Steddie Microfic

Cursed or Blessed

Summary: Witches come to Hawkins from the power in the area due to everything with the Upside Down. The party gets in their way and Dustin ends up cursed to have a female body. When trying to get the curse removed, the same spell is directed at Steve, who doesn't find it such an issue.

Author's Note:

According to my Works page, this is my 500th Fic posted to AO3. I could do math to argue it cause there's some anonymous in collections and one fic that's actually a collection of others from when I started using the site, but still a brilliant milestone to have reached and I wanted to share that. Also yes, I am muddled over how to tag this fic cause of the curse shenanigans. If you wanna correct me, please do. I just had a day or two where the fics I was reading kept including a sex change curse where the person cursed hated it but was forced to conform to the gender presentations their new body made people expect of them and thought hell No, we've got trans care now, why wouldn't that get used? And then I got distracted entirely by Steve's gender euphoria when I started writing. She's cute.

~

Monsters and unethical experiments, Steve could get. He had even accepted a kid having superpowers and classing everyone from the lab she was tortured in as siblings. Magic however was taking longer to understand and he wasn’t happy about its presence at all.

The fact these so called magic users looked like Macbeth rejects wasn’t helping him believe a word they’d said either. He’d hated being forced to study that in English class.

“What tech do they have and can we steal it? Use it to fight them?” Dustin was questioning beside him, clearly also refusing to accept magic as an explanation.

“It’s magic, Dustin! There’s nothing to steal.” Mike snapped, which, given it was the fifth time the suggestion had been repeated, made sense.

~

The plan to try stealing the tech of the people claiming to be witches failed in its attempt. Dustin had been the one yelling about it, demanding to know where it was, so he was the one magic was directed at when the witches decided they’d had enough and were leaving.

He fell to the floor and half the group ran to him, while Nancy and Jonathan gave chase to the witches and Steve waited to see where he’d be most useful.

“What the hell? No, no, no, this is wrong. It’s not me. I am not comfortable!” Dustin woke up yelling from where he’d fallen during the confrontation.

“Guess we’re going dress shopping.” Mike stated, helping him up while looking him over an uncomfortable amount.

Steve tugged Dustin away from him, seeing the glower forming, “Are you fucking sick? No, he’s not happy about this and we’re not making it worse for him.”

“He can pretend he’s in fancy dress, a female NPC.” Lucas tried suggesting, only to have matching glares levelled at him.

“And you just volunteered to express order a binder and a few sets of men’s clothes in the sizes he’ll now need.”

Dustin blinked at Steve in something like awe at the words, “Genius? Thank you? That! Please, whatever you just spoke about, that. This feels so wrong.”

“But you look-” Nancy had turned back to the room but as she spoke Steve lifted his bat, clearly ready to attack her if the wrong thing was said. “Weapons down please?”

“Objectifying anyone is bad, forcing anyone to dress in a way they’re uncomfortable with is bad, especially towards Dustin who’s just been cursed. I’m taking him to mine and getting the numbers to order the stuff I mentioned.” Steve kept an arm on Dustin’s shoulder as he led them out, clearly ready to protect his brother from anyone, friends or not.

~

Tracking down the witches was relatively easy, and Steve had thought that getting the curse undone would be easy too. That was why only him, Robin and Nancy had come along to confront them now.

Looking at the gathered witches he was starting to doubt the logic in that decision but knew between the three of them, they could fight a lot of things. “Undo your curse on Dustin.”

“No. The little prick deserved it, keeping up from the power.” The central witch scoffed, glaring at him.

“I’m not asking. Remove the curse.” Steve raised his bat, knowing that behind him Nancy would be raising her gun and Robin keeping watch with golf balls in case one tried attacking before he noticed.

“No, in fact, I think you should see what it’s like.” The witch started gesturing, muttering too quiet to be heard but Steve wasn’t trying to hear anyway.

As soon as the gestures began he was attacking, his bat making contact with at least two of the witches there before it dropped and he fell soon after, the magic overtaking him.

Robin had started throwing but as he fell darted to grab the bat to keep fighting, trusting Nancy’s aim wouldn’t stray to her even as gun shots sounded behind her.

Two of the witches managed to escape through doors behind them but neither woman pursued them, hurrying instead to Steve’s side, already expecting for him to look different given the transformation Dustin had been cursed with the day before.

“The hell just-” Steve groaned, pushing himself to sit up, “Okay, that’s new.” He looked down at the breasts he now had before looking hopefully at Robin, “Does this mean we can have sleepovers at yours Rob? Can you braid my hair too?”

“Steve?” Robin asked, sounding a little confused by the reaction but nodded, “Yeah, I guess we can. Do you need clothes that’ll fit you?”

“Clothes shopping?” Steve grinned in excitement, “When I can actually try on all the skirts and dresses? Yes, we’re doing that right now!” He hurried to get up and was heading straight for the door they’d entered by.

Nancy groaned, shaking her head, “Can’t that wait until there’s not someone potentially wanting to kill us?”

Pouting at her, Steve nodded, now looking around the room they were stood in, “So are we trying to get any information on what they’re doing while we’re here then? Or just escaping in case some of them survived?”

“Look around quickly, but we know two escaped the room. I think we saw them all though so hopefully two will cause a lot less trouble now.” Nancy decided.

They didn’t find much, but when they left Steve was carrying an old handwritten book that the witch they’d thought was the leader had been holding. He could only hope it was useful since he couldn’t make out what the words written in it were in the poor lighting.

~

Much to Steve’s frustration, they didn’t let him stop at any of the clothes shops on the way back to the Wheeler’s. Nancy insisted that they should update everyone on what had happened instead, especially since Dustin was still hoping they’d have a reversing for his curse.

Steve did at least manage to convince her to let him get changed into one of her dresses before telling everyone else what had happened.

Nancy went straight to the basement with the book they’d found, saying she’d let Dustin start looking it over while Robin helped Steve.

“What?” Mike exclaimed first when Steve entered the basement.

Everyone turned at that, staring at Steve who smiled and did a twirl for them.

Robin glared from behind him, “What what, Michael? Never seen such a gorgeous woman before?”

“You yelled at me for saying Dustin needed dresses but have turned around and forced them on Steve?” He yelled back, gesturing to her forcefully.

Steve rolled his eyes, “Hey, shithead, I chose this. It’s like the best thing to me. Dustin hates it so he gets binders and help staying who he is, cursed or not. Capiche?”

“You want to be a girl?” Erica goaded, looking her over sceptically.

Steve fluffed her skirt out, smiling a little before raising an eyebrow at her, “What’s with the judgement, Erica?”

“Yeah! My sister is awesome.” Dustin called out, looking up from the book he’d been reading since taking a moment to stare at Steve’s change.

Steve moved over to ruffle his hair, smiling at the support and the way Dustin was still claiming them as siblings, whatever gender they had. “Thanks Dustin, you think you’ll find much in that book?”

“Witch’s handwriting is terrible. I think they failed to become doctors, it’s that bad. There’s probably something, but I’ve only found gruesome spells and power tracers so far.”

“We’ll keep looking. Together we’ll get it sorted, I know.” She reassured him.

~

After they’d all eaten, and confused Karen even more than she already was by the group calling two girls she’d never met Steve and Dustin , Steve started asking about going shopping again.

Robin leant on her shoulder, patting the opposite one comfortingly, “Stevie, we don’t have time for a shopping spree. They’ll all be shut now.”

“Okay, I guess that can be for after the witches are gone, but I need clothes now, soo-” He paused thinking for a moment before grinning, “Robin!”

“Yeah?” She glared from her shoulder since there had been no need to yell when they were cuddled up together.

Steve nudged her playfully, “I have a list of clothes you’ve got to lend me. Fashion show during our sleepover tonight?”

She squinted at her, “You’ve got an agenda for the night, haven’t you?”

“Fashion show, make-up, hair, nails, face masks, and gossip. We’re going it all!” Steve ticked off the activities she wanted to do on her fingers as she spoke.

“What fun.” Robin murmured tiredly, “Can I put on a movie while you do all that?”

Steve pouted, poking at her, “Robinnnnnnnn.”

She snorted, nuzzling him, “Fine, we’ll do it. Any other girls joining us? Also can we just like fetch whatever clothes you want to borrow and do the sleepover at your house?”

“But the fun is about getting to stay at someone else’s house.” Steve didn’t protest much, even if he looked a little disgruntled at the request.

El came to sit with them before the pair could debate which home to use. “If it’s okay.” She said seriously.

“Definitely in.” Max called from where she was currently leaning against Lucas.

“Sounds hilarious. I’m in.” Erica agreed too.

Nancy looked at Steve for a moment before shaking her head, “Never been my thing. I’ll skip it.”

Robin wanted to argue, but Steve pinched her side. He was fairly sure that sleepovers had been something Nancy had done with Barb and never since so didn’t want that subject bringing up when planning a pleasant evening.

“Maybe Dustin should-” Mike started in a goading tone, but Steve clicked at him.

“Thin ice, Wheeler,” She warned.

After taking a deep breath, Mike finished carefully, “Should DM a one shot and the rest of us stay at the Byers tonight to avoid explaining what’s going on to everyone if we’re going to reverse the curse soon enough.”

“Good idea to stay in bigger groups in case the witches come back too.” Steve agreed, glancing around at the group, “Whichever house we have our sleepover in, let’s catch up at my house tomorrow to try and get a plan to take on the witches properly.”

~

Robin hadn’t seen Steve so free with her emotions before, nor so excited to be doing things that seemed pretty normal. It had made the sleepover more fun for her, to see her best friend enjoying being a girl so much, even if it was tiring too.

El, Max and Erica had all drifted off to sleep a while back, and how Steve knew when to get the face masks washed off so it didn’t happen with them on felt like one of life’s great mysteries.

They were a different mystery of Steve that Robin wanted to ask about though, and the quiet of the night seemed like a safe time to ask it. “Hey Stevie?”

“Yeah Robs?” She sounded half asleep already.

“How’d you know how to help Dustin? With binding and all that?”

Steve made a thoughtful slow noise before replying, “Wandered away from my parents the last time I got dragged on one of their trips, asked some questions that got some guys trying to direct me back concerned and learnt a lot of weird stuff. Useful stuff too.”

Robin hummed, “Including how a woman can become a man?”

“Yeah, I’d actually been trying to ask if doing this was possible. They got confused by fourteen year old me.” He remembered after thinking for a while. “Realised pretty quickly my parents would have had horrible reactions if I’d got the actual answers or acted on them.”

“What’ll you do if this is temporary?” She asked after taking in the story for a moment.

Steve stretched. “Find answers to those questions now and take you to a city where I could actually do it.” She decided.

~

The next afternoon found everyone scattered around Steve’s home. Nancy had spent the morning looking for their own sources of information on magic and was currently going through them with Jonathan and a few of the kids.

Steve and Dustin were sat closely together reading from the witches book about transformations and speculating on whether the general transformation reversal spell would work for Dustin or not. The spell used on them hadn’t been found yet but Dustin needed a pause from deciphering the handwriting.

El and Robin were sat with them. They had been taking turns to write down what Dustin managed to read so they had an easier to read copy to keep. Now they were reading through their notes and wondering if magic was similar to El’s powers as well as if they were bothered about finding out.

“Give us our spell book back!” One of the two witches still alive demanding, slamming the doors to Steve’s home open, hands primed as if they’d start cursing any minute.

Steve and Dustin glanced at each other and the girls in front of them before jumping up and over the back of the sofa to face the witches, “You came to us? That’s-” Steve paused as if thinking, “Nice. Isn’t that nice of them, Dustin?”

“Dumb too, cause now they’re reversing the curse on me.” Dustin agreed.

“Why would we do that, little girl?” The second witch sneered.

Steve and Dustin shared a smirk before stepping away from each other, revealing El, already standing with her arm outstretched.

“Because I’ll make you.” She said, flinging the pair into the wall.

The display of power shocked the witches visibly and they were quick to beg forgiveness as well as that they’d reverse the spell as long as El didn’t do anything more to them.

Everyone else came through, having heard the commotion, and Nancy quickly picked up the spell book, levelling a stern glare at the witches. “I don’t think you should have this any more. Try being decent humans for a while.”

For a moment one of the witches glared, ready to argue, but stayed silent when El moved her arm.

Dustin hugged himself as soon as the curse was undone, laughing and hurrying up to one of the spare rooms Steve had kept a change of clothes for him in. “I’m me again! Couldn’t be happier to be in this body!”

Steve stepped back when the witches attention turned on him. “I’m getting the Hawkins lab to take the blame for this and give me new papers. You’re doing nothing except leaving this town!” She stated, pointing to the door of her home.

“It’s not meant to be permanent.” One of them muttered as they headed to the door.

Robin stepped in their way, looking them over carefully. “Not meant to be, but you had to do a reversal. Do you know how long it would last if you hadn’t?”

“Never tested it. Book doesn’t specify.” was the curt response.

“Then we will and since we have the book, we’ll find a way to renew it if it fails at some point.” She opened the door for them satisfied in their ignorance.

Yea it is a lot scarier, however maybe this is something I should try to have in my toolbox

I thought it would be an hour of listening to screaming and looking at pictures of draculas, but it was so much for frightening than fathomed

will you help them?

hey, can my cat stay on your blog for a little while?

i'm going out of town for the night and could use someone to watch her

the world is so scary im thinking about rewatching naruto again.

You ever been in a state where you physically have no energy, but you're bored and socially understimulated so you kind of wish you could just invite people to come over like this:

Here i am, having my first

grand

down phase while on adhd medication.

Brilliant when your brain tells you that you are just lazy and you can’t really have adhd, because your meds would work if you had it.

Just FUCK IT

why is existing so damn difficult sometimes!?!

served my duty as an autistic artist and made a bunch of autism creature reaction images

Steve's first game.

Eddie — Dungeon Master, game host

Steve — Paladin in D&D

Eddie: You enter a public bathhouse. Right by the entrance, a security guard is sitting with a crossword puzzle in hand. Behind the counter stands a female gnome with bold makeup and a name tag. Behind her, a rack with keys numbered 1 to 3—though there are no actual keys in sight...

Dustin: Well, Steve, go talk to her! Steve: About what? Lucas: Come on, you’re the dashing paladin in our party. Use that charisma! Steve: What am I even supposed to say?! Eddie (playing the gnome girl): Hey, hey, boys! Welcome to the bathhouse! Steve: Hold on, hold on… uh… Madam… (Steve frantically checks his character sheet, searching for something useful in his inventory.) Steve: I… uh… I need to put on my sunglasses, or else… (dramatically gazes at Eddie) I’ll be blinded by your beauty.

Party: Oooooh!!! Eddie, choking on air: Uh… roll for Persuasion. D20. Steve: No, no! I’m not trying to seduce her! I’m just giving her a compliment! Lucas and Dustin: What do you mean?! Steve, we need information! Steve: This is gonna go sideways, and then you’ll all blame me for ruining the game! Mike: Steve, I really hope your "success" with girls doesn’t carry over into DnD. Just roll already! Steve, sighing: This hasn’t been my strong suit for a while now. (Eddie stifles a laugh, but Dustin’s loud exclamation drowns it out.)

Dustin: Steve, I know dating hasn’t been your thing for a long time, even though I keep telling you about Robin! But right now, you need to get information from the gnome girl! Steve: Fine, just out of curiosity—will my words actually work? Lucas: You have +6 to Persuasion! (Steve rolls the die… and gets a 1.)

Party: CRITICAL FAILURE!!! Steve: I told you! I TOLD YOU! Eddie (as the gnome girl): I’m calling security! Hey, I’m being harassed! Help! (The guard is already rushing toward the group.)

Lucas: I grab Paladin-Steve by the arm, pull him aside, and try to apologize to the gnome girl. “Miss, please, listen… He’s lil nontraditional…” Steve: Wait! Wait! Eddie (in character): The security guard is closing in on you, Steve. Steve: I can’t perform under pressure! But now… Now! (Steve suddenly lowers his voice to a sultry tone and locks eyes with Munson.)

Steve: Mmm… what do we have here? My, you’re so handsome… I’m so glad I put on my glasses earlier, or your smile would have blinded me. (Eddie turns red.)

Eddie: Roll for Persuasion. Charisma. (Steve rolls… and gets a 20.)

Party: AAAAHHHH!!! CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! Mike: Steve, we asked you to get information from the gnome girl, and instead, you seduced the guard! Will, baffled: You didn’t want to flirt with the girl, but you ended up seducing the guard… (Eddie, regretting ever convincing Steve to play, sighs heavily.)

Eddie (as the guard, now smitten): The security guard smiles at the paladin, gazing at him with newfound admiration. He reaches out, gently takes off Steve’s sunglasses, and whispers, “I have already burned under the sun of your beauty. Join me. We barely know each other, but I must ask… will you be with me, now and forever?”

Steve, completely forgetting the game: Yes. Eddie, also forgetting the game: …Yes? Steve: Yes.

This is not entirely my idea, but partly a retelling of a real game in D&D