nonsensical and now you see sense. I woke up from being me and I knew myself. I opened my eyes, and you were there. Daylight.”