Jonathan Season 5

it’s the end of the year, I read a lot of Steddie fic, let’s talk favorites (again)

or: my favorite Steddie reads of the year

{all fics are complete unless notated with +}

Among the Wildflowers (E, 29k) by @paradimeshifts7: an AU in which Wayne and Eddie move to Idaho for a fresh start, and a broken Steve follows, heartbroken and in need of a home. Beautiful falling in love, emotional and sensual and sexy. One of the best Waynes I’ve ever read.

Exactly What It Looks Like (E, 31k) by @bilbosmom-belladonna: S&E start as friends who find the porn channel late one night and jerk off next to each other. Over time, they become increasingly involved, ending up in love and having really romantic sex. Big fat feelings, but also mainly pwp (the best combination imo).

Is Your Light On? (E, 267k+) by @toburnup: THE yearning S&E fic for me. Picking up soon after vol4, Eddie is disabled yet healing, Steve learns how to be there for him. They grow up, go down different paths, but they keep colliding— for better or for worse, unable to live without the other. Equally beautiful and heart-wrenching. (Song rec: iwanttobeyourlightagain by Parcels. Or honestly just put on the whole album while you read. Trust me.)

Tempest Empire (E, 20k) by @paradimeshifts7: the lighthouse AU! Steve washes up on the shore where Eddie and Wayne run a lighthouse with no memory of who he was before. Lovely and well-written, excels in setting the mood in a cold and coastal town.

Start By Pulling Him Out of the Fire (E, 85k) by @messessentialist: a Wayne-centric telling of how Eddie first came to live with him, really detailed and heartbreakingly sweet. The rest of the story is a recovering Eddie (post-s4) falling in love with Steve. “A story about the families we find and the love that finds us.”

Searching for the Elephant (E, 52k) by @toburnup: the Brokeback Mountain AU! Eddie is a ranch hand on Steve’s dad’s ranch, where Steve spends his summers helping out. Slow burn, virgin!Eddie, lots of unexpressed feelings that result in coming in their pants. Immaculate storytelling.

honorable mention: smoke signal, same author. Similar vibes to above.

Seeing Daylight (E, 33k) by ayes and itskleo: cityboy!Eddie goes to spend some time at his Uncle Wayne’s cattle ranch, where he meets cowboy!Steve. If you think #barnsex sounds unromantic, prepare to be proven wrong. Really well paced. Fantastic artwork, too.

The Most Remarkable Thing (E, 62k): by @greatunironic: steddie but a lot of the kids and Jopp and mom!Steve as well. It’s 15 years later, and everyone gathers around Hopp at the end of his life. Counselor!Steve, rockstar!Eddie. The main story is linked, but I recommend the other vignettes too.

Honeymoon Phase (E, 37k) by ayes, coincidental, and itskleo: When Steve doesn’t marry Nancy, Eddie goes on their planned honeymoon with Steve to keep him company. Mechanic Eddie, Italian Steve, friends-to-lovers done right.

Carve Your Name into my Chest (E, 43k) by @hexiewrites: the hockey AU! They’re rivals on opposing teams, but have played together since they were kids (and hooking up since they were teens). Then a photo leaks of them together, and they have to face coming out together. Enemies to fuckbuddies to friends to lovers? iykyk

(my other rec list for hellcheer)

STRANGER THINGS ▸ 1.03 chapter three: holly, jolly

it’s the end of the year, i read a lot of hellcheer fic, let’s talk favorites

or: a hellcheer fic rec list to close out 2025

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to get my soul known again (E, 189k) by @staceymcgillicuddy: trucker!eddie AU, and my favorite fic of the year (!). Eddie runs into a distraught Chrissy (on the run from her husband) in the middle of nowhere. Her request— take me with you. Cross-country big rig adventures. Beautifully real. Sex that heals the soul.

all the ashes in my wake (M, 15k) by cunninghams: A the last of us AU, starting with Eddie and Wayne when the outbreak happens, and eventually Chrissy, too. Feels like soulmates finding each other. Told through multiple snapshots over the years of their life together. Beautiful in many ways.

dirtbag (E, 60k) by @bettsfic : their summary does it best- “For 14 miserable years, Eddie has been the other man. But by 1998, he can no longer pretend it’s a sex thing.” Filed under: fics that messed me up baaaad. The yearning between them is unreal. Masterful exploration of a power dynamic between C&E and how it develops over the years.

old haunts (M, 69k) by a_strange_inkling: a universe of stories about an older Eddie and Chrissy raising their two young daughters. Special shoutout to parts 3 and 6. Lots of snippets of married life.

eddie my love (T, 1.2k) by @ghostlynimbus : A domestic moment in the trailer after C&E spend the night together. Chrissy is humming a song Eddie doesn’t know, but Wayne knows by heart. Inspired my love of the actual song by The Chordettes.

shout to the sky (T, 12k) by enoughtotemptme: Eddie brings home a pregnant Chrissy (with a baby that isn’t his), and Wayne watches them grow closer, fall in love, start a life together. I’m still searching for Wayne!POV like this.

make some room (E, 15k) by @toburnup : steve/eddie/chrissy, but there’s delicious Eddie and Chrissy relationship-building. Married Steve and Chrissy, their friend Eddie bunks on their couch for a few weeks, and the rest is a really fun romp.

old man, take a look at my life (E, 7.3k) by @truefaithmp3: “In the aftermath of Wayne’s passing, Eddie reflects on what it means to be a father.” Non-linear narrative featuring Wayne’s funeral, E&C finding out she’s pregnant, Eddie telling Wayne he got married, and a stunningly beautiful sex scene. Really gorgeous writing!

your extra time and your kiss (E, 40k) by uwusillygirl: a Pretty Woman AU, sexworker!Eddie. Just two broken people trying to make it through. I really loved the dialogue in this one. Steve (Eddie’s roommate of the same profession) is so well-written.

dustin and his 3 (soon to be 4) teenage parents

all pics from pinterest

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
Stranger Things, S05E01