Text
đ
đ«đđđ€ đđąđ€đ đđ
đđĄđđ©đđđ« đđđ: đđđđđĄ đđźđ, đđšđČ, đđĄđ'đ„đ„ đđĄđđ° đđšđź đđ©
(A Lisa Frankenstein, Eddie Munson AU)



previous â next part â đŹđđ«đąđđŹ đŠđđŹđđđ«đ„đąđŹđ ( + playlist)
Summary: After your stepmother's ahem accident, and now brimming with confidence, you decide it's about time to make Eddie whole again and lend him a hand in doing so, while Eddie regains new and old sensations along with some feelings. An excruciatingly heavy dose of jealousy, included. And you confirm that Eddie Munson is hot. Eddie is so very hot.
Chapter Warnings: he's not super stinky anymore but his feet still are, dark humor, unpleasant home life, intense longing. oh yeah, and murder. again. so there will be descriptions of violence and blood but its a creep getting what's coming. includes references to SA which occurred in a previous chapter.
a/n: surprise, bitch. bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. anyways, got a new macbook so here we are. this chapter was a lot longer but i actually forgot to add crucial details for my plot, so, I'm going to split it into more chapters. hope you enjoy this one! and yes, we are pretending certain songs existed during the year this is set.
light dividers â cafekitsune âĄ
âI meanâI havenât stared at his hands or anything, heâs just got to be dexterous with all the books he handles. Itâs perfect.â Youâd decided on the next unwitting donor for Eddie. A suitable hand to replace the one he lost.
 Of course, with the hand meant thereâd be another body to dispose of. Youâd planned it out carefully and quickly. You only had about a week until Laura was due back from her conference, or whatever the fuck it was. Regardless, you knew she wouldnât be making another appearance, alive that is. You were sure her photos would assault you on news channels when she was discovered missing and you were relatively fine with that. Itâd be the last of your abusive step-mother youâd ever have to see. You really were finally free of her, and it surprised you how relieved that made you feel.
 From the moment she came into your life, sheâd made it almost unbearable for you to exist in your own skin, in your own lifeâin any space or capacity. The months spent enduring her verbal, emotional and mental abuse had eventually made you grow used to it, not that it ever became tolerable or normal to you. You justâŠstopped realizing you werenât yourself anymore; always hunched over, eyes staring at the ground, walking on eggshells every minute you werenât locked in the safety of your room. Youâd become meek, doing anything you could to seem small so sheâd leave you alone. Always holding your breath.
 You could finally breathe.
 There was a bit of guilt present, only because you knew regardless of how horrible Laura was to you and how sheâd been to Chrissy before your step-sister had graduated high school (sheâd told you all about it when youâd first moved in), she was still Chrissyâs mother, and Chrissy would no doubt feel the loss.
 Sheâd get over it.
 Eddie slowly made his way into your bedroom after you, and you took the chance to really look him over. He certainly did look more lively. Still dead as fuck, but not so much a corpse rotting for years. Maybe just a few months.
 âIâll see him tomorrow, so weâve got to do it then.â You kicked off your boots, letting them land wherever they wanted as you padded over to your bathroom with Eddie trailing behind you.Â
 The bathroom light flicked on and you quickly got to work, pulling out your makeup removing balm and skincare products. You got started, making sure your hair was out of your face before you were massaging products into your skin, âYou know, my dad said this move would be a new start for usâreally, I didnât have a choice unless I wanted to be homelessâand I thought that was a huge load of crap.â
 You stopped the motion of rubbing the balm to pry your eyes open, blinking past the product coating your eyelashes as you stared at Eddieâs reflection in the mirror. He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring intently at your reflection and not at all bothered with the state of your severe raccoon eyes, âI still think itâs crap. But maybe this happened for a reason, maybe I was meant to tend to your grave until lightning brought you back to life kinda. Maybe Laura only ever existed so sheâd be around to give you another ear when youâd need it. I mean she always gave me an earful so, I think itâs poetic justice. Now, sheâs the one who only has a singular ear. Ear-y, if you will.â
 You quickly rinsed off your face and patted it dry with a towel, pausing to contemplate.
 âAnd sheâs dead now, too, so itâs like you guys just traded places. Freaky Friday and all thatâdid you ever see that movie? Jodie Foster?â
 Eddie nodded his head.
 âDid you like it?â
 âMm.â He shrugged, sticking his hand out and letting it teeter.Â
 You pursed your lips as you applied your moisturizer, âI mean itâs got its moments, some real nice mother-daughter understanding but I thought it was just okay, too.âÂ
 You were expecting him to make some sort of zombie sound of acknowledgement, so when he remained silent, your eyes drifted once more to his reflection, finding him now staring intently at the shower curtain, fingers of his good (the other one wasnât bad, it just wasnât there) hand twisting it this way and that. The shower curtain was bright pink, holographic and shifted to reveal a bunch of kittens when angled correctly.
 Eddie looked perplexed and you had to bite your lip to keep your grin from taking up your entire face at such a blatant display of boyish ignorance.
 Slowly, as you watched Eddie continue to fuck around with the curtain, the grin twisted into a small frown.Â
 Sure, Eddie looked a little rough around the edges, had apparently been in the drug dealing business while heâd been aliveâbut you couldnât imagine someone wanting a guy fascinated with shower curtains designed for late 40 something year-old women with no taste (Laura had picked out the curtain), dead.Â
 You wondered if theyâd been behind his missing appendages, too. Glancing down at his wrist to take in the woundâbone still visible, a heavy feeling settled in your stomach, one similar to the feeling youâd get when youâd watch Carrie; see her smiling on that stage, overwhelmed with joy at finally feeling accepted, but you couldnât be happy for her. As a reader and viewer, you knew about the bucket.
 With your night routine finished, you turned to face Eddie, clapping your hands twice to get his attention. He reminded you of a puppy the way his head tilted in confusion at you.
 âBack to my room.â You swept your arms out in front of you, gesturing for him to leave first and when Eddie stood up he tried to do the same thing, only his arms werenât as loose as yours, so it just looked like he was doing the robot.
 You smiled, turning to walk out the doorway when you stopped short, eyes honing in on the dark, red stain on your carpet.
 Fuck, you had to clean the crime scene still. Panic filled your chest while your brain tried to recall your dad and Chrissyâs schedules for the day. Chrissy had said sheâd be out with friends so she probably wouldnât return until well past the time your father went to bed, and heâd probably be home by dinner time. Even if he did return early, he rarelyâand by rarely you meant neverâwent into your room. Not to lecture you, not to say goodnight, not to check if you were still alive.
 You were in the clear.
 Moving to stand directly in front of the stain, your sock covered foot tapped rapidly as you fidgeted. There was no way youâd be able to get all that out, Laura had bled harder than you did when you sneezed on your period. You could soak up most of the blood, scrub out the rest but the stain would always be present, no hiding the dull red amongst the pink fibers.Â
 But maybeâŠ
 Your eyes trailed over to the rug placed deliberately under your bed. It was a piece you brought from your room back home, a nifty find from the estate sales you and your mother would frequent with a shared love for antiques and the unique.
 You could pull it out a little, have Eddie lift the bed and then youâd be able to cover the stain left behind after you cleaned the carpet. Your lower lip became the victim of nervous chewing as you wondered if Chrissy would notice the difference in placement. Did she even pay that close attention to you? Could you risk it?
 Well, itâs not like you had any other option. With the clean up plan in mind, you turned to your doorway and jumped when you nearly collided with Eddieâs chest.
 âJESUS! Fuck, sorry dudeâI forget youâre so quiet.â
 He shrugged his shoulders, and you were almost taken aback with the amusement you could see in his eyes. Eddie had found some amusement in having freaked you out by doing literally nothingâand his eyes kind ofâŠsparkled with it. They hadnât done that before you electrocuted him. While big, they hadnât been all that expressive.
 Interesting.
 Whateverâyouâd have to look into that later, right now you had something to cover up. And you needed to keep Eddie busy while you did.
 âCâmere.â Rather than just have him follow after you, you grabbed his handâtugging him over to your bed. When Eddie was in front of you, you pushed on his shoulders to get him to sit down and then grabbed your beat up Walkman, your headphones, and rummaged through your bedside drawer for a certain tape.Â
 No luck. You scowled, slamming the drawer shut as you scrutinized your room. You eyed your school bag, on the ground by your door and scrambled over to it, arm reaching in to search around before dumping the contents out. Damn, still no tape and your irritation was beginning to fester.Â
 Sure, you had more but you needed Eddie to listen to that one. It was important for a reason you didnât care to delve into. So, you handled your lapse in memory with grace.
 âWHERE THE FUCK IS IT?â You shoved everything carelessly back into your bag, practically throwing it back down as you rushed over to your dresser, moving all your crap aside in search of the plastic rectangle.
 Not there either.
 There was absolutely no way youâd ever misplace your tapes in the drawers of your dresser but you ransacked those, too, slamming them each when they proved futile. Your blood was practically boiling.
 âEddie, cover your new ear because I am about to LOSE MY FUCKING SHI-oh, there it is!â
 It had been on your dresser, hidden under an open copy of Frankenstein, with the corner sticking out.
 You hummed, annoyance fleeing your person as you held the cassette case up between your fingers to show off to Eddie. During your little bitch fit, heâd made himself comfortable on your bed, laying back and popped up on his forearm. The lower half of his face was cinched up and you had the sneaking suspicion he was smirking at having witnessed you lose your cool, but he was a dead guy so who was he to judge?
 âThis is gonna change your freaking life, I swear.â And then, as a guilty afterthought, âUhm. In a good way.â You tucked his hair behind his ears, fingers gentle, and placed the headphones over them before you were pulling The Lion and the Cobra out of its case. âItâs one of my favorite albums andâhonestly, I bought it because sheâs bald. Well, I guess not bald bald, sheâs got a buzzcut. This is Sinead OâConnor. I told you a little bit about her last night.â
 After slipping the tape into place and closing it in, you offered the case to Eddie so he could see Sinead on the cover of it, wrists crossed over her chest, and her normally soulful stare avoiding all those gazing upon her.
 When Eddie stared down at it a little too long for your liking, you snatched it out of his hands, an unpleasant feeling in your belly, heart clenching a little. It was a simple cover, he didnât need to scrutinize her, didnât need to admire her for that long.Â
 You knew his eyebrows would be raisedâif he could, but the most youâd seen them do is twitchâwith the look he was giving you.
 âShut up. Justâlisten, okay? Every single track is a work of art, but some feel a little moreâŠpersonal than others. Tell me your favorite afterwards, âkay?â
 Eddie stared at you for a couple of beats and when he nodded, you pressed the play button, giving him a smile.
 You could feel his eyes on you as you walked out of your room to retrieve a sponge, some hot soapy water and the carpet shampoo mix Laura concocted and always drenched the floors in.
 While you worked on making sure no one would ever know Laura took her last evil, foul wench breathes in your bedroom, Eddie had managed to shift into a different position, lying on his back with his head dangling off your bed, the ends of his curls pooling on the rug below.
 Now Eddie had always considered himself a music connoisseur, loved discovering new artistsâbut he was a little unfair in his practice. As in, he didnât give a shit what other people told him to listen to.Â
 Well, people he didnât care about. Eddie cared about you.Â
 Eddie cared about you a lot.Â
 Heâd been rediscovering his body the longer he remained alive, still marveling over his ability to reanimate from the grave. With his apparent deceased status, came the sensation of knowing where every organ in his body was.
 Eddie had been tempted to cut himself open, confirm with his sight what was going on in there, but he had a feeling you would have yelled at him so he settled for taking mental notes. He could think, so his brain was clearly working, maybe jump started by that lightning strike. He could tell the exact location of his stomach, feel things moving around in there and heâd spent a great deal of time hacking the creepy crawlers up after heâd spat one up in Lauraâs lunchâhe didnât want to gross you out by accidentally coughing one up on you or something since heâd already puked on you.
 After making sure he didnât feel any more bugs roaming around in his organs (and he was extremely grateful theyâd yet to make his way to his lower intestine because there was no way youâd be normal about him shitting out bugsâif he even could shit), he realized he had a couple of broken rib bones.Â
 Eddie couldnât remember much about the night he was murdered, couldnât recall too many imagesâmostly just experienced an intense wave of fear that clawed its way out of some crevice in his chest and up his throat, desperate to break through with a scream, so he tried not to think about it much. They must have broken his ribs in the attack, if he pressed just below his left pec, that particular rib bone would move inwards with a popping sensation.Â
 Definitely hadnât done that before he was dead, would have been a sick party trick, though.
 And then came the matters of the heartâŠitâs the one thing he couldnât really feel, couldnât locate, unlike his other organs. Eddie had briefly assumed that shit was still dead or dust but then youâd returned home, radiating with jubilationâa far cry from the miserable girl heâd observed that first night, so beautiful and marred with self deprecation.
 Youâd said it was because of him, of the dress heâd seen hanging in your closet and then fantasized about seeing you wear all night while youâd slept.Â
 Eddie swore he felt the heart he thought had given up, clench. It had been a fleeting sensation, but heâd felt it nonetheless. He had no idea what it was doing, had no idea if was actually beating or just responding. All he knew was that it belonged solely to you.
 And then you had to go and mention Steve fucking Harrington.Â
 He wasnât exactly fond of the self proclaimed King of Hawkins, had sold him some really shitty weed because the blockhead didnât know the difference. He was an asshole, even worse than Eddie.Â
 And for some fucking reason, the love of Eddieâs lifeâwho read him poetry, talked about all her interests, shared her secrets with him along with the very same loneliness that had plagued him all his life and followed him to his grave, and who was far out of Steveâs leagueâwanted him. Not Eddie.
 No, because this is Eddieâs second life, he still canât be happy. You wanted Blane and your movie Pretty in Pink ending. Eddie was just Duckie and he had a feeling this wouldnât be the novelization ending.Â
 When the fourth track began to play, Eddieâs despair was calmed by the sound of a guitar strumming, and he was able to yank himself out of his head. No point in dwelling. This wasnât about him anyways.Â
 Yes, heâd come back from the dead. The circumstances of his return were still unclear, but he knew it was somehow your doing, somehow because of you. And heâd spend the rest of his life (he had no idea if he was gonna age or not, heâd only been alive for like a day) expressing his gratitude and protecting you.
 BesidesâŠ
 Ah when you close my eyes, babe, I can see most everything, Sinead sang.
 And Eddie understood it.Â
 His gaze bore into the side of your face, admiring the tick between your brows as you scrubbed at the stain, the pout of your lips and Eddie wanted nothing more than to be able to get up without his limbs literally creaking, saunter over to you with the confidence he knew would make you swoon over him, pull you up into his arms and kiss you until you forgot Steve Harrington even existed.
 He closed his eyes and let the scenario play out, changing a few details in the scene.
 The two of you werenât in your room. Pink carpet switched out for his dingy, stained bedroom carpet. Generic in color, you didnât seem to mind it at all as you rifled through his vinyl collection, greedy fingers flicking through the covers at an impressive rate.Â
 Sineadâs voice was still comforting Eddie, just not through a pair of headphones. Her voice crooned out from the turntable on his dresser.Â
 Heâd been passively engaged in a sketch of the main villain for one of his favorite DND campaigns, still needed a ton of details that wouldnât be hitting the page tonight. Not with you present, not with you sitting there engrossed in your own world and oblivious to his appreciative stare.
 Eddie didnât like to consider himself particularly vain, and truthfully it hadnât mattered to him what youâd look like the entire time he wasâwhatever. He didnât care. But oh did someone up there have to favor him just a little bit, because when he saw you for the first time with his soil embedded dry eyes, he was sure it was love at first sight. Would have popped a woody if he had any sort of blood flow and if you hadnât freaked out at having a dead guy crash through your window.
 Oh, fuck, he was ruining his own fantasy by remembering the circumstances of his existence. Back to it.
 While he could envision you in that black dress, as hot as you were in it, it was the pajamas he first ever saw you in that covered your skin. Hair ready for bed as the two of you winded down in a show of domestication.Â
 Thump, thump.
 There it was again. Not always lively but always coming to life when you were around, even in just his daydreams, ready to beat for you. And since this was his fantasyâŠ
 Eddie tossed aside the sketchbook and pencil, not caring where they bounced to on his bed in his haste to stand. He padded the short distance to you, snatching the vinyl youâd been checking out right from your hands.
  âHey!â You cried out, any semblance of protest disappearing the moment you turned to look up at him and caught that mischievous Munson Smirk on his face as he dangled the album in front of you. He was teasing you.
 Your eyes narrowed up at him playfully and for a moment you were still until your arm darted out in an attempt to snatch the album backâa move Eddie was already anticipating.
 The album was quickly held just out of your reach and your grin was sheepish as you moved to get up from the ground. Clearly, your boyfriend (yes, he was your boyfriend in this fantasy, sue him) was feeling playful, and honestly, he just really liked it when you threw yourself at him just as you did right then.
 Eddie still held his ground, arm sticking straight up in the air to try to keep the album out of your grabby hands.Â
 Teasing would always get a little physical, since heâd known what it was like to be without anotherâs touch for so long, he was keen on forever feeling yours.
  âYouâre such an asshole!â You laughed as you did this pathetic little jump to try to reach it and Eddie snickered, the arm not clutching the album snaking around your side to bring you impossibly closer to him. Keep you there. Preferably forever.
 âMm, but Iâm your asshole,â Eddie cooed down at you, angling his head down so the tips of your noses bumped. The gentle curve of your lips had his heart thumping again as you settled against him, one hand stroking up his chest to rest on his shoulder. He could feel your breasts against him but it didnât excite him as it should have (okayâit did, he just wasnât paying attention to his dick in the fantasy), what he really cared about in that moment was how he was able to hold you so close, he could feel your heartbeat. And it wasnât beating for Steve Harrington. It was Eddie who made your heart flutter and race, âand you can do whatever you want with me.â
  âGross,â you whispered, breath ghosting over his lips.
  âYou say that and yet you still let meââ The rest of Eddieâs sentence was lost against your mouth, soft, and a little tacky from your lip balm but oh so sweet. He let out a pleased hum, flicking the album onto his bed so he could cup the back of your head as your tongue parted his lips. The two of you stood there, holding each other, kissing each other with no ulterior motives. Just the burning desire to ensure the other knew exactly how wanted their very presence, very existence was. Sinead echoed her own statement over and over again in the background, making it the perfect soundtracked moment.
 God, there was nothing more he could ever possibly want.
 Actuallyâthere was one thing he wanted more, he realized as his eyes opened once more, and your profile came into focus with a couple of lazy blinks.Â
 Eddie wanted you to want all of that.Â
 Wanted you to want him back, because you deserved more than what Steve Harrington could give you. Materialistically, sure okayâthe rich douche could give you more considering Eddie was technically homeless without a penny to his name, but you didnât care about material things. Not like that. It hadnât been objects or devices youâd told him you longed for at his grave.
 You longed for something Eddie was positive he could give you. He just needed his body to be up to par, needed what he was missing so you could see the wholeâEddie as a wholeâwas greater than the sum of his parts. He could make you happy. He could make you so happy.
 If only he wasnât a fucking zombieâand really, câmon, thatâs the main thing Steveâs got over him. HeâsâŠyâknowâŠmore alive.
 You must have felt Eddieâs heavy and romantic, not creepy, stare because your head snapped up and you gave him that gorgeous smile again. Then you were knee crawling over and Eddie wanted to bite a chunk of your mattress outâyou were so damn cute.
 When you were in front of Eddie, and still very much so upside down to him though you were actually right side up, you lifted the headphones off his ears, âHow you liking it so far? You good over here?â
 Oh, you know just, yearning over a love weâll never share because I know I could be everything youâve ever wanted and anything you need, whatever you want, if I werenât a corpse and I have to listen to you talk about another, much less cool guy when Iâm right here and Iâm missing a hand, so I could be better.
 Eddie held up (down, technically) his thumb and you leaned your body over so you were kind of upside down too, grinning brilliantly at him. Eddie had never wanted an upside down kiss so badly.
 âI donât know if Iâve told you this yet, Eddie. I really like hanging out with you.â
 Eddie let out a groan, rolling his eyes and gently pushing your face away from him after your terrible pun while you cackled.Â
 After you finished cleaning the stain to the best of your ability (so not well), you enacted the rest of your solution and had Eddie lift your bed frame so you could pull your rug a little more out and successfully cover the stain.
 Before bed, you asked him what his favorite track of the tape was. When Eddie pointed at Just Like U Said It Would B, you nearly jumped up and down on your bed before revealing that was your favorite song, too.
 Eddie wasnât even remotely surprised. Yuuuuup. You were definitely his soulmate.
 When you woke up the following morning, squinting like an elderly chihuahua as you once more fumbled out of bed to pry your closet doors open, Eddie had another outfit waiting for you. Unlike yesterday, Eddie wasnât awake.
 He was sitting against the wall of the closet, head resting against the bottom of various dresses and long skirts as a makeshift pillow. His eyes were closed and he was unnaturally still.Â
 Alarms started to blare off in your head and you nearly shit your heart out of your asshole because you thought Eddie had somehow died again. Your reaction was instant, eyes filling with tears as you got on your knees and crowded into his space, hands gripping his shoulders and shaking him with a strength you didnât know you possessed, âEddie?! Eddie, câmon, donât do this to meâdonât leave me, I just got you, câmon get up.â
 When he stirred, chest rising as he inhaled, you nearly dropped dead from the relief, allowing yourself to fall back on the carpet and partially on the rug sticking out from under your bed.
 âOh my god.â You breathed out, lifting two fingers to check your own pulse. You still had one so you were kicking, and Eddie was still very much alive or whatever he was, âOkay, new rule, you gotta tell me what your body can and canât do anymoreâI thought you were DEAD, Eddie!âÂ
 You pushed up on your hands before you launched yourself at him, arms wrapping around his upper half. In that position, his hairs rubbed at your nose and the scent of your own shampoo filled your nostrils and he felt very hard overall, but his arms wrapped around you too. He was fine. Except for yâknow, his current state of existenceâbut at least he still existed.
 When you pulled away to look at him, you noticed his eyes looked kind of hazy, bleary. Tired. He was full alert yesterday morning, and you were pretty sure he hadnât slept that night, nor had he been tired when you got home.Â
 âAre you okay?â You asked, fingers raking through his bangs to settle them against his forehead.Â
 Eddie nodded slowly with a grunt, and grabbed the items that had been resting on his lap when he fell asleep, pushing them into your arms.
 A sheer black mesh long sleeve, a red corset to go over that and keep you from getting arrested for the public indecency, and a sleek midi black skirt that was sure to hug your hips and flow the rest of the way down to stop a little past your knees.Â
 âSo, yesterday it was Madonna and today itâs Cyndi Lauper?â
 Eddie pushed you out of the closet but before he could shut the doors, you wedged your way between them to prevent him from doing so.
 âWaitâokay, you win again. Are you tired?â You pried the doors all the way open again so you could see Eddie more clear with the light, his head nodding slowly.
 âI didnât know you could sleep,â You mumbled and the look Eddie gave you made you think he hadnât known either. You were beginning to suspect your little Dr. Frankenstein moment did more than simply bring Eddieâs ear to life, âWell get up. You can sleep in my bed, Iâve got a couple of classes today. Chrissy likes to carpool on Tuesdays and my dadâs gonna head to work, not that heâd ever venture to this corner of the house anyways. Get some rest and Iâll wake you up when itâs time.â
 He looked a little unsure of himself so you had to pull him out. And once you remembered he was in the same pair of clothes, you gave him another band shirt and some plaid pajama pants youâd received on some birthday in the wrong size, to wear to bed.
 By the time youâd finished getting ready and doing your makeup, Eddie was asleep again. You found him lying on his stomach, head nuzzled into your pillow with his feet hanging off your bed.
 You walked over, grabbing your comforter from where youâd bunched it up on the other side of the bed after youâd thrown it off you and pulled it over him. Whether or not his blood circulation was working wasnât even a thought, the action of tucking Eddie in was more so an affectionate one than rational.Â
 Itâd been years since heâd slept in a bed, having been wrongfully sentenced to spend eternity with worms and everything beneath the earthâs surface. You hated that, something hot simmering in your belly. Lauraâs much deserved murder aside, Eddie hadnât done anything wrong! Yeah, okay, you didnât exactly know himâbut you knew him. The dead dude, currently sleeping (?) in your bed, had acted earlier only and solely to protect you. You hadnât been in Hawkins when he was alive so the odds of him running around with a sewing machine to bash peopleâs heads in for you were pretty slim.
 Impulsively, your hand reached out to run through his hair with ease, fingers twisting into the curls. His tresses were still surprisingly soft and there were no tangles. Part of you wanted to lean forward and smell him but you didnât because itâd be creepy and heâd just smell like your shampoo, probably.Â
 With a sigh, you retracted your hand and silently gaped when some of his hair came out with it.Â
 Oh, shit.
 Rolling your lips together and with no alternative, you rolled the hair into a little ball and tucked it into your bra to dispose of later. The last thing you needed was for him to be nosey and bored enough to go through your bathroom trash and find his hair in it, without him having put it there.
 You were just about to head out when you remembered his shoes and how uncomfortable going to bed wearing them must have been so before you could USE YOUR FUCKING HEAD you were carefully pulling one off (it would be just your luck to accidentally pull his foot off or something) and once his foot was freeâyou realized immediately why heâd kept them on.
 The stench hit your eyes first, tears filling them faster than youâd ever experienced before and stinging them something fierce. When the smell breached your nostrils, it triggered your gag reflex and you did everything you could to keep your dry heaving relatively quiet.Â
 After you threw up in your mouth a little, you managed to put his shoe back on and ran for the bathroom. Once your stomach was settled, you held your breath and braved your room, lunging for your body spray to aggressively mist over Eddieâs sleeping figure before hurrying out, gasping for air once you were in the hall leaning against the bedroom door.Â
 God, your wallpaper was fucked. No way it wasnât curling in on itself.
 You were still in a state of shock and recovery when you ventured downstairs, almost snapping to attention when you heard Chrissy gasp and your head lulled towards the dining room where she sat at the table across from your father. He had his head buried in some magazine while she stared at you in awe, hands covering her mouth.
 âMy goodness, Sissy! You look like you could have walked straight out of that witch movie that Cher was in! You know, the one with the three witches?â
 âIâm familiar, let's hope men in real life are easier to knock dead.â You commented, leaning against the entryway with your arms crossed and the strap of your bag over your shoulder.
 Chrissy laughed, the sound ringing out like the most annoyingly pleasant wind chimes as she explained to your father who wasnât really listening, âBecause in the film, daddy, thereâs this awful man and theyâre trying to get rid of him and really all the men in the film arenât the greatest.â
 Your dad just grunted, still thoroughly engrossed in his magazine, âUh-huh, Iâm sure your sisterâs a regular maneater.â
 The sarcasm was evident and unappreciated by both you and Chrissy. The brief glare you spared the oblivious sack of meat was lethal before your steely gaze was back on the strawberry blonde.
 âYou ready?â You usually carpooled with Chrissy on Tuesdays since your last classes lined up.
 âOhhhhh, here she comes. Watch out, boys, sheâll chew you up.â Chrissy teased, popping the last of her eggs into her mouth. You noted, with great satisfaction, specks of pepper peeking out from her gums and between her teeth, âYou know, sissyâyou seem a lot more confident without mom around.â
 Your dumb bitch of a mom, you internally corrected her, lips curling into a smile as you recalled exactly where that woman was. Probably arguing with Satan about which ring of hell sheâd be damned to for the rest of eternity. It had to be one of her choosing or she wasnât going to budge an inch, you could imagine her telling the fallen angel.Â
 âI do have to admit,â Chrissy continued, âItâs pretty peaceful without her here. Iâll have to convince her to go out more often.â
 This next part pained you, and you could actively feel your stomach clenching as you forced the words out, âNot too often. I kind of miss having her here.â
 Oh, you were so gonna throw up, âI meanâeveryone needs a Debbie Downer to put life into perspective.âÂ
 Or make you want to kill yourself. The sole reason you were even voicing these lies was because you needed to establish a somewhat âhealthyâ relationship with your stepmother, for investigative purposes.Â
 Sure, you argued a lot; she hated you, you wanted her dead and now she was, but if you went around saying you missed her, you likely wouldnât be number one on the suspect roster once she was determined to be missing.Â
 That caught your dadâs attention and he finally looked up in confusion, âReally?â
 âOf course! I know we fight sometimes but sheâs a good example for me.â You had to put your all into this performance, forcing your expression to appear somewhat genuine even if you were really mocking her, âBecause of her, I now know itâs possible for you to be a bitch your whole entire life if you donât fix your attitude and outlook while youâre young, and that if you donât start caring for your skin sooner rather than later, youâll have wrinkles the size of California. I know she doesnât want that same bitter existence she goes through, sunup to sundown, for me. Thatâs why sheâs so tough on me.âÂ
 Chrissy looked touched, a dainty little hand over her chest as she blinked back tears, âYou are so right. I know sheâs hard on you but Iâm glad youâre starting to see she canât help it. Sheâd probably rather die than not be a little judgmental.â
 You scratched the back of your neck and cleared your throat, âMhm. So, school?â
 âMy, aren't you eager to just snap the neck of every boy at school today?â Chrissy gathered her utensils after sheâd cleared her plate.
 âJust certain ones.â Your nose crinkled with your smile. Chrissy briefly disappeared into the kitchen, and when she emerged, she was tightening the ponytail sheâd sectioned the top half of her hair in, allowing you to see a faint bruise just below her jaw.
 âHeyâyou good?â You reached up to rub a knuckle over the same area on your skin and her eyes widened as her fingertips flew to her jaw, pressing at the skin until she seemed to feel the tender spot.
 âOh, yeah. I must have got myself with my straightener this morning.â She laughed, nervously and your eyes narrowed as you followed her into the foyer.Â
 âI thought you valued not ever using heat on your hair.â You reminded her, having had to often listen to her brag about how her hair was sooooooo healthy and sooooooo long because she never used heat on it. She only slept with curlers on, and judging by the bump to her endsâthat had been exactly the case.Â
 Chrissyâs eyes darted away and you knew she was lying, âI-IâI do! I mean I donât! We were just doing each otherâs hair at the sleepover yesterday, and I let themââ
 âSleepover? I thought you just went out for some bowling and a kickback. Did you not sleep here last night?â You quirked your head, mouth setting in a frown. There was nothing more you hated than being lied to. Except maybe getting the shit slapped out of you by Cruella de Vil yesterday.
 Chrissyâs eyes widened and she began to stammer, âNo, no! I-I did! It was, you know, it was supposed to be a sleepover but I didnât stay all that long. S-School night and-and all.â
 âHuh.â Was all you said, deciding to let it go after making her a little more nervous with your stare. It was powerful when lined with kohl. Chrissy looked like she was about to start shaking in her white princess Reebokâs and you started to feel bad for her. It had been over a year since her boyfriend had broken up with her and she still always felt guilty about being with other guys. You had a feeling she was still holding out for him. That, coupled with the fact that you were feeling sorry for Chrissyâand not the other way aroundâmade you feel good about yourself so youâd happily look the other way while she tried to find affection she probably craved.
 Oh, how the turn tables.
 The ride to school was filled with chatter, Chrissyâs way of trying to make sure the subject didnât return to her escapades from the previous night, no doubt.
 You let her chatter away as you pulled a piece of paper from one of your notebooks to jot down a quick note. Much flirtier than you had originally planned to write it, but after spotting Chrissyâs hickie, you were inspired.Â
 Once you were done, you folded the pink lined paper up and pressed a kiss to it, leaving your lipstick stain on it. The paper was rubbed discretely against your neck as well, an effort to get some of your perfume on it.Â
 Iâm tired of playing games. No more interruptions. Meet me at the old bench in the woods behind the high school at 4pm?
 Yes / No
 Leave your response on the windshield of the white miata
 Xoxo
 When Chrissy pulled into the parking lot and the two of you parted ways, you scanned the area for a certain car and placed the note under one of the windshield wipers before making your way to your first class. Luckily, your seat was right next to the window that overlooked the parking lot. You spent the entire class nervously fidgeting until you saw him making his way towards his car.Â
 You watched, with bated breath, as he paused in his approach when he noticed the note. Your asshole clenched when he pulled it from its secure spot and unfolded the note to read its contents.
 He was too far for you to make out the expression on his face but he dug around in his pocket until he produced a pen and scribbled his response before jogging over to Chrissyâs car to leave the note exactly where you instructed and you wanted to stomp your feet against the ground in victory but no.
 No. You couldnât, not in front of all these people and certainly not in class. You were just beginning to garner a cool reputation and you werenât about to let a guy ruin it.
 You did, however, maintain a constant smirk throughout the day and it briefly morphed into a genuine smile when youâd intentionally wandered in front of the library, catching Steveâs eye. Heâd traded you a secretive smile, fingers waving in your direction and you returned the sentiment before carrying on your way to beat Chrissy back to her car.
 You were in such a rush to make it to the parking lot before her, you didnât stop to think someone could be coming around the corner and crashed right into a broad chest, dropping your back in the shuffle.
  âShit. Sorry,â You mumbled, dropping down to your knees to grab your bag and the subsequent items that had fallen out of it. The mystery person bent down in time to grab the tube of your mascara before you could, the last item you needed, and held it out to you and you glanced up, body freezing as Tommy Hagan stood before you.
 âNo harm done.â He shrugged, appearing nonchalant as he smiled down at you, âYou really should take those corners slow. Theyâll get you.â
 Tommy Hagan wasâŠsomething. You didnât really like him.Â
 He hadnât given you much of a reason to not like him, since you never interacted with him, it was justâŠsomething about him. He was a wildcard. Youâd seen Tommy in many different states; cool, calm, collected, goofing off. Then, with a snap of a finger, it was like he was a completely different person.Â
 Youâd witnessed him lose his shit on someone before, crowding some poor guy up against his car as he threatened to bash his face in with the door.Â
 He wasnât much of a bully to you, Carol seemed to target the girls and while youâd heard Tommy used to be a big bully in high school, you hadnât seen him pick on people continuously. Just those he actually seemed to have friction with, so you assumed heâd grown out of the bullying.Â
 That being said, up until recently, he was still involved with Carol and anyone that could willingly want to deal with her in a romantic situation had to be bad news, and thatâs why you stayed away.
 How he could go from Carol, to appreciatively eyeing you up in the middle of the corridor, you had no idea.Â
 You didnât like it.
  âUh, yeah.â Was all you could say when you realized you hadnât responded to him. âI-uhm-I was in a hurry.â
 He nodded, brown eyes sweeping over you once more, sending a bad shiver down your spine. You definitely did not like it and you couldnât even explain why because there had been nothing inherently crude about the way he looked at you. It wasnât anything like with Fred the other night, Tommy wasnât looking at you like he was about to have his way with youâŠyou couldnât explain it. There was just something so ominous about his presence. Something dark attached to his freckled, âfriendlyâ face.Â
 âDo I know you? From somewhere? We have a class together or something?â He asked, apparently keen on making small talk with you.
  âNo, I donât think so.â
 âYouâre Chrissyâs sister!â He supplied, eyes lighting up and you werenât fond of being linked with him any sort of way.
  âYeah. Sheâs-Chrissy. My step-sister.â
 How the fuck can I end this conversation?
 Tommy smirked, and you could feel your stomach drop as the ominous aura came over him, his face somehow darkening. Not in color, in nature. âIs she the evil one, or are you? Hmn?â
 You didnât know what that meant, didnât know if he was cruising around for his next cruel girlfriend, but it wouldnât be you.
  Instead of answering his question, you laughed nervously. The sound wasnât pretty, nor was it modest. You laughed loud, and you laughed obnoxiously. Itâs not like you could help it!
  âI gotta, I gotta go.â You managed to get out between rounds of your laughter as you backed away.
 He watched you with something akin to interest, as you whirled around and made a dash for the parking lot.
 You could hear him call out a see you around and since you didnât want to see him around, you just lifted a hand in acknowledgment without turning back.
 Good god, that was unpleasant. That was extremely uncomfortable and it made you feel the need to panic poop. The urge faded, when you saw Chrissyâs car. A white square was under her wipers.
 You snatched the note up, quickly unfolded it and the smirk made its way back onto your face, mimicking that of the Grinchâs when heâd come up with his plan to ruin Christmas for The Whos.
 Yes was circled, several times, so it looked like you had a date with destiny after school.
 âWhat are you so happy about?â Chrissy asked on the drive back home, a smile on her own face as bright eyes darted from the road to you and back again. The maniacal smile remained firmly in place on your face. You couldnât help it. Everything really was falling into place for you.
 âWe watched Bill Nye in a segment of Almost Live in my Lab class today.â
 âI love that guy, they really should give him his own show. He is kind of cute, isnât he?â
 You gave Chrissy some side-eye, âUuuuuhhhuuuh.â
 When she pulled up along the curb outside your house, you noticed she only put the car in park and made no move to unbuckle her seatbelt.
 When you raised a questioning brow, she supplied, âIâm gonna run into town for a little bit. You need anything?â
 Immediately, you were suspicious and if it werenât for your plans, you might have pushed at the lame excuse. This worked for you, sheâd be gone for a while and out of your business, âNope.â
 You made sure to wait until her car had disappeared around the corner before you entered your house, jumping when you saw Eddie trying to yank his good hand out of one of the vases Laura had placed near the fireplace. It had been one you made in art class back at your old high school, so naturally, she deemed it hideous, and hid it behind an even bigger vase.Â
 It was also where you stashed your weed.
 Eddie turned to you, his hand still stuck in the vase, and somehow managed to look sheepish.
 You glared, shoulder sagging enough to have the strap of your back rushing down it, âSeriously?âÂ
 He shrugged his shoulders, grunt sounding small.
  âCan you even smoke weed?â You asked, abandoning your backpack on the floor as you bounded over.Â
 Eddieâs grunt in response sounded more like a scoff. Can he even smoke weedâŠ
 You took hold of the bottom of the vase, holding it still to allow Eddie to pull his hand from it, still intactâthank god. In his grip, was a brightly colored Lisa Frank pouch, meant for holding your school supplies.Â
 It obviously did not hold your school supplies.
  âAlright, bloodhound. Weâll give it a shot. Later. Right now, weâve got big plans.â You gestured for him to follow you upstairs and he did, after stopping by the front door to retrieve your bag for you.
 You shoved your bedroom door open to find the bed fully made, and Eddieâs pajamas haphazardly folded on top of your duvet.Â
 Sparing a glance at his approaching figure, you made a mental note to stop at one of the stores in town to get him some more threads. He couldnât wear the same thing everyday. Actually, he could but you didnât want him to. That was gross when guys did it, especially dead ones.Â
 Your bag was tossed to the side, and you began rummaging around in your closet in search of spare sheets, âDid you get everything else ready?â
 Eddie grunted in confirmation. After heâd woken up, heâd put the items youâd requested in your van and discovered a discarded filter in there, which resulted in him searching your house for the stash you had to have.
 When you emerged from the closet, arms around balled up sheets which you soon transferred to Eddieâs waiting arms, you gave him a determined look.Â
 âLetâs do this.â
 The van ride had been a quick one, and it was parked somewhere in the woods away from the roads and any foot traffic once you made it.
 A quick detour was made at the cemetery before you walked over to the area behind the high school, not too much of a walk away from the cemetery. How appropriate.Â
 You assumed it was once a family location back in the glory days of Hawkins, but you had no idea why there was only a singular picnic table there.
 Come to think of it, you didnât see any sort of grills or anything else that would make this area a popular destination, so why the hell was there a random picnic table in the middle of the woods???
 Before you could give it much more thought, you heard the sound of leaves crunching and turned your head to see Eddieâs latest donor walk right through the treeline.
  âHey,â Fred grinned, a surprisingly thick finger reaching up to push his glasses further up his nose. His hair was wet, and you tried to keep your lip from curling at the knowledge that it was sweat and not just water. You had a sneaking suspicion the walk had been a challenge to him.
 Show time.
  âYou got my note,â you breathed out, making sure the statement sounded airy and affectionate despite how the hairs on your arms were rising at the sight of the guy whoâd touched you so brazenly without your consent.Â
 âI did,â Fred confirmed, nearing you and you stood up to stop his approach, âI was really hoping youâd come around. And-And donât worry, you donât have to be embarrassed about the other night or anything.â
 You donât have to be embarrassed about the other night.
 You.
 Fred had tried to take advantage of you while you were under the influence of a drug you hadnât known youâd taken, had whisked you away to an empty room where something sinister could have taken place had you not saved yourselfâand you didnât have to be embarrassed about what heâd done to you.
 Something in you snapped, blood boiling so hot you could feel yourself sweat a little.
 You didnât even like Fred as a person, and yet you could feel something lodged in your throat, heart pumping heavy in your chest and loud in your ears. It wasnât fear, wasnât the anxiety that overtook you more often than not.Â
 Rage coursed through your entire being.
 You had no pity for him, Fred was going to get exactly what people like him deserved.
 âI was just so nervous,â you lied, tips of your fingernails dancing over the wood of the table top as you slowly moved to the other end, âAnd you were so kind to look after me.â
 A glance was spared in his direction, your gaze heated through your lashes.
 His cheeks flushed, splotchy face gaining more color to it.
  âIt was nothing, really. We freaks gotta stick together, right?â
 You scoffed, the sound playful though you held nothing but malice for the guy across from you.
 Fred was no freak. He was a monster disguised as a nerd. Youâd gone through Chrissyâs yearbook before, had seen how small he used to be. Heâd evidently gained a bit of muscle since high school, swapped out a wardrobe for something slightly better, but all the physical change could do nothing to hide the little man he really was. A self-titled nice guy who wondered why girls never went for him while trying to take advantage of ones that could barely stand up on their own two feet.Â
 At least the creeps made their nefarious intentions obvious. Fred was dangerous; someone calculating who hid his intentions behind a pair of frames and a somewhat friendly approach.
 âYouâre right. Youâre so right, and I feel really guilty about the way I ran out on you. I was hopingâŠâ You fiddled with your fingers, feigning a coy demeanor, âWould you let me make it up to you?â
 If Fred really was worthy of some sort of stupid fucking redemption, of living, heâd say no. Heâd realize how fucked up in the head he was, this whole situation was, and go get help or put himself on some sort of registry if not just disappear from the face of the earth altogether. In an ideal world, those would be possibilities.Â
 This wasnât that world, so Fred only nodded his head frantically as his knees began to shake.Â
 As you led him through the woods, you briefly wondered what was going through his head. What exactly did he think you were going to do to him? Not like it really mattered, since heâd proven to be the type to try and force people to do whatever he wanted.
 You felt something swipe against the side of your pinky and pulled your hand to your chest just in time to prevent Fred from taking hold of it.
 At his questioning look, you just gave him a demure smile, âThatâs for later.â
 He just shrugged his shoulders, not at all upset about being unable to hold your hand just yet because heâd get to do other things to you.
  âWhereâd you say you parked your car, again?â Fred asked as the two of you approached the back of the cemetery. It was eery in this section, the area even creepier after the lightning strike. You could feel Fredâs nerves.
 âJust outside of the cemetery, itâs quicker if we cut through it. Although, I have to say, I quite enjoy strolling through it. Really puts life in perspective, donât you think?â
 Fred gave a nervous chuckle, hair dampening again, âUh-huh. I donât have many dead relatives, so, no-uh, real reason to come on by this place.â
  âWhatâs the matter, Freddie? You scared?âÂ
 âNo way, just not one to take romantic strolls through a cemetery. Iâm not scared though.â He huffed out.
 You should be, you thought.
  A chuckle was the only response you gave him as you neared Eddieâs grave.
  âThat oneâs my favorite,â A polished finger was pointed in its direction and you could hear Fredâs intake of breath. Eddieâs gravesite was particularly fear inducing, the stone cracked and blackened. Patches of the grass around it had also been charred, with black arms seemingly reaching out from it. Patterns from the lightning strikes.
 Fredâs steps slowed significantly, tension building until it all came to a head when he finally noticed the mounds of dirt pushed aside, a large hole in the ground just in front of his tombstone.
 âWeâWe should really be g-getting out of here,â He stammered in fear.
 âNonsense. What? Does it creep you out? Relax, Fred. Itâs just from that shit weather that night, remember? Lightning, is all. Not like the dead can just climb right out.â
 Your tone was reassuring but if the noob couldnât see the marks Eddie had made when heâd clawed his way out, couldnât see the footprints of his shoes embedded in the mudâwell, that was on him.
 But Freddy boy had had enough, walking right up to you to grab hold of your wrist so he could drag you away, âLetâs just go to your van already, this place is evil as shit and his grave is not a welcome place for anyone, let alone me.â
 Fred pulled you to his chest, which sent you into a panic. You hadnât been expecting him to get physical with you so soon. Your body went into fight mode, squirming to get away from him which seemed to only annoy him as he fought to subdue you.
 Before you could even voice your protest, demand he let you go or kick him in the balls, Fred yelped. His grip on your wrist disappeared and you jumped back in time to avoid his body colliding with yours as he went crashing down to the ground.
 Your breathing was labored, relief morphing into the best kind of elation when you spotted the hand, coming from the hole in the grave, wrapped around Fredâs now twisted ankle.
 Fred turned to stare down at it, too. His mouth dropped in horror, body shaking like a leaf as the two of you watched Eddie Munson rise from the grave.
 The shriek Fred let out was decidedly girlish in nature, high pitched and almost impressive. You couldnât have anyone hearing him though, so you dealt a swift kick to his mouth.
 You didnât use much of your strength, but the kick still sent him onto his back. He groaned, reaching a hand up to his mouth and you noticed his teeth were staining a shade of red, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
 âFeeling ambushed, Freddie? Violated, perhaps?â You hissed down at him, mind flashing back to that night, feeling so disoriented and lost and wrong as heâd cupped your breast, felt you up while you could barely string a coherent sentence together and still said no.
 Fred groaned again, hunching over to spit out some blood, âWhat the fuck?â He asked, voice sounding dazed.Â
 You didnât notice your kick had also knocked his glasses off his face until he was shakily reaching for them. One of the lenses was cracked. It didnât impair his vision too much, though, because he started screaming again when he caught sight of Eddie again, whoâd climbed completely out of the grave and stood just over your shoulder, glaring menacingly down at him.
  âStop screaming, you banshee.â You quickly squatted down, scooped up some dirt and shoved it into his mouth. He fought against your palm, but the idea had the desired effect; Fred was too busy coughing the dirt out to scream.
 âPlease,â he croaked out, tongue sticking out of his mouth, âStop! Please donât hurt me. I didnât know what I was doing!â
 The chuckle you let out was void of humor. Of course, when a man has to answer for his evil ass actions, suddenly heâs capable of admitting what he did wasnât in the right. Too fucking bad for him. You were about to tell Fred it was far too late for pleas, until his next round of statements made you realize his begging wasnât directed at you.
  âIt was Chance! An-And Andy! It was their idea, I had nothing to do with it! I meanâI mean, I was just the lookout! How was I supposed to know what they would do?â
 Your brows furrowed in confusion, and you looked over your shoulder at Eddie who appeared just as perplexed as you.
 His brown eyes bore into yours, searching for the question in them before he shook his head.
 You turned your attention back to the weasel cowering on the ground, âYou know him?â
 Fredâs gaze darted frantically from you to Eddie as he kept stuttering. Heâd clearly caught on to you being unaware, and possibly Eddie. You couldnât have him keeping secrets, though, so you reached for the ax Eddie had pulled out of the grave whereâd heâd hidden it and Fred let out an inhuman line of gibberish.
  âYes! Yes, okay, yes, I know him!â
 You weighed the ax in your hand, glaring down at Fred. You just needed this fuckers hand for Eddie. Thatâs it, just needed his hand and you couldnât let him live after that.Â
 Itâs not like heâd just let Eddie have it, go about his life pretending like he didnât know there was a deadman walking around with his hand after the two of you cut it off.
 Thatâs all you needed of Fred, and now he was mentioning having known Eddie. Implying something was done to Eddie, and you had a sickly feeling you knew exactly what.
 Did Eddie want to know? Would it do more good than bad?
 You turned your attention to Eddie once more, and found that he was already watching you. There was nothing expectant in his gaze. Despite the circumstances, and the guy shaking like a leaf on the ground with broken teeth and a broken wrist, Eddie didnât appear menacing to you at all.Â
 Just looked like he was waiting to follow your cue. And you remembered how heâd come to your rescue so many times already. It was high time you started showing up for him.
  âExplain.â You demanded of Fred, handing the ax back to Eddie.
 Fred looked hesitant, only speaking when you turned to Eddie as if to deliver the instruction to kill Fred, âIt wasâŠIt was after graduation. Look, I donât know everything, okay? Chance and Andy told me I had to meet them at the Quarry and just make sure no one else came by but Eddie. I wasnât thinking, I was just scared as hell about someone else showing up, like what was I supposed to do to stop them? I was a twig! And thenâAnd then, everyone came running out and yelling to scram and run for it! SoâŠI did.â
  You watched as Fred seemed to shrink before your eyes, back to that scrawny boy youâd seen in the yearbooks.
  âIâŠI didnât find out until my mom turned on the news later that nightâŠI didnât know Eddie was dead until then.â
 You couldnât do anything to stop the shaky croak, a hot tear trailing quickly down your cheek as Fred confirmed Eddie had been murdered.
 Your Eddie, the sassy guy with long curly hair, a mischievous and playful nature, so far from hostile unless someone was a direct threat to you.
 Heâd been harmed, his life stolen. The rage youâd felt earlier was nothing compared to the craze you were spiraling into.
 âThey killed him,â You whispered out, nearly shaking. When Fred gave a slow nod of confirmation, you just about shrieked, âAnd you didnât tell anyone?! You didnât go to the police!?â
 Fred looked at you like you were out of your mind to even suggest that of him, âAnd tell them what? That I was the one making sure no one interrupted? I would have gone to prison.â
 Your mouth dropped open.Â
 Okay.Â
 Yes, you were fucked up. Your emotionally, mentally, and apparently physically abusive mother was dead and youâd played a role in that. But she was only dead because she meant to seriously harm you, and Eddie had stepped in to protect you. If it had been someone innocent, someone like Chrissy, you would have taken the blame and the prison time. You wouldnât have been able to live with yourself.
 But this motherfucker knew Eddie had been murdered that night, had not been too far away when it happened, and hadnât told a soul because he was afraid of possibly being held responsible. Always only thinking of saving his fucking skin.
 âYou selfish son of a bitch!â You spat out, âEddie died that night, you knew he was murdered and you let them get away with it! If you werenât an accessory then, you sure are now!â
 âDoes it look like I was meant to be in a cell!? Admonish me all you want, I did what was best for myself! I canât take it back, whatâs done is done. Besides, you didnât know him. Eddieâhe was a burnout. He wasnât gonna do anything worthwhile anyways.â
 You couldnât believe someone so pathetic EXISTED!
 It made you want to scream, but you held it in, physically having to close your eyes and take deep breaths before you made the last demand that would determine what would happen next.
 âGo to the police. Tell them everything. You can even tell them about me, and you can try telling them about Eddie,â You jabbed a finger into your zombie boyâs direction, âTheyâll never believe you about that, though.â
 Fred blinked at you, incredulous.Â
 âIâm not telling anyone anything. Iâm not going to jail. Iâm not.â
 You nodded your head a couple of times, running a hand over your hair. âYeah, okay, youâre right.â
 Then, you grabbed the ax from Eddieâs grasp, swinging it down onto Fredâs propped up wrist. It was a clean cut, hand perfectly severed and Fred let out a scream.
 âYouâre not going to jail.â
 Blood spurted from the wound and you cringed back a little, wishing heâd aim it away or something. Gross.
  âWhyâd you do thatâoh my GOD, my HAND!â
 Fred was in hysterics, clutching his arm, and really you couldnât blame him. It probably sucked to lose your hand this way but he wouldnât have to suffer for long.
 You picked up the appendage, waving it around triumphantly.
 âWhy are you bitching? Whatâs done is done. Iâm holding your hand like you wanted.â
 Eddie made a sound behind you and turned to hand him theâŠhand.
 âHere, this is yours now.âÂ
 Fred whimpered as you positioned yourself over him, ax in hand and poised near your head.
  âThe hand is Eddieâs, but chopping it off was for me. Youâre never gonna touch another girl, never gonna cause harm with it. Never again. This, however,â you adjusted your grip on the ax, making sure you had a good handle on it, âIs for Eddie. Itâs nothing personal, it's just that I hate you and you shouldnât have been too much of a bitch to report a murder.â
 With that, the ax came down. Fred didnât make any more noise.
âSo, you really donât remember much about dying?â You asked for the third time, perched on Eddieâs headstone as he shoveled dirt over the grave to seal it once more.Â
 âUhn, uhn.âÂ
  âCanât remember faces?â
  âUhn, uhn.â
  ââŠDid it hurt?â
 Eddie paused in his ministrations, stabbing the shovel into the ground as he leaned against it and seemed to ponder your question. You wondered if he was trying to recall the answer, or if he was debating on whether or not he should answer.Â
 You got your answer a few moments later when Eddie slowly nodded his head, shoes smoothing over the surface of the dirt before he pulled the shovel out and gestured for you to follow him back to the van.
 Eddie was quiet, something had changed. Aside from, you know, your body count.
 You had an inkling it bothered Eddie to not know what happened to him. Not a whole lot of your thought went into it, but Eddie had to have been mourned by someone. He had that tombstone, the inscription. Those werenât cheap and someone had to have cared for him enough to make sure he had it. Did he have a mom and dad? A guardian? Family?
 Heâd left people behind, against his will and probably had no idea where they were now.
 You hoped he didnât feel alone in the world.Â
 It wasnât impulsive, it was an action that came from a great deal of caring⊠you reached out for the hand still attached to his body. It wasnât warm, and it wasnât cold, either. What it was, was comforting.
 From your peripheral vision, you could see his head turn to you in surprise and you met his gaze, offering a smile and a squeeze to his hand you were sure he couldnât feel.
 Until he squeezed yours back.
 âWe didnât even need the sheets.â You realized out loud. Originally, you were gonna wrap Fred up, weigh him down with some rocks and throw him in Loverâs Lake. It had been Eddieâs idea to bury him. By that, you meant he just dug out the rest of his grave (impressive with one hand) and rolled Fred into it.
 RIP FrEddie Munson.
After a quick trip into town to get some things for Eddie (he had to lay down in the back), and pick up some more thread, the two of you made it home to find no one else had which worked in your favor.Â
 You didnât bother changing out of your bloody clothes just yet. You still had some Frankenstein work to do with a live-ish appendage, so you found yourself on Eddieâs lap, sewing his new hand into place.
 It would have been quicker if you could focus but Eddieâs face was just a few inches away from yours and he would not look away. The side of your face his gaze was boring into felt hotter than the other side and it was making you nervous for some reason. Not a bad nervous, justâŠnervous.
 You decided to break the tension.
  âOh, shit, this is the wrong hand.â
 That did the trick, you felt him tense up underneath you and Eddieâs head darted down to make sure he didnât have two of the same hand, body relaxing when he realized you were joking.
  âGotâcha.â You grinned, eyes scanning over his features. You felt your heartbeat stutter when you noticed the twitch at the corner of his lips. Eddie was smiling at you.
 Swallowing hard, you cleared your throat, gave him a tight smile, and went back to work.Â
 He groaned on one particular tug of the thread, and you paused with a wince, âDid that hurt?â
 He shook his head, but he was also making a bit of a face.
  âFeel unpleasant?âÂ
 âMm.â
  âSorry,â You were a little more gentle in your actions, trying to carefully weave the needle through his wrist, and his new hand, making sure your tugs were extra gentle which he appeared to appreciate, nuzzling his head against yours for a brief moment.
 You nearly convulsed.
 Once the hand was on, the thread had been snipped and neatly secured, it was to the tanning bed!!!
 You got him all situated, made sure he didnât hit his head and then watched him light up.
 The smell of burnt hair filled the mini garage, and you made a mental note to pick up some hair products later. Eddieâs curls were gonna need it if they wanted to stay attached to his scalp, though you supposed you could probably scalp someone should he need a replacement.
 Argyle, a guy who worked at one of the local pizza places, had long luxurious locks of hair, but you couldnât do that to him. He was a nice dude, stuck in a permanent trip for sure, and so always pleasant to you. He was also your dealer and you were pretty sure his girlfriend was a witch. The last thing you needed was to be cursed or hexed. Or turned into a goat.
 Settling in for what you expected to be a long wait while Eddie tanned, you were surprised when just a few moments later, all sparking stopped. Figuring you didn't set the right temperature to bake him at, you moved to mess with the dial only for a hand to curl out and push the lid of the bed up.
 Eddieâs time in the tanning bed, while somewhat briefer this time, still seemed to have cooked him. Smoke dripped out, flowing almost syrup-like down to the floor where it all seemed to pool and twist around your ankles as the bright blue lights of the bedâs panels cast the room in a euphoric glow.Â
 You stared wordlessly, mouth parted in complete enchantmentâand you swore you could hear the intro to Ozzy Osbourneâs No More Tears in the background like some godly music video on MTVâas Eddieâs figure emerged from the smoke still gathered in the bed.
 And in seemingly slow motion to your captivated self, Eddie pulled the goggles over his head, hair tousling just the right amount. His movements were fluid, not a stiff limb in sight. In fact, he even stretched out, shirt riding up to expose his paleâno longer a completely sickly shadeâstomach and a smattering of dark hair that made up his happy trail.Â
 Uh oh. Something was going on in your body.
 It was only when that happy tail was covered again, Eddie hunching forward, that you realized you were staring at his crotch region. Your eyes drifted up to find Eddie staring at you, more life in those warm, gorgeous eyes of his, framed by attractive dark circles as he smirked at you. No twitching of his lips, no maybe smiles. It was a full on smirk. Eddie was in complete control of his face (and you noticed his cheeks dimpled when he smiled).
 He lifted his new hand and wiggled his fingers at you in greeting. Thatâs when you lost it, jumping up and down in elation.Â
 âOH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!â
 Eddie was fast, pushing himself off the tanning bed to dart forward and sweep you right out of the garage, spinning you around and around.
 You clung to him, laughing and filled with so much joy at the knowledge that Eddie was coming back to life. When he decided youâd been spun enough, and your head was a whirlwind, he released you and you stumbled a little, finding your balance with the hand Eddie offered to you for stabilization.
  âLook at you.â You breathed out in amazement. It was more of a whisper but Eddie heard. He looked pleased, gesturing to himself with a sweep of his wrists, Look at me.
 You were correct in your scrutinization of him when youâd first played dress-up.
 Eddie Munson was very much so hot when he was alive. There was no doubt in your mind. You hadnât seen a whole lot of his movements, what with him finally being able to move freely occurring just a few moments ago, but you were inclined to believe he was extremely theatrical in them. Probably in everything he did.Â
 And confident.
 Eddie seemed to have had enough of the small distance between the two of you, twirling you back in his grasp so you were pressed right up to him, his hands on your sides to hold you. He was grinning like an idiot and you were positive your face was no better. Your cheeks were beginning to hurt from your smile.
 âSo. Youâre the infamous Eddie Munson.â
 He rolled his eyes and you laughed, something inside of you warming up at the smile he gave you in response to it.
  âItâs nice to meet you, Eddie. Iâve been wanting to for a while now.â
206 notes
·
View notes
Text
LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024)
I have The Cure! Hhmm? Oh, no... it's not that kind of cure. It's like, it's a band. They can't make you better. I mean, they can. But like, Emotionally.
957 notes
·
View notes
Text
LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024) dir. Zelda Williams
TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT Day 16: Colors - Purple + Green
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024)
Shit is transpiring.
756 notes
·
View notes
Photo
KATHRYN NEWTON as LISA SWALLOWS LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024) dir. Zelda Williams
3K notes
·
View notes
Text

AND I CANâT FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMOOOOORE
4K notes
·
View notes
Text

Saw Lisa Frankenstein the other night
6K notes
·
View notes
Text
"Costume designer Meagan McLaughlin Luster collaborated closely with head make-up artist Remi Savva and hair department head Donna Spahn-Jones, all of them eager to resurrect the iconic styles of 1989. The filmâs production notes reveal a wealth of inspirations behind each character design: from Winona Ryderâs edgy ensembles in âHeathersâ to Cindy Crawfordâs all-natural beauty, and even nods to Tim Burtonâs gothic male leads, the looks paid an homage to the eclectic influences of the era." (x) TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT day eight ⏠hair + makeup
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
"they're not canon!"
girl idc you wouldn't have survived in the rise of the brave tangled dragon era like come on
11K notes
·
View notes
Text
Dick Grayson is Peter Parker's bio parent? Love it.
But..... how about Jason Todd is Gwen Stacy's bio parent. I've seen Dad!Jason to some crossover characters (Danny Fenton) that have canonically died so what's one more. Gwen can traverse the multiverse so it's not that far out of possibility.
When Jason finds out about the spidey society, heâs gonna fight Miguel no questions asked.
34 notes
·
View notes
Text
"Yeah, he's not even a very good one. But he's out there alone and probably scared."
- Superman (2025) dir. James Gunn
4K notes
·
View notes
Text

this is not my screenshot
discord has been pushing its new uk online safety act changes early for some users. this screenshot belongs to a 32 year old who used discords built in face scanner to verify their age. the scanner said they were 11 years old, and instantly suspended the account, with no option to try again or appeal, and the suspension will automatically end in 2027, when theyâre âold enoughâ to use discord.
DO NOT SCAN YOUR FACE TO VERIFY YOUR AGE
if you really want to verify your age, use a different option available. donât trust the face scan.
8K notes
·
View notes
Text
Reading the new checks that might come in due to the Online Safety Act in the UK and this is actually bullshit

[Image Transcript:
And how will I prove my age?
Thereâs a number of methods a site or app might use to ask you to confirm your age. They might do this check themselves or use another company to do the check. These methods include:
Facial age estimation â you show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age.Â
Open banking â you give permission for the age-check service to securely access information from your bank about whether you are over 18. The age-check service then confirms this with the site or app.
Digital identity services â these include digital identity wallets, which can securely store and share information which proves your age in a digital format.
Credit card age checks â you provide your credit card details and a payment processor checks if the card is valid. As you must be over 18 to obtain a credit card this shows you are over 18.
Email-based age estimation â you provide your email address, and technology analyses other online services where it has been used â such as banking or utility providers - to estimate your age. Â
Mobile network operator age checks â you give your permission for an age-check service to confirm whether or not your mobile phone number has age filters applied to it. If there are no restrictions, this confirms you are over 18.Â
Photo-ID matching â this is similar to a check when you show a document. For example, you upload an image of a document that shows your face and age, and an image of yourself at the same time â these are compared to confirm if the document is yours.
End Transcript.]
Not only is this such a fucking breach of privacy, but this is going to hurt adults in vulnerable and abusive situations. Some adults donât have bank accounts or credit cards or even a fucking phone. Iâm one of them. I could not give half of this information even if I wanted to. What the fuck is this. Fuck the UK government. This isnât going to protect kids, this is just going to hurt adults, and I know full well when they say âsites that allow pornographyâ theyâre going to be going after sites that have huge amounts of queer content, like tumblr and Ao3. Queer kids are gonna lose their fucking communities because of this shit. Abuse victims are going to lose online support systems because of this.
Iâm genuinely fucked off about this, and worried about whether Iâm going to lose every single one of my online friends. Anyone in the UK, please email your MP and sign this petition. It needs to reach 100k signatures to pass through Parliament.
Iâm only hoping the backlash will be big enough for them to stop implementing these measures.
15K notes
·
View notes
Text
From capitalstitchco on Threads
38K notes
·
View notes
Text
Yoooooooo
So the government just defunded PBS and NPR which is fucked. That being said, the public can cover the damage if we orginize and donate.
Only about $1.60 of tax dollars per US citizen per year are spent on the public broadcasting budget. NPR and PBS offer beong able to make small monthly donations, some being 7$ per month or lower if you want.
If you want to donate 1.60$ per month to your local station, you can multiply how much funding they get from you by 12. If you do their monthly donation of $7 per month, your donation can equal the tax dollars of 54 people spent on public broadcasting per year.
If you want to donate to your local station, look them up by your town here to make sure your local stations get helped specifically:
27K notes
·
View notes