lalahbug

[lalahbug]

[lalahbug]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LALUUUUUUUUH!!! ♥3♥

Thank you twinie! ❣️❣️

[lalahbug]

I can't stop thinking of possessive fire fighter Thor 😌🥴

welp, nonnie, now I can’t either. maybe you weren’t thinking quite this dark, but… 😅

Title: Everloving

Pairing: Dark!Thor x Reader

Summary: A one night stand has worse consequences than you ever could have imagined.

Warnings: 18+ Only, Arson, Noncon, Kidnapping, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Implied Basement-Wife, Stalking, Breeding, Darkfic, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT, Minors DNI!

[divider by @firefly-graphics]

You stare at the ceiling over his shoulder as you catch your breath, your fingernails still dug hard into the muscles rippling beneath his skin. You’re still spiraling back down into yourself when he pulls back, leaning up on his elbows to grin dopily at you. His blond hair falls handsomely across his face, and the corners of his bright blue eyes are crinkled with his smile. 

 “See, Peach?” Thor says with a wink, his breath still a little short. “Told you I would take you to Valhalla.” 

 You raise a hand to your head, fingers curling in your hair as you laugh breathlessly. It’s a corny joke—and it was even cornier when he’d fed you the pick-up line in the bar, complete with his sultry little every girl needs a firefighter, Peach. It had been so corny you’d been left wondering if it was specifically engineered to get you to laugh yourself into his bed, but the earnest look on his face makes you second-guess your two minute drunk assessment. The firefighter’s uniform he’d told you about is hung up on the back of the door, too, lending credence to his honesty. 

 “Why is that funnier the second time?” You say, and he laughs. He eases up off of you, and your cheeks heat as you feel him slip out of your puffy, still throbbing cunt. You sit up, pulling his blanket up over your bare chest self-consciously. Thor, it seems, is just as glorious in nudity as he is clothed, back muscles rippling as he turns to the closet, and pulls out a hand towel to clean himself off. You hear a tinny sounding thud as he tosses the condom into the trash-can next to his desk. He offers you a towel and you take one, hurriedly swiping between your own thighs.

 “Do you want to shower?” He asks over his shoulder. “My roommate’s won’t be back for a few hours, so if you wanted to shower and crash—”

 “That’s okay,” You say quickly, snatching your shirt off of the back of his desk chair, using his blanket as a somewhat unconventional toga while you shimmy into it. “I should get going, it’s pretty late.” You flash him an apologetic smile as you tug up your jeans. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” 

 “No, it’s totally fine, they won’t mind. And maybe tomorrow we could get breakfast—”

 “I don’t think so,” you say stiffly. “I’ve got work in the morning.” 

 “Right, right,” he laughs a little awkwardly, stepping back into his briefs. The elastic snaps as he pulls them back up around his waist. “Well, maybe we could go out another time?” 

 You answer him with a shake of your head. “Sorry, I just, um….” You blow out a breath, rocking back and forth on your heels nervously. “I’m not like… looking for a relationship. Right now.” You smile apologetically. “I just, you know. Just got out of one, and it was a whole thing, and I just… I’m not ready, right now for another commitment like that.” His face falls, the boyish grin on his face disappearing as he regards you. 

 “Oh.” 

 “I’m sorry,” you say again, feeling the tension thick in the air between you. “I um. I had fun.”

 “Yeah. Me too.” A look you can’t read crosses his face, and he lifts his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it. He doesn’t say anything else as you shrug back into your jacket and flee his room, navigating back down the dark hallway toward the door. Your sneakers are in a messy heap by the front door where you left them, and you step into them quickly, eager to be out of his apartment. 

 You pull up your rideshare app as you walk down the block, trying to put a little distance between yourself and Thor before you call. For some reason, you don’t want to do it right outside, not that you think he’d watch you through the window like some creeper—

 Or would he?

 Either way, you call when you’ve reached the bodega on the end of his block, and in five minute Jeffery in a white Hyundai Sonata is pulling up to the curb. 

 Omw home. Your text pops into the roommate groupchat, and it’s not thirty seconds before you see three different speech bubbles appear in the bottom left corner. 

 Heather: girl. it’s one-am!!!!

 Bobbie: girl shut up, she was getting her back blown out by that hot blond lmao

 Heather: twisted into pretzels lolll

 Kirsten: none of you are asking the real questions. how was it???????

 You stifle your laughter with your hands, glancing at the rearview mirror before responding. 

 I will be home in ten minutes. You all will just have to wait. You are, of course, greeted by shrill giggles and questions the moment you walk through the door. You deliver the details as painlessly as you can muster, choosing not to describe the heartbroken look on Thor’s face when you’d tried to let him down as gently as you could. 

 “I mean, you’re totally right. You shouldn’t jump into anything so quick, not after Jimmy.” Bobbie nods sagely at you in approval. 

 “I dunno. He seemed sweet,” Kirsten says dreamily. “Might be a nice guy.” 

 “He was looking for a serious girlfriend, K,” you reply, stretching as you turn toward your room. “And I am not doing serious right now. Bobbie’s right.” 

 After a hot shower, you flop tiredly onto your bed and burrow under the covers. You’re still a little sore from earlier, and you bite your lip, wondering if you’d made a mistake. No harm in letting him shoot his shot, right? That’s what Heather had told you in the bar when he’d first begun sending you drinks, and what had rung in your head when your casual conversation had become boldly flirtatious. 

 There are plenty of other fish in the sea for him. You turn over, pressing your face gratefully into the pillow, confident that by tomorrow morning, Thor wouldn’t even remember your name. 

 ——

 The smell of smoke wakes you, only seconds before Bobbie is hurriedly shaking you awake. 

 “Fire! Fire get up now!” 

 Blearily you sit up, registering the shrill beeps of the fire-alarm just before you choke on thick, hot smoke. It’s filling the room, curling against the ceiling as you sit up, shoving your feet into your slippers. Bobbie’s hand is tight around yours as the two of you race for the door, followed by Heather and Kirsten. The hallway is filled with the other residents, everyone rushing out of the building in a crushing stampede. You’re dizzy, your throat hoarse and your eyes red and watering as you and your roommates watch your lives billow up into the night sky. 

 The street outside is chaos as the firetrucks arrive, men in uniform pushing through the crowd. You’re still staring numbly at your burning apartment building when large hands land on your shoulders. 

 “Peach? Peach you okay?” Thor pushes up his visor, his face filled with worry. 

 “She’s inhaled a lot of smoke, she was the last to get out,” Bobbie says worriedly. You’re forced to agree—every breath feels raw, like you’d swallowed some of the fire yourself. “Is there an ambulance coming?”

 “Yes, there is, but if it’s that bad, I should take her to the hospital now,” He says, snapping his visor back down. Thor’s grip is like iron as he steers you towards the back of one of the small response vehicles, and he hands you an oxygen mask and a little tank. “Breathe through this for a little while, Peach. You’ll feel better in no time.” 

 The street is clogged with vehicles, and Thor steers patiently around them while you sit in the back and try to catch your breath. The smell of the fire, the lights and the sound of sirens fade gradually behind you as you watch the building disappear in the rearview mirror. Eventually, all you can see is the thick column of smoke curling into the still dark sky in the distance as Thor gets onto the highway. His blue eyes meet yours in the mirror. 

 “How are you feeling?” He asks. The oxygen is certainly helping, though you aren’t sure if you’re supposed to be feeling quite this light and giggly. Oxygen deprivation makes you high right? Or is that something else?

 “Like I almost got barbecued,” you say, lowering the mask. A hoarse laugh escapes you. “Sorry. But I did almost die.”

 He smiles at you in the mirror. “It’s alright. A bit of morbid humor is to be expected.” You realize with a glance out of the window that you’re far past the hospital. It isn’t funny, but you giggle. In fact, he’ll be out of the city limits in another few minutes. “Besides, It’s probably the nitrous.” You squint at him. 

 “What?”

 “Nitrous Oxide, Peach. In the canister.” He winks at you, though he’s spinning in the rearview—or is it my head? Your limps are limp and uncooperative as you tug at the mask, gasping for air as your vision tunnels. You get it off, but it isn’t enough, and you gape at the air like a fish as you try to swallow it down into your lungs.

 Your ears are ringing, and black spots dance in your vision as you slump sideways over in the seat. The roof of the car swims in and out of focus as you gulp down lungful after lungful of air. You don’t know how long Thor’s been driving when he pulls over—twenty minutes? Thirty? But your head is still buzzing, your vision unfocused when Thor opens the back door. 

 “I am sorry you got hurt, Peach,” he says, managing to sound disgustingly apologetic as he reaches for you. You kick at him, but he’s so big and so coordinated and you are not, and he presses you to the seat, hovering over you like he had earlier this evening. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” 

 His admission drags a ragged sob from your throat as your eyes widen. You wail, your struggles renewing themselves until you’re exhausted. Thor remains immoveable above you, like your efforts have done nothing but delay, and perhaps irritate him. 

 “You set the fire.” He doesn’t deny it.

 “Magnesium shavings and alcohol.” He taps the tip of your nose with a finger.  “I like you so much, Peach. I just… I couldn’t watch you go out again with someone else.” He catches both of your wrists in one large hand and pins them to the seat beneath you. 

 “T-Thor,” your voice comes out as a hoarse whisper. “S-stop, I—”

 He hushes you with a kiss, moaning as he slips his tongue into your mouth. You whimper into his mouth and he swallows it hungrily, sucking your lower lip between his teeth and worrying it until it swells. 

 “I just want to start over,” he repeats your words from the bar, hours—a lifetime—ago back to you, dark sincerity dripping from every word. “Pick up and start over—”

 “Shut up!” You cry, tears welling in your frightened eyes. “You don’t know me!”

 “Maybe not yet,” he hums, dragging his lips down the salty tracks over the curve of your cheek. “But we have time.” The fingers of his free hand slip beneath the loose elastic waistband of your pajama pants to cup your bare pussy. He heaves a pleased sigh. “No panties? Peach you are truly a treasure.” He parts your lips with sure, unhurried motions, his fingers sliding through your folds. 

 You try to close your thighs around his hand, but he doesn’t let you, wedging himself between your thighs. 

 “P-please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings—” You babble apologies that he doesn’t seem to hear, his touches ironically soft and unhurried. “Thor please—!” His lips crush against yours again, turning the words into a frightened squeak. 

 “What’s the matter, Peach?” He asks, trailing down your jaw and over your pulse point. “Nothing we haven’t done before.” Thor’s pleased little hum makes shame curl in your belly. You’re wet. You know you are, and you hate yourself for it as he draws his fingers back and forth, spreading the slick through your folds with practiced ease. “See? She even remembers me.”

 Thor circles your entrance with gentle strokes, and you huff through your teeth to hide the whine that threatens to tumble from your lips. You hate him, his soft persistent kisses, the drag of his fingers through your traitorously aching folds. You hate it because it feels good, because he’s making it feel good, because it feels like you’re shattering into a thousand fractured shards in his capable hands, and you get the feeling that he wants you to. 

 Can’t fix what isn’t broken.

 You whimper at the burning stretch of his fingers, the heel of his palm grinding deliciously against your clit. When you clench your teeth against the pleasure, Thor clucks his tongue at you. 

 “Let it feel good, Peach,” he coos, scissoring his fingers inside of you. Your breath hitches loudly in your throat, and Thor moans deeply at the sight, leaning down to suck a bruise onto your collarbone. “You don’t have to be in control anymore. You can let go.” He mumbles the words darkly against your skin as you feel his hips shift up. 

“You can just let me—” Thor reaches between your bodies, tugging the band of his briefs down over the thick shaft of his cock. “Do the thinking for both of us.” He groans as it pops out from under the elastic, slapping against the puffy, slick lips of your pussy. 

 Thor’s lips part in a soft “o” as he slides his cock back and forth, eyes rolling up to stare sightlessly through the roof of the car. His fingers dig into the fleshy curve of your hip, the other forcing your wrists down harder into the seat cushion. Tears are leaking out of the corners of your eyes and running down into your hair, acceptance settling like lead as you realize this is happening. 

 The head of his cock throbs hard as he pushes it against your swollen clit. You push down on the pleasure as hard as you can, trying not to let it show on your face. It’s useless though, as your thighs begin to tremble around his hips from the steady pressure at your clit. You writhe, trying in vain to buck him off. You only succeed in pushing yourself against him, pleasure rolling in sticky warm waves up your spine. 

 “N-no, ah—” You’re cumming then, your words are lost in the choked sob that tightens your throat. Cheeks flush with heat, you turn tear-filled eyes to Thor’s. He looks at you with an manic kind of joy, his fever bright eyes drinking in every detail. Your pussy is still throbbing, clenching tightly around nothing when Thor begins to line the head of his cock up with your cunt. He sinks in slowly, cursing as you squeeze down around him. 

 “Better with no condom, isn’t it Peach?” He says hoarsely, chuckling. “Not that that one made much of a difference,” Thor sinks in to the base, the heavy weight of his balls slapping wetly against you as he revels in the feel of you. “Poked it full of holes, just in case.” 

 He doesn’t give you time to mull over the words before he’s sliding out, sparks shooting in front of your open eyes as his cock drags along your walls. Thor groans as he fills you again, loosing your wrists so that he can anchor you to him with both hands. There is room in your foggy head for shame, but it does nothing to stop the sticky sweet rush of pleasure as he fucks into you with abandon, the truck rocking hard with his efforts. 

 What’s worse is that you can hear it, the lewd wet noise it makes as he slides into your welcoming cunt. You whine low in your throat as he pinches your clit between two fingers, rolling it back and forth until you’re twitching underneath him. Thor laughs. 

 “See?” He asks breathlessly. “And you say I don’t know you.” He leans down to kiss you again, swallowing the pathetic little cry you let out as he drags you over the edge. You hate that he’s all around you, in you, everywhere, filling you up until you’re overflowing. 

 When you cum, again it’s with Thor’s tongue in your mouth, and his throbbing cock in your cunt. He moans against your lips as his hips still, and dimly, you’re aware of slow, sticky heat settling in your core. He doesn’t move, his body pinning you to the seat. When he finally leans away, you try your best to pull your t-shirt back down over your bare breasts, staring stubbornly at the back of the front seat. 

 “Oh, Peach, don’t be mad at me,” he says, tucking his fingers beneath your chin. He pulls until it hurts, and you’re forced to look at him. You hate that he’s still inside of you, his cum leaking out to pool on the seat underneath your ass. He reaches down beneath the seat for something, but you can’t quite see it. “We’re going to be so good together.” 

 He produces the nitrous tank and mask, and your eyes widen with fear as you begin to struggle. It isn’t hard for him to push it against your face, though, and you hear a squeak as he twists open the valve. The gas rushes into the mask with a hiss, and it only takes a few panicked breaths before your vision begins to dim.

 “You’ll see.” 

 end

Thank you for reading! Please check out my masterlist for other, similar works, and follow my library blog, @box-of-bones-library for updates. ❤️

[lalahbug]

18+ minors DNI

Tags: Billy Hargrove, inexperienced reader, mentions of alcohol, public orgasm, public sex, unprotected sex

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x y/n

Summary: You’re surprised when Billy Hargrove asks you on a date, but you’re even more surprised when you end up in the back of his car by the end of the night

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: I know Billy was a problematic character in the series but my Billy is based on the guy we all wished he was, so don’t come for me.

————————————————————————————————————

Becoming Billy’s Girl.

I was honestly a little surprised when Billy Hargrove asked me out. We didn’t know each other very well, we’d met a few times at some of Steve Harrington’s parties but he was always showing off, keg stands and chugging contests. I would steer clear.

I had heard a few girls talk about him back then, I knew his reputation. Everyone did. So I was a little hesitant to say yes.

I’ve never really dated, one guy after graduating. We were serious enough, we’d slept together a couple of times but he ended up leaving for college and that left me painfully inexperienced with men. I figure if anyone is going to show me a good time, it’s Billy, and god I hope he does.

He brings me to this little hole in the wall pub called The Hideout. Drinks are flowing, we’re playing pool. We’re having fun.

I’ve got a few drinks into me, I'm feeling pretty good and we've been shamelessly flirting all night. I decide to embrace the liquid courage I've been sipping, so I play dumb and pretend I need some help holding my pool cue. Anything to have this man pressed against me right now.

"I don't think I'm quite getting the hang of this, Billy. Do you think you could show me how to shoot?" I ask, knowing full well how to play.

He smiles, nods and without hesitation, walks around the table to line himself up perfectly behind me. He brushes my loose curls to the other side of my neck and leans in close.

"Here, darlin, like this." His lips almost brushing my ear. He grabs my hips firmly and pulls my body into him, places his hands over mind and adjusts them "correctly" on the cue.

He smells like expensive cologne, cigarettes and whiskey, I close my eyes instinctively and breathe it in and feel a twinge of excitement in my core, but the cracking of the balls breaking on the table snaps me out of it almost immediately.

We continue to play a few games, he’ll pause every so often to take my hands into his and playfully dance with him along to his favourite songs.

It was so endearing to watch him.

Eyes closed when he’s sing along to a part he really likes, a lit cigarette hung loosely in the corner of his mouth, twirling me around and pulling me back in. He didn’t seem like the Billy I had heard so much about. This Billy seemed sweet, gentle. Maybe he knew I wasn’t like the girls he’d dated before? He handled me delicately and I loved every second of it.

"You're a good time, Y/N. I like you." His words cause my face to flush. A soft pink took over my cheeks.

"I like you too, Billy. I'm glad you asked me out tonight, I'm having a great time." I reply, a genuine smile on my face. One that's most likely been there all night.

We're interrupted by the sound of the band setting up. He nods his head in the direction of the seats and we decide to take our drinks to a booth tucked away at the back and off to the side.

A few minutes go by and the sound of the drums begin to fill the room. Naturally, my focus fades from Billy and immediately to the stage. I couldn't help but stare, the guitarist was captivating the moment he started playing.

He stood focused, his tongue poking out from between his lips as his fingers danced along the strings of his guitar passionately.

His hair, long and wild, falling in his face as he swung his head to the music.

Billy seemed to pick up on my staring and I feel his hand slip between my knees. Stealing my attention completely back to him.

Gripping my thigh, I feel a heat rush through me and squeeze my legs together tight. I’ve wanted this man all night, I just hadn’t thought about what I would do if he wanted me too. The desire for him rising with each firm squeeze of my knee.

He continues to watch the band play, his devilish smirk proving he know’s exactly what he’s doing to me. I can't help myself, I take his wrist and guide him up toward the growing wetness between my legs. Discreetly allowing him to rub soft circles against my clit. I would’ve never considered doing anything like this so openly before but he sparked something inside of me, it's almost empowering.

I allow him to continue, the few people around us seem so enveloped in the theatrics the band is displaying on stage, giving us the green light to carry on without a care in the world. I hold his arm tight in one hand, my nails digging into his skin. The other palming his visibly large, achingly hard cock through his beautifully tight jeans.

I don’t know if it was this risqué behaviour or the inexperience that had me on the edge almost immediately but I try my best to hold out awhile, not wanting the feeling of such intense pleasure to come to an end just yet.

He leans his head closer to mine, "You look so fucking sexy trying not to squirm beneath my fingertips, darlin” He takes the lobe of my ear gently between his teeth and pulls softly.

I couldn't stop myself from letting out a gasp, his words snap the knot that had been forming in my core for the last 10 minutes and I cum hard, whimpering and grinding myself against his hand while trying my best not to alert anyone as to what was happening.

"Mm, y/n, next time I want to watch you fucking unravel underneath me” I feel his lips press into a smile against my jawline.

"Jesus Christ" I say, catching my breath.

We look at each other with a burning desire to explore one another more.

“Should we get out of here?” He asks.

I nod, desperately wanting this man to take me anywhere but here and have his way. I was ready.

I slide myself out from our booth and attempt to pull myself together in the washroom while Billy takes care of our tab.

I comb my fingers through my hair, adjust my dress and make my way to the front door. Billy stood waiting with a devilish look on his face, his eyes bouncing around my body as I walked toward him.

“Ready to go?” He asks.

“Absolutely!” I say.

We make our way through the mostly empty parking lot and I crash my lips hard onto his as our doors close. Our breath quickly fogging up the windows, rain droplets obstructing anyones view inside. I want him now, I can’t wait. I break away from his kiss, his hands still roaming toward the slick skin between my thighs.

“Can we get in the back?” I pant.

He pulls me in tight, kissing my jaw hard before letting go and opening the car door. It was the most obvious yes I’d ever heard and he didn’t even open his mouth to speak.

I wiggle myself between the seats and he folds up the drivers, climbing in after me.

I lay myself back, finally allowing him access to my entire body. I slide the straps of my dress down my arms and unclasp my bra, grasping my own breasts, teasing myself as he watched. I spread my legs, he licks his lips as he spots the visible wetness soaking the thin fabric.

“Come here” he growls, unzipping his jeans. Sliding them down, freeing himself from the constricting denim. His cock was intimidating, large and thick.

“Billy.. I.. I’ve only ever..” I whisper

“I know, baby. I got you.” He whispers back.

He lifts me into his lap, slides up my dress and pulls my panties to the side, sliding himself inside of me slowly. Eyes eyes scan my face carefully for any signs to pull away.

My grip on his shoulders tighten, I’m nervous and my shaky breaths make it painfully obvious.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to stop?” He asks. “No, please don’t stop.” I demand.

The pleasure greatly outweighing the pain and after a few slow, gentle thrusts, I had adjusted around him. I quicken our pace by grinding myself into him, desperate for him to feel half as good as I do. One of his large hands on my ass, fingertips pressing so hard I worry they might bruise and the other on the small of my back, helping me ride him. I pull his soft blonde curls kiss him intensely.

“Billy, I’m so close” I whimper

“Me too, baby. You’re so fucking tight, I don’t think I can last much longer.”

That familiar feeling from earlier this evening begins to build up in my lower stomach, cries of pleasure falling from my lips as I lose myself completely in the moment.

“Billy.. oh my god, Billy.. yes.. fuck”

He’s wrapped both arms around my waist and pulling me down aggressively into his thrusts. His face falls forward into my chest and he starts to slow down. I feel the warmth of his release begin to leak from inside me. Breathing hard, he places kisses on my breasts, gently teasing my nipples with his tongue.

I lift his face to look at him, he kisses me softly, lovingly. Not once letting go of the grip he has on my body.

“I need to see you again, Y/N, fuck, you’re incredible.”

[lalahbug]

𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 + 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞

[lalahbug]

✨🧡🌙 SEND THIS TO TEN OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING ✨🧡🌙

Chrissy. Ily. You're too sweet to remember me even when I've got back to my lurker ways 😭🥰

This would go straight back to you, doll. You're wonderful and amazing ❣️

[lalahbug]

dark! Billy blurb about how he doesn’t like you leaving the bed after sex, sure he’ll take you to the bathroom if you ask, but he’s gonna stand inside while you go. Over time you notice he has a weird thing about being left alone-wants to cockwarm all the time, holds your hand everywhere, follows you around like a shadow. always asks where you’re going and says “don’t go? why are you going alone? baby I’m going too” it’s total abandonment issues from what you can tell but it’s kinda endearing that you’re never really alone if Billy’s around (and he always fucking is)

warning: 18+ (minors dni), swearing, allusions to smut, cockwarming, clingy!billy

You didn't notice it at first. Just how clingy Billy was with you once he let his guard down and fully attached himself to you. He was practically at your hip any chance he could get.

Always reaching for your hand as you walked, gripping it tightly. Wrapping an arm around your shoulder or your waist. Always making sure that he stood beside you or was behind you.

Some may find it annoying, but you found it endearing.

He was even like it after you had sex. You laying beside him as he wrapped a strong arm around you, pulling you closely to him as you smiled against his chest.

"Baby, I have to pee!" You'd whine out.

He'd let you get up and go to the bathroom, but he'd always follow you. Standing outside or even inside the toilet while you peed, it was straight back to bed where he would hold you tightly.

Sometimes you wouldn't even have sex, Billy just holding you tightly as he'd slip his cock inside you, not moving. Just letting you cockwarm him as he held you tightly.

You learnt he loved cockwarming, as you learnt. If you were watching a film or simply hanging out in his room. He'd make you lower yourself down onto his cock and allowing you to warm him.

He didn't like you going places either. If you told him that you were going somewhere, he'd stare at you.

"Why are you going by yourself?" He'd ask softly. "It's not safe out there, baby. I'll come with you."

And then Billy would be driving you wherever you needed to go. Trailing behind you as you walked the aisles of the grocery store. Him occasionally wrapping an arm around your waist and kissing your shoulder gently.

You were practically attached at the hip. Some people find it weird, questioning how you don't get sick of him.

But you knew it was because he was afraid you'd leave him. That one day, you would grow sick of him and choose to leave him just like his mother did and people before you.

No matter how many times you assured him that you weren't going anywhere.

But still, he'd follow you around, almost like a lost puppy. You'd see him standing there confused if he couldn't spot you, seeing his face relax and brighten when he finally sees you.

"Don't you get sick of him following you everywhere?" One of the girls in your gym class, Billy sitting on the other side of court at basketball practice, watching you carefully.

You glance over at him, watching as his face softens when he meets your eyes. You blow him a small kiss and shake your head.

"No, I love it."

[lalahbug]

Loved by a Witch - 3

Chapter 3

Fandom: Stranger Things; Eddie Munson x F!Reader Word Count: 4k My Masterlist No taglist, please follow @lalahbuglibrary

Warnings/disclaim: General <--- by reading this fic you agree/are okay with the media you are about to consume.  DO NOT REPOST OR COPY MY WORK! Reblogs and likes are very appreciated ❣

First kiss, paranoia, telling Eddie what fanfiction is >.>, mentions of masturbation.

My blog is 18+ MINORS DNI ___ is a blank for your name/oc/whatever you prefer Written in 2nd person Line/header is to separate paragraphs to indicate time skips, as Tumblr hates my formatting.

Series Masterlist; Loved by a Witch  3 of 3???

Story under cut

          Once back home, you both relax for a moment, music playing in the background softly. Then you were unpacking the bags. Showing Eddie how to use the new technology of the washer and dryer. To wash things from the thrift store. Smart washer and dryer, ones Blair insisted that they were a necessity because she forgets to flip over the loads without the stupid app.

          You left him to do it himself after you gave him a brief showing of knobs and buttons. Starting some easy pasta for dinner. Eddie wandered back into the kitchen and watched you for a moment with a soft smile before eyeing the black bags on the counter, not unpacked. He bit his lip to contain his smile as he slowly dragged on to him. He honestly didn’t know whose was whose, but he was hoping it was your bag. A soft glance in, and he cheered mentally, odds were in his favor.

          He slowly took out the items, a rose-shaped thing, a basic dildo, a sensation gel it seemed, then he saw the one he assumed was your replacement. Box adverting all the specs, Eddie could feel himself heating up just thinking about easily he could replace, your little replacement. Then pulled out a few unexpected items. Lingerie, silky red lace, he swallowed hard trying to not picture it on you or he’d be hard with his next breath. And the last two; were toys he knew were meant for a couple. He’d eyed the exact ones when you were first off with Ket.

          “Eddie!” you cried, humiliation flushing through you. “That’s clearly my bag!” you rushed over and start putting the items back.

          “Sorry, I was too curious. Did Ket talk to you into all that?” Eddie couldn’t help his simper as you gathered the bag behind your back and you nodded shyly. “Hey it’s okay, I’m sorry, but also you did say you’d show me. Now you don’t have to, I just did it myself. But I do have to ask,” he chuckled when you looked at him with a glare that had no heat to it. “That panty vibe, have you ever used one?” you shook your head no. “Well, I’d be willing to, uh, use it with you,” he gave you a lopsided smile with a tilt of his head.

          The smile he had was so fiendish it made your breath quicken. “Eds,” you whined softly. “S-stop teasing me, please.”

          “It’s hard not to when you look so good when I do,” he reached out to cup your face in both of his hands. “And knowing I made you this hot. Your sweet eyes,” he groaned in the back of his throat. “You’ve gotta tell me to walk away, or I’m ‘bout to kiss ya.”

          “I don’t kiss on first dates,” you muttered but gave a shaky exhale when he noticed you glance at his lips.

          “I’m happy to be an exception. Rules are meant to be broken, sweetheart.” He’s dangerously close and you can’t keep your eyes off his tantalizing plush lips. “Besides, I’m gonna be your last.”

          “Last?” you whispered, sighing as his warm breath fanned over you.

          “Last first date,” his lips almost touching yours. “Last everything and a few first,” he slots his lips to yours as soon your eyes flutter close at his proximity. Ripples of affection rolled through your flesh, leaving goosebumps in their wake. You weren’t too sure if was your moan or Eddie’s, or hell maybe even both of you did. Eddie’s hand trailed to the back of your neck, tenderly shifting your head to deepen the kiss. Velvet lips glided against yours as you dropped the bag to grip onto him. Needing the purchase as you felt your knees wobble.

          One hand balling into his shirt to bring him closer and the other pushing into his hair. Eddie dropped a hand to your hip to bring you flush to him. You gasped as your back hit the wall, you hadn’t even noticed him backing you up. You could feel his smile in the kiss causing you to giggle as the kiss got sloppier and became pecks. Quick presses of his lips all over your face until you give a breathy laugh.

          His hands dart to tickle you, one to your side and the other to your hip. You squealed and squirmed against him, trying to escape.

          “Eddie!” you gasped for breath when he pinched you slightly.

          A sinister chuckle is all you got before you were giving him slurs of stop stop stop. He bit his lip before resting his hands on your waist. Staring into your glossy eyes from unshed tears from laughter.

          “You’re so sexy.” He breathed softly before kissing you chastely. Hands lovingly following the shape of your figure.

          “If you say so,” you sighed happily, pushing your burning face into the crook of his neck.

           “Oh, I do, Angel,” Eddie pulled you back from the wall a bit to embrace you tightly.

           “So, my last everything, huh?” you mumbled at his neck, lips brushing against his skin there.

          “If you’ll have me. Whatever doubts, worries, or fixed ideas you have already about how this should go with us. Just sweep them away, please. Because this-” he embraced you harshly, laughing when you wheezed a bit before loosening his hold “-it feels s’right. Can barely hold myself back right now, but I want to, to show you. Show you how much I want to cherish you.”

          “Eds,” you pulled back to look at him. “We just met, and yea you can do whatever you want. But jumping into a new world and into a relationship before you’ve even had time to be alone. Before we’ve gotten to know each other, truly. That doesn’t seem healthy.”

          “I need you. You need me. Can’t we just leave it at that?” he sighed sadly then pouted as you pulled away from him. “Sweetheart?”

          “Blair said that to me,” you lamented. “After one of our big fights on my insecurities.” You backed up more when he took another step towards you.

          “So what? It’s true for me as well.”

          “How much of what you’re saying is you? How do we know it’s not just Blair’s memories, her love from those memories, just seeping into you? So now you only think you want me.”

          Eddie took a large step toward you, grabbing your hand and putting it to his chest. His heart was hammering against your palm. “Even if that was true. You did this to me, just by kissing me, laughing with me, that didn’t come from memories. I have never felt like this, my body has never felt like this with anyone in my life. Not the way I do with you. Don’t get paranoid about Blair’s recollections in my mind. I stole a sweet line from one, but I don’t mean it any less.”

          You looked down at your feet, allowing Eddie to pull you back to him.

          “I loved getting to know you through her eyes, but I don’t need them. I can ask her to take them away. Then I can make fresh ones with you. Please, pretty girl, don’t discount my feelings because I plagiarized something.”

          That got you to giggle and you felt Eddie relax at the sound. You hugged him back. “You really feel that comfortable with me?”

          “Never felt so natural from another being. Only from my hobbies. Fantasy game and playing guitar, but you, I just need to be near you. I feel on top of the world.”

          You nuzzled your fervid face back into the curve of his neck. “I feel like I’m gonna catch fire. So, zip it, don’t know if I can take any more compliments right now.”

          “Pfft, like you can talk. Spouted like 10 rapid-fire compliments at me while on our date. Talk about unfair standards, sweetheart,” he huffed playfully while rubbing your back.

          “Shit!” you pulled back from Eddie in hurry, rushing to the stove and then draining the pasta. Eddie chuckled softly as you tried the pasta and made a face. “Okay, so, um, it’s overcooked. Someone distracted me.” You stuck your tongue out at him.

          “Worth it. What else we got that’s quick?”

          “Microwavable stuff, check the freezer, I’m gonna dump this mush.” You sighed.

          You were nearly in Eddie’s lap while helping him set up and figure out his phone. You glared at him a few times; you could tell he was playing dumb sometimes. Leaning closer and closer to you.

          “I think I got it all.” Eddie leaned back, from you, back into the cushions, relaxing a bit. “Man, this is cool.” He said while staring at the screen, scrolling through band info on the internet.

          “It can get addicting though, so just make sure you’re not on it all the time.” Eddie nodded in response. “Oh, do you wanna text the guys from GameDen to get deets on their campaign; when you can join and all that?”

          “Yea,” Eddie sat forward to have you watch him do it. “Just say who I am and ask how they are first, right?”

          “You can do the small talk or you can just be like; Hey this is Eddie, we met at GameDen. You said I could join your party. Can you let me know when? So, I can have my character ready.”

          “You’re good,” Eddie teased, typing out what you said. “You don’t like the small talk, do you, in text?”

          “Not really. Not in general. Rather just get to the point. I don’t text a lot, mainly because the only person I would bother to text, lives with me. I usually just call, because my boss and parents don’t like texting because they’re older. If I’m on my phone. I’m reading, watching something, scrolling through memes, or a social. I send a lot of memes and TikToks to Blair. It’s how I mainly communicate with her. I just see something and think of her, so I send it to her.”

          “Will you send me some?”

          “If you’d like.” Eddie nodded at you with a smile before looking back to his phone. “They haven’t replied?”

          “No, does it take a while?”

          “Sometimes, if they don’t respond. You have the other numbers, don’t worry.” You patted his thigh before standing up, stretching a bit. “What you wanna do, hun?” you looked down at him.

          “Think I wanna go play my guitar a bit.” He glanced up at you, not missing the slight sadness in your eyes for a moment. But it was gone in a blink, he stared at the fake smile you plastered on.

          “That sounds great. We can call it a night. I gotta get ready for bed anyways. Goodnight Eds, see ya tomorrow,” you started to walk off.

          Eddie quickly got up and grabbed your arm to turn you to him. “Everything okay?”

          “Yeah?” you titled your head confused.

          “So, I just imagined that flit of sadness when I said I wanted to play my guitar? And where is my goodnight kiss?” he huffed it all out in a quick breath.

          You propped up on your tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “G’night.” Your brow furrowed when he still didn’t let go. “Are you okay?”

          “No, tell me what’s wrong? We just started dating and you’re already hiding things from me and I don’t like it.”

          “Dating?” you murmured softly.

          “Did my confession of how you make me feel make you think otherwise?”

          “I just didn’t want to assume, usually putting a label on something, ends badly for me. I get too attached, clingy.”

          “I asked if you’d have me. But fine I’ve got no issue with you clinging to me, Angel. Will you be my girlfriend?” he smiled at your flustered state while you nodded. “Words, sweets.”

          “Y-yes. If that’s what you want.”

          “Oh, it is.” He encircled his arms around you. “Just so you know, I expect morning and nightly kisses. Real ones.” He seamed his mouth to yours savoring your soft whine. Barely pulling away, so his lips would brush against yours as he spoke. “Now, tell me what you were sad about with me wanting to go play guitar?”

          “Didn’t want the date, or night, to end. Just wanted to stay with you. But you deserve alone time and it is late, so…” you trailed off and glanced over your shoulder to your room. “So, I was just going to go to bed. Well maybe read a bit then bed. I’ve got work in the morning anyways.”

          “We’ll have other dates, better ones, this isn’t the end. Do you wanna go get ready for bed then come to my room while I dick around? You can read on my bed until you’re sleepy enough.” Eddie couldn’t help his little amused huff at your bright smile and quick bob of your head.

          Eddie had changed into some loose pants and was shirtlessly lounging on his bed. Back barely touching the headboard. Headphones on to hear his guitar while playing with the adaptions and equipment you bought him. He left the door open for you and smiled when he saw your figure there. But gave you a confused look when you were in far more clothing than he’d seen you in before to sleep.

          He pushed down his headphones to talk to you before you could reach the bed. “What’s with all this?” he gestured to you.

          You looked down at your body confused. You were in a long sleeve shirt and comfy sweats. “What you talkin’ ‘bout?”

          “Are ya really going to wear that to sleep?” he raised a suspicious eyebrow at you that disappeared into his fringe.

          “No?”

          “Then what’s with the getup?”

          You giggled softly. “Eddie, I don’t wear anything to bed. I just pull on whatever I can reach when I wake up.”

          “Shit, sweetheart, you can’t just say things like that.” Eddie gripped at his heart before slumping back on his bed.

          “You asked!” you tittered before sitting at the foot of his bed.

          “How am I supposed to behave knowing my voluptuously hot girlfriend sleeps naked just down the hallway from me?!” Eddie whined.

          “Pffft,” you giggled. “Not like we both don’t have toys and good imaginations to handle it ourselves.”

          “Wait, no, you said you didn’t have a good imagination, that’s why you don’t play D&D.”

          “I didn’t expect you to remember that,” you stammered.

          “Well, I did, now level with me. What do you mean?”

          “Ya know, to get off, I’ve gotta think of something. Reading helps, I can just replay those spicy scenes to ya know, get there, finish. I don’t really have a good imagination; I just reuse things or think up something I want.”

          “Woah, what, what?! You read porn?!” You squeaked at his shocked tone. “Little Precious Angel, my ass! What do you read? Show me.” Eddie gently yet quickly put down his guitar and headphones. Then crawled down to you. Chortling as you stuttered and shyly tried to hide your phone.

          “Eddie!” you squealed as you tried to keep hold of your phone. You let go and he flopped back with the prize and gave a victorious shout. “Not like you can unlock it and find it anyways,” you grumbled.

          “No, I saw your code when you showed me Rainbow in the Dark. But you’ve gotta tell me where you read.”

          “Eds, no! You don’t need to know. Just find your own porn.” You tried to reach for it.

          “Unless you’re offering to make me a few videos or make a film with me, I don’t care. I wanna know what you’re reading, you little scamp. I can’t believe I thought you were this sweet innocent thing. Angel,” Eddie mocked with a cackle while unlocking your phone.

          “Y-you,” you were beyond flustered by this conversation.

          “Where? Which app is it?” Eddie started thumbing through the apps on your phone. “I’ll open every single one until I find it.”

          “You won’t find it like that then,” you muttered, you took his confused face as an opportunity to grab your phone. “Haa!” you triumphed then shrieked as Eddie gripped you and wrestled you to the mattress. Pinning you down, knocking the breath out of your chest. All this talk and now him basically manhandling you with unforeseen strength, you whimpered.

          Heavy breathing was the only sound in his room as you both stared into each other’s eyes. Eddie’s body was arched over yours, his hands still affixed to your wrists. “Jesus Christ,” he groaned before leaning in to graze his lips against yours. “Shit, how did I get so lucky?” he whispered, mainly to himself before gingerly lying his body onto yours. “This okay?” he asked sheepishly.

          “Uh-huh,” you mumbled before lifting your head a bit to capture his lips again in a sudden burst of confidence. You hummed into his mouth when he teasingly brushed his tongue against the seam of your mouth. You let your head fall back to the bed and Eddie followed, claiming your mouth again desperately.

          Eddie didn’t mean to, but he rutted his growing hard-on into your hip. Stopping himself when you whined at it. “Shit, sorry,” he panted.

          “S’okay, Eds, but maybe we should calm down?” you tugged at his grip on your wrist.

          He tightened his hold. “Tell me what you read.”

          “Just smut, like sex,” you muttered before looking away.

          “What it’s all just vanilla sex?” he teased.

          “No, no, it’s um, fuck, Eds, you don’t know about this stuff and I don’t wanna talk ‘bout it. Because it’s so mortifying to admit it for me.”

          “Babe,” he cooed tenderly. “I’d never judge you; it’d probably just turn me on.”

          You sputtered for a moment before coming to the realization Eddie isn’t going to let you go until you told him. “Okay fine,” you heaved. “So, you know how people like things, create things from liking that thing?” he nodded. “It’s usually called a fandom like you’re a fan of that thing, you find the community for it and you just create together.”

          “Like that artwork of me on one of the t-shirt booths in the mall?”

          “Yes, exactly. Stranger Things has its own fandom. That shirt would be fanart, and with drawing, there is also writing. Fanfiction, stories of the characters, but there are reader-insert stories. When it’s a story with a character or multiple and then you are able to just, kinda, put yourself into the story.”

          You could see the gears turning in his head, piecing it all together. “So, you read smut of characters you like, written by other fans?” You give him a stiff nod and swallowed. “What characters?” your breath got caught in your throat for a moment at the sudden desire in his eyes.

          “Y-you,” you were barely audible. His eyes widened at your admission.

          “Been reading about having sex with me? Then you remember those works. And use the memory to then masturbate to me as well?” you pressed your lips together and Eddie couldn’t help the swell in his chest. “Is that common, fanfiction?” he was trying to downplay the hammering of his heart. Block the idea of you writhing on your bed at the thought of him.

          “Y-ya,” you cleared your throat. “I think so at least, Blair, too.”

          “Cool, cool, coooolll,” Eddie droned until you started to giggle. He pecked a kiss on your nose and let you up. “Is that what you were going to read in here?”

          “Maybe fluffy stuff, but likely not, I have a book I’m trying to finish, I just keep forgetting about it.” You gave him a dry chuckle.

          “What book?” Eddie reclaimed his spot at the headboard and resituated this guitar onto his lap.

          You started going on about what you’ve read so far. Eddie gave you his attention, asking some questions here and there. And when you trailed off, you two just smiled at each other.

          Eddie put his headphones back on and you started reading your book. Occasionally Eddie would nudge your hand with his foot. Laughing childishly when you’d drop it and give him an unamused glare, blowing kisses at you.

          Although the next time he went to do it, you had fallen asleep, he watched you for a moment before glancing at his watch. The new one that linked to his phone, he’d forgotten what you called it, but he liked it. You’d picked it out and a badass chain to connect to the face plate.

          “It’s almost 9,” he whispered to himself. Eddie chewed his lip for a moment. Carefully getting up, hanging up his sweetheart, and placing the headphones on the desk. Eddie so wanted to just try and get you up the bed and cuddle with you. But maybe that was too soon, he’d already pushed so much today. He just worried if he didn’t just do what he wants, you’d sense it, you’d try to pull away.

          Goddammit, is this what love is? Just being so damn nervous all the fucking time? Scared to screw it up, worrying about all the trivial things? No, no, Eddie was just jittery. Jazzed up, he’s so happy. Fuck he’s so lucky. Love-struck and feeling like a damn pre-teen around this gorgeous thing. One that loves him back. Lying in his bed. Has made herself cum to the simple thought of him. No one could compare to you. You’re sweetness, you’re unselfish nature. He wants all the mundane cliché bullshit he hated before. Morning kisses, checking in on each other, going on dates, getting married, maybe a nugget or two, holidays, vacations, Jesus Christ. He just wanted everything with you.

          Eddie took a deep breath to relax his mind. Shaking you gently. “Angel,” he called out softly. When your eyes fluttered ever so slightly for him, he smiled at you brightly. “You fell asleep, we should go to bed. You’ve got work in the morning, right?”

          You bobbed your head slowly before sitting up. “Yeah, sorry, I’ll let you be and go get some shut-eye. Or I could accidentally bake myself,” you joked dryly while standing up.

          “You never told me, well I also never asked. What is it you do for work?” Eddie firmly held your hand, leading you back to your room.

          “Head Baker, Pastry Chef, Kitchen Manager, whahaveya, whatever it is. I handle just about everything in the kitchen and I work closely with the owner. A sweet old woman named Evie, no kids of her own. I might get to own it someday. I mean I basically do everything but the ordering of supplies and accounting. Or at least that’s how it feels.” Eddie was shocked. Mainly at the level you were at in your life. But also, how you were so coherent with your words, yet were nearly stumbling just down the hallway.

          “You’re amazing,” he let out a soft chuckle. “Do you manage all the people too? Like employees?”

          “No, Evie handles all that, I can’t be an axe man. Makes me wanna cry, I mean unless they like piss me off. I have the power; I just have never used it. Evie also handles all the café, coffee, beverage stuff. I make all the food and keep the kitchen in pristine order.”

          “That’s still a lot. Do you like it?”

          “I love it. I do worry about owning it. Don’t know if I could make it stay successful. So, I’ve just been slowly helping out with more responsibilities. Hiring more staff, to give over some of my current responsibilities. It’s a bit stressful, but I mean if I could own my café, it’d so be worth it. Not having a boss anymore. Granted Evie is amazing, but I mean she only comes in like once a week if that, makes bank, and doesn’t answer to anyone else. I mean like besides like bills and helping me and staff when needed. I would love that, the freedom.”

          “You’re so cute when you’re rambling yet almost dead asleep on your feet.” Eddie barked out a laugh when you stuck your tongue out at him. “Go to bed Angel, I’ll bother you tomorrow.”

          “You could never be a bother, my love,” you extended your head for a kiss. He eagerly scooped down to claim his goodnight kiss.

          “I’m gonna hold ya to that,” he muttered against your lips

          “Good,” you pulled him down to deepen the kiss for a moment before pulling away. “Night handsome.”

Author’s Note;

I’m debating if this is the end or not. I’m starting to think it’d be better left as a short fluff series. But Idk, anyone would like this continue, just let me know. I’ll ponder it and see if I can get a good next part or somethin... Idk just not really feelin this one rn. I feel like it’s not that good, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways!

[lalahbug]

To other writers (no one in specific) but when you make the switch from using things such as "pale skin" or "she blushed" in your fics, you open your works to be read to an ENTIRE new demographic of people who probably don't get to see themselves in fics usually!

Instead of using "she blushed" when the reader is shy, or embarassed, get creative! There are plenty of other phrases you can use to show that emotion!

Instead of "her pale skin" I've found that replacing the word pale with (s/c), skin color, makes the fic a lot more accessible!

When it comes to hairstyles, this is where it gets more tricky however, you can never be too tedious when it comes to inclusion! You can always opt for giving a general description of the hair. Not everyone can pull their hair in a messy bun but quite a few people can pull their hair up! You can also opt for things such as but not limited to

"Pulled her hair away from her face"

"Flicked her hair behind her shoulders"

And then obvious when it comes to length and color there's always the use of (h/c), or hair color, and (h/l), or hair length.

I understand that this doesn't make it accessible to EVERY person, I'm a gal with a shaved head myself! However this does make it more accessible to a lot more people. People who look like you aren't the only people thar read fanfics and if you want a broader audience, make things that POC people can read too!

- Love, a black reader and writer!

[lalahbug]

☠︎ Girlfriend ☠︎

Request: A Part 2 to "Tutor"

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Carver!Fem!Reader

A/N: Ignore that Silence of the Lambs was published in '88.

CW: Smut, Fluff, Angst 18+| [y/n]'s Mother (Family Secrets/Misogyny/Rich Family/Unhappy Marriage/Unplanned Pregnancy) Mentions of Forced Date, Self-Deprecation, Feeling of not being good enough, Secret Relationship, Wayne being our #1 Dad, Smut~ Penetrative Sex (Unprotected, Creampie, Semi-Public)

"Sooo... Girls' night has officially started," Robin announces as the Wheelers leave and reveals the whiskey she stole from her dad's liquor cabinet.

Steve looks up from the graduation cap Nancy makes him hold so she can glue down the white lace she wants on it. "Hey," he cries, hating that he technically is one of the girls.

Robin rolls her eye. "Girls' night with Steve," she corrects herself sarcastically.

Steve ignores the tone, simply giving a satisfied, "Thank you."

Both take a sip of whiskey, grimacing their faces, while I glue the last and final red rhinestone on the devil's skin, which lurks maniacally on Eddie's cap. He hasn't written his test yet, but as I told him, I am certain he'll graduate.

"Eddie will love that," Nancy tells me, and I grin.

"You think?" I ask, looking down at Mike's Hellfire Club shirt one last time to make sure I copied everything correctly. It looks good, the devil, full of red rhinestones, is surrounded by spikes on the edges and a silver '86 on the side, and the black tassel comes from his mouth like a hellish tongue.

Robin cackles, "Are you crazy? The graduation cap looks like it's straight from his brain."

"Because it kind of is," I laugh, taking a sip of the vile liquor that burns in my throat.

"So, you are a couple now?" Steve asks, still confused over the whole secretive concept Eddie and I have going on at the moment.

"Kind of," I reply, making him raise his eyebrows.

"What's a kind-of-couple?"

I sigh, annoyed over the last two weeks - the first two of our relationship - having been nothing but hide and seek, little notes in my locker, mixtapes delivered to me by Dustin, and staying as far away from each other as possible.

"We like each other a lot. We see and want a future together, but we'll have to wait until we graduate because my family believes the devil possesses him," I explain as casually as possible.

"Well, I wish that would be the strangest thing I've ever heard," Nancy mutters, empathetic. "Have you made up a plan for after graduation?"

I nod. "I'll move out, and I already have found a store I'm interested in renting."

"Where are you going to live? I can always ask my parents to let you stay with us," my best friend asks sweetly, but I decline.

"Thanks, Robin. But I think I'll buy a house a little outside of Hawkins, closer to the store."

Steve raises his brows, "You have that kind of money?"

"Yes, it's a generous trust fund. A small house is affordable," I explain as if mine and Steve's dad haven't been business partners for over a decade now.

"Especially since after the earthquake, the real estate prices dropped to an all-time low," Nancy jokes, taking a sip of soda to flush down the taste of whiskey.

"So, no better time to buy a house," Robin joins in. "Except if Vecna comes back and decides to continue his mandala of terror."

We share a look, knowing it's inevitable that it will happen at one point in time, yet I shrug. "Hey, I'm going to enjoy my life to the fullest until he returns."

Nancy's hand brushes over my shoulder, signing her support, then she shows us her finished cap.

As she puts it aside, Steve asks teasingly in his most girlish voice, "Are we now painting our toenails?"

"Who invited you?" Robin exclaims, annoyed but chuckling, and throws a pillow at him.

As they bicker, a very clear yelp from outside the bedroom catches my attention.

"What was that?" I ask Nancy, who answers suspiciously fast.

"That's Mike and the boys."

Another annoyed row of curses follows, making me state, "That sounded like Eddie." As nobody answers, I stare at the most guilty looking of them. "Nance."

"They help him study," she replies, and I feel my heart starting to beat faster.

"So, he's here, and you didn't tell me?" I ask.

Robin shrugs, "It's Girls' Night, and he asked us not to tell you."

I jump off the bed, graduation cap in my hand, and leave the room. Stopping by Mike's room, I watch them through the small gap they've left the door open.

"Last chance, Eddie," Dustin announces, standing before the chair my boyfriend sits on.

From a paper handed to him by Mike, he reads, "Antacids and antiallergic drugs interfere with the function of histamines but do not interfere with the function of each other. Explain."

Eddie's hair is wet and slicked back; Erica stands beside him, a water gun pointing in his direction.

"The-" he starts, but the armed girl soaks him in water. "What the fuck?"

"Erica, he was about to answer," Mike tells her, being quickly shut up by her.

"He was too slow."

"I hate you, little shits," he tells them, brushing his wet bangs from his face.

"Answer," Erica demands, the neon green gun pointed at his face again.

"They do not interfere with the functioning of each other because they work on different receptors in the body. Histamine stimulates the secretion of pepsin and hydrochloric acid in the stomach. The drug cimetidine was designed to prevent the interaction of histamine with the receptors present in the stomach wall. This results in the release of fewer amounts of acid. Antacid and antiallergic drugs work on different receptors."

"Mike?" Dustin asks, having him nod.

"He's right."

A triumphant laugh escapes Eddie, making my heart swell with love. I knew he could do it if he tried hard enough.

"Great, can we take a break?" he asks, hopeful, but Erica shakes her head.

"No."

"C'mon," he whines, and I decide to intervene.

"Hey," I greet them, knocking on the door. "Would you mind if I borrow Eddie for a while?"

My eyes meet his brown ones, and I can swear they sparkle as he realizes I am actually here. If his heart beats as fast from excitement as mine?

"Five minutes, else his dumbass brain resets itself," Erica allows, putting the water gun down.

Eddie uses the opportunity and bolts out of the room, past me, and down the stairs.

"What did he pay you?" I ask the kids.

Dustin grins excitedly. "He bought us the new Atari 7800."

I raise my eyebrows, "And you Super Soaker him for getting answers wrong?"

"Four minutes," Erica announces, and I quickly lift my hands in surrender.

"Kay." She has a bright future ahead of her, that bossy little girl.

I follow Eddie down the stairs, finding him on the porch, a cigarette in his mouth.

"I love kissing smokers," I announce jokingly, making him turn to me and pull me against his chest.

"Sorry, Sweetheart. They're really pushing me in there."

"I know, saw it," I giggle, running a hand through his wet curls.

Flicking the butt of his cigarette away, he cups my cheeks. "Jesus, I missed you," he announces before bringing our lips together. The taste of cigarettes is overpowered by his own, so I don't feel bothered by it as I melt into the kiss.

His hands wander to my waist as he deepens the kiss. "Eddie," I giggle, but he doesn't stop, instead moving down to my neck.

"Eddie," I breathe again, weakly. "I got something for you."

He instantly stops, curious puppy eyes staring me down. I reveal the graduation cap I had hidden behind my back, and he takes it, holding it to the porch light.

"That's... You made that for me?" He asks, baffled. I nod, having him truly touched. "You're that sure I'll graduate?"

As I nod, he pulls me into another kiss, this one being less lusting and more... More.

As he pulls away, he whispers against my lips, "I need to go back in. Still have a few notes I need to go over."

"If you need a break, Nancy, Robin, Steve, and I are having a Girls' Night," I offer, making him place a kiss on my forehead.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," he tells me. "I'll see you when we graduate, but keep Dustin's walkie-talkie on just in case I'll get lonely and need to hear your voice."

We haven't used them yet, but Dustin — our number one supporter — has lent us his walkie-talkies. It's cute and a valuable thing to have since we can't exactly just call each other.

I follow Eddie inside, surprised by how determent he can be. "Eddie?" He stops on the stairs, looking down at me. "If given the choice, house or trailer?"

He chuckles, "Can't afford either."

As I give him a serious look since we both know I can afford both for us, he sighs, telling me smiling, "I'd follow you wherever your heart takes you."

And as if he knows it can't get any more romantic, he leaves me there before the moment is ruined, returning to his study circle of hell.

*****

Cursing, I slam the door behind me. This has to be a sick joke.

My father just announced that his old friend from college and his son are here for a visit. Directly followed by the boy's resume and the information that I will be going out with him for dinner next Tuesday.

Matt is a rich jock, of course, from an old money family and has a family line cleaner than the operating table of the nearby hospital.

He is also exactly what my family wants from me, and therefore, Dad didn't even give me a chance to say no.

No. He said this was an essential step for my future, and if we'd get along, there would stand nothing in the way of further arrangements.

I feel like cattle about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

I feel trapped in the current situation.

It knocks on the door, and although I – loud and clearly – say no, my mother comes in. She holds a silver foiled Pop-Tart – I know she hates when I eat them – as a peace offering in her perfectly manicured hands.

"Hun," she says, sitting beside me on the mattress. "Your dad didn't mean to upset you. He just really wants you to have a husband that can offer you something."

"I'm eighteen. I don't want to think about getting married just yet."

Mom nods, her eyes focused on the shiny foil in her hands. "I know you think this is ridiculous now, but your teenage years are over quicker than you think, and then you're expected to fit into society seamlessly. You have a family name and legacy to protect. It would help if you'd trust your father more. He knows what's best."

I sit up, feeling like she's messing with me, sounding like a broken record that always tells me what I, as a Carver, am expected to be and do. "I don't wanna go on a date with this guy, but Dad forces me to because he'll benefit from me being with a son of a wealthy friend. That isn't thinking about what's best for me, Mom."

After a few seconds of deafening silence, she looks up from the Pop-Tarts. "You're still seeing the Munson boy, aren't you?" she asks calmly, knowing.

I quickly shake my head. I didn't even dare to look at Eddie anymore, just out of fear we'd get caught. "N-No. Dad said I wasn't allowed to, so I dumped him."

I sound convincing. I trained myself to sound like that. The words are clean and painful to think about, but I am so convincing.

They always say that you can't lie to your mother. She's supposed to be the person knowing you best, having loved and raised you. I never thought my mom knew me enough to keep up with that saying... Yet, her eyes fill with shock and worry the second the lie leaves my mouth.

"[y/n]. Your father will be furious."

"About what?" I ask her. "You want me to call him? I bet you ten bucks he's at some stupid party or has another girl over right now."

I recall the fact that I know Eddie would pick up, that he doesn't like parties, and that he wouldn't cheat on me. I don't like having to sound so convincing. I am messing with my own mind doing it.

Mom sighs. "This might've fooled your father, young lady, but not me. You have to break things up with this boy. [y/n], I beg of you to be reasonable here. You know this family will never approve of him. They will disown you, shun you..."

I shrug. "So? There's worse than having to pass on Thanksgiving dinners with a family that thrived for generations of exploiting others and yet still acts as though they worked for their wealth."

"[y/n]," she sighs. "Sometimes it's about what's best for your family."

"So my family benefits from me being miserable? Sounds like a shitty family to me," I scoff.

"How do you think I would feel if your grandparents would announce your exclusion from the family? Do you think they would ever let me see you again? I wouldn't be able to go to your wedding or meet my grandchildren."

"Mom, this family isn't the mafia. We could still see each other..."

"We both know you're not stupid enough to actually believe this. Think of your Aunt Sweety."

My father's younger sister, Mary Louise Carver, mostly known as Sweety (a hint toward her sweet nature), met the love of her life when she was eighteen. The boy (born to immigrant parents) had come from a broken, financially unstable family and was working odd jobs to support himself.

Sweety decided to marry him, not caring about what our family said.

The scandal had shaken our entire family, I had only been five, but I still remember the Sunday night dinners ending in screaming and tears.

The Carver family line is as clean and purebred as could be. We have lives planned for us, expectations and traditions to fulfill that have come with us on the Mayflower... We're not allowed to pair with the common folk.

Disowned and shunned, my aunt carried on and married her boyfriend. The last time we heard from her, she'd moved overseas.

On family celebrations, we're not allowed to bring up her name; there are no pictures of her found anywhere in our houses; when an old family friend (unaware of the drama) asks about her, we pretend she's dead.

When it comes to the Carvers, Mary Louise doesn't exist.

God, fuck, we have an awful family. Even if I like to pretend that my family life wouldn't change by choosing Eddie, my mom's stressed-out face gives me a very needed but heavily unwanted reality check.

"If our family is as bad, why did you marry Dad?"

I know how Grandma treats Mom. She always makes sure to let her know that she isn't a Carver and isn't a welcomed person in our bloodline. I can't see how anyone would ever choose to be part of this family.

Love makes you do crazy things, but love isn't even in the top ten words I'd use to describe my parent's relationship.

My mother quickly shrugs off my question. "Different situations."

I cock my head, watching her focus painfully hard on the Pop-Tarts. "How so?"

She swallows harshly, forcing herself to smile. "As I told you before, bad boys have the ability to ruin your life."

My mother and I were never close. She genuinely tried but couldn't fully connect with me. And once I was older, we were simply too different.

The way she played the role of the happy, rich housewife, although she needed to take uppers every morning just so she could get out of bed, was common knowledge in our family.

When I was little, Jason spent enough time at our house that he'd even developed a system that was planned to prevent me from seeing her fight with my dad, pop her uppers, or have her breakdowns.

My mother isn't happy.

And the longer I think about it, her words, my age, a very clear image paints itself for me.

"Mom, were you–"

She nods, interrupting me. "Three months pregnant when I married your father? Yes."

"So you married him out of obligation."

Pressing her lips together, she says, "His family was very clear about what they thought of the idea of having a grandchild born out of wedlock. There weren't many options given to me, so I took the most beneficial one for all three of us."

Oh, do things now make sense. "You married Dad because of me."

"Oh, now don't look so sad, [y/n]," she smiles her fake smile; I assume this mask gives her comfort. "I have a beautiful life, and I wouldn't change it for anything. I have a hard-working husband providing for his family and a beautiful, intelligent daughter; I get to keep up the family's values, and I never have to worry about money..."

... And you take pills and cry to yourself every day. Having money doesn't sound like it's worth it.

"It's the '80s, Mom," I tell her carefully. "Money isn't everything, and I definitely don't care if you divorce Dad to start over or not. You'd still be my mom."

Shaking her head and wiping away an uncried tear, she shuts me out again. "[y/n], I am not going to take life advice from an eighteen-year-old child. I am in the place and life I created for myself, and I am very happy," she lectures me.

After handing me the Pop-Tart, her eyes become a little sifter again. "Please just go on this date with Matt and think about all the possibilities a marriage to him could offer you in comparison to marrying trailer trash. If not for yourself, do it for me."

Tired of the conversation, I nod. "Kay."

I wait until Mom's outside, lock the door behind her, and fetch one of the shoe cartons from under the bed. Opening it, I push away my old Metallica shirt and grab Dustin's walkie-talkie.

He gave it to me, saying that Eddie has the other and should we ever want to talk, we could do it over the walkie-talkies. Keeping up an appearance, Eddie agreed not to pick up the phone should I call or pretend not to want to speak to me.

"Eddie," I ask quietly, turning on some music. "Eddie, are you there?"

I wait shortly, having him answer happily, "Hey, Sweetheart. I thought I'd be the one caving in first. Is everything okay? Miss me?"

I decide to tell him about my date. I refuse to be as toxic as the rest of my family, yet, I dread his response. Eddie deserves better than having his girlfriend go out with somebody else. We haven't even had our first date yet.

"I- I need to tell you something you won't like," I say.

"Okay?" he answered, confused.

"I need you to know that it means nothing to me, and I solely do it because I can't get out of it, so please don't read anything into it, okay?"

Clearing his throat, Eddie becomes more serious. "Okay? You're getting me a little worried over here. What's wrong, Baby?"

Biting the bullet, I blurt out, "My dad makes me go on a date with the son of a friend of his."

I wait for an answer, but there is none.

"Eddie, are you still there?"

"Uh-huh," he answers coldly. "Why did you tell me that?"

I frown. "Because you're my boyfriend, and I didn't want to keep it from you and have it look like a bigger deal than it actually is."

"It's a gigantic deal, actually," he tells me, irritated.

"It's just dinner with some jock-"

I am interrupted by Eddie's hurt rambling, build-up anger I didn't know he held coming forward. "No. It's a fucking date you go on with some other dude while I – as your boyfriend – am not even allowed to look at you. That jock gets to take you out and be seen with you while I get nothing."

"Eddie–"

"Don't go," he says quicker than I can find calming words.

"What?" I ask, taken by surprise.

He repeats himself. "I don't want you to go."

"It's not exactly like I have a choice."

"Bullshit. You always have a choice. You're not a fucking piece of meat," Eddie scoffs.

It's something so basic, but I love him for believing that I truly have a choice.

"Eddie, I have to because my dad told me to. I am not interested in the guy, but it is what it is. After dinner, he'll drop me off at home, and that's it," I say, hearing him sigh emotionally.

His emotions are so delicate underneath all of his freak armor.

"I know this is all upsetting for you," I tell him. "But it is only until we graduate, and I'm out of here. The second I have my diploma, I promise I will make sure everyone in Hawkins knows I'm Eddie Munson's girlfriend. Gonna have it printed in the newspaper and on flyers. But I need you to trust me until then."

I really am not eager to meet this guy. I have all my horses set on Eddie, on us.

"It's not about trusting you..." he admits. "Just don't want you to see how much better you can do. What if that guy's some fucking prince charming, and you realize that's what you actually want, and I was just a phase of teenage rebellion?"

A giggle escapes me. "Eddie, you are not a phase. I wanted to be with you for years, and now that I got you're not getting rid of me again. I am not rethinking our plans—not even for a second."

"You sure?" he asks.

"Absolutely," I assure him.

He seems to think for a few seconds, and I just wish I could see his cheeky grin as he asks, "So forever?"

"I'd say till death do us part, but-"

He interrupts me with a burst of giddy energy. "Death can go fuck itself. I'll still hold your hand when I'm a freaking ghost rotting in my forever box. I'm actually thinking of getting a shared casket so we can rot together."

"Romantic," I giggle sarcastically, having him agree.

"Totally metal."

"Makes death metal get a whole new meaning, huh?"

We share a well-needed laugh.

"Gotta love that my girl makes jokes like that," Eddie chuckles.

"So I'm still your girlfriend?" I ask, glad that we're already acting healthier and more mature than my parents.

"You crazy? That was never up for debate," he assures me. "I'm as loyal as a dog. Unless you decide against it, we're forever."

"So, should I start writing [y/n] Munson on all my binders? I think I'm a little too old for that," I tease, still thinking of doing it anyway, feeling like a thirteen-year-old again.

"Lucky for you, I never grew out of that age; my options just got more advanced. I'm gonna ink it all over my body, permanently. Like a deal with the devil."

Having my name permanently marked on Eddie's body does sound nice...

"Hey, [y/n]?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna tell you something, but you're not allowed to reply to it over the walkie-talkie, okay? Wanna hear it in person for the first time."

For towing my brows, I agree. "Okay? What is it?"

"I love you. Can't even think of a day I didn't, which makes me kind of stupid but also stupidly lucky 'cause I never want there to be a day without that feeling."

He says it so casually, yet honestly. I am overwhelmed and want to answer him and tell him I love him too, but as he requested, I'll wait until I get to see him again.

"In other news," Eddie chuckles. "I just finished a new campaign for Hellfire. The guys will both love and hate me, and I can't wait to see where the journey will take them."

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"You actually wanna hear about it, or are you being nice 'cause I'm good in bed?" he jokes.

"So full of yourself," I snicker. "Now tell me."

I get comfortable on my bed and hear Eddie clearing his throat, starting to talk, "Okay. So I actually wrote some lore I made up; I'll have to tell you about first: Centuries ago, the old gods were still reigning over the human kinds..."

*****

You just got to appreciate the irony of having my father set up a date for me to prove I can do better than Eddie Munson, and it just hardening my decision to spend the rest of my days as the freak's girl.

"So, you're going to Yale?" I ask after the seventh time that Matt flirts with the poor waitress, gawking at her ass.

"Yeah," he answers, looking around bored. He looks me up and down. "Look, I'm gonna cut this short: Am I getting something tonight?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Sex," he clarifies, poking his pasta – the one he sent back three times. "I mean, like, you're not my type, but like... If the night ends in the back of my car anyway, we can skip this shit dinner."

Yes, this "date" is a step back for women's rights.

"I don't think we will," I tell Matt, and he shrugs.

"Yeah, kinda thought you were a prude."

I just nod. Fuck that. At this point, I don't even care for anything other than this date being over. Let that guy think whatever he wants.

"Is there any place around here where I can go for a beer?" he asks me, pulling me from my thoughts.

"You're underaged," I tell him loudly as some people have heard his previous question and start talking. We all drink secretly every once in a while, but rich-guy here doesn't seem to care for making it a secret.

Matt sighs, annoyed. "Fuck me. You're a buzz kill, huh?"

I think for a second. It's Tuesday, and suddenly, I know the perfect way to end the night. "Actually, there is this place called The Hideout. They play rock and metal, all in all, a rougher crowd, and usually, they don't check IDs there. We can drive there; I'll lead the way."

Throwing a couple of dollar bills on the table, he stands up. "You sound eager," he notes, putting on his jacket as I do the same. "Your boyfriend's there, right?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," I quickly answer, running after him, toward his car.

Matt chuckles as we get in. "Bullshit. You're dad told my dad you were running around with a punk."

"Metalhead," I correct him quicker than I can stop myself, knowing that Eddie would lose it being confused with punks.

"Ha," Matt quips back.

"Fuck."

Driving out of the parking lot, he sighs. "So, that's why you don't wanna fuck. Has nothing to do with you being a prude or with my looks, huh?"

I internally cringe as he rests his hand on my thigh, but my tone stays friendly. "No, absolutely not," I say, making him smile smugly. "You're an absolute heartthrob; every girl would be happy to be with you.

"But the last time that Eddie – my boyfriend – found out a guy flirted with me..." I remove his hand from my leg, sighing. "Poor guy, they haven't found him since. All I know is that Eddie ate his liver with fava beans and Dad's nice chianti."

Matt sucks in a breath, "Shit, really?"

I blink at him innocently, "I have no reason to lie to you, now, do I?"

"That is absolutely terrifying. Do- Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

Never read "Silence of the Lambs" and realize that you're a little stupid...

"That is so sweet of you," I tell Matt, laying a hand on my heart, "but please only worry about yourself. This date is already more danger than I'd like you to be in."

He swallows nervously, nodding. "Okay."

"We have to go right after the next fire hydrant."

Fair to say, I think I terrified Matt enough to keep his hands to himself. I would even feel a little bad if he wouldn't have been an insufferable asshat.

The second we're at The Hideout, loud music fills my ears, and Eddie's obnoxiously loud voice makes my heart beat faster. We hurry inside, Matt quick to leave my side, no longer caring if we lose each other in the crowd.

Through all the shit Eddie went through with these false accusations, his story really provided Corroded Coffin with their shot. The knowledge of the lead singer and guitarist being accused of murder, and satanism, being called a freak for minor things like music and the love for fantasy games really resonated with outcasts throughout America.

He is one of them. His story and hardships could easily be theirs.

The crowd loves the band. The cheap, handmade merch – t-shirts and cassette tapes – is already sold out, The Hideout has a tapestry with their name nailed to one of the walls, right next to tons of different biker trinkets.

I make my way to the bar and get myself a beer. Grabbing a stool the second it becomes available, I just sit there and watch my boyfriend and his band perform.

Half an hour later, Eddie thanks the unholy amount of people cheering for them for coming. His eyes scan the crowd and land on me. Instantly his smile becomes wider, eyes glistening in the spotlights he deserves to stand in.

I stay seated until the fans got their chance to swamp the boys, and when Corroded Coffin starts dragging their things outside, I follow swiftly through the back exit.

The cold air bites my skin while I watch Eddie and Gareth lift the drums in the back of the van. When the instruments are gone and he wishes his friends goodbye, Eddie finally notices me. With one hand moving through his sweaty mane, he tries to fix his deliciously disheveled appearance as he approaches me.

"Hey, baby," he says so softly it is almost a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

His hands grab my waist as he tilts his head and lovingly pecks my lips.

"The jock needed a beer after I friendly declined his offer to fuck him on the backseat... and I just couldn't stop thinking of you."

Eddie nods, approving, a smug grin on his lips. "So, two birds with one stone."

"I also told him you're Hannibal Lecter, so he'd keep his hands to himself."

Kissing me again, Eddie nips at my jaw, making his way down to my neck. "I'm honored you believe I know how to cook, let alone have a doctor title."

I giggle, letting him spin us around and back me against the side of his van.

"Missed you," I mumble into the feeling of a hickey being placed right behind my ear.

"Missed you more," Eddie purrs, hands grabbing my flesh so harshly, I just know he's bruising it. "Mind if we take this further, Sweetheart? Need you."

He pulls himself away from me; arm stretched out above my head to keep him up, so he can look at me. I run my tongue over my bottom lip as I stare at his naked torso, only covered by his leather jacket.

My appreciation and unholy thoughts for my perfect boyfriend stop abruptly as I see the new ink decorating his skin. On his chest, right across the bloody demon head and the spider, there's my name.

I lift my hand, pulling the jacket away to get a better look at it. Yes, my name.

"Like it, sweet girl?" he asks genuinely, but with his boyish grin, already knowing my answer.

I carefully trace the tattoo with my fingertips; it's not fully healed yet.

"Eddie..." I whisper, the feeling of possessive lust and love bubbling over, "Fuck me."

He chuckles darkly, "Whatever you want, baby."

His lips crash down onto mine, this time not caring to be gentle. His tongue glides over my bottom lip, entering my mouth the second I moan as he cups me through my panties.

My nails dig into his leathered forearms as I pull myself closer, making sure to give him enough pressure as he grinds his clothed erection against my thigh while rubbing my clit through my underwear.

As Eddie pulls himself from me, a shaky breath escapes him. "Shit, okay." He looks around and then grins at me while opening his black jeans. "Nobody comes here, promise. It's the band exit."

I barely get to nod as his lips are on mine again in a heartbeat. He hoists up my left leg, and I wrap it around his waist, feeling him almost rip my panties as he moves them out of the way and enters me quickly and entirely.

We moan into each other's mouths, then giggle idiotically, yet greedily we begin moving against each other, rocking the van behind us as we fall into a harsh and deep rhythm.

The almost painful stretching makes me rest my head against the van. Only the moonlight makes it possible for me to see Eddie's face. I don't think I ever felt as much adoration for anyone before, and I surely know that nobody ever looked at me like Eddie does.

It's a mixture of deep, unconditional love and animalistic wanting.

It's frightening, yet safe.

It's familiar, yet new altogether.

I whimper loudly as Eddie hoists my leg even higher. Solely his grip on my leg and waist and the van behind me keep me from falling.

This new position not only makes my spine tingle from the adrenaline rush of practically hanging in the air but also allows Eddie's pelvis to grind against my clit.

Having to keep quiet while my body erupts with pleasure is horrible, but being caught in this position would be even worse.

Eddie clenches his jaw, looking down at me. "Fuck, I don't think I can last much longer," he grunts. "How close are you, Sweetheart?"

"So close," I moan, the sensation of approaching bliss having me chase it frantically, "so, so close. Please don't stop."

Keeping up with his harsh thrusts, the tip of his cock suddenly hits the perfect spot, the one that has me see stars, and I unexpectedly fall apart, coming with a loud, lewd moan as my legs start shaking.

I would worry about the fact that I was definitely heard, but Eddie clouds all of my senses and all of my judgment. He moans and groans, throwing his head back and exposing his from sweat glistening neck, and as he fills me with his cum, his fist hits the van behind me, curses leaving his mouth.

For the moments we need to collect ourselves after that, I don't care if we're getting caught or what it looks like... not like there is any way to misunderstand the position we're in.

Eddie leans close, kissing me sweetly. Hand on my back, he helps me stand on my own as he swiftly pulls out and tucks himself away.

"You are ethereal," he mumbles against my lips, accentuating every word of his with a kiss. "Perfect. Beautiful. Love you."

Leaning against the cold van, I hold onto Eddie's leather jacket, making sure he stays close. Thankfully, touch is one of his love languages, and he happily obliges.

"Did that idiot at least take you out for dinner? Did you eat something?"

I shake my head. "We ate at a restaurant, but I was too busy apologizing for his shitty behavior toward the waitress."

"Want me to take you for burger and fries? Gonna take you home after. Don't want you to get driven home by that jock when he's in there getting drunk."

"That sounds good."

He grins. "Good? Yeah, baby?"

I nod excitedly. "Very, very good."

Eddie kisses me again, taking my hand and walking me to the passenger seat, where he opens the door for me. As he joins me in the car, he starts it, turning the stereo down quickly.

"We can listen to music," I tell him as he leaves the parking lot of The Hideout, and his hand sneaks onto my thigh.

"Rather talk to you," he replies, squeezing my leg gently. "Thought you'd like to know that I told Uncle Wayne about us."

I look at him, surprised. "You did?"

He nods. "Hope that's okay," he says, almost embarrassed.

"Of course it is. I- I'm just- I like that you told him."

"You do?"

"Yes. He's... You're close," I say, sad that I can't tell my family about Eddie and how happy he makes me.

Eddie grins. "He's my dad. Like, not actually, 'cause he's my uncle, but he's my dad."

"I hope he likes me," I whisper nervously.

"Want me to tell you how it went?"

I nod, making him lick his lips before setting the scene and carrying me through the relationship he has with his uncle. How Wayne is glad he is happy, how he's concerned because I'm a Carver. How I, indeed, made a good first impression and an even better second one when I stood up against my drunk cousin.

Eddie certainly tends to overshare, the story is filled with snippets of his parents' relationship and how Wayne is Eddie's number-one supporter.

*****

Graduation. Finally.

I've never felt freer than today. After today, a new life is starting for me. I don't even mind the overpriced dress mom put me in.

As Jason and I take our diplomas – technically, the placeholders handed to us for the ceremony – we are surrounded by our family, taking dozens of overly professional photos.

I can excuse myself as I see Eddie standing in line for his diploma. Wearing his black robe and the graduation robe I made for him, he plays with his rings nervously.

Joining my friends and Eddie's uncle, I exclaim, "He made it?"

For surprise and 'safety' reasons, the Hellfire Club had left me in the dark until today. I hated every day since the test, but now seeing Eddie in his robe; I feel proud enough to forget the worry that he might hadn't made it.

That's my boy up there... – standing next to me, Wayne lays a hand on my shoulder – ...Well, our boy.

"I knew he could do it," Wayne tells me, taking out his camera and starting to take photos.

"Edward Munson."

As his name is loudly announced, we cheer and scream his name excitedly. A moment passes while Eddie takes his diploma, and I wonder if he is seriously going to flip our former principal the bird.

But instead, he looks at us, looks at me. And in a burst of his chaotic, uncontrollable energy, he jumps down the podium and runs up to me.

"I did it," he screams loudly, bumping against me and hugging me tightly.

"You did it," I reply, giggling.

"I feel so smart. I bet I could fight God."

Lifting a hand to his chest, I snicker warningly, "Now, don't be crazy."

He chuckles at his own silliness before kissing me, only pulling away when Wayne clears his throat.

"Son," he calls, Eddie quickly walking over to him.

"I did it," the metalhead tells his uncle, holding up his diploma.

Wayne nods. "Always knew you would make it. I'm so proud of you."

They hug, both men clearly not as tough as they present to be.

"Give me your camera," I tell Wayne, taking a photo of them... Two photos since Eddie insisted on going the devil horns and pulling a grimace in the first one.

In return, Wayne insists on taking a photo of his nephew and me. This one is adorable; I already know it as Eddie wraps his arms around my waist, hugging me sweetly from behind. It's like compensation for having missed out on prom.

I see my parents looking for me, their appearance as proper as always. Mine and my mother's gazes meet, her face turning into something terrified as she sees who I am standing next to.

"Come," I say, taking Eddie's hand and walking to my family, Wayne following behind us.

"Mom? Dad?" I say to ensure I have their attention. "Those are my boyfriend Eddie and his uncle Wayne."

My father plays it cool, stepping before my mom. "Mr. Munson. Edward," he greets them, shaking their hands.

Then his cold stare meets me. "If you'd excuse us for a moment?" he tells Eddie and Wayne without as much as to even look at them again, then he grabs my arm and pulls me aside.

"[y/n], is this a joke?" my father asks angrily. "These people-"

I finish his sentence for him, "Are my boyfriend and his uncle."

He huffs angrily, my mother staying quiet. "We talked about this."

"No. You talked, and I was supposed to stay quiet and do what you want," I retort. "I will not stay away from Eddie, and you both will have to get over it."

"You can do so much better-"

I interrupt my father, unsure if Eddie hears us or not, "Stop that. I am sorry you are unhappy with my choice, but I love Eddie, and I will not have you talk about him like that. I want you to make an effort to get to know him."

The angry vein on my father's forehead pops out. "[y/n], I will not have you turn our family's name into a joke," he growls, infuriated. "It is him or us."

"What?" I ask, baffled, my mother's eyes becoming wide with shock, yet she stays silent like the good little wife she is expected to be.

"If you choose this boy, your mother and I don't want to have anything to do with you," Dad repeats himself, Mom whispering his name but falling silent as he lifts his hand, forbidding her to speak.

He is protecting the family's reputation at all costs. Right, because this is all that was ever important to my father, our reputation.

"Wow, thank you for making this decision so easy for me, Dad," I tell him sarcastically, swallowing tears as I see some rolling down my mother's cheeks.

"[y/n]. Are you really going to choose trailer trash above your own parents? How dare you?" Guilt-tripping, all my father could ever do when I wanted to make my own decisions.

"No, how dare you?" I reply. "Treating yourself and my love for you like a bargaining chip to manipulate me... Eddie would never have the bar go that low and respects me and my decisions enough to not challenge them with the thread of leaving me."

"We'll revoke all your trust funds," he tries again, having the impression of me being as materialistic as himself.

"Mom and I had the money from the one set up for my graduation transferred to my bank account yesterday, but please, enjoy your life with the rest of the money. Maybe invest in therapy for Jason or yourself," I tell my father and walk away before tears start running down my cheeks.

Of course has our fight not gone overlooked. My family has been blessed with exceptionally loud voices. The Munson's are fast to walk after me, Wayne having a gentle yet firm grip on my arm.

"Hey, are you okay, kid?" he asks calmly, empathy in his eyes. The way he tilts his head already tells me this isn't the first time he has to calm an upset youth.

I nod, taking the tissue he hands me. "Uh-huh. I- I could use some help moving, though. I kinda just got disowned."

Eddie stands there, looking at me like a kicked puppy, while Wayne pulls me to his chest, firmly starting to rub my back. "It's alright, hun. Promise it's not that bad. We're gonna give them some time to cool off before we try talking to them again, and until then, you're part of the Munson clan. You're not alone, promise. We got you, kid."

It is no wonder that Eddie is as emotionally intelligent as he is. This type of gentle parenting is something that never was used for me. I feel awful, but Wayne's calm way of comforting me talks me off the edge.

"That's my fault," Eddie says, guilt filling his voice.

We look at him quickly, his uncle shaking his head. "Family can be tough, son. It's nobody's fault. Especially not yours or yours, hun," Wayne lectures us, now also having a tight grip on his nephew's shoulder.

"I should talk to them," Eddie insists. "I- Need to make sure they know I'm not that bad."

I shake my head, Wayne stepping back and letting us hug each other. "Eddie, no. No, it's okay. I knew they were going to react that way."

"I'm sorry," my boyfriend repeats.

"You did nothing wrong," I assure him.

Wayne touches my shoulder quickly, saying, "I see your mom, kiddo. I'm gonna go give her our address and phone number so you can talk when things have calmed, okay?" I nod, and he straightens his tie before making his way over to my mother.

The second we're alone, Eddie shoves a folded, green piece of crafting paper into my hands.

"Hey, that's your goal card," I say, surprised.

I open it, and the formerly empty card is filled with [y/n] Munson written into the middle of a heart on one side and the polaroid Wayne took of us while practicing guitar glued on the other side.

"I wanted to graduate for you, so I'm less of a burden to be with," Eddie explains.

"You're no burden," I tell him, making him shake his head.

"Yes, I am. Your family just kicked you out because you want to be with me. I have no money to my name and would be reliant on you. I just barely managed to graduate; having a bunch of freshmen help me study. I am a freak and a burden. And- And-"

"And I love you," I finish his sentence for him.

Eddie stops his self-deprecating rambling. "Huh?"

I smile at him softly. "You heard me. I love you, and you are no burden because love is unconditional. We'll use the money as if it would be a credit we got from the bank together, we build our own life and income with it, and I don't care how you managed to graduate because I know how hard you tried. Even if the rest of the town – including yourself – thinks you're bad and not good enough for me, I won't ever stop loving you or even for a second stop seeing your worth."

My boyfriend's bottom lip shivers as his grip on me tightens. I kiss him gently, hearing some shocked mumbles from nosey watchers and not caring one bit.

As we pull apart, Eddie smiles at me, and I feel the need to teasingly add, "And yes, you are a freak, but you're my freak, Eddie Munson."

"You mean it?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank you," he mumbles, kissing me again. As his lips leave mine, he whispers, "I love you too, Sweetheart."

Another kiss and more unhappy small-town minds noticing the love I share with the town's freak later, Robin makes us jump apart as she nonchalantly slaps our shoulders. "Hey, lovebirds. We're going to have a graduation party at Nancy's." She looks over to Wayne, who politely kept his distance while we were busy. "Family allowed."

"You just ruined their moment, dipshit," Steve says, pulling her away from us.

She shrugs. "They can cry and make out later. Right now, it's time to celebrate."

"You still ruined their moment," he insists, dragging his best friend away while shaking his head in our direction. "Do you see what I need to deal with on a daily basis?"

Robin elbows him in the ribs. "Shut up, dingus. You love me."

I ignore their bickering, looking at my boyfriend. "Do you wanna celebrate?"

He nods. "Yeah, Robin's right, actually. We can make out later and cry tomorrow when we get your stuff."

He places a kiss on my forehead, then enlaces our fingers.

"A house," he says suddenly, making look at him a little confused. "You asked me, trailer or house. My answer is house, and I want a white picket fence, a big living room for D&D adventures, and a guest bedroom for the freshmen to crash at when it's too late to drive home."

I can't help but smile. My metalhead is nothing more than a big softy dressed in leather and denim. "A white picket fence?"

He nods happily, informing me, "Always wanted one. Very heavy metal."

"Okay, crazy," I giggle. "House it is."

Remembering Eddie's uncle, who still stands there, giving us our private moments, I ask, "Have you told him?"

Eddie shakes his head, letting go of me and walking over to his uncle.

"Uncle Wayne?" he says nervously. "[y/n] and I want to move in together."

"Oh, that poor girl," he chuckles deeply.

"Is that okay for you?"

Wayne nods. "Of course it is, Eddie. And until you find something, you'll stay at the trailer with me."

"I'll still visit you all the time, and you can stay over as often as you want," Eddie assures his uncle again.

"Son, I already said it's okay."

"I just don't want you to think you'll be alone."

My heart swells at Eddie's sweet words, and so does Wayne's, as he lets out a loud sigh.

"Lord, you're a good man, Eddie. But I'm okay. I waited nine years to have the trailer to myself again," he assures his nephew, placing a hand on each of his shoulders. "We're family, boy. We're not going to stop being there for each other just because you're changing your address."

Eddie nods, trying to look away from his uncle as his eyes fill with tears, but Wayne follows his gaze, searching for his eyes. "I'm so proud of you. Always were," he tells him, pulling him into a hug.

As they put on their manly facades again, Wayne also adds, "And you better treat that girl well. Not every day one comes around and loves you that much."

Eddie nods quickly, wiping his teary eyes into the sleeve of his graduation robe.

Wayne keeps the boy close while looking at me and opening his other arm. "Now you come here, let me hug you too." I oblige, having my first family hug at the age of eighteen, with a found family that, through its brokenness, is so much more complete than mine ever was.

"If he ever treats you wrong, you'll tell me, okay?" the older man tells me, making me giggle. "I'm serious; you're family now."

I nod. "Okay, Wayne."

Wrapping an arm over my shoulder while we walk towards our friends, Wayne tells me, "You're taking his mattress with you when moving."

I quickly shake my head. "No chance. That thing needs to be burned."

People that requested a part 2: @maystecc @englishmensbitch16 @ttsbaby01 @lucktwistedlady

[lalahbug]

What a wonderful story and feeling like this a wonderful Christmas gift to us all, even if it was intentional. Happy to see the resolution but also sad it's over T.T

I loved this entire story and I give it my "seal" of appreciation and approval ❣️

for a good time, call [5]

modern!rockstar!eddie munson x fem!reader

series summary: Eddie Munson is a burnt out rockstar, touring the country. When he finds a phone number written on a bathroom wall, he strikes an unusual friendship with a coffee shop barista who has no idea who he is.

warnings: 18+ cussing, smut, p in v sex, protected + unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, oral (f! receiving), dirty talk, flirting, self-doubt, mutual pining, angst, strangers to friends to lovers; lmk if i missed anything word count: 8,2k damn

an: the final chapter!! i can't believe it's over, i'm sweating!! MERRY CHRISTMAS BABIES i hope you like it as always, pls let me know. don’t forget to reblog babes! <3 btw we can always do more blurbs and HC's about this fic, i am down for anything! and requests are open as well! mwah! also i wrote half of this on my phone sorry if it's shit

chapter four ♫ masterlist ♫ askbox

chapter five ♫♪♩·.¸¸

A lot of good things happened to Eddie last night. He closed a deal with his future new manager, starting their collaboration early in the new year when he fulfills his current contract and he would be free to leave. He had a long talk with his band when they were alone, finding out that they were also unhappy with the way things had been going on so far. Then there was the show - it was different, good. Eddie was nervous, which he hadn't felt for a long time and he was excited. He loved the show, he was happy again. Simply because he knew you were there, watching him. He wore his best outfit, played his favourite guitar that night, he even added a touch of eyeliner to his look, which is something he used to do in his early days, when he was still performing to the local drunks back home.

But then everything went to shit. They had just come off stage, tired but in high spirits. Eddie's fingers were still tingling from all the playing, a bead of sweat running down his temple as he dropped down to the couch in the middle of the dressing room. He rested his head on the back of the worn out couch and closed his eyes for a minute, just enjoying the moment. His heart was still racing, but it wouldn't calm down now, not when he was anxiously waiting for you. There was a knock on the door, Eddies eyes popped open. It's only been a minute, he didn't expect you so soon.

The door flew open and in walked a girl, but not the one he was looking for. This girl, he knew very well, though he wish he didn't. Madeline. The press had picked up a scent they were dating about a year ago, Eddie didn't have to think too hard about who might have leaked it. Yes, they actually went on a date once, but nothing ever came of it. Eddie had realized his mistake on taking her out half way through the date. She was pretty and very ambitious, but it wasn't hard to see what she was really after. Not Eddie, his heart or soul, but something she deemed more valuable - the immediate popularity she would get once she'd bag him, not to mention the money of course. He remained a gentleman throughout the date but told her in the car later, when he offered to drop her home, that nothing would ever come of this.

Eddie thought it would end there, but every once in a while, she would pop back up. He blocked her number, when she tried to call him. He even banned her from coming to his shows, so the fact that she was here right now, was unpredicted. Her wild eyes quickly meet his uncertain ones and she jumps on the couch, too close for comfort. ''Eddie! Great show, as always. You're such a rockstar.''

Eddie subtly shifted away from her, trying to put distance between them. ''Madeline, what are you doing here?''

''Came to see you, silly,'' she yakked, resting her manicured hand on his knee, unphased when he immediately pulled away.

''Look,'' he sighed. ''I appreciate that and everything, but you need to leave. I'm expecting someone.''

''Oh, who?'' she asked.

''That's not your concern.''

''So it's a girl then,'' she stated, pouting her lips.

Eddie's patience was running thin, he fought the urge to roll his eyes. ''Madeline, for the 100th time - I am not interested in you. You need to accept that.''

''I find that hard to believe, Eddie. Your body is saying something different, it's hot against mine.'' Madeline scooted closer and pressed her body against his, their thighs touching.

''Are you out of your mind? I just did a show.'' Eddie was baffled, Madeline was annoying but she usually took the hint. She was now close enough that he could see her bloodshot eyes up close, then she sniffed. She was high, he realized, probably on something stronger. From his peripheral vision, Eddie could see one of the guys walk to the door, opening it.

''No, Eddie. I've never been more sane.'' She grabbed him by the shoulders and smashed her lipgloss sticky lips onto his with enough force to knock the wind out of him, catching him totally off guard.

It took two seconds for his senses to kick back in and to push her off. He held Madeline by the elbows, keeping her at arm's length. But it was too late. He turned to the door and there you were, looking at him. He didn't have to guess that it was you, he got that same feeling he always got when he talked to you. His tummy tingled, heart swelled, but this time it was tainted with enormous remorse. Your eyes were glossy with unshed tears, lips trembling. When the first tear rolled down your cheek, you turned and disappeared back towards the exit.

Eddie shot up from the couch and chased after you, the door slamming shut behind him. ''Y/N! Wait, please!''

''Don't bother, Eddie,'' you shot back, voice strained and shaking.

''This isn't what it looks like, I swear,'' Eddie pleaded with you, catching up and stopping in front of you. ''Please, let me explain.''

''Move,'' you deadpanned, face vacant of any emotion except for the two dried streaks running down your cheeks. Eddie placed his hands on your upper arms, to stop you from leaving, which you instantly jerked away from, like you'd been burned.

''Please,'' he begged, ''give me a chance to explain everything.''

''Just let me leave, Eddie,'' you wiped your face, arms crossing in front of you. You refused to look at him and he couldn't ignore the stab in his heart.

''Give me five minutes and I will do anything you want,'' Eddie pleaded, dipping his head trying to catch your eyes.

Locking eyes with him, you relented. ''Two minutes.''

''The girl you saw was Madeline, we went out once a year ago and she's been trying to snake her way into my life ever since. I'm not interested her and never was. I don't know how she got in tonight, she's high on something and then she kissed me.''

''Her instagram said you sent her VIP tickets,'' you said.

''That's bullshit. I didn't send her anything but I think I know who did,'' he defended.

You considered his words for a moment, before unlinking your arms and straightening your back. ''Okay, your two minutes is up. Now, you said something about doing anything I wanted?''

''Yeah?'' he asked, sounding a bit hopeful.

''Don't contact me again, Eddie.'' With that, you pushed past him, leaving the arena, taking his heart with him.

.•♫•♬•

Back in your car, you drove the few miles to your apartment instead of going back to your parents' house. You didn't have the strength to face Robin or answer any questions tonight. You dragged yourself up the stairs and pushed inside, locking the door afterwards. You stood in the middle of your living room, gathering your thoughts. The silence seemed extra haunting at this moment, seeping into your bones. You sat on the couch, kicking your boots off. Lifting your legs up, you laid down on your side, pulling a sage green fleece blanket over your shivering form, pulling it up to your chin.

When you closed your eyes, the only thing you saw were their locked lips.

After a pretty sleepless night, you decided to get up when you were awoken by the booming of thunder. You'd kept on the same position the entire night, you groaned when you stretched out on the small couch. You found your purse on the floor and fished out your phone, anticipating the amount of messages or calls from Eddie, but you found nothing. Defeated, you sighed and threw it aimlessly on the cushion next to you. You didn't know why you were disappointed, you specifically told him not to contact you. Still, there was a part of you that hoped he would... what, fight for you? He respected your wishes yet it still stung.

You waited until it was an appropriate time and called Robin to fill her in on the details, telling her you would drive back shortly. She gasped when you told her how you found Eddie in his dressing room, but Cherry was the one who spoke up, indicating Robin put the phone on speaker. ''I knew it was a good choice to bring my pepper spray. That girl needs to be sprayed immediately.''

''Wait, who are you talking about?'' you asked, mouth full of buttery toast.

''Madeline, duh,'' she said matter-of-factly.

''I'm lost,'' Robin chimed in.

''Yeah, me too. Do you know her?'' you asked.

''Not personally, but I've read about her. She's a leech, only interested in being relevant.''

You thought about what Eddie said last night. He didn't invite her and she kissed him. Were you wrong about everything? No, if Madeline was only interested in fame, what would her kissing Eddie in private get her?

''It doesn't matter, I asked him not to contact me anymore and he hasn't. So, it's over.''

.•♫•♬•

Eddie was hunched over the table at breakfast, playing around with some pieces of broccoli. He didn't want to interact with anyone and he certainly didn't want anybody seeing him either, he took a good look in the mirror before and it wasn't pretty. His eyes were sunken, red rimmed from lack of sleep and overthinking. Last night was a fucking disaster. After you stormed out of the place, Eddie walked back to his dressing room, where Madeline was still perched on the couch, chatting with his manager now.

Swallowing down all of the word that were fighting to escape, instead he took a deep breath and asked Madeline to leave, threatening her with a restraining order if she ever contacted him again. It seemed to click for her, finally and she scurried out of the room.

''You sent her the tickets?'' he asked, looking straight at his soon to be former manager.

''Yes, Ed. She's pretty, could have done for some good publicity if you hadn't sent her away,'' he barely looked back at him, typing on his phone.

''You're fired.''

Looking up from his phone, he finally seemed to be alert. ''What?''

''I said, you're fired.'' Eddies fists were clenched, nostrils flared as he tried to keep his composure.

''You can't fire me, buddy, we still have a contract.''

''I'll pay you whatever I owe, with interest, just get fucking lost.''

His manager slipped his phone into his pocket and walked over to him. ''You're making a big mistake, Eddie.''

''I'd say it's the best decision I've ever made.''

''You're gonna regret this,'' his manager pointed a finger at him, stabbing it into his chest. From the corner of his eye, the other guys had joined Eddie's side.

''Doubtful,'' one of them said.

There was a tense stand off, before their manager relented and stormed out of the room, shouting something about lawyers.

Eddie sighed and fell onto the couch. He just fired his manager and they still have some shows to play, he needed to figure out what to do. But that could wait, he had more pressing matters, like how to get you back.

Eddie shook last night's memories from his mind and left the breakfast area, returning to his room. He pulled up the number for Julie, his soon to be new manager and gave her a call. Eddie was relieved when she was happy to hear from him, offering to meet up before the show and to discuss anything he needed, pro bono as she said, since she's not working for him technically, yet. Eddie had to hung up with her when there was a knock on his door. He rushed to open the door, already aware who it was.

There he stood, Wayne Munson himself, Eddie's hero. They embraced each other, Eddie breathing in his uncle's scent of cigarettes and straight black coffee. ''I'm so glad you're here.''

''Me too, kid.'' Wayne let him go and gave him a once over. ''Are you alright? You look like shit, to be blunt.''

Eddie smirked, sadly though. ''Not really.''

They sat down on Eddie's bed and he filled his uncle in on everything that had happened yesterday and prior to that too. He needed Wayne's guidance, who listened carefully and never interrupted until Eddie was finished.

''Wow,'' Wayne sighed. ''Have to say, this is an interesting way to meet someone.''

''Yeah, I... I really like this girl. I fucked up, big time,'' Eddie rubbed his hands together, only concentrating on the carpet beneath their feet.

''Don't be too hard on yourself, son. Both of you were hurt, by someone else's actions.''

''I could've stopped it though, before it even happened. I should have just kicked Madeline out as soon as I saw her. I don't- I don't know why I didn't to that.''

''People pleaser,'' Wayne smirked. ''Look, just give if a few days I say. You'll have time to process everything and think about what you really want. You have to evaluate your life, your career and find out where she fits in. I'm sure she's thinking the same thing. She has her own life and aspirations, if she wants to be with you, she'll have to make difficult choices, too.'' Wayne put a hand on Eddie's shoulder, squeezing it. Eddie looked at him and nodded along.

''So what should I do?''

''Well, if you want romantic advice from an old grump like me,'' Wayne chuckled, ''You should tell her how you feel and see what she thinks. If you let this go, you might regret it for the rest of your life. Take it from me...''

Eddie looked at his uncle, eyebrows raised in disbelief. ''You? I had no idea you-''

Wayne waved him off. ''It was ages ago, kid. Don't make the same mistake I did, is what I'm saying.''

Eddie nodded in response, taking everything in. ''Thank you. You're still coming tonight, right?'

''Wouldn't miss it for the world.''

• • • • • •

Things were looking up. After meeting with Julie, things were looking up. Eddie couldn't break his contract or obligations, but Julie did manage to postpone the rest of the shows so he and the band could have three weeks off to recharge. After the second show, Eddie spent the next day catching up with Wayne, showing him the city. He was sad when his uncle had to fly back, but grateful they had rekindled their relationship, Eddie promised to keep in touch and he had been keeping his promise.

Right now though, he was on his way to get coffee, and something else. He was as incognito as he could get, hoodie pulled over his head, glasses perched up his nose. He hadn't spoken to you for a week and it was like his lifeline was draining. He'd gone by the shop once before, a couple of days ago but instead of going in, he walked straight past when he noticed you were at the counter. Today though, he would walk straight in, whatever happened. And he did, walking up to the empty counter, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.

''She's not here,'' a voice called from his right. Eddie turned to see the same girl he already met, Robin, standing with two empty coffee cups. She didn't look pleased to see him, unlike last time.

''I'm actually here to see you.''

''Oh? Why's that?'' she rounded the counter, putting the cups down and leaning on her hands, staring him right in the eyes.

Eddie felt like he was under a spotlight, fidgeting with his ringed fingers. ''I-I need your help. Please.''

''With what?''

''To get Y/N back.''

Robin scoffed. ''What about your girlfriend?''

''I don't have a girlfriend,'' Eddie defended. ''I'd like one, though.''

That made Robin's cold façade falter and she sighed. ''Fine.''

Eddie recoiled, looking around if he was being pranked. ''Really?''

''Yeah, dumbass.'' Robin rolled her eyes. ''She's sad and it's your fault, but-.''

''I know, I know,'' he rushed out, holding his arms out. ''I ruined everything and I'm trying to fix it. But I need your help.''

''Don't interrupt me,'' she scolded and Eddie mumbled a sorry, looking like a kicked puppy. ''Like I was saying, she's sad and it's your fault, but she misses you, I can tell. I'm only doing this for her, not for you. So what do you need?''

''I'm not sure, exactly. Something that would help me get on her good graces again. What are her favorite flowers, for example?''

''Tulips, white ones. How do you plan on delivering these to her anyway?''

''I was hoping you'll tell me where she lives?'' Eddie pleaded.

Robin bit her lip, thinking about it, then groaned into the empty café. ''If I'm going to reveal her address, you're going to have to go all out. I was planning on giving it to her for Christmas, but this will definitely get you on her good side. She has a record player at home, she's been looking for a vinyl of R.E.M.'s 'Out of Time' album, but she hasn't found it yet. I'm sure someone of your.. occupation can get hands on that in no time.'' She also took a piece of paper and wrote down your address and apartment number.

''Thank you!'' Eddie beamed brighter than the sun, turning to leave. ''Whatever you need - I owe you big time.''

''Free entrance for life, Eddie!'' Robin called from behind him.

.•♫•♬•

Tiredly dragging your feet up the stairs, you hauled two grocery bags behind you, plus a tote bag over your shoulder. After an entire day of walking around, your boots felt heavier than usual, your feet sore and back aching. Reaching the final step, you stopped in your tracks when you saw a figure standing in front of your door, sulking in the darkness of the hallway. You relaxed a bit when you saw the outline of long hair. He noticed you too, standing straight where he was leaning on the concrete wall.

''Hi,'' he said quietly. You took a few steps closer and dropped the bags next to your feet, searching for your keys. Pushing the key in, you unlocked your door and stepped in, flicking the light on.

''Hi,'' you turned to look at him, keeping the door open, your heart swooning at the white tulips he was holding, a long with what seems to be a vinyl record. ''Can you grab the bags?''

Eddie managed to get all the bags into your kitchen without dropping anything.

''Thank you,'' you whispered, leaning against the counter, your hands tied together. ''What's that?''

Eddie looked at the things he was holding and handed the flowers first. ''They're for you.''

You took the flowers from him and inhaled the bouquet. You grabbed a vase and filled it with water, popping the flowers into it.

''I also got you this,'' he held out the vinyl and you saw it was the album you had been wanting for a while. You expected Robin to give it to you for Christmas, actually.

''Eddie, I-. How did you know about this?'' You took the record from him, hugging it to your chest.

''Robin told me,'' he smiled bashfully, rubbing his neck.

''Of course she did. I don't know what to say. Thank you, so much.''

There was a brief awkward pause where Eddie didn't know what to do, neither did you. Should he leave? Should you offer him tea or coffee? You kept staring at the floor and Eddie looked at everywhere but you. When the thick silence was stretched long enough, it seemed to shake Eddie out of his trance, he reached his hand out but quickly lowered it again.

''I'm... I'm really sorry for what happened. You were right to get upset. I should have handled things better, but I fucked up. I never meant to hurt you and I'm so, so sorry. I like you, a lot, and I can't stand the fact this might be over before it even started. You're kind, funny and so beautiful it hurts. I know I've already asked you this once, but I'm asking again - please, give me one last chance.''

You looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. His big, stunningly brown eyes, that held so many emotions, you could only pick up a few - fear, sorrow, maybe hope. Perfect nose with a thin gold hoop through the left nostril, plump lips with the sharpest cupid's bow and possibly the greatest head of hair you'd ever seen. His dark brown mane was framing his face, bangs shielding his eyebrows, the soft waves falling onto his shoulders. Black leather jacket with a red flannel underneath, another crisp white shirt peeking out underneath. Simple black jeans and combat boots, three heavy rings on his left hand, one simple ring on the other.

You'd called him pretty before, but he was so much more in real life. He was soft and inviting, but with an edge to him. You felt a pull towards him, you wanted nothing more than to put the record down and jump into his arms. It was hard to look away from his awaiting eyes, so you turned your back to him, placing the vinyl on your kitchen counter.

''Eddie, I forgive you. I understand it wasn't your fault, but I'm not sure if we would work. Romantically speaking...''

''What? Why would you think that?''

You turned to face him again, your throat constricting when you tried to speak. ''I-I just... You're you and I'm me. We live completely different lives. I'm not interested in a long distance relationship.''

''I get it, I've thought about that too,'' he took a step closer ''but we can make it work. I have two weeks off right now and when we finish the rest of the tour, I'm going to take a long break, months long. Shit, maybe even a couple of years. I want to make this work, if you'd let me. I want to take you out on dates, show you the world, see you on the side of the stage when I'm back on it some day.''

Eddie took his hand and gently placed it on your neck, his thumb rubbing the apple of your cheek when you closed your eyes to the touch. ''I'm scared.''

''You don't have to be scared, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to,'' Eddie whispered, you could feel his face leaning closer to you so you opened your eyes, hypnotized by the brown irises staring back at you. His eyes dipped down to your lips for a second, then came back again.

''I don't want you to go,'' you whispered, gripping the edge of the counter behind your back.

''Yeah? What do you want then?'' His nose brushed yours, lips so close you could already feel the warmth of his skin.

''You.''

Eddie's lips finally brushed yours and everything else faded away. It was just the two of you, in the middle of your kitchen, diving into the unknowns. The kiss was feather light, like he was afraid to have more, fearing you would pull away too soon. But you craved more, so you grabbed the back of his neck and drew him closer, earning a soft hum from him. Eddie's other hand found your waist, circling it with new found confidence and holding you close. His lips massaged yours, poking his tongue out to run it over the seam of your mouth. Granting him access, you let out a tiny moan when he happily licked into your mouth.

He whined when you pulled away too soon. ''About that date you mentioned...''

''Yeah?'' he asked, settling his forehead against yours, stealing one more quick kiss.

''I was planning on staying in tonight, just hanging out. W-would you like to stay? I could make dinner and later we could watch a movie, or something.''

''That sounds perfect.''

.•♫•♬•

Eddie helped you put all the groceries away. He'd shrugged off his leather jacket, hanging it by the front door. You'd agreed to have pasta for dinner and once the noodles were boiling on the stove, he watched you wrap a few early Christmas presents, ones that you pulled out of your tote bag. He realized that being with you like this was the easiest thing ever, you settled into small talk easily, Eddie making his way around your kitchen like it was natural. He imagined this could be his reality and he didn't mind that idea, not one bit. He'd strain the pasta once it was done and tell you about his uncle, you'd finish taping up the last present and tell him about a crazy customer you had at the café. It was simple, but perfect.

You handed him plates from a cabinet and he set the small table by your window for two. You set the lighting right and lit a scented candle in the middle of the table. The meal went by slow, you were doing more talking than eating that by the time you were both done, the last bites were ice cold.

''This was great, thank you,'' Eddie offered.

You simply smiled in return and took his hand, bringing him along to the living room area. Plopping down on the couch, you pulled Eddie next to you and settled in comfortably, laying a blanket over your figures. You put on Netflix and handed him the remote, pulling your knees up. Eddie subtly stretched his arm out over the back of the couch, scrolling through various movie options when he felt you lean into him.

''What do you want to watch?'' he smiled to himself.

''Hmmm...'' you thought about it. ''The Grinch?''

''It's November.''

''So? My holiday season starts November 1st!'' you defended, pouting your lips at him.

Eddie snickered and kissed your forehead. ''Okay, okay. The Grinch it is.''

The movie started and you relaxed into his side. While your eyes were glued to the TV screen, Eddie's were wandering around. He wasn't subtle with his gawking either, memorizing all of the features on your face. Your eyes, nose, slightly parted lips, your elongated neck that was begging to be kissed, your perfect chest moving up and down with your steady breathing. He definitely shouldn't be staring, he felt like a creep but he couldn't look away either. He was brought out of his bubble when you shifted a little bit, placing your hand on his thigh.

Eddie focused his eyes back on the movie, praying it will distract him enough not to grow hard just from your simple touch. However, he realized you might not be so innocent in your act as he first thought. Your hand crept upwards, sometimes squeezing. His breath hitched when your pinky grazed his crotch, causing him to involuntarily buck his hips. Taking the same hand that was around your frame, he turned your face towards him, his big hand enveloping nearly the entire side of your face. Without wasting a second, he kissed you, plunging his tongue into your mouth, swallowing your surprised moan. The kiss was sloppy, urgent, you tasted so good it made him dizzy.

''Tell me you want this as much as I do,'' he mumbled, your mouths still atttached.

''Please,'' you begged, discarding the blanket and flinging your leg over his waist, situating yourself on his warm lap. Eddie's hand came around your middle, helping you grind against his growing thickness. You threw your arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. Eddie slid his hands lower, grabbing two handfuls of your ass, leaving your mouth to focus on your neck. He bit your skin, smoothing the ache with his tongue right after. The thought of him marking you up, so you had to wear turtlenecks to work, drove him wild. He mapped out your neck, proud of the already blossoming pink patches, then dipped lower to lick a stripe from your throat down to the valley between your breasts. You gasped when he yanked down the neckline of your tank top and licked the top of your boob, switching to give the other one the same affection.

Eddie grunted in annoyance when your bra stopped him, looking up at you with questioning eyes. Once you nodded in approval, he pulled down the cups of your balconette bra, almost going cross eyed when your supple breast fell out.

''Fucking perfect, baby,'' he groaned and took one of your nipples into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the bud, sucking it harshly before letting it go with a 'pop'.

''Ed, please'' you yanked on his hair to get his attention.

''What do you need? Tell me, honey.''

''Need you, hurry up.''

Eddie smirked and helped you up, pushing your shirt up this time so he could kiss your stomach, dipping his tongue into your bellybutton. His fingers made quick work of your pants, popping the button and dragging the zipper down, ''Okay?''

''Yes,'' you pulled your top over your head and let it drop to the floor. Sneaking your fingers back into his hair, Eddie's eyes rolled to the back of his skull when you scratched your nails across his head. He helped you out of your pants, then ran his hands along your thighs, spreading your legs more. Wrapping his hands around your thighs, his rings were cool against your heated skin when he pulled you closer to him. He pushed his face into your covered mound and inhaled deeply, letting out a satisfied hum.

''Can I?'' he asked, hooking his fingers into your panties, not yet slipping them down until he had your permission. ''Need to see it, baby. Been dreaming of this pussy for so long.''

''Please,'' you pleaded once again, running your fingers along his jawline. He placed a quick kiss on your palm, then dragged down the last piece of fabric separating him from your pussy, the lace sticking to your core. You stepped out of them and Eddie lifted one of your legs, planting your foot on the armrest of the couch, giving him the perfect view of your wet cunt.

“Oh, it’s dripping, sweetheart. This all for me? Not sure I deserve it.” Eddie took his sweet time, kissing your pubic bone and tonguing between your legs, but avoiding your centre completely.

“Please, Eds, stop torturing me.”

“‘m sorry, babe. Just wanted to savor this. Let me make it up to you.”

He finally poked his tongue out, tasting you for the first time. Your hips bucked into his face when he took a tentative lick through your folds, the tip of his tongue flicking your swollen clit. From the first taste of your nectarine, Eddie was addicted. His enthusiasm only increasing, he lapped at your pussy, dipping his wet muscle into your tight hole, feeling it suck him in immediately. Going back for your clit, he closed his mouth around your bud and sucked harshly.

“Fuck, that’s so good,” your head thrown back, you grinded your hips against his face. You felt his hand sneak up your thigh, his fingers circling your opening before pushing his middle finger in all the way until you felt the cool metal against your flesh.

“So fucking good, you’re doing so good for me. This little cunt is sucking me right in, can barely fit. Think you can take two, baby?” Adding his ring finger, Eddie struggled to make it fit. He wondered how his cock would fit if his fingers had difficulty. Eventually, your walls relented and let him fuck up into you. The divine taste of you still present on his tongue, he worked you open with his digits and dove back in to flick your clit up and down in quick motions. He could tell you were getting close, your moans were getting more high pitched, your breathing erratic and your toes were curled. A couple minutes later, you moaned loudly and released all over his tongue which he eagerly lapped up, not letting a single drop go to waste.

He helped you sit back on his lap, your head resting against his shoulder, puffs of air hitting his neck whilst he was rubbing your back. “You good?”

“Good, great, amazing…” you breathlessly replied.

“Was it better than in your book?”

“I mean it was real, so yeah.”

He let you gather yourself for a moment, just holding you, although the erection he had was becoming unbearable. Eddie felt your lips skim his neck, leaving soft butterfly kisses in your wake. You bit down on his earlobe, running your tongue over it to soothe the small ache. Eddie let his head fall back, looking at you through hooded eyelids as you reached behind you to unclasp your bra, letting it fall on the couch.

“This is unfair. I’m completely naked but you’re still dressed,” you pouted and ran your hands along his chest, popping the buttons of his flannel.

“Better help me out then,” he smirked, kneading your ass as you continued to unbutton his shirt, kissing every new inch of skin you revealed. Soon, his shirt was on the floor and you were working on his belt. Once his pants were open, your hand dipped under his boxers to run a finger over his cock, tracing a vein on the underside. He lifted his hips so you could pull his pants and underwear down enough to free his throbbing cock from it’s cage. It bounced up, against his stomach, leaving a sticky mess in his happy trail. Eddie groaned when you wrapped your hand around him, pulling back his foreskin to reveal his slit, pre cum leaking from the tip, which you used as lube. You started to climb down, but Eddie stopped you.

“Not this time, princess. Tonight’s all about you. You got a condom? I didn’t really prepare for this.”

You got up from his lap and jogged to your kitchen, Eddie watching your ass juggle. You opened your medicine drawer and searched around until you retrieved the foil packet. Eddie took it from you, ripping it open with his teeth and rolling it on, all the while keeping eye contact with you as your eyes were focused on his lap.

“C’mere.” He held his hand out for you. You grabbed it and took your place back on his lap, his cock situated perfectly between your folds. He grabbed the base of his cock and rubbed the tip through your lips, gathering the wetness. He positioned the tip at your entrance and waited.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he breathed.

You grabbed his shoulders and sank down on him, inch by inch until there was no space left between you and you had taken all of him.

“Eddie, oh my God,” you moaned, fingernails pressing into his shoulders, leaving behind crescent moon shapes.

“So tight, Jesus Christ.”

Eddie was already seeing stars, he had to focus all of his remaining energy into not coming right this second. Your warm walls enveloped him, pulsing around his shaft. You rose up and slammed back down again, already accustomed to the stretch.

“You’re so perfect, fuck. Taking me so well,” he praised, hands grabbing your waist, helping you bounce on his dick.

You whimpered. “Keep talking.”

“Oh yeah? You love it when I talk like this, baby? That get you all riled up? Look at you, working my cock like that. Feels so fucking good, doesn’t it?”

You nodded and bounced harder, your rhythm faltering. Eddie slouched down lower on the couch, anchoring his feet to the ground and started fucking into you.

“Fuuuck, good girl. Letting me use you like this, like a fucking fleshlight. You’re just a little cock hungry whore, huh? Are you just a hole for me to use however I please? Your pussy is mine now, say it. Who’s pussy is this?”

“I-it’s yours, Eddie, only yours.”

“Damn right. It is mine, I’ll fuck it whenever I want. Stretch your cunt out so good, you’ll beg me to go easy on you. But you don’t want easy, do you? You want it rough. Fuck.”

“Don’t stop, please, please, please,” one of your hands slipped between your legs, toying with your clit.

Eddie grunted at the sight, wrapping both of his hands around your throat, squeezing your neck enough to make you lightheaded. “Yeah, play with that clit, rub it for me. Can still taste you on my tongue, you want to know what you taste like?”

He pulled you in, smashing his lips against yours, his tongue meeting yours in the middle. The kiss was messy, spit drooling from the side of your mouth. Your fingers sped up, your pussy clenching down on him harder and harder. Eddie felt his own stomach twist up as well.

“You close, baby? I need you to cum, fuck. I’m so fucking close.”

“I’m so- Fuck, oh my God Eddie, I’m coming, I’m coming!” You cried out, tears streaming down your face, the drops falling onto Eddie’s forearm. He was close behind, feeling his balls tighten up in a telltale sign. He groaned into your mouth and jerked his hips a few final times before releasing into the condom.

Both of you breathing like you’d just ran a marathon, Eddie let go of your neck, the red and purple skin left behind almost enough to get him hard again. You fell forward on his chest, resting your head against his shoulder, catching your breath. Eddie thrashed his legs around, shoving his boots and pants off. He stood up, taking you with him. You squealed and wrapped your legs around his waist, his cock slipping out of you.

“Bedroom?”

You pointed him in the right direction and he took careful steps, mindful of the clothes laying around. Once in your bedroom, he gently placed you on the bed, kissing your temple. When you didn’t let go, he chuckled.

“Be right back, promise.” He helped you under the covers and disappeared back into the hallway, looking for a bathroom. When he found it, he discarded the condom and washed his hands, eyeing the couple of lovebites you’d left on him. When he made it back to you, you were already asleep. Eddie crawled next to you, pulling you tightly against his front, settling his hand on your waist, lazily drawing random shapes on your tummy until sleep took him, too.

.•♫•♬•

It was raining again, the patter on the windowsill lulling you from your sleep. You were warm and cozy, limbs tangled with someone else’s. You’d almost forgotten about last night, thinking it was a fidget in your imagination. But Eddie proved to be real when he stirred behind you, his deep sigh hitting the back of your neck, one arm hugging you closer to his body. You hummed, reaching behind you to grasp his neck. Memories of last night came flooding back, reminding you of the delicious ache between your legs.

“Morning beautiful,” a low, raspy voice sounded from behind you, goosebumps spreading across your skin. Christ, you could get used to hearing his morning voice every day.

“I don’t remember the last time I slept this good,” you mumbled.

“You need to sleep with me every day, then,” he said, squeezing your hip.

You snorted. “You wish.”

He pressed a kiss to your shoulder, his lips moving against your flesh. “I do.”

You turned to him, his baby cow eyes already staring back at you. You were trying to see any deception in them, but all you saw was adoration and honesty.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you gulped, bottom lip caught between your teeth.

“It means I want you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“How would that work? I can’t follow you around everywhere you go.”

“I know that and I don’t expect you to, even though it would be cool. What I do know, is this - I’m taking a long break and I want to be with you, every single day. After that too, I’m not going to dump you when I have to go on stage again if that’s what you’re worried about. We’ll figure everything out. So if you’d have me, I promise I will work my ass off every day to prove to you that you’re not making a mistake.”

“Eddie… I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes,” he begged “Be mine. Would you be my girlfriend?”

You laid your hand on top of this, the one still holding your hip. Your heart was beating so fast, you thought it would explode any second. You had a moment to think about all the roads this relantionship could take you, expecting it to end horribly. But even with the potholes and wonky curves, you saw yourself ending up where you belonged - with him.

“Yes.”

His lips covered your before you even finished that word. You felt him smile into the kiss, he was putting everything he had into it. His tongue grazed the seam of your lips, asking for access which you happily granted. He moaned when your tongue met his, his nose ring brushing your nostril.

His fingers skiddled across your hip to the curve of your ass, squeezing your butt. He broke the kiss too soon for your liking and violently pushed you back on your side. Eddie kissed a line down your spine, then licked a fat stripe back up, ending at the base of your neck. Your whole body shivered in anticipation, core getting slick with excitement. Eddie continued his assault, burying his face in the crook of your neck, breathing in deep.

His cock was pressed against your ass, a smudge of liquid dripping down. The hair on his abdomen tickling your lower back. You whimpered when he gripped one of your breasts, circling his thumb over your areola, then pinching your nipple until it was perked up.

''Eddieee...'' you whined, kicking your legs.

''Need somethin', darling?'' he traced the tip of his nose on the shell of your ear, his palm sliding from your breast all the way down, his thick fingers slipping through your dewy folds. Bringing his fingers back up, he circled your clit with his middle finger, barely adding any pressure, chuckling when you bucked your hips to get more friction.

''Need you so bad, please,'' you mewled, grinding your ass against his crotch, getting a hiss out of him.

''Condom?'' he asked, adjusting his hips, so his cock nestled directly between your legs, swaying his hips back and forth, the head of his cock parting your folds, bumping your clit with every stroke.

''My boyfriends don't need to wear one.''

''Fucking Christ,'' he let out a deep groan, lining himself up with your weeping hole and pushing inside, sliding to the brim in a single thrust. You choked on a moan, his cock was so deep, you could feel him in your throat. He stilled for a moment, letting you adjust, his mushroom tip bruising your cervix.

''Move,'' you cried, gripping his forearm that was resting against your belly, his fingers massaging your flesh.

He pulled back all the way and slammed back in, not bothering to be polite. You still weren't 100% adjusted to his size, but the burn mixed with the way his cock pierced your insides was euphoric. It was embarrassing how close you were already, but you blamed it on the early morning, you were always more sensitive in the early hours of the day.

''Feel so fucking good, baby. You like my bare cock fucking you like this? You gonna let me come inside too? Fill your sweet pussy up, have it leak out of your abused cunt all day, huh?''

You were too far gone to reply, the only sounds in the room your moans and Eddie's groans mixed with the wet slapping of skin against skin. Eddie was a talker though, never shutting up about how good you felt, how perfect you were for him.

''You were made for me, this pussy was carved for my dick. You're mine, only mine. Mine to fuck, mine to use, however I want. God, fuck. You're gonna make me come already. You gonna let me fill you up, baby? Shoot my fat load so deep in your pussy, you're gonna fucking taste it.''

''Y-yeah, please... Come inside me, please. Wanna feel it, Eds.''

''Fuck, I'm coming, baby. Come with me, come on.'' His thrusts were faster, sloppier, he was losing his rhythm. You were so close too, but needed the extra push so you gripped his wrist and pushed his hand lower. He caught on immediately, roughly circling your puffy clit with two fingers. It was enough to send you over the edge, both of you losing yourselves to the pleasure, Eddie spurting his cum inside of you, your mixed juices leaking down your thigh.

When you came down, Eddie pecked your cheek. He went to pull out, but you stopped him. ''Just stay, wanna be like this for a minute.''

''Whatever you want, princess. I'm all yours.''

.•♫•♬•

December 25th. One of your favorite days of the year. The ground was white, more snow falling behind the window, illuminated by the streetlamps outside. You were so full of amazing food, a little tipsy on raspberry punch. Christmas celebrations started yesterday, when you and Eddie flew out to Indiana to spend Christmas Eve with his uncle, Wayne. He was as sweet as he was in the stories Eddie had told you, if not more. There wasn't a moment where you weren't smiling, looking at the two of them bickering over Eddie's high school days.

You flew back this morning, where you spent the entire day preparing for Robin and Cherry to come over. Tomorrow you would go to your parents' house, which Eddie was super nervous about. The evening was spent with good food and drinks, smooth Christmas music coming from a portable speaker, great conversation. When the girls finally left, it was close to midnight. Eddie had asked you to dance, now the two of you were swaying to the music in front of your Christmas tree, decorated with ornaments, fake snow and at the very top, instead of a typical star, with a paperclip, was a polaroid selfie of you and Eddie, taken a week ago in front of the same tree.

''In case I haven't told you yet, you look so beautiful tonight.''

Your arms were linked around his neck, Eddie's arms wrapped around your waist. You followed his lead, heads close together, breathing in each other's air. You were wearing a rich purple dress with black stockings, with simple make up accentuated with a pair of earrings Eddie had gifted you this morning. And yes, they were drop earrings with sliced kiwis at the bottom. Where he had even found them, you had no idea, he refused to tell you. You had given him a pack of guitar picks, with his initials engraved on them.

''First of all, only tonight?'' you teased. ''Second, you've told me about fifty times today, but I'm not tired of hearing it yet.''

''Hmm.. Can I tell you something I haven't, yet? Something I've been wanting to say for a while now.''

Your heart skipped several beats, mouth going as dry as cotton balls. You had a feeling of what he wanted to say. You had been thinking the same thing recently, but you hadn't found the right moment to say it. Today, it had been nagging on your mind specially hard. True to his word, you and Eddie had spent nearly every day together, except for that one day where you had the flu and told him to stay away so he wouldn't get sick either. He survived one day until he came banging on your door, begging you to let him in so he could take care of you. He had basically moved in since that first night you spent together. You had made room in your dresser for his clothes, his toothbrush was next to your in the bathroom, the fridge was filled with his favorite drinks. It was fast, clearly, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

''O-okay,'' you gulped.

''I love you, Y/N.'' he breathed out, like a weight leaving his shoulders, but immediately rushed out, ''You don't have to say it back, I just felt like I was about to burst if I didn't tell you. You're so amazing and perfect and gorgeous, I'm so happy you're mine and I'm so in love with you I honestly might die if you don't feel the same, but like I said, no press-''

You cut his rambling off by grabbing his face in your hands and smashing your lips together, tears running down your face. Eddie secured his arms around you and pulled you so close, your feet were hanging in the air. You pulled away, your lipgloss having transferred to his mouth, his eyes sparkling. ''I love you too, Eddie.''

''Yeah?''

''Yeah, so much.''

You squealed and laughed when he lifted you up and spun you around, your hair flowing. He put you down, kissed the top of your head and held you so tight you were struggling to breathe, but you didn't dare tell him that. You felt safe and truly loved, securely caged in his arms, smiling into his dress shirt while you slow danced the night away.

.•♫•♬•

tags: @hellfirewhore @ceriseheaven @feralgoblinbabe @ethereal27cereal @mystars123 @munsonsuccubus @alizztor @tlclick73 @nojamsonmytoast @b-irock @harringtonshairychest @hellkaisersangel @mcueveryday @other-world-s @santheweird @nightless @hiscrimsonangel @ali-r3n @latenighttalkingwithgrapejuice @tayhar811 @sarawithasword @eddiesluvt @maddieluvseddie @hellfires-harlot @dollalicia @donnavivienne @ashlynnkennedy @dumbblonde1630 @sanzu-holic @dontslayfay @eddieswife16 @bebe07011 @ganjababie @sidthedollface2 @brittanyyydamnit @lezzy-bennet @bibliophilewednesday @qcueef @rogers-sweatbands @christalcake @episcogoth @beep-beep-sherlock @milkymil-k @sweet-villain @dragonfire @lokiofasgard616 @eddiethesexy @imperfect0angel @im-julessssss @starrywhitenight @siriuslysmoking @bibieddiesgf @smelikins @mymindsnothereanymore @alana4610 @bxbyvivi @daisydamed @a1ex-ba1ex

@xashleymariexo @bimbobaggins69 @crazy-forrobertsheehan @sweetsweetjellybean @sherrylyn628 @eddieswifeasf @maximizedrhythms @mostmetaleverrr @gaysludge @seventhlevelofhell @chloe-6123 @ick90 @strawberrysodaslut @blagname1092 @kittykaylat1987

@slutfor-keery-quinn @ladysteddie @levavi-oculos @little-wormwood @harrys-tittie @miarosso @edd1es-wh0ree @lola--ebolaa @evonnexosstuff @astrolockley @becks1002 @gabrielsgoldengracee @SMELIKINS @lunatictardis

[lalahbug]

I'm having a hard time computing everything I want to say. But fucking hell. These idiots in love are my favorite and I am loving Adrie and Wayne to playing tiny matchmaker. Whether it's intentionally or not. I'm so ready for one of these dummies to just snap and spill all their feelings to the other. In a blind panic, overhearing, or some other lovely stupor.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐲𝐞𝐬" 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲.

singledad!mechanic!eddie x fem!reader

✶Casual was much harder rule to abide by when Eddie spent more time with you, as facilitated by his daughter. Dialed back was a flirting style you weren't accustomed to, and proved near-impossible to follow when Eddie's lips were pressed to your ear.✶

NSFW — slow burn, fluff, flirting, mutual pining, slight scent kink, allusion to jerking off, reader wears eddie's jacket, drug/alcohol mention/use, depictions of poverty, 18+ overall for eventual smut

chapter: 5/? [wc: 15.1k]

↳ part 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05

AO3

Chapter 5: You're Gonna Get Me in Trouble

————

The days of the week lost their meaning in the best way. Turning from one to the next like the colors of the leaves. Falling in and out of obscurity. What was a Monday, when Monday felt like Friday? And what was a Friday, when the familiar clicking sound of your bicycle spokes found him on a Saturday?

The days blurred. The edges sharpened. They were long when the sun was short. They were beautiful, and aggressively tender, including the lows, because the lows themselves used to be the highs.

The days swirled into an everlasting seasoned breeze of cherished moments. Too many to fill the memories of those collecting them. Glimpses into a life of pleasantness–of contentedness–if one were to grasp them.

————

Leather. Vanilla cologne. Spicy deodorant and earthy tobacco.

You grabbed the cuffs of your sweater into your fists and worked your arms down the sleeves of Eddie’s jacket before grabbing your bike from the porch, and setting off on your shortcut through the frosty grass.

The farther you journeyed, the more you smelled like him. The more you sounded like him.

In Robin’s driveway, cigarette smoke overwhelmed your nose, but as your skin warmed from exertion, the nuances appeared. The natural musk clinging to the inside lining, and the artificial fragrances on top, now enveloping you. You turned onto the main road leading to the auto shop, and the chains on the sleeve cuff clinked against the broken zipper. Bouncing your tire up onto the sidewalk, the snap tab collar jangled in time with the small rocks you rode over on the way to the front employee door. You dismounted your bike in a fluid motion, and the supple leather made to fit Eddie creaked and groaned as you got out your keys.

The door opposite you in the garage was ajar, meaning he was smoking in the alleyway.

Quietly, you went to the break room, and said your peace. “Boy’s clothes are always better.”

Standing in front of the coat hooks, you slipped your hands into the pockets and pulled out the items for no other reason than to observe them in remembrance, as if you hadn’t inspected them for hours over the weekend. A half-empty pack of Camels crowded with rolling papers. Translucent green BIC lighter. A grocery receipt from two weeks ago with an obscene amount of pasta and marinara listed on it. A peppermint candy wrapper you could now confirm came from the candy dish on your desk intended for customers. And, of course, a tiny blue high heel shoe belonging to a Barbie doll. Because what father wouldn’t have that in their pocket.

Returning the items from whence they came, you fished a strip of paper out of your jeans, and added it to his treasure.

You removed the warmth you’d become accustomed to, and stared at the coat hook. You glanced down the hallway. Listened for Eddie.

Silence pressed in on you.

Intentionally, after spending more time doing this in bed than you cared to admit, you found his scent to be the strongest on the inside of the collar, and brought it to your nose.

Hugging the jacket to your chest, you inhaled deep, and sighed.

Years of the leather being draped around his neck did wonders for your loneliness since moving here. Last night you caved despite the voice in your head telling you it was weird to find comfort in your coworker’s belongings. As you stared into pitch-black attic, laying alone in a borrowed twin size bed with someone else’s parent’s hand-me-down blankets, cold, and without the glow or noise of the city to keep you company, you surrendered, and wrapped yourself in him. It was a split second decision, quickly overwhelmed by a sensation you hadn’t felt in quite some time. And it was an emotion you were more than happy to shove behind the other clutter in your brain, vowing you’d unpack it some other day, totally. Definitely. You’d absolutely process the heady buzz, and delightful sweat breaking out across your skin at the thought of your coworker’s arms giving you this embrace, and being able to press your nose to the crook of his neck to experience his salty taste on your tongue first-hand.

A squeaky truck passed by on the street, breaking you out of your spell.

“Good God, get a hold on yourself,” you begged aloud, and hung up the jacket.

~~~

The coffee machine sputtered liquid energy into the pot, signifying the end of your morning chores. And yet, Eddie had not made his appearance, whether it was wanted or not, depending on if he was hiding around a corner, or doing the thing he did where he stood next to you and looked like he wanted to say something, but never did.

The back door was still ajar. You poked your head out, and he was there, leaning against the wall. The stubby end of his cigarette was pinched between his forefinger and thumb with a trail of smoke coming off of it.

Early sunrays pierced the tree-lined horizon, gilding the silhouette of his nose in brilliant beauty. He heard you step onto the rocks, and rolled his head to the side to watch you stand between him and his car. The sun caught his hair. Glanced off the gentle slope of his cheek. Caused him to squint one of his eyes, and wrench his mouth into a lopsided grimace.

“Good morning,” he was first to say.

“Good morning,” you replied brightly. “You cut your hair.” By the way his face fell, you gathered he assumed no one would notice, but the feathery edge of his bangs curled higher onto his forehead, flaunting the harsher shadows of his confusion. You reassured him, “It looks good.”

He continued to stare at you without an emotion you could decipher.

“Really good?” you added, thinking he was seeking a better compliment.

With a soft smile and averted gaze, he flicked the ash from his cigarette, and admitted, “Sometimes I have problems vocalizing my thoughts before they’re gone, and I forget you can’t hear them if I don’t blurt them out. Luckily, my daughter demonstrated much better manners than I did, and thanked you for her costume, while I–”

“Waved for an obscenely long time, and then made fun of me,” you finished.

On cue, you both made eyes at each other, and looked away.

The sun couldn’t compete with his smile. The birdsong couldn’t compete with your giggle.

“Yeah,” he exhaled in a croaky groan. “I did do that, didn't I?” You shrugged and told him it didn’t bother you. It was just how you teased each other. “Still, thank you for putting in so much effort to make it special for her. She was crazy excited when she saw it. My uncle, too. I–uh, I appreciate you doing that for us more than I let on.”

“I know you do.” While Eddie may not have shared many of the details of his life prior to your arrival in Hawkins, it was evident in his every decision that people were not frequently kind to him, and the simple act of noticing he trimmed his bangs was something he’d think about for days.

“You think my hair looks good?” he asked, circling back to the original topic.

“The bangs, or everything?”

After a beat of consideration, he ventured, “Everything?”

You tilted your head. “Oh, it’s outdated. Messy. Unprofessional and like you just woke up from a 7-year coma. The worst case of bed head I’ve ever seen. More like a bird’s nest after a storm than anything, but yeah, it suits you. Can’t picture you with any other hairstyle, to be honest.” His expression was a mixture of bafflement, yet also flattery. You put emphasis on the latter. “I love it. It’s wild. I think you look good,” followed by, “for a weirdo,” to dodge the implication of calling him attractive.

In the long seconds that ensued, you rocked from foot to foot, waiting for him to say anything. Do anything besides stare at you with a slight smirk. Anything at all to make you feel like your nervous habits weren’t being examined under a microscope.

Cheeks suitably burning from the shyness of saying too much, you tugged your sleeves into your sweaty palms, and pivoted while saying, “Welp, time for me to be anywhere else on Earth but here.”

You swung open the door to the garage and he spoke up.

“You look pretty today.”

Halting your momentum on a dime, you slid your gaze from the floor to him–to his way of pressing his shoulder blades to the brick wall, leaning his full weight into the pose, arms crossed over his chest, cigarette between his lips, eyes set on you with an irresistible amount of tenderness to them.

You said, “Thank you, handsome,” and left the door open behind you.

But before you walked inside, before you blinked away, you watched that tenderness widen to excitement. You saw the soft curve of his mouth stretch to a smile. Heard him expel his breath in a single stunned laugh. And you listened to his voice fade as he turned his face up to the sky, and took the final drag on his cigarette with a smug mumble of, “Knew it.”

————

The next morning you stared at the full coffee pot suspiciously. The countertop was wiped clean and the powder creamer container was replaced, alongside the sugar packets being restocked.

Still wearing your backpack, you slipped off one strap, swung it around to unzip the top, and put away your lunch in the fridge. While bent over, you surveyed the room again, and narrowed your eyes at the shiny glass pot filled with dark brown coffee.

A certain someone was feeling generous today, helping you out with your morning chores, and that certain someone was currently sneaking behind your desk.

Pretending to mull over who could do such a courteous thing for you, you ran your finger over the packets. Neatened the coffee stirrers. Hummed a pleasing tune as you left the room with heavy steps. Stomp, stomp, stomp, all the way to the end of the hallway, meandering just before you would turn to sit at your desk.

“Raaah!” Eddie jumped from behind the wall–hunched over, hands clawed at you, face etched with utter deviousness, grinning broadly to bare his teeth.

You took the coffee stirrer and thwacked him on the forehead before sidestepping to your chair.

His wickedness withered away. “Hey,” he complained, rubbing the sore spot. “How did you–?”

“Your reflection, dork.”

He clicked his tongue and peered down the hall at the full coffee pot and microwave door, both giving away his movements. “Damnit.”

————

Lunches together became the norm.

Even after Carl and Kevin left the room to ruminate over the real clunker of a car that came in yesterday, you and Eddie remained crowded together on one side of the round table, eating.

You swiped the crumbs from your sandwich into your container. “How’s Adrie’s sleep been? I thought the whole ‘regression’ thing was just for babies.”

Eddie spoke with his mouth full of half-chewed spaghetti, gesturing with his fork, “Usually, yeah. It’s more like she has nightmares ‘nd stuff. Scared of the dark. Monsters under the bed. That sorta thing.” He hadn’t even swallowed before dipping his garlic toast in the marinara sauce and taking a bite. “It’s gotten better, though. I think only one nightmare these past two weeks.”

It happened last Wednesday. You remembered. After your boss and the other guys went home, Eddie fell asleep at the table, and you turned off the lights for him, letting him rest after taking his work jacket off the hook and placing it over his shoulders. He always pretends to not be awake when you do that, but you could tell from his breathing when he was awake and when he wasn’t.

“That’s good,” you said. “I had a talk with her on Halloween about how the dark wasn’t so scary; how she was a bat and bats love the dark, and I’m a mouse, we’re nocturnal, nighttime is just like daytime and there’s nothing to be afraid of, yada yada..” You trailed off upon seeing the faint shadow of his dimple flourish. “What?”

“That’s a genius move,” he said, impressed. “You sure you’re not a parent?”

You wanted to continue the conversation, you really did, but..

Sighing, you closed your eyes. “Eddie, you have sauce–just–all over your mouth.”

“–Shit, sorry.” Intent on rushing to the stack of napkins near the sink, he didn’t notice how close you were, and stumbled into your chair when standing up.

He caught himself on you. His hands were heavy on your shoulders as he regained his balance. Landing there on accident, yet it felt on purpose when they remained a moment longer, benefitting from your innate response to clasp your hands over his wrists and ask if he were all right, looking up at him with wide eyes of concern and your cheek pressed to his forearm.

He cursed another apology from above your head, and withdrew his grip–but only after you let go, too.

————

“Oh, Adrie, I found that shoe you were.. looking.. for?”

It was the weekend before Eddie managed to wear his leather jacket. He reached into the pocket after coming inside from smoking on the makeshift porch attached to the front of his uncle’s trailer, and uncurled his fingers.

The blue high heel rolled across his palm along with a folded piece of paper.

Jutting his bottom lip in confusion, he gave his daughter the shoe, and as she galloped to her room to play with her dolls, he opened the note.

sorry i stole your jacket

 come to me for a prize when you find this :)

if you find this

So that’s why you gave him that weird expectant look every morning..

————

Facing you on the other side of your desk after a customer left the lobby with their receipt, Eddie held up the note pinched between his index and middle fingers. “What’s my prize?”

Elated, your eyes lit up at the sight, and you motioned for him to give it to you while you held the phone to your ear with your shoulder, and continued your conversation with the auto parts dealer. “So–Yeah, three of those,” you went on, making a note with your pencil on where you left off in the catalog. “Yes, the smaller size, please.” You wrote something on the back of the paper and gave it to him.

Eddie snatched it–darting his eyes over your handwriting–and his excitement melted.

you finally cleaned out your pockets

    your prize is a job well done ♡

“That’s not a prize,” he said, face falling into a pouty glare.

Unamused by his inability to keep his mouth shut when you were clearly busy, you turned your hand over as if to ask ‘what did you expect?’ and directed a question at the man over the phone.

Not one to be ignored, Eddie began searching through the candy dish for a treasure to appease his appetite for a reward, and spilled peppermints over the side as he dug to the bottom.

You made a shushing gesture at him, widening your eyes at the crinkling wrappers interrupting you. “You’re out of those? Okay, then, I’ll move on to the door handle replacement. Let me just find the model number,” you spoke evenly into the receiver.

Eddie grunted, not finding what he was looking for.

You snapped your fingers at him, and pressed the phone to your chest to muffle yourself, “Do you not have a job or something?”

He held up a pink Now and Later, and asked in a stage-whisper, “Where’s all the butterscotch candy?”

“Bu–What?” you balked. “You ate them all? Those are for customers, Eddie! Yes, I’m still here,” you rattled off a make and model for the car. Eddie’s eyebrows rose at the quick switch from your speaking voice, to your cloyingly sweet customer service nasally octave, and back down to your annoyed tone at him. “Stop eating candy not meant for you and get back to work. You’re distracting me, you absolute nuisance.”

“Can you buy more butterscotch ones? Those are my favorite.”

“Sure, gramps, I’ll get right on it.”

Undeterred, or perhaps spurred on by earning your attention, he flattened his stomach to the ledge, and leaned over, invading your space to grab a stack of Post-it notes from the far end of your desk. Your Post-It notes. Your Post-It notes in his scuffed up, greasy hands, and his wavy hair sweeping from over his shoulders to block you from reading the lines of numbers and letters you were about to recite.

“What’re you..” You gave up when he grabbed your favorite pen.

You slid the catalog into your lap and turned away from him, facing the wall as you ordered the rest of the parts you needed, ending the call with an unintentional chat about the mild autumn weather–two minutes tops–and spun around to no one. Eddie had gone out to the garage. But not before sticking a note right smack dab in the middle of your desk where you couldn’t ignore it.

BUY MORE BUTTERSCOTCH

                                     -EM

His initials. It was silly, but two months into knowing him, and you’d never heard his last name. It wasn’t said aloud by him, his friends, or the other mechanics. Maybe you’d remember to ask him what it is one day.

————

Eddie had one rule–no reading over his shoulder when he was writing in his black notebook.

“Oh, chill,” you scolded him. “I’m here to microwave my lunch, not read your diary.”

Mr. Moore was out of office and the photocopier was broken, meaning you had to bike to the drug store and use theirs, missing your lunch break. With Eddie being the only mechanic in today, and having no customers, he made himself at home over the hour you were gone to catch up on.. whatever it was he was catching up on.

He slammed the thin red book shut and flipped it over. And when he thought that wasn’t good enough, he smashed the looseleaf papers back into his binder, closed it, and scrambled for his notebook, tearing through it like a wild animal until he found a blank page. Quick–He spun in his chair and laced his fingers in his lap, donning a weak smile. About as composed as a floundering fish. 

A pink flush crept up his neck, and his heavy breathing caused his unbuttoned coveralls to open wider over his chest, showing more than a glimpse at his black shirt underneath, stretched taut across his pecs.

His pencil dropped to the floor.

“Uh, hey. Didn’t hear you walk in.”

“Yeah, that much was obvious,” you snorted.

“What took you so long? I thought it’d be, like, 15 minutes tops. You could’ve read the manual and fixed our own copier by now.”

You popped open the lid to your container, and placed it in the microwave. “I’d rather jump off a bridge than sit there and read instructions. Anyway, I took a detour to see an apart–”

“Actually, that’s a good question. Would you jump off a bridge if someone asked, with your policy and all?”

“I’m not dignifying that with a response.” You punched two minutes on the timer. “As I was saying–Do you know that motel that closed down on Cypress? Bobbie told me it was a little mom-and-pop place that struggled to compete with the Motel 6.”

Perplexed as to where this was going, he squinted, and answered with a tepid, “Yeah?”

“Well,” you explained, “apparently someone bought the building and has been renovating them into apartments. I guess it wasn’t in too bad of a shape, with them just knocking down a few walls to make them into two bedrooms, and stuff. Bigger kitchens, whatever.” His features softened. The fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes lessened, and the tenseness in his jaw weakened. “Bobbie met the guy who’s renovating them and, uh, they’re gonna be available sometime at the beginning of next year, and the projected rent isn’t that bad. Really manageable for the both of us. As long as her dad is getting better, we could be moving out soon. It’d be nice to not live in their attic anymore, y’know.” You ended it almost on a lilt, as if it were a question, but maybe you were just goading him into saying what was on his mind, because with the way he was looking at you, you had no idea what had him so captivated.

“I–Yeah, I know the place you’re talking about. It’s just a few minutes from here.” And he added helpfully, “It’d be a shorter commute to work.”

“Yeah!” you exhaled, nodding in agreement. “Shorter commute.”

“Yeah,” he said again, allowing the information to wash over you both in different ways. “Closer to the grocery store, too.”

“Yeah. Yeah, and the laundromat.”

Eddie raised his brows. “Oh, nice. I use that place when our washing machine is broken.”

By some miracle you kept your mouth shut, saving yourselves the trouble of listing more establishments you’d be near when you moved. He must’ve realized the awkwardness as well, because he fidgeted with his fingers sheepishly.

“So, does that mean you’re staying in Hawkins?”

Hearing him take interest in your future kicked up your heart rate. It could be coming from a place of blunt curiosity, or conversational politeness, but like hell if your adrenaline didn’t surge from the unmistakable way he leaned in, hanging onto your every word, as the warm hum of the microwave served as background music to the glimmer of eagerness in his eyes.

Downplaying your excitement, you told him one eensy-weensy tiny caveat about your situation, “I am, but Robin’s moving in with Vickie at some point–don’t know when, but probably by the end of summer when she goes back to Indianapolis.. so.”

“And after that?”

“Dunno. I can float rent and bills by myself for a few months, but I’m not sure after that. Could tag along with them to the city, or stay here and, y’know, keep answering phones and annoying my favorite mechanic like I do now. Maybe even find someone willing to go on another date with me, since my first one was a bust.” He didn’t laugh. “Who knows. Maybe I’ll end up back in New York and audition for Cats.” You threw it out there as an outlandish possibility without serious consideration, and you thought you conveyed that through your jokey tone.

The microwave beeped.

You turned around, missing the way Eddie averted his gaze down and away before speaking.

“Just waiting for the next big thing to catch your eye and sweep you away, huh?”

“Not the first time you said that,” you commented teasingly, thinking you were still playing with each other. You grabbed your steaming rice and stirred it with a fork from the cutlery drawer. “What’s wrong? Afraid of not having a pretty girl sit across from you at lunch every day? Scared some other mechanic’s gonna need a receptionist, and then I’ll be gone? Or are you worried you’ll actually miss me if I leave?”

You giggled at your melodramatic phrasing and waited for him to respond. And when he didn’t, you looked over at him.

His shoulders rose and fell with his steady breaths as he thumbed through his notebook, mouth in a flat line.

Confusion stung embarrassment to your cheeks. Holding the hot tupperware, you asked, “Are we not eating together?”

He opened the binder and shifted closer to the table, scraping the chair legs across the tile, signifying the end of the conversation. Worse, still, he spoke in what would be a casual tone, if it weren’t for his rejective back facing you. “Actually, I’m trying to finish this,” he said, putting his pencil to the page and continuing the sentence where he left off.

“Oh.. Okay.”

You walked out the room and sat at your desk. Alone. Glaring at the stupid grains of rice and moving them around with your stupid fork and slouching over to rest your stupid cheek on your stupid fist.

Were you really less interesting than whatever he was writing in that notebook of his?

“Maybe I will find a bridge to jump off of,” you concluded, deciding you’d clock out on time in order to preserve your dignity. At least Robin would be home, and she would be honored to hang out with you.

————

An apology of sorts waited for you on your desk the next morning.

Three fresh-picked flowers in a chipped vase with a torn square of lined paper beside it.

     YOURE RIGHT

  I WOULD MISS

     EATING  WITH YOU

IM SORRY

                    -EM

The bud vase was from his home, the paper from his spiral bound notebook, and the dew-coated flowers from Hawkin’s soil–the last of their kind before the season put them to sleep.

Eddie wouldn’t be coming in today; he had the day off to take Adrie to the dentist. So, he woke up early to leave this peace offering when he could be sleeping in.

You set your elbows on you desk, and laced your fingers to rest your chin atop them, taking in the finer details of the periwinkle blue asters. After a moment, you traced your knuckle along your grin, and nibbled at the skin.

“So silly.”

————

And the morning after that, Eddie strayed from his bee line for coffee to approach you with a familiar meek posture; head lowered in deference, and a pouty expression of remorse on his lips.

The glass candy dish shined like a chest of golden coins awaiting him.

He folded his forearms on the ledge, and picked one of the butterscotch candies on top, pulling either end of the wrapper to unfurl it until the lustrous surface of the sweet flashed under the lobby’s lights.

You sank into your chair and watched him sweep his gaze across your desk in search of the flowers, and after not seeing them, he popped the candy in his mouth, and mumbled, “Does this mean you forgive me?”

Flitting your focus back and forth between his big eyes, you peered into each one, drawing out the moment by clicking your pen in thought, forcing him to sweat and fiddle with his wrapper in the echoey room. “Hmm..” You crossed your legs and shined your fingernails on your shirt, inspecting them.

His mouth twitched into a slight smile, favoring the side with his dimple.

Tipping his head so he was looking at you from under his lashes, he begged, “Come on, haven’t I groveled enough for you to have lunch with me later?” Bravery swelled his chest, jerked his chin in a smug nod once he had your attention. “Got you flowers and everything.”

You locked eyes with him for one, entire, sweet second, in which he winked at you.

Interestingly enough, you remembered you had paperwork to grab from Mr. Moore’s office, and rushed out sloppy sentences as you went, laying the sarcasm on thick to disguise the hitch in your throat, “Okay, okay, fine. I’ll have lunch with you if it’s that important to your livelihood, since you can’t live without me, or whatever.” You closed the office door behind you.

God, your face had never burned so hot.

~~~

And it was that night, when Eddie was alone with himself, he thought of the morning smiles through the glass window, and the afternoon laughs shared at the lunch table. The way you sat next to him and he moved his feet outward, spreading his legs to occupy as much space as possible. And he thought about how you accommodated him. Nudging his knee at first to test the waters, and when he responded by closing the distance between your shoe and his, you leaned towards him at the height of the story you were telling, and the length of your thigh pressed against him in a satisfying squish. He wasn’t entirely sure it was on purpose, but with the state he was in, it mattered not.

Eddie fluttered his eyes closed from blinking lazily at the shower head, stroking away the fleeting guilt of wondering if he should be testing his boundaries by thinking about you while doing this, even as his lips parted with silence, and his stomach tensed from pleasure.

Even as he held his shaky breath to keep himself mute, and his hand moved with renewed swiftness from his release mixing with his spit, and he watched the mess gather in his palm before washing it down the drain, he convinced himself.

This was so casual.

————

Saturday you went to the grocery store–AKA, hell day in hell land. You only needed a few ingredients, and figured getting out of the house for a while was better than calling Robin and asking her to pick them up for you.

However, life mocked you. After a heart-racing encounter with a truck narrowly missing you on the highway, you slowed to an agonizing stop every few feet from people blockading the aisles, taking their sweet time to decide what type of oil they wanted, when you could’ve snatched the one you needed, and moved on if they–would–just–move–a–freakin’–inch.

Least to say, by the time you made it to the baking aisle, you were mentally over it, and yet..

The cocoa powder was on the top shelf, taunting you by sight, just out of reach.

You huffed.

Rising onto your tiptoes, you employed your entire wingspan into clawing for it–tasting victory with your fingertips–but not enough to grasp the slippery plastic.

And of course no one else on the aisle was taller than you. They were hunched over walking canes, and clutching their layers of cardigans over their chests.

And of course, as you were stepping onto the bottom shelf for leverage, and becoming intimate with the bags of flour you inadvertently shoved your face into, your worst nightmare loomed behind you.

You knew it was Eddie before he spoke. You knew his gait, his smell, the sound of his laugh when he kept it in his chest. You knew his radiating warmth, his soft grunt, the way he took a sharper breath and held it for a beat before releasing it as a teasing remark. You knew the magnitude of his presence even when he was being demure. How respectful he was to invite himself into your personal space without crossing a line, squeezing his firm hand on the meat of your shoulder to let you know he was there, and heeding a modest gap between your bodies as his unbuttoned shirt brushed your sides.

He backed away half a step, and waited until you were turned around in the crowded space of him and the metal shelves to wave the tub above your head. The rings decorating his fingers glinted as he boasted, “Shucks, looks like it’s the last one too.”

You held your palm up and dropped your head to the side. “Are you gonna make me jump for it like Adrie, or are you gonna be a grown up and give it to me?”

“Give it to you? Maybe I need” –He read the label– “Cocoa powder.”

“You so do not.”

“You don’t know that,” he replied, lifting his chin at your bored expression. “If you want it..” He shifted his stance and sank into his hip, curling his bottom lip over his smirk as he peered down at you, prolonging your misery instead of just finishing his sentence. “..You can use the magic words.”

What an infuriating immovable object. Blocking everything in your view that wasn’t his red flannel thrown over a wrinkled white tee, and his rebellious hair eclipsing the fluorescent lights.

Just the worst person to rescue you from your predicament. Standing so close you could scrutinize the permanent five-o-clock shadow on his upper lip, and the wispy curls composing his sideburns.

So annoying how his hair reached the shadow of his clavicle, where a chain link necklace showed beneath his shirt, and the tendons in his neck stretched an alluring contour from the hollow of his throat to the underside of his square jaw.

His shoulders shook with a quelled snicker. “Come on,” he sang with an infuriating timbre, swaying the cocoa above you.

You met his steeped tea eyes, and insisted in a warm honey tone, “Please stop being a dickhead, and thank you for not being an asshole and handing over the cocoa.. Fucker.”

Eddie’s face cracked into the biggest grin. Beside you, a blushing grandmother shot you a scathing glare, and grabbed a bag of sugar from the shelf before tsking and walking off.

Bestowing you the tub in your hand, he wrapped his palm over top of it and didn’t let go as he bent to you. “Hey now,” he said in a lower register, voice cracking on the consonants from the remnants of his laugh, “no bad words in front of my kid. Or the elderly. Show some respect.”

You perked up. All transgressions in regards to baking ingredients were forgotten when you spotted his daughter sitting cross legged inside the shopping cart behind him. “Adrie!” You pushed Eddie out of the way, and wrapped her in a tender, heartwarming hug.

“Miss Mouse!” she cheered in equal enthusiasm, dropping the box of cereal she was reading aloud to lock her arms around your neck.

You giggled at the giddy feeling soaring in your chest, and encouraged her, “Yeah, I’m Miss Mouse.” The clunky braids Eddie put in her hair smashed against your cheek as you held each other tighter.

Taking inventory of the sparse groceries she was amongst, you spotted a pattern. “You like pasta, huh?” It was an easy guess considering there were three bags of noodles with two large jars of sauce standing out from the rice dinners and a few cans of soup. Practically a replica of the receipt you found in his pocket. But she corrected you.

“No. Daddy’s just bad at cooking.”

Your eyes bulged, and you pursed your lips to refrain from bursting out in impolite laughter. Standing up straight, you combed a few stray curls behind her ear, and whispered, “Geez, kids are ruthless.”

Eddie shifted his weight to his other foot, and gestured at the groceries with a pencil before striking out something on the short list he had written one on a pad of paper. “Eh, Wayne’s the chef of the family. She knows what she’s getting when it’s my turn to cook.”

You hummed at the new information, and went to pick your hand basket off the floor when something caught your eye–and it definitely wasn’t the leather loafers on the old man shuffling past you.

Eddie, obviously, wasn’t dressed in coveralls.

His black tennis shoes were nearly identical to the white ones he wore on Halloween, with the floppy tongues out against his light-wash blue jeans. (Very, very nice fitted jeans with holes in the knees, and a rip stretching wider across the curve of his thigh.) Dragging your gaze up, you clocked the interesting belt buckle he wore on your way to admire the soft outline of his stomach pressed against his shirt. He moved his flannel aside to stuff his shopping list in his pocket–struggling due to how tight his pants were–and incidentally showed off a smidgen of skin above the waistband of his plaid boxers.

Just a hint of skin marked with the bottom lines of a larger tattoo and you were salivating–

A loud intercom announcement sang a jingle about tortillas, and you were reminded of where you were, and where Eddie was, a few feet away from you, well aware of the places your gaze stalled before landing on his smirk.

He caught you checking him out.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Find everything you were looking for?”

“I, uh–” you stuttered two words out before your brain threatened you to shut the fuck up. As an alternative, you snapped into finger guns aimed in the opposite direction, and made up an excuse. “I forgot to get.. something.”

“Forgot what?”

You blinked. “Milk.”

“Milk, huh?”

“Yep.. Milk.” Sweating under the heat of his narrowed eyes, you made yourself scarce. “Welp. Hope to never see you outside of work again, because this was we-ird,” you enunciated in lilt as you strutted away. But just as you were about to disappear around the corner, you stopped, and said, “Adrie, however, I’d love to see you any day of the week.”

She turned in the shopping cart and waved. “Bye, Miss Mouse.” Eddie was too busy watching you make a fool of yourself to correct her, letting the nickname stick.

Rounding the end cap display of premature Christmas themed candies and bakeware, you held your gaze steadfast ahead as you passed by someone not-so-inconspicuously trying to blend in with the background, wearing a red managerial vest, and holding a clipboard over their mouth.

Robin lowered the employee break schedule, and whispered rather loudly, “He’s so in love with you.”

You groaned. “Can you not spy on us?”

She sweetened you up, “Seriously, he was totally checking you out when you bent over.”

You turned down an aisle and felt her hot on your heels. Yielding in front of the boxes of chamomile tea, you examined one, and asked with an air of disinterest as if you were inquiring about the weather, “Was he now?”

Screwing her face up, she nodded empathically, “Majorly.”

“Good, because I want to crawl in a hole and die.”

~~~

Six feet under seemed like a better fate than what you were dealt.

Though you gave it your best effort, meandering about until enough time had elapsed that you figured he’d left by now, you made your way to the front of the store, and stopped. Eddie had the end of his cart angled towards the registers. Adrie held a package of cookies out for him to approve of, and in a depressing moment of realization, you watched him revert to the person you met him as.

The playfulness was gone. His face was cast with the exhaustion of being around strangers for too long. His lips were bitten raw. His chest sank with a long exhale, and his stomach caved as he looked at his daughter asking for something the other parents around him could throw in their cart without a second thought, and he had to disappoint her.

He didn’t say ‘no’ exactly, but the nervousness of doing so was there. “They’re not on the list,” he begged her in a defeated whisper to understand and not make a scene. He couldn’t handle a scene.

Not yet five-years-old and she sensed his stress and put them back.

“Hey, cutie.” You didn’t know you spoke until Eddie jerked his head up, and you witnessed the change in his mood wash over him. Turned on a dime. He grinned at you in genuine relief, and in a bout of awkwardness, you smiled at Adrie in particular to imply your initial greeting was for her. Not that he wasn’t cute, too. “Fancy meeting you two here.”

He pushed his cart forward, taking the next spot in line, and peered into your hand basket, assessing the Reese’s Pieces, baking goods, tea, and distinct lack of one item. “Hmm, got lost on your way to the milk, huh? Or did you need someone to reach it for you?” He placed his gallon of milk on the conveyor belt first for emphasis. You rolled your eyes.

The two of you must’ve appeared cozier than you gave off, because the cashier motioned at you–specifically, he pointed from Eddie’s groceries to yours. “You two together?”

Eddie froze. Just a useless doe-eyed deer in headlights. You, on the other hand, swallowed your spit before you choked on it, and realized what he meant.

“No, no, separate,” you answered, taking a plastic divider from him and putting it after Eddie’s bag of red delicious apples and before Robin’s dad’s tea.

You stifled your giggle as your beloved coworker fumbled into action after the exchange dawned on him. Bouncing between bagging his groceries, finding the cereal box for Adrie so she could finish tracing the maze on the back, and wiggling his wallet out of his back pocket. The chain attached to it clinked as he rifled through the papers in the biggest slot. They didn’t fit quite right like proper money would. They didn’t look quite right, either. Printed in muted red, purple, green, and blue like Monopoly money. Big text on the front with a picture of the Liberty Bell. Large numbers in the corner with fine print beside it.

Food stamps.

They were food stamps, and it was the middle of the month, and he didn’t have many left.

He counted two of them out, and hesitated, choosing to add a few dollars to meet the total, and handed them over.

Eddie had no reason to feel embarrassed. This was his life. This was how he fed his daughter. But still, he snuck a glance at you, and you looked away so he didn’t think you were staring, even though you were. You were. Not from a place of judgment, but of natural curiosity. Unfortunately, as you directed your gaze elsewhere, you noticed other people around you weren’t as gracious. Eyeing Eddie with cruelty behind their study of the town freak coming inside their territory and depending on their honest wealth to pay for his food.

He’d only begun to stop chewing on his lips when he left the store. Exiting swiftly to begin the process of calming his anxiety as he loaded his car with groceries, knowing he had meals to eat, even if the price he paid stung his ego.

You went through the motions of bagging your groceries in your backpack, and listened to your gut.

Outside, you unchained your bike and put your bag in the wire basket attached to the handles, squinting in the noonday sun as you walked it to the back of the parking lot where Eddie was placing the plastic bags into the trunk of his car. No one parked on either side of him. Not a notable thing, but with how the store was packed, it stood out.

Eddie heard your wheel spokes click as you neared, and schooled the indications of worse emotions from his face to keep you from prying, but he frowned anyway when you passed him to talk to his daughter instead.

The rear door on the passenger’s side was propped open. You flapped your hand at her to get her attention, and she stretched her arm out as far as her car seat allowed in effort to link your fingers. “See you later, girlie,” you said, squeezing her hand in lieu of a proper hug. “Be good for your dad, alright?”

“I’m always good,” she responded, giving you an assured nod of angelic innocence. Eddie barked a laugh, and closed the trunk.

“You can’t swindle her,” he told Adrie. “She knows all about the fit you threw the other morning when I wouldn’t let you bring your stuffed animals to school.” She cut him a sassy glare at being called out.

“Don’t listen to him,” you consoled her. “You’re perfect.” She beamed at you, and you paralleled her delight as you let go of her to smack Eddie’s hand away from your ribs. “Anyway, I’ve gotta get going. Gotta get this milk in the fridge, y’know.”

You stole a coy look at him reveling in what you hoped wouldn’t become a running joke, and steered your bike away, saying another final goodbye to Adrie.

“Not gonna say goodbye to me?” he asked with an aching amount of pitifulness.

“Ch’yeah.” You swung your leg over the frame, put your feet to the pedals. Ensuring you were a decent distance apart, you called out, “You’re right! I should respect my elders.” You waved and shouted at him pointedly, “Farewell, Eddie!”

He fixed his lazy grin on his daughter, who was laughing like it was the funniest thing she’d ever witnessed, and told her with utmost fondness, “Saw that one coming from a mile away.”

————

Sunday morning, Adrie threw him for a loop.

“I want Miss Mouse to come to my play,” she said, spearing the scrambled eggs on her plate with the tines of her plastic Little Mermaid themed fork. “Can you invite her for me?”

Eddie went rigid. The triangle shaped extras from her pancakes being cut into stars flopped off his fork, paused mid-air on the way to his already stuffed mouth. He chewed slowly. Methodically. Swallowing the syrupy sweetness coating his tongue, biding his time as he hunched deeper over his plate, and stared her down while his uncle took special interest in her request.

Wayne wasn’t able to make it this year, and Adrie was quick to think of a suitable replacement.

With a voice scratchy from cigarettes, he directed his question at his nephew, “Miss Mouse?”

Eddie shut him down with a diplomatic answer without breaking eye contact with his daughter. “Adrie’s nickname for the receptionist at work.”

“Oh! The one who did the costume, and went trick-or-treating with you.”

He sounded much too happy, much too chipper for Eddie’s liking, and when he withdrew his gaze from Adrie to pin it on Wayne, the sharp rush of annoyance at the twinkle in his uncle’s eye manifested in a low, tempered correction for him to drop it. “My coworker from the auto shop, where I’m lucky to have the job that I do.”

Wayne wasn’t having it. He leaned in, and matched his intensity, loading his words with a much deeper meaning than the type of conversation they could have in front of Adrie. He spoke to him man-to-man. “The receptionist who is nice to you and Adrie, and, understandably, is being asked to go to a small event at her school.”

“I know what she’s asking,” Eddie replied from behind his hand. “Stop acting like you don’t.”

“Daddy, please,” Adrie begged, kicking his shin under the table. Eddie inhaled sharply and scooted away.

Wayne looked at him.

Adrie looked at him.

His rules, convictions, and morals of the workplace looked at him, rising as a tense pressure in his chest. Eddie sighed them out.

He was weak.

————

Sunday night, you and Robin were up to your usual bullshit.

Stress baking, and stress baking.

Her house was dimmed to only the small lights above the stove and sink, painting the room in an intimate mood of warmth bouncing off the smoky haze clouding the cramped space from the counter where you transferred a tray of hot cookies to a cooling rack, and she swayed behind you to the sultry Cher record spinning in the distance, seeming far away with her deep vocals melding into loops in your sleepy highs.

“Eddie’s beyond in love with you,” Robin said for the hundredth time, probably.

“He is not,” you argued for the hundredth time, probably. “Can you get me a bag for these?” The double chocolate cookies with Reese’s Pieces on top were ready to be put away to make room for the oatmeal ones.

“I just don’t get why you think he doesn’t like you–Oops.” While reaching for the ziploc bags from the top of the refrigerator, she accidentally knocked down a piece of artwork hanging on the door. She tossed you the box and picked the magnet up, along with the drawing of a mouse, owl, and bat off the floor, and put them back into place. “I mean, the way he looks at you every time you speak..” she trailed off in a wistful, airy breath. “So romantic.”

You answered her dreamy grin with a melancholic shrug of your own. “Yeah, but you don’t see all the other times he looks at me.”

Robin persevered. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.. He’s really–” You struggled for a word, interrupted by the sound of roiling bubbles behind you. “He’s really confusing.”

Exhaling at the ceiling, she asked, “Confusing how? Seems pretty clear to me.”

You groaned. Robin jabbed her elbow into your arm and offered you the bong, and when you showed her your greasy fingers, she turned it around and held it to your lips, lighting it for you until your lungs ached from a full inhale and you gave her a thumbs up to pull the stem.

Different place, same old bullshit. Smoking the last of your combined stash of weed you moved here with while bitching about life. It was hardly the first bowl of the night–or even the third–and the sentences you were trying to string together lulled into the drowsy dregs at the back of your mind.

You dropped your head back and sighed the smoke out. “He gets weird sometimes.”

“He’s always been weird.”

Shaking your head at her, you shifted the tone of the night to a somber one. Serious. Reflective.

Rolling the sugar cookie dough into balls, you recounted Eddie’s most recent rejection. “Last week I was telling him how we were hoping to move out soon, and he was giving off signals and asking questions like it was leading somewhere, but then I ran my stupid mouth, and it’s like he flipped a switch. He just stopped talking to me for the rest of the day.”

She put the bong down on the counter next to the tiny vase holding three flowers, and crossed her arms. “Ran your mouth how?”

You groaned louder into the hot wave of heat fanning your face from opening the oven door. “The dude will seriously flirt with me from clock in to clock out, but I–I dunno. I think I lay it on too thick, and it freaks him out. Like suddenly he realizes I’m serious, and he’s not into it. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened last week, anyway. We were going back and forth listing the pros of me living closer to work, and the cons of you eventually moving in with Vickie, and I kinda made a pass at him..”

“A pass how?”

You drew your brows in, and blinked your droopy eyes in a concentrated effort to recall the conversation. “..To be honest, I can’t remember. It was along the lines of me hinting that I’d want a second date with him. Which I only said because he seemed interested after I told him we were staying in Hawkins, but whatever. Guess I read it wrong.”

Perhaps too astute, your best friend in the entire world navigated your love life with undue keenness in spite of how blitzed you two were, breaking into dumb giggle fits at, quite literally, you dropping a spoon. “How obvious was this hint of yours?”

“Doesn’t matter.” You waved off the notion before you could grow attached to it. “We’re still coworkers, so I need to dial it back, regardless.”

“I think you should dial it up.”

“If I dialed it any more up, I’d get an HR complaint.”

“You don’t have HR,” she reminded you.

Squinting, you paused mixing the chocolate chips into the next batch of cookies. “I think I am HR?”

You handed her the pyrex bowl since it was her turn to roll them into cookies, and as she snacked on the raw dough, you filled the ziploc bag with more treats, stuffing it full.

Cher sang about starting over and finding love again.

The drawing on the fridge was in your periphery, as was the vase. Reminders of how kind, and gentle, and sweet Eddie and his daughter were. You were bound to misread his flirtations, but there was no harm in matching them, right? As long as you didn’t cross any lines, yeah? Just followed his lead and stopped when he made it clear it wasn’t welcomed.

Yeah.

Dialed back. You could do dialed back.

————

This was new.

It was early afternoon when you closed the manila folder of invoices, and directed your attention to Eddie, who, for the first time, imposed himself on your side of the desk.

He acted brave when he was timid. A blatant facade, still hesitant to commit to crossing the threshold past the invisible line where your desk ended and the hallway began. Made himself smaller by leaning on the wall behind you, giving you room to leave if you wanted. Not yet courageous enough to take his hand away from playing with the ends of his hair over his rosy cheeks. “So–um–Adrie’s class is putting together a Thanksgiving play, and she requested your attendance by name,” he finished with an adorable pout of your moniker, “Miss Mouse.”

You sat up straighter with lifted brows.

Thinking he was doing you a favor, he dropped the formalities, and gave you an out–a carefully worded out to avoid any cheeky response about your policy, “It’s gonna be a bunch of rambunctious toddlers singing off key, and not remembering their lines. It’s cool if you don’t want to go, I’ll tell her you were busy or somethin’. She’ll understand.”

You gripped the armrests in a burst of enthusiasm. “What? Of course I wanna go! When is it?”

Eddie was unconvinced. He crossed his arms, and bent at the waist to better assess if you knew what you were getting into. “Uh, Wednesday around lunch time–we can be out and back during our break if we hurry–but I’m serious about the little kids being obnoxious part. You don’t have to go.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” It was a rhetorical question he was going to answer, but you knocked the air from his lungs with one simple sentence. “I want to be there for her.”

Warmth bloomed. Spread throughout his body. The things he suppressed. Taking over all at once.

“You said Wednesday around lunch time?” you clarified. He nodded dumbly, a bit distracted. Your grin grew. “Both Mr. Moore and Carl are taking a half-day to start their Holiday early..” you began, and waited for the realization to cross his features.

“So we could just..”

“Lock up, and..”

“Take the rest of the day off too,” Eddie finished with an undertone of pride. He’d have to work extra hard to complete the cars he was working on before then, but the idea was genius. Playing hooky under his boss’ nose like he was a teenager again.

There was perhaps more he wanted to say, but the phone rang.

You answered and kept the exchange short, using your normal speaking voice. “Robin’s dad is being discharged from the hospital today,” you told him after hanging up. “I’m gonna clock out early to help prepare the house for when he gets here.”

Eddie watched you tidy up your desk in preparation to leave, and figured he should get back to work.

Picking up where he left off, he sank into the passenger’s seat of the Ford Taurus outside, and ran a mental checklist of things he still needed to do. Or he tried, rather. He was mostly sitting there daydreaming about potential scenarios, until he saw you come from the breakroom with your jacket in hand, and left out the front door, waving goodbye as you went.

Two dramatic minutes passed.

The quiet warehouse amplified the aural representation of his loneliness.

Eddie frowned. He wasn’t about to attribute the weather to your proximity, but he was certain the temperature in the garage dropped when you weren’t in the office. Or, maybe, he lost the pretty thing distracting him every few minutes, and he had the time to reflect on how badly he wanted a smoke break in the sun to warm him up.

He went inside to get his jacket from the breakroom, and instead of encountering a pack of Camels in his pocket, he grasped an oddly shaped object, and wrangled it out.

bobbie & i made too many

    share with adrie & your uncle!

                      ♡

An array of cookies surprised him. Several flavors, in fact. Some with fun toppings, some plain.

He smiled.

Well. Smiling would be putting it mildly.

Acting on impulse, he (accidentally) crushed the bag to his chest, and made a high-pitched noise of glee in his throat, absolutely smitten. Eddie hadn’t received a sweet gesture like this in years. If ever. Ironically blessed with the allure of being older in high school, he couldn’t distinguish the genuine crushes girls may have had on him from the fake love letters people stuffed in his locker to mess with him. But this? This was sincere. Even if the intention behind the cookies were to pawn them off because you made too many, you still thought of him and Adrie.

Too excited, he opened the bag and went to eat one, but a distinct odor itched his nose–one he was too intimate with to miss.

He held the baggie up and sniffed, then smelled the cookies. Inhaled the acrid scent clinging to the plastic, and nibbled on one of the innocuous looking treats.

He consulted the note again.

share with adrie

You didn’t just give him and his daughter edibles, did you?

————

Wednesday came unannounced. You crossed several days off the calendar in the garage, forgetting to do so with the influx of orders, phone calls, and customers getting in their last minute fixes before the Holiday break. You did what you could. Eddie did what he could. And now, you taped a handwritten sign to the front door and locked it until Monday morning.

Grabbing your backpack, you went to the women’s restroom, and Eddie went to the men’s to change out of your work clothes. After some arguing back and forth through the doors, you made him agree to open them on a countdown, and through your giggles, you shouted, “Three!”

You swung open your door and were instantly disappointed. “Why are you wearing that?”

Eddie made a similar sneer across from you in the hallway, and questioned your sanity, “What in the world are you wearing?”

“It’s adorable, and festive!” You defended yourself by pointing out the scarecrow patch on the chest pocket of your baggy overalls, and how your orange flannel matched the one he was wearing. “Do you not think so, you big gray cloud?”

“Yeah, super cute. You’ll blend right in with the toddlers,” he snarked with much less malice than his words implied, on account of his lopsided grin.

“Big talk coming from the guy dressed like a moody teen.” Sinfully tight black jeans, black boots, black belt sporting a handcuff buckle, black leather jacket, black tee with a graphic of a rattlesnake wrapped around a skull.

It was his first date outfit again. How sweet.

And you didn’t need to be checking out his ass to see the bandana hanging out of his back pocket as he escorted you to his car, but you weren’t complaining about the opportunity. “You should worry about scaring the children with how angry you look.”

He held the employee door open for you, and locked it–then almost tripped on his way to unlock the car door, and hold it open for you too. “Angry?” He glanced from your outfit to his. “Good thing I’m with you, then. We’ll balance each other out, Sunshine.”

“An unlikely pair,” you agreed in good faith. Once he shut your door, and was in the process of walking around to his side, you gawked at the nickname. “Sunshine?”

You snapped your mouth shut as he fell into the driver’s seat, and started the car.

“So,” you drew out to break the silence after he didn’t have the courtesy of turning on the radio to ease the tension of being stuck in a small enclosure together, “red, huh?” The entire interior–every last detail–was custom made in the same bright crimson, from the air vents to the tiniest knobs.

The engine revved with his heavy stamp on the gas. Your stomach flipped. His grin went wicked.

“There weren’t many made in this color,” he said, thrilled to see your fingernails dig into your palms as he peeled out onto the street, and the garage became a miniature in his rearview mirror at a frightening speed, considering you were coming up on an intersection. “I’m lucky I found her used, and she didn’t need much work.”

Petrified as you might be by his reckless driving, you still had it within you to make a sound of disgust. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys that refers to their car as a woman.”

“What?” he scoffed. He relaxed one of his hands on his thigh as he lounged back with his head cocked, brazen with his newfound vanity. An arrogant curve to his lips as he interpreted your lingering gaze on his fingers splayed across his leg as being impressed by him, his car, his attitude. The whole package. “You don’t gender your bike?”

Without giving it much consideration, you supposed, “I think my bike is a he.”

“Ha! You ride a man to work every day,” he mumbled after the abrupt laugh.

His smile vanished.

The fact he didn’t mean to say that out loud became very apparent.

The blood drained from his face as quickly as it returned. Splotches of blushy red worked its way up his throat, turning his ears the same color as his beloved car’s interior. Same shade as the traffic light up ahead. Same bawdy hue typically associated with the lustful act his brain suggested before his mouth caught up.

Eddie sat at attention. Swallowed against his pulse as he stepped on the clutch and downshifted gears. The leather strapped steering wheel creaked under his dual vice grip. His chest deflated with a heavy breath, and blinking rapidly at the road, his pounding heart trembled his voice, “Please forget I said that.”

Curled into a ball facing the window–stomach clenched painfully tight from uncontrollable laughter–you muffled yourself with your flannel’s collar, “Never!”

~~~

The rest of the car ride was boring in comparison to the start, but you made it to Adrie’s preschool with only a few more unintentional eruptions of giggles when you remembered Eddie’s horrified face, while he drove in abject misery.

He parked the car, and got out quickly.

“How precious,” you said. The squat brick building had aged pine needles clinging to its shingled roof, and Thanksgiving themed art hanging in its windows.

Opening the entrance door brought the waft of buttery biscuits and grape jelly. Eddie guided you with purpose through the makeshift cafeteria, made snug with four child-sized picnic tables in the middle, and fingerpainted art adorning the navy blue walls. His keyring dangled from his belt, drumming against his jeans as he pivoted into a hallway illuminated by the overcast day outside. Gentle music came from the empty nursery to the left, and to the right was a heavy wooden door that did little to quiet the ruckus beyond it.

He paused. The rectangle window above the door knob streaked the side of his face with warm light from within, countering the nervous energy in his eyes as he took a long moment to look at you. You waited for him to speak, but he decided against it.

“I’m excited,” you offered, just above a whisper, wanting to say anything to help ease the eerie vagueness in his expression.

A muscle in his cheek twitched like he was going to smile, but it came across rather apprehensive.

He turned the knob. You walked inside first. Both of you stood still.

The room was as inviting as it was overwhelming. Bright, decorated, and packed with people. People who were dressed in business casual, and broken off into pairs of two. People who knelt to speak on level with someone who displayed a combination of their distinct features. People who mingled with other adults after the little ones were ushered to the front of the room by the teachers. People who gushed over a topic with their heads together, beaming at a miniature version of themselves dressed in a costume. People who contributed in a joint effort to create life, and the reason they were here today.

Parents.

They were parents.

This was an event for parents.

This was a play for parents to attend to see their child perform, and partake in themed crafts with the implication of going home afterwards to spend the Holidays together.

Eddie watched you realize this.

An older woman gravitated towards you two.

This was very, intensely, happening right now, and you had to navigate the whiplash to the best of your improv abilities.

“Good to see you,” she greeted Eddie first, and he gave a pleasant reply, but she didn’t hear it. Her attention was on you, eyes magnified by her thick glasses, and smiling wider than before. “You brought someone,” she all but gasped, speaking to him, though she was clasping your hand. “I’m Mrs. Teresa. And you are?”

Eddie had a response prepared.

“I’m Adrie’s friend!” you blurted.

He pressed his mouth shut and gave you a sideways glance.

“And, uh,” you continued to dig your grave, “and I work with Eddie. I met Adrie one day, and we really hit it off, haha. Next thing I know I’m trick-or-treating with her, and uh.. now I’m here!” When her expression of anticipation did not wane, you followed up your ramble with your name, and she nodded appreciatively, patting the back of your hand.

“It’s wonderful to meet you,” she said. “We’re starting soon if you’d like to sit.”

She moved on to a non-platonic couple, and collected their kid to the front where a backdrop of an autumnal forest jostled due to the jittery group of children hiding behind it–most notably, the little girl at the edge who peeped her head out, and jumped up and down.

You both waved at Adrie.

Eddie’s hand landed on your mid-back, and he directed you with an appropriate amount of pressure towards the last row of chairs, choosing two in the middle.

“Smooth,” he commented.

“Shut it.” Sneaking an eyeful of the broad man next to you wearing a blazer under his boiled wool overcoat, you scooted your chair closer to Eddie’s. He must’ve had a similar train of thought, because he did the same to get away from the woman next to him, unwittingly making you two cozier than you were at the movies.

Shoulder to shoulder, he kept his hands in his pockets, and your elbow slotted into the crook his arm created when he slouched towards you.

“Are we not friends?” he asked in reference to your introduction.

You assured him, “The best of reluctant friends.”

The impish smile he shared with you dwindled with each set of hypercritical eyes getting their gawk in before one of the teachers turned off the lights.

The room was overcome with darkness. Blackout curtains suppressed daylight from coming through–for naptime, you assumed–and as children do, they squealed. The teachers soothed them with an amused shush, and turned on two lamps, pointing them like spotlights at the backdrop. Your eyes refused to adjust past the faint outline of your leg pressed flush against Eddie’s, (from hip to calf as a result from seeking support in each other,) but that was beside the point. The show began.

Mrs. Teresa sat off to the side and opened a comically large book. She read the first passage aloud with the pages facing the parents, and out came the kids dressed as pilgrims, brandishing their buckle shoes and hats. In another breath, the ones wearing brown shirts and feathers arrived, and you grimaced at the watered down kid-friendly rewrite of history being acted out, interspersed with songs about sharing.

At least Adrie was dancing around as a carrot with other vegetable-clad children, spelling out what part of the cornucopia they were.

Truly, it could’ve been worse.

But it was during a chorus about friendship sung at the top of their lungs, you unbit your tongue, and leaned into Eddie. “So when are they gonna enslave the Natives and steal their land?”

“Pft!”

Several pairs of shoulders in front of you turned to glare at what they assumed was Eddie snickering at their children’s bad singing before sitting forward, surely perturbed.

He knocked the side of his fist on the top of your thigh, and went to scold you.

But the room was dark.

So dark.

And he misjudged how close you sat.

The cold tip of his nose made contact with the cusp of your cheekbone. His stuttered breath caught your jaw. Your arm slipped further into the curve of his body.

He could’ve realized his mistake. He could’ve stopped there. He could’ve apologized for overstepping the coworker code of conduct. He could’ve reminded himself you’d be gone by the end of the summer. He could’ve dialed it back. He could’ve kept it casual. He could’ve backed off, and dropped the silly reprimand altogether. He could’ve done so many things. But he didn’t. He accepted the risk, and committed to it.

He dipped his head until his plump lips discovered the shell of your ear. Every word vibrated on your skin, rippling goosebumps in the wake of his groaned warning, “You’re gonna get me in trouble.” Trembly, raspy from keeping his voice low. Hardly hitting the hard consonants with his tongue before he was withdrawing.

The humidity from his exhale remained. It cooled on your skin. In the weak lamplight, you shifted your wide eyes to his, and the knowledge of what transpired reflected in his keen gaze gauging the consequences of his actions.

Stuck in a daze of buzzing endorphins, you had no idea how to interpret what the hell just happened.

Careful, he didn’t dare express an emotion that would give his true self away.

Together, you both redirected the focus to his daughter.

It took another few seconds for either of you to discern the back of his hand resting on your thigh. He took it away, and crossed his legs, establishing some much needed space between you.

~~~

The play ended, and the lights were flipped on. Everyone winced. There was an announcement from one of the teachers about a snack and crafts for the parents who were staying; and without an auto shop to attend to, you and Eddie were able to dote over Adrie instead of being forced back into the intimacy of his car.

He stood up and said he’d be right back. Lucky for Adrie, she bolted for you first, and you wasted no time in scooping her up into a crushing hug, grateful for the distraction.

Overflowing with pride, you channel all your love into lauding Adrie in mushy compliments, rubbing your cheek against hers. “Oh my gosh, you did so good! You were the best carrot I’ve ever seen. I’m downright impressed by your performance, remembering all those lines.” Pulling away, you waggled your eyebrows. “You wanna grow up to be an actor? Have people flock to see you on stage?” Her face brightened in renewed excitement.

“On a stage like Da–?”

Eddie intervened out of nowhere, “You two ladies gonna join me?” You startled an imperceivable amount from his sudden appearance–truly, you didn’t even jump–but it was enough to earn his toothy grin. “I reserved two seats at the Queen’s table for the princess and her esteemed guest for the evening.” He bowed with a swept out arm, showing you the way through the sea of adults.

Queen’s table was certainly a way to sell it.

It was a tiny, tiny thing. There were several of them at the back of the room, seating four children at most–or two adults and a four-year-old–and Adrie chose a blue one with a cartoon turkey decoration in the middle.

Half an ass cheek fit in the chair, the tabletop was at your shins, and your knees were tucked to your chest. You met Eddie’s gaze above Adrie’s head, and rubbed her back while he stroked her hair, running his fingers through the tangles.

You assumed, for the most part, he wanted to ignore what happened earlier as if it never happened, and you followed his lead.

Adrie broke you from your musing. There was commotion surrounding the teachers, and she gasped, flapping her hands when she saw what they were carrying.

A palm-sized pumpkin pie was set before her, along with three spoons.

“I made this fresh this morning,” she informed you as if she were running a bakery. And as head baker, she was in charge of portion sizes. She took one spoon and scooped out a modest amount of pumpkin filling, and not a crumb of graham crust more. That one was for Eddie.

For you? She split the rest of the pie, and gave you your half balanced on your spoon, and dug into her half without giving her dad a second glance.

“Hey,” he whined. “Not fair. I’m the one who raised you. Why does she get more?”

Speaking down to him like it was the most obvious thing ever, she rolled her eyes, and said, “Because girls are better, Daddy.”

You didn’t hide your snort.

“Yeah, Eddie.” You taunted him by waving the spoon before sticking the pie chunk in your mouth. “G–irls sh’are better.”

Chewing on his measly portion, he regarded his princess and her esteemed guest with a similar amount of weakness, and the tension at the corners of his eyes softened. He submitted. “Yeah. Girls are better.”

~~~

After the snack was a craft. In this case, hand turkeys. Paper, crayons, markers, and colored pencils were passed out amongst the tables, and a teacher gave instructions to the kiddos.

You grabbed the cartoon turkey decoration in the middle of the table for reference, and began your masterpiece. Adrie kept it classic, tracing her hand. Eddie did.. whatever he was doing, hunched over to hide his paper from you two for the past ten minutes.

“I made a princess turkey,” Adrie announced. Indeed, her turkey was decked out with a flowy dress and pink pointy hennin. In the background was a cobblestone castle.

You showed her your realistic turkey, hoping to impress her, but she pulled a face.

“Ew, he’s ugly.”

Frowning at your drawing, you compared him to the one on the table centerpiece, and felt bad for all the less-than-beautiful turkeys around the world. “That’s just the way he looks..”

Eddie, happy as a clam, slammed his pencil down and flaunted his drawing. “I turned mine into a dragon.”

Converging with Adrie, she whispered in your ear, and as a unit, you judged his hand turkey, weighing the artistic ability versus the outlandish deviation from the original assignment.

After a heated debate, you cleared your throat for his attention.

You both applauded his efforts with a humbling clap.

~~~

It wasn’t long before Adrie grew bored with coloring, and left to play with her friends. They gathered around a chest by the teacher’s desk, and brought out non-Thankgivingsy costumes. She played dress up in a fairy-unicorn combo, and another girl hopped around in a mermaid outfit, complete with a shimmery tail.

Eddie switched seats, flopping into the middle chair with a grunt. He moved Adrie’s drawing aside and set up shop. Made himself right at home. Really just invaded your area like he owned the place.

“Uhh–” You gaped. “Can you kindly remove your knee from my vicinity? You’re blocking both my drawing and the colored pencils.”

He imposed himself more. Nudging his feet wider for the sole reason of bothering you until you were forced to curl in on yourself in an uncomfortable hunch. Actively ignoring your plea by sketching the finishing touches on his dragon.

Resigning your sneer at the back of his head, you agreed, “All right.” If he wanted to play that game, you would too. You snatched the orange pencil you needed for your turkey’s feathers, and shoved the markers to the far side of the table, outside his reach.

Giving him no time to prepare a counterattack, you looped your arm around his leg to his shin, and hugged his thigh to your chest with your flexed bicep, locking his knee in a sleeper hold any wrestler would be proud of, preventing him from getting up.

Yes, things scattered as you did this. Yes, people rubbernecked. No, you didn’t care, and Eddie didn’t, either.

Well, he cared a little, even if the grumpy persona he donned cracked with each failed frown.

His mouth curled into a grin despite his resistance. “I can’t have the red marker?” The syllables were caught amongst his hissy laugh at your ridiculousness–tip of his tongue to his teeth, voice rich with affection, and eyes squinted from pure adoration–a short question articulated through his mirth, with his chest braced against your arm after accepting the position of your entwined bodies, and another beg for you to understand on his lips. “How am I supposed to outline the fire he’s breathing, huh?”

He furrowed his brows to appear angry, but it was futile. His smile was here to stay. And what a treat it was to get lost in the moment.

At any point he could’ve easily broken from your hold. Hell, you hardly had his leg secured in your embrace after he shook his hair out of his face, and your muscles were rendered to warm jelly. But still, he played along.

You hunkered down and returned to your drawing with his jeans rubbing on the underside of your chin. “I once heard of these magic words you could use to get what you want.. if you ask nicely.” He hummed a disgruntled noise to show his displeasure. Poor him, being beaten at this own game, and served with a dose of his own medicine.

Incredulous, he huffed, “Magic words?” But there was something suspicious about his tone..

Something just not quite right, indeed..

Without looking, you snatched his hand seconds before his mischievous fingers wiggled their way to your ribs. You interlaced an assortment of index, middle, and thumbs in a twist of power, and dragged your gaze away from your artwork to mock him. “So predictable, Eddie.”

“Am I?”

An aware glimmer from how unpredictable he was half an hour ago presented itself as a gorgeous flash of slyness across his eyes, crinkling his crow’s feet at the corners–

The metal feet of Eddie’s abandoned chair scraped along the floor.

You disengaged from each other, cheeks burning with fresh shame.

Mrs. Teresa had a yellow paper folder tucked under her arm. This was not favorable for Adrie on account of her sharp heel-turn when she saw her teacher sit at the table with her preschool assessment opened for her dad to pour over.

You couldn’t read anything from your angle, but it appeared to be a collection of Adrie’s assignments and a progress report with many notes written in the margins.

Pushing her glasses up her nose, Mrs. Teresa licked her fingertips, and flipped through the pages, updating him since the last time they did this.

The conversation was about the places Adrie excelled, and where she could improve. In regards to education, she was surpassing where she should be, and she was a quick learner. Kindergarten would be no trouble for her. It was sharing, and social interactions she was struggling with, despite her ability to make friends.

Mrs. Teresa guided Eddie towards a more serious discussion about these concerns by asking him if he told her ‘no’ frequently, and how she reacted when he did. You’d never seen him so nervous. Fidgeting, bouncing, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. Stuttering through a weak admission that he has trouble disappointing her.

He was uncomfortable, and you did your due diligence to tune them out. But it was no use.

Surveying the room, your mind was consumed by Eddie once more. For a different reason, and inciting a different emotion.

Parents at the other tables whispered observations about his mannerisms into their partner’s ear. About his disheveledness. His weirdness. His clothes.  His nonconformity. His last name. The whole package.

He was the father to the sweet little girl they invited to birthday parties, but never stayed after dropping her off with a gift? This was the man who never spoke. Never lingered long enough to put the rumors at rest. Never denied them either, so, logically, the gossip about him must be true.

“As you know, Adrie will throw tantrums from time to time when you drop her off,” Mrs. Teresa eased him into the topic. “When she cries, she asks for you, and it’s difficult to calm her down. This is abnormal for how long she’s been enrolled here. Have you been working on those techniques I taught you to help steer her towards more independence?” Her inquiry was kind, and sympathetic. It was valid, but his first instinct was to defend himself.

“I-I, well.” He took a shaky breath, and leaned towards her with his elbow on his thigh to cup his hand around his mouth, and sliding it to wring the back of his neck. “She’s–It’s just, she’s all I have, a-a-and–”

Mrs. Teresa rubbed his shoulder.

Though you were missing context for what Adrie’s teacher was trying to correct him from doing, you wanted to show your support. Lessen his stress. Afterall, the integrity of dialed back crumbled when his lips grazed your ear, and following his lead culminated in you being invited into his daughter’s world, so what’s the worst that could happen if you took a risk and comforted him? ..Besides discovering if David’s Auto Repair had an HR department.

Eddie’s pitch fluctuated as he bounced his leg harder, “When I’m home, I just want to make her happy–and, she’s, she’s–” You placed your hand on his knee, and stroked your thumb over the skin peeking out from the rips in his jeans. His inhale hitched at the sensation.

Without otherwise addressing what you did, he covered your hand with his own, crooked his cold fingertips into the spaces between yours, and parsed his thoughts. Slowed his mind. Ceased his nervous habit of bouncing his leg. Appreciated the gesture, even as the tacky silver spider ring on his pinky taunted you.

“I’ve been better about telling her ‘no’ lately,” he said more clearly. “The tantrums are happening less, and they don’t last as long when she sees I’m not budging. But the other stuff.. I don’t know.”

“Do you still carry her?” she asked, and he avoided eye contact.

“Yeah.”

“She’s almost five. She’s not a baby anymore, dear. It’s best to wean her now before it becomes a bigger problem.”

“I know.”

Mrs. Teresa gave him a motherly pat on his back, and smiled at you–his coworker–and rearranged Adrie’s folder to the bottom of the stack she had, and moved on to another table.

For a while, Eddie twisted the hair at his nape around his finger. Eyes fixated on the crayon box. You waited for him to come around, and when he did, he smiled and squeezed your hand before sliding his clammy palms to his thigh, allowing you to let go of his knee.

His chest rumbled with a soft laugh. “Sorry, was I shaking the table?”

Yes? No? Maybe? You weren’t paying attention to notice. “Yeah, like an earthquake,” you joked.

“My bad,” he said with not a hint of remorse displayed in his delighted expression.

On cue, serving as the perfect interruption to the prolonged stare you gave each other, another autumnal craft was being distributed amongst the parents remaining, and Adrie set her chin on top of where your and her dad’s shoulders touched.

Mrs. Teresa’s advice regarding his codependency went ignored for another day.

Eddie shut his eyes and pressed his temple to Adrie’s, humming contently to himself, cherishing the affection he ached for.

Adrie, on the other hand, gasped when she spied what was on the table, and rang his ears, “Glitter!”

~~~

Thank God Eddie was a safer driver with Adrie in the car; your stomach couldn’t handle another queasy acceleration through a yellow light while you made a concentrated effort to get flakes of gold glitter out of your eyebrows, having no recollection of how they got there.

In her car seat behind you, Adrie regaled you with the plot points of the latest episode of My Little Pony Tales, chirping away happily about the interpersonal relationships between the cartoon horses until Eddie pulled into the alleyway behind the auto shop, and you turned around to say your goodbyes, thanking her for inviting you.

You opened the car door and heard Eddie do the same. You were about to ask him why he was getting out too, when he went up to the employee door and unlocked it for you.

Right, you left your keys in your backpack.

Rationally you knew he wasn’t a mind reader, but you were still sheepish when getting your bike, wheeling it out to stand across from him in what was a dreadful amount of silence.

“So, uh,” he faltered in the same rush of feelings crashing like a wave over the both of you. “Thank you for coming today. I know Adrie appreciated having you there.” He went shy, scratching the back of his head before putting his hands in his pockets. “Sorry about the mess.”

You shrugged at the mention of glue on your sleeve. “It’s whatever. I’m just glad I got to watch her perform.” Dumbass move, bringing up the play when what happened during it influenced every bit of this awkward interaction. You hurried to move past it, “Plus, the pumpkin pie was nice.” And what happened afterwards when we held hands–twice–was nicer.

Jesus Christ.

Reeling in the desire to bolt, you gambled on one last question before going home to scream into your pillow. “Uhm–Can I ask you something?”

“I guess,” he answered with a wary tone.

“Why do people look at you weird?” You motioned at his clothes. “Besides the obvious.”

The deep creases between his brows from years of scrunching his face in a sour expression became more prominent. “There���s a lot of rumors out there about me.. Some are true, some aren’t.”

“Do you want to tell me which ones are true?”

Inside the car, Adrie swayed in her seat, belting a tune neither of you could hear.

“I will some other time, okay?” He flicked his gaze to you, saw the understated kindness of your soft smile, and diverted his attention to the rock he was grinding under his shoe; bashful despite the burden of his reputation affecting the instant sag in his posture. “I will,” he promised again, giving you a curt nod.

You walked your bike up beside him, and bumped his elbow. “Hey, don’t look so glum,” you insisted. “Whatever it is, I’ll still go with you to parent-teacher conferences as Adrie’s best friend so you don’t look so painfully single.”

You threw your head back in a witchy cackle as you hopped on your bike and rode away.

And it was when you were in the familiar territory of woods flocking either side of the dirt road leading to Robin’s house that you gave into the urge, and released an embarrassed, guttural, annoyed groan of one word, scaring the blackbirds in the nearby trees, “Why?”

Single, single, single. Good God, could you be more obvious?

Dialed back was a lost cause from the start.

“Well, whatever happens, happens, I guess.” And you finished it with, “Idiot.”

————

Eddie had been sitting in his car for all of two seconds when he patted the side of his seat for the back recliner, and cranked it until he was almost laid flat.

Driving his hands from his nape and upward, he gathered his hair between his fingers and covered his face, mashing the curly ends over his eyes screwed shut from red-hot shame.

He inhaled deeply, and reprimanded his dumbassery in the loudest groan. “That was so–incredibly–not casual.”

“What’s the matter, Daddy?” Adrie asked, sounding like a therapist as she pinched her sticky fingers together to shift the gold glitter from one to the other.

Composing himself, he finished dragging his palms down his cheeks, and combed away the strands stuck on his eyelashes. He blinked. “It’s nothing.” Nothing at all. He definitely wasn’t thinking of how fucked he was, believing he could handle today without taking things too far.

But it wasn’t how he almost kissed your cheek that bothered him the most, nor the multiple scenarios he supplied in effort to hold your hand, or touch you in general.

No. It was worse.

Staring unfocused at the ceiling, his lips parted with a realization.

His whisper was for himself, and his heart only. “I didn’t even care that people were staring at me today..” The mercy of your presence brought a line of water to his eyes. Not enough to flow over, but enough for him to notice his loneliness.

“Can you invite Miss Mouse to Thanksgiving?”

“No, she has her own Thanksgiving to attend,” he told her, and held his hand out, making a grabby motion at her. She understood and put her shoe in his palm so he could squeeze her ankle. Any affection. Any at all. Giving or receiving.

Knowing the answer, he asked, “You really like her, huh?”

“She’s my favorite.”

“Yeah, she’s my favorite too,” he said, in whatever capacity she meant, he meant it as well. He shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t, but he did.

Massaging his thumb and forefinger into circles on his forehead, he meditated on the right thing to do. Meaning, he thought about the hundreds of reasons he should put an end to this, to discourage Adrie’s relationship with you, and to resist the temptation of forming his own; and instead he latched onto the idea of him not appearing single for a little longer than his logical brain was comfortable with.

Coworker, risk, flighty personality, yada, yada..

He snorted. “Yeah, I should probably stop this.”

Adrie rolled her leg in his grasp to get him to let go. “Can we stop at McDonald’s first?”

“Wha–?” After a moment of confusion, he sighed. “Give me a break, kid.”

[lalahbug]

Loved by a Witch - 2

Chapter 2

Fandom: Stranger Things; Eddie Munson x F!Reader Word Count: 5k My Masterlist No taglist, please follow @lalahbuglibrary

Warnings/disclaim: General <--- by reading this fic you agree/are okay with the media you are about to consume.  DO NOT REPOST OR COPY MY WORK! Reblogs and likes are very appreciated ❣

Awkward convos, talk of adult store and sex toys, running into your ex, first date, let me know if I missed anything.

My blog is 18+ MINORS DNI ___ is a blank for your name/oc/whatever you prefer Written in 2nd person Line/header is to separate paragraphs to indicate time skips, as Tumblr hates my formatting.

Series Masterlist; Loved by a Witch  2 of ?

Story under cut

          Warmth was all you could feel for a while, slowly waking up. It was so wonderful you fought the slow waking of your brain. You were so comfortable that you almost didn’t want to wake up. You curled your fingers into Blair’s shirt, nuzzling into her. “I feel a lot better, thanks sis,” you murmured.

          “She went to pick up the food,” Eddie breathed softly, flinching when you sat up quickly. “I came out but you were asleep. Blair said she didn’t wanna pay delivery fees so she went to go get the pizza. Told me to take her place.” He spewed quickly in defense.

          “Oh, okay,” you looked away. You cuddled into him so blindly, fuck, could you be any more desperate looking? You groaned internally at yourself while silence settled between you.

          Eddie sighed while looking at you. “I didn’t mind, um, holdin’ you. If you wanna come back?” he opened his arms tentatively. When you looked at him through your lashes he melted and gave you a lopsided grin. Chuckling softly as you tenderly lay your head on his shoulder, sighing when his arm wrapped around your waist.

          “The movie is over.” You reached over Eddie a bit to the side table to get the remote. “You wanna pick somethin’?” you held it to him.

          “Um, how ‘bout you go through movies you like and I’ll pick one of ‘em?” you nodded and went to your list and scrolled through it. Giving small non-spoiling synopsis of every one you paused on. After watching a few trailers Eddie picked Zombieland, which you told him was a mix of comedy and gore/horror.

          Eddie liked this, it felt natural, the most natural he’d felt since he got here. Holding you, watching a movie. Your voice drift through his thoughts, the first time he had heard it, from Blair, while running for his life. You had been the first comfort he had in a long time and now, he had it. First time in all his life, he felt wanted and safe.

          A close second, for him to feeling natural and comfortable, would be him talking about and playing D&D and getting supplies for it. And any time he was able to fully memorize and shred out a song perfectly.

          He was engrossed in the film, only noticing his wandering hand when you gave a sharp inhale. His thumb was rubbing small circles on your hip and had carelessly dipped into the waistband of your sweats. He mumbled an apology and rested it back on your soft plush side.

          “Aw, you two are so cute, watching a fun movie,” Blair called out while trying to balance the pizza in one hand and free her keys from the doorknob with the other. A liter of soda already sat on the floor.

          You popped up and went to rescue the food before she dropped it. “We need to get that replaced. When I go to make a copy of my keys for Eddie, I’ll make you one too.” You picked up the pop and put everything on the counter.

          Eddie had gotten up, aimlessly following you. “What happened to her key?”

          “Had my keys laced through my fingers for protection while in a dimly lit parking lot.” Blair got out plates while you poured soda. “Some creep got the worse end of the damage, but my key is bent now and likes to keep fighting. Mainly with the door.” She shrugged and handed a plate with two slices of pizza on it to Eddie.

          “Does that happen a lot? Roaming creeps.” He started eating.

          “Especially for beautiful faces such as ours,” Blair swept her clean hand under your jaw then her own. “But yeah, girls gotta be careful. Angel here doesn’t go anywhere dark without someone, doesn’t work nightshifts, go clubbing, she’s safe. A bit boring, but safe.”

          “Hey, now!” you protested while chewing, swallowing quickly. “I got mugged once and I’m not gonna let it happen again. I’ve got my taser and I’ve never really liked the dark anyways,” you muttered.

          “Yeah, I know, nightlight,” Blair snorted.

          “Hey, my fairy lights and moon set a wonderful mood and are gorgeous.”

          “Well, now we have another person for you to climb into bed with when the power goes out.” You whimpered slightly. “I mean when I’m not here, which has been more, due to Meredith.”

          “Well luckily, we haven’t had a storm knock out the power since you’ve been dating Mer.”

          “Maybe you’ll get lucky anyways, Eddie,” Blair winked at him before whining at your hand playing smacking her arm.

          “I don’t mind,” Eddie shrugged with a mouthful of pizza. “If you ever need someone to hold you, that is. No matter the reason.”

          “Well, it’s my job first, you’re second,” Blair stuck her tongue out at him.

          “For now,” Eddie chuckled at Blair’s shocked expression.

          “Okay, eat, children,” you mumbled.

          “Okay, mom, God you sound just like her.” You rolled your eyes at her. “You even roll your eyes the same way!” Blair pointed at you and you both giggled for a moment.

          The rest of the night was simple, as leftovers were put away, and the three of you were relaxing on the couch. Another movie, Eddie had forgotten the name of it already. When Eddie caught Blair looking over at him, a lot.

          “What?” Eddie squinted at her.

          “Can I go over the hair and skincare stuff now? You’ll probably wanna shower before bed, right?”

          Eddie groaned throwing his head back. “I’ll come with, I’ve gotta clear space for your stuff anyways.” You patted Blair’s leg before getting up to go do so.

          “What?”

          “You’re sharing a bathroom with her; I’ve got my own.”

          “Why do you have your own?”

          “Because this is my condo? I get the master suite, as I’m the master of my home,” Blair wiggled while sitting up very straight. “But I’m not a dictator, if you wanna change anything, just ask first, please. Girly here did when she wanted the shelving installed for all her collectibles. Dad came over and did it for us, so I know it’s secure. As long as it’s not too damaging and easy to fix, I likely won’t care.”

          “So, if I wanted to paint my room?” Eddie smiled slyly.

          “Maybe once I know you’re staying here. But, if all goes to my plan, you won’t be in that room very long anyways. But feel free to nail stuff up and whatever.”

          “Where else would I stay if not in the guest room?” Blair’s smile widened looking towards your room, Eddie followed her gaze. “You expect that to happen fast?” he chuckled.

          Blair heaved dramatically before flopping back into the couch. “No, not with her. Always said no man that existed would fall for her. She’s been hung up on you for months, which is longer than any other character. But I have a feeling, now that you do exist, she’ll think you can do better.”

          “So, she doesn’t want me now that I’m here?”

          “No, she does. She’ll just push you to get out there, explore, and possibly date other people. Because why would you want her? She’s,” Blair paused, chewing her lip for a moment, “she’s complacent, she has her routine, things she’s does. She’s stagnated,” Blair dropped her voice to a whisper. “She’s boring, she doesn’t really do anything.”

          “There’s nothing wrong with that, she’s so sweet, caring.”

          “I know that, you clearly see it even after one day with her. But she knows you’re fun, you’re playful. She thinks people who are meant to be together, their energies have to match. She’s seen it with our parents and then me and Mer.”

          “But you and her get along so well, and you’re opposites.”

          “Her defense on that, is we’re sisters. She doesn’t have anyone else, no other friends. I’m not sure why, but so many people never connect with her. They just leave, she says it’s because she has nothing to offer.”

          “Having someone care about you so much? Someone who wishes for your safety and happiness? How is that nothing?”

          “It’s not!” Blair smiled at Eddie brightly. “Just don’t get discouraged if she shuts down your advances at first. If she tells you to date, other people. Just don’t give up on her, please. She needs to see opposite energies can balance each other. She needs your light Eds.”

          Eddie nodded softly while Blair clasped his hands, “as long as I know she likes me back, I won’t.”

          “Perfect,” she smiled and sat back from him as you came back.

          “Got a corner and shelf cleared out for all the jazz you bought him.”

          Blair smiled and pulled up Eddie from his spot while he jokingly dragged his feet. And to his credit, he did pay attention. While Blair pulled things from the bags, explained what it was, and how to use it, then handed to you to put away. But he was glad you were paying attention as well, to help him, remind him later if he forgot.

          Eddie got a shower with little confusion. But when he came out, he was alone. Damp hair, a plain black shirt, clean underwear and socks, and gray sweats. He wandered the kitchen and living room for a moment. Before remembering a sweet you had bought him when he eyed it for a few seconds. He went through the bags on the counter until he found it.

          He hummed at the flavor before jumping slightly when you came out. Seeing you scan the room before grabbing your water thermos, freezing when you saw him.

          Oh, he looked so good, cleaned, relaxed, damp curls beautifully smooth, and fucking hell, Blair that bitch. Gave him grey sweatpants, a blessing, and a curse, as you felt your heart rate increase along with the temperature of your skin. Your knees felt weak. When you finally looked back into his eyes, you could see a faint pink on his cheeks. Eye blew wide. He had been checking you out too. In your tank top, braless, and in sleep shorts.

          “Is it good?” you asked softly, eyeing the candy in his hand. Timidly crossing your arms across your chest when he glanced down at the treat.

          “S’good,” he muttered. He broke off a piece and held it out to you.

          “No, no, it’s okay I’ve had it before. You enjoy it.” You shook your head with a smile.

          “I can always get another, right?” you nodded slowly. “Then come here before it melts in my hand.” Your teeth worried your lip as you slowly walked over and went to take it from him. But he smirked, holding it up out of your reach. “It’s melted a bit,” he moved it towards your mouth.

          You felt like you were going to catch fire as you slowly opened your mouth. Eddie’s smile just grew, to show his dimples while he placed the piece tenderly into your mouth. “Good girl,” he chuckled slightly when you shivered.

          “We’ve got a big day tomorrow,” you whispered. “Blair will be on a long date with Mer tomorrow. So, it’ll be just me and you. To do the last errands. But it’s only the tech and thrift store. Then we go wherever you wanna go.”

          “It sounds like a wonderful date of our own,” Eddie reached for you, to cup your cheek, grunting lightly when you move away.

          “It’s just errands,” you looked down at your feet.

          “Then after the errands, we can do a date-like thing.” Eddie took a wide step to be in front of you and placed his hand on the counter next to you.

          “You want to?” you looked at him quickly before looking away.

          Eddie slowly moved to cup your jaw, pushing your head up, willing you to hold his gaze. “I’d love to.” He smiled as he felt the burn under your skin and brushed his thumb across your cheekbone.

          “What would you wanna do?”

          “Just be with you, check out a couple of stores, take me to a couple of your favorite places. Make sure when we eat, it’s quiet enough for us to talk.”

          You felt like your knees were going to buckle from his intense stare alone. But then the soft stroke of his rough thumb on your skin sent a tingle down your spine. You got lost in his eyes, watching him, studying the warm brown irises. Soft gold-like flecks. “Golden chocolate,” you muttered before pulling away and slapping a hand over your mouth. Realizing too late you’d said it out loud.

          Eddie’s heart stuttered at your compliment then shy retreat. He gripped your shirt and then pulled you back to him. Gently removing your hand and kissing your cheek. “You’re so sweet,” he chuckled bumping his nose to yours before straightening his back. Trailed his knuckles over your jaw shyly.

          You swallowed hard when he trailed down your neck slightly. He pulled away with a smug smile. “We should get some sleep,” his tongue swiped over his lip briefly, at your vulnerable look. “Goodnight, Angel.”

          “G’night, Eds,” you whispered as he retreated to his room. Once his door closed, you sank to the floor and pulled out your phone from your waistband where it had been tucked. Texting Blair.

          ‘I have a date tomorrow.’

          ‘If it’s not the boy I literally brought here for you. I’m gonna murder you.’

          ‘He’s not a boy, he’s a man.’

          ‘Yea yea. You need help picking out a dress?’

          ‘If you’re not too tired.’

          You stared at your screen for a moment, waiting for her to reply.

          “Never too tired to help you,” Blair spoke up next to you and you squeaked in surprise. “What you doin’ down there?” she smiled knowingly.

          “My knees buckled.”

          “Oof,” Blair reached down and pulled you up. “He’s gotta be good if he did that without even impaling you.”

          “Blair!” you whined at her crude statement.

          “Oh shush, let’s go get pick out your outfit. Somethin’ to hug those gorgeous curves.”

          Eddie only slept for a few hours before heading out to the living room. Decided to watch his show, Stranger Things, but he would be stopping before Season 4. He kinda didn’t wanna watch himself on screen, by himself. Honestly, he wanted to watch it with you, see where he makes you laugh. Still not sure if he wanted to see his death or not. Watching from the beginning, let him learn so much about his town, the boys, and even see where Henderson got his attachment to Harrington.

          He was a few episodes in when Blair came out. “Couldn’t sleep?”

          “I have a hard time without smoking and being in a new place.”

          “I’ll get you some real grass, instead of Angel’s gummies then. But tobacco is a big no, better to quit cold turkey, okay?”

          “As long as I’ve got somethin’ to smoke,” he grumbled before lying back down on the couch.

          “Liking it so far?”

          “It’s insightful, knowing more about my town and the people in it.”

          “I mean the story, silly.” Blair rolled her eyes while making a pot of coffee.

          “Oh yeah, it’s cool, I understand why it’s a hit.”

          Blair wasn’t fully awake yet so she gave him a soft hum while pouring her coffee. “Mornin’ babs,” she eyed you while you stumbled out in your sleep clothes. Smiling when she noticed you didn’t see Eddie.

          Sitting at the island, mocking a line from the show. “With her mind!” You mimicked Dustin and both you and Blair started giggling before you willed your eyes to open and look at her. “Pour me a cup?” you pleaded, not seeing or hearing Eddie laxing on the sofa, peering at you both from over the top of it.

          “Lazy,” she teased you. “You okay?”

          “No, Trustee died last night, new batteries didn’t work either. Now I feel all grumpy, pent up.”

          “I’ve been telling you to replace him for years.”

          “He was so good though.”

          “Well, now you can get a new one. Take Eddie with you.” Blair chuckled.

          “I will not!” you declared to her. “I’ll find something online. I think I’d melt if I took him with me there,” you said incredulously.

          “Who died and where won’t you take me?” Eddie sat up. Laughing when you jumped and spun to look at him.

          “Her favorite toy and a sex store,” Blair stated calmly while sliding you your coffee.

          “You were trying to get off last night? What’s wrong with a sex store?” Eddie paused the show and scrambled over to come to tease you.

          “Yes,” you muffled while taking a swig of your drink, to answer the first question. “And I’m barely comfortable going in there alone, let alone with, well um, anyone else really.”

          “Not true,” Blair sang. “We got together all the time.”

          “No! You drag me with you to get new things for you and Mer.”

          “It’ll be easier to go together than alone, right?” Eddie smiled at you.

          “No, because I don’t know what I want and I’m gonna take forever and…and…” you trailed off as you met his eyes. The hunger in them sent warmth pooling directly into your stomach.

          “And?” Blair giggled. “Not sure if you’ll need a replacement when you’ve got-”

          “Blair!” you balled up a paper and threw it at her.

          “What?” Eddie’s eyes shined playfully while looking between both of you.

          “When she’s got a chance at the real thing. I mean it’s why she wanted to get off in the first pl-” Blair was cut off by your desperate fumble to her side and covering her mouth. The two of you wrestled playfully before she got you turned around. Pinning your arms to your side in a tight hug, making sure you’re facing Eddie. Soft and mortified eyes clinging to his, in a silent beg to have him forget all of this.

          “Toys are always fun,” Eddie shrugged, looking away from you. He wanted to keep teasing you, but if he didn’t stop now, he’d wanted to do other things with you as well. Your beautiful helpless eyes were doing things to him.

          “See, nothing wrong. Eds probably would like some for himself as well.” Blair spun you out of her arms, you huffed, and gripped the edge of the counter stopping yourself.

          “Fine, we’ll go,” you glanced at the clock on the wall. “Aren’t you going to breakfast with Meredith?”

          “Oh shit!” Blair dropped her cup in the sink and bolted to the door. “Love you, have fun, be safe, and get key copies!” Blair spouted while tugging on her jacket, and grabbing her purse, phone, and keys. Then she was gone with a slam of the door.

          “Eggs and toast good for breakfast?” you asked while getting said things.

          “Perfect, Angel.” Eddie sat at the island and watched you flit about the kitchen.

          Eddie was enthralled with all the new technology. Games, computers, TVs, music. You took him over to the record players, picking out a simple one. Getting him headphones as well, over the ear with Bluetooth, but that could plug into his amp for in-depth yet quiet playing.

          Thrift store was like a buried treasure cove for his clothes. Pants, band shirts, some vintage things from the 80s he adored, and even a new leather jacket. His current didn’t take well the lake water and got stiffer. He fonder over the chunky rings in the display case, giddy when you got him a couple as well. Across the street, there was a kiosk to copy keys; you made ones for him and Blair.

          You took him to your favorite café, getting overstuffed sandwiches made with fresh bread and ingredients. Eddie watched you quietly as you both ate. Soft conversation easing between you.

          “You look lovely in that dress,” he’d stopped and stared at you a few times while in the stores. But realized he needed to voice it, instead of just staring at you when you weren’t looking.

          “Oh, thank you,” you bashfully smoothed a wrinkled bit on your lap. “You look nice too.”

          “Well, most of my clothes are to Blair’s taste, so we should thank her.” You both laughed and finished eating in comfortable silence.

          “Where do you wanna go after here?”

          “To start our date?” Eddie smiled as you grinned with a slight nod. “Today has been great, especially compared to yesterday. Everything was so rushed and Blair just took control. But with you,” Eddie reached across the table and took your hand. “None of it has felt like errands or chores, being just with you, it’s a lot nicer.”

          Cautiously you laced your fingers with his. “I normally don’t like going out and about, it drains me. But I haven’t felt that with you, it’s been very pleasant.”

          “Let’s go to that adult store then we can wander in the mall.”

          You sighed heavily, “okay, to Creamy Dreams we go.”

          Eddie snorted and started laughing. “That’s the name of the sex store?!” he was near wheezing with laughter. You giggled at his guffawing, smiling while watching him. Dimples, smiles, and laugh lines. You could watch him forever.

          What had been an easy day, was now beyond stressful. Eddie had been watching you intently the whole time you were there. He wasn’t rushing you but you felt pressured. Silently in your shadow, watching your every rigid movement.

          “Why don’t you go look for something for yourself?” you suggested.

          “I will in a bit, just trying to gauge what you like.”

          “How about I get what I want and I show you later? You’re stressin’ me out.”

          “Why’s that?” Eddie encroached into your personal space, pulling you towards him. Pressing his front into your side.

          “Are you two looking for couples’ toys?” a young man came up with a proud smile. “They’re on the other side. I’d be happy to recommend something. Don’t mean to overstep, but it seems like a dom and sub relationship. So perhaps a toy for him to control?” he tilted his head looking at you two lovingly.

          “Oh, we’re, we’re,” you started stumbling over your words as Eddie’s grip tightened on you. You looked up to him for help, like you do with Blair.

          “We’re not dating, yet. I just love teasing her. Her favorite toy died, so she needs a replacement.”

          “Oh, I apologize for assuming. Do you have an image of it and I can give you a few recommendations?”

          “Oh, yeah,” you pushed away from Eddie a bit to get your phone out of your purse. Elbowing him playfully as he tried to look at your screen as you got to the image. Nervously showing it to the clerk, Ket, who whistled.

          “I like it, sorry he died on you. I’ve got the perfect thing to replace him and it’s rechargeable. Do you need any help, sir?” Ket looked to Eddie now.

          “Just wanna look around, point me to the section for my solo play?” Ket smile and pointed to the opposite wall. Eddie smiled at you as you anxiously followed Ket.

          Ket wasn’t lying, he had the perfect replacement and even suggested a few new items to pair for those days you were having a hard time reaching your peak. “How that I’ve earned your trust back with these beauts,” he gestured to the items in the basket he filled for you. “I can tell you really like that man you came in here with.” His smile grew when you shifted from foot to foot. “Could I interest you in some couple toys or lingerie for the future?”

          You bit your lip, looking around, unable to see Eddie you gave Ket a quick bob of your head. “Maybe both?” you looked down and dug your foot into the floor a bit.

          “Oh, I know what will suit you with that reserved personality. Come on, take my hand, trust me,” Ket hummed as you did so. “You know, my husband and I barely use toys, but when we do, it’s always special. But I help tons of people every day, of every personality type. But sweet things you like, are still so rare. What I’m gonna give you, might scare you a bit, but I promise he’ll shred it off you. And if he doesn’t, come back, I’ll give you two free toys.” He cackled as you gasped in embarrassment.

          You nervously tapped your foot as Ket rang up your purchase. Eddie came up right as you were paying, everything already in a discreet black bag. “Find what you needed?” Eddie asked you.

          “And then some,” Ket winked playfully. “Did you find anything you want, sir?” Eddie was now a bit shy while placing a few items on the counter. “See I knew you were a dom,” Ket chuckled to himself as he rang up the leather handcuffs, restraints, blindfold, lube, some other bottles you didn’t get to read, and pocket pussy.

          “You’ll show me what you got, right?” Eddie whispered darkly in your ear as you reeled back and shook your head. “Oh, come on, you said you would,” Eddie leered. “Show me at least your replacement?” you nodded hesitantly. “Okay, I’ll take it for now.”

          Eddie paid with the card Blair had given him, teasingly offering to carry your bag for you.

          “Now the mall, right?” Eddie breathed deeply while getting into the passenger side.

          “Wherever you want Eds,” you smirked before starting up the car and clicking on your seat belt.

          “Don’t wanna stop wandering around with you. So yeah mall,” Eddie placed his hand on your thigh, just above your knee. “Wanna get some ice cream too, they’ve got that there, right?”

          “’Course they do,” you smiled.

          Wander you did, Eddie collected some more band tees. And a few hoodies, a couple sizes bigger, a note from Blair, so that they’d fit you for sure, as you should be stealing them. Once you let him in your heart fully that is. A few other places you browsed together before getting some shakes.

          “Okay, so tell me something about this Joseph Quinn? Since he played me.”

          “He’s British, 28. So technically you are too now. I think he has naturally curly hair, but it’s short. Normally has a beard, I’ve seen him with glasses a few times. He seems like a goof but very nice. They cast him as you, very well. He’s gotten an outpour of support, love, and fans. Eddie is a loved character and there was a lot of anger at the Duffer brothers for killing him.”

          “It’s really weird to hear someone talk about me as if I don’t exist,” Eddie muttered.

          “Oh! I’m so sorry Eddie, I didn’t mean to, I just started rambling. I mean on the bright side of all this, Blair is getting your birth certificate, high diploma, social security, driver’s license, credit history, passport, and all that. You’ll be ready to live your life however you want. And of course, you’re more than welcome to stay with us as long as you want. There is no rush to you getting a job or moving out.”

          “Angel, breathe, it’s okay,” Eddie chuckled and patted your knee. “So, I’m not some Super Senior, trailer trash loser here?”

          “No, Eddie, no. We dragged you here and we’ll give you a fair shot at life. Yeah, you were a Super Senior and a nerd there. But I never would have thought of you as trailer trash or a loser. You’re a sweetheart, a goofball, a non-conformist, loved, talented, soft-hearted, eccentric, passionate, playful, a jokester, and a courageous person.” You bit your lip and then looked up at him, realizing you were probably going overboard on the compliments.

          “I don’t know if I’ve ever been called any of those things,” his eyes were on you but soft, amorously. “Blair gave me a lot of knowledge to help me fit in here. But in that, she also shared a lot of her memories of you with me. So, you feel like you know me and I feel like I know you.”

          “Yeah, but Blair is biased, her memories of me are probably rose-tinted,” you gave a tight-lipped smile. “She’s become my protector, my safe harbor, and the person I dote on. Of course, she’d only have good things to remember or say about me.”

          “Not all good, memories. She gave me the bad ones too, your fights, your breakdowns, all of it. Your cute flaws. I think it was to show me all your sides, to understand you more.”

          “Eddie,” you whispered to get him to meet your eyes. “You don’t need to know me, understand me. You owe me nothing. Because let’s be honest here,” you sat up and tucked your knees away from him. His hand dropped. “If you weren’t dragged here because of me if we naturally existed in the same universe. You never would have noticed me. I’m no Chrissy or anyone you’ve crushed on before.

          “I might seem like your only option, with Blair being in a relationship and gay, but I’m not. You have to know, you’re very loved in this world. And just about any fan would love a chance at talking with you. You’re amazing. I’m not. I really loved today, but you should look at all your options before settling on this.” You gestured to yourself, your figure, before taking another drink of your shake. Looking away from his sad doe eyes.

          Eddie’s heart clenched; he was hoping today would make you see how he feels already. He’s never felt this quickly about anyone before. Yet here you were, pushing him away, just like Blair said you would. But he knew better due to her warning. He shuffled to forcible take your hands, entwining your digits together, so you can’t escape.

          “I’ll do whatever the hell I want. And if that means going out and meeting people, I’ll do it. If it means not doing that because I’ve got a hidden gem here right in front of me. So be it. I don’t owe you anything. I understand your worries and I hear you. But being with you, would not be settling!”

          You stared at him wide-eyed. Speechless. Words stuck in your throat with some rebuttal. Mirroring his wistful smile, gulping when he kept glancing at your mauve-painted lips. Wishing to test how good your liquid lipstick was.

          “Fancy seeing you here!” you ripped your eyes away from Eddie to look at your ex, looking as good as you remember. With the girl he cheated on you with, right on his arm, and a pretty engagement ring.

          “Hello Shawn,” you whispered and tugged on your hands with Eddie, trying to pull free, to curl in on yourself. You looked at Eddie shocked when he didn’t let you. Instead, he stood up, a bright smile on his face. He pulled you up with him, only letting go of your hands to tuck you into his side.

          “Eddie!” he introduced himself with a hand straight out. Shawn was clearly taken back but gathered himself quickly and shook Eddie’s hand. “Nice to put a name to a face.”

          “Oh, so she’s told you about me?” Shawn had a smug look as he looked down at you.

          “Nope! Blair did, and I just wanted to thank you.”

          “Thank me?” Shawn sneered.

          “If you hadn’t been a total asshat and left her, I wouldn’t be here with her.” Eddie’s statement rang through you and you could tell he meant it. He was happy Blair brought him here, to be with you. You looked up at him, starry-eyed, totally smitten.

          Shawn saw the way you looked at Eddie and it pissed him off. You never looked at him that way. “Well enjoy her while you can stand her. She’s a good lay, tight, but fucking hell, she’s boring.”

          Both Shawn and his girl were laughing at that. You wanted to hide, feeling shame wash through you. Eddie’s grip tensed on you as he felt anger boil through him and your tug on his arm. That his asshole still had this hold over you to the point you wanted to run away.

          He understood that he’d done it so much, but not now. He’d stand up for you at the very least.

          “Takes one to know one. I assume your description of fun, is pArTiEs~ and drugs. It’ll get old quickly just like your face will from using. And she’ll be timeless and forever loving. I’d take someone who cares deeply about me over frivolous things like that any day. So once again, thanks for being the prick you are.”

          “You’re just some freak who couldn’t get invited to a party if he wanted to!” Shawn jabbed a finger at Eddie’s chest. And before he could respond, you moved to stand between them. Shawn took a surprised step back.

          “And you’re just some dime-a-dozen douche with mommy issues and that needs therapy. But you’re a parasitic narcissist too afraid to do it, to change, so you bury it all with sex and drugs. We might be freaks, but at least we’re not senseless moronic mistakes! Don’t you ever talk to him like that again? Take your tramp and get the fuck outta our faces. You’re not wanted!”

          Shawn was stunned, you had never raised your voice, you were just a pushover who blubbered. The only person he’d ever seen you stand up for was Blair, and now, this, Eddie. Your words stung and the small voice in his head told him, she could never love you the way she does him.

          “Let’s get outta here,” his girl tugged on his arm, and he followed numbly.

          Your shoulders slumped as the adrenaline left you and you turned to look at a flabbergasted Eddie. Surprised eyes scanned yours before a smile crept onto his features, dimples, and teeth adorably on display.

          “Angel,” he cooed with his smirk, resting his hands on your hips. “That was so hot, and you didn’t have to defend me.”

          “You’re not a freak Eddie, I don’t want you thinking you are, especially not here. You deserve that fresh start; I couldn’t let him taint it.”

          “Start fresh, with me?” Eddie’s golden browns searched yours, wanting an answer.

          “Of course, I’ll be here, you live with us,” you smiled at him brightly. “I want you to have a good life. And once you’re settled into some routine and into the things you want to be. We can go on vacations and travel. It’ll be so fun with the three of us, ooh, wait four with Mer.”

          Eddie’s smile slipped for a moment when he realized you didn’t understand what he was asking. But you answered in your thoughtful way. And with that, he understood, you wanted him to be adapted to this world. That you wouldn’t take him until he was. It bothered him almost, but he’d do what he needed to prove to you. Prove that he wasn’t settling on you.

          “I’d love nothing more.” His fingers brushed your cheek before guiding you to sit back down. To finish your shakes.

[lalahbug]

Loved by a Witch - 1

Chapter 1

Fandom: Stranger Things; Eddie Munson x F!Reader Word Count: 5k My Masterlist No taglist, please follow @lalahbuglibrary

Warnings/disclaim: General <--- by reading this fic you agree/are okay with the media you are about to consume.  DO NOT REPOST OR COPY MY WORK! Reblogs and likes are very appreciated ❣

Fluff, some self-doubt, pure fiction, nothing too bad in this chapter.

My blog is 18+ MINORS DNI ___ is a blank for your name/oc/whatever you prefer Written in 2nd person Line/header is to separate paragraphs to indicate time skips, as Tumblr hates my formatting.

Series Masterlist; Loved by a Witch   1 of ?

Story under cut

          Blair had been your best friend for years. Her family was neglectful and negligent at the best of times. So, your parents took her in, supporting her, accepting her, and raising her alongside you. Sisters by love and not by blood. At some point, she moved in just before you both attended middle school and her parents didn’t even care.

          Blair was… well the nicest way you could describe her was a beautiful gothic witchy vibe and a chaotic good. Raging lesbian who loved to fuck with straight entitled boys. She read your cards, energy, palm, and occasion tea leaves. She stood out in every crowd. Confident in her skin and everything she did and wore, even if it was border lingerie.

          Yet you, were the opposite. Dressed for comfort, kind to a fault, hesitant, and demure. You balanced each other nicely. It helps Blair seems to be some kind of empath and you didn’t have to vocalize any discomfort. She’d sense it and talk to you about it. Symbiotic relationship of some sense. Although you felt as if she took care of you more than she did for you. She claimed she couldn’t live without you in her life. Your love and spirit kept her going and gave her meaning.

          It wasn’t until after you’d moved into your place together after finishing high school and college that you started to really see Blair. She was a witch, at least in practice. True witchcraft and when you’d ask about it. She’d tell you not to worry, nothing was dark and everything in life would balance.

          You shrugged it off figuring it was a hobby and it fit well with her personality. You let her be as long as she wasn’t in trouble and there was no harm. And over the years of living together, you forgot about her practice unless you stumbled in on a session, getting a reminder.

          “Blair,” you slurred while cuddling into her during one your drinking at-home sessions on a Friday night. A month ritual you both indulged in, for your alone time together. “I don’t think I’ll ever find someone to love me, not as you do.”

          “Nonsense, you will, you’re amazing,” she smiled and petted your head. She had been bordering motherly love lately, or at least a very protective big sister.

          “And the only guys who would ever see me that way, don’t exist, I’m certain.”

          “No, you still just have the hots for Eddie,” she giggled while shoving you up to sit. “You can’t honestly believe the only person who could love you, doesn’t even exist.”

          “It feels that way,” you rested your head back on the couch. “It’s been, what? 4 years since my last boyfriend. I’ve had some flings, but they all made it clear how much I was nothing more than a hole.”

          “You’re not just a hole,” she snapped. She eyed you for a moment, thinking, biting her lip. She shouldn’t even consider doing this, but you’re her best friend. You and your family saved her. And you’ve never asked for one thing from her. Never asked her to do anything with her powers, you just wanted her in your life. She wouldn’t be where she is today, without you. She gulped the last of her wine. “Okay, let’s say Eddie Munson was real, here. What would you do with him?”

          “Oh, I can think of all of the dirty things, but I would need his consent,” you tittered. “But I would love to just cuddle with him, watch a movie. Show him everything, as if he was sucked outta Stranger Things, and teach him all the tech. We’d save him before he could die, put a spell on him so no one would recognize him from the show. Just getting him here and loving on him. Set him up to perform and find friends for D&D. And if for some reason he didn’t want to stay, didn’t love me back the way I think he would. I would let him go because at least he'd be alive.”

          “If I brought him here and he didn’t end up loving you and simping for you, I’m sending his ass back to die.” Blair gritted.

          “Nnnoooo,” you whined and clung to her causing her to laugh. “Don’t be mean to my love, go pick on some other white boy, leave mine alone.” You both started giggling, soon you passed out in her lap.

          She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch onto you before getting up, shuffling you off her lap to get free. “Well, time to get to work, you deserve to be happy, after everything you’ve done for me.” She plucked a hair from your head and went to her room.

           You woke with a start when there was a loud crash from Blair’s room, you scrambled up from the couch and ran to her room. Pounding on the door in time with the throbbing in your head from the alcohol. “Blair! Are you okay?” nothing. “Blair!” you yelled after you heard a scream, you jiggled the doorknob but it was locked. You ran to the coin jar, yanking out a quarter then ran back to her room, slotting it into the flat line and twisting it to unlock it.

          You flung open the door to see a man, standing over Blair. You grabbed one of her big crystals off her shelf and went to chuck it at his head. “NO!” she screamed at you, you froze and skidded to a stop.

          Wide big brown eyes snapped to you, following Blair’s eye line. “Eddie?” you asked before fainting.

          “Fuck,” you heard Blair utter before you blacked out.

          “You’re taking all of this a lot better than I thought you would.” Blair was declaring, your head was pulsing. You groaned and tried to sit up. “Don’t you even think about it,” Blair snapped before pushing you back down. Putting the ice bag back on your head, you hissed at the pain. You must have hit your head when you collapsed.

          You opened your eyes slowly, staring into Blair’s muted greens. “You’re okay?” you asked softly.

          “Yeah, how about you?” you blinked at her owlishly. “Hungover and sore from the forming goose egg on your head?” you hummed in response.

          “What happened?” you tried sitting up but she pushed you down again.

          “So, I did something, for you. My room got a bit trashed from it and I freaked him out, so he screamed.”

          “So that wasn’t your scream?” she shook her head. “Wait, him?”

          “Yeah, yeah,” Blair glanced over to the chair you knew was next to the sofa. “Remember what we were talking about before you passed out?”

          “Blair,” your voice was firm. “You didn’t, it’s not even p-possible!” You sat up ignoring her fretting hands. You locked eyes with Eddie, sitting on your chair, in your living room. You whipped your head back to your friend. “How? Why? Is this even ethical?” your voice was raising.

          “Babs! Breath.” Blair sat on the edge of the couch next to you. “Okay so how, I’m a witch, you know this. Why, because you deserve this, you’ve never asked me for anything. Not even when I offered to help you get passing grades, that promotion, nahdah, you never let me help with anything. And seriously, ethical? It’s not like anyone else is going to figure it out. I did the spell you suggested with it.”

          “So, Edward Munson from Stranger Things just exists now, yet no one outside of us is going to know? Do you hear this? How ridiculous this is?!”

          “Anything is possible, especially for me, us. Come on, worse case, I send him back. Best case,” she raised her eyebrows at you and you playfully smacked her arm. “I also shoved a lot of knowledge into him, so he’s a bit dazed right now. Figured if he’s staying here, it’d be easier to fit in if he didn’t have to learn everything first hand.”

          “What knowledge?” you glanced back over to Eddie. Who was in fact blankly staring at the wall.

          “More so, just history, common pop and meme culture for people our age, shows we’ve watched, books we’ve read, and common music. Just like 40 years of info.” She chuckled at your unimpressed glare. “He’ll still need to learn how to use everything, get around, and actually watch and read some of the things I threw in there. But now he’s got a general know-how and explore without too much issue.”

          “Okay, and he’s not like fried or anything right?”

          “No, no,” she looked at him, “maybe. I’m not sure, he’s not freaking out. But he has a fever.”

          “How is this possible?” you whispered staring at him, letting your eyes take him in.

          “I did my spell, gave him your voice in his head with what you said you wanted to do with him. Gave him the option to be here, and he took it.”

          “Wait what I said?”

          “Yeah, the whole, cuddle, love, teach him, save him, yada yada,” she twirled her hand to signal that it was your ramble from earlier.

          You groaned in embarrassment. “He knows all that?” you sighed as Blair giggled in response. “So, he knows he was going to die in the show? That he didn’t exist until now?” you whispered.

          “Yeah, he’s kinda shocked someone could care enough about him to want him here, to save him.”

          “He clearly doesn’t know how popular he is. I know many fans who would kill to have this.”

          “You wouldn’t,” Blair sighed contently. “You could never wish harm on someone just to get what you want. Which is why I did this, you deserve this, and he wanted to come. It’ll work out. I’m gonna go shuffle him into our guest room. We’ll talk more in the morning, okay?” she pressed a kiss to your cheek before gently pulling on Eddie.

          “Where?” he mumbled softly, his brain still trying to compute everything.

          “Bed, sleep will help everything settle in, but you might have a headache in the morning.” Blair pulled on him again, and he followed. But stopped in front of you, eyeing you softly before giving you a gentle smile.

          “Goodnight, Eddie,” you grinned at him.

          “Night, sweetheart,” he chuckled softly.

          “All right store the heart eyes for the morning, sleep, both of you.” Blair chuffed before scuffling Eddie down the hallway to his new room.

          You groaned as light streaked into your room. Still hungover, you grumbled while pushing yourself out of bed. Wandering out to the kitchen in your tank top and underwear, in desperate need of some caffeine. Walking around with your eyes barely open, getting your favorite mug before calling out to Blair.

          “Thank you for brewing coffee for both of us.” You poured yourself a cup but when you put it back you realized there was a lot. “Did you make extra for a reason?”

          “Wasn’t sure how much we’d drink.”

          You jumped and spun around, thankfully you weren’t holding your cup fully and it only clattered on the counter a bit. You hung onto the edge of the surface to steady yourself. “So that wasn’t a fever or alcohol-induced dream?” you mumbled softly while staring at Eddie sitting at the island. Sipping on his own coffee.

          “It sure felt like it didn’t it?” he huffed a laugh then you saw the flush on his cheeks and the wander of his eyes.

          “I need more clothes then,” you said before scampering back to your room.

          “If you say so,” Eddie jested while watching you walk away.

          “How are you feeling?” Blair asked, placing the back of her hand on his forehead. “No more fever, headache?” she dropped her hand.

          “A bit. Hoping the coffee will help.” Blair popped a couple of gummies and pills in front of him. “What’s this?”

          “Edibles and Advil,” she said while taking the stool next to him.

          “Oh cool, did you make them?” he squished the little bear with his finger then gave her a confused look when she laughed.

          “No, dude, they’re common. Weed is legal here. Our girl has a stuff stocked medicine stash, feel free to look through it. Actually, look through everything. Learn what you can on your own, and go at your own pace. After we’re all fed and everything. We’re going shopping. If you’re gonna be here, you’ll need your own stuff. Phone, laptop, headphones, clothes, food choices. I’ve already hit up my contacts to get your paperwork.”

          “Our girl?” Eddie’s brow furrowed.

          “Yeah, she’s like my sister. I’ve got my girlfriend. She likes you; you’re staying here until further notice. Come on, I know you’re smarter than this.”

          “Sure,” Eddie looked away, Blair was a bit intimidating. “Shopping where?”

          “The mall would be the easiest place. Get what we need there, then we can hit other stores and thrift stores too. Shop until we drop. We got today and tomorrow. Because she and I got work on Monday, which means you’ll be here alone while we are. So wanna get you all set up to not be bored while we’re gone.”

          “Two days to set up my life here?”

          “Two days to get started, don’t get so dramatic.” She playfully shoved Eddie before moving to get her coffee.

          “So, I was thinking we get delivery for breakfast, get ready, and hit the town,” you announce while mirthfully hip-checking Blair to get your mug to fix your coffee the way you like it.

          “I’m on it, Eddie, what do you like for breakfast?”

          “Um just get me anything, lots of it. Kinda starving.”

          “Yeah, I picked you up while you were already on the run.”

          “Blair,” you hissed. “You couldn’t get the poor guy before all the trauma?”

          “I couldn’t choose. I simply reached out and whenever his brain was open and willing to leave his old life behind to come here, is when I could get to him. So yeah, understandably, he’s ready to start anew when there’s a damn manhunt after him.”

          “Did you get him before Watergate creation?”

          “Just after, at Skull Rock, before getting in contact with anyone,” she patted your shoulder.

          “Okay fine, fine, I forgive you. At least it wasn’t at the last possible moment.”

          “Yeah no, I think being on the run and not being able to get ahold of anyone would make me wanna start over in life too.”

          “Ditto,” Eddie jeered. “How did I die by the way?”

          “We can watch it.” Blair piped up; she loved Stranger Things as much as you.

          “Blair!” you hissed again. “Would you want to watch you die?”

          “Oh yeah, bummer, we can watch up until that point. It’s right at the end anyways. But he’d love how metal he looks just before. Goddamn iconic scene and goes out a hero, I mean I would wanna watch my death if it was that cool.” Blair rambled while ordering food on her phone.

          “Hero?” Eddie muttered.

          “Yeah Eddie,” you smile at him softly. “She’s right, you’d love to see it. I can show you a clip another time and

you can watch the show if you want. There’s so much for you to see, we can start just about anywhere. Anything she put in your noggin that you wanna know more about?”

          “Music, no records, tapes? It’s all just on the internet?”

          “Yeah,” you sat next to him and put your phone down between the both of you. Quickly unlocking it before showing it to him. “So, there’s a lot of ways to get music. We still have records, CDs, but not tapes. Everything thing else is digital. You own it or you listen to it for free.”

          “So, I could just listen to whatever I want when I want?”

          “Yeah, tell me the first song that pops into your head.”

          “Rainbow in the Dark,” Eddie smiled.

          You quickly typed it out. “We can listen to it, on YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music. You can also buy the album online, digitally, or have a physical copy sent to you by mail.” You opened the song and let it play on your phone. Eddie just watched it, tapping his fingers along with the beat.

          “Can I get a guitar?”

          “Is that music place still open at the mall?” you asked Blair.

          “No, but we can go to that big music place downtown.”

          “Oh, they’d have more options too.”

          “I could get one today?” Eddie was a bit shocked.

          “Yeah, there isn’t much you can’t get same day when you go in person.”

          “You can even get stuff same day by mail sometimes,” Blair added. “Food should be here in 30.”

          “We don’t go pick it up?”

          “No, we order from an application, pay for the order, tip the driver as well, then they bring it to our door.”

          “And you did all that just while we were talking?” Eddie pointed to Blair’s phone.

          “Yeah, you’ll get it more so when you have your own phone. I’m gonna give you one of my credit cards to use, so please just ask before you buy stuff with it online, okay?”

          “Yeah, cool, cool,” Eddie rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs.

          “It’s okay,” you patted his hand. “I’m sure going from having to look everything up in the library with cards to just having information in the palm of your hand, is overwhelming.”

          “A bit? Not too bad, not with the info dumping Blair gave me last night. Also, what is Starbucks?”

          “We’ll stop by one while we’re shopping,” Blair said while sipping her drink.

          “And no one is going to notice he’s, ya know, Eddie?”

          “If anything, people might think he’s Joseph Quinn, but not Eddie.”

          “Who?”

          “The actor who plays Eddie for the show.”

          “Right, because I didn’t exist. I was just a character, played on tv.”

          “Well, more so streaming service. Stranger Things belongs to Netflix. Which isn’t just limited to the TV. You can watch it on your phone, laptop, etcetera. So more so, a character played to be seen on screen, would be more correct.”

          “You don’t need to correct everything he says.”

          “You’re right, you’re right, I’m just rambling. I mean I brought him here for you, but I’m still excited, okay?” she pouted. “So, Eddie,” Blair eyed him for a moment. “Angel here,” her head bobbed in your direction, “she your type or what?”

          “Blair!” you exclaimed. “Eddie, you don’t have to answer that.”

          “I mean, she brought me here for you though.” You missed the way his eyes traveled down your body while you stare at your roommate in disbelief.

          “That doesn’t mean you don’t get a choice. I’m happy to just know you’re alive and that it’ll stay that way for a long time. Just want to get to know you. If nothing happens, nothing happens. Just stay in touch, we can be friends.”

          Blair smacked your arm. “Don’t do that!” you glared at her. “Come on! He was totally checking you out when you wandered out here half-asleep. Don’t do this. You deserve a good guy. Don’t shut it down and give up before even trying.”

          “Eddie existing is all I need. We can’t make him feel a certain way. He doesn’t owe us his free will.”

          “I’d like to differ,” Blair grumbled while crossing her arms across her chest. “Angel, just don’t shut him out. Eddie, I guess live your life how you want. We’re just here to guide you or whatever. Call for me when the food is here.” Blair razzed before walking off to go get ready for the day.

          You sighed heavily, sipping your coffee and then taking your phone once the song had ended. “What would you like to do while we wait for the food delivery?”

          “Maybe make our shopping list and if I have questions, you can teach.”

          “Oh sounds, good.” You opened a note on your phone. “Okay so, I think the first thing will be a phone, they’re kinda a necessity for most things nowadays. We’ll get a smartphone, or whatever is cheapest to add to our plan. That will also likely take the longest, so it’ll be nice to start there.

          “Good news is that the 80s look is coming back into fashion, so when we go shopping for clothes. You should be able to find things you recognize, but your rocker style has kinda always been in, so it should be easy to get you things. Unless you want to try anything new.”

          “I think I wanna stick with what I know for now.”

          “Understandable. So, phone, clothes, personal hygiene stuff, get you a copy of our keys. Our guest room is now yours, but if you want different sheets, blankets, or whatever, we can look at that too. A lot of what we have you’re more than welcome to. There isn’t a dresser in there but there is a desk. Oh, you’ll probably wanna pop into our local GameDen, nerd hangout, and try and make some friends. They’ll have D&D stuff there, card games, anime, whatever you wanna explore.”

          “There’s a whole store dedicated to nerd stuff?”

          “Yeah, there are lots, everyone’s accepted there, but I’ll be taking you to the one I go to for my nerd stuff.”

          “Like what?”

          “Anime, I like to collect some cards and figures.”

          “But not D&D?”

          “I’ve never been good at creative and imaginative stuff. Nor working in a group or making friends.”

          “But you and Blair are close?”

          “Only friend I really have. Bit of a loser like that. She’s my best friend. But she’s social, has her girlfriend and peeps she’ll hang out with.”

          “How big of a loser could you be when you’re so loved by a witch to have her bring me here?”

          “I guess that’s a good question,” you paused then looked at him shyly, “thanks, Eddie.”

          “S’not a problem sweetheart.”

          Eddie was overwhelmed, from the moment you and Blair got him outside. The bustling modern city is a far cry from his small Podunk hometown. Eddie insisted on linking arms with both of you, scared to lose you, even after he got his own phone to be able to contact you both.

          Eddie’s eyes darted everywhere, like a kid in a candy store, wanting to go into every store. You made a mental list of all the shops he wanted to go in but Blair claimed there wasn’t time for it. She was right. Saturday was the only day she didn’t have plans and she was going to spearhead getting him started off right.

          From a cellphone to skincare, dental care, hair products, brushes, nail care, deodorant, cologne, and vitamins. The whirlwind of info Blair dumped on him yet again seemed to be overwhelming him. Then it was onto clothes; shirts, jeans, sweats, boxers, socks, shoes, slippers, sunglass, a wallet, a watch, some new jewelry, and a fashionable messenger bag.

          “I’m done,” Eddie stated intently staring down at the bubbling witch. You had just left all the bags in the car and were at the mall food court.

          “Three more stops Munson.”

          “I’m tapped, Blair, please. Sweets talk to her.”

          “How about lunch, GameDen, tech store, and then music store.”

          “Fine, okay break. Go take burnout to pick a place, I’m gonna go get my food, which I know you don’t like,” she stuck her tongue out at you both before sauntering off.

          “Can I just sit and you get something?” Eddie pleaded.

          “Yeah hun, that’s okay. I’m sure this has got to be overwhelming. But we have been making good time. Blair is going fast but we are almost done. The last few places are more so just for you to look around, okay?”

          “That’ll be nice. I’ll await your revival spell my dear.” Eddie collapsed into the booth, earning him your giggle before you were off. Waiting in line for some Chinese. You kept glancing over at Eddie, who, true to his act, looked passed out at the table.

          “Didn’t know what you liked, so I just kinda got what I like. You’ll have to come with me next time and choose your own, okay?”

          Eddie hummed before sitting up slowly and starting to eat quietly. He must be drained you thought before following suit. Soon Blair plopped next to you with her odd healthy bowls you didn’t care for.

          “Okay, so I was thinking. GameDen and then the guitar. Then we can be done for today. Then you two can go exploring and Eddie can go at his own pace. Because I can tell my speed is too much for him. You’re fine with being dragged around so Eddie can do it to you tomorrow.” Blair stated.

          “Do you just make plans for everyone?” Eddie grumbled.

          “Look mister,” Blair pointed her spork at him. “I brought you into this world and I can take you out. I am just trying to make sure you can be comfortable here. And on my one day I had for myself, so stuff it.”

          “Blair,” you warned. “He’s just tense. It was lovely of you to bring him here. But threatening him isn’t. I love you and I appreciate you giving up your one free day for us to help us settle Eddie here.”

          “See,” Blair gestured to you. “That’s how you handle things. Nicely put someone in their place yet make sure you’re not overlooking your gratitude.”

          “Thank you for dragging me everywhere yet paying for everything and making sure I can be comfortable.” Eddie grouched.

          “Excuse me?” a young girl asked, shyly approaching.

          “What’s up, sweetie?” Blair smiled warmly.

          “I was wondering if I c-could get your au-autograph?” she shoved her notepad towards Eddie.

          “Um, why?” Eddie asked, it wasn’t mean but he looked confused.

          The shy girl started stuttering. “Oh honey, he’s not Joseph. Just a plain American dude. Not the sweet British Mr. Quinn.” You smiled back at her before digging into your purse. “Here, I have some Stranger Things stickers I bought today, but you can have them.”

          “Oh, thank you miss,” the girl bounced off her heels before hugging you with the stickers in hand then running off to her mom with a happy squeal.

          “I thought you wanted to get those for your water bottle?” Blair nudged you.

          “I did, but I didn’t want her to feel so upset. That took her a lot of nerve and I don’t want her to feel discouraged to use it again in the future.”

          “If you weren’t like my sister, I’d be all over you right now.” Blair cooed before going to pinch your cheeks. “Just wanna squish you and eat you all up, you’re so sweet, precious little angel.”

          “Blair!” you whined while swatting away her hands, you could feel your cheeks heating up as you heard Eddie chuckle.

          “That was really nice of you,” Eddie smiled at you when you glanced at him before shyly looking away. “I see why she calls you angel,” he eyed you as light filtered around your figure and you bashfully kept your eyes on your food.

          You didn’t want Eddie to feel like he had to be with you, that he owed it to you or Blair. But he’d have to be crazy to not want someone so understanding and delightful. So here Eddie was, staring at you like you were the one sent here for him, full of love. Then he saw a flash and looked over at Blair.

          “What was that?”

          “Just wanted to take a picture of you. Forgot about the flash.” Blair smiled before dropping her phone back into her little purse.

          “What for?” Eddie eyed her suspiciously.

          “Just for the future, you’ll wanna see it later,” Blair winked before continuing to eat.

          “She likes to take pictures a lot, you’ll get used to it, Eds,” you muttered through a mouthful of food.

          “Eds,” Eddie repeated under his breath softly at the nickname with a lovesick smile.

          GameDen was by far Eddie’s favorite stop. Although new modern stores were cool with all the options and tech, this was his jam. He was downright giddy, happily going off about D&D to you. While you listened and asked occasional questions. He stocked up on all of the game necessities. An arm full of items before begrudgingly putting them into the handbasket you offered. He even made a few friends, because once they saw everything he was getting, they invited him to their party. He couldn’t be a DM for a while, but he’d get to play D&D every week. He got their numbers into his phone. He now had a total of 10 contacts.

          “Gods we were in there forever. I think you’ll have to take him to the tech store tomorrow. Need to get to the music shop before they close.” Blair was complaining but she had a smile. She could never discourage someone’s passions and passionate is definitely what Eddie is.

          “Hey, you got that new board game that looks cool.” You cheered as Blair drove to the final place for the day.

          “That’s true. You got that new Funko Pop of Momomon from Bullet Train, it’ll be so cute up on your wall.”

          “I don’t think I’ll be able to reach it though. Hold the ladder for me?”

          “Eddie should be tall enough.”

          “I don’t wanna-”

          “I’ll do it, Angel, don’t worry about it.” Eddie smiled at you through the rearview mirror and you smiled back timidly.

          Eddie was overwhelmed at this store too. But he just wanted his sweetheart, his guitar. He needed a suitable replacement. He gasped happily when he spotted her.

          “This one has been selling out, think you’re getting the last one before our shipment gets here in a few months.”

          “That’s lucky,” Blair smiled at Eddie.

          “Stranger Things man, reorging the whole world. 80s style is back, Master of Puppets and Running Up That Hill are on the charts all the time now, D&D is even more popular, and fucking mullets’ man.” The cashier rambled while ringing up the guitar, a case, a stand, picks, strings, blank sheet music, and a small amp. “You know you look a bit like one of the characters,” he eyed Eddie for a moment.

          “You know how emo kids didn’t grow out of their scene phases,” she looked down at her gothic outfit, implying she was referring to herself as well, “it’s the same with his guy. Has had the same look since high school,” Blair jabbed a finger at Eddie.

          “Well, you pull it off man, you should take better care of your hair though. Looks frizzy.”

          “I said the same thing, I got him some products to help with it.”

          “He your boyfriend?” the cashier asked while eyeing Blair’s chest.

          “No, high school friends, he moved out here, had to leave everything behind. So, he’s settling in with us. Although I’ll be using him to do double dates with her,” she pointed to you over in the records section. “Along with my girlfriend.”

          “Ah, well, they’d make a cute couple,” his shoulders slumped a bit and dropped all the flirting once he heard Blair had a girlfriend. “Anything else you need to help him restart here?”

          “Know anyone looking for a lead guitarist?” Blair asked.

          “No, but” he grabbed a flyer. “This place holds auditions all the time for when bands are looking for replacements, temps, what have ya.”

          “That’s great, thanks man,” Eddie took it from him and looked it over.

          “Shit, I forgot my purse out in the car, I’ll be right back!” Blair darted out to the car.

          “You gonna ask out your friend? Do you like her?” the cashier, Eddie finally read his nametag, Davon. He followed his gaze to you bobbing to a song on some tester headphones.

          “I’m not sure,” Eddie shuffled from one foot to the other.

          “Give her my number then?” Davon scribbled it down quickly and handed it to Eddie. “She’s cute and shy, they’re always fun, for alone time,” he chuckled.

          “No,” Eddie glared at the offending piece of paper in Davon’s hand. “She’s not some cheap thrill.”

          “You’re right, you’re right, sorry that was rude. Just give it to her, I’ll behave,” he winked at Eddie.

          “You okay, Eds?” you asked popping up next to him placing a hand on his arm.

          “Yeah, yeah, I’m good Angel.”

          You glanced at the paper in the guy’s hand. “Oh, is this for Blair?” you took it and looked at noticing it was a number. “I’m sorry but she’s gay.”

          “Actually, that’s for you, sweet thing, I didn’t know if you were going to come over here, so I was asking your friend here to give it to you, for me.”

          “Oh!” you were flustered, no one had given you their number in years. You sheepishly looked it over. “It’s been years since someone wanted to go on a date with me.” You mumbled.

          “Well, that’s their loss, I’d be happy to,” Davon winked at you and you bit your lip. Eddie’s shoulders slumped. Shit, he couldn’t be that smooth.

          “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m not, I don’t,” you stuttered.

          “She’s not interested, but she’s flattered,” Blair showed up, being your savior, taking the paper outta your hand and giving it back to the cashier. You leaned against her in thanks as Blair quickly tapped her card. “Eddie, grab your sweetheart, and let’s go. I want Starbucks and a movie at home.”

          “Thank you,” you said softly while grabbing some grabs from the cashier as Eddie and Blair grabbed everything else.

          After getting drinks. The car ride home and getting everything into the condo was calm. Eddie and you were drained sitting on his bed, while Blair bounced around, putting things away. Showing him where everything was and where to find it. At one point Eddie tuned out and was softly strumming his guitar.

          “Can we nap?” you whined at Blair who was still putting clothes away.

          “Yeah sweets, almost done. We’ll watch something we’ve seen before and you can fall asleep on me.” She smiled at you over her shoulder. “Edward are you even paying attention.”

          “No,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, I’m done though. I haven’t even been here for 24 hours and I’m having to relearn everything. I need to unwind.”

          “Fine, fine, I’ll go over the hair and hygiene stuff later. Do what you want for now. Me and Angel here will be watching a movie. Come join us later or crash in here until dinner, okay?”

          Eddie gave a hummed response as Blair dragged you out of the room. Popcorn and drinks on the coffee table Blair flipped on Red Notice, something you both had seen so many times. Something you could fall asleep to, from knowing it so well.

[lalahbug]

You're just too sweet Chrissy ♥ I appreciate you!

[lalahbug]

Lalah, my love! Just wanted to check in on you, I miss you! Hope you and your cute little family’s doing well! Sending love!!! 💕💕💕

Hey Bee! Sorry, I didn't see this and I just got to my laptop on Tumblr for the first time in a while. I miss you too! We're all doing well, my baby is walking before her first birthday 😭 I hope you're doing well too~! And that you're having a wonderful December!

[lalahbug]

Loved by a Witch Series

Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary; Implied plus-sized reader near and there and alluding that she's in her mid-20s or more. (When Eddie is brought to the real world, he'd take on Joseph Quinn's age which is 28 as of writing this, but he'll be 29 soonish.)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 

 ✒️??