I Bought A Roll Of Chicken Netting To Fence Off My Vegetable Garden—which I Haven't Planted Yet Because

Eddie fakes an asthma attack so he can hang out in the nurse’s office only to find Concussion 3000 already laying on the comfy cot and - “Wait, don’t - don’t leave me with him.”

Eddie looks at the retreating back of the school nurse and then back at Steve who had his arm thrown over his eyes. He holds his hands out like Steve might make a sudden movement and says, “Don’t die.”

“I will out of spite if you don’t shut up.”

“Then die, I don’t care.”

Those were the last words out of Eddie’s mouth before they both learn that enough head injuries can cause seizures.

when you grew up as a lonely uncool girl it will never stop haunting you by the way. you will meet a cool person at a bar or the train station or at a friend's party and you can wear your most stylish outfit and striking eye makeup and you will swear that they can see through all of the facade and see the lonely terribly insecure teenage girl you used to be who desperately wanted to connect and you will swear that they know that there is like an insurmountable gap between you. this will happen forever

Wedding Ink

For the Mini Pride Bingo hosted by @genderthings.

[AO3]

Prompt: Tattoo | Rating: Gen | WC: 1230 | Relationships : Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Summary:

Steve wants to marry Eddie and wear a wedding ring to show the whole world they belong to each other, homophobic laws be damned. But Steve is a nurse, and hospital rules are hospital rules.

It’s not that Steve dislikes jewelry. Honestly, it’s kind of the opposite.

Take Eddie’s rings, for example.

His boyfriend has a few of them, all bulky and impossible to ignore, and he barely takes them off to shower. They are always on his hands, even when he plays guitar, even when he sleeps. And he is so full of life, his man, always waving his hands around, rings catching the light with each movement, gleaming. 

The way he touches him is no better, warm hands and soft metal sliding across his skin, gripping, grabbing. Loving.

Steve likes rings. Especially Eddie's.

He’s just not allowed to wear jewelry at the hospital.

Becoming a nurse had not been easy, but after the whole mess that happened with the Upside-Down, after breaking Eddie’s ribs, each snap resonating like thunder in his arms when he was trying to breathe life back to Eddie’s lungs, after everything the nurses at Hawkins Memorial had down for them, strong and caring when the whole town had wanted to crucify Eddie… Steve had known. 

He loves his job. He has finally found his place in the world, one where he can help people in need. No day is really easy, but the rewards are worth the long shifts and the random hours. Being a nurse makes him feel useful in a way he had been craving for years.

He just wishes he could wear a ring.

Some of his coworkers are married, and they either keep their wedding band on a chain around their neck or take it off before their shift and store it in their locker.

He could do the locker thing, realistically. 

But he can’t get out of his head the absolute panic in his coworker Mary’s eyes, the high pitch of her voice, her harsh breathing and her shaking hands when they had ended their shift at the same time and her ring wasn’t in her locker.

She had found it, eventually, because, of course, she had left it at home and had forgotten all about it in the frenzy of hospital life, but the fear had lingered. She had stopped wearing her ring, keeping it in a jewelry box on her bedside table. Just in case.

And the thing is. Steve and Eddie can’t get married. Not legally at last. They have been talks of backyard wedding, one day, maybe, but the ring… The ring is a problem.

It eats at Steve. Days and nights.

He can’t imagine getting married and only having a ring to prove his devotion to his husband. Not when he can’t wear it all the time and could lose it at any given moment. All his wedding dreams end with his ring disappearing and Eddie looking at him through tears, asking if he doesn’t love him anymore. 

When he finally opens up to Robin, she’s kind about his fears. Understanding in a way that speaks about years and years of feeling out of the norm. Different. Kept from enjoying so many things that other people take from granted.

“It’s okay to feel like that, Steve. It’s scary to realize your love is not something people are going to accept, especially when another typical married couple thing is out of your reach.” She squeezes his arm. “You have coworkers who wear their wedding ring around their neck, right? Maybe you should do that when you finally take that step with Eddie.”

Steve swallows, his throat tight, fighting through the burn in his eyes.

“Northwestern Memorial has a very strict policy about jewelry. The only pieces nurses are allowed to wear are wedding bands on necklaces. And you have to provide a wedding certificate for that.”

“So, they wouldn’t…”

Steve loses the fight against tears.

“No, they would never let me wear any ring given by Eddie.”

“Oh, babe…” Robin arms wrap around him as he sobs. 

“Say, Stevie…” Her voice is wavering. She seems so unsure of herself, in a way that differs from her usual anxiety-fueled ramblings. “I could maybe marry you? Legally, I mean. Then you would marry Eddie, and you’ll be able to wear your wedding band around your neck.”

Steve’s burrow deeper into Robin’s embrace. He can’t deal with not being held right now.

“Thank you, Rob. But it wouldn’t be the same.”

They hug for a while, before Robin manages to make him laugh with a crazy anecdote about her least favorite coworker. They end up playing a drinking game in front of Star Wars, and Eddie is woken up at 2 a.m. by his very drunk boyfriend sliding in his bed.

“Hey, Eddie, Eddie?”

“Wot?”

“You know I love you, right?”

“Mmmrrr.”

“I love you a lot, Eddie, like… like an insane amount. Scientists cannot quantify how much I love you, and…”

He is stopped by a kiss.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” Eddie tiredly wraps himself all around his boyfriend, octopus-style. “But please, go to sleep.”

_______________________

They’re celebrating Nancy’s promotion in a gay bar when Steve has a revelation.

The girls want more drinks, and Steve grumbles but leave the warmth of Eddie’s arms to bring them cocktails.

“And a beer for your humble servant, please, my liege!”

And a beer for Eddie, apparently.

The bartender is only vaguely familiar, and he is pretty sure the guy wasn’t there two months ago. Steve flags the man down, and watches with a smile as he shakes Nancy’s elaborate cocktail. He is putting on a show, but Steve can tell it’s not really meant for him, not with the wedding band glistening on his left hand and the wink he throws at the new waiter. 

The wave of jealousy hits him unexpectedly. It must be nice to wear proof of your marriage in front of everyone like that, and to be able to flirt with your husband at your own place of work without having to watch your back. Maybe he should hang up his scrubs and go into bartending.

Steve shakes his head. He loves his job. He is being ridicul…

He frowns. 

What’s that just underneath the guy’s wedding band?

The bartender winks at him this time, playing with the ring.

“Had this one for almost two years now.” He points at the waiter. “It goes with that one.”

“What’s that?”

“Hum?” The bartender blink, then smiles again. “Oh! Look.”

He leans over the bar and shows Steve his hand, palm up. He pushes the ring out of the way, and just underneath, the initials S.W. are written in black ink. 

“Scott Williams. That’s my man.”

“It’s a tattoo.” Steve says numbly. 

“It sure is, darling.”

“I can get a tattoo.” Steve cannot breathe. He can have that. He can etch Eddie’s name into his skin, keep him there forever.

“Hey, don’t forget your drinks!”

Steve turns back to the bar, disoriented, and grab the tray the bartender is nice enough to give him.

“You okay, man?” He asks, visibly worried.

“Never been better.”

He walks past the crowd without seeing it and reach their group. Robin’s head shot up at his arrival.

“You’re alright, Dingus?” She frowns. “You look a bit shell shocked over there.”

She yelps when Steve put down the tray heavily on the table, drinks splashing.

“Hey, what are you…”

Steve climbs on his boyfriend’s lap.

“Eddie,” he cradles his face with both hands, reverent. “Will you marry me?”

I had some unexpected visitors today when I went out to do goat chores!

That's a nice pair of Spaldings. A BS male and a hen. Some idiot just lost $600+ because they thought peafowl were like chickens and could instantly be free ranged.

If they stick around and you'd like to capture them (and they should be captured even if you don't intend to keep them, they do not know where they are and will not be adept at finding food and water and are susceptible to predators), they can be offered game bird feed or dry cat food or whole corn or peanuts, and led into an enclosed space. Shut the door behind them and capture them in the dark (it will be easier to grab them when they can't see).

If you'd like to keep them I can give housing advice, otherwise either contact your local humane society/ASPCA or drop me a PM and let me know where you are and I'll see what I can do about helping you find a place for them with new owners.

Drabble Challenge Day 6 - Comedy

hosted by @thedrabblecollective

Stranger Things - 100 words - Rated G

AO3 Link

Robin's shoes are a work of art, period

Converse

Robin watched Vickie leave Family Video, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Jesus, she’s like, totally into you.”

She jumped. Steve was watching her from the Sci-Fi section, a stack of movies in hand.

“You should ask her out.”

“Are you insane? I can’t tell Vickie I like girls, Steve.”

“You don’t have to.” He winked. “Just show her your boobies shoes.”

She blinked.

“Wrong shelf Dingus.”

“What?” He looked at his hands. “No? Alien is Sci-Fi?”

Not the movie, you.” Robin pushed him toward the other side of the store. “This is where clowns belong. In the comedy section.”

Tired of stories where the author worldbuilds a whole religion only to chicken out at the last moment by making the main character a skeptic. You mean to tell me that there’s all this richness in lore and culture, but you’ve trapped me with the one person in this society who doesn’t care about it? So bland. I could meet an agnostic easily enough by walking down the street, but your story is my one chance to hear the perspective of someone who follows whatever religion you’ve contrived. You made this whole world; convince me that your character really is from there.