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Venus in Furs Chapter Eight: Perfect Day

Wednesday, March 26th, 1986.

Upon Eddie and Kelly’s return to the group where they had been waiting at Skull Rock, another earthquake struck, even more powerful than the first, sending everyone sprawling to the ground. The spindliest of the dead trees in the surrounding area creaked and groaned as they succumbed to the force of it, and when they fell onto the vines below, they became instantly ensnared by them, and were dragged deeper into the forest and out of sight completely in a matter of seconds. Everyone had been under the impression that the vines were akin to an alarm system, and were horrified to discover that they were capable of capture as well.

After a moment of silence following the quake, Robin asked sheepishly, “So, any ideas about an escape plan?”

“We can’t get out of here if we’re defenseless.” Nancy sprung for the chance to take charge and was the first to get back on her feet.

“Okay, well, this is just a fucked up version of Hawkins, right?” Eddie asked. At the affirmative nods from the three with the most experience dealing with matters of the Upside Down, he continued, “Then let’s go down to the police station and take all the guns and bullets we can find.”

“There’s no time for that,” Nancy argued. “It’s a police station, they’d have all that stuff locked up anyway and then we could end up trapped if something goes wrong. I know where to find a gun. We’re going to my house.”

“Do you know daddy dearest’s combination for the gun safe? Or are we gonna be sitting ducks either way?” Eddie asked sarcastically.

Leveling him with a sharp glance, Nancy replied simply, “It’s my gun.”

Eddie threw his hands up in surrender. “My bad.”

“How far is your house from here?” Kelly asked, more than happy to put aside her distrust for the moment if it meant finally get some real weapons involved. They could be in for a fight at any moment, after all.

“It’s miles away, but there are a few shortcuts through these woods we can take. I live on Maple Court.”

“Good, then we can stop by my house too. I’m on Maple Street, probably only a few doors down from you, and I know where my father keeps his gun.”

“Maybe we should split up then? Get both guns at the same time and meet back up?” Steve suggested.

Eddie squinted incredulously at Steve. “Have you never seen a single episode of Scooby-Doo? The whole Fred and Daphne thing before was supposed to be a joke,” he deadpanned.

“Nobody splits up, not for anything,” Kelly threw in before Steve could respond haughtily to Eddie. Steve did end up giving her an idea, though. Nancy was still watching her like a hawk, and Robin had her own burning curiosity lighting her eyes. It was only a matter of time before they would try and ambush Kelly with an interrogation. Luckily, when it came to two-on-one fights, Kelly remained undefeated. She knew just how to turn the situation around in her favor. “We’ll all stick together, but let’s do this:” placing her backpack at her feet, she withdrew one of the canteens and handed it to Eddie, “you and Steve take the rear, the girls and I will take the front.” For the remaining three, Kelly took out a snack for each and placed them in their palms. Steve received a pack of cherry Pop-Tarts, Robin a granola bar, and Nancy a dented can of Chef Boyardee beef ravioli.

“What, all I get is water? Even prisoners get bread,” Eddie complained, verging on whining.

Kelly unzipped her pocket and produced the unopened pack of Pop-Tarts she had neglected to eat when she decided to beat Nancy to the boat. Upon inspection, they were crumbled at the edges, but mostly intact, so she stuck one in Eddie’s mouth and kept the other for herself. “There, that’s a lot better than bread, right?”

Eddie nodded and snarfed down his snack in three bites. “Way better than bread,” he agreed with his mouth full. “Hey, maybe the elves called it waybread ‘cause it’s short for way better than bread.” Kelly was the only one who understood the reference and laughed, but he hardly minded. As long as she was laughing, he considered his job done. “Alright, we can go now.”

“What exactly am I supposed to do with this?” Nancy asked, eying the offending can of ravioli with distaste.

With a shrug, Kelly replied, “Bang it on a rock a few times when you decide to eat it, it’ll open.” She neglected to inform Nancy that there was a can opener at the bottom of her bag. Nancy scoffed, insulted. Before she could form a response to Kelly’s obvious snack hierarchy though, Kelly looped her arms through Nancy’s and Robin’s, putting Nancy on her left and Robin on her right. “Time to hit the ol’ dusty trail before another quake comes along and we end up dragged off to God knows where.”

The two groups walked only about a dozen feet apart, but it was enough distance to let them talk privately without the opposite group overhearing. As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Nancy rounded on Kelly. “What’s this actually about?”

“I’m so glad you asked, because that’s exactly what this is about. You’re both going to ask me three questions each, and based on the way you’re looking at me like you’re seconds away from an actual aneurysm, you’ll get first crack at me, then Buckley. You can ask any three questions you want, no holds barred. But then I’ll get to ask my own three questions at the end.”

“Only three questions?”

“Is that your first question?” Nancy’s lips formed a thin line as her eyes widened, her arm tightening around Kelly’s. “Christ, unclench, it was a joke,” Kelly scoffed a snickering laugh. “We’ve got a lot of miles to cover and plenty of time for chitchat. Call this an icebreaker if you want. Deal?”

“Deal,” Nancy and Robin answered quickly in unison, not wanting to miss their chance at interrogating the newest and most mysterious member of their ragtag group.

“Good. Then you’re up, Wheeler.”

“How long have you been able to do what you did?”

“As long as I can remember,” Kelly carefully answered.

“Is there anything else you can do too?”

“Nope, that’s all I know how to do as far as superpowers go.”

Nancy paused a moment to think over her final alloted query. “Where are you from?”

Kelly was relieved that Nancy’s question could be interpreted multiple ways. “Grissom Air Force Base,” she replied, though her mind was flooded with memories of Maryland and Fort Detrick.

“Do they have a lab?”

Yep, Kelly dodged a bullet. If Nancy knew about the lab at Fort Detrick, she would never let it go, even though it had nothing to do with their current circumstances. “Sorry, follow-up questions weren’t part of the deal. Buckley, your turn.”

“Thank God, the wait was killing me.” Nancy’s questioning had lasted all of a minute. “What was the turning point for you with Eddie?”

Kelly couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s really what you wanna know about?”

“It’s been melting my brain into a puddle of mush for days trying to figure you two out. Spill it.”

Getting her thoughts together was sobering for Kelly. “Well, if you insist. I don’t know you particularly well or what your mother may have taught you about life and relationships, but my mother was inescapably clear about my place in the world: serve your husband well, or be alone, and deservedly so.” Robin and Nancy shared a glance over Kelly’s head as she continued, “Every day, I cook, I clean the whole house, I do all the yard work, and I study my ass off, all just to learn how to take care of and not embarrass a future husband I’ve never met and never want to. My worth was based entirely on how well I could put everyone else first and myself last. But Eddie’s never once made me put him first. He puts me first, as much as I’ll let him, at least. And when I put him first, it’s because I want to, not because I have to. That was the turning point.” Kelly’s voice had taken on a dreamy inflection by the time she reached the end of her explanation, her eyes seeing both the vine-strewn path before them and flashes of the smile Eddie would get whenever he did something to make her happy.

“Yeah, my mom’s like that too,” Robin quietly replied. “When you put it like that, I get it now.”

Nodding in understanding, Kelly said, “It’s a damn shame how many girls are raised the way we were.”

“Is that why you’re in Home Ec?”

“Is that really your second question?”

“No, shit.”

Kelly chuckled, “Then ask your real question.”

Robin hesitated, her eyes growing wide and shining with intensity. “When the time comes… if the time comes, I guess I should say… will you turn him in?”

Kelly��s head snapped up to meet Robin’s eyes, her own flashing with anger. “Abso-fucking-lutely not. Not under any circumstances, not for anything or anyone, not ever. But actually, it’s good you asked, ‘cause now we can all get something straight here.” Kelly used their linked arms to pull Nancy and Robin down to her level, her long nails digging into their skin beneath their sleeves and holding them in place, as she murmured through clenched teeth, just loud enough for them to hear, “If either of you think you’re gonna be slick and turn him in for a reward, or for an article in the paper,” Kelly looked especially hard at Nancy then, “you’re dead fucking wrong. I know how to make people hurt, ladies. Really hurt. And you don’t wanna know what I’ll do to anyone who rats on Eddie. You’re both smart girls and clearly you’ve got a good sense of self-preservation if you’ve made it this far as interdimensional monster hunters. So, if you wanna stay preserved, you’ll leave Eddie out of any and all future plans you might’ve been cooking up in those heads of yours. If anybody questions you, and I mean anybody, even over the littlest thing, you don’t know anything about Eddie; you’ve never talked to him, you haven’t heard anything, and you definitely haven’t seen him. Capisce?” Nancy and Robin both nodded emphatically. “Good. Now, just in case the boys are watching, you’re gonna giggle like I just told you the juiciest gossip you’ve ever heard in three, two, one.” The three broke into laughter, loud enough to be heard, but not so loud as to seem forced. Satisfied, Kelly loosened her grip, but didn’t unwind her arms from theirs. “I’m glad we settled that. So, what’s your last question?”

Hesitantly, Robin asked, “What’s your favorite movie?”

“The cinephile in me knows you want me to say Casablanca, and before you bust out your pitchfork, it’s my second favorite and exceedingly dear to me. But my all-time top spot has to go to Some Like It Hot.”

“My favorite’s The Apartment, Jack Lemmon’s next role after shooting Some Like It Hot. Any fan of Jack Lemmon’s is a friend of mine,” Robin smiled, quickly recovering now that they had found some common ground.

The two girls then turned their attention to Nancy, looking at her expectantly. “Come on, you guys don’t actually care about our favorite movies, do you? Are we in middle school?” Nancy asked with a roll of her eyes.

“They tell a lot about a person,” Kelly said without a hint of humor.

“Nancy’s a big Tom Cruise fan apparently,” Robin whispered conspiratorially, biting her lip around a grin.

“Yeah, that tracks,” Kelly nodded.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nancy asked indignantly.

“He’s totally your type. Preppy with just a hint of an edge, all clean-shaven smiles and clever one-liners,” Kelly explained.

“Sounds like somebody else we know, doesn’t it, Nancy?” Robin’s meaningful glance and coy tone made Nancy blush and look to the ground.

“For your information, my favorite movie doesn’t even have Tom Cruise in it. It’s The Last Unicorn.”

“Are you the one who stole the only copy from Family Video?”

“No!” Kelly burst into laughter, knowing full well who stole it. The other two assumed she was laughing from Nancy’s defensiveness. “I’ve never stolen anything in my life!”

“That’s a shame,” Kelly shook her head.

“Why’s that movie in particular your absolute favorite out of every movie ever made? I thought you’d find little kid movies beneath you, since you just asked if we’re in middle school for even asking the question and all.”

“Isn’t it Kelly’s turn to ask the questions?”

“But I wanna know too,” Kelly added.

Heaving a beleaguered sigh, Nancy conceded. “Alright, fine. Robin, you’ll get it more than Kelly will. The first time things started to go wrong in Hawkins, when Will disappeared… after everything settled back down, it was hard for me and Mike to talk about any of it. We were supposed to just pretend like none of it ever happened and go back to normal. We started to grow apart, and that’s normal, but it wasn’t from a normal situation. Both of us could feel how bad we needed to open up about it, but neither of us had any clue where to start. Mom rented The Last Unicorn for my sister, Holly, and went out for date night, so I was on babysitting duty. She also left it to me to somehow convince Mike to sit and watch this girlie movie with us, and I thought for sure he was gonna fight me tooth and nail the whole time, but he didn’t. He watched it from start to finish without even one complaint. It was the first time either of us had cried since it all happened. We talked that night because of it. We talked about what it means to regret, and to love, and we really needed that. Whenever things are hard now, we rent that movie, and we get it all out while our parents are away. And it helps Mike bond more with Holly too, you know? It’s just… something nice we can depend on when things are anything but nice,” she finished with a vague gesture to their surroundings with her free arm, the can of ravioli still sloshing in her grasp.

“As a seasoned babysitter myself,” Kelly began, “I get that feeling. When kids are alone and feel safe, they’ll tell you exactly what’s going on around them. And sometimes it’s jarring when they open up, but you can tell they really need it, and you can learn a lot about how much they do or don’t notice. It helps them make sense of things, too.”

“I’m an only child and I’ve never babysat anyone because of my jam-packed extracurricular schedule,” Robin winced. “However, I have been forcibly injected with Soviet truth serum with Steve, and that was a real bonding experience I’ll never forget. We didn’t exactly have a choice in opening up or not, but it all worked out in the end.”

When Kelly looked questioningly between Robin and Nancy, Nancy supplied, “It’s been quite the year for all of us.”

“So I’ve gathered. Does anything normal ever happen around here?”

“Is that your first question?” Nancy asked.

“Touche. Wait, what the fuck?” They had reached the point where the dirt path was paved over to join the concrete road leading back to town. The vines had criss-crossed their path continuously the whole way through the woods, but they stopped short of the road, only curling and nestling along the outer sides. “You’re the experts; is this normal?”

“No clue,” Robin answered first.

“Why wouldn’t there be vines in the road…? How does this benefit the hivemind?” Nancy murmured contemplatively.

“What’s the hold up?” Steve called from behind them.

Kelly finally untangled herself from Nancy and Robin so that they could huddle up with the boys. Nancy took the lead and answered, “We need to be careful. There could be a trap here.”

Steve and Nancy went back and forth, trying to analyze the situation from every possible angle while Robin occasionally interjected. Eddie took up his usual place beside Kelly and shared in her last crumbling Pop-Tart with her.

“I’m telling you, we can’t go back,” Steve shook his head, his disheveled hair flopping with the motion.

“But what if—?”

“That’s it!” Robin threw her hands up in exasperation. “I’m just gonna check it out, everybody stay here. Or start running if you hear me scream. You’ll have to decide whether to run toward or away from me depending on the scream.” With no further warning, she leapt over the line where the vines stopped and went running down the abandoned road.

“Robin!” Nancy gasped.

“Buckley, what the fuck?!” Eddie shouted at her retreating form.

“I got her!” Steve assured, taking off at full speed despite being barefoot.

“Steve, wait!”

“So much for avoiding any traps,” Kelly sighed, crumpling up the shiny silver wrapper in her hands and sliding it into a side pocket on her backpack. “Let’s start walking, we’ll catch up with them sooner or later and it’ll be safer to move as a group until we know for sure what’s going on here.”

“Alright,” Nancy said resignedly.

Eddie planted his feet beside the vines to assist the ladies and offered his hand. Kelly clasped it and hopped easily onto the pavement, but unbeknownst to her, one of her hoop earrings had come undone and dropped to the ground with a quiet metallic bounce. Kelly gasped as it rolled in a crooked line toward the patch of vines, but before it could touch any of them and give their position away, Eddie stooped over the patch and flicked it into the air with the finger of one hand and caught it triumphantly in the other. Jumping with a grin a mile wide, he landed before her and bowed with a flourish, holding the earring out for her to take.

“You dropped this, my lady.”

“My hero,” Kelly sighed with a smile of true relief and admiration, taken pleasantly by surprise once again by his quick reflexes and penchant for panache. While she slipped the earring back on and checked that none of the others had come loose in all the recent mayhem, Eddie helped Nancy onto the road with equal consideration. With everyone ready, Kelly stepped up and kissed Eddie as she took his hand. “Let’s see what those two have gotten us into.”

“We should hurry,” Nancy cautioned. “Robin told me yesterday that she runs weird sometimes and I wouldn’t put it past her to land face first on a vine no matter how clear the road seems.”

Up ahead, Robin was still leading Steve on the chase, but not for long. Once he caught up to her, he pulled on her arm to force her to stop, and it took a moment for either of them to be able to speak as they caught their breath.

“What the hell was that?” Steve huffed, his hands on his hips.

“That, dingus, was a distraction.”

“From…?”

“From whatever the hell’s gotten into you. And what has gotten into you, huh, Steve? Where’s the King of Hawkins High when the princess is just waiting for him to jump in and sweep her off her feet?”

“Robin, we’ve been over this,” Steve groaned, exasperatedly scrubbing a hand down his face.

“Yeah, we’ve been over this a million and one times, yet neither of you are over this yet! You’re still as into Nancy as you were a year ago, and news flash, she’s into you too. Do you know what I’d give to have Vickie in the palm of my hand like that?”

“Whatever you think’s happening here, it’s not. You gotta drop it Robin, I was seriously freaked out when you ran off like that.”

“I’ll apologize for causing a freak-out, but I won’t apologize for trying to knock some sense into you. How can you seriously not see it?”

“She has Jonathan. There’s nothing to see.”

“You can’t honestly believe that, can you? What she has are some very hurt feelings over her lame-o boyfriend backing out of spending Spring Break with her at the last minute, and apparently all you have is Farrah Fawcett hairspray floating around where your brain’s supposed to be.”

“Hey! I told you that in confidence,” Steve hissed, looking around in case the others had caught up and heard her. “You don’t get it, okay? There’s always been something between her and Jonathan, they’ll get through whatever the problem is.”

“All that’s between them right now is approximately two thousand miles. I think that’s more than enough wiggle room for you to find your way back into her good graces.”

“Robin, come on—”

“Fine, don’t believe me? As if I’ve ever steered you wrong— then ask Eddie. He’s the resident Romeo now, I’m sure he can offer you some dingus-proof advice, man to man,” Robin finished with exaggerated air-quotes. “How’s boy time going anyway?”

Steve shrugged, his face entirely neutral. “Fine, I guess. We haven’t talked.”

“What do you mean you haven’t talked?” Little did Robin know, the same question had just been asked by Kelly up the road.

“I’m telling you, the dude doesn’t talk. Hasn’t said one word,” Eddie confirmed. “He just has this look on his face when he walks like he wants to punch somebody and I’m not sure if it’s about the vest or not.”

“I’m sure it’s not about the vest,” Kelly soothed.

“It’s definitely not about the vest,” Nancy shook her head. “He’s not usually like that, something’s gotten into him.”

“I just don’t know what’s gotten into me,” Steve sighed.

“Well, whatever it is, get rid of it. The last time you blew it with Nancy, it was because you weren’t there for her enough the way she needed you to be. That wasn’t your fault then, you weren’t as experienced with all the monster stuff and conspiracies yet. But it will be your fault this time if you don’t get your shit together pronto,” Robin scolded.

“I can’t just pretend Jonathan doesn’t exist, though. They’ve been through a lot together.”

“Steve’s really been through a lot,” Nancy explained. “Whatever it is, try not to hold it against him. I’m sure it’s nothing personal.”

“Sure, I’ve only heard that my whole life,” Eddie said sarcastically.

Before he could say more, Kelly lifted his ringed knuckles to her lips. “I’m sure it’s about being here. He can’t be happy about it, you know? Maybe he’s just quiet when he’s figuring his shit out.”

“You’ve gotta figure your shit out, dingus,” Robin shook her head exasperatedly. “Eye on the prize! You want Nancy, so figure out how to get her!”

“Easy for you to say when you still can’t even look at Vickie without turning as red as her hair.”

“That’s different and you know it.”

“I’m just saying, think about it from where I’m standing.”

“All I’ve been doing is thinking about where you’re standing! You’re here, in another dimension, and he’s not! He could’ve been, but according to her, he made up some half-assed excuse at the last minute and bailed. But. You. Didn’t. See where I’m going with this?”

“I can’t—”

“If Jonathan wasn’t a problem anymore, would you hesitate for even a second?” That gave Steve pause. “Being the way I am and having to keep it a secret… that’s my Jonathan, and Vickie’s my Nancy. If it wouldn’t be a problem, if I knew I had a shot, I’d take it in a heartbeat. Wouldn’t you?”

“In a heartbeat,” he nodded, his eyes seeing far away memories of their best days, the days that made his heart beat out of time just thinking about them.

“There you guys are!” Nancy cried. “You almost gave me a heart attack back there!”

“Oh, hey!” Robin waved. “No worries, this place is totally deserted.”

Kelly asked cautiously, unconvinced, “How can you be sure?”

“I’m an expert, remember? Trust me, if there was anything around here for miles, we’d know it by now. They don’t exactly make a secret of trying to kill you.”

Nancy bit her lip contemplatively. “Why would the vines stop at the road if it isn’t being guarded?”

“Yeah, it is weird. I don’t like it,” Steve added.

“Maybe the vines need dirt and that’s why they stay off the road?” Eddie shrugged.

“Well, I’ll just head down a little farther and report back if anything changes,” Robin said, preparing to make another exit.

“Hold it!” Kelly commanded, pointing at the hyperactive girl. “Before you go, want a beer?”

“Nah, I’ve still got my snack,” Robin answered, holding up her wrapped granola bar. “Thanks, though! Really hospitable of you. It’s nice having somebody on the team now who’s actually prepared.” With that, she took off once again, leaving the others behind without a second glance.

“Can I have her beer?” Eddie asked, his eyes pleading.

“Of course. Anybody else want one?”

“Is this really the time?” Nancy asked with a raised brow.

“Nancy Wheeler, there’s something you should know about me. I’m a firm believer in old wisdom, and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em applies no matter where you are or who you’re with. Speaking of, who’s confident they could get a fire going? I’m dying for a cigarette.”

“Me too,” Eddie agreed.

“Hold on, I learned this at camp once,” Steve said, raising a finger for them to wait as he left the road to find what he was looking for among the vines. It only took him a moment to come back with a wad of dead grass, a stick, and a flat stone. “Get your cigarettes ready. Can I bum one off you?”

“Naturally,” Kelly nodded, producing the sealed pack from her pocket.

Steve sat on the pavement and placed the grass on the rock. With the stick, he rubbed the flatter end between his hands as quick as he could against the rock. At first nothing happened, but then there was a thin wisp of smoke before a spark jumped up from the friction. A few sparks later and the grass around the stick caught fire. Steve picked up the burning wad carefully and used it to light Kelly’s cigarette first, then Eddie’s, and then his own. Kelly offered one to Nancy, and seeing that she was outnumbered, she thought maybe she could embrace some old wisdom just this once: if you can’t beat them, join them.

Steve was all too happy to help Nancy spark up before dropping the grass. They watched the little ball of flame burn to a crisp and fizzle out as they took a moment to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

“Baby?” Kelly asked Eddie.

“Kelly Rose?”

“Would you mind passing out the beers and opening mine for me?”

“Not in the slightest, my love.”

As Eddie rounded her to open her bag and get to the beers in question, he saw an opening to plant an obnoxious kiss on her cheek and took it. She giggled and swatted at him, making him grin like mad. Steve and Nancy had no choice but to watch their interaction, and separately, secretly, each longed to have it with the other.

The remaining four beers were passed around, and Eddie even opened Nancy’s for her too. She was genuinely surprised by the action, but appreciative nonetheless. Now that everyone was duly plied with a cigarette and a cool beverage, they naturally began walking again in pairs, Nancy with Kelly, and Steve with Eddie bringing up the rear.

“Now, back to my questions,” Kelly announced when there was enough distance between them and the boys. “My love life already came up, so let’s talk about yours. Who’re you in love with? And don’t tell me nobody, I can see it in your eyes and I just know you’re a terrible liar.”

“Hey! I’m an excellent liar!”

“See? That was a lie, and a terrible one as foretold.”

With a huff and a roll of her eyes, Nancy bought some time with long pulls from her cigarette and beer. “I have a boyfriend. His name’s Jonathan, he moved away right before you got here. He’s in California.”

“I’m choosing to ignore that insult to my intelligence, Wheeler. I didn’t ask who your boyfriend was, I asked who you’re in love with, and it’s easy to tell you’re definitely not in love with Jonathan.”

“That’s not true,” Nancy defended. “Of course I love him. Why would he be my boyfriend if I didn’t love him?”

“Christ, how long did you practice that one in the mirror?” Kelly snorted. “There’s a big difference between loving somebody and being in love with them. You’re talking about this dude like he’s a goldfish you recently flushed.” Nancy was visibly insulted by that assessment. “I’m just being honest with you here. I mean, look at you. Just mentioning him took the light right out of your eyes. Sure, you love this guy, I have no doubt you mean that and have good reason to. But you’re definitely not in love with him. You’re in love with someone else.”

That someone else was directly behind them, still glaring at the ground in silence as he got through half his beer and cigarette. “Who the fuck are Dave and Jake?” he finally asked.

“Dude, that’s what I’m sayin’! Who the fuck are they?” Eddie threw in, relieved he was not the source of Steve’s inner turmoil and at having the chance to share his own.

“I know a couple Daves and a handful of Jakes, but none of them go together.”

“That’s the problem I’m having too! Henderson’s never mentioned any Daves and certainly no Jakes, and he tells me about everybody.”

“Everybody?”

“Everybody.”

“What’d the twerp say about me?”

“Only the very highest praise at every possible opportunity. Said you were a certified badass. Insisted on the matter, in fact. Not gonna lie, the constant admiration got to me a bit… made me a little jealous.” Steve looked to Eddie in surprise, but he pressed forward. “And honestly, I thought he was full of shit every time, talking about a jock who’s actually cool and not a complete dickhead— went against my entire Munson Doctrine. I guess I just couldn’t believe that Steve Harrington was actually… a good dude. Popular but decent, the King of Hawkins High is actually a benevolent ruler? No way, not in a million years. Yet, after what I saw earlier, I have no choice but to admit he really was right about you. That was a total Ozzy move back there by the way, and for that you have my full respect.” Steve’s glance of surprise turned to one of confusion. “Ozzy Osbourne? Black Sabbath? Most famous…? No, not ringing any bells?” Steve shook his head sheepish shrug. “Okay, what you did was very metal, that’s all I’m sayin’. So, what did young Henderson tell you about me?”

“Nothing, so I’m starting to see a pattern here.”

“Fuck, ouch,” Eddie winced, rubbing his chest as if the news physically pained him.

“You’re saying ouch? You’re the one he’s telling everything to these days. I thought that was my job. What else hasn’t he told me?” Steve wondered, genuinely hurt by Dustin’s apparent secrets.

“He’s at that age, man,” Eddie shrugged as he took a drag of his cigarette. “You’ve got a lot of history and he practically worships you, dude. He’s gonna hide things you might not like, we all do it. I’m just a blank slate, even if I’m a goofy lookin’ one. Don’t hold it against him.”

“And you’re gonna stick to that too?”

“Fuck no, as soon as I get the chance I’m cornering his ass. If he’s hiding these mystery friends from both of us then something’s definitely up, and somehow my Kelly Rose is in on it too? I don’t like any of it.”

“Get in line, then. But you’re right, what’s up with your girlfriend?”

“What’s up with your girlfriend?” Eddie shot back.

“Nancy? She’s not my girlfriend.”

“I’m perfectly happy with my boyfriend, thank you very much,” Nancy huffed.

“Yep, you sound over the moon about him,” Kelly deadpanned in return.

“Things have just been a little rough lately. He’s been under a lot of pressure, you know? And so have I. But once we get our acceptance letters and summer vacation starts, everything will be back to normal.”

“Let me guess, you told yourself that before Spring Break too.” Nancy hid her disdainful embarrassment behind a long sip of her beer. “Look, we agreed on no holds barred. If you’re seriously gonna refuse to answer the question after I answered all of yours, then I’ll have no choice but to come to my own conclusion, and I’m already pretty certain about it.”

Trying to act much more nonchalant than she felt, Nancy asked before taking a lungful of smoke, “Oh? Go ahead, what’s your theory on my nonexistent secret crush?”

“I think it’s Steve.” Nancy choked out a thick gray cloud and began harshly coughing up all the smoke she had just inhaled. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

“Are you sure she isn’t your girlfriend? Like, does she know that?” Eddie asked uncertainly.

Steve chuckled dryly. “Trust me, she knows. She has a boyfriend, after all.”

“Ah, so the hand of the fair princess has been ensnared by another,” Eddie nodded sagely in understanding. “But, it seems fortune favors you as always, King Steve. I bet if you made a move she’d dump loverboy in a heartbeat.”

Hearing Eddie’s phrasing made Steve realize that Robin might have been right. Maybe talking to Eddie about it would actually be a little helpful.

“Maybe it just wasn’t the right timing for you guys yet, but now it is?” Kelly suggested.

“If anything, the time has passed.”

“Not necessarily.” Kelly took the last sip of her beer, already mourning the loss of it. “Timing is a funny, totally bizarre thing. If you’d told me when I moved here I’d end up with Eddie of all people, especially with the way he is at school, I would’ve said you’re completely out of your gourd. The timing wasn’t right then, but it is now, and here we are. Crazy how things can change so much in a blink.”

“But that’s exactly what I love about Jonathan: nothing changes. He’s so stable, I know him like the back of my hand.” More like the palm of my hand, she thought, her scarred left hand clenching around the can of ravioli at the thought of the night they tried to trap the Demogorgon. Even then, though, it was Steve who showed up just in time. We wouldn’t have stood a chance without him. “We have history. We have plans.”

“Okay, but who’s making new history with you right now? Who have you been making plans with here?”

Nancy decided that she hated this question game. Finding out so little about Kelly beforehand only made her probing questions that much more frustrating.

“I know we don’t exactly know each other, and I only became an expert on love recently,” Eddie began, “but if I was in your shoes, man, I’d do whatever it takes to get her back. I wouldn’t rest ‘til I was sure I had her. Whatever you did wrong, fix it. Whatever she wants, give it to her. It’s worked out great for me so far,” he finished with a gesture toward his girl.

“She won’t leave Jonathan. They’re going to college together and everything.”

“Jonathan Byers? Zombie Boy’s big brother? Dude, he’s the least intimidating guy who’s ever lived. I caught him listening to the Smiths and crying in the bathroom once after school, and that was even before all that shit with his brother went down. My point is, you can take him, big guy. Go Tigers or whatever.”

“It’s her decision, and her mind’s made up, dude. There’s nothing I can do.”

Eddie burst out laughing so hard he stumbled. “Pfff, as fucking if! She looks at you the same way Kelly Rose looks at me. She’s practically begging you to make a move every time she blinks those big baby blues up at you. You can’t seriously be this much of an idiot, and as the resident idiot, that’s saying something.”

“That’s what she’d always say, too. ‘You’re an idiot, Steve Harrington.’”

“And what’d you say back?”

“You’re beautiful, Nancy Wheeler,” Steve answered wistfully, half hoping and half dreading that he might be overheard by the object of his affections.

“Yeah, you’ll get her,” Eddie nodded with certainty, clapping Steve reassuringly on the shoulder with one hand and finishing his cigarette with the other. With his next step, he dropped the spent Virginia Slim and crushed the cherry under his Reebok sneaker. “It’s just a matter of getting the timing right. You’ve got ‘til she leaves for college. Out of state, right?”

“Emerson.”

“See, there’s your opportunity. There’s no fucking way Byers is getting into Emerson in a million years.”

“Dude, neither am I, though. How does that help me?”

“Just move to Boston with her. Jonathan’ll probably end up at community college in California and Nancy’ll be heartbroken that he couldn’t hack it with her, and that’s where you’ll come in. Even if you can’t go to classes together, you’d find an apartment and a job there no problem, and you can take things slow while she’s in school.”

The idea was suddenly so clear in Steve’s mind it almost stopped him in his tracks. He would move to Boston, prove himself, and get Nancy back. It would take time, as everything did between them, but time with her was all he really wanted anyway. “It really is that simple, isn’t it?”

“As long as you do the heavy lifting now before Byers can figure out what’s happening, yeah, should be easy as pie.”

“You have no idea how much heavy lifting Jonathan has been doing for the both of us. He’s going to Emerson just for me,” Nancy argued, though she knew deep down she did not believe it herself.

“Wow, he must be a real brainiac like you.”

Nancy winced, knowing he had never been a brainiac like her, and hid her reaction behind the last drops of her beer. “Yeah, he’s really talented. You should see his photos, he interned with me at the Hawkins Post last summer and did all their photography for them.” Her mind went straight to that night in the hospital when she and Jonathan killed their bosses under the control of the Mind Flayer. If anything would bond two people for life, it was that.

“Ah, so you’ll get your degree in Journalism, he’ll get his in Photography, and the two of you will be the reporting duo of the century.”

“That’s the plan,” Nancy nodded.

“Well, if you’re sure that’ll make you both happy.”

“I’m sure.”

“And you’re sure he’s sure?”

“Yes! Jesus Christ! And you’ve definitely asked more than three questions already so we’re done with this!”

“Alright, whatever you say,” Kelly replied easily with a knowing grin.

A beat passed as Nancy fumed in uncomfortable silence and Kelly enjoyed the last drag of her cigarette. “I am not in love with Steve, and I better not catch you trying to question him about this.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m not a Journalism major, after all. But, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to give you a big scoop if you asked nicely for it.”

Nancy’s right eye twitched at the implication, unable to stop herself from picturing Steve in his old Scoops Ahoy uniform. “That’s really rude, especially when you know I’m committed to Jonathan.”

“Actually, what’s really rude are your continuous insults to my intelligence after I called you out the first time. You’re not committed to Jonathan, you’re committed to the plan.”

“How dare—?!”

“GUYS! I FOUND SOMETHING!” Robin shouted at the top of her lungs from around the upcoming bend. All four of them heard her, and all four simultaneously broke into sprints to find her as quickly as possible. When they reached her, she was grinning from ear to ear. “I think I just found the shortcut to end all shortcuts.” Pointing down a dirt path that would have otherwise been overgrown and unusable in their own dimension. It was barren and full of vines twisting between desiccated trees, but just visible from where they stood, beyond the tree line, were the broken picket fences of Maple Court. “If we’re careful, we could be there in fifteen, twenty minutes tops.”

“I think the road is safer, Robin,” Nancy said with an uncertain glance at the vines.

“Hey, eyes on the prize,” Kelly cautioned. “Don’t forget, we left the kids back there with a killer on the loose. Anything could be happening to them right now. We have to get back as fast as possible, and we can’t figure that out if we’re sitting ducks on an open road. The fastest way is the best way right now.”

“Thank you!” cried Robin in vindication.

“You lead, I’ll follow,” Eddie assured Kelly with a nod.

“I’m with them, Nance. This’ll shave off at least two miles of walking, and the kids need us. There’s no time.” Nancy was visibly unconvinced. “We’ll take it nice and easy, okay? No more running,” he pointed at Robin, “and no more beers,” he pointed at Kelly.

“Scout’s honor,” Robin swore, holding up two fingers.

Kelly shrugged, “Those were the last of the beers anyway.”

“Alright,” Steve nodded. “Nance? What do you say?”

Knowing she was outnumbered, Nancy sighed, “Okay, but we take it slow. And I mean glacial.”

It was a difficult trek and there were a few close calls, but everyone made it past the tree line in one piece. Nancy would not admit it aloud, but she was grateful for Robin’s suggestion in the end. Now it was only a matter of making it through her front door; which, to her horror, was covered in even more vines than the path they had just come from.

“What do we do now?” It was Eddie who asked the question on everyone’s minds.

“Everybody stand back,” came Steve’s reply.

“Steve, wait, it—!”

With a bang and a crash, Steve kicked the door wide open. Everyone flinched and looked around for any signs of bats or vines readying to carry them away, but all was as still and silent as ever. “Huh,” he mused, “they must only activate if you touch them directly. Good to know.”

“Um, did you just shatter your entire foot and ankle doing that?” Kelly asked wide-eyed.

“It didn’t even hurt,” he shrugged. “Whatever you did earlier made me feel like a million bucks.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Kelly answered, clutching the strap of her backpack reflexively. If only he knew how close he actually was to a million dollars in that moment.

Creeping on their tiptoes, they entered the house only to find it as covered in vines as the door had been. Just before they reached the staircase, though, Steve came to a halt. “Dustin?!” The silence was heavy over Maple Court. “Dustin! Dustin, we’re here! Where are you?!”

He veered off into the living room, his head swiveling frantically in every direction to try and pinpoint the voice he heard. No one followed, though.

“I think he finally cracked,” Robin winced.

“We can uncrack him once we have that gun,” Kelly said. “Lead the way, Wheeler.”

Up the stairs they went, as quiet and careful as church mice, and found their way to Nancy’s bedroom. “This isn’t right,” she said immediately.

“What isn’t right?” Eddie asked.

“No, she’s right, this isn’t right,” Robin confirmed, looking around the room in horror. “Nancy’s room isn’t like this where we’re from.”

“This is my old wallpaper. And I gave this toy away two years ago at least.” Picking up her diary from the desk, she flipped to the last entry. “This diary should be completely full. It ends at November 6th, 1983… the day Eleven opened the first gate.” Nancy glanced at her cork board guiltily, finding all the pictures of Barb’s smiling face immediately. She was still alive on November 6th.

“Holy shit,” Robin breathed. “We’re not just in the wrong dimension. We’re in the wrong time, too.”

“And that means I don’t have my gun yet,” Nancy sighed in disappointment.

“Neither do I since I didn’t live here yet,” Kelly added.

Now truly frightened, Eddie asked shakily, “Are we seriously up shit’s creek without even one goddamn paddle? Is it too late to do my idea?”

Nancy shook her head, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Let’s tell Steve what we know and regroup.”

When they found him, he was still shouting in a frenzy for Dustin, jumping from one bare spot on the floor to the next, trying to pinpoint someone who clearly was not there with them. With a shake of her head, Robin whispered, “I told you, he cracked. Like a goddamn egg.”

“So, there’s this place called the Upside Down…”

Kelly gasped sharply, her head snapping in the direction of the disembodied voice. “Steve didn’t crack at all. I heard him too.” Jumping down the last two steps to the bottom, she hurried to Steve’s side. “Dustin! Dustin, can you hear us?!”

Suddenly, a softly glowing golden orb appeared in the kitchen adjacent to the living room. “You said lights mean Vecna, right?” Eddie asked, his stomach swooping and dropping to his shoes just at the thought.

“That’s not like what we saw,” Nancy replied, leading them slowly into the kitchen. “It can’t be Vecna.”

“It has to be the kids somehow,” Robin reasoned.

“Then those little assholes better answer me before I seriously flip my lid!” Steve yelled at the light in frustration.

Kelly took a step closer, observing the glittering light in the darkness closely. “I think if they could hear us they would’ve said so by now. But maybe this’ll let them see us?”

“Only one way to find out,” Eddie answered, putting on the bravest face he could for his girl before stepping up and reaching into the light. “Huh. It’s nice.”

At once, everyone stuck their hands in, making it glisten even brighter. “It… tickles,” Robin observed.

“It’s warm,” Nancy smiled in relief.

They took their hands away, causing the glow to dim, but not vanish. “Anybody know Morse code?” Steve asked dubiously.

They all shook their heads and answered in the negative, uncertain of how to proceed. Their literal shining hope among the decay of the Upside Down was beginning to seem like it would amount to nothing, and that would put them right back at square one.

After a brief pause of only a few seconds, Eddie asked, “Wait, does SOS count?”

All eyes turned to him, Kelly’s shining brightest of all as she took him in. “My hero,” she grinned, throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him as tight as she could.

* * *

Speeding through the darkness down the clear road, Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie peddled as fast as they could, the faded lights on their borrowed bikes guiding the way. Kelly rode on the back of Eddie’s of course, standing on the rear pegs with her hands gripping his shoulders firmly. The passing thought occurred to Eddie that this was his middle school dream come true, to have the prettiest girl in any dimension riding with him and holding on like she never wanted to let go.

They reached Forest Hills Trailer Park in record time with Eddie leading them straight to his white and mint green trailer. He bounded up the stairs to his door, careful of the vines covering them, to make sure he held the door open for Kelly.

“My lady,” he ushered her in with a bow and a sweep of his hand.

Giggling, Kelly curtsied in return and entered the domicile first, intending to feast her eyes on every detail she could find of Eddie’s life before they met, only to have her eyes drawn to the pulsating, glowing mass of tissue and veins and vines covering his ceiling. As the kids had guessed, there was a gate where Chrissy had died, and it was their ticket out of the Upside Down.

Once everyone was gathered inside, they began assessing how best to open the gate. Steve had been pulled in through the one in the lake, and that was an eventuality all of them hoped to avoid at any and all costs. Just as Kelly was about to offer to cut it open with her pocket knife as she had before, they all saw something attempting to poke through it from the other side. Thinking it might be whatever dragged Steve under the water earlier, Kelly flicked open her knife and got in front of Eddie, ready to fight for their very lives if she had to. It was unnecessary though, because with a pop and a rupture of fluid, the gate gave way and revealed Dustin, who had popped it with a broom handle, along with Lucas, Max, and Erica.

“BADA BADA BOOM!” Dustin crowed with glee.

“Henderson!” Eddie and Steve shouted back, waving their arms over their heads and wearing matching grins.

“Thank fucking Christ,” Kelly sighed, closing her knife and putting it back in her pocket.

Before long, a link between their worlds was established in the form of bedsheets tied together, dangling suspended in the air so that those trapped could climb to safety. When the kids dragged Eddie’s mattress out to cushion them if they fell, Eddie blushed furiously. “Uh, those stains… I don’t know where they came from,” he claimed lamely, looking nervously between everyone in the room, but especially Kelly.

She snickered, her eyes glinting with mirth. “Well, I know the first thing I’m buying you when this shit’s over and done with.”

First went Robin up the makeshift rope, landing clumsily but safely on the other side to everyone’s immense relief. Dustin and Lucas pulled her to her feet, leaving room for the next escapee. Nancy went next at Steve’s insistence, then he followed, leaving Kelly and Eddie.

“Ladies first, always,” Eddie said.

“I’m the one currently taking Gym, it’ll only take me a second to climb that thing. You go ahead, baby.”

“Getting a little too big for your tight little britches there. I hold the rope climbing speed record of Hawkins High,” he winked, proving his point by climbing up and landing on the other side as if it was nothing. “Shit, that was fun!” he smiled, taking Steve and Dustin’s offered hands and jumping to his feet. “Your turn, slow poke!” he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth for effect. Only Kelly stood still, as if she had not heard his call. “Kelly Rooose, let’s see those skills pay the bills, huh?” Again, she did not move and did not answer him. “Kelly Rose?” Slowly, her head tilted back, revealing unseeing, milky irises framed by fluttering eyelids. “KELLY ROSE!” Eddie screamed in utter terror, launching himself back onto the rope and climbing faster than he ever had before. With no mattress to break his fall back into the Upside Down, he landed hard on his left side with a booming thud, bruising his ribs and narrowly missing touching a vine with his hand as he scrambled to his feet, but he paid no mind to any of those insignificant details. The rushing of his pulse in his ears was deafening, the adrenaline now coursing through his bloodstream keeping him numb to any pain amidst his panic. “KELLY ROSE, WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!” He shook her shoulders violently, her body flailing with the force of it, but there was no answer. Taking her cheeks between his trembling hands, he begged, “PLEASE, I CAN’T LOSE YOU LIKE CHRISSY! KELLY ROSE!”

* * *

Kelly blinked, and in that second, she found herself not in the Munsons’ trailer, but strapped to a chair in what looked to be a medical examination room, the whirring of a tattoo gun at her left side. The man holding the gun was in a lab coat, white-haired and smiling, but his eyes were as hauntingly white as the rest of him. “Welcome home, Nine,” he said, his voice soft and lilting, as he revealed the digits he had permanently inked into her skin where her mole was supposed to be: 009.

The pain hit her then. She screamed, struggling with all her might, and the leather straps holding her captive became slithering black vines. When she looked up again, the man was gone, and in his place was the most horrific entity she had ever seen, far to horrific for her own mind to conjure even in her wildest nightmares. His skin was both completely dessicated yet somehow alive, comprised of decomposing flesh and the same vines holding her hostage where muscle and sinew should have been.

“Hello, Kelly,” it said, its demonic voice like ice water in her veins. It raised its left hand, huge and deformed, and slowly brought it toward her face with its unnaturally long fingers splayed. “You escaped me once. But you won’t escape me this time. No one will.”

Kelly continued to flail and scream with all her might, and finally, her right hand came free. Before it could touch her, she found her pocket knife and drove the blade through the center of its palm. It grunted and jerked backward, giving her enough time to stab the remaining vine holding her to the chair. That split second allowed her a glimpse of its wrist, where three digits also marred its skin: 001. She did not dare stay long enough to try and find meaning in the numbers that marked them both.

Springing forth from the chair, she flew out the door and sprinted down a completely white hallway, akin to a hospital, but decidedly more grim in atmosphere. There were doors on all sides, some numbered and some not. When she passed a wide window that looked into what appeared to be a children’s play area, she caught her reflection, and it was as if time slowed to a crawl despite how hard and fast she was sprinting. Gone were her flowing platinum locks and her pink leather jacket, replaced by a midnight buzz cut and a hospital gown. The only feature she recognized of herself were her eyes, still green and full of terror.

The fluorescent lights above her flickered and dimmed, then came back so bright it was almost blinding to reveal bodies and blood littering the hall that had been pristine only a moment before. Children with buzz cuts and gowns like hers laid motionless, their little bodies mangled almost beyond recognition. Soldiers lay dead in pools of their own blood, some with their mouths wide in silent screams. Kelly sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks, but she did not dare slow down for even a second.

“Kelly…” came the voice, somehow all around her yet nowhere to be found. “You can run, but you can’t hide. Not from me. Not anywhere.”

“EDDIE! EDDIE, WHERE ARE YOU?! EDDIE!”

* * *

The Party had descended into total chaos.

“KEEP HER ON THE GROUND! DON’T LET HER FLOAT!” Dustin shrieked before skittering off to Eddie’s room to find some music to play.

“What?!” was Eddie’s horrified response. Quickly realizing Dustin was serious, he threw his arms around Kelly’s twitching form, one above her backpack across her shoulders and the other below around her waist, and held on as tight as he physically could without hurting her, desperate to keep her feet on the ground. “Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, come on, baby, don’t do this to me,” he whimpered in her unhearing ear. “I’ll do anything, anything, just stay with me. Don’t leave me now, I can’t do this without you. I need you, Kelly, please!”

Robin ran back into view of the gate with Erica hot on her heels, their hands full of Eddie’s cassettes. “Seriously, what is all this shit?! Where’s the good stuff?!” Robin called frantically.

“What do you mean the good stuff?!” Eddie shouted back.

Erica explained as only she could, “We’re trying to wake her up, stupid, not give her nightmares!”

“Do you have anything else?” Robin tried. “Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles; music! We need music!”

“THAT IS MUSIC!” Eddie roared back, pointing a ringed finger up at the two girls.

Steve could be heard yelling from somewhere in the trailer, “I found his uncle’s stuff! But they’re all vinyls and there’s no record player!”

It was in that moment Eddie realized with a sinking in his stomach that this was it. This was life or death for his beloved, his Elbereth, and without music she might respond to, they were out of time and out of hope. Sure, she said she liked metal and knew all his favorite bands, but none of them were her favorite, and none of them were even remotely soothing. Eddie felt more lost and afraid than ever before in his life, and the only person who could have comforted him was the one he stood to lose.

He buried his tear-streaked face in her shoulder, her skin already as cold as the leather jacket she wore, but the CBGB t-shirt beneath still somehow smelled like her despite everything they had been through. It was that t-shirt that ended up giving him the idea that saved her life.

Their first real conversation together played out in his mind, and it was then he remembered what she said that night alone with him in the school hallway: “Lou Reed started singing Perfect Day after I had just spent an exceptionally perfect day in the city with my friends, so that’ll always be a favorite for me.”

He told her then that he was not a Lou Reed kind of guy, but that did not mean he was without knowledge of him, or specifically, Perfect Day. He had heard it who knew how many times on the radio growing up, so he knew the music was stored somewhere in his brain. It was their only chance.

Eddie swallowed down the massive lump that had formed in his throat, brought his lips to the shell of her ear, and sang shakily, “Just a perfect day… drank sangria in the park… and then later, when it gets dark… we go home….”

* * *

Kelly almost tripped mid-stride when she heard Eddie’s voice echoing softly down the hallway to her; it was tremulous and low, but unmistakably him. He was singing. It was her favorite song, full of some of the best memories of her life. Memories of her boys, Davey and Jake, and how alive they always felt when they were together. The smell of cotton candy being spun fresh for them by the vendor in Central Park. The sound of Lou Reed playing the beat up piano in CBGB, the melody winding its way down the street as if it had been trying to find them, where they had prowled as if they owned the whole city of New York. Driving too fast up and down the back roads of Maryland in the Duesenberg, blaring the music they could never listen to at home. It was enough for her chest to swell with not only hope, but determination. Eddie was there even if she could not see him, and she would make it back to him no matter what it might take.

Vecna could hear the music too, though, and knew his grip on Kelly’s mind was slipping quickly. He boarded up the only exit he knew of to her mind, and the door appeared as he wished it to before her, causing her to skid to a halt.

Desperately Kelly pulled at the planks of wood, putting all her strength into the effort, but it was no use. Looking over her shoulder, she found her captor floating toward her, a cruel smile curling its lips, full of certainty that she was well and truly caught.

“Kelly… you let them all die. You left your brothers and sisters defenseless.”

The happy memories faded, replaced by flashes of faces she used to know even better than her own, faces she had loved once. Faces she no longer could recognize even as they lay all around her, they had been brutalized so horrifically. “No… no, I’d never…”

“But you did, Kelly. Look around you. You should have joined them, Kelly. They died alone. Screaming.”

“… Just a perfect day… feed animals in the zoo… then later, a movie too, and then home.”

That was right. She and her boys did feed the animals in the Central Park Zoo. And they watched movies at the Orpheum Theatre in Baltimore from midnight until dawn every chance they got, and after the last movie ended, they would have breakfast at their favorite greasy spoon and watch the sun rise over the Baltimore Harbor. Eddie’s voice was not coming from behind the door she was desperate to open. It was from a side door, another exit, but one that required a key card to open.

A long lost memory unfolded in her mind. A girl, younger than her, was ripped out of her arms by the power of a man they thought they could trust, and was trapped with him in the Rainbow Room. Out of her sock had fallen a key card. All the guards had them, and beside where Kelly stood was the lifeless body of one such guard. Dropping to her knees, she plucked a bloodied card from his pocket, and skirted around him to reach the door. She slid the card through the scanner, the light turning from red to green.

“Oh, it’s such a perfect day. I’m glad I spent it with you. Oh, such a perfect day. You just keep me hanging on… you just keep me hanging on…”

Behind the door was a dark staircase going downward many floors. There were no other doors along the way, and only deeper darkness below. But Eddie’s voice was definitely leading her there, echoing louder now, and she had to find him.

“Kelly, you can’t escape me. Not this time,” the dreaded entity declared, far closer than Kelly could stomach.

She raced down the stairs as fast as she could without losing her balance, trying desperately to blink all the tears out of her eyes so she could see where she was going. Down, down she ran, and found a white door at the bottom. With another swipe of the card it opened too, and she found herself in the boiler room in the very basement of the facility.

“Just a perfect day… problems all left alone… weekenders on our own, it’s such fun….”

She jumped over the few stairs leading into the room and ran for the other side. There, unassuming and rusty, was a drainage pipe. It had been left open, and was just big enough for Kelly to squeeze into. Eddie’s voice was coming from the other end of it. It was her only chance.

Kelly was panting rapidly for air between how fast she had run and how hard she was crying, but she knew she had to put her fear aside and act quickly if she wanted to see Eddie again. She climbed in, gagging from the stench, and began crawling on her belly through the muck and grime accumulated in the pipe from countless years of use. She could only move enough to drag herself forward on her forearms, shimmying and wiggling as fast as the confined space would allow, fighting with everything she had to get back to her Eddie.

“So that’s how you escaped last time…” she heard Vecna muse from the entrance to the pipe. “Very clever. You paid more attention than I ever knew. But it won’t be enough to save you or your friends. See what I have in store for you all… Nine.”

Kelly had no control over the visions spun before her mind’s eye, visions of death and destruction the likes of which had never been seen before on the face of the earth. Everyone she knew, everything she had ever cared about, would be gone forever, swallowed whole by clouds as black as night and scarlet lightning, vines and chasms of magma crisscrossing the land until nothing was left. She sobbed harder, barely able to breathe now, from the sheer enormity of the loss. The last vision was of Eddie, bloodied and still and cold in her arms, his glassy eyes looking up at her without seeing.

“Just a perfect day… you made me forget myself… I thought I was someone else, someone good.”

With a sharp gasp, Kelly awoke, the curse broken.

[livpet]

The next chapter of Venus in Furs will definitely be late, and that means the next chapter of Nimbus will also be late, but I’m trying to work through my writing slump regardless. Feel free to give me challenges (word count challenges, writing within a certain length of time, etc. Get creative with it if you feel like!) so I can find the motivation to keep typing.

[livpet]

I just found out I can easily write a thousand words in an hour under the right conditions and it feels like I discovered I have superpowers.

[livpet]

Venus in Furs Chapter Seven: Sabbra Cadabra

Wednesday, March 26th, 1986.

After Eddie retrieved the boat with Steve, Robin, and Dustin, he and I claimed it to nap in until it was time for the next phase of the plan. And Christ, with no sleep for almost a day and a half, we needed that nap. My jacket laid out to soften the metal beneath us, and his jacket and vest covered us enough to stay warm in the light of the afternoon, and we fell asleep in each other’s arms almost immediately.

We woke during the very final moment of golden hour as the sun was just about to set. His stirring made me stir in return, and all too soon, we were ejected from the Land of Nod. Waking up to him all aglow in the last glimmering honeyed rays of the day made it worthwhile, though. I couldn’t resist kissing his sleepy pout.

“Evenin’,” he mumbled lowly, pulling me even closer and kissing my forehead.

“Does it have to be?” I questioned quietly, snuggling deeper into him.

“Time is bullshit, but yeah.”

“Fuck.”

“I know.” My stomach rumbled then. “Sounds like it’s time for dinner.”

“Lay with me just a minute longer?”

“I’d lay here with you for a year if I could.” He pulled me back into his chest. “We should probably give some of our food to the others,” Eddie observed as we looked at the growing leaves above us, all lit up in the truest definition of spring green like they were hand-painted just for us.

“Yeah, I know. We can’t pull this off as a team on empty stomachs,” I sighed, resigned to having to share. What could I say? I was an only child, and I only willingly shared anything with Eddie and my friends.

Eddie leaned in close and whispered, “Will you let them have some of the snacks in your bag?”

“Only if I absolutely have to,” I replied softly.

Eddie’s grin was contagious. “Spoken like a true rogue.”

I whispered in his ear, purposefully pitching my voice to sound more like a breathless moan, “You’re the expert, dungeon master.”

A full-body shiver rolled through Eddie and his face turned scarlet. “God, you’re fucking melting me, Kelly Rose.”

“I know.” Giving him a Cheshire Cat grin, I kissed his warmed cheek and sat up. “But, alas, it’s time for dinner.”

Eddie’s hand found the base of my skull, and he guided my lips down to linger a breath away from his. “Just one more minute.”

I gladly obliged him, tangling my fingers in his thick curls as I parted his lips and languidly fought his tongue with mine. Never in all of history had there been a more perfect touch, a more perfect kiss, than Eddie Munson’s. He had the uncanny ability to calm my every worry while igniting my every passion, all without having any idea he was doing it at the time. I’d never felt anything like it before, and I was loath to give it up so soon, but I knew there wasn’t a choice. Not with so much at stake.

Breaking the kiss, I whispered against his lips, “We gotta go, baby.”

With a groan, he reluctantly rose. He leapt over the side of the boat first so that he could offer me his hand as I got out. Once my feet were on the ground again, he retrieved our jackets and his vest from the floor of the boat and held mine open for me to slip my arms through before he put his own back on. I had the capacity to melt him anytime with my shameless flirting, but he had the same capacity to melt me with his gentlemanly devotion.

“I have no idea how you two went from virtual strangers to madly in love, but genuinely, I’m impressed,” Robin commented from the stump she sat on with an approving nod.

“I still say it’s impossible,” Lucas muttered, earning him a punch in the arm from Max that made him wince and hiss from the impact.

Robin held up a finger and said, “Oh, a week ago, I would’ve agreed with you my young friend, no question. I’m in Home Ec with those two and I’ve never, and I mean never, heard her say even one single syllable to him this entire semester. It’s like she’s made of ice, she doesn’t crack no matter what he says or does to try and get her to just look at him. This is a one-eighty the likes of which are seldom seen, and it makes me wonder how the impossible became so undeniably proven seemingly overnight.”

“It was overnight,” I shrugged unashamedly before digging into the grocery bag where I’d left my Pop-Tarts. “If you want us to believe in murder wizards, superheroes, and gates to alternate dimensions, can’t you believe in true love?”

Lucas didn’t say anything else, but his eyes immediately shot to Max, who was looking at the ground. Then, I noticed Steve’s head turn toward Nancy. That was interesting.

I caught Robin studying me too late to hide my curiosity at the dynamics unfolding around me. Luckily, Dustin decided to speak up, cutting off Robin’s little Hercule Poirot routine.

“Speaking of gates, it’s almost time to conduct our own Watergate investigation,” he joked with a broad smile, snapping his fingers and pointing them at the group. I smile in appreciation of the pun, but apparently I was the only one. Everyone else gave him a dead-eyed stare, entirely unamused. Tough crowd. “Because, you know, the gate is under water. Watergate? Come on, it was a good one.”

Steve took hold of the brim of Dustin’s cap and pulled it down over his eyes. “Anyway, if you’re done being a total doofus, let’s get down to business.”

“Right,” Nancy nodded, snapping into action practically on cue. There was a certain synchronization to them that could’ve only developed over a significant amount of time spent together; it was easy to see from the way they moved and spoke as if everything they did was in anticipation of one another. But there was also a high-strung tension between them that indicated they weren’t romantically involved, but wanted to be. Very interesting. “Steve and I were talking it over, and with a boat that small, it can probably only hold three of us tops. So, you kids will wait for us here and keep watch while Steve, Eddie and I go and find the gate. Once we’ve confirmed its location thanks to Dustin’s compass and Eddie’s memory of Patrick’s attack, we’ll come back to regroup.”

Steve held his hand out to Dustin expectantly. “Wait a minute here!” Dustin exclaimed, backing up a step to get out of arm’s reach from Steve and Nancy. “It’s not fair that you decided without the rest of us. We might be younger than you, but you can’t just ditch us!” He gestured to the youngest members of the Party. “You might need more backup than you think. It could be dangerous, you know!”

“It could be dangerous,” I agreed. “But that’s exactly why you guys need to stay here. It’ll give you the best chance to get away and find help if anything happens. I’m with Fred and Daphne on this one.”

“Oh, come on, Birdy!” Dustin lamented.

Grinning, Eddie joked, slinging his arm across my shoulders, “Does that make us Shaggy and Velma?”

Leaning into him, I chuckled, “Yep, and that leaves Scooby-Doo for Robin.”

“I’m okay with that,” Robin nodded.

“Good,” Nancy jumped back in, “then you’ll be okay with staying with the kids. And you too, Kelly.”

“Hooold on,” Robin held up a hand. “Where Steve goes, I go. He’s the babysitter, not me.”

“And where Eddie goes, I go,” I added firmly, daring Nancy with my eyes to try and stop me. After a long second to assess my seriousness, she broke my gaze to turn to Steve, who agreed with a glance to what she was clearly thinking. I was having the same thought, and looked to Eddie. He knew immediately what was about to happen. He still had my backpack, I still had our grocery bag of food along with my unopened pack of Pop-Tarts in my hands, and Dustin hadn’t given Steve his compass. In one fluid motion, I pocketed the Pop-Tarts, slid the handles of the plastic bag over my wrist, and snatched the compass from Dustin. Before anyone could react, I took Eddie by the chains holding his left jacket sleeve together and broke into a sprint straight for the boat, not caring that I was half-dragging him behind me. Luckily, he recovered quickly and matched my pace.

“Hey!” cried Dustin.

“I promise I’ll bring it back!” I assured him over my shoulder without slowing my stride.

“Wait!” Nancy and Steve protested, their scrambling footfalls quickly catching up to us.

“Don’t forget me!” Robin shouted last.

Eddie and I had already gotten the boat half into the water when Nancy, Steve, and Robin came running up. Eddie gave me one of his hands to help me into the boat, then offered the other to Robin. “We wouldn’t forget you, Scooby,” he cracked, jumping in behind her and leaving out Steve and Nancy.

Taking a seat, I asked, “You said this could only hold three of us, right?”

The kids had just caught up with us. “Looks like you’re babysitting again, Steve,” Max said sarcastically.

“Absolutely not.” Steve started pushing the boat the rest of the way into the water; he and Nancy hopped in just in time to keep any of the kids from following.

“This isn’t fair!” Lucas yelled, swinging his fist.

“You snooze, you lose; and Nancy’s in charge, so you have to do what she said! Stay there and be good little lookouts!” Robin instructed with a wave.

“If anything happens, anything at all, book it and don’t wait for us!” I called as we all settled into our spots in the boat. I was to the right of Robin, and Nancy was on her left. The boys were across from us, Eddie in front of me and Steve in front of Nancy, each with an oar in their hands. “We need to go that way,” I pointed behind me toward where the compass was the most responsive to the effects of the gate.

There was no daylight left in our little corner of the world now, leaving us to the mercy of the twilit evening as we navigated the water. Pale stars were trying to make themselves known overhead, but they weren’t bright enough yet against the contrast of the heavens to be seen in the reflection of the lake. I thought about Reefer Rick’s, such a short distance from us if we could just cross the wide expanse of the water, and wished that I was back in his bedroom, looking out his window to the lake in the dead of night when the water was at its stillest and the stars were at their brightest, reflected on the surface of the lake like thousands of gleaming diamonds resting on black velvet. Eddie would always come up behind me, wrap me up in his arms, and kiss the top of my head before resting his chin there to see what drew my eye away from him. We would stand like that until he’d take my hand and pull me toward the dusty bed. God, I dearly missed those moments already.

It took a little coordination and finesse, but Eddie and Steve managed to find a rhythm while rowing that found us directly above the gate faster than any of us were actually comfortable with. The tension surrounding what we might discover was blanketed heavily over all of us. But Dustin’s compass didn’t lie, and the needle was spinning faster than I’d ever seen, and only slowed slightly if I held it in any other direction. Looking to the shore where Reefer Rick’s boathouse was, I recognized where we were. It was the exact spot where we had last seen Patrick McKinney alive. This confirmed the theory that he was killed for the purpose of opening the gate below.

I would’ve been perfectly satisfied confirming the location from right where we were, but apparently that wasn’t good enough for Steve. “I’m gonna check it out,” he informed us, standing and already shucking his shirt and shoes.

“Steve, it’s probably not safe. We don’t know what might be down there.” Nancy scolded.

“Nance, I was co-captain of the swim team and a lifeguard for three years. Relax, I got this,” he replied confidently, flipping his hair out of his eyes and flexing all the muscles Nancy could see. I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling at the display he was obviously putting on for her.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Nancy stressed, seemingly oblivious.

“I’ll only be down there for a minute. You can even time me if you want.”

“Nancy,” I interjected, “I was also a lifeguard, so if anything happens, it’ll be okay. I’m Red Cross certified.”

Steve spared me an impressed glance before going back to looking at Nancy pleadingly.

“Here,” Eddie said, grabbing our only flashlight from Robin and taking the bag off my wrist. He put his pack of Camels between his teeth and dumped the rest of our supplies out at his feet, then wrapped the flashlight in the plastic bag before tying it off. “This’ll help you.” He handed the waterproofed flashlight to Steve. Since his cigarettes happened to already be in his mouth, Eddie opened the pack and attempted to light one, but Robin plucked it from his lips and flicked it into the water without a second’s hesitation.

“Good call, man,” Steve commented with a nod. “Alright, be back in a minute.”

“Hold it—” Nancy tried to object, but Steve dove in headfirst. We all crowded around the side he’d jumped from and watched as the warm light he carried faded into the cold, dark depths.

“Don’t worry, I’m already counting,” Robin assured her.

It was a reminder to us all exactly how long a minute could really be when the chips were suddenly down and you weren’t sure you had a winning hand. But, true to his word, Steve resurfaced with seconds to spare.

“There’s a gate,” he gasped, catching his breath. “It’s—” Before he could finish his thought, he was pulled back under. All we could see was the glow of his flashlight disappearing far faster than only a minute ago, with no sign of it, or him, returning to us.

Nancy gasped sharply and stood. She looked at all of us for only a second and ordered, “Stay here!” before jumping into the water herself.

“Nancy!” Robin shouted. Then, I heard shouting coming from the opposite shore where we’d left the kids. My head snapped in their direction only to find them yelling and waving their arms at whoever was coming toward them with flashlight in the forest, then sprinting away between trees and shrubs to not get caught by their pursuers. The shouts that followed the kids were distinctly masculine. Either they were parents, or they were cops, and either way, we couldn’t afford to be seen. Everything was falling apart before our very eyes.

“Hey, hey!” protested Eddie when Robin stood next. “You said Nancy’s in charge and she told us to wait!”

“I lied,” she shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Then, we lost her to the lake too.

“GODDAMN IT! SON OF A BITCH” Eddie screeched into the night air, standing and pulling at his hair in frustration. 

We had no time for frustration, though. There was no other option than to get going. The kids were already gone, as were the men who had chased them, and no one was going to resurface without help at this point. Whatever had happened down at the gate, it was now a life or death situation. Before I stood, I collected up the supplies Eddie had dropped, and unzipped the backpack he still wore to stuff them all in, along with Dustin’s compass. Once the contents of the backpack were secured, I pulled it off his shoulders and slung it onto my own, tightening the straps as much as I could to ensure it wouldn’t budge. He seemed confused by what I was doing, but with no time for explanations, I got to work zipping up every zipper I had on me, and then all of his. I tugged at his wallet chain to make sure it was securely attached to him, then tugged at the black bandana in his back pocket. It was dislodged easily, so I tied it to his wrist where his watch used to be. Finally, I double-knotted his shoe laces and mine. We were ready to go.

Standing, I took his face in my hands. “Listen to me. We’re gonna take a big breath and jump in when I count to three. You have to jump, ‘cause otherwise I’ll just pull you in and that could hurt. Just, no matter what, hold on tight to me, okay?”

“Kelly Rose—”

I cut him off with a kiss and rushed, “One, two, three!” Clasping his hand in an iron grip so tight it turned my knuckles white, I took as deep of a breath as my lungs could bear and leapt over the side of the boat with Eddie in tow.

The crashing splash that announced our entry into the water was swallowed up with all the rest of the sounds in the world when we became fully submerged in the inky green darkness of the lake. There was nothing but us and the distorted sound of the water sloshing in all directions. Still clutching Eddie, and feeling assured that he was clutching my hand right back, I started swimming downward as hard and fast as I could with only one free hand. We were completely blind until a red glow could be seen piercing the darkness at the lake bottom. As we neared it, there was enough light to see thousands of fish bones scattered around the six-foot hole that served as the gate between dimensions, but no sign whatsoever of Steve, Nancy, or Robin.

The gate was closed, but because of the light it produced, I could see that what held it closed was a skin-like membrane stretched tight to act as a barrier, complete with thick, pulsing veins that were lit up enough to see from the light down on the other side. It was the only place our missing allies could have disappeared through, and we had no time for figuring out any other options while working with ever-decreasing oxygen supplies, so I did the only thing I could think of in that moment: I unzipped my pocket where I kept my knife, not caring if my wallet got a little wet, flicked open the blade, and stabbed the center of the gate to rip a hole in it. Suddenly, the entire membrane gave way; water began rushing down in a spiral into the hole, and we were pulled in by the force of it. In a blink, we were spat out headfirst on the other side.

* * *

Eddie and Kelly sputtered, gasped, and hacked their way through their first few polluted breaths of the Upside Down. Their chests burned from lack of oxygen, but they would not be soothed by the air they breathed in this mockery of their own dimension. Kelly was the first of the pair to recover somewhat, pulling herself forward on her hands and knees as she desperately tried to breathe and reorient herself. Throwing the thick curtain of her white hair over her shoulder with one muddy hand to see what was unfolding in front of her, she gasped sharply, sending a painful pang through her already struggling lungs.

Steve was on the ground, trying and failing to fight off the horrifying creatures attacking him. One was holding him by his throat, strangling him with its thin whip of a tail, while two others restrained him by his ankles with their own tails, and two more devoured the tender flesh of his exposed sides. Nancy and Robin were trying to fight off two more of the little monsters with oars they had gotten from a nearby boat, so old and dusty that it looked petrified. The monsters had no eyes, but leathery wings like bats with the wingspans of eagles, and jaws that could unhinge to reveal rows and rows of nothing but razor sharp fangs. The three, despite their attempts, were making no headway against the monsters. In a matter of moments, Steve could be killed, whether from strangulation or blood loss.

The burning in Kelly’s chest was no longer purely from how hard she swam or the lack of clean air to breathe. A fire ignited in her in an instant upon seeing just how dire their situation was. Her eyes flashed with the crimson lightning that struck overhead, and a second later, she was on her feet rushing for the boat to try and find something, anything to fight with. The switchblade that was now back in her pocket had always struck true and never once failed her, but close-quarters combat was not her aim for this fight. She needed something to give her a safe distance from the monsters while still being able to wield her weapon effectively.

The boat was much larger than the one they had all just jumped out of, so there were four rowlocks instead of only two. Nancy and Robin had already taken the oars in the best shape for themselves, leaving two behind that were almost unusable. Almost. While trying to free one of the remaining oars, it snapped in half, leaving Kelly holding the paddle half. It gave her an idea, and with no time to spare, she adjusted her grip to mimic holding a tennis racket and flew into the fray with all the speed she could muster.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins and cleared her mind as Kelly took her first swing at one of the monsters. As if its head were a tennis ball, she struck the creature holding down Steve’s left ankle with an echoing crack. It bounced and skidded across the cracked earth beneath them with an ear-splitting shriek and a plume of dust wherever it hit the ground. Before its compatriot could attack her, she did the same to it. Steve’s legs were now freed, but he was still being strangled and fed upon. His lips were beginning to turn blue and his eyes were bulging unnaturally in their sockets. There was no time to check on the others, not when Steve was in such a grim state.

This was what Kelly had lived for long before moving to the state of Indiana, her bread and butter; fighting for a cause and saving the underdogs. She and her dearest friends, the Bauman brothers, never shied away from a scrap, and in fact became infamous for never losing a fight no matter who tried to stand against them. She relished the chance to put her skills to good use in a situation that she had felt so powerless in previously.

The beasts at Steve’s sides now understood that they were in danger and let go of him long enough to hiss and screech at Kelly in warning. She was undeterred and batted them in opposite directions, trying to make it to the last creature and free Steve. She realized too late that she had sent a monster barreling straight toward her love.

Whipping around, she screamed, “EDDIE, LOOK OUT!”

There was no need, however. That was the moment when Eddie, using the jagged broken end of the last remaining oar, stabbed it straight through the torso of the beast in mid-flight. Lightning illuminated the sky behind him, as if he had smote the creature with the power of a god. Kelly’s eyes shone with pure admiration for him, seeing him in a completely new light. It filled her with even greater determination to fight and win now that she knew he had her back.

Not wasting a second of the time Eddie had earned her with his fast thinking and quick reflexes, Kelly turned back to the remaining monster. Steve was struggling harder now, but he was still too weak to take the beast by himself. “Steve, hold still!” she commanded, raising her broken paddle to strike.

Steve froze in his movements for just a second when he saw her coming, and it was all Kelly needed. Rather than taking a swipe at the creature, when it opened its horrifying mouth to bare its many teeth, she shoved the paddle into its mouth and slammed its head into the dirt. She didn’t stop pounding its head in, grunting with the force of it, until its tail finally loosened from Steve’s throat and allowed him to take his first full breath of air since arriving in the Upside Down.

To Kelly’s great surprise, Steve was on his feet as fast as he could get them underneath him again, running at full speed toward Nancy. One of the remaining monsters was flying right for her, mouth wide open and tail ready to wrap around her throat next, until Steve got between them. He put his arm out so that its tail would wrap around his forearm instead. Steve proceeded to slam it with all his might into the ground, step on its neck, and pulled until its body tore clean in half. Now certain it was dead, he threw down the half he was holding and spit out the blood that had gathered in his mouth onto it.

The beasts that remained were too injured to continue fighting, and instead, they surrounded the opening of the gate to prevent the group from escaping, releasing a terrible cry in unison as they did so. Suddenly, in the far distance, the already dark sky became even darker with the swarm of creatures that rose up to answer the call of their brethren.

“Holy fucking shit,” Eddie shouted, dropping his only weapon to point a shaky finger at the flock.

“Can everybody run?” Kelly asked in a ragged breath, receiving hurried nods from all present. “Then run!” she cried, encircling Eddie’s wrist and pulling him in a sprint toward the treeline in the opposite direction of the guarded gate.

Worse for wear but all accounted for, the five ran as fast as their legs would carry them all the way to Skull Rock, where they took cover in the hopes that the winged creatures would give up on the chase. Just when the coast was clear and everyone emerged from their hiding place, though, an earthquake shook them all off their feet. Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie fell against the boulders that made up Skull Rock, but Kelly, having been just ahead of them, fell forward. She caught herself on her hands and knees, but her face was only an inch away from one of the slimy black vines that covered the ground.

“Don’t move!” Robin frantically exclaimed. “It’s a hivemind! If you touch the vines, those bats will know exactly where we are!”

“Kelly Rose!” Eddie heaved himself up from where he had fallen against the solid rock behind him and pulled Kelly up by the handle of her backpack. Once she was stable, she threw herself into his waiting arms. “You okay?”

“I’m okay,” she nodded under his chin and chuckled weakly. “Just a little shaken up. Get it?”

Eddie scoffed, but before he could make his retort, Nancy gasped, “Steve!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he grunted while trying and failing to get back up from where he’d fallen.

“You’re definitely not fine,” Robin winced.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood.” Nancy was grave, fear flooding her blue eyes as she looked down at him. “We have to stop the bleeding now or you won’t be able to go on like this.”

Nancy began to tear the bottom of her shirt to wrap around the open wounds on Steve’s sides, but Kelly stopped her as she pulled away from Eddie. “Nancy, that’s a horrible idea. You can’t wrap wounds like that with clothes drenched in lake water; you’re practically guaranteeing an infection if not outright sepsis.”

“Well, what do you suggest we do?” Nancy huffed. “We don’t exactly have a lot of options here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

The gravity of their situation set in for Kelly then. Not that she had misunderstood the severity of Steve’s wounds or where they had found themselves, but that with one of them so terribly hurt and no necessary medical equipment to treat him, the only option they truly had was for her to heal Steve and reveal her greatest secret to the group. If she chose not to and allowed Nancy to go forward with her version of first aid, it could be needlessly catastrophic for Steve, and therefore everyone involved.

There was no time for back and forth. There was no time for indecision, or a half-baked plan that could fail well before any of them made it back home. Even though it made the blood drain from Kelly’s face with fear just at the mere thought of exposing her power, especially when she had taken such pains to hide it from Eddie, she knew it was the right thing to do. The only thing to do, really, even if it would almost certainly lead to the end of any hope of a future between Eddie and she.

Please, Kelly silently begged the universe at large, let Eddie be kinder than Larry when he breaks me. “Alright,” she said through a burdened sigh as she knelt beside Steve. “Just… everybody, give me some room. Don’t talk, don’t whisper, nothing. I need to focus for this.”

“What are you going to—”

“I said shut up, Nancy,” Kelly snapped.

“Hey, don’t—” Steve tried to intervene, but he stopped short when a sharp cough ripped through him, bloodying his teeth.

“You shut up too. Close your eyes and count backwards from sixty in your head.”

“Am I gonna die?” Steve slurred, slumping back against the rock and closing his eyes.

“I promise you’re not gonna die, and neither’s anybody else on my watch.”

Those were the final words spoken before everything changed completely and irrevocably for all those present in that dark, terrifying clearing. Kelly placed her fingertips carefully over Steve’s side wounds, making him hiss and groan from pain as blood oozed over her digits and onto the ground beneath them. Nancy and Robin both gasped, but before Nancy could even take a step forward to remove Kelly’s hands from Steve’s person, the change in his condition was already being made visible for everyone to see. In a matter of seconds, the bleeding stopped entirely. The blotchy swelling surrounding each wound quickly reduced, and once entirely gone, the healing spread further inward, connecting the rent tissue beginning around the edges until both wounds were healed over without even so much as a scar to prove they were ever there to begin with. By the end of a full minute, the angry red marks around his ankles and neck had inexplicably disappeared as well. Not a single trace of any injury remained on Steve’s body. The only proof of what had happened was the drying blood that stuck to Steve, Kelly, and the cracked earth.

It was at the end of that minute that Kelly stood, nose bleeding from the effort of her concentration, and Steve opened his eyes. He looked down at where his wounds had been and startled jerkily when he found the skin there to be perfectly healed. His hands rubbed and poked the area, trying to figure out whatever trick Kelly had pulled on him. But, he had to admit, there was no more pain and no injuries to speak of. Even his throat was no longer raw and hoarse, and he felt like he could run a mile in five minutes flat despite being barefoot. He had gone from confronting his mortality to revitalized with new vigor in only a minute flat. Kelly kept her promise, as always.

The others were too stunned, staring with mouths agape, to even make a sound. Steve, however, found his voice. “What the fuck did you just do to me?” he breathed in wonder, poking his right side one more time for good measure.

Kelly did not hear the wonder in his tone, though. She had feared what his response might be, and perceived only the worst in his words. Swiping under her nose with her wet jacket sleeve to remove the blood that had accumulated there, sullying the baby pink leather with bright crimson, she tried to speak. “I—”

“Yeah, for real, what the fuck did you do?” Robin asked in amazement, kneeling beside Steve to get a closer look at the apparent vanishing act.

“I—” Kelly looked to Eddie for help, any help in the situation at all, but found none. All she saw was a deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face that she mistook for horror.

Nancy asked, crossing her arms and taking a step toward Kelly, “How did you do that?”

Kelly looked between Nancy and Eddie, then between Robin and Steve. All around were faces of shock and awe looking back at her, but all she saw were potential puritans raring for the chance to hang a witch in the woods. She could hear her racing heartbeat in her ears while her stomach felt like it had dropped all the way down to the soles of her shoes. She was so twisted up on the inside from nervousness that she could hardly think straight.

“I can’t believe it. There’s nothing. Just, like, poof,” Robin said, expanding her fingers to mime a magic trick.

Kelly was cracking under the pressure now that Steve was no longer in immediate danger. Memories of the last time this happened flooded her mind; Larry’s lips curled in the cruelest of sneers, his gaze leveling her with nothing but abject disgust. His eyes had looked like an open grave to her, so dark and impossible to escape once he knew her secret, and she could never bear to see those same eyes staring at her from Eddie’s face. Kelly was not one for public tears, though. She might crack, but she would never crumble. Her pride would not allow it, not even then.

“Yep, poof!” Kelly suddenly exclaimed, throwing her hands out in a mockery of Robin’s previous gesture. “Abracadabra and fucking alakazam! Now that it’s done, let’s get the fuck out of here before there’s another earthquake or those fucking things find us again.” No one moved. The others hardly even blinked, just staring at her. “Or, fine, I’ll just go. You’d probably all prefer that now, right?”

“You’re from the lab, aren’t you?” It was Nancy who spoke. “Just like Eleven.”

Kelly scoffed. “What lab? And you said that girl killed people. Well, clearly I didn’t do anything close to that!” she finished, pointing at Steve.

“Eleven’s nose bleeds when she uses her powers too.”

“Newsflash, Wheeler: lots of people get nosebleeds! The air is cold and dry here, it’s pretty simple math.”

“Eleven’s number is tattooed on her left wrist.” Nancy took another step forward, refusing to back down. “If you’re from the lab, you’ll have one too. Show us.”

There was a light of excitement in Nancy’s eyes that Kelly hated. A shiver went down her spine and made goosebumps break out across her body as she was reminded of why she had not trusted Nancy; she took far too much pleasure in playing sleuth for Kelly’s liking. Her right hand instinctively clutched her left wrist, keeping her jacket sleeve firmly in place. “Don’t be ridiculous. I have a mole! I’ve had it for as long as I can remember and Eddie’s seen it!”

Suddenly, the thought of Eddie having seen her mole, even though he certainly had many times before then, made Kelly sick to her stomach. The worst part was that she had no idea why. Why would it be so bad for Eddie or the others to see it? Why was she struck with such a bone-deep terror at the thought of pulling her sleeve up and getting it over with if it really was just a mole?

“Hey,” Steve said, standing. “Personally, I don’t care where you’re from. You’re alright in my book.” He walked up to Kelly and put his hand out for her to shake. “Thank you, really. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t done… whatever it is you did exactly.”

It was Kelly’s turn to be stunned by what she was witnessing. Not since befriending the Baumans had she received such a sincere, warm acceptance of her ability. They had even shook on it then, too. Truly touched by the gesture, Kelly removed her hand from where it had been protectively holding her sleeve to take his. “I’m just so glad you’re alright,” she said with a firm shake. “You must’ve been so scared, but you were a real trooper about it.”

When their hands fell to their sides, Eddie stepped between them, his vest in hand. He offered it to Steve by the tips of his fingers. ��For your modesty.” Kelly had no way to see Eddie’s pointed glance down at Steve’s bare chest, but Steve received the message loud and clear.

Shrugging into the vest, Steve chuckled good-naturedly. “Thanks, man.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Eddie nodded, turning to Kelly next. “Can we talk?”

“Hey, whatever you want to say in private, we should all hear it,” Nancy was quick to interject.

Sheepishly, Robin stepped up to the group and said, “I’m all for stolen moments between star-crossed lovers, but I’m with Nancy. I think it’s fair to say we all have a lot of questions.”

Eddie answered, “Yeah, well, you said yourself that Wheeler isn’t actually in charge. If Kelly Rose doesn’t wanna talk to you, then she doesn’t have to.” Turning his attention back to the girl in question, he continued, “But I hope you’ll talk to me at least.”

Kelly took note that he used her first and middle names as usual, and hoped against hope that he might be able to look past her secret. “Of course,” she quietly replied, because there was no other answer for her at the end of the day. Wherever Eddie led, she would follow. Whatever Eddie wanted from her, if it was in her power to give it, then it was his.

“I still think—”

“Nance, give it a rest for now,” Steve interrupted.

It was only at Steve’s objection that Nancy gave up on trying to strong-arm an answer out of Kelly for the time being. She knew that the infamous school reporter would never let such an interesting sleeping dog lie, though, and resolved to have an answer prepared for whenever Nancy would strike with her next onslaught of questions. 

Certain that they would need as much privacy as they could get for whatever would unfold between them, Kelly led Eddie down the winding path until they were around the bend and Skull Rock was hidden from view behind a copse of dead trees, ever mindful of the vines along the way. It was a far cry from the sunlit stroll they had taken just that morning in their own dimension.

“Eddie—”

“Kelly—”

They had looked up from their careful footsteps and started at the same time. Acquiescing despite how it made her stomach twist into a knot, Kelly nodded for him to continue.

Eddie cleared his throat, visibly nervous despite having used their walk to prepare his own response. However, every question, every word he had been agonizing over left his mind the second he was pulled into the hypnotic beam of Kelly’s eyes. Whenever he looked at her, and especially when she looked right back, the entire world would melt away around him, leaving him with the only thing that had truly mattered for the last three months and into eternity: her.

“Kelly Rose, you scared the shit out of me,” he said, pulling her into his arms tight without a second thought, not caring about their soaked clothes and hair, or the sloshing coming from her backpack, or the smell of lake water. “I can’t believe you’re okay. First you stabbed the fucking gate, then before I can even blink you’re up and fighting like you’re fucking Wonder Woman or something,” he muttered quickly into the crown of her head, his eyes wide and scanning as he saw it all unfolding again in his mind, “and then I find out you’ve been an actual superhero this whole time.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kelly murmured into his neck, her fists clenched tight by her sides despite the disquieting feeling of Steve’s dried blood covering them. It was the only way for her to keep from crying. “You must be so mad at me.”

“Mad at you?” Eddie asked in shock, moving to cradle her face in his large palms as he searched her eyes with his. “You pulled some of the craziest shit I’ve ever seen under the craziest circumstances I’ve ever been in. You saved our sorry asses. How could I ever be mad at you for that?”

“I kept too big of a secret from you,” Kelly denied, shaking her head as much as she could even with his hands holding her in place. “And I sent one of those— one of those things flying right at you. I’m so fucking sorry, I didn’t mean to, I swear.”

“Kelly.” At hearing only her first name, she tensed, afraid that the enormity of her mistakes had finally caught up with them both. “You don’t get it. If I worshiped the ground you walked on before, I don’t even want you walking now. If I could find a way to carry you everywhere at all times, I would. It’s part of the Munson Doctrine now, for Christ’s sake.” Slowly, the earnestness behind his words washed over her and the panic that had settled in her very cells began to drain from her body all at once. She now understood the look he had given her when he saw what she had done to Steve; it was not one of abject horror as she had dreaded, but one of complete and utter devotion in its most wholly consuming form, reserved solely for her. She was not going to lose Eddie. If anything, against all the odds that had terrorized her restless mind for days, she had solidified her place in his heart and mind forever. “At the end of the day, it was your secret to keep. And I killed that thing, so it’s fine. Don’t feel bad.”

A shine lit up Kelly’s eyes, half from unshed tears and half from pure admiration. “You looked so cool when you stabbed it.”

“Well, it would’ve been cooler if I’d killed it with my bare hands like Harrington,” he said self-deprecatingly.

Kelly shook her head so emphatically that Eddie took his hands away from her cheeks. “I’ve never seen anything so incredible before, Eddie. You were so fast, and with the lightning behind you… you were otherworldly,” she breathed as they stared into each other’s eyes, hers the same color as the stems of roses and his the hue of sunlit pitchers of sweet tea, with more love than there had ever been in the Upside Down before.

A smile slowly formed and grew on his lips as he spoke. “I’m deeply flattered, truly, but Harrington was definitely cooler than me, and you were definitely cooler than Harrington.”

“Steve doesn’t get to be cooler than you when he only killed one of them. You killed two, right? When you helped Nancy and Robin.”

Bashfully, Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I did.”

“Because Eddie the Honorable would never allow maidens in need to fight unaided.”

“Eddie the Honorable, huh?” Kelly nodded, but Eddie shook his head in return, the good-natured smile never leaving his lips. “Doesn’t exactly work with the setting. Eddie the Banished makes way more sense. You can’t get more banished than being stuck in another dimension.” After a pause, he changed the subject. “I get why you say you’re a cleric now, but I still feel like you’re a rogue for sure. But, I’ll admit there’s a strong argument to be made that you’re actually a fighter or a barbarian.”

“Well, whoever you are and whatever I am, would you do me a favor?”

Eddie straightened, his eyes wide and alert. “Anything.”

“Helping Steve left my hands a God-awful mess and everything in my bag is soaked; a lot’s probably ruined, actually. Can you get it all out of there and then pour the water over my hands? I can scrub them with my shampoo but I shouldn’t touch anything like this.”

“Oh, shit, you’re right. Hold on.”

Eddie had to loosen the straps of the backpack before he could help Kelly take it off. Once it was off her shoulders and on the ground, he unzipped the main compartment to find that the bottom half was full of water. That was when he discovered the briefcase.

“Jesus H. Christ!”

“What happened?” Kelly asked concerned, trying to peak inside.

“I wondered why this thing was so fucking heavy! Why’d you bring so much money?”

“You never know when you’ll need it,” Kelly shrugged.

Eddie huffed a laugh with a shake of his head in disbelief and began piling all the bag’s contents on the ground beside it. He found a patch of cracked earth where there were fewer vines to watch out for and helped Kelly wash her hands there, dispensing lake water from the bottom of the bag and shampoo as needed until her hands were as clean as she could hope for them to be.

“Better?”

“Much.”

“Good, now hug me back this time.”

Eddie pulled Kelly into another embrace, their clothes squelching with how tightly his arms encircled her slight form. With her cheek pressed into his damp leather jacket and cold metal zipper, she could hold her emotions back no longer. She burst into sobs, her hands scrambling up his back to anchor him against her now that she could touch him again.

“I thought you were gonna break up with me,” she cried, her heart aching just from admitting it aloud.

“What?!” Eddie jerked back from shock, but only crushed her against him more. “Are you kidding? Having superpowers automatically makes you, like, a thousand times hotter than you already were and I didn’t even know that was possible. Breaking up isn’t allowed. Not now, not ever, not for either of us.”

“B-but I’ll understand if you change your mind.” Kelly could hardly choke out the words, but she meant them. “I don’t wanna be some novelty to you. Novelty wears off faster than you might think.” There was a weariness in her eyes under her flowing tears that could only come from experience. “Sooner or later, you’ll want someone normal. Someone… easy. And I’ll understand when that happens.”

“You’re joking, right? If we manage to get out of here— and that’s a big if right now— do you really think I’d want to spend my time with a girl I couldn’t even talk to about any of this? Why would I waste my time on stupid girls who can’t fight and don’t have superpowers when I’m already with the girl of my dreams?”

“You really don’t mind that I’m a freak? A real one?”

It was only then that Eddie fully realized what had happened. Until that moment, he had simply assumed that their dynamic was based on her approval of him, not the other way around, because his unconditional approval of her was just a fact of nature in his mind. But now, he was able to see that Kelly had truly believed the entire time that once her secret came to light, he would abandon her. And she even believed it to be the appropriate, reasonable reaction no matter how much it might hurt her to bear. With him, she was selfless to her core, even in the face of heartbreak and the ultimate rejection; and it only made him love her all the more.

“Kelly Rose, look at my ring.” He lifted her chin with his left hand and presented his right to her. Despite the surrounding darkness of the dead forest in that dimension of horrors, the indigo shade of his mood ring was clear to see. “No one, and I mean no one, could ever take your place. Not for anything, ever. Normal or not, easy or not, you’re stuck with me now.” Eddie finished with a lingering kiss to the top of her head, his arms folding across her shoulders and lower back again securely.

Kelly had been attempting to wrestle her feelings back to an acceptable level of expression, but Eddie’s irrefutable reassurance when she had originally thought that all hope between them was lost sent her back over the edge. She sobbed so hard into his chest that her entire body was shaking uncontrollably, but ever her stalwart companion, he took every tear and sniffle in stride and never loosened his grip on her.

Once her tears ran dry and all that remained of them were jagged breaths and hiccups, Kelly whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you.”

Only then did Kelly take a step back and drag the heels of her palms across her face and the corners of her eyes, trying to remove the salty trails her tears had left behind. With a deep, steadying breath, she unzipped her pockets and assessed what she could keep and what would have to be left behind. Her fresh pack of Virginia Slims were still sealed and unscathed from all the action, but her old pack containing the joints she had rolled was completely sodden with lake water. Her lighter was also a goner, rattling and sloshing as she checked it with a shake. They joined the pile of her things on the ground, but her knife, wallet, and fresh cigarettes remained safe and sound for the time being.

There was another zipper, though; one that gave her pause. On both of the sleeves of her jacket, there were gleaming metal zippers that went from wrist to forearm, and the one covering her left arm just so happened to be directly over her mole. With one tug of the tab, it would be exposed.

“You okay?” Eddie asked with a tilt of his head.

It was just the two of them. Kelly weighed all that had transpired with the others before then. Her stomach rolled with anxiety, and again, she could not explain why. But it was feelings like that which drove Kelly in life. If her body was having such a reaction just at the thought of asking a question, then she knew it was one that had to be asked, no matter the outcome. “Eddie, I need you to be honest with me.”

“Uh, sure. Of course. About what, though?”

Kelly hesitated for a split second when she pinched the zipper tab between her pointer finger and thumb, but she pulled it anyway, her unceasing curiosity getting the best of her. “Is it a mole?”

Eddie took her hand and looked closely down at her presented wrist. When his eyes met hers, she immediately knew his answer, and it made her stomach lurch and heart rate spike. “It doesn’t matter, sweetheart.”

“Yes it does. Tell me.” She was as white as her mother’s lace tablecloths as all the color drained from her face in fear, but she still wanted the truth.

Eddie’s throat bobbed as he worked up the nerve to say, “It looks like a tattoo to me. A blackout tattoo.”

The taste of bile hit Kelly’s tongue as it rose up in the back of her throat. She slapped her free hand over her mouth to resist the urge to vomit. After a moment, the feeling passed, and she was able to ask, “Have you always known?”

“No,” Eddie answered quickly with a shake of his head. “I never thought it was anything but a mole until today. Anybody would look at it from a distance and think that. And don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

“Promise?” Kelly asked warily.

“Promise. Like I said, it’s your secret to keep. If anybody asks me, it’s a mole and nothing more.”

“I can’t believe I was so stupid,” Kelly shook her head, roughly zipping her sleeve closed.

“Hey.” Eddie took her hands and kissed the backs of both of them one at a time. “You’re anything but stupid. You just didn’t know. Who told you it was a mole, anyway?”

“My parents,” she whispered, hanging her head defeatedly.

“I don’t know exactly why you hate them so much— and you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want— but obviously they’re keeping some really important shit from you and that’s not cool. So, fuck ‘em.” At that, her head snapped back up to meet his eyes. “Yeah, you heard me: fuck ‘em. You don’t hate people unless you’ve got a good reason for it, and this is just one more good reason, right?”

Despite there being no stars above them, not even one, Kelly’s eyes glittered with new hope as if all the stars that should have been hung in the sky had found a new home in her gaze. “You’re right,” she said, a small smile unfurling on her lips as the color began to return to them and her cheeks. “Fuck ‘em. Fuck ‘em and everything they’ve ever done to me, including this.”

Eddie went from smiling to frowning in concern. “What’d they do to you?”

“Never mind that now,” Kelly was quick to reply. “We’ve got other shit to deal with. Help me sort through what can be salvaged before the others come looking for us.”

“Kelly Rose—”

“Eddie, I promise I’ll tell you. It’s just not the right time or place.”

Glancing around them, Eddie could understand her reasoning. “Alright. It’s a promise, then.”

They quickly discerned what could be kept and what had to be left behind, and repacked Kelly’s bag accordingly before slinging it securely onto her shoulders again. Seeing the lineup of her earthly possessions in that unearthly place made her chest tighten with loss and uncertainty. Her beloved toiletries were all unsalvageable, but out of everything, she insisted on keeping her bottle of Shalimar regardless. The thought of leaving something so precious to her, just to let it lie in the dirt forever, was unconscionable in her estimation. If they made it back home, that bottle of Shalimar would hold place of pride on her vanity forevermore as a symbol of their survival. A memento vivere rather than a memento mori.

“You ready?” Eddie asked.

“Just give me a second.”

“Everything okay? Did we forget something?” He put his arm around Kelly’s shoulders and pulled her into his side.

“No.” Kelly shook her head before resting it against his shoulder. “Everything is so far from okay that I can’t even wrap my head around it all. But I was just thinking about how these might be the only real evidence I was ever here. That anyone was ever here. I guess I just wanna remember it.”

“I’ll remember too.” Eddie kissed the damp hair on the crown of her head. “There’s no forgetting you, Kelly Rose.”

After that moment passed, they took their leave together, and no human feet trod that path ever again. The small shrine of Kelly Turner’s waterlogged belongings remained there, exactly as she had placed them lined up along that bare patch of ground, until the world was changed.

[livpet]

LOOK AT HOW THEY MASSACRED MY BOY.

Beyond this point there will be spoilers for The Rise of Hellfire #2. I just needed to say it though because that is NOT Dustin Henderson 😤

Anyway this might be the single greatest comic book panel of all time. All hail Dendryk of the Darkwood and his meat. Lastly, low-res Eddie and Doug are too precious for words and I’ll never get over it.

[livpet]

I have to say what’s been on my heart. Lana Del Rey’s music is just Cocomelon for women.

[livpet]

Part One: Venus in Furs

Summary: In Eddie Munson's humble estimation, Kelly Turner is the most perfect being to ever walk the earth. Too bad that Kelly doesn't feel the same. By a twist of fate, their paths intertwine just in time for everything to turn Upside Down in Hawkins. 18+ MDNI. Eddie Munson X f!oc.

Status: In progress

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

[livpet]

Happiness Will Come To You.

[livpet]

Venus in Furs Chapter Six: Just Like Honey

Tuesday, March 25th, 1986.

For a genius, Eddie could seriously be a fucking moron sometimes.

Everything had been going swimmingly, all things considered. Then, the minute I turned my back to take a shower, having wrongly assumed that he would be able to stay out of trouble on his own for ten whole minutes, Eddie managed to get in deeper shit than I ever could’ve fathomed.

What’s happening now, you might ask? I was sitting behind Eddie in the boat, rowing for my life, as Jason Carver and Patrick McKinney swam after us with all their might. And they were quickly gaining on us. But how did we get here? Apparently, Eddie had this thing where his common sense went straight out the door as soon as he was left to his own devices. Literally. After we just found out through the walkie talkie grapevine that the Hawkins Police Department officially named him as a person of interest in the murders of Chrissy Cunningham and Fred Benson, in broad fucking daylight, Eddie went outside, twice, through the front and back doors, and lo and behold, he was seen immediately! And word spread about it! Who could’ve ever predicted such a thing?

The hits didn’t stop coming from there, either. We got to the boathouse in time to avoid Jason and his goons as they entered the house through the front door that Eddie had left unlocked, but Eddie refused to leave right away no matter how much I tried to reason with him. He wanted to try and call for backup, then just wait it out. I agreed that calling for backup was smart, but it was an hour from nightfall, and if we were already made, then we needed to give ourselves a head start and leave as fast as we could while there was still some daylight to see with. He insisted that we wait until we heard from the others so that we would know what to do next, but I thought it was needlessly risky, and told him as much. We stayed, though. We stayed until after 9pm, and we received no answer from the others the entire time. That was when Jason looked down into the window of the boathouse from Rick’s bedroom while I was on lookout duty. I knew he’d be on us in a matter of minutes, so I forced Eddie to open the marine door and help me get the boat into the water.

Here’s where I got really fucking furious with him. All the aforementioned needless screw-ups obviously didn’t help, but when I asked if he was sure there was gas in the tank, he snapped at me, “Of course I’m fucking sure! Jesus H. Christ!”

He’d been getting madder and madder all evening while his ever more desperate pleas for help were met with silence from the other end of the frequency, and after I’d been as patient as possible with him, he had the fucking nerve to be pissed at me for asking a simple question. You remember that I mentioned I was rowing for my life right now, yeah? That’s because the boat was out of gas.

Jason was almost close enough to grab onto the boat now. Patrick was just behind him. Eddie decided that this was the perfect moment to leave me rowing for the both of us while he tried to use his oar to swing at Jason. I was about to yell at both of them, but when I opened my mouth, it was Eddie’s scream I heard. Suddenly, he backed up hurriedly and tripped over the seat behind him, rocking the boat and sending him overboard into the water. I would’ve jumped straight in after him if Jason hadn’t screamed next.

I was frozen in place at the sight of Patrick slowly rising up and out of the water entirely. There was no one, nothing that could’ve caused it, at least that could be seen on our physical plane. The flashes of the dead children and soldiers I’d seen in my mind’s eye when Eddie first told me about Chrissy all came flooding back at once, but I was still painfully aware of the present at the same time. Between what was unfolding in front of me and what was happening in my head, I couldn’t even scream I was so completely terrified.

Jason and I locked eyes then. We both had decisions to make. We could either fight each other— because obviously he’d come for a fight and I’d give him one if I really had to— or we could go to the ones who needed us.

Once he was about a dozen feet in the air, Patrick’s bones all began snapping one after another in rapid succession, his limbs contorting in unnatural, horrifying ways. Last to break was his neck, and his head was at the perfect angle for Jason and I to watch as his eyes were pulled back into their sockets as if they’d been plucked out from the inside. Then, he fell like a stone into the water. The haunting, deafening combination of the splash from Patrick and the cry from Jason startled me into action.

“PATRICK!” he wailed at the top of his lungs, diving for his friend.

I flung my upper body as far over the side of the boat as I dared without tipping it, and clasped Eddie by the wrist just as he broke the surface with a gasp. Using all my strength with the little leverage I had in my position, I helped pull him back into the boat. He managed to keep his oar in one hand, but our borrowed walkie talkie was swallowed up by the darkest depths of the lake, never to be recovered.

Eddie was floundering at the bottom of the boat, still too shocked from the sight of Patrick in the air and the cold water to get back up yet. Picking up his oar from where it landed beside him, I braced my feet as best I could and started rowing using both paddles. There wasn’t time to wait for Eddie to get his bearings back, we had to make our escape while Jason was distracted, even if the source of his distraction made me want to puke and shake and cry with Eddie right where he was laying. I knew well enough the direction Eddie had wanted us to go in, so it was up to me to get as as far away from Jason, and now Vecna, as quickly as I physically could.

The Olympics made rowing look so easy. I’d done it before with two oars, but never that fast. My entire body was on fire. My arms were screaming at me to let go and stop, shaking with the effort to persevere until the absolute brink of muscle failure. My abs and back had never felt so strained. By the time we hit land on the complete opposite side of the lake from the safe haven that was Reefer Rick’s house, I was entirely spent and panting as hard as I ever had. Any anger I’d felt toward Eddie before was gone, completely drained from me. There was only exhaustion and anxiety left. Eddie was on his seat again and facing me now.

“Are you okay?” I asked between gasping breaths.

He nodded, “All in one piece.” I barely had the strength to nod back in answer. “Can you stand?”

“I’d rather not.”

Without another word spoken between us for a long time, he stood, took my backpack off my shoulders, slung it onto his own, and then carried me from the boat. He sat me down on a nearby rock while he hid the boat behind some bushes and fallen branches, then picked me up again. He must’ve walked us a mile into the forest before he stopped and put me on another rock, but this time he sat beside me.

“Did Patrick die?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

“… Did you see?”

“… Yeah.” I couldn’t look him in the eye and still keep it together, but I took his hand. It was pale and cold. His rings probably weren’t helping him stay warm on top of his soaked clothes, but they gave me something to focus on instead of the flashes of Patrick’s floating body that were trying to get my attention at the edges of my mind. “I’m glad you didn’t see it. You shouldn’t have even seen Chrissy.”

Eddie scoffed. “If I’d done anything right today, you wouldn’t have needed to see it either. We could’ve been long gone…. I should’ve listened to you. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s fucking not, Kelly Rose!” At that, he got up and started pacing in front of me while gesturing wildly with his hands and pulling at his dripping hair. “I fucked up everything for us! We were fine until I fucking blew it. If I hadn’t been a goddamn idiot, none of this shit would’ve happened.”

“Why’d you go outside anyway?”

Eddie stopped in his tracks and scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration. “I thought nobody was around, so… I wanted to pick some flowers… for you.”

“Really?”

He nodded, his face twisted up with guilt and embarrassment. “I didn’t find any out back, so I checked the front garden. That’s why I went out. I was gonna surprise you when you got out of the shower.”

“Oh, Eddie,” I sighed, opening my arms to him. He practically threw himself into me, crushing me against his chest. Feeling the weight and pressure of him around me was the greatest comfort I could’ve asked for in all the world.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Kelly Rose.”

“It’s okay,” I mumbled into his neck. “We were prepared, and we got out, and we’re both okay. I love you.”

“I love you.”

For a genius, Eddie could seriously be a fucking moron sometimes. But other times, he was just so fucking sweet I couldn’t bring myself to hold it against him. He wanted to pick me flowers. That’s how we were caught. What a ridiculous, precious thing. What a ridiculous, precious boy who’d fallen in love with me and wanted to give me surprises the moment he got the chance to.

Hugging him was about all I had the strength left to do. Physically, I still felt terribly weak. That didn’t bode well for what would’ve already been a long night under the best of circumstances. While he held me, I reached around him and unzipped my backpack just enough to slip my hand in and pull out two packets of Reese’s Pieces.

“You can make it up to me by pouring one of these into my mouth.”

Eddie was still for a moment. Then, his shoulders started to shake with quiet laughter. “You really do love those things.”

“You will too when you start feeling better.”

“But why do you always eat them all at once?”

“That’s basically how they’re designed to be eaten if you think about it. These little packs are the perfect on-the-go food. Nobody has to touch them with soggy lake-fingers, and the faster I eat ‘em, the faster the sugar and protein will kick in.”

“I’m eating mine with soggy lake-fingers, just so you know.”

“Charming,” I chuckled weakly, pressing the packets into his hand. Sitting beside me again, he tore one of them open and poured the candies steadily into my mouth as I’d asked. And as promised, he ate his a few at his time with his fingers. “You know what I just realized?” I asked after I’d swallowed enough peanut butter to talk again, a small smile growing on my lips.

“Hm?”

“Your initials are E.T. and you’re eating Reese’s Pieces.”

He tried to throw one at my head, but I caught it in my mouth. I was glad to see that my reflexes were still good. My favorite candy was already working its magic.

“What happened to no soggy lake-fingers?”

“Just one won’t hurt,” I shrugged.

He chuckled, “You’re right, these do help.”

“I think I can walk for a while if we go slow.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We can’t stay in one place too long. We should get going if you’re ready.”

Eddie hopped off the rock and offered me his hands to steady me on my way down. My legs were a little wobbly still, but he had already put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Sorry I’m getting lake water on you.”

“It’s okay. We’ve got all night to dry off, anyway. Where should we go?”

“The more cover, the better. Let’s go another couple miles deeper and see how you feel then.”

There was a dark path ahead of us. The moon was high and bright in the sky, but the forest canopy blocked its silver beams. We avoided the few spots where the moonlight was able to break through, hoping the blackest shadows of the night would wrap themselves around us and protect us from the sight of any pursuers. Walking a mile at a time, and taking breaks whenever we found trees or rocks that were large enough for both of us to hide behind, we slowly traipsed our way through the trees and foliage for the rest of the night.

* * *

Wednesday, March 26th, 1986.

Come morning, we were still walking when we heard the cacophony of a nearby construction site just beyond the tree line. An active construction site, where any number of people could see us.

Eddie quietly observed, “I bet they’ve got walkie talkies.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little risky?”

“Not if I’m quick.”

“If either of us is stealing in broad daylight, it’s gonna be me. You’re wanted, remember?”

“You can hardly stand anymore, sweetheart.”

“It’s a hell of a lot better if I get caught than you.”

Eddie was quiet for just a beat when a small smile started to form on his lips. “Let me redeem myself in your sight, Elbereth. I won’t get caught this time.” I must’ve looked as dubious as I felt, because he took my hands and knelt on the dirt path. He continued pleadingly, doe-eyes wide and sincere as they looked up at me, “I promise.”

I knew it wouldn’t do any good to fight him, even if it turned my stomach into a giant knot. “Alright,” I sighed. “But be careful. So careful. You hear me?”

Standing to kiss the top of my head with my hands still in his, he answered, “I hear you, Kelly Rose.”

He was only out of my sight for less than five minutes, but my heart was practically in my throat the whole time. I strained my ears for any sign that something was wrong; rushing footsteps, overly excited shouting, anything. Nothing was amiss, though, and Eddie came back unscathed with a new walkie talkie in hand.

I greeted him with a kiss. “My hero.”

“Careful,” he grinned, cheeks rosy, “you’ll spoil me. It’ll go straight to my head.”

“Oh, good, ‘cause I’ve got big plans for that head of yours next time we’re somewhere private.”

He was practically glowing with the red of his blush by then, but his grin only broadened. Taking his unoccupied hand, I started pulling him in the opposite direction of the construction site, and he followed happily. I wanted to enjoy the lighter mood for the few minutes it would be allowed to last. We needed to try calling for backup one more time, and that would certainly sour both our moods no matter the outcome. After trying and failing last night, Eddie wasn’t likely to remain calm if anyone did respond this time, and if they didn’t respond, then they’d have me to deal with. If nobody answered us at all for two days in a row, I’d know for sure that we were on our own now, and God help them if they ratted and I ever got within arm’s reach of any of them again.

Once we were well out of earshot and beyond the view of any potentially prying eyes, Eddie found Dustin’s frequency and called in, “Henderson, where the fuck are you?!”

“Eddie?!”

“Yeah, no shit!” Eddie was exactly two sentences in and already losing his cool.

“What the hell happened to you? Are you hurt?”

“What the hell happened to you?! I called for hours yesterday!”

“Are. You. Hurt?” Dustin demanded.

“No. By some fucking miracle, we’re both fine.”

“Okay, then we need to meet up A.S.A.P.”

“You’re goddamn right we do.” Looking around, Eddie continued, “Meet us at Skull Rock, over and out.”

“Wait!” I cried, snatching the walkie talkie. “Dustin, you still there?”

“Yeah?”

“Before you guys get here, we need more food, water, and a six-pack if you can swing it. I prefer Pabst but anything’ll do.”

Eddie took the walkie talkie back. “And a pack of Camels and a pack of Virginia Slims.”

There was a brief pause before Dustin grudgingly got back to us. “Alright, fine. Over and out.”

With that settled, Eddie led me by the hand in the direction where I assumed Skull Rock was. “Why’d we need more food? Don’t you have a ton in your bag?” he asked.

“Why burn through our emergency rations when we can just have them bring us more? Besides, they’ll have to drive to get here anyway, and if they have to take a little detour it’ll give us some time to smoke a joint.”

“God, I love the way you think.”

A joint, some beer, and a snack couldn’t fix much in this world, but it would at least make getting through right now a little bit easier. From my jacket pocket I produced my lighter and my spent pack of Virginia Slims where I’d hidden a few joints. One-handed so I wouldn’t have to let go of Eddie, I opened the pack, took a joint between my teeth, and lit it.

While it was just us two, strolling through the heart of the sun-dappled forest, hand-in-hand and sharing a little weed, we could pretend we were spending a completely normal Spring Break together. We could share glances, and smiles, and blushes, and laughter, because that was what two people in love had done since the beginning of human history. Even when the world was cruel and terrifying before our very eyes, if we were together, there seemed to be a protective barrier between us and everything else.

If what I’d seen the night before had taught me anything, it was this: true, pure evil existed in this world, and it was all around us, watching and waiting for its time to violently strike. That was why I clung to this brief peace for me and Eddie. I couldn’t even begin to speculate why Patrick had been the one targeted, or how he’d been killed so monstrously, so impossibly without anyone even lifting a finger; but it meant that, for now, anyone could be next. And I didn’t like that death itself seemed to be coming ever closer to my Eddie with each passing day.

First was Chrissy in his trailer when he left her by herself, I thought. Then it was Fred, only a mile from Rick’s. Now Patrick, and that was only feet away from us. I don’t care who this Vecna fucker is or whatever the fuck he might want. He’s not getting Eddie. Not now, not ever.

“Kelly Rose?”

“Hm?”

“You’re squeezing my hand.”

“Oh, sorry,” I said, self-consciously letting go of him.

“Don’t be, I didn’t tell you to stop,” he smiled, picking my hand back up and kissing my knuckles. “You look like you should smoke a little more.”

“Nah, we’ve already finished half a joint. Plus we’ve got beer on the way. I just got stuck in my head for a minute, but I’m good.” I stubbed out the joint on a tree stump to my right and put it back in its pack, ready with the other two joints I’d rolled for later.

“Do you need a break? We’re almost there.”

“Let’s just keep going, we can sit around all we want when we get there.”

Eddie got a contemplative look on his face. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then, suddenly, he sprang out in front of me and held out a hand to stop me. “Halt!” I was taken aback, so I did, in fact, halt. “The royal procession of Elbereth cannot proceed if the Queen of the Stars herself is in low spirits. This must be remedied immediately, and as your devoted slave, the duty falls to me,” he finished with a sweeping bow, both arms out and head low.

With a chuckle, I side-stepped him. “You can amuse me when we get to Skull Rock.”

“I’m afraid it can’t wait,” he declared, straightening. “I can’t go any further knowing my queen is in distress.” Drawing me into his arms, he kissed my forehead. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Anything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything and everything.” He brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “You’ve been here for me the whole time after Chrissy. Let me be here for you too, Kelly Rose.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I’d been trying so hard to hold it together, to get through today without a fuss for both our sakes, and here he was, tearing down all my defenses just by being his sweet self. My voice betrayed me and wavered as I said, “Just kiss me and make it all better for a while.”

“Will it really make it all better?”

I shook my head with a sniff. “No, but it’d still be nice.”

“Well then, I’ll just have to make it all better for real.” He kissed my head again with a wet, drawn out smack, then he did the same to my cheek, the side of my nose, and my temple, getting a watery giggle out of me. “You didn’t tell me where to kiss you, so I’ll just have to keep guessing.” Working his way across my face, he didn’t stop until I finally pulled his lips to mine. Squeezing me tight, he kissed me until my every sense and thought was focused solely on him again. It was a relief we both needed. “There are other places I could kiss you, too,” he murmured, gently kissing my jaw, then my neck.

“Oh yeah?” I smiled, tilting my head back to welcome his touch. “Got somewhere in mind?”

“Well, only if the queen approves, of course,” he said between kisses down the middle of my throat.

“I’m open to suggestions.”

“Then what do you think about…” Eddie knelt almost reverently on the dirt path and laid the most tender kiss so far on the zipper of my jeans, “… here?”

“Eddie, I’ve been sweating for hours now. You really don’t wanna do that.”

He looked at me like I’d insulted him. “You think I only want you when you’re perfectly clean and pristine?”

“Well, that’s the only way you’ve had me so far.”

“Before you turn me down, can I tell you something?”

“… Sure?” I asked more than said, suspicious now.

“You know how you have Gym when I have Music Theory?”

“Of course.”

“I noticed the first week of school that you never shower after Gym. You’ll put on a little extra perfume and deodorant, but that’s it. And…” Eddie laid another kiss over my zipper, “… I always wondered what you’d taste like by the end of class.”

Gasping, I chided, “Eddie!”

“What? You knew I was a freak from the start, I can’t help it,” he grinned up at me. I couldn’t help but admit to myself that I loved the view.

“You’re not missing out on anything, believe me.”

“I’m not convinced, sweetheart.”

“How do I convince you?”

“By letting me find out.”

“Sounds like a terrible idea to me.”

“Personally, I think it’s the best one I’ve ever had.”

With a sigh, I side-stepped him once again. “I’d rather maintain my dignity, thank you very much.”

Eddie stood, his face troubled. “You really think I only want you when you’re perfect, don’t you?”

I couldn’t meet his eyes anymore. His question, so genuine, took me off guard. “Everyone only wants me when I’m perfect. That’s just my lot in life. It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Let’s not ruin your fantasy.”

“Do you know how you sleep?” he asked.

“Uh, with my eyes closed?”

“Yep. And with your mouth wide open, drooling all over the place. And you mumble so much I’ll think you’re actually talking to me sometimes. And you roll around until your hair turns into a giant rat’s nest and gets stuck in my asscrack somehow. And you kick, and you mess up the blankets, and you fart at least a dozen times a night. Sometimes you’ll even fart with your bare ass right on me, and they’re not little ones, either.” My flush of embarrassment was steadily becoming hotter and hotter, but he had a smile that was only getting wider as he approached me. “And God, do I love every fucking second of it, Kelly Rose. I love every second of you, perfect or not.” Before I realized, he had me backed up against a tree and caged me there with his body. “Remember when you told me all the best things in life are pink?”

I put my hands on his shoulders and searched his eyes with mine. “Yeah?”

“You were right. Because your cheeks are pink. The tip of your nose is pink. Your lips are pink. Your nipples are pink. And your pussy is extra pink.” With every part of me he named, he softly kissed each in turn, ending up on his knees again by the time he was finished. “Let me give her some love. Let me make you feel good,” Kiss, “Kelly Rose.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I’m dying to,” he groaned before snarling and taking as big of a bite of my clothed pussy as he could.

It didn’t hurt of course, I knew he’d never actually be aggressive with me, but it was unexpected enough to make me squeal and press my back into the tree behind me. “Eddie!”

“Hearing my name from those pink lips of yours never gets old, sweetheart.” Kiss. “Besides, didn’t you say you had big plans for my head?”

He was so close to winning me over. I was still embarrassed, but also exceedingly intrigued. “What if the others see us?”

“Already thought of that.” Kiss. “They have to come from the main road, so they’ll be on the other trail going north. We’re going south.” Kiss. “There’s no way anybody’ll see us.”

“Alright, but you can’t be comfortable like that. Here.” I took him by the chin and guided him back to his feet. Then, I laid my jacket out at the foot of the tree where he wanted to kneel, and got my shoes off so I could pull my pants and soaked underwear off— What could I say? Eddie was convincing when he wanted to be— leaving me in my socks and t-shirt.

“You’d get your favorite jacket all dirty for me?”

“You’ve already gotten your knees all dirty, it’s the least I can do.” We shared a brief kiss before he got back in position and threw one of my legs over his shoulder. He practically pounced on me, so eager to please. The second I felt him go straight for my clit, I gasped and arched, leaning my head against the tree as I relaxed into the feeling. He started out slow and probing, figuring out what made me feel best from this angle. It hardly took him any time at all to have me moaning and gripping his hair for dear life with the way his lips and tongue were working me. When our eyes met, his so big and shining with his want to satisfy me, I moaned, “Good boy.”

He froze, but only for a split second. When he recovered, he gripped my thighs like they were a lifeline, his rings biting into my soft skin deliciously, and redoubled his efforts, kissing and licking and sucking and slurping with everything he had. His face was practically buried in my cunt, but he made no attempt to come up for air. Before long, my legs were shaking and I had to put a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. I was so, so close. He knew it too, and put his all into shattering me as fast and hard as he could. He succeeded.

I moaned into my palm as I bucked uncontrollably and road his face through the waves of my orgasm. He lapped up every drop of my slick that I had to give, moaning and whimpering as he did so, and only pulled away once he was sure I was spent. “Please, say it again,” he panted against my inner thigh.

Soothing my hands through his long locks, massaging his roots where I’d pulled, I breathed, “Good boy. Such a good boy for me.”

Groaning, he kissed my thigh and said, “If you keep that up, I’m a goner. Don’t ever stop.”

“Not planning on it,” I grinned blissfully.

Before we collected ourselves, he nuzzled his wet face into my mound and kissed me there, just like when my jeans had still been on. “You know one of my favorite things about your pussy? Aside from everything, obviously.”

“Yeah, obviously,” I giggled, feeling the breeze cooling the mixture of my arousal and his saliva on my exposed cunt.

Eddie continued with another kiss, “The carpet matches the drapes. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“What, you thought my hair’s fake?”

“Not fake, just, like, crazy bleached,” he chuckled, finally putting my leg back on the ground and rising to his feet again on shaky legs from kneeling so long.

“Nope, it’s all real.”

“So fucking hot,” he grinned with a shake of his head, adjusting his erection in his jeans. “Like Lady Amalthea and Taarna put together, but even hotter.”

“Robin works down at Family Video, right? I bet she could tell me how many times you’ve rented The Last Unicorn and Heavy Metal.”

“I’ve only rented them once each. I just never gave them back,” he shrugged.

“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll pay your late fees,” I winked, now dressed with my shoes tied again but contemplating what to do about Eddie’s obvious hard-on. “Want me to help you with that?”

“Nah, it’ll be fine.”

“It could be better than fine, if you want.”

Raising his brows, he asked hopefully, “You got something in mind?”

With a shrug, I replied nonchalantly, “If we’ve still got some time to ourselves when we make it to Skull Rock, there’s no reason we couldn’t have a quickie.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Eddie took my hand and started down the path again with new enthusiasm, saying, “Then we better hurry to make sure we have some more alone time.” Just as he’d assured me, Skull Rock wasn’t far, and we were the first to arrive. The moment we reached the ominous looking pile of boulders, Eddie used the hand he was holding to spin me so that I was facing him, and then lifted me by my hips onto the nearest stone. His lips were immediately on mine, and I could still taste myself on him. He only broke the kiss to heatedly murmur, “I’ve always wanted to bring you out here.”

“Well, we’re here. Now’s your chance,” I smiled, biting his bottom lip and pulling the soft skin between my teeth as I unbuttoned his jeans. He gasped and groaned, then rushed to pull his zipper down and bunch his jeans around his ankles. Then he turned his attention to me, yanking my shoes, jeans, and panties off as fast as he could, becoming clumsy in his haste. Giggling, I said, “Relax, I’m not going anywhere.”

“It could’ve been you.”

That didn’t make any sense to me at first, and neither did the sudden shift in his tone. He wasn’t any less frantic, still pulling and pawing at me. “What do you mean?”

“It could’ve been you,” he repeated, pulling me to the edge of the stone to line up our bodies. “Patrick could’ve been you. I might’ve never gotten this chance.” With my hands on his cheeks, I forced him to look at me. Tears were gathering in his already bloodshot eyes. “It could’ve been you, Kelly Rose,” he ground out, his voice breaking in the middle.

He’d been thinking the same way I had. He was just as frightened at the possibility of losing me as I was of losing him. This was his way, and mine, of making sure we were both here and unharmed. I pulled his face even closer and declared with all the ferocity I could muster, “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”

Eddie pressed his forehead to mine, a single tear twinkling its way down his soft, flushed cheek. “Promise me.”

“I promise. I promise you, Eddie. I love you, baby,” I assured him, brushing his tear away with my thumb and kissing the trail it had left behind.

“I love you.”

With a thrust and gasps from us both, Eddie entered me, and I’d never felt so relieved. There was so much in this world beyond our control and understanding, but this was a comfort we could depend on despite it all. And Christ, could we use a little comfort.

We kissed and clutched one another as our hips rolled in tandem, moaning and sighing as quietly as we could. There wasn’t even enough room between us for a piece of paper to slip through, and if we physically could’ve been even closer, we would’ve been. If only he was this close to me at all times, then he would finally be safe from the evils of the world that were constantly at his heels. He was already my whole heart, so maybe if I could shield him with my ribs too, just press him into my chest cavity like pressing the petals of my favorite flowers, I could hide him away from anyone and anything that meant him harm.

The climax we shared wasn’t explosive like most of the others we’d had together, but rolled over us both in waves and shivers, driving us to hold on to each other even tighter as he filled me with a low groan while my pussy clenched and fluttered sporadically around his cock. My face was buried in his neck to keep quiet, and I licked the bead of sweat I found there, making him rut clumsily into me from the feeling of my tongue.

When he pulled out, his cum started leaking out of me immediately, but he held my legs open and watched with rapt attention as it slowly dripped out of me and down the stone I was sitting on. Then, taking me by surprise, he pushed what was left back into me with the head of his cock, then bent down and lapped it up, hollowing me out with his tongue.

“Eddie!” I gasped. Don’t get me wrong, what he did felt amazing and was extremely hot to watch, but I’d always been under the impression that boys would simply never be into eating their own cum, and especially not out of the pussy they’d just fucked. It was startling, and new, and it felt taboo enough to make me blush.

At my exclamation, he straightened again, but still held my legs wide with his hands on my thighs. “I always wanted to do that too.”

“Why?” I asked breathlessly, not a hint of judgment in my tone, only burning curiosity.

Tearing his eyes away from my cunt seemed to be a challenge for him, but when they met mine, the way they danced was full of heat and love for me. “’Cause it means my dream came true.” Then a cheeky grin pulled at his lips, deepening his dimples. “And also ‘cause I’m a feminist now.”

My grin was just as broad. “Goddamn right you are, baby.” Drawing him to me again, we kissed, and I could taste both of us on his tongue. It tasted just as taboo as it felt, too. I loved it.

Now that we were completely sated for the time being, it was time to clean ourselves up before the others arrived, and time was quickly running out. It was times like these I was glad I kept so many supplies on me, including spare underwear.

“Eddie!” came the unmistakable sound of Dustin Henderson from a ways down the path. “Eddie?”

“We smell like lake water, weed, and sex,” I said hurriedly, digging out my perfume and handing it to Eddie. “Use two spritzes only, it’s strong stuff.”

Of course, he sprayed himself more than twice, and he started hacking into his jacket sleeve. “Jesus H. Christ, it’s in my mouth.” He even went so far as to scrape his tongue against the fabric of his shirt to get the taste off his tongue. But then, he stopped and took an experimental sniff of himself. “What the fuck? Why does it smell different?”

I used my standard two spritzes, one on my wrist and one over my head so that the mist would rain down over my hair and body, and answered him as I dabbed my wrist behind both ears, “It’s oil based, so it reacts to your body chemistry. On me it smells like it does while it’s in the bottle, but on most people it turns into vanilla.”

He sniffed himself again, and then me for comparison. “I’ve been robbed,” he muttered.

“Eddie! Where the hell are you?!” cried Dustin, now much closer and even more exasperated.

“Jesus, Dustin! Why don’t you just announce to the whole world where he is? Maybe he’ll come out if you stop acting like a total butthead,” I heard Steve’s scolding from the other side of the rock. The Party had officially arrived, and not a moment too soon.

“I concur!” Eddie proclaimed, stepping out from where we’d been hidden from the group’s view. “You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead.”

“Jesus,” Dustin sighed, “we thought you were a goner.” He pulled Eddie into a tight embrace, clearly relieved. “You smell nice, by the way.”

Peaking out from where I still stood, it was a sweet sight, knowing that Dustin truly cared about Eddie. Seeing the two of them like that almost cooled my head when it came to being left for dead the night before. But alas, almost could only count in horseshoes and hand-grenades, and there wasn’t a horseshoe pit or an active war zone for miles around. My blood was still boiling after what we’d needlessly been through, and no amount of comfort sex could keep me distracted from the matter at hand.

“Well, well, well. How nice of everyone to finally show the fuck up,” I greeted, my smile sarcastic as I rounded the corner. “Did you guys get a good night’s sleep? Did you get to stay all comfy-cozy in your beds without a care in the goddamn world? ‘Cause we sure as shit didn’t.”

The Party had expanded since last we’d seen them. Now, Lucas Sinclair, one of the Hellfire Club’s freshman members, and Nancy Wheeler, head of the school newspaper, The Weekly Streak, had joined in on all the fun. I was immediately suspicious of them, knowing Lucas’ connection to the jocks who had pursued us only hours ago, and Nancy’s control over the school paper. They could end up exposing Eddie, or even worse.

“There’s no way you’ve actually been to CBGB,” Robin gasped, pointing at my shirt.

“I actually have, but who actually gives a flying fuck right now?”

Robin looked like a deer in headlights after my response. Her attempt at a change in topic had backfired. Nancy decided to try her luck with me, offering an awkward smile as she said, “Uh, hey there. We haven’t formally met. I’m Nancy, Nancy Wheeler. I’ve got your stuff here.” She held the bags up higher to emphasize her statement. “And we got Pabst, like you wanted.”

The air was thick with discomfort all around us. Everyone was staring between me and Nancy, waiting for my answer. “Charmed, I’m sure,” I replied dryly, not bothering to give my name in return. Nancy’s face deflated like an old party balloon.

At that, Eddie snorted a chuckle. “Don’t worry, Wheeler, that’s just how she introduces herself. Remember our first day of class, Kelly Rose?”

“Oh, I remember,” I nodded. “I also remember that last night you called for help for three straight hours ‘til you were blue in the face, and as a result of being completely and utterly ignored by the people supposed to be helping you, we only got away from Jason Carver and fucking Vecna by the skin of our goddamn teeth.” Snatching the bags from Nancy, I handed them to Eddie.

“That’s my fault,” Dustin winced. “We were checking out the Creel House and I put my bag down with the walkie talkie still in it.”

“For three fucking hours?” I demanded.

“Hey, I’m sensing some tension here,” Steve said with a vague hand gesture, taking a step toward me. “Let’s not—”

“I’m the one who insisted we should be thorough,” Nancy interjected. “It paid off and we’ve found out a lot, but we should’ve been more careful about keeping in touch. We’re sorry about that.”

“Oh, how nice; you’re sorry,” I sneered. “Sorry won’t make me unsee Patrick’s corpse while we fled for our fucking lives, but as long as you’re sorry, that’s all that matters, right?”

Eddie tried to get my attention. “Whoa there—”

“You were there when Patrick was killed?” Nancy asked, eyes wide and alight with interest.

“You have to tell us what happened,” Lucas spoke up, looking stricken. They had been teammates, after all.

While I pitied Lucas for his loss, I still didn’t trust him being here. They were teammates, after all, and Patrick had made it abundantly clear that he was on Jason Carver’s team and no one else’s, even at the very end of his tragically short life. A loose thread in the form of Lucas Sinclair with a potential vendetta over his murdered friend was the last thing I needed to deal with today. And I certainly didn’t trust Nancy Wheeler, who could always be seen prowling through the halls between classes and after school, trying to find something worth reporting on.

“Oh, I bet you’d just love to get a big scoop about Patrick and Eddie for that little paper of yours, wouldn’t you? Just in time to make the front page after Spring Break. That kind of hard-hitting reporting might even get you a scholarship or two. I think fucking not.”

“What are you…? I know Eddie’s innocent just like everyone else here!” Nancy said defensively, a notch forming between her brows as she crossed her arms in a huff. Christ, nothing I hated more than a fucking pouter, especially one who was far too old for pouting anymore.

“That doesn’t matter. The fact is, this is quite the opportunity for your journalism career, and something as insignificant as the truth rarely stops a story from coming out if it’ll pay off for the one breaking it.”

“Okay, ladies, I think it’s time to break this up,” Eddie said, putting his hands on my shoulders as he stepped between us and blocked Nancy from me with his body. Putting his head down to be at eye-level with me, he continued, “You haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours and you haven’t had a meal since yesterday’s shitty lunch. And no, Reese’s Pieces don’t count. Time for breakfast and beer.”

I wanted to keep going. I’d only just gotten started. But I knew he was right. I was reasonably angry and suspicious, nobody could convince me otherwise, but everything in the world felt a thousand times more evil and cruel to me when I was overtired and famished, and I knew that fact about myself. So, with a sigh and a nod, I agreed. Eddie gave me a little smile and a kiss on my forehead before turning me around by my shoulders and steering me to sit under the stones that formed Skull Rock. Seeing it from this side explained how it got its name, with three divots in the uppermost boulder that made it look like the top half of a skull, while the bottom boulders supporting it completed the illusion to make both sides of a jawbone.

Now that I was seated on the dirt patch where many Hawkins teens had definitely lost their virginities over the years, Eddie crouched beside me and handed me a canteen of water, a can of Pabst, my new pack of Virginia Slims, and a box of cherry Pop-Tarts. For himself, he took his own canteen and beer, his pack of Camels, and another box of Honey-Comb cereal. We clinked our cans together, popped the tabs, and started chugging in unison. Eddie burped so loud it echoed a little, making me giggle.

Dustin then said, “Okay, I have to ask, especially since Lucas wasn’t here to witness this before. What the hell is going on between you two?”

“That’s really not important right now, Dustin,” said Nancy with a shake of her head.

Eddie’s mouth was stuffed with cereal, so he turned to me for the answer, brows raised with interest in what I might say. After a sip of water from my canteen to wash down the taste of cheap beer so I could rip into my Pop-Tarts, I replied with a shrug, “He’s mine.”

“He’s yours?” Dustin and Lucas asked together, both equally incredulous.

“Mine all mine, and mine alone.”

The boys turned to Eddie in disbelief. He took a break from shoving fist-fulls of cereal into his mouth to smile one of the dopiest grins I’d seen on him yet. “Gentlemen, it’s true. I’m hers. I hit the jackpot.”

For the first time, Max spoke, a soft look in her eyes. “That’s sweet.”

“Sweet?” asked Lucas, turning to her. “More like impossible.”

Dustin added, “Like, you don’t even know how impossible.”

Robin jumped in, addressing me and Eddie so we could get back on track, “Speaking of impossible, you guys aren’t gonna believe the day we had yesterday.”

Everyone turned their attention to Max, with Lucas looking the most concerned of them all. Apparently whatever this was about had to do with her. After a moment, she finally said, “I almost died.”

Now my interest was piqued. “Vecna?”

She nodded. “It was a really close call. Way too close, if I’m honest.” Guilt flashed across Lucas’ face. “But there’s a way to break his curse.” Max tapped on the side of her headphones with her finger. “Music. If Vecna puts you in a trance, listening to music will get you out of it.”

“When did this happen?” I asked.

“Yesterday afternoon.”

“What time?”

“About 3:30.”

Looking to Eddie, I confirmed, “That was six hours before Patrick, right?”

Eddie took off his wristwatch and showed it to me. “Yeah, it was 9:30 when I fell in the water.”

There, frozen on the tiny screen, was the exact time when Eddie’s watch became submerged. “Why would Vecna wait six hours between trying to kill Max and killing Patrick?”

Steve offered, “Maybe he had to recharge for a while? When Eleven would use her powers too much, she’d have to rest awhile to get her strength back.”

My back went ramrod straight as I stiffened. Whenever I had pushed my power to its limit in the past, it would exhaust me for hours, if not days. This girl, Eleven, was like me in that way. The thought made my stomach flip. And this Vecna, whoever he was, also seemed to share the same limitation. If he didn’t, he would’ve killed everyone at the same time, or one immediately after another. I really didn’t fucking like having anything even remotely in common with the interdimensional serial killer we were now being terrorized by, but I liked the possibility of Eddie putting any of this together down the line even less.

Eddie snorted derisively. “Yeah, your superhero, right?” he asked sarcastically, giving me a look that said, Can you believe this shit?

“Dude, what about killing half a dozen Russians with her mind did you not understand the last time?” Steve asked, verging on offended.

Max, also verging on offended, pointed out, “You can believe in Vecna, but you can’t believe that our friend has powers?”

This was the one time in my whole life I resisted the urge to point out casual misogyny. I’d happily let it slide if it meant keeping my power a secret. We needed a change of subject.

“Maybe it’s connected somehow to whatever you found at the Creel House,” I said offhandedly. “Nancy, you mentioned that you made some discoveries in the last day. Care to clue us in?” Taking a bite of my Pop-Tart so I wouldn’t be expected to talk anymore, I caught Eddie’s eye. He was assessing me, I could tell. Was my line delivery not casual enough?

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Nancy nodded, a little taken aback by the change in my demeanor toward her, but seemingly unsuspecting of where my mind had been. “Eddie, I spoke with your uncle.”

That drew Eddie’s attention away from me. “Is he okay?” he asked hurriedly.

“He’s shaken up, but he’s okay,” she nodded. “Worried about you, of course. But he told me something that got us on the right track. About Victor Creel.”

“Yeah, he and my dad used to tell me about Victor Creel to scare me,” Eddie confirmed.

“Well, that gave us an idea. Robin and I got into Pennhurst to see him. He told us what really happened the night his family was killed, and he’s innocent.”

Eddie was suddenly like a little boy again, hearing the story of Victor Creel for the very first time. I could so clearly see what he must’ve looked like when he was that young, and it only made him that much more precious to me. “You really met him?”

“We did.”

“It’s true!” said Robin. “And it was my quick thinking that got us in there, thank you!”

“Yeah, Robin seriously saved our bacon in there. But while we were talking to him, that’s when we figured it out about using music to stop Vecna. His whole family was killed by him too, and Victor thinks he was left alive as a punishment. That isn’t true. He’s alive because the radio was on when the killing started, and while he was under Vecna’s curse, he heard it and was able to break the trance before he was killed too.”

“That’s not everything,” said Max. “They figured it out just in time for Lucas, Dustin, and Steve to save me from Vecna, but while I was still in his trance, I saw things. It was like I jumped from my own head into his. There was a broken house, and pieces of it were floating everywhere. Nancy had me draw what I saw, and that’s when we realized it was the old Creel House. So, that’s why we went there. Remember how I told you that lights, especially flickering ones, are a dead giveaway for bad shit going down?” Eddie and I nodded our confirmation, but I really didn’t like where this story was suddenly heading. “Our flashlights started glowing brighter than they should’ve been able to. So, we followed them up to the attic. It’s Vecna’s hideout.”

“You saw him?” I gasped, unable to stop myself from speaking up again now that I’d finished my packet of Pop-Tarts.

“No, he’s in the Upside Down, so we didn’t see him. But the lights don’t lie. It was him for sure, and the Creel House wouldn’t be such a huge part of his mind if it wasn’t important to him somehow. It makes sense that it would be his hideout.”

Dustin pulled out his compass from his jeans pocket and started walking around the group. He went from one end of the secluded area to the other, then back again.

“Henderson, what the hell are you doing? Why can’t you just accept that I was right about this one and let it go?” Steve asked in exasperation.

“Bada bada boom!” Dustin cheered, wheeling around to point at Steve. “I knew we were going north!”

Steve looked like he could have an aneurysm. “Right! Because I told you we were going north! That’s how we got here!”

“I think he’s catching your dingusness, dingus,” Robin commented to Steve.

“No! Look!” Dustin cried, shoving his compass into Steve’s palm. “That is true north!” He pointed directly at Skull Rock, and by association, me and Eddie. “But look at my compass!”

“Yeah, it’s definitely broken. But just because I’ve got a job doesn’t mean I’m buying you a new one, dude.”

“You’re not getting it.” Dustin shook his head in frustration. “What is able to effect the way a compass points?”

“An electromagnetic field,” Lucas answered immediately.

“Bingo!” Dustin snapped his fingers and pointed at Lucas. “An electromagnetic field! That means there’s one nearby. And what can cause strange electromagnetic fields in seemingly random places?”

“A gate,” Lucas gasped.

“There has to be a new gate,” Dustin confirmed. “And it’s close.”

“How do gates open? And why do they fuck with electromagnetic fields?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“We don’t know exactly,” Lucas began. “But the first gate was opened by Eleven. It takes the right power at the right strength to open one. She closed that gate, though, and then we stopped the Russians from opening their own. So, there has to be a new one, and Eleven had nothing to do with it because she doesn’t have her powers now.”

“Whoever Vecna is, he’s like Eleven,” Max said slowly, trying to wrap her head around this latest discovery. “So, that means his powers can open gates. But we don’t know how.”

“Demogorgons can open gates too,” Nancy pointed out. “Steve, remember when you helped me and Jonathan?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Steve answered thoughtfully. “The fucker literally came through the wall, and not like the Kool-Aid Man.”

“Right. It opened a gate in the wall and came through to attack us.”

Dustin gasped, and I could practically see the lightbulb turn on right above his literal Thinking Cap. “That’s how the attacks are connected. They were targeted so that a new gate could open.”

“But why attack four people in totally different locations just to open one gate near here?” I asked, not liking the hole in his logic.

“What if it’s not just one gate?” he asked in return. “We know a gate didn’t open where Max was attacked, but that’s because she survived it. What if the killings are opening new gates?”

“There’s only one reason why Vecna would need more than one gate,” Lucas said, his face grim. “He wants more than one point of attack.”

A chilling silence blanketed the group for a moment as we took in the implications of Lucas’ realization. But then, I broke it, shaking off the disconcerted feeling that had settled over me. “How close are we to Lover’s Lake?”

“Not that far if you don’t take the trails and just cut straight through the brush,” Steve supplied.

I turned to Eddie. “Vecna wouldn’t have put all the effort into killing Patrick at the lake if it wouldn’t benefit him somehow.”

“Wait, you said it was 9:30 when that happened, right?” Robin asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Eddie replied, tossing his watch to her so she could confirm the time herself.

Seeing the small, slightly glitched-out numerals on the screen, Robin continued, “It was about this time that all our flashlights exploded. We were still in the attic at the Creel House.”

“We knew it was Vecna who caused it before, but now we can confirm that they exploded from the effort it took to kill Patrick,” Nancy said slowly, her eyes flitting back and forth across the ground as if she were looking at pieces of evidence laid out in front of her. “But I’ve seen Eleven kill monsters, big ones, and things don’t usually explode around her like that unless she has to use all her energy at once. If Vecna was putting that much force behind his attack even though killing should be easy enough for him, then it must’ve been because he needed the extra power to open the gate through the attack at the same time. Eddie, what happened after Patrick—” She stopped herself, remembering Lucas was Patrick’s friend. “What happened after you fell in the water?” she rephrased.

“Couldn’t tell ya,” he said, bitter sarcasm coloring his tone. “I was too busy shivering on the floor of the boat while Kelly Rose got us out of there. Because, you know, cowering and running away is my thing now that I’m Eddie the Banished,” he finished with a flourish of his hand.

“Hey,” I interjected sharply, catching his eye again. I truly hated when he’d call himself that awful nickname. “I made the decision to run. You fought me on it the whole night, remember? But it was the right call. We’re here because we got away.” Eddie didn’t answer me, he just looked at the ground and shoved more cereal into his mouth. Sighing, I faced the rest of the group instead. “Has Patrick been retrieved yet?”

The hurt was plain on Lucas’ face as he said, “Yeah, Jason pulled him out right away. We heard a police transmission about it last night.”

“Good. I’m really sorry for your loss, Lucas,” I said, catching him by surprise.

“Thanks, Kelly.” The light of that small comfort quickly left his eyes, replaced with a flame that he could barely keep from contorting his face. “Fist Max, and then Patrick on the same day. Vecna better pray I never get my hands on him.”

“Actually,” said Steve, “I think you should get your hands on him. We can’t just sit back and do nothing now that we know what we know.”

“We have to kill him,” Dustin nodded. “But we have to figure out where the gate is first.”

“So, just to be clear,” I started, holding up a finger, “we’re all in agreement this dude has to die, right?” There was a chorus of affirmative answers without hesitation. “Cool, then we can also agree that all of this will stay between us.”

“It’s not like we could explain this if we did get caught, so of course this stays between us,” Max said, a fire burning in her eyes much like Lucas’. “Let’s kill this motherfucker.”

A small smile curled my lips, though there was no mirth to be found in it. “As the Special Forces say, if he can die, we’ll kill him. Glad we’re all on the same page.” My gaze shifted to Dustin. “Do you think we can follow that compass of yours to the gate now that we know what’s wrong with it?”

“Certainly,” he grinned.

“Then consider yourself our navigator,” I announced, rising to my feet and putting my hand out for Eddie, who was still crouching and chewing his cereal thoughtfully. “Wanna go on an adventure?”

Eddie didn’t take my hand right away like I’d expected him to. Instead, he finished chewing and swallowed, washing it all down with a sip from his canteen. “You really don’t mind going to Mordor with the likes of me?” he finally asked.

“Eddie,” I scoffed, “I’m not going to Mordor with the likes of you. I’m going for the likes of you.”

He looked up across my face and the faces of the others before saying, “The Shire is burning. So, Mordor it is,” and took the hand I offered him.

* * *

Finding our way through the forest back to the lakefront was hardly a challenge, especially with Dustin leading the way. The real obstacle was timing our next move.

“Now that we know where we’re going,” Nancy began, peaking out at the sun-lit water of the lake from behind the foliage protecting us from view, “we’ll have to wait until dark to check it out. When we drove past, there were hardly any cops around Rick’s or the lake, but that’s only because there’s a big town hall meeting they’re doing later. From what we heard on the transmissions last night, they’re instating a curfew as of today. After curfew, we’ll take your compass, Dustin, and see if we can figure out the exact location of the gate. We’ll regroup once we’ve found it. Eddie, you mentioned a boat earlier. Do you still have it?”

“I stashed it not far from here.”

“Good, then all we have to do is wait and not get caught in the meantime.”

“Lucky for you, Wheeler, Kelly Rose happens to be a battle-tested expert at not getting caught. She’ll take care of us, don’t worry.” He leaned over my shoulder to press a noisy kiss into my cheek. I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Sure thing, as long as you actually listen this time,” I quipped.

“That was a mistake I won’t make again.”

“Mhm, I’m sure.” I rolled my eyes good naturedly and pulled out my unopened cigarettes. Eddie already had one of his Camels between his plump lips, but before he could light it, Robin plucked it from his mouth and flicked it into a shrub. When she came for my whole pack next, I held up my hand to stop her and said, “If you try to come between me and my smokes after the night I had, Vecna will be the least of your goddamn problems. Choose your next move very carefully, Buckley.”

“Those things’ll give you cancer, you know,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Maybe, maybe not,” I said vaguely with a half-shrug. The truth was, I’d never been sick a day in my life, or at least for any of the days I could remember. I was convinced it had to do with my power. Before moving to Hawkins, I was a candy striper in my free time, the only one allowed to work in the infectious ward. I couldn’t even begin to count how many horrifying illnesses I’d come in direct contact with, yet none of them could touch me seemingly. Not one sniffle, not one cough, not one fever, not even once. So, lung cancer wasn’t exactly high on my list of concerns at the moment.

“Fine,” Robin whined more than acquiesced, then pointed down the dirt path we’d just come from. “But take ‘em over there where the kids can’t smell the smoke.”

“You know all of our parents smoke, right?” Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

“My mom doesn’t smoke,” Dustin pointed out.

“Then,” I said, turning my back on the group, “please do excuse me, Dustin. I’ll make sure the smoke doesn’t get near you.”

“But I wanted to talk to you.”

Looking over my shoulder, mine wasn’t the only surprised face that turned toward Dustin. “About what?”

“You’ll find out.”

Raising a brow, I put my pack away for the time being, even though it pained me. “You have my attention. Step into my office.”

Eddie made to follow us, but Dustin turned and said, “Not you.”

“Excuse me?” Eddie asked, clearly shocked.

“This is between me and her.”

Eddie looked to me for backup, but I shook my head. “The kid means business, baby. We’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

With that, Dustin and I walked far enough to not be overheard, but not so far that we might get in trouble somehow. The last thing I needed in this goddamn world was even more trouble than I’d already found this week. Because of that mentality, I was very intrigued by what Dustin might have to say. His face gave nothing away, and he didn’t say a word as we made our way down the path.

We chose a fallen tree to sit on and got settled in for the conversation. Then, he put his hand out for me to shake. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“For what?”

“For saving one of my best friends,” he explained, trying to hide the fear and anguish on his face but failing. “I was so scared for Eddie. I tried checking in after we all got back to the Wheelers’ last night, so I knew something had gone horribly wrong when nobody answered. And if I’m totally honest, I wasn’t too sure about trusting you with him at first. But you’ve more than proven yourself now.”

I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “You don’t have to thank me for just doing my job.”

“I do, and I also need to apologize. It’s just… he’s so in love with you, you know? Ever since the day you got here, he’s been smitten in a way I’ve only seen in cartoons and shit. Anyone could see it in how he’d look at you and talk about you every single day. And I mean every. Single. Day. But you’re the mysterious new girl, you know? You’re the kind of girl who doesn’t look twice at guys like us. I was afraid you’d end up hurting him when he needs good people looking out for him the most right now. And I was worried you wouldn’t see… you wouldn’t see him. See all the things that make him Eddie. But you do. I can tell by how you are with him, and how he is with you. And I just… I just….”

Dustin hiccuped and swiped a rough hand under his nose, trying not to cry. “Oh, Dustin,” I sighed, feeling a newfound affection growing in my chest for the boy sitting beside me. This sweet boy, who just wanted his friends to be alright and was willing to bravely face the unknown to save them, even though he was so young and so vulnerable. I didn’t just like that about him, I respected it, because it reminded me of me and my friends. “It’s alright, hon. No need to be sorry for just trying to look out for Eddie. Come here.” I opened my arms, and he practically fell headfirst into me, capped head landing in the crook of my neck and squeezing me tight around my middle. He hugged the way Eddie hugged. It stoked my affection even more. “If there’s one thing I can promise you in this world, it’s that I won’t hurt Eddie. And I won’t let anybody else hurt him, either.”

We stayed like that until Dustin pulled away first, rubbing his teary blue eyes and sniffling. “Please don’t tell the others I cried.”

“I won’t. There’s nothing wrong with boys crying, though. That’s actually how I met my best friends.”

“Anybody I know?”

“Probably not. They live in Maryland.”

“What’re their names? And where’re they from? I went to camp last summer and my counselors were from Maryland too.”

“Maryland might be a small state, but it’s bigger than you’d think,” I chuckled. “They’re from Frederick. We lived on Fort Detrick together.”

“The bio-warfare center of the whole military?”

“The very same.”

“That’s where my counselors were from too!” he said excitedly, his tears forgotten.

Now, that was an odd coincidence. “Huh, it’s not every day you meet people from there. It’s a very small base.”

“You still haven’t told me their names.”

I supposed it couldn’t hurt to tell him. What would he do with such useless information anyway? I was just glad he seemed to be his usual enthusiastic self. “David and Jacob Bauman.”

Dustin sat up straighter, sheer wonder overtaking his eyes and face. “You’re Birdy?” he breathed in awe.

Now it was my turn to straighten where I sat. No one outside of the Bauman family had ever called me by that name before. “Davey and Jake were your counselors?”

“Yes!”

“Did you go to Camp Knowhere?” A slow smile was beginning to creep across my face.

“Holy shit, you really do know them!” he cried, springing from the fallen tree in his excitement. Pointing at me, he continued, “They told everybody at camp about you! You’re a legend!”

“Well then, what do you think? Does the real thing stack up to the tales of old?” I asked, standing with my hands on my hips.

He shook his head. “They warned us that the real Birdy couldn’t be fully quantified by human minds, only half-summed up in story and rhyme. And they were right.”

“Oh, I like you,” I grinned.

“Are the stories true, though?”

“Stick by me and you’ll find out for yourself.” I wasn’t tall enough to sling my arm over his shoulders, so I looped my arm through his instead. “How were my boys when you saw them?” I asked, steering us back onto the path so we could rejoin the others.

“They’re the best! They’re mad geniuses of the highest order. You don’t know about Cerebro, but it’s a HAM radio they helped me build so I can talk to my girlfriend. She lives in Utah.”

If I hadn’t been holding onto Dustin, I might’ve stumbled. He had a radio that could reach states away. That meant he had a radio that could reach my boys. For months now, whenever I’d call, their line was always busy. It was the same whenever I’d try to call Ella or Rex, too. If I could get a transmission out on their secret frequency, the boys would have to respond. They’d just have to, wouldn’t they?

“Oh?” I asked, trying not to sound too eager. “That does sound like them. They like to act tough, but they’re big softies, especially when it comes to romance.”

“My lady love and I owe them a great debt,” he nodded seriously. “But, you said that when you met them, one of them was crying. So the bus story’s true?”

“Well, if the story they told you is that I knocked Sam Meister out cold on the bus to stand up for them; then yeah, it’s all true.”

Dustin’s grin was broad and contagious. “They said it was one of the best days of their whole lives.”

“It was one of the best days of my whole life, too,” I winked.

“Hey! Henderson!” Eddie called from down by the lakeshore where we’d left him, hands cupped around his mouth. “I saw that! You better not try to steal my girl!”

“How dare you?” I called back, all smiles. “Don’t you know that Dustin has a lady love already? He’d never pick silly old me over Suzie.”

“She saved the world once,” Dustin added, nodding.

Eddie was looking at us suspiciously as we closed the distance to the Party, but there was no real heat behind his eyes. “Alright, alright. Just don’t go getting any big ideas, Henderson,” he warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Turning to me again, Dustin asked, “Can I call you Birdy now?”

That made all the brows around us raise in question. I paid them no mind, though, and removed my arm from his so that I could fully face him. “Dustin Henderson, I won’t mince words; I like you. So, yes,” I nodded. “You’re the only one in Hawkins who I’ll permit to call me Birdy.” It was my turn now to stick out my hand for him to shake. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Dustin’s eyes twinkled as he shook my hand firmly, just as I’d done to him only a short while ago. “That’s what Dave and Jake always say, too.”

“Uh, wanna explain what any of this is about? Who are Dave and Jake? And why are you Birdy all of a sudden?” Eddie asked, making no secret of the fact that he didn’t like being left out of the loop.

“Yeah, who’re Dave and Jake?” Steve joined in, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Just mutual friends of ours,” I answered, sharing a grin full of shared secrets with Dustin.

[livpet]

39 years ago today, the Master of Puppets album was released. Imagine how excited Eddie and the Corroded Coffin boys were, skipping school to get to the record store as soon as it opened to make sure they could all get their own copy (Gareth was notorious for borrowing cassettes and records and never giving them back). They’d spend the rest of the day in the back of Eddie’s van, getting stoned and listening to the album as many times as they possibly could before Eddie had to drop everyone off at home for dinner. Then he’d use the rest of the night practicing, trying to figure out every note on the album, playing his Warlock as loud as he wanted while Wayne was at work.

[livpet]

I’m sorry, but how the FUCK is this fandom not going absolutely frothing at the mouth batshit insane over BARBARIAN EDDIE?!?!?!?!?!

JUST LOOK AT HIM IN THAT FUCKING OUTFIT AND HIS WARLOCK SWORD?!?!??! Why haven’t I seen a single word about this anywhere????? You can’t convince me I’m the only one thirsting for my life over Barbarian Eddie. I need to hear opinions on this.

[livpet]

GUYS. Venus in Furs just hit 666 views on AO3 and my copy of Rise of Hellfire will be delivered today 🥹 this is a very Eddie day and it calls for devil horns.

[livpet]

anyway i’ll be living here til the end of time🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[livpet]

Venus in Furs Chapter Five: Can't Help Falling in Love

Sunday, March 23rd, 1986.

Waking up that morning, the first thing I saw was Eddie. During the night, we’d stayed cuddled up together, my head on his shoulder and his arms holding me close across my shoulders and waist. He wasn’t up yet. The light of a glorious spring morning was streaming in through the windows. It made a golden halo out of his hair and cast him in an almost otherworldly glow.

I love him.

The thought came to me suddenly but with all the certainty in the world, and I knew there and then it was the truth. Feelings I hadn’t understood or had the time to pay attention to all aligned within the depths of my soul to give me clarity, and now that I had it, there was no escaping it.

I love him.

How could I not love him? It was exactly the way he’d explained it to me only a day ago. He was everything good in this world, well and truly good, down to his very bones. And by God was he beautiful, especially when he looked so peaceful like this. His eyelashes were thick and dark, curled gently upwards along his closed lids. His lips were pouted and parted from his slow, rhythmic breaths. I wanted to kiss them softly just to feel their plushness against mine again. I’d gone months without saying one word to him at school, but now even having to wait for him to wake up to kiss him felt like an eternity. Ever since I finally broke and acknowledged him, even if it was in anger at first, my whole life— no, my whole reality was different now. Maybe he was my good luck charm, or I was his, or we were each other’s, but everything was turning around all at once now that we were together.

I love him.

He hadn’t been caught by any cops or mobs yet, and the people who did catch him were trying to help. I was rich beyond my wildest dreams. We were cohabitating in a way that, if the world outside didn’t exist, would be idyllic. He wasn’t mean or expectational. He loved me before he even knew me. And now that I knew him, of course I loved him; anyone would if they’d bother just to give him half a chance.

I love him. And there are people out there who will try to take him from me.

Now that simply wouldn’t do. Whether it was the fucking cops, or Jason fucking Carver, or fucking Vecna himself, whoever he was, I refused to let Eddie get swept up in this shitstorm he had absolutely nothing to do with. If they wanted him, they’d have to take him from my cold, dead hands.

I love him. And I’ll defend him to the death if I have to.

I’m not a halfway kind of girl. If I hate you, then I despise you. If I love you, then I adore you. I’m a lover and a fighter. I knew myself, and I was a creature of extremes. But despite all that, for anyone I loved and protected, any and all of my extremes would be put solely to the use of ensuring their health and happiness. In that moment, looking at beautiful, sweet, painfully lovely Eddie, I knew for a fact that I’d do anything for him. As long as he was okay in the end, no action could be too extreme, no risk could be too great, and no danger could be too terrifying to keep me from protecting him and loving him with every single molecule I had to give. I didn’t care what I had to do, who I had to face. As long as Eddie made it, it would all be worth it in the end.

I turned over so that my back was facing him. His hand fell to the mattress, and that must’ve woken him, because immediately he pulled me against his chest again and buried his face in my hair over my shoulder. “Gee, your hair smells terrific,” he mumbled, squeezing me tight.

With a giggle, I replied, “Yours does too. What a coincidence.”

“Funny how that happens,” he chuckled. “What time is it?”

Lifting his hand from where he’d coiled it tight around my middle, I checked his wristwatch. “About quarter ‘til nine.”

He buried his face even further into my neck, tickling me. “Let’s sleep a li’l longer.”

It was like I was living in a fairytale all of a sudden. I put his hand back where it had been and held it. “Okay.”

Not even half an hour had passed before the walkie talkie on the bedside table blared with Dustin’s voice, “Eddie, do you read me? Eddie?”

Eddie startled hard with an incoherent murmur. I hadn’t quite gotten back to sleep yet, so my reflexes were faster. I crawled across him and answered, “Hey, it’s Kelly. Everything okay?”

“We’re headed your way with the payload. We’ll be there in about fifteen, over.”

Eddie groaned loudly and stuffed his head under his pillow, making dust fly up and gently float in the daylight. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. “Alright, meet us in the boathouse again and don’t park in the driveway this time. Over and out.” Eddie’s second groan was muffled by the pillow. That time I did laugh. “Come on, rise and shine. Breakfast’s on the way.”

“I don’t wanna,” was his mumbled response.

“Then I guess I’ll be the only one getting Yoo-hoo today.”

At that, Eddie threw the pillow onto the floor and lifted himself onto his forearms. “Shit, forgot about the Yoo-hoo.”

Every step of the way, getting ready together felt so natural. Like we’d done it a million and one times before. We dressed and shared my deodorant together. We brushed our teeth and hair together. We put on our jewelry together, with the stone of his mood ring flaring to life and showing a vibrant indigo. We repacked my backpack together— I wasn’t going to be caught without my bag two days in a row, thank you very much— moving so easily around each other as we collected everything up that it already felt like a routine we’d been practicing. Eddie even swiped Rick’s pain relievers from the cabinet for me and put them in the pocket I would’ve wanted to keep them in, anticipating my next move and impressing me. It was easy to pretend for fifteen minutes that this was our normal, together. But then, Dustin, Max, Steve, and Robin met us at the boathouse.

“Good choice,” Robin nodded toward my Rolling Stones t-shirt.

“You have good taste,” I nodded back.

As soon as the grocery bags were set down on a low shelf, Eddie sat on the same crate as the night before and tore into them, claiming an entire box of Honey-Comb cereal and his Yoo-hoo for breakfast. Ever the gentleman, he handed me the other Yoo-hoo and clinked the sealed tops together in toast.

“So… do you guys want the good news first or the bad news?” asked Dustin with an antsy smile.

Eddie said around a mouthful of dry cereal, “Bad news first, always.”

“Okay, well, the bad news is that the cops are totally convinced you killed Chrissy.” Eddie stopped mid-chew and stared Dustin down, waiting for the good news. I took a swig of Yoo-hoo for strength. “The good news is though, they haven’t released your name publicly. They’d wanted to keep it hush-hush while they were investigating ‘cause they thought you’d be easy to find, but they’ve hit almost every dead end in the book so far.”

“How do you know any of this?” I asked with a raised brow.

“I know the frequency they use for police dispatches,” he shrugged.

“Jesus H. Christ,” Eddie muttered, scrubbing his hand down his face roughly. “I’m fucking doomed.”

Putting a hand on his shoulder, I assured him, “No, you’re not. They’re at a dead end every which way, right? With some planning we can figure this shit out. Nobody’s doomed yet.”

“That’s the other bad news,” Max said. “Fred Benson was killed yesterday only about a mile from here. Exactly the same way as Chrissy.”

“And,” Robin added seriously, “if we found out about you, it’s only a matter of time before others do too, and once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you.”

Bitterly, Eddie spat, “Hunt the freak, right?”

“Exactly.”

Eddie looked like he might throw his breakfast back up any second now. I had to keep my head in the game for the both of us. “Actually, that might help Eddie’s case in the long run.” Everyone looked at me like I’d spontaneously grown a second head. “Sure, the proximity obviously isn’t great if the cops ever find out we were squatting here, but in this case there can be absolutely no physical evidence tying Fred’s death to Eddie. No fingerprints, no hair, no fabric fibers, nothing at all. Did you ever sell to him?”

“Never,” Eddie answered.

“Was he ever at any parties you sold at?”

Eddie seemed to slowly be coming around to my way of thinking on this. “Not even one.”

“Okay, then it’s a safe bet there’ll be nothing out of the ordinary in his system once they do the autopsy and toxicology report. This could actually pull suspicion away from you if we play this right.”

“Since when are you an evil genius?” Robin asked.

“Isn’t she terrifying?” Eddie asked with a proud little smile. He seemed to have fully recovered over the course of my explanation.

“Guys, there’s an actual evil genius out there killing people, and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down,” Steve pointed out. “What are we gonna do now?”

“We have to figure out the thread,” I answered immediately, gesturing toward him with my bottle. “There’s a second victim now. And if he was killed exactly the same way Chrissy was, then that means it was exactly as targeted as the first time, too. What’s the link? Were Chrissy and Fred buds? Enemies? Exes? Were either of them connected to anything shady? Or just connected in general? I’ve never spoken to either of them, so you guys gotta clue me in here.”

A quiet fell over us as everyone tried their hardest to think of what could connect these two completely opposite people, no less enough to get them violently murdered within days of each other. Then, Max said contemplatively, “I think I’ve got something, but I’m not totally sure.” When no one protested, she continued, “I saw my counselor the day Chrissy died. She came out as I was about to go in. And that morning, I know I saw Fred around there too, but his locker should be in the senior hallway across the school. He had to have been there for an appointment.”

“You think your counselor’s involved?” I asked seriously.

“No, definitely not,” Max dismissed with a shake of her head. “But she might have the clue we need to figure this out in her office. It’s my best guess right now, anyway.”

Dustin sighed. “How’re we supposed to get into her office before Spring Break’s over?”

“I might know how. But I’ll need a phone and probably a ride,” answered Max.

“Well, it’s a start,” I said, the gears in my mind already turning.

With nothing left to say for the time being, the other four headed out to investigate further. Dustin had gotten us fresh batteries for the walkie talkie in addition to all the food, so I quickly switched them out just to be safe before we went back into the house with the rest of the bags.

As soon as all the groceries were laid out on the counter, I took the receipt and burned it in the sink.

“Uh… what the fuck?” Eddie asked hesitantly, peering over my shoulder.

“Leaving a receipt around is sloppy, always destroy evidence whenever you get the chance, especially if it has a date on it. I’m dumping the ashtrays in the lake tonight.” I ran the water until there were no traces of ash left in the sink.

Grinning, he observed, “You’re the most hardcore chick I’ve ever known.”

“You don’t even know the half of it yet,” I winked, fishing for my Virginia Slims in my jacket pocket. “Wanna split a cigarette?”

“Please and thank you. I forgot to ask for Camels.”

“Gross.”

“They’re not gross!”

“Okay, but they’re not good either.”

We sat across from each other at the circular kitchen table in mismatched chairs. I got it lit before passing it to him. “So, what do you wanna do today?”

While his mouth was occupied, he gave me a sidelong glance like it should’ve been obvious. “Do you remember what we talked about doing today or were you drunker than I thought?” he asked, offering me the cigarette.

I French inhaled to prove what I was going to say. “Oh, I remember everything. Do you though?”

“Every word.”

“So, you’re really going to lose your virginity today?”

“If you’ll let me.”

With a giggle, I took his right hand while his left was busy ashing our cigarette. “Hm, I’m not so sure. Let’s see what the ring has to say about this.” As expected, it was still as pure an indigo as ever. “You still love me, huh?”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” he grinned, cigarette dangling from the side of his pillow-soft lips.

I returned his smile and slipped the ring off his finger before putting it on my own. The color didn’t change at all. “Looks like I love you too.”

His eyes flashed between mine and the ring. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, astonishment clear on his face. “You mean it?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it, and the ring can’t lie.” I looked deep into his eyes, deeper than I had ever gotten the chance to before. They were lit up from the sunlight in the kitchen, like full pitchers of sweet tea on a hot summer’s day. I was parched for him, for everything that made him him, more than I’d even realized until then. “I love you, Eddie.”

In that moment, it was as if his face transformed before my eyes. There was always a certain pent-up air around Eddie, a barely contained nervous tension that you could see was just waiting to burst out of him whenever it could; but in an instant it melted away, and his face was as soft and serene as when he’d been sleeping only an hour ago. Suddenly, he was at peace, with a clarity filling his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. Somehow he was even more beautiful, and it made my heart leap and pang and gallop for him all in the same second. This was a rare thing I was getting to witness. He was a rare thing.

“I love you, Kelly Rose.”

I plucked the cigarette from between his fingers and stubbed it out before closing the space between us. Rounding the table, I swung a leg over him and straddled his lap easily, but didn’t rush. His hands found my hips, but his eyes never left mine. Taking his right hand again, I put his ring back where it belonged and kissed his knuckles.

To tell you the truth, sex wasn’t something I generally looked forward to. I’d had plenty of it, more than enough to form an opinion, and it simply wasn’t something I’d ever enjoyed. But for Eddie, of course I’d give myself to him if that was what he really wanted. I’d give anything for his sake, and what greater gift could I hope to receive than his virginity? That was a symbol of trust, of love, and most importantly, of loyalty. Even more so than all the money was. If he wanted me to have his virginity, then of course I’d take it, and I’d make his first time everything he ever hoped it would be. I couldn’t wait to see him fall to pieces at the end.

“Tell me everything you want,” I said, sliding his right hand from my hip up to my breast. “Tell me exactly how you pictured me taking you.”

“Just like this,” he answered immediately, his eyes wide. “You on top, me completely at your mercy.”

A pleased grin spread across my face. “You wanna be at my mercy, huh?” I rolled my hips; he groaned and clumsily bucked back. I could already feel how hard he was. “Not even in a bed?”

“Fuck a bed, all I need is you.”

Chuckling, I ground onto him one more time, slow with just enough pressure to really make him sweat. He whimpered, and I wanted to draw more out of him just like it. “Baby, you deserve a bed,” I whispered, placing a kiss delicately on his brow. It was as close to a crown as I could give him at the moment. The look he gave me then was all warmth and wonder. Then, tears welled up in his waterline. This wasn’t the kind of falling to pieces I’d had in mind. I took his hands again. “What’s wrong?”

His bottom lip wobbled with the effort it was taking to hold his tears back. “That’s what Wayne said when I came to live with him. There’s only room for one bed in the trailer, and he let me have it. I tried to tell him I could sleep in the chair, but he told me I deserve a bed.”

I kissed the backs of his hands before saying, “It’s true. You do deserve a bed. And one day soon, I’ll buy you and Wayne any beds you want. We can have a bed in every single room if that’d make you happy.”

With a watery chuckle, he asked, “We’re gonna live together?”

“Of course we are,” I grinned. “I’ll get us a mansion. The biggest, prettiest one you ever saw. We can live wherever you want. And you and Wayne’ll be taken care of for the rest of your days.”

Eddie pulled his hands from mine to wipe under his eyes. “I always wanted to live in Loch Nora. I always wanted to be able to say, ‘Fuck all you assholes, I made it.’”

“Then you will,” I nodded firmly. “I promise, any house you want. And any house Wayne wants too. Or he can live with us, I don’t care.” Lifting his chin, I continued adamantly, “I’m gonna take care of you now.”

“You’ve been taking care of me since the moment you got here, Kelly Rose,” he said with a watery half-smile.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him in close. His arms encircled my back and squeezed me against his chest. This was where I wanted to be, always. And if I had anything to say about it, this was exactly where I’d be staying. “Then I’m gonna keep taking care of you. I promise.”

He squeezed me even tighter at that. “Just, no matter what happens next,” he began, his voice muffled against my shoulder, “I want you to know that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re more than I ever could’ve dreamed.”

Pulling back, I took his face in my hands so that his eyes met mine. “Hey now, that sounds like a goodbye to me. I’m not gonna let you talk like that. Things’ll be okay as long as we stick together. I’m with you, and you’re with me, and that’s how we’re gonna stay.”

“You heard Robin. It’s only a matter of time before I’m found.”

“Before we’re found. And when that happens, we’ll be ready. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I don’t want you getting caught when the angry mob inevitably comes to hunt the freak—”

“Stop calling yourself that.”

“You know everybody calls me that.”

“Okay, but you shouldn’t call you that and neither should they. You’re not a freak.”

“Oh, yes, I absolutely am.”

“Eddie, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Just part of my freak charm, beautiful.”

Rolling my eyes, I shut him up with a kiss. I could feel how red-hot his cheeks turned under my palms. It was so sweet. Why couldn’t he understand that someone as sweet, and kind, and dear as he was should never have been called a freak to begin with?

“Fine, then we’re both freaks. We’ll be freaks together, and we’ll get out of this mess together, and we’ll live together, but only if we stick together. Get me?”

A slow grin pulled at his dimples, first his left, then his right. “I get you, Kelly Rose.”

“Good, you better.” I pulled him in for another kiss, one we both couldn’t help but smile into.

“Is this a dream?”

“No, but… it’s nice, isn’t it?” I asked, bumping his nose with mine.

“More than nice.” He had the just the softest look in his eyes. “Are we really gonna live together?”

“Of course.”

“But what happens when we stop playing house and everything catches up to us?”

“Just never stop playing with me then.”

That got a chuckle out of him. “Is it really that easy?”

“Easy as pie. You’ll love my pies, by the way. You might not be Julia Child, but I could give her a run for her money any day. I’ll bake you a different pie every Sunday. You and Wayne can split it while he watches football or whatever he likes.”

“Ever since the Colts moved to Indianapolis he hasn’t missed a game.”

“I’ll make blueberry pie whenever there’s a home game, then. And if they make it to the Super Bowl.”

“If you do all that, Wayne’ll try and steal you from me.”

“He can try, but that’ll get his pie privileges revoked.”

“Maybe he should try then; more pie for me. You’ll still love me after you fatten me up, right?”

“Of course, there’ll just be more of you to love.”

Eddie brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “You’re really sticking with me, aren’t you? Even with all the odds stacked against me.”

“The odds can go take a flying leap into the lake for all I care.” We kissed, but it was different this time. It was full of love, and trust, and hope, and whatever fate itself must be made of. It felt binding. And I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “Let’s go upstairs, baby.”

His eyes widened. “Yeah? Really?”

“Yeah, really,” I giggled. I meant it when I said I wanted him to keep playing with me. I loved to play, and I knew he did too. It only made sense for us to play together, always. So, with a kiss to his round little nose, I announced, “Tag, you’re it!” and sprung from his lap and out of his reach.

He was surprised only for a second, and then lunged out of his chair after me, sending it scraping loudly across the floor. I was faster than I looked, though, and went sprinting around the corner and toward the hall, giggling breathlessly every step of the way.

“Oh, you’re not getting away that easy!” He tried to throw his arms around me, but I dodged around the coffee table in the living room.

“Missed me, missed me, now you have to kiss me!” I chanted in delight, shooting across to the stairs.

He was just behind, but I beat him to the top and made the last turn to close the remaining distance to the bedroom. That was when the rug under my feet slipped, sending me off balance and giving Eddie the opening he needed to grab me. Squealing, I was pulled off my feet entirely and lifted bridal style into Eddie’s eager arms.

“Got ya! I win!” he crowed triumphantly with a cackling laugh.

“Not yet! You haven’t kissed me!”

He swung me low like it was nothing and kissed the daylights out of me. That moment, that one perfect snapshot of us down to our very essence, when he was absolutely and perfectly himself and I was absolutely and perfectly myself too, together, at the top of the dusty stairs in that little hallway, was everything I’d never dared to hope for and would do anything to have again, and again, and again.

I love him.

Eddie walked us to the bed and laid me down in the spot I’d claimed last night. He kissed my forehead, and my nose, and both cheeks, and then finally my lips again; every touch was as soft and gentle as goose down.

I love him.

He started undressing at the end of the bed, so I did too. Once we were naked, our clothes in piles on the floor, all he did was stare at me from where he stood. I thought maybe he was having second thoughts it went on for so long. But then he said, throaty and low, “You’re beautiful, Kelly Rose.”

“So are you.”

“No, I’m not.”

Scoffing, I began crawling toward him. “You’re so beautiful it makes my heart ache, baby.” On my knees, I kissed from his cheek down his throat and back up again, kissing twice each time on the spots that would make him gasp. That alone seemed to drive him wild. When I returned to the spot on his cheek where I’d started, I whispered in his ear, “Lay down for me, Eddie.”

“A-are you sure?” He winced at his stutter. God, he was adorable.

“I’m sure if you’re sure.”

“… I’m sure.”

He put one knee on the edge of the mattress, then the other, and crawled with me to the center of the bed. I pushed him down carefully by his shoulders. “Comfy?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, his eyes darting as he tried to take in every inch of me he could now that we were up close in broad daylight. They ended up on my mole last.

Covering it with my right hand, I murmured, “I know it’s not pretty. Don’t pay it any mind.”

He brushed my hand aside, and lifting my wrist, kissed my mole. I gasped, utterly shocked. He said, lips still brushing my skin, “It’s part of you. Course it’s pretty.”

I love him.

“I love you.”

Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “I love you, Kelly Rose. All of you.”

What could I do then but kiss him? I kissed him hard, overcome with my feelings for him and his for me. When his tongue sought mine out, I moaned and slid my hands into his hair, pulling lightly at his roots while angling his head so our mouths would stay sealed. His hands found their way down my body to my ass and kneaded into the round muscles, and we both moaned at that. If I could subsist on his moans alone, I would, gladly.

It wasn’t long before we were groping and grinding, and to my surprise, he turned us over so that he was on top. Panting, I asked, “I thought you wanna be at my mercy?”

“I just want more of you,” he answered, all but attacking my neck. “All of you.” From there, he kissed and sucked and bit his way down to my breasts, leaving me moaning and writhing under him with every little sensation. My nipples were hard and hypersensitive well before he reached them, but the first time I felt his hair accidentally brush across them as he moved, I nearly arched right out of my own skin. “Fuck, what a view,” he groaned.

“See somethin’ you like?” I teased.

“You could say that,” he replied with a dazed grin. Without warning, he jammed his face between my breasts and motorboated them, holding me in place by my sides while I squealed and kicked, trying to escape the relentless tickling. When he ran out of air, he resurfaced, his hair a wreck and face beet red, but his grin was still intact. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “You could’ve warned me!”

“Whoops,” he shrugged, not at all remorseful.

I pulled him down for a searing kiss, and with him now settled between my legs, the tension built with every slotting of our lips and stroke of our tongues. He thrust experimentally against me, and I met him with a roll of my hips, making him moan. I was ready if he was.

“Eddie.” Pulling away just enough to look in his eyes, I finished, “Take me.”

First, his eyes dodged mine, which was exceedingly odd for him. Then, he turned positively puce from his ears down to his chest. I would’ve thought it was an allergic reaction if I hadn’t known better. Last, and most embarrassing of all for him, he started trembling like a leaf. “That’s the hottest thing I’ve heard, but now I’m too fucking scared to move.”

“Nervous?”

He gave a jerky nod in response.

“Baby, look at me,” I whispered, putting my hands on his burning cheeks. He practically melted into my touch, unable to resist. “It’s okay. Just do whatever feels good. And if you decide you wanna stop, that’s okay too.” Stroking my thumbs across the apples of his cheeks, I pecked the little cleft in his chin, then his lips. “Take your time.”

“You’ll tell me too if you wanna stop, right?”

“Promise.”

He settled his body against mine, with my arms anchoring him by his shoulders and my thighs cradling his hips, and the head of his cock easily found my entrance. We both gasped. Based on the size of him, this was going to hurt. I braced myself and put my face in his neck to hide my wince.

I hadn’t realized how wet he’d made me, though, and he slid in easier than either of us had expected. I gasped and tensed at how full I suddenly felt, but that only made Eddie moan and buck slowly into me again. It wasn’t all bad the second time. The third had a twinge of pleasure I’d never felt before. From there, any sore tenderness subsided quickly, and before I knew it, I was moaning in his ear with every thrust, and he was moaning and whimpering right back. He was a natural, and his nerves left him as soon as he found his rhythm.

“Eddie, yes.”

“Fuck, sweetheart….”

He rose up enough to look at me and take my hands on either side of my head. His eyes were so dark, his cheeks so pink, and his lips so kiss-swollen and red, parted in bliss. He was glorious to behold.

I love him.

I’d never felt anything like it before. The pace we’d set was slow and smooth, but everything about it, about him, was just right to send me unraveling into a state of hot, clenched euphoria that was impossible to stop once it had started. I cried out and squeezed Eddie’s hands as I rode out wave after wave of uncontrollable fluttering aftershocks on his cock, never wanting it to end. Eddie broke right after me, spurred on by the pulsing and pulling of my pussy around him.

All of a sudden, the songs and the stories and the universe made absolute sense all at the same time. Before, sex had just been fulfilling my biological purpose for the gratification of another to secure my place within the relationship. Now, it was a symphony of every pleasant sensation that had ever been and would ever be. It was joy, and power, and love in their purest form. It was what life was supposed to be about. For a few perfect moments, the only things in motion in the whole world were us. The only ones that mattered in all of space and time were us.

We were sweat-slicked and still trying to find our bearings. My pussy was still throbbing, and his cock was still twitching inside me from having just filled me to the brim with cum. I’d never felt so good, so complete, in my entire life. But I still gasped, “Again.”

He lifted his head from where it had fallen to rest on my heaving chest. His bangs were sticking to his forehead from sweat. “Again?”

I nodded quickly and panted, “Again.”

A bright gleam came to his eyes and a slow, maniacal grin to his lips. “Again,” he nodded before kissing me with a new frenzy I was all too happy to match.

* * *

Monday, March 24th, 1986.

It was just past midnight. Eddie was snoring away in bed beside me. I was sat leaned back against the wooden headboard, smoking my last cigarette.

We’d fucked all day. I mean all day. Now that we’d been made aware of how mind-blowingly incredible sex could really be, we couldn’t get enough of each other. We didn’t call it quits until a couple hours ago, and it was only because we were both too sore to go on. After we took a shower, Eddie was out like a light. That was when I’d done something stupid. Something I knew better than to do.

Naturally, I’d used my power to heal up from the events of the day once I was sure Eddie was asleep. My upper body had basically become one giant bruise from how Eddie marked me with his mouth, and there would’ve been no running from a potential mob with how sore my lower body had become by the end of the night. So, all traces of the day were removed from me without hesitation. But then I got to thinking about Eddie. What if he couldn’t run as fast as he’d need to in an emergency if his dick was raw and achy? What if the hickeys I’d covered him in would get him worse treatment by the police if we were caught? I felt compelled to heal him too, if only to ensure his safety, so I did. That’s when the doubts crept into my mind.

He was going to notice. Of course he was going to notice. And when he did, there would be questions, ones that wouldn’t end well for either of us. He wouldn’t want me when he realized I was an actual freak. Larry had gotten rid of me as soon as he could after he’d found out. I promised myself after that I’d never tell another soul about my power, no matter what.

I knew he loved me, but that only applied to the me he thought he knew. My secret could, reasonably, change his mind in an instant. The thought of losing him over it made my chest hurt. It didn’t matter if I woke him up to tell him right then, or if I waited as long as possible to tell him; chances were, he’d want nothing to do with me either way, even though I only used it to try and help him. I couldn’t admit anything, I had to keep my promise to myself, even if it was going to be glaringly obvious that something abnormal had happened while he’d been sleeping. I had to come up with a viable excuse pronto, for both our sakes. That wasn’t all I needed to think about, though.

As much as I hated to admit it, Robin and Steve had been right. It was only a matter of time before someone else would find us, and with a blatantly psychotic, potentially interdimensional murderer on the loose framing Eddie at every turn, we needed to be ready at any second to make a break for it. And that would, of course, require having money on hand and leaving no admissible evidence behind. At least I could have that much covered. I told Eddie I’d handle it, that we’d be ready when the time came to leave, and I meant it. It didn’t matter if one wrong move, one wrong word might cause me to lose him for good in the end. That was always a possibility anyway, even with the best odds. What mattered was that he was an innocent man, a good man, and he deserved a shot to have a life of his own on his terms. If nobody else was going to play fair with him, then I’d lie, I’d cheat, I’d steal, I’d fight, and I’d make sure every last goddamn deck in the world was stacked in his favor if I had to, just to give him the shot he’d earned in this life. Nobody was allowed to touch him. Nobody was allowed to even come close. Not on my watch.

When my cigarette was completely spent, I got to work. I gathered every ashtray in the house, consolidated all the ash and cigarette butts into one, and dumped it out in the lake as I’d intended. I then washed them all and thoroughly wiped any fingerprints off before putting each back where I’d found them. Then I hit the linen closet. I wasn’t sure what might happen next, and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance, so I took one of the cases and zipped it away in my backpack. Roughly two million in cash should be enough to handle any immediate needs we could have no matter what might get thrown at us going forward.

After that, the night was a blur of miscellaneous preparations. I divvied up the groceries so that some would be our emergency supply in my bag, while the rest went in cabinets so that it wouldn’t be obvious that they were recently bought if anyone came looking for us. Then I tried to make sure there weren’t any obvious traces of us left around for police to discover. The house needed to be cleaned of any traces that would give us away, but it couldn’t be too clean since it was supposed to have been abandoned for months. Striking the right balance without overlooking anything was harder than you might think. By sunrise, I was exhausted, but much more prepared to leave with Eddie at a moment’s notice if it came to that.

I practically collapsed into bed, and Eddie, still half-asleep, pulled me into his chest immediately. Feeling him surrounding me made it easier to breathe.

I love him.

Before long, I was dreaming of him. He was eating a slice of pie with gusto. It must’ve been a Sunday.

* * *

“Uh, Kelly Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“Where’d all the love bites go?”

We were in the bathroom. I had just finished brushing my teeth, and Eddie had just finished rubbing his bleary eyes in front of the mirror while he waited for his turn. Fuck.

“It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do, isn’t it?”

He looked at me. I held my breath. Then, he shrugged. “Guess so.”

“You hungry, baby? I can fix you something while you’re getting washed up.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he answered with a smile. I got on my red-painted tiptoes and kissed his cheek, right over his dimple, and left to scrounge up breakfast for the two of us, thanking my lucky stars every step of the way that Eddie was so easily distracted.

We didn’t hear a single peep from anyone that day, so we spent it much like the day before: fucking everywhere, every which way we could. Our favorite by far ended up being doggy style on the couch. That was when we discovered the joys of spanking.

“Fuck, Eddie!” I gasped as his left hand, covered in his thick rings, came down hard again with a loud slap that rippled across my ass cheek. His right hand was buried in my hair, holding me in place by the roots while he thrust as deep as he could into me.

“You like that, baby?” I could hear the shit-eating grin he was wearing even through the strain in his voice.

“So fucking good!”

And sweet Jesus, was it so fucking good. Whatever Eddie might’ve lacked in experience, he more than made up for in enthusiasm. Anything I liked, he became determined to master, and I was more than happy to let him practice as many times as he wanted to get it all just right. By nightfall, he knew things about my body that I’d never even figured out before. Make no mistake, though. While the sex was abundant, so were the post-sex snuggles and pillow talk. Every chance he got now, he was holding me, caressing me and kissing every inch of me, and getting to know everything he could about me.

“Let me guess, your favorite band is Fleetwood Mac.”

“How fucking dare you?”

At that, Eddie raised a brow at me. We were sitting at the kitchen table in our underwear, having ravioli a la Chef Boyardee for dinner. “Aren’t all girls crazy about the White Witch?”

“Fuck no, she ruined Fleetwood Mac. They were so good before she showed up.”

“Now this, Kelly Rose, is a fascinating take to me. How’d she ruin them?”

“Gee, I dunno, maybe by sounding like Minnie Mouse singing into a toilet,” I retorted scathingly.

Eddie snorted so hard around a mouthful of ravioli that he almost needed the Heimlich maneuver. When he finished cough-laughing, he asked, “Can I quote you?”

“I insist that you do,” I chuckled.

“Then I absolutely will to everyone who’ll listen. But who’s your favorite band if not the infamous Fleetwood Mac?”

“I don’t have a favorite, really. I like a bit of everything. It’s more about who I’m listening with than what we’re listening to, you know?”

“That’s a cop-out, but it’s a cute one, so I’ll still take it.”

“Fine, then tell me this: what’s your favorite album right now? Not your favorite band, I can see all of those already,” I said with a nod toward his vest and jacket on the floor.

“My current favorite? Master of Puppets by Metallica, I’ve already got the whole thing memorized front to back so me and the boys can start practicing. The guitar solo in Master of Puppets was basically made for my Warlock.”

“Wait, isn’t that their latest album?”

“Yep, and it’s their best so far,” he grinned.

“Didn’t it, like, just come out?”

“Exactly three weeks ago today.”

“And you already have it memorized to the point you can play it? The entire album?”

“Yeah?”

“How the fuck did you manage that?”

With a shrug, he explained, “I just listened to it a couple times and then played ‘til I got it right. If Rick had a guitar I’d show you.”

“So, just to be clear, you learned every song by ear after only a couple tries?”

“Well, yeah. That’s how I’ve always learned songs.”

“Eddie… you realize that’s how Mozart learned too, right?”

“Uh… no? But that’s cool I guess?”

“Eddie, it’s way more than cool. It’s a form of genius.”

At that, he scoffed. “I think we both know I’m no genius, Kelly Rose.”

“If you can actually play the way you’re saying you can, then you’re absolutely a genius. Like, a once in a generation kind of genius. Holy fucking shit. When did you figure out you could do this?”

“I’ve just always been this way, I guess,” he shrugged. “It was annoying as hell growing up, though. I had to listen to whatever music everybody else wanted to hear, so learning all those songs was torture, but I couldn’t control it. They’d just burrow their way into my skull and they’ve still never left. So, now I only listen to the music I like, so when I learn it I won’t feel like I’m trapped by my own brain anymore.”

“You know by heart every song you’ve ever heard?”

“Yeah. It just happens, I can’t help it.”

I was struck by a whole new sense of wonderment for Eddie. It all made sense. Of course he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention in class, his brain was hardwired for music, not lectures. And because he didn’t pay attention, he was branded an idiot and cast aside to the point that he now believed it himself. I’d done the very same when we’d met, and I felt immense guilt for it now. He was anything but an idiot. He was an actual, true genius.

“Well, next time you have access to a guitar, you can show me and we’ll know for sure then. But from the sounds of it, you’re a genius. A musical prodigy.”

Eddie was starting to blush. “I don’t know about all that.”

Apparently, flattery, especially when it was genuine, was a real weakness of Eddie’s. He hoisted me onto the table and ate me out for half an hour after that conversation. No wonder he was such a quick study where making me cum was concerned. Every sound I made was creating a roadmap in his mind to follow, like learning the chords to his favorite songs.

Those were our last peaceful days and nights together. We had spent them as well as we possibly could have under the circumstances; many, many times in the coming months, my mind would turn to these days with sharp longing. They glowed golden and shimmering in my memory for the rest of my life. My only regret was that we weren’t given more time, but it was less of a regret and more of a wish. But as Gandalf wisely said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

If nothing else, I was glad of this: that I gave my time, and my heart, to Eddie Munson.

I love him. That will never, ever change.

[livpet]

Venus in Furs Chapter Four: Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)

Saturday, March 22nd, 1986.

Never had a sweeter boy walked God’s green earth than Edward Thomas Munson. So, how could I possibly resist kissing him? And how could I not give him his chance? I’m not made of stone after all. But far more important than any kisses or chances, a decision was made then that could never be unmade. I had to protect him at any and all costs, no matter what. This precious, adorable moron would never get anywhere by himself. He was like a babe in the woods or a lamb to the slaughter, all innocence and zero forethought. I had to protect him. Out of everyone in the world, he trusted me implicitly, loved me even. I couldn’t let him down. I had to protect him. And with the way he was grinning from ear to ear with his forehead still pressed to mine, it was already feeling like a worthwhile decision.

Very few people knew this about me, but once I decided to extend my protection to someone, that was it. For life, they’d remain under my wing and under my watchful eye. Eddie didn’t know it yet, but he was now part of that few, and he always would be. He was my Eddie now, sealed with shared secrets and a kiss. And with God as my fucking witness, I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. He’d already been through too much. I wouldn’t stand by and watch him go through even more over a crime he didn’t commit. He wasn’t willing to escape, but he still wanted to hide, so I needed to use this time to prepare as much as I could before we’d be found. I needed to start counting.

“Kelly Rose?”

“Eddie?”

“Kiss me again?”

Alright, counting could wait a minute. My hands were still cradling his blush-warmed cheeks, so it was all too easy to pull him in for another kiss. The first one had just been me pressing into him, but this time, he pressed back. Not too hard, but just hard enough for me to really feel how plush his lips were against mine. I could taste the mint on his breath from my toothpaste, and I could smell the leather of his jacket with the scents of cigarettes and weed in equal parts caught in his hair, but underneath it all was the freshness of Irish Spring soap still clinging to his skin from yesterday. It was just all so… nice. Lovely, really. He was truly, genuinely, heartrendingly lovely.

This time when I pulled away, I let go of him and stepped back. I felt like the cat that ate the canary, and I knew I was smiling like it too. I had money to count and contingency plans to make now that I was going to be permanently looking out for the both of us. “Eddie, I’m a very wealthy woman all of a sudden, and that’s cause for celebration. Since you know your way around, would you mind finding us some booze and weed? I’m gonna start figuring out just exactly how wealthy I am.”

Eddie nodded, still grinning that dimple-deepening grin of his, and turned toward the kitchen. On his first step, though, he stopped and turned to face me again. “Wait, shouldn’t we wait ‘til, like, noon at least or something?”

“Time is money, and since I now have an abundance of it, I hereby decree that it’s noon.”

“So you have decreed it, so it shall be done,” he replied with a bow. I liked when he’d bow.

Eddie got to work rummaging through all the cabinets, and I got to work myself. Thank Christ for D&D; playing all through middle school had made me very fast at counting and adding in my head. I already had an approximation of the first briefcase’s contents by the time he made his triumphant return to the kitchen table.

“Eddie,” I whispered, eyes glued to the stacks of bills I’d just meticulously rearranged. “I’m a fucking millionaire.”

“Really?!” he shouted, followed by the thudding of thick glass being hastily slammed onto wood. The floorboards shook as he ran around the table to look inside the opened cases again.

“Really.” My voice rose as my heartbeat sped up and a frenzy slowly took over my entire body. “There’s at least two million in each of these, and I haven’t even started to check the others. If all of them have the exact same amount, that’s at least seventy-two million but my bet is eighty. And even if the rest are all ones, I’m still a millionaire…. I’m a fucking millionaire. I’m rich, Eddie. I’m a fucking millionaire! I’m filthy, stinkin’ rich!” When I finished, I turned to look at him, and all I could do was laugh. I laughed so hard that I could feel what was left of my mascara smudging off as I doubled over and clutched my sides. It felt good to not be able to breathe from laughing for just a moment. It was like I could fly away I was suddenly so light and free and wild with ecstatic joy.

Eddie watched me cackle and gasp, his smile bright and eyes even brighter. They were so dark they were almost black with all the blinds closed around us, but they always shined when they were trained on me. “I think you need a nap,” he said once I’d begun to catch my breath.

I straightened and waved him off. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead, I have to finish counting.”

“Nope, that wasn’t the deal. You said we’d hit the closet first, then you’d take a nap, and then we’d check out the boathouse. You’re slaphappy, so it’s time for some shuteye. Drinking can wait.”

“But—”

“Nope.”

“Eddie—”

His lips met mine, soft and quick with hardly a pause. “Nope.”

“… Alright, you win.” Eddie couldn’t have looked more pleased with himself. I strode to the couch, flicked the blanket back, and flopped down onto the comfortable leather cushions. He followed me over and pulled the blanket up to my chin. “Don’t let me sleep too long, okay?”

“Whatever the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets. Night, Kelly Rose.”

“Night, Eddie.”

Except when I woke up next, it was already sunset. Even with all the blinds closed, golden stripes of waning light crisscrossed the walls and floor through the windows facing west. What had woke me was the bubbling sound of a bong in use nearby. I leapt up, making Eddie jump where he’d been seated at the small kitchen table only feet away.

“Woah!” he exclaimed before coughing all the smoke out of his lungs.

“Goddamn it, Eddie! I told you not to let me sleep too long! I’ve missed the whole day!”

“You didn’t sleep too long, nothing happened,” he explained while thumping his chest with his fist, his voice strained.

I groaned and slapped my cheeks to try and get my brain up and running at full speed again. “Did you eat anything?”

“Yeah, there’s not much in the kitchen but I found a few cans of SpaghettiOs. I ate one for lunch but there should be enough for both of us for one more day.” Hearing that didn’t make me feel better. We had to go where there was food, and if we were about to run out in the next day, we’d need to find a new hiding spot by the day after. I didn’t think it was a smart move for either of us to take our chances going to the grocery store downtown, despite my new disposable income. Maybe I could make it to the 7-Eleven before it closed so there wouldn’t be anybody around? Trying to think was hard when I only just woke up and was running on fumes to begin with. I needed provisions and we needed the SpaghettiOs to stretch, so I went to my bag instead of the stove. Ripping open two packets of Reese’s Pieces, I dumped them into my mouth all at once. “Uh… want some real food?” Eddie asked uncertainly.

“This is real food,” came my automatic reply through my mouthful of candy. I was used to hearing that when it came to my favorite snack. “These’ll cure what ails ya in no time flat. Peanut butter has protein and the sugar’ll keep me going.”

“Or… you could eat some real food.”

“Later,” I dismissed with a wave of my hand. “We have just enough time now to take a look at the rest of the cases and get them back in the closet. After that it’ll be dark enough to check the boathouse. Come on, we won’t be long.”

“You think there’s more money out there?”

“I’m not ruling it out, but I’m more interested in a potential escape route or at least some weapons.”

“Weapons?”

“Well, duh. You’re expecting a mob to come after you at some point, right? Do you think I can take a whole mob with just my switchblade?”

That got him to raise his brows at me. “You have a switchblade?”

“Eddie, my favorite place in the world is New York. You know they call it Fear City, right? Of course I have a switchblade.”

“You ever use it?”

“Once or twice,” I replied with a noncommittal shrug. “That’s all beside the point. Help me with these, and then we’re off to the boathouse.” With the utmost care, each case we’d left in the hall was accounted for and given a cursory once-over so I could approximate my wealth. As expected, it totaled around eighty million. I was grinning so hard my face hurt by the time all of them were stacked in their original spots. “Sweetest of dreams, my little angels,” I whispered into the darkness before sliding the false ceiling back into place and jumping from the stack of chairs.

“I’m not even gonna ask about that.”

“Good, then let’s go.” I strode back to the living room with Eddie hot on my heels and threw my jacket on before beelining to the backdoor in the kitchen. I crouched low, and Eddie followed suit. “Here’s the plan. I’m gonna scope it out real quick, and when I’m sure it’s clear, we’re bolting for it. You’re out the door first. Keep as close to the ground as possible and I’ll be right behind you, so don’t stop or slow down suddenly. I didn’t see a lock on the door last night, so the boathouse should be open. If it isn’t, though, we come straight back as fast as we can. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Cracking the door, I listened hard. There was nothing, not even the lapping of the lake or a breeze in the leaves. I chanced a glance, and as I’d hoped, there was nothing and no one around. We had a clear shot. “Alright, go!”

Into the blue-tinted twilight we scurried, and we were rewarded with no locks and no rusty hinges that could give us away. We made it. Eddie proved to be whisper quiet in all his movements when he had the right motivation, a very pleasant surprise to me. Apparently, he wasn’t half so clumsy and goofy as he led everyone to believe. He had this mastery over himself that I hadn’t gotten to see before as he silently navigated the old wood floor, damp and dark, to make sure the doors didn’t make a sound as he closed them behind us. I liked what I saw in him.

“As long as we don’t make any super crazy noises, we should be fine out here for at least a while. Nobody fishes at night and most people in this neighborhood leave for Spring Break,” Eddie said as we faced the room. “Last year, Rick threw a rager and there was nobody around to make noise complaints, so it got pretty wild. I know how to open the marine door and drive the boat because of that party.” With a nod toward the tarp-covered boat in question and a wistful sigh, he finished, “Good times.”

“Sounds like it,” I agreed. “And that’s exactly the kind of can-do attitude I’ve been looking for out of you. If push comes to shove, we’re shoving off and you’re the getaway driver.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Absolutely. You just said you know how and you know the area. You’re our best shot at a clean getaway.”

A moment passed, but Eddie didn’t say anything else. I looked at him expectantly. He looked back at me, conflicted. “Kelly Rose… I don’t think you should go with me.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I deadpanned.

“You’re already gonna be in big trouble with your folks, and definitely the police if they find out you’ve been with me this whole time, and I don’t want shit to get worse for you than it needs to be. And you can’t steal Rick’s money if you’re in jail, right? Maybe you should go home in the morning. Make up with your parents and just do your homework. Keep your head down and then come back for all the money once they’ve caught me and nobody’s paying attention.”

“Eddie, remember when Frodo tried to leave the Fellowship because he thought the rest of the way would only lead to their doom, and he wanted to spare them that pain?”

“Of course.”

“That’s what you’re doing right now. And remember what happened? It didn’t work. Sam still found him and wouldn’t let Frodo go alone. Sam was ready to drown before he’d let Frodo go without a fight. And if you think for even one second I’m letting you go, you’re totally out of your goddamn gourd. There’s nothing to make up about with my parents, anyway. If I never see them again, it’ll still be too soon. And who the fuck cares about homework? I’ve burgled the Lonely Mountain. I’ll never do homework again for as long as I live. You’re not thinking big enough yet, Eddie. Everything’s different now, absolutely everything. If we stick together, neither of us will get caught and we’ll both be living the good life before the year’s out. In short, you’re stuck with me until I decide you’re not. We’re in long-term cahoots now. And whenever that boat leaves, we’re both gonna be in it, just like Frodo and Sam,” I declared, crossing my arms in defiance.

There was a twinkle in Eddie’s eyes as a light flashed across them. “You’ll follow me into the heart of Mount Doom? Even when all hope seems lost?”

“Even if I have to carry you there and back again.” Eddie’s lips parted, but before he could answer, a second flash, brighter this time, darted across both our faces through the window facing the road. I gasped, “Get down!” We ducked in unison. “Don’t move a muscle!” I whispered, already creeping toward the window.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Eddie whispered before clapping both hands over his mouth.

It had been headlights. There was a car in Rick’s driveway. The ignition was already off and four people were going toward the front door. “We’ve got company.” Dread filled me immediately. My bag was still inside and we were trapped.

“EDDIE!” came a shrill scream from the house. “EDDIE! IT’S ME, DUSTIN! IT’S OKAY TO COME OUT!”

“Dustin!” three voices shouted.

I wasn’t going to wait to find out who Dustin and the rest were. They couldn’t find us, I wouldn’t let them. But we’d definitely draw attention to ourselves if we took the boat now and who knew if they were armed? They went for the house, so if we were careful and quiet, they’d be less likely to check the boathouse and we could wait them out. “Eddie, get in the boat.”

“We’re leaving?”

“Hiding. Now get in!”

The boat was at the other end of the structure, along with oars and all kinds of fishing equipment, but no weapons that would help us keep our pursuers at a distance. Hiding really was the best we could do, much to my frustration. Eddie crouched all the way to the boat before throwing himself in. I was right behind him and jumped in on his right. As quick and quiet as I could, I tugged the tarp over our heads and pulled my switchblade out of my pocket. Eddie gasped, but I put my finger to my lips and quieted him. I had to focus and listen as hard as I possibly could over the pounding of my heart and the rushing in my ears.

At first, there was nothing. They’d realized their mistake in making themselves known. Then, I heard it: the doors were opening only about fifteen feet away. I slid the blade into place and gripped the handle as tight as I could without getting shaky. Taking on four at once was a stretch, I knew it, but I’d at least try the odds if it would give Eddie time to get away in one piece.

He was controlling his breathing well, but he couldn’t control his shaking. He was already so scared. These people were scaring him, and that simply wouldn’t do. I could feel myself getting angrier with every step they took. Nobody fucked with me or mine, and I hadn’t lost a fight yet. I wouldn’t lose this one either, not with him at stake.

I heard whispering, but I couldn’t make all of it out. It was two girls who were doing most of the talking, though, and it sounded like they were trying to convince the two boys to leave. Then the bashing started. One of the boys had picked up an oar and started hitting the tarp in random spots as they made their way as a group right toward us. They were approaching on Eddie’s side. I could shield him with my body and stab low, take them by surprise and destabilize them before they could get any hits in. That oar could do some serious damage in the wrong hands. I had to protect Eddie’s head no matter what.

That all went right out the window when the oar came down hard on the seat my feet were under, making me gasp and bring my legs as close to my body as I physically could. Luckily, the sound was covered by the loud crinkling of the tarp and the impact of the oar against the boat, but Eddie clearly saw how close it had come to hitting me. Suddenly, he wasn’t afraid anymore, but wrathful. His eyes flared up with a rageful fire so bright that it shocked me. Then, before I could stop him, he snatched the knife from my hand, threw back the tarp, and took the boy with the oar by surprise. With an arm across the boy’s chest and my knife to his throat, Eddie pinned him to the wall and he dropped the oar on impact.

“EDDIE!” everyone cried at once, including me, with the pinned boy putting his hands up as best he could in his newfound precarious position.

The other three were too shocked at first to move, but I didn’t wait either way. I climbed out of the boat and snatched up the oar as fast as I could, ready to use it the second anybody came near Eddie.

Putting his hands out, the other boy exclaimed, “Woah, woah, woah, Eddie! It’s me, Dustin! It’s me! Don’t hurt him!” The tension was thick until at the same time, Eddie and I recognized Dustin Henderson, most loyal of the freshmen Hellfire members. When he realized who’d found him, Eddie let go of Dustin’s friend and backed up to stand beside me. “Eddie… were you just under a tarp with Kelly Turner?” Dustin asked once it was clear nobody was interested in actually hurting anybody else.

Eddie hesitated before answering, “That’s a very long story that you wouldn’t believe anyway.”

“Try us,” said Max Mayfield from the back of the group. What in the world was she doing here?

I looked at Eddie, and he was already looking at me. I could see in his eyes he wanted to trust them but he wasn’t sure. Neither was I, frankly.

“First of all,” I announced to the others, “state your business. Because last I checked, none of you live around here and there should be no way for you to know Eddie was here. What do you want and how’d you find him?”

“Uh, Eddie, is Kelly Turner defending your honor right now?” Dustin asked, a silly smile growing across his face.

“If none of you can answer those basic questions, you’re gonna wish you’d never come here in three, two, one—”

“I saw you last night,” Max blurted. Panic started to overtake Eddie’s face at that. My hands tightened on the oar. “We know you didn’t kill Chrissy and we might know what did. But you have to tell us what happened first before we can tell you our side. You might be surprised what we’re willing to believe.”

I wasn’t convinced. “That doesn’t explain how you found him. Did you follow him when he left?”

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “We started calling around, and when none of the usual suspects had seen him, we decided to check here since Dustin heard him mention staying at Reefer Rick’s before.”

“So, you’re here to what, check in? Why does that require four of you and only one of him?” I asked distrustfully.

The other girl, Robin Buckley from Home Ec, threw her hands up like I’d told her to freeze. “I just tend to get dragged into these things, it wasn’t premeditated and I have zero fighting skills.”

“You were planning on a fight?”

“No!” all four of them shouted.

“That’s fucking it, dump everything in your pockets and bags. Now.”

Eddie leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Are you robbing them?”

“No, I’m disarming them,” I explained equally as quietly. Eddie nodded in understanding, and something like relief made his shoulders a little less tense.

“Eddie, are you whispering with Kelly Turner right now?”

“Dustin, I think by now everyone knows what my name is. Don’t wear it out.”

“Right, sorry,” he said as he shook his backpack out onto the floor in front of him. Everyone followed suit, and in the end, all that was interesting among their belongings were the walkie talkies from Dustin’s outer pocket.

“Who were you planning to report to with those?” I asked him, my eyes narrowing with suspicion immediately.

“We’re not reporting to anyone. I’ve been trying to get ahold of Lucas, he’s been AWOL since the basketball game.”

“Have you tried a phone?” I snarked.

“Do you think Sinclair’s in trouble?” Eddie jumped in, already concerned for their friend.

“It could be a lie or a trap,” I whispered.

“Henderson would never lie about Sinclair, they’re best friends.” Turning his attention back to Dustin, he continued, “The laundry basket boys usually party at Benny’s, and after winning the big game, they probably just overdid it. I’m sure Lucas is with them and just hungover or something.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Dustin replied gravely. “If Lucas is with Jason and the rest of the team, then that means he’s probably looking for you with them.”

Max added, “This morning there was a huge crowd and police at your trailer, and I saw Chrissy through the door.” At that, Eddie balked and all the color drained from his face. “They’ve definitely notified the people closest to her by now and questioned them, and that would include Jason since he was the last person other than you to see her. There’s no way Jason isn’t looking for you now, and who knows what he’s telling people, including Lucas. We wanted to make sure we got here first so we could figure out what happened and help you.”

“That’s an awful lot of skin to put into a game that isn’t even yours,” I replied. “Why exactly would you go to all this time and trouble when you’ll be in deep shit if you’re caught?”

“Because that’s what friends do for each other,” Dustin responded immediately, his head held high and determination plain on his face. “Eddie’s my friend, and I know he’d never hurt anyone. Max told you we might know what’s really going on here, and it’s the truth. I’m not letting Eddie take the blame for something that wasn’t his fault. So, that’s exactly why we’re here. But the better question is, why are you here?”

“Like Eddie said, that’s a long story you probably won’t believe.”

“And like I said, try us,” Max answered, stepping up beside Dustin.

We were now at an impasse. I gave Eddie a look that asked, Do you trust them? He glanced between me and Dustin, clearly conflicted, but said nothing.

I decided to step in. “Alright, here’s the deal. You’re now all hereby sworn to secrecy from this second on. I better not hear even one word, not one whisper, about Eddie coming from any of you. Not one. ‘Cause if I do, I swear to Christ, I’ll make sure every last one of wishes you were never born. Nobody else knows where he is, so I’ll know it was one of you if anything about this gets out. I don’t care if you run or hide, I’ll find your asses no matter what it takes.” I stared down each of them one at a time, daring them with my eyes to step even a toe out of line with me. Their expressions were various levels of shock and horror, with the older boy being the most visibly affected. “Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” answered Dustin with wide eyes and an audible gulp.

“Yep, yep, totally clear,” the other boy said in a rush.

“Mega clear,” Robin replied with a thumbs up and a nervous smile.

Max rolled her eyes, but I didn’t miss the look of apprehension in them. She knew I meant what I’d said. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Alright. Then this,” I began, holding out the oar in front of me, “is the talking paddle. Whoever’s holding it is the only one who gets to talk. And it’s a peaceful talking paddle, so if you decide to take a turn with it just to try and inflict some blunt force trauma, needless to say, you’ll regret it.” Turning to Eddie, I held it out to him. “If you wanna explain what’s happened to them, I’ll trade you for my knife back.”

His eyes were as big and bright as ever, his lips parted. It took him a few seconds to respond. “Oh, shit, sorry,” he said, fumbling while he tried to slip the blade back into the handle. We exchanged, and my knife went back in my pocket. I didn’t take my hand off it, though.

Eddie sat down on a nearby crate, and we all gathered closer to hear what he’d say. I was especially interested to find out how he’d explain the last twenty-four hours in his own words. He could be quite the storyteller when he wanted to be, and there was a plenty of room for well-placed white lies and alibis if he played his cards right.

Except, in this game of Poker I was mentally playing with everyone in the room, Eddie folded right away. He spilled his guts entirely, just like he’d done with me when I found him. I couldn’t believe it after everything I’d prepped him with not even a full day ago. It was a startling glimpse of what it would’ve been like trying to tutor him for the remaining month of school. He had an impressive memory for the littlest details, yet explicit instructions went in one ear, out the other. We needed to seriously work on that before we found ourselves in a prisoner’s dilemma unprepared. “But then, Kelly Rose came out of thin air… like a fuckin’ miracle,” he continued wistfully, looking up at me with a small smile beginning to form on the left half of his mouth. “She’s been keeping my head screwed on straight ever since. She says she’s a cleric, but she’s for sure a rogue.”

Everyone had been quiet until then while they listened to Eddie’s side of the story. It was Dustin who spoke first. “Can I have a turn with the paddle?” Eddie nodded and handed it over. That’s when Dustin let loose. “Kelly. Rose?” His giggle was high-pitched and full of disbelief. “You’re on a middle name basis now? With the Kelly Turner? Nobody in Hellfire’s ever gonna believe this. Shit, I barely believe this.”

Eddie’s smile dropped completely. “You don’t believe me?” he asked with so much hurt in his voice that it made me clench my fist around my knife.

“Oh, no, I totally believe everything else. It’s the Kelly part I’m not buying. You’re holding out on us, dude. How’d she know where to find you? And why would she stick around?”

“Um, I’m right here,” I said before Eddie could answer. I trusted that he meant well, but after everything he’d already revealed, I couldn’t risk him slipping up and mentioning the money. “I didn’t know where he was and I didn’t go looking for him. I took a walk and happened to notice he was here. And I’m still here because obviously he needs protecting.”

“You’re protecting him?” Dustin questioned, pointing at each of us in turn with the end of the oar. “You hate his guts. You wouldn’t even talk to him until yesterday.”

“First of all, I never hated him; and second, things change. He apologized, I accepted, we moved on, and now we’re all here. Is this seriously how you want to spend your time after he just told you how Chrissy died?”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me—"

Max interrupted, “We do believe you. We… we’ve dealt with stuff like this before.” Dustin, Robin, and the other boy all nodded with grim expressions. I didn’t like that one bit. “All the terrible things that’ve been happening in Hawkins for the last few years? It’s all connected. The deaths and disappearances, the mall fire, all of it. You mentioned all your lights started flickering at the same time, right? That’s one of the biggest signs. My lights were flickering too last night, but I thought it was just the shitty wiring. Did you see anything like smoke or… black particles in the air?”

Eddie shook his head in answer, looking more confused by the sentence. I couldn’t make sense of anything she was talking about either, but the mall fire certainly got my attention. “Hold on, the mall fire’s part of this? How? And what deaths and disappearances?”

Max crossed her arms and wouldn’t meet my eyes anymore. “My brother was one of them.”

Dustin added, “My best friend Will disappeared and the government faked his death to cover it up.”

Robin raised her hand like we were in class. “I have less experience with Monsters than these guys, but I was drugged and violently interrogated by Russians during the whole mall thing too. That’s actually how Steve and I became friends.”

“Yeah, nothing like fighting interdimensional monsters and Soviets to bring people together,” said Steve, running his hand through his hair.

Wait, I knew that hair. It’d been right in front of me at the basketball game. “You’re the one who said that Tammy girl sounds like a Muppet, right? The one who sang the National Anthem?”

“Yes!” Steve cried, pointing at me with both hands. “Doesn’t she though?”

“Absolutely; but getting back on track, what the fuck are any of you talking about right now and how does it relate to Chrissy?” I asked exasperatedly.

“Okay, so,” Steve began, “there’s this other dimension that’s exactly like our world but horrible, we call it the Upside Down, and monsters live there. We’ve killed, like, a ton of them already.”

“And we think one of those monsters might’ve been what killed Chrissy,” Dustin chimed in. “So, we might have to fight a monster. But don’t worry, we’re basically professionals at it now.”

“Yeah, this girl with superpowers used to live here and she was the best at killing them, but we’ll make do without her,” Steve said with a self-assured nod.

By the time they were finished, Eddie was slack-jawed and I was furious. “What are you even saying right now?!”

“It’s true!” Steve threw his hands up. “Her name was Eleven but she goes by Jane now. She could do all kinds of crazy shit but she lost her powers during the mall fight! I saw her throw a car with her mind and kill, like, half a dozen Russians at once!”

“I was there for that!” Robin said excitedly.

“And right before that, she fought the monster that killed my brother. She saved me and everyone else, and that’s not the only time. We’re not lying. She really does have superpowers, and there really are monsters out there, and the government covers it all up because they’re responsible for all of it. We know you didn’t kill Chrissy, Eddie. We’ve seen people and things that kill, and you’re not one of them,” finished Max.

Without realizing it, as I’d listened, I’d reached for my wrist where my mole was. A girl with superpowers. Another girl with superpowers. I couldn’t explain why, but it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

There was only a brief pause of silence before Dustin said, “You said that it was like Chrissy was in a trance, right?” When Eddie nodded, he continued, “Almost like… a spell. Or a curse. Like Vecna’s curse.”

“As in, the lich wizard from an alternate dimension?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Exactly!” he said, snapping his fingers and pointing at me. “Chrissy’s attack wasn’t like what we’ve seen before, but maybe that’s because we didn’t know about Vecna yet. Or he’s only just gotten strong enough to do this. This could be a new trick of the Mind Flayer.”

“That’s what we call the biggest, craziest of the monsters who controls all the others. It’s a hivemind,” clarified Steve.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” argued Max with a shake of her head. “The gate was closed. The Mind Flayer can’t do anything here as long as there’s no gate, and you can’t tell me this Vecna guy is stronger than the Mind Flayer.”

“There could be a new gate,” answered Dustin, his tone turning grave.

Eddie and I could hardly keep up with the conversation. I needed to bring it back to a place where we could actually make some headway. “Everybody just hold on a sec. If you think that Chrissy was targeted, then we need to figure out why. There has to be a thread, something connecting her to Vecna.” If only I’d known then just how apt my wording had been. “Any ideas?”

No one said anything as we all wracked our brains. I was too new to contribute anything useful. I didn’t know Chrissy, I didn’t know this town, and I certainly didn’t know about any other dimensions or monsters. This was suddenly far too big for a switchblade and some money to fix, and I didn’t fucking like it.

Eddie was the first to offer a lead. “Something happened at school yesterday. Chrissy met up with me to talk about buying, but when I got there, she seemed really freaked out. She asked if I saw something and pointed at a tree. I thought she was just nervous about getting caught or whatever, but maybe it was something about the curse.”

“I had a weird run-in with Chrissy too,” said Max. “Kelly, remember when we saw each other at the bathroom? It was Chrissy in there. She… didn’t sound okay. But she told me to leave, so I did.”

“You said she was sick, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, but it also sounded like she was crying. Maybe she saw something in there too.”

Eddie snapped his fingers as he remembered something. “She said she felt like she was losing her mind and she hadn’t been sleeping well. She specifically wanted to buy from me just to get some decent sleep.”

“Alright, let’s start putting the facts together,” I said, counting off on my fingers as I went. “We all agree that we believe Eddie. We all agree that what happened to Chrissy was targeted and premeditated. And by the sounds of things, we can agree that whoever’s doing this can do a lot of damage, physically and mentally, without even being there. What do we do with all this information and how do we help Eddie?”

“We have to investigate,” Dustin declared. “If there’s another gate, then we gotta find it and close it before anybody else gets hurt. It’s the only way to cut off whatever’s going on in the Upside Down. But we can’t put Eddie at risk, so while we find some things out, he has to stay here.” He knelt where he’d dumped out the contents of his backpack and tossed Eddie a walkie talkie. “Keep that on at all times so we can stay in touch. We’ll call in as soon as we know anything.”

“While you’re gone,” I began, “someone’s gonna have to run to the store and get a few things. There was barely any food here to begin with so we’re already low. Obviously Eddie can’t go and I’m not leaving him, so here.” Pulling out my wallet, I handed over all the bills I had on me to Dustin. “Get whatever you can with that. Cereal, canned goods, shit like that. Nothing that has to go in the fridge, though. And you can keep the change.”

“Can I get a Yoo-hoo?” Eddie asked hopefully.

“Put two Yoo-hoos on the list.”

“Hey, why’re you trusting this twerp with the money?” asked Steve.

“Probably because I’ll actually remember what they asked for.”

Steve scoffed, but Robin said, “He’s got a point there.”

* * *

Shortly thereafter, Dustin, Max, Robin, and Steve left and we were back inside the house without incident. I was much more on edge than I had been before we’d gone to the boathouse. That couldn’t stand, not on my birthday at least.

“Well, that was harrowing,” I said matter-of-factly. “Let’s drink about it.”

“Thank Christ,” Eddie sighed. “I didn’t wanna say it, but I could definitely go for a drink or three after that shit. The Jim Beam’s still on the table.”

“Perfect, that’ll make the SpaghettiOs go down a lot easier.”

We ate and drank in silence at the small round table in the kitchen, sharing from the pot and the bottle, while we stared at the walkie talkie sitting on edge of the table beside us, waiting for horrible news at any moment. It stayed quiet, though, which wasn’t exactly a relief.

Once the pot was empty and the bottle was getting toward half-full, Eddie finally said, “This bourbon’s shit.”

“Yeah, but it’s done its job. The SpaghettiOs tasted way better in comparison.”

Eddie chuckled at that. “Yeah, I’m not exactly Julia Child.”

“I blame Campbell’s, not you.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” After that, for the first time, the silence was awkward between us. I couldn’t figure out why. Alcohol was always a good way to keep conversation flowing. We were both at least tipsy by then, to put it mildly, so what was the deal? And it didn’t help when he said, “Sooo…” but followed up with nothing.

“Wanna play pool now?”

“Abso-fuckin’-lutely.”

We drank a little more as we played, but you’d never know it by the shots we were taking. The first round ended with Eddie winning by a hair. He was all too pleased with himself after I’d smack-talked earlier, but I won the second round. We were evenly matched.

For the tie-breaker round, I had a brilliant idea. I was hot from drinking so much anyway, so I suggested, “This time, let’s do strip Pool. You mess up, you have to take something off.” Eddie didn’t say anything at first, so I added, “We can just go down to our underwear. It wouldn’t be any different than being at the beach or something. Besides, you’ve talked a lot about your tattoos at lunch, so I wanna see ‘em.”

At that, Eddie snapped to attention. “You heard me talk about my tattoos?”

“Of course, you talk about ‘em any chance you get. Your last one was a spider, right?”

“Yeah, a black widow. I call her Shelob,” he grinned.

“Very nice. I’ll be looking forward to meeting her once I kick your ass.”

“Alright, you’re on.”

Maybe it was all the whiskey, maybe I just wanted to get the ball rolling metaphorically instead of literally, but I scratched first. My jacket was thrown onto the couch without a second glance. Eddie always had an intense stare when he was looking at me, but something in his gaze darkened when I made it clear I’d be sticking to the rules. Next, he scratched on a shot he definitely could’ve made, and his denim vest joined my jacket. I did the same on the following shot and took my shoes off. His shot after that was made while looking at me instead of the table, so he scratched of course, and tossed his jacket on top of his vest.

“You’re really making me work to meet Shelob.”

“I’m just waiting for you to start kicking my ass is all.”

“You’ve been kicking your own ass just fine without my help,” I quipped, placing the cue ball with care. “But if you really want it, here you go.” I’d lined up quite the trick shot. If it worked, it would be the achievement of my pool career, and if it didn’t, oh well. I was having fun either way, something I hadn’t been able to say on my birthday in a very long time.

I hopped up on the side of the table and chalked up the end of my cue before arching backward to get just the right angle. I lined up the cue from behind my back, and with a crack, the cue ball jumped Eddie’s striped 11 and hit the solid 3, sending it straight into the upper left corner pocket. With just the perfect amount of backspin, it ended up exactly where I needed it. I got back on my feet easily and took my second shot, sending 2 hurtling into 7 and 5, and sinking them both in the side pockets. I couldn’t sink the 2 on that turn, but I hit it again so I wouldn’t scratch, and then I finally looked up at Eddie with a shit-eating grin.

He was clutching his heaving chest with one hand and his cue with the other. “Holy shit,” he gasped. A dopey grin started on the left half of his face, deepening his dimple, before spreading to the right side.

“What’s so funny, huh?”

“Nothin’. I just fuckin’ love you is all.”

“Hm, I’m not sure I believe you,” I teased. “What color’s your ring right now?”

Eddie took his hand off his heart and glanced at his mood ring. “Purpley-dark-bluey.”

“Huh, you really do still love me then.”

“Here, I’ll prove it to you.” Hopping on one foot at a time, he took his shoes and socks off, then his shirt, and then his jeans, leaving him only in his blue and white gingham check boxers. His tattoos were all on full display for me now, and he made a ta-da motion with his hands.

“But you haven’t lost yet,” I laughed.

“You earned it with that shot, I’ve never seen anybody pull off that shit before.”

“Then I’m honored, really.” The black widow high on his left peck immediately caught my eye. With a giggle, I said, “Nice to meet you, Shelob. But who’s her friend?” There was another tattoo right by it, but it had clearly been done by a different artist than his black and gray tattoos since it looked like shit.

“That’s Eddie.”

“Like, Iron Maiden’s Eddie?”

“Yep. He was the very first one I got,” he answered proudly and crossed his arms, showing off his remaining tattoos.

I bit my lip to stifle any further laughter. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings after he’d literally bared it all just for me. Besides, with the way his muscles just flexed, I wanted to get a closer look at everything. I had an idea to make that happen.

“You know, Eddie,” I started, taking a step toward him. “Since you really didn’t have to do all that, I think it’s only fair I keep this playing field level.” Painstakingly slowly, I dragged my t-shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor. Then my jeans came down, conveniently putting my cleavage directly in his line of sight while I bent over, and my socks went with them. My bra and panties were plain and mismatched, white and pink respectively, but Eddie didn’t seem to care if the tent in his boxers was anything to go by.

All of a sudden, it seemed that the shadows around us had deepened, but the moonlight streaming in through the slits in the blinds was bright as it lit stripes across our bodies, and the world was quiet. All we did was stand and stare for a moment. There was only a little hair on his chest, but the hair that trailed down over his stomach and disappeared under the waistband of his boxers was dark and coarse. I wanted to touch it. I wanted to touch his tattoos, even his worst one. I wanted to touch him. It would be so easy just to go up to him and run my hands over every exposed inch of him over and over again. Would that be going too far with the only boy who’d ever said he loved me?

The charge in the air was palpable. While I’d been studying him, he was studying me right back, lips parted and eyes so dark they were like the night sky above, each lit with stars of their own. God, his eyes were beautiful. His lashes curled effortlessly, the very definition of doe eyes. And his lips were absolutely perfect. They felt good against mine, too. He was such a nervous kisser, something I wouldn’t have expected of him from how he usually acted, but that only made it more endearing whenever he got his courage up.

I watched his throat bob as he took a step toward me. It was hard to tell most of the time because of his hair and his jacket collar, but his neck was long with defined muscles, and led to broad shoulders. The pick necklace he always wore rested between his collarbones. I wanted to kiss them. Wetting my lips with a flick of my tongue, I closed the gap between us just a little more.

“Kelly Rose, what do you want for your birthday?” Eddie asked, a huskiness in his tone that I hadn’t heard from him before. It made me smile.

“How about a kiss?”

“I already gave you my first kiss.”

I couldn’t help but gasp. “Your first?”

He nodded, “The first of hopefully many. But I didn’t plan it, so that doesn’t count as a present.”

“The money was a pretty good present I think.”

“Again, didn’t plan it. Besides, money isn’t from the heart.”

“Hm, something planned and from the heart. That’s something you’d have to choose, not me.”

Eddie was quiet for a moment before he asked, “How about my virginity?”

My pussy throbbed just at the thought of what he was proposing. It was quite the tempting offer. “I think you’ve had a little too much to drink if you’re talking like that.”

“You’re the only person in the world I’d want to have it.”

“Are you genuinely asking me to deflower you?”

“I’ll beg if that’s what you want.”

With a burst of laughter, I answered, “Tell you what. When we’re sober in the cold light of day tomorrow, if you still want me to, then I will. But for now the best I can do is first base, maybe second if you’re lucky.”

Eddie grinned, “I’m not much of a baseball guy, but I’ll take whatever you’ll give me for as long as you’ll give it to me.”

“Are you a skeet shooting guy?”

“Uh, no?”

“Damn, guess you can’t shotgun me then,” I remarked with a mock pout before turning to the bong Eddie had left on the table earlier.

He snorted a laugh behind me. “Good one. The bourbon wasn’t enough though?”

“I haven’t smoked in way too long. Besides, I didn’t forget all your bragging about your high-quality weed. Time to put your money where my mouth is.”

There was half a bowl left from when he’d smoked that afternoon, so I lit the half that was still green and fresh. The taste brought me right back to being thirteen again. I blew out a smoke ring that drifted lazily across the kitchen until it hit the window and dispersed into the air.

“Well? Is it up to your standards?”

“It’ll do,” I replied with an approving nod.

“You blow smoke rings like Bilbo.”

“I used to have a pipe just like Bilbo’s.”

“But can you do a French inhale?” Eddie took a turn next, and watching the thick smoke pour from between his lips to be breathed into his nose while in only his underwear was undeniably the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

“I’ve never gotten the hang of the French inhale, but I do know how to French kiss.”

Eddie licked his lips. “Is that right?”

“Sure is. Maybe we can work out some French quid pro quo here.”

“I like the sound of that.”

He did teach me how to French inhale, and while he did it, we got steadily higher. It got to the point where we were sleepily giggling about nothing at all, just looking at each other from across the little table.

“I think it’s time for bed,” I commented after he yawned.

“You can’t take the nightshift like this, you’re fuckin’ wasted Kelly Rose.”

“I am not!” I laughed.

“Yeah you are, I saw how much you drank and then we finished that bowl. It was fuckin’ packed,” he snickered.

“Well whose fault is that? Tryna make me sleep on the job.”

“I think we should both go to bed.”

“But what if somebody comes around?”

“Nobody’s comin’ around here this late. And it’s your birthday, so we’re protected.”

My shoulders shook as I laughed. “Is that how it works?”

“For sure. Now let’s go.”

“Hooold your horses there, bub. We haven’t showered or brushed our teeth.”

“We’ll keep ‘til morning. Besides, you wanna shower in the dark?”

“The moon’s out, it’ll be fine. It’ll be like going for a night swim.”

“What if a cloud goes by?”

Rolling my eyes with a giggle, I went to the window above the sink and threw open the curtains. “See? Not a cloud in the sky.” But when I turned to show Eddie, he wasn’t looking outside. He was looking right at me. He was almost always looking at me, and if his attention was drawn away by something else, his eyes would seek me out as soon as they could. I’d noticed that on my first day at Hawkins High, and every day after. It was a level of attention I hadn’t dared to crave from anyone before, but now that I had it and understood it, I reveled in every second of it. With a grin, I asked coyly, “See somethin’ you like?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

It was so easy to forget our state of undress with liquor and sheer giddiness keeping us warm all night. But we were both starkly reminded in that moment, and it gave me an idea that only cheap whiskey and too much weed could’ve produced in my synapses. “Well, like I said, I’m taking a shower and brushing my teeth before bed. Join me or don’t,” I shrugged before nonchalantly taking off my bra and panties. I dropped them on his head as I walked past without a second glance, and made a point of bending over slower and longer than necessary to retrieve my backpack from the living room.

I was halfway down the hall to the bathroom before I heard the loud scraping of a wooden chair against the linoleum floor of the kitchen and pounding footfalls following my path. “Tinuviel, wait!”

I turned to face him in the doorway of the bathroom. “I’m Luthien now? I thought I was Elbereth.”

Eddie’s chest was heaving, but I didn’t think it was from the short distance he ran. “Neither of ‘em could’ve been as beautiful as you,” he replied breathlessly.

Coming from any other guy in the world, I would’ve brushed off the compliment as empty flattery. He wasn’t any other guy, though. He was Edward Thomas Munson, and I could see as plain as day that he meant every word. His eyes weren’t roving my body like I was a piece of meat, they were locked on mine, so full to the brim with love for me that it made my heart pang in turn. “Well then, Beren, or Manwe, or Frodo, or whoever you are. Come on,” I said with a soft smile and a nod toward the bathtub.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’ll have a boner the whole time.”

At that, I had to laugh. “You know I’m wet already. You’re a dirty liar if you try to tell me you didn’t sniff my panties.”

Even standing in the dark hallway I could see him turn crimson. “So… this is okay?”

“Totally okay,” I nodded.

“Is it okay if I touch you?”

“Only if I can touch you too.”

“Is it okay if I kiss you?”

“Only if I can kiss you too.”

“Is it… is it okay if I wash you?” His left hand flexed and the tent in his boxers seemed to grow already just at the thought.

I grinned, “Only if I can wash you too.”

“But no deflowering?”

“Not until tomorrow.”

He pouted. What a cute fucking pout. “Okay.”

With a giggle, I stepped onto the linoleum and put my backpack on the closed toilet lid. Eddie came in behind me as I started taking off my earrings. I left them in a divot on the side of the sink where a bar of soap was supposed to go before I looked up at him in the mirror. He began taking off his own jewelry, starting with the rings on his left hand. He collected all of his rings in his palm before depositing them in the large center of my wavy hoop earrings. His necklace was draped over the pile last.

The only shower product in there was a half-used bottle of Neutrogena Rainbath, so I set my shampoo and hairbrush on the edge of the tub. “Could you grab us some towels?”

While he was busy, I opened the blinds just enough to let the silver moonlight fill the small space and started the shower. It would take a bit for the pipes to warm up anyway after months of disuse. When Eddie came back, he had a pile of multicolored towels in his arms. “Where do you want ‘em?”

“One on the floor and the rest on the sink, please,” I giggled. Once everything was prepped and the water was slowly getting warm enough to shower comfortably in, all that was left was for Eddie to take his boxers off. He hesitated. If he wanted an out, I’d give him one. “There’s really no pressure, Eddie. I won’t take long and you can just shower after me, or see if there’s one upstairs.”

“No! No, no, no, I definitely wanna shower with you. I’m just… nervous, I guess.”

“Well, you’ve showered with other boys before, right?”

“Yeah, there’s no avoiding that after Gym.”

“And I’ve showered with girls. So there’s no difference. It’s just like if we were in the locker room.”

“Um, the difference is I wasn’t in love with any of them.”

I couldn’t help but smile every time he said things like that. “Eddie, you wanted me to take your virginity. We can only do that with your boxers off. If you aren’t okay with that, that’s totally fine, but any future deflowering would have to be off the table.”

Eddie tensed, but sudden determination filled his gaze. With a deep breath, he clamped his eyes shut and pulled his boxers down, letting them pool around his ankles. I gasped as his cock sprung free, the sound making him wince. “Do you hate it?” He peaked one eye open for a split second and shut it tight again. “You hate it.”

Alright, time for a little background. I’ve only had one boyfriend before, and his was the only dick I’d seen up to this point— which, considering how many potential flashers walked the streets of Indianapolis, New York, and Baltimore late at night, was frankly a miracle. But my ex, Larry, wasn’t exactly what you might call well-endowed. It barely even stung when I’d lost my virginity to him, if that’s any indication of what I’m talking about here. Eddie, however, made me wonder how he’d ever be able to fit if things got that far. The nest of thick curls and waves surrounding his cock did nothing to mask the fullness of his length and width.

He still wasn’t opening his eyes, just standing there with his fists clenched, waiting for me to say something. How could he have thought this was something to be embarrassed about? “Eddie, please look at me.” He hesitated for a beat, but he did as I asked, and I continued, “I don’t hate it at all. I’m intimidated for sure, but I definitely don’t hate it.”

“Intimidated?”

“Eddie, you could play baseball with that thing.”

His lips parted in shock before he threw his head back and roared with laughter, all his nervousness leaving him at once. I joined in, glad the tension was broken, and after a moment he said, “That’s good since I’m trying to hit a homerun tomorrow.”

“So much for not being a baseball kinda guy,” I winked. “Now let’s get in, I don’t want the water getting cold after I waited this long for it to heat up.” I stepped over the side of the tub and got under the spray. Eddie followed and got in behind me, closing the shower curtain. “So, what’s your method? I go from the top down,” I asked after wetting my hair.

Eddie’s eyes roved from the top of my head town to my candy apple red toes. “I wash my hair last,” he answered distractedly.

“Oh good, then we can switch off. I’ll use the shampoo first while you use the soap, then we’ll switch. I’ll scooch past you so you can use the water.”

“Actually, you use it first, I can wait,” he said with a growing grin.

“Enjoying the show?”

“Best I’ve ever seen.”

“I can tell,” I said with a nod at his hard-on. Just as I was about to pour the shampoo in my hand, Eddie reached around me and snatched it. “Hey!”

“You said I can wash you.”

There was that look in his eyes again. That glimmering, shining light from within him was burning as brightly as stars. His smile was so handsome, so captivatingly lit by the moon-glow from behind the white curtain. There truly had never been a sweeter boy than Eddie in the world.

I turned so that my back was facing him. I heard the click of the cap opening, then the squelching sound of the shampoo being squeezed out. The scent of it filled the steamy space as he lathered it between his hands. Then, he started with my scalp. Gently digging his fingers in, he massaged the shampoo through my hair carefully. It felt so good that I moaned.

His fingers froze for just a second, but then went back to the same spot and massaged slower, with just a little more pressure. “Fuck, Eddie, that’s so good,” I sighed. Without realizing, I’d been moving backward toward him, following the heavenly feeling of his fingers. His erection poked my lower back to both of our surprise.

“Oh, fuck,” he whimpered. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I practically purred from flattery, taking a step backward so that I was fully leaning into his chest, his cock pressed completely against me. “Keep going.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he gasped.

“Mm, I like the sound of that.”

When Eddie had no choice but to accept that he’d made sure every strand of my hair was clean and refreshed, I got back under the water to rinse. Did I purposefully strike poses that highlighted all my best assets while rinsing just to drive him wild as the water and suds rolled over every inch of me? Of course, who wouldn’t in my position? And it paid off, too. I caught him actually drooling while he watched me.

Just as I was about to show him some mercy, he started lathering up the body wash. “Come ‘ere,” he grinned. It gave me an idea.

“You know,” I began, “you taught me to French inhale, but I haven’t taught you to French kiss yet. I think we’ll go over the lesson while you finish washing me. You’ll feel more comfortable having something to do with your hands.” I sauntered up and pressed myself into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. At the feeling, he made the cutest little gasp, and his hands found my hips. “Now, I’m gonna go real slow. When you feel me lick your lips, just open your mouth a little bit, not too wide. Then all you have to do is pay attention to my tongue. Just do what I do, okay?”

He nodded. We leaned in. The second our lips touched, his hands squeezed me, clearly nervous again. But I didn’t give him time to overthink, slotting my lips over his. He hadn’t tried to move his lips whenever we’d kissed before, so I thought it was the perfect place to start and build up his confidence. He moved with me, hesitantly at first, but then quickly got the hang of it. He was a natural, in fact. That was when his hands finally started moving, soaping me up as they traveled tentatively over my lower back.

When I trailed my tongue across the seam of his lips, they parted with a gasp. Not one of shock or nerves, though, but undoubtedly a gasp of pleasure. It made seeking out his tongue with mine that much easier. The second they met, I moved one hand to the nape of his neck and gently pulled on the hair there. He moaned into my mouth and met my tongue swipe for swipe, his hands now roaming over my entire back as he pulled me even closer. I moaned quietly at all the sensations, and he pulled away far too soon for my liking.

Panting, he asked, “How was it?”

With a wide grin, I took his left hand and placed it on my ass cheek, then did the same with his right hand over my breast. “Keep going.”

He gave me an experimental squeeze, making me arch and gasp at the feeling. Then, he dove in for another kiss, moaning into me as our tongues entwined again. His hands were wild now, rubbing and squeezing anywhere and everywhere they could reach. When he put his leg between mine to turn me to lean back against the cold tile wall, I moaned louder than before as he accidentally pressed against my clit, and he swallowed the sound greedily. He was driving me absolutely insane. By the time he pulled away again, I was panting hard.

“Still good?”

“Very good. But if you don’t get washed up soon the water’ll be cold.”

“Fuck the water,” he scoffed, dipping his head to start another kiss.

I stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Nuh uh, we had a deal. You’ve washed me for the most part, now I get to wash you. Fair’s fair.”

“Will you kiss me while you wash me?” he asked with puppy-dog eyes and a pout.

Fuck, he really was goddamn adorable. “Maybe, but there’s only one way to find out.”

I went over any spots he’d missed quickly and rinsed. When we traded places, I got the shampoo ready. “Hey,” he said, “I do that last, remember?”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna try my way and realize it’s better.”

“Oh yeah?”

“You’ll see.”

He was so much bigger than me that having him lean back the way I had wouldn’t work, so I returned to our previous position with my hands in his hair and my body practically glued to his. Resting my elbows on his shoulders made it a lot easier to reach every square inch of his scalp. As I massaged the shampoo through his curls, scraping my long nails against his scalp as I went, his eyes were rolling from pleasure. He whimpered when I stopped and pulled away.

Once his hair was free of suds, I moved on to his body. It was a veritable playground of ridges and planes and soft skin. I’d wanted to see all his tattoos, and I got to know each line individually with my exploratory fingers and lips. Wherever there was ink, I kissed every inch of every image softly, memorizing them as I went. Under my touch, his swarm of bats became a constellation in my mind, his demonic marionette became a trusted confidant, his wyvern became a guardian spirit, and his black widow became an old friend. Even his Eddie could’ve passed for a masterpiece by Edvard Munch in the lowlight.

So entranced was I with his body that I could hardly force myself to stop when the water began to lose its warmth. I knew I had to, though; it wouldn’t be fair if I hogged all the hot water and didn’t leave enough for Eddie to rinse with. Regretfully, I pulled away and let him finish. But even as he went through the motions of concluding his shower, his eyes never left me. They were the darkest I’d ever seen them, yet blazing with light at the same time. I’d never wished for a shower to last forever before, but in that moment, I did; and I meant it. It was my birthday wish.

When the water was turned off, neither of us wanted to leave yet, so we took turns brushing our hair while the remaining steam still surrounded us. The time came where we had no choice but to end our time in Rick’s tub, though, so I took the top two towels on the pile for myself and wrapped my body and hair in them. There were two left for Eddie, so I offered, “Want me to put your hair up in a twist too?”

“Oh, fuck yeah.” With the towel around his hips secured, I had him bend over so I could gather all his hair in the remaining towel and twisted it into place on top of his head. “I always wondered how girls did that.”

“Isn’t it fun?”

“And fabulous,” he replied, striking as girlish of a pose as he knew how. I broke up laughing, and it only broadened his grin.

We brushed our teeth one at a time, with him insisting that ladies should always go first, and I forced him to take a couple pain relievers and drink as much water as he could from the tap before bed. I followed suit, assuring him, “You’ll thank me in the morning.”

When we emerged, the chill of the house had taken back over for the night, making me shiver in only my towels. Eddie tended to run warm, but even he wasn’t immune, so we retrieved our underwear as we made our way through the first floor. I double-checked that the doors and windows were all locked and grabbed the walkie talkie to take with us. Better safe than sorry, especially if we were forgoing a night-watch.

“Hey, Kelly Rose?” Eddie called from the living room.

“Yeah?”

“If you’re cold, you could wear my shirt to bed. Rick’s got flannel sheets, so you’ll warm up quick.” He came into view in the doorway of the kitchen, holding up his offered shirt to me.

“Is it clean?”

He lifted one of the sleeves and smelled the armpit area. “Smells like deodorant and fabric softener to me.”

I took a whiff too, and to my pleasant surprise, he was right. “You’re a Downy man, huh?”

“Yeah, Wayne won’t buy Snuggle ‘cause the bear’s too girlie.”

“Now that’s a cryin’ shame.”

“He’s got a reputation to protect down at the plant, so I get it.”

“I’m sure he’s the manliest man on the nightshift,” I giggled. Taking the shirt, I unwrapped my towels and threw it over my head. My panties went on last, and when I straightened, Eddie was staring at me with the dopiest lovesick grin I’d seen yet. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I want you to wear my shirts all the time.”

“Maybe we’ll start trading. You can wear my CBGB shirt and impress all your friends.”

“God, I fuckin’ love you, Kelly Rose.”

“We’ll see if you still mean that tomorrow.”

“Trust me, I will.”

Once we’d made ourselves at home upstairs in Rick’s bed, which aside from the dust had been clean, we ended up facing each other and just staring in silence for a while. I decided to be the one to break it. “Thank you for everything today. This has been the best birthday I’ve had since I was a kid.”

“What a way to kick off adulthood, huh?” I giggled, but he didn’t join in aside from smiling. I could tell that something was on his mind. “Kelly Rose?”

“Eddie?”

“Why’d you lick me at lunch?”

“Well…” I began, getting my thoughts together. “I wanted to shock you, and it was the first thing I could think of to do,” I explained softly. “But why’d you jump like that and ruin my lunch? I paid a whole buck-fifty for that, you know.”

“You can afford it I think,” he said, finally chuckling a little. “And I told you, the ruining your lunch part was an accident. I just… I didn’t know how else to get you to maybe talk to me. You’re a brick wall when you wanna be, and it was making me insane. Seriously, I could hardly think straight with you pretending I didn’t exist. I was ready to try just about anything if it’d get you to notice me for a second.”

“Eddie… I owe you an apology.” At that, his eyebrows shot up in interest. “When I got to Hawkins, it was horrible for me. I’ve been through a lot, and I was already so upset about transferring schools that when you tried to talk to me that first day, I wrote you off immediately. I shouldn’t’ve done that and I’m sorry. And I shouldn’t’ve done it every time after either. I judged you, and I assumed all kinds of shit about you, and I was completely wrong about everything. Please, forgive me.”

Before he answered me, he pulled me into his bare chest for a hug. “Apology accepted, but there’s nothing to forgive. You’re here now.”

[livpet]

no matter what your most embarrassing moment in life is, at least it’s not having fucking chat gpt write fanfic for you bc you’re too lazy to do it yourself

[livpet]

Venus in Furs Chapter Three: You Really Got Me

Saturday, March 22nd, 1986. Eddie’s POV.

The gravitational pull of my life had been completely off its axis since the moment I crashed headfirst into awareness of Kelly Rose Turner’s existence. And that was in no way, shape, or form an exaggeration. I can’t figure out how a dumb son of a bitch like me ended up being the luckiest man alive overnight. I’ll just start at the very beginning and see if hindsight can help me out here.

I still remember the way I choked on my own spit when I walked into first period, late as usual, only to find her in my seat. Everyone knew by now that the farthest desk in the room that was nearest to the windows, no matter what class it might be, was reserved for me. It always had been, ever since freshman year. But she was new, and apparently no one had bothered to inform her. Probably because she was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her.

I swear to God, I felt the world tilt in that instant. I physically swooned when the scent of her perfume invaded my unsuspecting lungs and forced all my synapses to fire at once, permanently imbedding itself in every corner of my brain. It had to be hers, no one else had ever smelled like that before, whether in Hawkins or in my sweetest wet dreams. My legs turned to jelly in a second flat, leaving me leaning against the doorframe just to stay on my feet. The most perfect amalgamation of every girl I’d ever fantasized about, real or fictional, alive or dead, was just sitting there like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she’d always been there.

In case you couldn’t tell, hair is important to me. Her hair was so impossibly blonde it was white. It gleamed under the fluorescent lights; as shiny and smooth as silk, like the bedsheets I wanted to lay her down on, like the negligee I wanted to divest her of slowly after feasting my eyes on her for as long as I could stand, like the wedding dress I wanted her to wear for me as she walked down the aisle; as soft and perfectly arranged as the gently falling snow outside the window to her left, so perfect I couldn’t wait to mess it up as soon as I got the chance and hoped to Christ she’d let me stay home with her and make a whole snow-day out of it. Every strand tumbled effortlessly and uninhibited down to her waist like a crystal clear waterfall. I could swear there was even a faint glittering mist surrounding her.

She didn’t even so much as look up when I opened the door. I needed this testament to nature’s majesty to look at me.

Mrs. O’Donnell cleared her throat that terse way she always did when she was pissed. “Find a seat, Mr. Munson. I’d expect you’d know by now what time class starts.”

The girl’s eyes flicked to Mrs. O’Donnell, but they didn’t turn to me. I needed her to look at me. “And I’d expect you to know by now that Mr. Munson is my uncle and my desk is always reserved. Who’s the new girl?” She still wouldn’t spare me a glance.

“Last I checked, there is no assigned seating in my classes, so you’ll have to make do with the desks that are still available to you. The early bird gets the worm, after all. And had you been here on time, not only would you be in your preferred seat right now, but you would’ve been present for Miss Turner’s introduction.” At the sound of her name, finally, finally she looked right at me for just the shortest split second. That was all it took for her face to sear itself directly onto my frontal lobe with what felt like the hottest iron in the known universe. With just one fateful meeting of our eyes, the girl branded me. Whether she knew it or not, she owned me now. I was as helpless to stop it as when Beren glimpsed Luthien for the first time. “Let this be a lesson to you. Now, sit, Eddie.”

Almost the entire back row was available to me. Obviously, I had to take the seat right next to her.

She was back to not looking anywhere near me. That simply wouldn’t do.

“Hey,” I whispered once Mrs. O’Donnell was back on her soapbox about the upcoming semester. I received no response for my greeting. “So, no chance you’ll trade seats with me?”

Keeping her eyes forward, she whispered back, “Not on your life.”

Jesus H. Christ, even her whispers were hot beyond the capacity of the human mind to fully comprehend. I had to keep her talking. “Come on, what do you need that silly old desk for? You’d have a better view of the board where I’m sitting.”

“If this desk is so silly and old, then there’s no reason for you to want it so badly. I’m doing you a favor taking it off your hands. You’re welcome.”

“Feisty, I like that.” Oh no. Oh no. She turned her head away from me completely toward the window. I’d gone too far. But how could I possibly stop when even the back of her head was perfect? “I’m Eddie, by the way. Eddie Munson.”

“Charmed, I’m sure.”

My dream girl was not only a religious experience just to behold, but she was sarcastic too. I couldn’t say I was a goner because that implied some time between now and my imminent demise. I was already gone for her. Flatlined.

Actually, come to think of it, that would be a great name for a song. I’d talk to the boys about that later.

I had to wait until our next class together, Home Ec with Mrs. Campbell, before I found out her first name. I was late again, but this time it was an accident. I spaced out so hard at my locker while thinking about her between classes that I didn’t come back to reality until the late bell rang. And there she was, right in my preferred seat, like she was waiting for me. My knees managed not to give out at the mere sight of her this time, but only barely.

Mrs. Campbell made her stand beside her desk, beside me, and introduce herself to the class. Only inches away now, I got an unobstructed view of everything. Every last millimeter of her, from the top of her head to the soles of her Converse high-tops, was objectively flawless. If just the sight of her wasn’t enough to strain my precarious at best self-control, hearing the soft, sweet words, “I’m Kelly Turner. Nice to meet you all,” sent electricity down my spine and straight to my dick. That moment marked the first of many, many boners I’d be getting before, during, and after school for Kelly Turner. If her whispers were hot, her voice at full volume was an aphrodisiac that science hadn’t discovered yet. If I could just capture it, distill it, and mass produce it, I’d win multiple Nobel Prizes, including the Peace Prize. But, let’s be honest, even if I could do all that, I wouldn’t in a million years. I wanted her, all of her, all for myself.

Class began, and I began yet another fruitless attempt to get her to switch seats with me. I didn’t even want the seat. If anything, I was glad that she of all people had been the one to take it from me. No, I was just desperate to talk to her about something, anything at all.

I’m not sure what I did to get on the Big Man’s good side, but somehow, my schedule was almost identical to hers. And on top of that, the only class I didn’t have with her was an elective I was actually interested in, so I knew I’d pass at least one class with flying colors. Wayne would be proud.

By lunch, whatever spell Kelly Turner had woven around me was in full effect. She was all I could think about. She was all my eyes could be bothered to see. Even when she wasn’t making a sound, and by God could she be absolutely silent when she wanted to be, her voice was still echoing in my ears. And nothing had ever been strong enough to cut through the smell of the cafeteria before she and her perfume infiltrated the unsuspecting halls of Hawkins High. Now, the scent of the food sitting in front of me and my friends didn’t even register in my senses. She was three tables away in the very back of the cafeteria, but she might as well have been right next to me again with how raptly I was fixated on her. God, what I wouldn’t give to have her next to me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, until the end of time. But next was my only class without her, the only class I had with any of my friends, and the thought of being completely cut off from her supply for even an hour was a torture the likes of which I’d never known. And as the town freak, that was really saying something.

“So, who’s got any classes with the new smoke show? And who’s gonna trade schedules with me?” Jeff lisped with a sly grin, his braces glinting as he nodded in her direction.

“Man, do you really think anybody would be stupid enough to trade with you and give that up?” asked Gareth incredulously.

Lucas Sinclair, one of the freshmen who’d joined Hellfire as soon as the school year started, looked around before saying, “Nobody tell Max I said this, but goddamn that new girl’s fine.”

Dustin Henderson, my favorite of the freshman flock, punched Lucas in the arm. “Dude! We have girlfriends!”

Mike Wheeler, the third and final freshman, observed his elders with a shit-eating grin. “Yep, all of us have girlfriends already. As freshmen. Didn’t you guys say once that none of you’ve even gone on a date? What’s that like?”

“First of all,” I interjected, pointing a ringed finger at Wheeler, “Mayfield dumped Sinclair, again, so he’s just as single as the rest of us. Second,” I broke out the air quotes for this one, “’Jane’ and ‘Suzie’ probably don’t exist. You’re not fooling anybody, Wheeler.”

“Hey!” Henderson interjected. “I resent that! Suzie exists, she just lives in Utah.”

“Uh huh, sure,” I snickered along with Gareth and Jeff.

Doug hadn’t said a word, and that was very unusual. He was turning redder by the minute, his mouth screwed up like he was bursting at the seams to say something but trying to keep it contained. He lost whatever battle he was fighting, though, and mumbled with his head down, “Her locker is right next to mine.”

That confession, which had almost been lost in the din of the cafeteria but still needed no explanation, caused all of us to lean in as close as possible and shout at once, “WHAT?!”

“Trade lockers with me,” I demanded in a rush.

“Oh, hell no, if he’s trading with anyone it’s gonna be me,” asserted Jeff.

Gareth, pointing a finger so close to Doug he nearly poked him in the eye, said, “I’ll do your homework for the rest of the year if you trade with me.”

Doug shook his head, unmoved. “You’ll have to take my locker from my cold, dead hands, gentlemen. I’ve gotten to be up close and personal with her for five minutes between every single class so far, and I’m not giving that up for the world. She said good morning and smiled at me first thing today. And have you smelled her?” Doug took a deep breath in, held it, then exhaled in a sigh that could only come from someone totally and completely smitten.

Okay, I was jealous. I’d been feeling pretty smug up to that point, safe in the knowledge that I could blow them all out of the water with the mere mention of my class schedule and seating arrangement. But the thought of Kelly Turner smiling at Douglas Goode of all people instead of me had my fists clenching under the table. I’d been with her almost the entire day, and I hadn’t seen her smile yet. The polite quirking she’d do with the corners of her diabolically delectable mouth when she’d answer a teacher or put up with somebody introducing themselves to her definitely didn’t count.

“What was her smile like?” asked Gareth in wonder.

Doug leaned into the group, and we all leaned in even closer to hear his answer. “Just like the rest of her: perfect.”

With a simultaneous groan, we all dramatically fell back into our seats, in equal parts elated and devastated by the news. Yes, she was perfect. There was absolutely no denying that. But perfection, especially of such magnitude, was impossible to ignore. She wasn’t just some pretty girl we’d all privately daydream about but never mention. No, she was all-consuming, able to command attention with only a whisper, able to overwhelm all our senses at once without ever lifting a finger. She was going to be a regular topic of conversation from this moment until we were too old and senile to hold a conversation anymore. Even then, though, I knew that if we got to the point where we couldn’t remember our own names, we’d still be saying hers like a desperate prayer on the wind.

Things started moving fast after that. Between getting ready for the first Hellfire session of the semester, practicing with Corroded Coffin— everyone liked Flatlined for a song title, by the way— and selling as many drugs as I could to as many students as possible to make up for my lost profits during Winter Break, I managed to make it until the end of the week before it got out during lunch that I was spending all day, every day, only a foot and a half away Kelly Turner. The reaction from the boys was so loud and chaotic that it actually got her attention from across the cafeteria, and when her glittering green eyes landed on us due to the noise, the words we were about to lob at each other died a swift death in all of our throats. We kept it together for the remainder of lunch, and to their credit, Jeff, and Doug managed to resist committing a full mutiny against me during Music Theory. But it was only because they planned an ambush for me at Hellfire that night along with Gareth and the freshmen. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t pretty.

From there, though, things settled into a routine. At the beginning of lunch every day, Doug would report on anything he noticed about Kelly when he’d see her at their lockers, and I’d report on anything I noticed during class. To everyone’s great disappointment, there was hardly anything new to tell most days. She still always made a point of greeting Doug with a smile in the mornings, though, and that incensed me to no end for two reasons: number one, she had still yet to smile in my presence no matter what I did or said during class. And let me tell you, I’d been doing my damnedest to get a reaction, any reaction, but she would either look dead ahead at the board or out the window in total silence. I felt like I was losing my mind. I spent so much time trying to think up scenarios where she might pay me even an iota of attention, but Doug got her smiles every single day— Trust me, we’d been counting— without having to do anything at all to earn them. And number two, my locker was on the complete opposite end of the hallway, so it was impossible for me to see her legendary smile in person even from a distance. She was constantly so close, but still so incredibly far, and the gap between us wasn’t becoming any less with time, even when I started slowly pushing our desks closer and closer together during class. That was how my days were spent for months, until the afternoon of March 21st, when everything, and I mean everything, changed.

It was the day I’d declared ’86 to be my year. I could feel it in my bones. Things were different now from every year that had ever come before. I’d been full of shit up to that point, just as I’d told the boys. But now we were living in a world where Kelly Turner had graced Hawkins with her presence, and with her came a new stirring in the winds of fate that was palpable.

I hadn’t lied to her when I said ruining her lunch was an accident. It was the last thing I’d intended to do, really. But when I saw her coming my way, I was compelled to get her attention by any means necessary, as per usual. So, I say to myself, what would it hurt if I just jumped off the table and landed in front of her? She would at least have to say something to me in that scenario, and I could even try and convince her to sit at my table since she still hadn’t found a permanent place to sit yet, so it seemed great, foolproof even. Except it was anything but great and foolproof, and I ended up being on the receiving end of the only volcanic eruption I’d ever seen out of Kelly Turner. Seriously, she even turned glowing red like molten lava. I wondered how red I could make her get in a vastly different, far more pleasurable situation.

I couldn’t act the way I wanted to with her, though. I was in the cafeteria, having just accosted everyone I possibly could as publicly as possible, and was now being accosted in kind by the only girl in the world who actually mattered. All I wanted was to dip her low and kiss her until I couldn’t breathe anymore. But I had to be Eddie “The Freak” Munson here at school, not just Eddie. So, I did what I always did during school confrontations, and purposefully pissed her off. Slowly, I bent down to her Lilliputian level before making devil horns and sticking my tongue out right in her face. In turn, after everyone in the vicinity burst into laughter at her expense, she did what no one had ever done, and licked me from the tip of my tongue as far back as she could reach without our lips touching. It was the closest I’d gotten to a first kiss.

The silence was deafening all around us at that point, or maybe I just thought it was from the sudden ringing in my ears. For a second there, I actually thought that I might be dreaming, because there was no way that this was real life. But then she started talking, and she smirked the most captivating smirk that had ever been formed in human history, and I had no choice but to cling to every word that left those cruelly curled, pillow-soft lips.

I hadn’t even realized my jaw was practically dragging on the floor until she used one finger to shut it for me. It was the first time she ever touched me, and my chin tingled where her finger had been. Then, almost as quickly as she had arrived, she was walking away from me and out the cafeteria doors. I finally got my bearings back when the doors banged shut behind her. I had to follow her, to apologize, or maybe to get her to yell at me again. With every word she had uttered to me still bouncing between one ear and the other like they were playing Pong, I took a step in the direction she’d left in, only to hear the squelch of her lunch under my shoe. Oh, right. She’d told me to clean it up. And clean it up I most certainly did.

I thought for sure that I’d never get the chance to hear Kelly Turner speak again after that. And it wasn’t even a question that any hope of seeing her smile was gone too. I couldn’t blame her, either. The boys, especially the freshmen, wasted no time explaining in excruciating detail how she would likely decimate me any way she could if I ever so much as looked in her direction again. It made a pit form in my stomach I couldn’t ignore. And when she skipped class later that afternoon, which I knew for certain she had never done before, it only confirmed everything the boys had said and made the pit double in size.

Little did any of us know that luck was on all our sides for once. I thought that allowing Sinclair’s halfling of a sister to sub for him during Hellfire would be a disaster, especially since it was the final session of the campaign. Of all the people in the world, though, it was Erica Sinclair who got a smile out of Kelly Turner. And not just a small quirk at the corner of her rosebud lips or a brief but polite flash of her teeth, but a beaming, joyful grin that was so warm it made me sweat just at the sight of it. In that instant, I knew seeing her grin like that only once simply wasn’t an option for me. I had to see that exact smile every day until my last day. I had to be the reason she smiled like that. If I’d known that all it took was a pencil and a plastic fork, I would’ve gladly given her every pencil and fork in the entire state of Indiana. Hell, I’d even throw in all the pens and spoons and knives if she wanted them, too. Anything for her.

When Kelly walked out, promising to come right back to return the borrowed pencil, everyone at the table except Erica descended into frantically whispered shouts about what was happening. Henderson and Wheeler were already figuring out the most devastating way to tell Sinclair that he missed an actual miracle occur in our midst after everything that had happened at lunch, and it was all thanks to his little sister. Doug and Jeff both managed to pat Erica on the back for her seemingly impossible feat before she scoffed and shrugged them off. Gareth was holding his head between his hands in total disbelief, but that didn’t stop him from joining Henderson and Wheeler in their plotting. Then the door opened again, and all the whispers ceased.

“Roll high and kill lots of monsters,” she’d said in parting. She didn’t make fun of us, didn’t attempt to force her way into our space, and made it clear that she knew what we were playing and how it worked. I, like any red-blooded American man, had experienced my fair share of infatuations before, and it would be an insult to call what I now felt for Kelly Turner mere infatuation. I was utterly and undeniably in love with her. I always had been, really. I just had a new, tangible reason to hold onto now, one that she offered up herself in the friendliest gesture I’d ever seen from her. I’d dreamed of such a moment for months, and it came and went all too soon.

I was so in love with her, in fact, that when Erica rolled a nat 20 to kill Vecna, I immediately attributed it to Kelly’s last words to us. They hadn’t just been a farewell, they’d been a blessing over the entire party that only an actual angel could’ve provided. I laughed so hysterically as everyone cheered and celebrated that I fell back into my throne clutching my stomach where the pit had been all day, elated by everything that had happened that night. What a perfect way to end my tenure as Hellfire’s Dungeon Master.

But the miracles didn’t stop there. Kelly, against all odds, was right there when I walked through the doors. We talked that night. Really talked. She was nothing like what I’d first thought, she was even better. Despite my extremely vivid and overactive imagination, she was far grander in person than anything I could’ve come up with in a million years, but in a way that couldn’t be faked. And at the end, the final great miracle came. She offered me her hand to shake as partners and friends, even quoting the famous last line from Casablanca to seal the deal. What a class act. I had thought to myself at the time that I’d never wash my right hand again if it meant keeping the tingling in my fingers and palm, the only evidence of our interaction, from fading with time.

Then everything went to shit in ways that my mind still couldn’t really wrap itself around. But just when all hope seemed to be well and truly lost for me, there she was, seemingly conjured out of thin air.

God, the way she looked when she called to me from the road. The biggest full moon I’d ever seen was half-risen over the horizon right behind her, framing her and bathing her in the most incredible otherworldly glow. It shined off her hair and eyes and jacket just right to make her a pearlescent beacon of hope in the surrounding darkness. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life.

The more I found out about her, the less I felt like I understood her, yet it drove me to find out even more. I couldn’t stop myself. That night she smiled and laughed just for me, and she got me to do the same despite the circumstances. When I talked, she listened, really listened, and she believed me. When I needed help with anything, everything, she was right there doing whatever she could for me. She made me blush. And just when I thought the night would be over and she’d leave me to my fate, she made a bed for me and sang me to sleep when I was too afraid to shut my eyes. Between Chrissy and my growing fear of the mob that would certainly come for me, I thought closing my eyes would be torture. But the same way my voice was made for metal, hers was made for lullabies. The same way my hands were made to shred my Warlock, hers were made for soothing every trouble from my brow until there were none left to hurt me. I hadn’t fallen asleep that quickly and comfortably since Mom was still around.

Oh yeah, now. The present. I remembered why I was going over all of this again, not that I ever needed a specific reason to ruminate on the wonder that was Kelly Rose Turner. It was morning now, so none of it had been a dream. I really was here alone with her, so I really was the luckiest man alive somehow, but I was no closer to understanding the trick of fate that got me to this moment. Maybe I’d figure it out one day, when I didn’t have her to focus on. I hoped that day would never come.

She hadn’t noticed me peaking at her from where I was laying. Her eyes were flicking dutifully between the front and back doors, the smoke of her cigarette curling delicately upward from the glowing red cherry that was coming dangerously close to her fingers. She’d promised to keep watch, and based on the full ashtray beside her, she kept her promise. She’d promised she wouldn’t leave me, and she hadn’t, even though anyone in their right mind would’ve. She’d promised to be my friend, and she’d already proven her friendship to be worth its weight in gold.

Her ever-watchful eyes turned to me as she stubbed out her cigarette, and she smiled when she noticed I’d woken up. My heart started racing. “Good morning,” she whispered into the little space that separated us.

Finally, finally, I was getting the Doug treatment. But I highly doubted she ever smiled at him the way she was at me right then. “Happy birthday, Kelly Rose,” I answered, returning her smile sleepily, my voice still thick and gravelly.

At that, her dark green eyes shined from the inside out, full of warmth like dappled light reaching the forest floor on a summer day. Just like the eyes of Tolkien’s Elves and Ents. Just like I’d wanted them to shine every time I tried to talk to her in class this semester. “Thank you, Eddie.”

For a moment I just lied there, grinning like a complete dope. Then I noticed her hair was mussed from running her hands through it all night, her mascara on the inner and outer corners of her eyes was smudged where she must’ve rubbed them while fighting sleep, and she’d folded herself uncomfortably into Rick’s worst chair from the kitchen table just so I wouldn’t be alone. It was already well past daybreak. She had to be exhausted, and here I was, keeping her from sleeping. On her birthday no less.

I threw the blanket off of me and sprang to my feet, startling her. “Fuck, how long was I asleep for?!” Checking my watch, it was just past 9am. I’d slept for hours straight like an idiot. “Shit, shit, shit, I’m so sorry, Kelly Rose. Here, you take a nap and I’ll be the lookout now. I can make lunch when you wake up if you want?”

My distress was amusing to her. She giggled so hard she had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself. “That’s sweet of you, but let’s not worry about it unless you’re hungry for breakfast first,” she said. I was a little hungry, but I shook my head instead of admitting it. “Well, in that case, you stand watch for a few minutes. My mouth tastes like an ashtray and I gotta piss like a racehorse.”

She snatched up her bag from where it was slumped by her feet and made for the bathroom down the hall. I never, in my whole life, had made my bed before. But you can bet your ass I fixed up the couch for her the way she’d done for me last night to make sure she’d be comfortable when she got back. And back she came, as promised, in only a few minutes’ time. When she reentered the room, there was an explosion of mint and perfume emanating from her. She made my mouth water and my dick twitch.

“Here you go,” I said with a bow and a gesturing hand toward the couch. “It’s not quite fit for a queen, but it’ll do.”

More amusement. Another giggle. I felt like I could subsist on her laughter alone. “Thanks, but we have to go over a few things before I can sleep.”

“Like what? If it’s about your chair, I can tell you which one is the most comfortable so you don’t end up in that one again.”

“Oh, thanks, but it got the job done. We just need to check out the linen closet for now, and later we should check the boathouse.”

“Um, sure. But why exactly?”

“Do you really mean to tell me that you’ve never noticed the false panel in the closet before?”

Truth be told, I’d never noticed it even once, so I genuinely had no clue what she was talking about. I didn’t want to sound uncool, though. “Oh, yeah, that.”

“Yeah, that. There’s definitely something worth our while up there, so you’re gonna help me find out. Unless you already know.”

“Sure, we can go look. But are you sure you don’t wanna sleep first?”

“I won’t be able to sleep until I find out anyway. Let’s go.”

“Is there time for me to piss too?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. You can use my toothbrush too if you want.” She held her bag out for me to take. “Toiletries are all together, use whatever you want but just put them back when you’re done.”

I was goddamn stupefied. She was sharing with me. No girl had ever shared with me before. No bullshit, never. And of all fucking things, she was sharing her toothbrush. Her spit was about to be in my mouth again for the second time in twenty-four hours and the fact alone ground my brain to a screeching halt. Without answering— because what could I possibly say to her that wouldn’t earn me a slap to the face?— I took the bag and walked as calmly as I could manage to the bathroom she’d just come out of. The scent of her was enclosed in there with me, and I couldn’t help but breathe it in as deep as I could while I leaned against the closed door. I never wanted it to leave my lungs. Could you get high from huffing fancy perfume?

Her toothbrush was the same baby pink as her jacket and just as pristine, with a little pink travel tube to match. Crest toothpaste was the secret behind her gleaming smile. They’d put her in all their ads in a heartbeat if they ever got a load of her pearly whites. Christ, Henderson was rubbing off on me.

Call me what you will, I’ve already been called every shitty thing in the book anyway, but I snuck in a sniff of the bristles. Nothing but blissful minty freshness could be detected. So that’s what it would be like if I was ever brave enough to kiss the girl of my dreams.

Usually, I’d brush my teeth the way I’d brush my hair, fast and rough. But I wouldn’t dare bend even one bristle out of place on Kelly Rose’s personal toothbrush after she’d been nice enough to offer it to me. I really took my time, and this is definitely gross, but I probably brushed more thoroughly in that few minutes than I had in years. I guess I just wanted the satisfaction of being totally sure my spit would be in her mouth too next time she brushed.

There was one thing I had to do before I gave her bag back to her. As promised, all her toiletries were together, and that included her deodorant, her shampoo, and the perfume that haunted my every waking moment. I just had to smell them while I had the chance, one at a time and then all together. Separately, they were already incredible— I’d never be able to look at another stick of Love’s Baby Soft or bottle of Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific the same way at the grocery store again— but together with whatever the hell was in Shalimar, they created a magic that belonged solely to Kelly Rose. Actual roses wished they looked and smelled as good as her.

When I came back, she was waiting patiently for me, sitting in that uncomfortable chair again. “Thanks,” I said, laying the backpack at her feet the way she seemed to like it.

“Anytime. Since there’s hot water against all odds, if you wanna take a shower while I’m sleeping you can use my shampoo too.”

“What kind of watchman showers on the job? I’ll wait ‘til you’re up later. Now, let’s find out what Rick’s hiding so you can get to bed. I know it’s not porn, he keeps his Playboy collection under his bed.”

With a chuckle and shake of her head, she led the way and I followed, all too glad to have the view of her from the back for my trouble. There’d never been a more perfect ass in all of human history, and I’d know, I’d taken senior History three times now. When we got to the closet, she held her lighter up as high as she could to illuminate the small space. “See that?” I’d never noticed before, but there was a removable panel serving as the ceiling of the linen closet. It blended in almost seamlessly. “I can’t climb these shelves, they aren’t nailed in or anything, so I need you to give me a boost so I can see what’s up there.”

“Uh, I’m not so sure about this. Rick’ll be mad if we fuck his shit up.”

“Won’t he be mad anyway if he finds out you crashed here without permission while you’re on the run?”

“Yeah, so I don’t want him even more mad at me.”

“Or since he’ll be mad anyway, we might as well push our luck.” At that, I gave her a dubious look. “Come on, walk on the wild side with me. It’s not like he can do anything to us even if shit does go sideways somehow.”

Even if she wasn’t the most compelling negotiator I’d ever met, I would’ve followed her anywhere, done anything she asked, just because she was, well, her. “Okay, fine. How do you wanna do this?”

“That all depends. How’s your upper body strength?”

“Good,” I answered immediately. It was actually true, hauling amps and instruments multiple times a week had made me strong over the years, and I always had the fastest time on the rope climb in Gym, but most importantly I didn’t want her doubting me in case she had second thoughts about me helping her.

“Great, then I’ll just get on your shoulders. Rick isn’t the type to leave boobytraps around, right?”

My brain was still hung up on the mere idea of being between Kelly Rose Turner’s legs in any capacity. It took me a minute to catch up with the rest of what she’d said. “Oh, yeah, no, of course not!”

“Sweet, give me a boost then.”

“Like, right now?”

“Yeah, like, right now,” she giggled, pocketing her lighter. God, she giggled at me again. After months of dying to hear that sacred sound, it wasn’t physically possible for me to grin any wider. It never got old and I knew it never would. Between the sound of it, like a little windchime one of my neighbors used to have, and the sight of it, with her big perfect smile and the bridge of her little perfect nose all scrunched up, and the way her forest green eyes would light up from the inside out until you could see sparkles in them, she was just so warm. She could’ve easily been an ice queen deep down, the way she’d always seemed to be at school, but no. There wasn’t anything cold about her once she decided to let the clouds part. She was a sunbeam incarnate. “Eddie?”

“Yeah?” I asked, coming out of my daze. “Oh! Right, sorry.”

There’s something you gotta know about me, folks. My life revolves around several common-sense rules. My own personal Munson Doctrine, if you will. Among those rules are obvious things, like don’t trust a douchebag farther than you can throw ‘em, always smell a dairy product before you put it in your mouth, and always keep plenty of dimes on you in case you need a payphone or hot peanuts. You know, simple shit like that. It was at this moment, though, that I realized I needed to add a new rule to the Doctrine: always find an excuse to pick up Kelly Rose Turner.

I’d been trying to recover from zoning out, so I might’ve been a little over-enthusiastic, but I ended up bending over as far as I could without crouching, sticking my head between her knees, grabbing her thighs to stabilize her, and standing back up, hoisting her onto my shoulders like it was nothing. Apparently, though, she hadn’t expected that based on the way her thighs clamped around the sides of my head and the high squeal she made. That alone would’ve been enough to create a new rule, but then I noticed the heat from her radiating into the back of my neck. There was only one place it could’ve been coming from, and just the thought made me blush.

“Eddie! Holy shit!” she exclaimed, her fingers anchoring themselves to the crown of my head. Fuck, my mind was already in the gutter, but now all I could think about was her pulling my hair the exact same way, saying that exact same thing, but breathier and with no clothes on. “Is this okay? Am I too heavy?” There were plenty of scandalous situations where I wanted her to say that, too.

Biting back a groan at my own thoughts, I was quick to answer, “No, of course not! I mean, of course it’s okay and of course you’re not too heavy.”

“Okay, but if you change you’re mind just say so.” Nobody in the world could pay me to change my mind. If I could’ve super glued her thighs to my neck, I would’ve. “Get closer so I can reach and then I’ll be out of your hair. Literally.”

Laugh! Kelly fucking Rose Turner has her legs wrapped around your head and she made a joke! Pull it together and do something, Munson! I thought frantically, trying to unglue my tongue from the roof of my mouth while at the same time wargaming how I could possibly hide my erection. My jeans wouldn’t hide anything the moment she, perish the thought, was off my shoulders. I could feel that my t-shirt rode up above my belt when I stood. Jesus Christ, I felt like my entire body was suddenly on fire.

A stilted laugh that made me cringe was all that came out as I took a stumbling step forward. Her fingers tightened while she adjusted to keep her balance, making me groan quietly.

“Shit, sorry.” She let go entirely now that she could reach the panel.

No, no, no, no, never stop, baby, I thought, my fingers flexing against her thighs. I wanted to kiss and lick and bite them. She paused just as she touched the panel.

“Are you sure this is okay? I can just get creative and stack a few chairs on each other if I’m being a nuisance.”

I made the mistake of looking up at her to show her I was sincere. The only things I could see were the panel and her tits directly over my head. “I promise it’s okay.”

Another second of hesitation passed before she pushed. She lifted it about an inch when she said, “It’s heavy. There’s definitely something up there.”

“How heavy?”

“Heavy.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“We’re about to find out.” She slid the panel, which ended up being longer than the length of the small closet, to the side, sending many things loudly tumbling to the side with it. We both cringed at the noise, but she grabbed one edge of the opening anyway. “Give me a little boost.” I stood on my toes. She took out her lighter again and was able to see over the edge into the darkness above us. “Holy fucking shit, Eddie.”

“What the fuck is up there?”

“Briefcases with combination locks. I don’t even know how many, they’re all over.”

“What?!” I cried stumbling back and making her lose her grip on the edge.

“Here, put me down. I’m getting some chairs.”

“I’m honestly not sure how to put you down.”

Kelly Rose looked over her shoulder, then pointed back down the hall. “It’ll be easier if you put me down on a table or something.” I hated to let her go, but there was no excuse not to, so I walked us back into the living room. The dining and kitchen tables were both covered in months-old food, juice, and pipes and bongs of various shapes and sizes, so I ended up putting her on the pool table. It didn’t hurt that it was also the right height to keep my hard-on hidden from her. Silently mourning the loss of her heat scorching the back of my neck, I offered her my hand to help her down and she took it, jumping lithely off the wooden edge, the same way she did everything else. “That reminds me, we should play pool later,” she added.

“Yeah? You play?” I asked as nonchalantly as I possibly could while already picturing her bent over the table.

“Oh, cards, pool, and darts are my bread and butter. Just name a game and I’ll kick your ass in it.”

“We’ll just see about that.”

“You play a lot of pool?” she asked, taking a chair in each hand and already making her way back to the closet.

I quickly stacked the remaining mismatched chairs as best I could and hauled them into my arms, cursing myself for having my jacket on so she couldn’t see my arms flexing. Following close behind, I answered, “My band plays down at the Hideout every Tuesday and it’s only a quarter for a round of pool, so me and the boys have gotten pretty good at it. And cards and darts too, of course.”

“Oh good, I love crushing a worthy opponent,” she grinned as she put her chairs down, one on top of the other right under the opening in the ceiling.

“So… what’s the plan here exactly?”

“I’ll climb up and you’ll catch the briefcases as I drop ‘em. Easy peasy. Now put those down, I’ll need at least two or three more on top of these.”

I dutifully did as I was told, hoping it was dark enough around us that she wouldn’t notice I was still at half-mast. “But what then?”

“Well, obviously we’re gonna get ‘em open and see what’s inside,” she replied as she started stacking the remaining chairs she’d need.

“I don’t think Rick’ll like that.”

“Who cares what Rick likes? He’s in jail and we’re not.”

“But what happens when he gets out of jail?”

“That all depends. He’s been sentenced, right?”

“No, they picked him up in October and his court case just started I think.”

“Okay, so he’s in jail for now, but he’ll definitely be thrown in prison before too long. You know the maximum sentence for minor drug-related charges in Indiana?” I shook my head. “Thirty years. Thirty. All felonies, no misdemeanors. How old’s this dude?”

“Like, forty, maybe?”

“Right, so when he gets the maximum sentence— and simply by virtue of being called Reefer Rick there’s no way he won’t— he’ll be out around the time he’s seventy, assuming he doesn’t get additional time tacked on for something else. Whatever’s in all those briefcases, he won’t need any of it by then. And if against all odds he does get out and realizes you had something to do with tampering with his shit, that’ll still just be a problem for thirty-years-from-now Eddie. At worst, two old men will end up having a fistfight, he’ll get arrested again for starting it, and that’ll be that.”

“So, just to be clear, we’re stealing whatever’s in those cases?”

“If it’s worth stealing,” she shrugged. “Now, hold the base steady for me. When I get up there, I’ll try one of the combo locks, and if I can get it open, I’ll start handing the rest down.”

“You really are terrifying, Kelly Rose,” I said with a chuckle.

“Why thank you, Eddie,” she batted her eyelashes at me before deftly climbing the stacked chairs and hoisting herself into the darkness. Only a moment passed before I heard her burst into laughter.

“Everything okay up there?”

“Dude, Rick might be the biggest idiot alive. He set the codes to 420. It’s worked on two cases so far, so it has to work for all the rest too. Look alive, they’re coming your way.”

“Did you look inside?”

“Nope, I want it to be a surprise. Every birthday needs surprises, right?”

“Right, totally.” I agreed, already adding it to the Munson Doctrine. Whatever Kelly Rose Turner wanted was the new law of my land.

The briefcases were just as she’d described. All told, three dozen heavy black cases littered the hallway by the time we were finished. I could hardly believe it. When she was finished, Kelly Rose dropped her jacket to the floor first, then leapt and climbed all the way back down with ease. Even in the sparse light of the linen closet and hall, I could see she was as red as a tomato.

“It’s hot as balls up there,” she panted.

At that, I was finally able to get my brain to cooperate and actually laugh in a way that sounded human. “Hot as balls, huh?”

“Well, it’s hotter than shit, but not quite hot as hell, so it’s hot as balls. That’s just science.”

I was almost doubled over with laughter by the time she finished. “I’ve never met a girl with a mouth like yours.”

“Yeah, Hawkins doesn’t seem to have much patience for vulgarity. It’s a shame, really. But screw Hawkins, let’s see what we’re working with here.” Kelly Rose scooped up her jacket with one hand and grabbed the handle of the nearest briefcase with the other, and practically skipped her way to the living room in her excitement. I grabbed three handles in each hand and followed like the love-sick puppy I’d become. Wouldn’t want my ladylove to break a nail or something, would I? Absolutely never.

With seven briefcases lined up on the long dining table, Kelly Rose and I got to work setting each combo lock to the correct code. Just as she said, 420 unlocked all of them. We didn’t open them immediately, though.

“You’re really, really sure Rick never uses boobytraps?” she asked, her hand hovering over the lid.

“Positive. He’s an idiot, remember?”

“Alright, then I’m opening it on three. One… two… three!” Quick as a flash, she threw the lid wide open. The case was stuffed to the brim with stacks of hundred dollar bills, crisp and banded together like they’d never been touched by human hands. If you’ve never smelled fresh, clean cash before, I can’t recommend it enough. I never had either until that moment. But between the smell and Kelly Rose’s reaction, I was quickly reminded that what we’d done could be very, very bad. “Holy fucking mother of Jesus!” she cried, springing back like the bills might come to life and bite her if she got too close. Then, she flicked open the remaining six cases, and all of them were exactly the same.

“Kelly Rose, I don’t fucking like this. We have to put all of it back, right now.”

“Are you out of your mind?! This is it! This is your way out!” she exclaimed, almost vibrating with her sudden excitement. She started talking a mile a minute. “I was wracking my brain all night trying to figure it out, and this is it! You’ve got your van, right? There’s no way you got here when you did without your van, you’d still be out in the woods if you were hoofing it. We’ll stuff it full of money tonight once it’s good and dark, as much as we can possibly carry if not all of it, and you’ll be able to get away no problem. Drive as far and fast as you can without looking suspicious and lay low in one of those anonymous motels for a while until shit settles here. Or if it doesn’t settle, you’ll already be out. Oh! Go to a beach town somewhere, they’ll assume you’re there for Spring Break. And if you trade license plates with a few people along the way you’re almost guaranteed to not get caught. It’ll be perfect!”

What she said turned my stomach. “I can’t steal from Rick. And I can’t just leave. What about Wayne? What about Chrissy?” My voice broke on her name.

“We can count all the money and give as much as you want to Wayne. I promise you I’ll make sure he gets it, every last cent, and Rick’ll never know what happened. If he’s your dealer, then that means he has at least one person keeping him stocked, so if he ever finds out about the money, he’ll just assume they took it,” she answered emphatically. “And Chrissy… Chrissy wouldn’t want you to go down for what happened. You’re innocent and you deserve a fighting chance to live a full life. This is your chance, Eddie. There’s no way a better one will come along than this, so you need to grab it with both hands. Take the money and fucking run!”

“I’m not leaving you,” I answered automatically before my brain could catch up with my mouth. “And I’m not taking the money from you either. Finders keepers is sacred.” My try at lightening the mood a little only made her look bewildered.

“You can’t be serious. You’re not fucking serious, right? You’re not seriously this much of a fucking moron, right?”

“I promised I’d be your devoted slave, but I didn’t promise I wouldn’t be a moron. I’m just your moron now,” I grinned. The more I thought about what I was saying, the more I liked it. I wouldn’t leave her, and I wouldn’t break the sacred bond of finders keepers, and I’d stay by her side for as long as she’d physically let me. The stipulation on finders keepers was already part of the Munson Doctrine of course, but the rest was quickly added to the list too.

She exploded, gesturing and waving her hands around as she ranted, “Are you out of your fucking mind?! The perfect getaway is sitting in front of you on a silver fucking platter and you’re not taking it?! I fucking refuse. I absolutely fucking refuse. You’re taking the goddamn money and you’re getting the fuck out of here as soon as everyone in this goddamn neighborhood goes to bed and that’s fucking final!”

“Nope. You don’t get it,” I started with a shake of my head. “I mean every fucking moronic word. I’m not leaving you, end of story. You’d have to blast me out of here with a stick of dynamite. And the money isn’t mine to take anyway. You’re right, Rick’ll never know what happened, because he’ll never suspect you of all people took it. The money’s yours and yours alone, as it should be. Finders keepers, losers weepers. You’re the one who noticed the panel in the ceiling, you’re the one who climbed up there and got all the cases down, and you’re the one who figured out the code to open them. I wouldn’t’ve done any of that in a million years. It’s all yours, fair and square. Happy birthday, Kelly Rose. The bounty of Elbereth knows no bounds,” I finished with a low, sweeping bow.

When I straightened, she was completely still, her eyes wide and glistening. “Eddie… you’re giving it to me? All of it? But you can have it. It’s yours for the taking. I don’t care that I found it.”

“I care, so it’s yours. Every last cent.”

The glistening turned to twinkling, then crystalline tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. Her nose was starting to turn red, too. I’d never seen anyone make crying look beautiful before. “You really do love me, don’t you?” she whispered, wonder and sorrow mingling equally in her voice and face.

“I do. I have since the second I saw you.”

“But why? I ignored you.”

I smiled as I remembered the way she looked when our eyes met for the first time. It was so different from the way those same eyes were looking up at me now. “How could I not love you? I knew right then and there that you were everything good in this world all bundled up into one. And you’ve proven me right every day since, ignoring me or not.”

She blinked more tears from her eyes, but now they were shining with a different light than before. The sorrow was gone, and only the wonder remained. Then, she grabbed my face with both hands, pulled me down to her level, and kissed me. All at once, it was like the universe exploded around me and then crumbled away. My entire body was on fire. Her lips were so soft and sweet. I hoped mine felt just as soft to her. Thank Christ I brushed my teeth. I didn’t know where to put my hands, so I didn’t move, didn’t dare breathe.

When she pulled away, I followed, never wanting it to end. Our foreheads ended up pressed together. With a breathless chuckle she said, “Alright, Eddie. You’ve earned your chance. Not just a half, a whole one.”