Whumpier Things
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Although Eddie feels like he knows Steve reasonably well, he doesn’t have shared history on his side to help figure out where he’d go to disappear.
“God, I hate when he does unexpected things,” Robin mutters, then sighs. “Look, just head towards the cinema and see if you can spot his stupid beemer.”
Eddie kindly doesn’t point out the fact that there’s no step two for this uncharacteristically underdeveloped plan of hers, and nods solemnly, saluting in her direction. “You hold the fort and I’ll soon return with our beloved jock, fear not.”
Series
- Part 1 of Whumpier Things
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Steve lifts his head, and Wayne sighs because the bruises on his cheek and jaw are already painting a picture of what might have happened.
“S—sorry,” he whispers, “I couldn’t drive like this.”
The past tense isn't a great sign. Wayne nods to the front door. “Well, why don't you come inside?”
Steve blinks, as if he’d been expecting a different reply. He glances between Wayne and the steps as if he’s afraid of giving the wrong answer. “It’s not a trick question, Harrington.”
Series
- Part 2 of Whumpier Things
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“I feel… weird,” Steve mumbles, stumbling into view.
“Yeah, you would,” Tommy replies, sounding far too gleeful for someone watching his supposed best friend’s face twist in confusion. “You paid for a lot of drugs, man.”
Eddie knows he hasn’t sold anything to Steve all night, and he doesn’t like where this is going.
“What—what’re you talking about?” Steve manages, blinking slowly.
Tommy laughs in response, the sound causing Eddie to involuntarily shudder.
Series
- Part 3 of Whumpier Things
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Holding his breath, Hopper watches as they shove Steve to the ground, and the kid groans, his back arching in pain.
“Does this upset you, American?” the guard asks.
Hopper glares at him.
“Unlucky for him, then,” the second guard says, and kneels beside Steve, who flinches when the man presses a hand down on his forehead, keeping him still. “Doctor sent you something new,” he whispers, smirking.
Series
- Part 4 of Whumpier Things
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She leads him into the kitchen and puts the kettle on. “Now, tell me why you look so burned?”
Somehow, the flush across Steve’s face deepens, and he shrugs. “I, uh, I… I’m allergic?”
“To the sun?” Claudia asks, confused.
Steve snorts, then shakes his head. “No, no. To… sunscreen. It’s stupid, I know, but it’s true, really.”
Claudia might not be as smart as Dustin, who genuinely approaches homework with the attitude of someone indulging in their favourite hobby, but she knows enough to know that doesn’t quite sound right.
Series
- Part 5 of Whumpier Things
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They’ve only ever talked briefly about it, but Robin knows that Steve carries guilt around like a tortoise carries its shell around, as if physically unable to separate himself from it no matter how heavy it becomes.
“That wasn’t your fault,” Robin murmurs, gently taking his hand and squeezing.
He squeezes back, but shakes his head. “I have to… it has to be clean. And safe. Just… just in case.”
“Okay,” she says, because what else can she say?
Series
- Part 6 of Whumpier Things
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Steve can't say it's particularly enlightening to pull up in front of the worst warehouse he’s ever seen in his life, but he doesn’t complain as he follows Kali inside.
“That’s him?” someone mutters, and Steve finds himself feeling offended despite lacking the context of the situation.
“What, you magically summoned me across state and didn’t even know who I was?” he asks.
A moment of silence, and then Kali turns to him with a pained expression. “Steve. You don’t even know who you are.”
Series
- Part 7 of Whumpier Things
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When Eddie gestures for Steve to roll the window down, he only hesitates a little before doing so. “I’m not going to buy anything right now,” he says, because he doesn’t know what else to say.
Eddie makes a face at him, somewhere between amused and concerned. It’s a weird expression, and Steve is thankful when he shakes his head and it settles back into something more neutral.
“I saw you staring at the night lights,” Eddie whispers.
Steve stiffens. “If you’re going to make fun of me—”
Series
- Part 8 of Whumpier Things
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“Suit yourself, Harrington,” Billy mutters darkly, which sounds like the end of their strange and violent conversation.
Eddie momentarily panics, then darts behind the benches, holding himself still as Billy storms out and turns the gym lights off as he leaves.
“Harrington?” he calls when he's sure it's safe.
“You stalking me, Munson?” Steve mumbles, and Eddie pauses, not having expected him to recognise his voice so easily.
He pushes that line of thinking away, though, because it’s not the priority. “I just happened to be in the area.”
Series
- Part 9 of Whumpier Things
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He knocks gently on the glass, and Steve flinches, his head jerking upwards and hitting the telephone box with a loud thud.
“I’m opening the door, okay, son?” Wayne says, before doing just that. He’s hit immediately with an armful of Steve, who sobs as soon as they make contact, and only with great difficulty do they avoid both toppling to the ground.
“It’s alright. It’s alright. I’ve got you, Steve. You’re safe now,” Wayne murmurs, shifting them both a little before wrapping his arms around Steve. He doesn’t stop sobbing, but he does hold on to Wayne a little tighter, as if afraid that won’t be the case if he doesn’t.
Series
- Part 10 of Whumpier Things
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He spots the kid sitting cross-legged on the floor with his head in his hands.
“Harrington?” Hopper asks softly, kneeling beside him.
“Gimme a minute,” Steve mumbles.
He gives him several minutes, getting a little more comfortable and glaring away any other shoppers who scowl at Steve before they can say anything. He’s not sure why he’d unthinkingly taken up the responsibility of guarding a teenager in the cereal aisle, but he doesn’t regret it when said teenager finally looks up at him.
Series
- Part 11 of Whumpier Things
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She ends up eventually calling him just past midnight, and she’s not even sure he’ll pick up.
“Robs?” he asks within two rings. It’s a relief, because it means he still loves her, but it’s not a comfort, because it still feels different.
“What’s wrong?” she asks back, because something is.
There’s a long pause, then a heavy sigh. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. You’re the one calling, birdie.”
“Because you won’t talk to me!” Robin whisper-yells; her heart hurts and she needs to know why his doesn’t seem to be.
Series
- Part 12 of Whumpier Things
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He just keeps doing things wrong.
And then the world very genuinely nearly ends, and none of his mistakes matter very much because whether or not he understood love had made no difference to anyone, not in any way that counted.
No, the only thing that had counted was his ability to throw himself in the line of fire—the apparently endless line of fury and fists that can’t resist his face—over and over and over again.
He doesn’t mind being hurt or whatever, because, if his mistakes have taught him anything over the years, it’s that love is tolerance, and the most effective way he can prove he loves people is by just tolerating everything about them.
Series
- Part 13 of Whumpier Things
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Wayne Munson has always had a three strikes and you’re out kind of approach to life.
He’s always taken that approach to everything so, the first time he comes across a child in the middle of the woods, he tries his best not to be too quick to judge.
“Whatcha doing here, kid?” he asks.
The boy, apparently having been using the rifle he has to support his weight, as if it isn’t a deadly weapon nearly as tall as him, jumps. “Nothing,” he says, “...sir.”
Wayne blinks.
Series
- Part 14 of Whumpier Things
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"The point is, you deserve to be taken care of, and I’ll bite you too if you don’t agree with me.”
And, to prove her point, she gently clamps her teeth down on his wrist. That seems to be the thing that snaps him out of his disbelief, and she grins as she then pulls away, waiting patiently as the cogs finish turning his head.
“You really think I deserve that?” he asks, ever so softly.
Robin nods enthusiastically. “I swear on my grave.”
“You don’t have a grave,” Steve points out, to which she just shrugs, because her point still stands.
Series
- Part 15 of Whumpier Things