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luveline · 2 years

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𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚 | 𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

summary you call your boyfriend eddie from a party in need of saving. or, you lose your t-shirt under mysterious circumstances and eddie has to get you dressed and take you home [3k]

warnings drunk!reader who is a little bit handsy and a lot in love, fem!reader, eddie pov, pure fluff, idiots in love, newly established relationship, some pet names (baby, teddy, handsome), implied of-age drinking, implied weed use

𓆩❤︎𓆪

Face to the ceiling, heart not racing but close to it, Eddie's half adrift in a memory of you from a few days ago.

You'd been sitting on the floor by his dresser with your hair all pretty in your soft clothes, asking him questions nobody else has ever bothered to ask and listening to the answers like this: face tilted, eyes at attention but creased with a contentedness (or so he'd like to think) and your hands under your chin.

An honest to god angel.

He's snapped out of his thoughts by the shrill, near piercing ring of the phone. Panic spikes like a knife in his chest at the sound. He scrambles to pick up the receiver where it rests on the amp beside his bed, legs caught in the sheets and hand holding his weight on the bedroom floor.

He slams the phone against his face and winces at the undue force. "Yeah?"

His legs inch forward. The palm of his hand aches and he's eager to get off the phone before he falls off of the bed, so when nobody speaks he gets a smidge irritated.

"Hello? Henderson, if this is-"

"Hi," someone says.

"Who is this?"

A laugh that's most certainly yours echoes down the line. "It's me."

Eddie presses the phone closer to his ear, as if that'll somehow summon you.

Despite missing you, messing with you is his main prerogative at all times. "I don't know any me's, sorry. If that's-"

"Eddie," – more giggling — "it's me, Y/N."

"And why are you calling me at home?"

"You're incorr- incorrgi- incorribigle."

You hiccup.

Eddie's eyes blow wide and a smile made of what can only be called pure delight stretches over his face.

"Baby, are you drunk?" he asks.

"A little! Okay, a lottle."

"I thought you were only going for iced tea?" After all, it's a Sunday.

"A Long Island iced tea."

He can feel the blood rushing to his head. "What's the difference?"

"Vodka, rum, tequila, gin… Oh, and about three quarters of an ounce of triple sec!"

"That sounds like a party."

It sounds like you're close to, if not totally, wasted.

"Such a party! I have a slight problem, though?"

"What's that?"

"I can't find my jacket."

"What?"

"Or my t-shirt."

Eddie's arm finally buckles and he topples to the floor, cheek crushed to the rug and leg still twisted in blankets. He winces at the clatter and thump of his knees as he climbs into a sitting position, head tilted to one side, breath bated. When it's clear he hasn't disrupted Wayne's backwards sleeping schedule he brings the phone to his ear again.

You're midway through an explanation. Maybe. "–So I said who puts hot sauce there? That's maso-twisted!"

"Did somebody put hot sauce on you?" he asks worriedly.

"What? Eddie, are you even listening to me?"

He rubs his stinging cheek. "Bad connection."

"Anyhow, I'm too embarrassed to go back downstairs."

"Yeah? Listen, I can come and bring you something to wear. Are you still at Amanda's?"

"Would you? She doesn't have anything that fits me."

"Sure will," he says.

Really, he's dreading the idea. If there's one thing Eddie doesn't do it's parties. Preppy parties. But if you're walking around shirtless, isn't that, like, his boyfriend duty or something, to come and bring you clothes?

"You're the best! Do you still have my hoodie with the white flowers?"

He looks at said hoodie where it's balled suspiciously close to his pillow. "I'll find it."

"Yay."

"Hang tight, alright?"

"Okay. Hey, you'll never guess-"

"Babe, I have to hang up."

"Why?"

"'Why?'" His bemusement is obvious. "I'll explain when I get there."

He goes to put the phone down when you say his name with a startling amount of urgency.

"What?" he asks.

"I miss you."

He imagines you, half naked and in your giggling disarray at a random house. The want to take care of you grows and grows. "I miss you too. Now I really have to go."

"Okay bye," you say, and hang up.

–

Eddie parks the van, daunted. He hadn't realised what kind of party you meant when you'd asked him to come originally, and he's doubly glad he said no when he realises the sheer magnitude of it all. There's people everywhere and Eddie doesn't recognise a soul besides the stoners on the front lawn. He closes the van door behind himself and feels like he's just stepped onto another planet.

Eddie had tried to mitigate his own unpopularity growing up by spending as little time around his peers as possible. Something about his general existence seems to irritate and antagonise them, and Eddie's not one for the fuss of it. Or, he hadn't been. It's hard to play doormat forever, and by his third and final senior year he'd learned to take the offense instead.

It might not always work in his favour, but sticking up for himself has done a lot for his self-worth.

Almost as much as meeting you.

Eddie knows you're not gonna be standing around out front in the nude. He weaves through partygoers of all shapes and sizes with your hoodie thrown over his arm, the smell of beer like a cloud. He tries not to make eye contact with anyone as he slinks up the stairs, the pounding thump of music – not by his definition, but music – fading with each step.

There's a small line for the bathroom and two of three bedroom doors are open wide, likely pilfered. Eddie squints at the 'Stay Out' sign on the third and closed door, a skull and crossbones crudely drawn beside it, and grins. He's always been a rule breaker.

Pushing open the door, Eddie finds you crushed between a bookshelf and a twin-sized bed with a phone shaped like a racecar in your lap. You look like you're sleeping.

Your eyelashes flutter as he sits carefully in front of you.

He works his hand under your chin and lifts your head. He's gentle, worried you've summoned a crick in your neck from sleeping the way you have.

"Baby," he says softly, "you really shouldn't be by yourself like this."

He pushes his fingertips up to the highest point of your cheek and rubs the corner of your mouth with his thumb. You rouse slowly, as if suspended in jelly. He helps you lift your head.

"Hi," he says as your eyes open clearly.

"Hey," you say. Your eyes close again.

"Why are you on the floor?"

You tug against the phone. The line makes a snapping sound as it resists. "Can't reach from the bed. Wanted to…" you drift off. Eddie pats your cheek until you finish, "Stay in case you called me back."

"I don't know this number."

You drop the phone unceremoniously. "Oh."

Eddie feels bad for the phone's owner but doesn't pick it up. He's too busy stroking your cheek, trying to work you out of your shell so he can get you dressed and sleeping soundly in your bed, rather than on someone's younger brother's floor.

His affection has the opposite effect to what he'd wanted; you start to doze in his hand, pretty face scrunched up and chin slowly creeping toward your chest.

"I brought your hoodie," he says, pulling his hand away reluctantly.

"'M tired, Eds."

He softens like butter in the sun. "I know," he says, glad for the small privacy you've both been allowed. "Do you wanna go home?"

"With you?"

"Whatever you want."

You sit up with the most suffering groan Eddie has ever heard you make, arms lifting above your head. Your back arches a touch and you moan as your neck clicks.

Eddie looks at his lap with wide eyes, a blush rising thick and fast to his cheeks and the tips of his ears – he can feel the skin blooming with heat.

You're still very much shirtless.

"Where did your clothes go?" he asks.

You've more clarity about you as you settle. "I don't know."

"Did someone take them off of you?"

You must clock his fear. You sit up on your knees and take his ring-heavy hands into yours, fingers clumsy but well-meaning as they curl around his. "Nobody touched me. Teddy…" You smile and your eyes squint just so. "You worry too much."

"I actually worry the right amount. Where did your friends go?"

You drag his hands to your hips and place them with a high focus. He gives into your whims with his cheeks now fully pinked, hands cool over the warmth of your doughy flesh. Your stomach has rolled into a pouch from the way you're sitting and he resists the urge to lean down and kiss it, hit by a momentary lapse in judgement due to the pure, unadulterated adoration coursing through him.

You're cute.

Sitting here as you are, pupils blown and hair a lovable mess, all smiley and pretty and expectant, what else is there for him to do but take you in? He lets his eyes travel up the length of your navel, over the valley of your chest rising with each breath, and the curve of your smile until he's eye to eye with you.

You let his hands go and spread your arms. "Hug?"

Giving him no time to respond (though he would've said yes without question) you slide your arms over his shoulders and fall into his embrace. He supports you with a hand behind your back but otherwise remains where he is, happy to let you get comfortable, let you nuzzle your face against his and murmur to yourself too quietly for him to hear.

You smell nothing like iced tea, that's for sure. There's a distinct stick of alcohol lingering. He inhales the smell of you, that sharpness, and finds the softer, familiar scents of you underneath.

"This is nice."

He couldn't agree more. He drags the flat of his palm up your back and grins.

"I would've said yes if I knew parties were like this," he says.

You giggle, the sound overloud in his ear but never any less sweet. "Stick with me, babe, and every party is like this," you promise, an air of salaciousness to each word.

"Is that so?" he asks. He squeezes your hip until you're laughing again.

"Totally!"

"Do I have to get naked too, or is that just for the girls?"

"You definitely have to. I'm a feminist, you know? I'm about equality. Please."

"Take me out to dinner first," he mumbles.

You burst into laughter, a rush of abrupt sound. You cling to him as you do, your chest pressed hard into his and your face sliding into his frizzy curls.

"Dinner," you start when you've calmed, "that could be fun."

"You're hungry?"

"I wasn't until you mentioned it."

He pulls away from you reluctantly. You look as half-cut as you did when the hug began but your tiredness seems to have abated for now. Your adorableness remains as all encompassing as before, and he has to stroke down the length of your face with his hand to stop from aching.

You're lax at the affection. He traces the half circle under your eye with the side of a knuckle, the skin so soft it feels like silk.

"I'll get you whatever you want," Eddie says, and means it.

"Really?"

"If you get dressed."

"My arms don't work, handsome. You'll have to dress me."

"That so?"

You nod gravely.

He bites the inside of his lip to contain a smile and grabs your hoodie from under his thigh. He shakes it out and opens it up. You bend to push your head through first, cheering victoriously when your disorientated face appears.

What follows is a process in which he thinks maybe your arms have been replaced by spaghetti.

"No. No. Sweetheart, no, oh my god. What are you doing right now? You're not even trying," he says, giggling.

"Your laugh is the nicest sound in the world."

"I'll try and take you seriously when you can get your hands through your sleeves. How old are you, two?"

"And a half."

"Stay still. I'm gonna bunch 'em up."

He bunches your sleeves as he'd said and finds your hands to pull them through. He feels like this is what it must be like to dress a toddler, only the toddler is tall and too drunk to keep her head up for long amounts of time.

"And… There." He neatens your sleeves and collar. "Done. Good job, baby."

You beam wide enough to apple your cheeks and throw yourself into his lap all over again. He's surprised and bends from your weight, receiving you with a mixture of apprehension and glee.

"If you throw up on me we're gonna have to break up," he says, smoothing his hand over the back of your neck.

"Really?"

"No."

You can't stop laughing tonight. You giggle breathlessly and pull back enough to cup his cheek. Your hands are heavy but what you've lost in your inebriation you make up for in love; while your motor spatial skills have taken a heavy blow, your kisses are as syrupy as always. You kiss his cheek in an inelegant triangle and make these tiny, lovely sounds that give him butterflies.

Lips pressed to his face, you say, "You're my boy."

He feels shy in a way he hadn't realised he could as he brings his hands up your back to hold you.

"I'm your boy," he agrees.

There's a short silence where he breathes you in and rubs your shoulder. He'd missed you more than he realised.

"Want KFC? I'm paying."

He rolls his eyes and pushes you away from him gently. "Whatever you want."

You stand on unsteady feet. Eddie offers his arm and you stand hip to hip with him and let him hold you up. You're not so wobbly as to need as much help as he's giving but he doesn't mind and you like the connection, head dropped to his shoulder. He gets you past the bathroom queue and down the stairs, pausing at the coat rack where he spies your purse. You sway at the sudden stop.

The contents, to your unbelievable, infallible good luck, have been left alone. Even your loose cash. Eddie can't comprehend it.

"I told you before, I'm paying," you brag.

He chucks your chin, enamoured with your cocky smile. "You're soooo confident that I'm gonna let that happen."

Its always like this. Surrounded by people and somehow you might as well be the only two people in the room for how it feels.

Your answering laugh is loud and sympathetic. "Duh. I get away with everything all the time 'cos you have a crush on me."

You stride out of the open front door and onto the stone pathway bisecting the lawn. He catches your hand before you can get too far away and you spin to look at him.

You're walking backwards. Staggering, really, Eddie's hand the only thing keeping you upright as you croon, "You like me."

"Who told you that?"

"Nobody needed to tell me, I already knew. It's obvious."

He yanks you toward him and you huff into his chest. You're more giggle than girl tonight, gasping breathlessly as you threaten him. "Watch it!"

"You watch it. Who do you think you're talking to?" he jokes, staring down at you with a pretend scorn.

You pout and brush a loose curl behind his shoulder.

"Nothing to say?"

"Nothing to say to you."

"Really?"

"Nuh-uh."

"What's obvious about it?" he asks, leaning down until your noses touch. He blows a hot breath out of the corner of his mouth.

You squeeze his hand. "I'm tipsy–"

"Tipsy!"

"But I'm not stupid, Munson."

"You're going down the list tonight." You've called him everything. Eds, handsome, baby, Teddy, now Munson. He'd much prefer the second, third and fourth, but any name at all sounds like a pet name when you say it.

"Move, loser," someone says, shouldering him suddenly and roughly out of the way.

Eddie doesn't have time to think about it, he takes an unwilling step forward and you go back, too drunk to shriek. Your breath catches as your ankle twists and you trip and fall onto the small of your back. Unfortunately for Eddie, your hands are still twined together, and he falls into you like a domino, knees hitting damp grass and face smashed into the space above your shoulder.

He doesn't have the cushion of alcohol.

"Ow," he says, peeved. Not at you, but peeved all the same. He screws his eyes shut and sulks.

"Thought I had to buy you dinner first."

"Shit." Eddie springs up off of you. "Shit, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

You stay lying in the grass. The party lights splash across your bare skin, pink and green and orange-yellow painting your lips and your nose and the curve of your neck.

"Why'd you do that?" you ask curiously.

"Some asshole pushed me." He looks over his shoulder for a culprit and finds no one.

"Like I believe that!"

"Stop laughing! This isn't funny. I think I might've winded you."

You grab him and dig your fingers into his hips. "With this skinny waist? Unlikely."

"Hey," he chides through a laugh, "what?"

"So trim."

"You're totally gone."

"Gone on you." You sit up and slide your hands under the fabric of his t-shirt.

"We're in public, perv."

"And?"

"Stop feeling me up."

"But this is the best part."

Eddie shivers at your cold fingers gracing the lines of his sides and then inward. You massage his abdomen with a feather-light touch.

"Nice," you murmur.

Eddie pushes you down into the grass and kisses you chastely. Then a little less than chaste. Nothing serious, he's not a sicko, but he just can't hold it in. To be liked in the way that you like him feels like a privilege he can't begin to deserve.

"Thanks for coming to pick me up," you say as your break apart, smiling at him fondly.

He rubs your foreheads together. "You definitely pulled me down with you. This is your fault."

"My bad," you say. Your flippancy drives him mad.

He kisses the corner of your mouth and then leaps off of you to half-carry you to the van.

Half an hour later in the bright fluorescents of KFC when you're covered in fried chicken grease and grass stains, you make a heart with your hands and hold it upto your face. "Smile, handsome. I'm taking a mental picture."

He smiles.

𓆩❤︎𓆪

thanks so much for reading!

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the-au-thor · 2 months

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Babysitting Mun | Rockstar!Eddie Munson x Fem!reader

Note: So, a lot of you asked me for more parts to the little thing I wrote for rockstar!Eddie and you know you should ask and I'll deliver. If you like this I'll add more parts into this "series" cause I kinda like the dynamic between Assistant!Reader and Rockstar!Eddie.

Part 1

W/C: 3.2k

T/W: Read here!

As you walked through Eddie's property in Hollywood Hills, you saw him opening the door in his black velvet robe with his old D&D club emblem printed on the back. He had a worried expression on his face, and his legs were nervously fidgeting.

"It's my day off, Munson," you greeted as you reached his door.

He said your least favorite six words.

"Fey, I'm in a big trouble," he announced, opening the door and letting you into the huge foyer of his house.

It was a huge mess; underwear scattered on the floor, candy wrappers, empty bottles, and frankly, you didn't want to dig through the scattered blankets that left a trail upstairs. You looked at him impatiently, trying not to scream at him because that mess wasn't your home, and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

"This looks like a quiet Friday night, Munson, like any citizen of this beautiful city would have," you mentioned ironically.

Living a few blocks away was Marilyn Manson, Eddie could really recognize your tone.

"I met this girl: Baby," he said.

You blinked slowly.

"Cute name, I think my gynecologist also uses that stage name."

Eddie ignored your sardonic comment as he walked through the trash on the floor.

"She spent the night here, and it was amazing; sexy girl, beautiful blonde with... really long legs..."

You wanted to vomit.

"Munson. I'm not just another guy in your circle of friends, that's information I don't need to know," you reminded him with a churned stomach. "Why am I even here after receiving a call from you with a catastrophe voice?" you asked as he led you to his kitchen. Before entering, he looked at you with concern. You hadn't even seen him like this when he trashed the Marriott room, and photos of that night were leaked on a very famous morning show next day "Tell me she's not floating dead from an overdose in your pool because I'm telling you right now that I quit," you announced seriously.

He pressed his lips and stretched his arm toward the kitchen door; his robe opened, and you managed to see a bit of his chest full of tattoos covering the scars he never wanted to talk about.

"Worse," he announced before opening the door.

His huge kitchen greeted you. Everything seemed in order except for the dishwasher, which had a pile of dirty dishes. You scanned it, moving your gaze across the countertop and appliances until you reached the end of the marble table adorning the center of his kitchen, where a little boy with a curious knitted hat was sitting, concentrating on drawing something on a notebook with markers.

You closed the door to shout at Eddie without scaring the child.

"There's a kid in your kitchen," you pointed out, shocked with a muffled squeal. "What's a kid doing in your house, for God's sake. This is not a place for a child; this is not even a place for me."

"I don't know!" he whispered back, ignoring your offensive comment. That's when you knew he was really worried. "I went down this morning to make myself a smoothie, and I found him in the same spot. Little brat doesn't hear anything I say."

"Yeah? Well, sometimes I wish I didn't hear all the things you say," you frowned, opening the kitchen door again and walking toward the kid.

The little one had reddish strands peeking out from the edges of his hat and seemed clean and calm despite being alone in a huge house with a stranger who couldn't take care of himself properly. Unfazed, the kid continued coloring a drawing in his notebook, and you noticed a Animaniacs backpack behind him.

"Hey," you greeted him, then saw him coloring a dark-skinned man in what seemed to be a family portrait. You introduced yourself as you sat next to him. "What's your name?"

"I shouldn't talk to strangers," the child finally muttered, revealing a sweet and calm voice.

You smiled, almost proud that an unknown child could take care of himself despite, what? Being about 5 or 6 years old?

"That's okay," you nodded. "But you shouldn't be in a stranger's house either," you murmured, trying to reason with the child.

Eddie lost patience, after pinching the bridge of his nose, he put his palms on the island's surface, making the child stop coloring and look at him, scared.

"Where's your mother?" he asked.

"Munson!" you scolded him, but he didn't seem to regret his little outburst, especially since he at least got a reaction from the kid.

"For crying out loud, Fey, I've tried asking him a hell numerous times about his mother, and he still won't answer," Eddie explained, pointing his finger at the child.

"She said she'd come for me; I don't know if she mentioned anything else while she was with you," the kid spoke seriously, and you noticed that Eddie wasn't very well-liked.

Eddie pressed his lips and pointed his index finger at him.

"Look, you little sh..."

"Oh, okay!" you stood up to intervene, taking Eddie by the shoulders. "You know, superstar? I think I can handle it from here. You go..." you looked at him closely; he was wearing mismatched socks, and his hair was a mess "go brush your teeth and... wash yourself" you started pushing him out of the kitchen.

"I need you to fix this, Fey."

You frowned and lowered your voice.

"I should let you fix it yourself, you know?" you asked. "But that kid isn't to blame if his mother prefers a man over his own safety," you spat angrily and laughed sardonically, "you sure know how to pick 'em," you murmured almost disdainfully.

You had never criticized his flings, even when the most terrible girls had done the walk of shame right in front of you, you had kept your opinions to yourself. Moreover, you also acknowledged a severe emotional problem in Eddie, something about fear of commitment, yet seeking love as long as he was safe from getting hurt. Still, you hadn't opened your mouth to comment on it. This was the limit.

"I'll find out about his parents and try to contact her," you assured him before closing the kitchen door in his face without letting him defend himself and turning to look at the child who watched the exchange you and Eddie had had.

"I hate mom's boyfriends," the child finally admitted before returning to his coloring.

You sighed somewhat sadly for him; it was clear he was more than used to being in strange houses with people he didn't know.

"I know, but the good thing is that the grumpy one over there is not her boyfriend, so don't hate him too much, okay?" you asked, although you really didn't owe Eddie anything. You sat back down next to him. "Did your mommy give you any instructions before she left?"

The boy shrugged.

"She said to be a good boy, not to bother, and that she would come to get me before the day ended."

You nodded uncertain about what the hell that could mean to that woman "before the day ended."

"Okay," you picked up your cell phone and called Florence, the housekeeper, to start cleaning up the mess Eddie left in the main room and probably in his bedroom as well. You didn't want to find out, to be honest

"I clean too, you know…when my mom is too tired to do anything," the kid said when you finished the call.

You looked at the child and squinted thoughtfully.

"How old are you?"

"I'm turning eight next month."

You raised your eyebrows.

"Great, have someone ever told you that you're very mature for a seven-year-old? It's good that you take care of your mom."

The boy looked up from his notebook and glanced at you for a few seconds.

"My name is Tobias, they call me Toby."

You smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Tobias, I already told you my name, right?"

"But he called you Fey."

You chuckled when you saw that he was referring to Eddie.

"Yeah, he kind of plays by his own rules, so don't worry, Toby," you leaned on the island and smiled at him. "Toby, this is not a place for a child, and if I take you with me, it will be difficult for your mother to find you. Is there any way I can contact someone else from your family?" you asked, hoping the kid had at least one functional adult who could help him.

The child seemed pensive.

"I have my emergency information in my backpack," he recalled, and you smiled relieved, jumping away from the island and going for his backpack.

"All right, Toby, did you eat anything?"

"Mom gave me cereal before she left," he changed markers and continued drawing carefully.

"Cereal doesn't sound enough, do you want me to make you some toast with eggs and bacon? Honestly, I'm famished and could use something to eat," you announced as you prepared the food for Toby.

When Eddie and the band weren't on tour, you made sure to fill Eddie's fridge and pantry with things that weren't preheated and frozen food. When you were hired as his assistant over a year ago, this wasn't part of your duties, but you couldn't see him get intoxicated with poorly frozen pizza again. It was easier to keep track of his diet when you were on tour with them; they spent most of their time together, and that's when he behaved the best. It was during breaks like these when he lost a bit of control and got into trouble he couldn't handle alone.

You and Toby ate, and you saved some for Eddie whenever he wanted to came down from his room, already bathed and dressed in something more than just underwear and a robe. Florence went to the kitchen to clean up the mess Eddie had left there, and you went to the living room where the housekeeper made magic. When Eddie came down from his room, he was wearing an old black-sleeved shirt and worn-out jeans. His feet, however, were bare, showing the tattoos he had gotten a few weeks ago.

"Finally," you stood up with your phone when you saw Eddie starting to walk to the sofa and looking at Toby with despair. He looked at you somewhat impatiently.

"And he's still here," he rolled his eyes slightly resigned and sighed.

"I'm sorting that out now; I need you to stay with Toby for a few minutes. His mother hasn't shown any signs of life, but I have his father's contact," you asked him with a low voice so that Toby, sitting on the sofa while trying to solve some math problems from his algebra class, wouldn't hear.

"Oh, so the little Boggle has a name," he said sarcastically.

"Behave!" you asked him with a frown and approached him to wipe shaving foam from his chin as he obediently stood still. "We left French toast and egg with bacon for you," you announced, while going to the kitchen to prepare Toby's food.

Eddie rolled his eyes slightly resigned and sighed.

"Great: he stays in my house, eats my food, and now I have to be his babysitter."

"Yeah, Munson," you nodded, "it's good for you to occasionally taste your own medicine."

"You better find that kid's father, Fey; it's been a while since I dealt with kids, and I wasn't very good at it either," he admitted.

"Yeah, yeah," you started dialing Toby's father's number and walked to the backyard so as not to have an awkward conversation in front of the kid. "Do me a favor and don't create emotional permanent scars on him, okay?"

He made a face, sticking his tongue out and hissing like a snake, earning Toby's curious look.

"What?" Eddie asked. "Have you never been a kid in your life?"

Toby settled on the sofa somewhat tense.

"Sometimes I stick my tongue out at mom when she doesn't see me," he admitted.

Eddie watched him; he was a little goblin with round glasses and somewhat chubby. Not only was he lost, but he seemed lost, and suddenly for a brief moment, Eddie saw himself in a corner of the cafeteria where his mom worked, drawing magical creatures in an old notebook while waiting for it to be midnight so his mom's shift would end and he could go home. His mom would never have left him alone in a stranger's house, of course. The kid's mother was hot, but stupid, totally stupid.

"Okay, Pip, what are you doing?" Eddie saw his notebook and closed it even to the little protest of the child. "You're not going to be doing this on a Saturday in my house; you're what? Four?"

"I'm turning eight," he said through gritted teeth.

"You and I are going to listen to music, okay? Have you ever heard music before?"

"I'm seven, not an alien," he replied, almost offended.

Eddie went to pick a record from his vinyl collection and gave you a knowing smile.

"Let's educate you, Pip."

"My name isn't Pip," the kid said tiredly, remembering what you had told him about Eddie playing by his own rules.

Eddie then put the record on his record player, and the music started playing.

Tobias's father was leaving his job at the mechanic downtown to go pick him up from Eddie's house. Having a conversation with him wasn't difficult, and he seemed genuinely concerned about his son, so at least you were getting back inside Eddie's house with the relief of returning the kid to someone who actually cared. You heard the music before stepping inside the house, Toby's laughter mixing with Eddie's and Kevin Rowland's voice. When you passed by the living room, Eddie had managed to get the kid to leave the notebook aside and had taken off his shoes to dance to the music, mimicking Eddie in his delirious spiral as he tried to play air guitar following the notes of Geno.

You watched them; Eddie's still wet hair bouncing around his face as he encouraged Toby to follow the music and listen to the bass because that's where the beat is or something like that. You leaned against the wall to watch their act for the rest of the song. Your stomach did that again; every time Eddie showed some substance beneath that tough shell of indifference.

You disappeared from there and only returned to announce that Toby's father had arrived to pick him up, finding Eddie trying to teach him a cooler way to tie his shoelaces. You smiled at the kid and guided him to his father who was waiting outside with his well-maintained Volkswagen. Toby ran to his father, and he hugged him lovingly; there was no trace of neglect.

"I really appreciate you taking care of him; I don't know how to repay you," he thanked you, still holding the boy in his arms. The man had somewhat dark skin and curly hair, like Toby's. "My ex-wife is a bit careless and thinks everyone can take care of him. I'll talk to her; I know this looks bad."

"It's not your fault," you began to deny, but Eddie took over the conversation.

"Tell her she's a very S-H-I-T-T-Y mother, and I hope she appreciates the son she has," he mentioned bluntly in a low voice so that Toby wouldn't hear.

You slightly chuckled because Eddie had at least meant well by insulting Toby's mother without him noticing.

"Eddie, I'm seven, I already know how to spell," the boy wriggled out of his father's embrace to give Eddie a furrowed brow.

Well, at least he had the intention. It didn't work, but it's the thought that counts.

"I'm Nelson, by the way," he introduced himself, shaking Eddie's hand. "I'm sorry you had to be my son's babysitter."

"I'm sorry I slept with your ex," Eddie mentioned bluntly, without mincing words, and close to the guy's ear so that Toby wouldn't hear.

"No problem," he even seemed amused by it. "Lilian is free to do what she wants."

So she has a name…

Eddie gave you a sidelong glance, and you just smiled back at Nelson because you wouldn't throw one of your witty sarcastic comments.

Finally, Toby said goodbye to Eddie, and you could see a sad gleam in his eyes, seeming like a huge difference from the way the kid had looked at him annoyed that morning in the kitchen. Eddie Munson, of course, would manage to win over the kid whose mother had put aside for a brief fling with a rocker who you were sure would end up being just a forgettable event. You hugged Toby, trying not to lose your composure, reminding yourself that the kid wasn't your responsibility, and bid them both farewell with a smile.

You and Eddie watched the car disappear behind the large fortified gates of his mansion, and then you heard him chuckle.

"She was sexier when she was Baby, not Lilian," he murmured humorously.

You raised a slight smile and laughed, crossing your arms to look at him sideways.

"And when she was just a girl with long legs and not a S-H-I-T-T-Y mother, huh?" Eddie rolled his eyes but didn't refute your comment. "You'd be a very B-A-D-A-S-S father by the way."

He frowned quickly, incredulous.

"What the hell are you talking about, Fey?"

You turned to him, trying to hide your smile.

"About you with Toby; you won him over, Mun. I think when you decide to settle down and stop doing stupid shits that I have to save you from, you'll be a very good father."

He blinked rapidly, incredulous.

"Did you find the jewelry box in my underwear drawer and smoke whatever was inside?"

You frowned.

"a) I would never go through your underwear drawer by my own will, and b) thanks for telling me where you hide your crap," you replied quickly. "I'm not joking, Munson, I mean it from the heart."

He seemed to hate that idea, although something in his gaze seemed somewhat moved, but he quickly made it disappear with a look of disgust.

"Not gonna discuss that with you, Fey. I won't be a good father 'cause I'm never gonna be a father in first place"

You frowned ready to argue about that

"But, Munson..."

"Feywild, I pay you to be my assistant, not my motivational coach; assist me."

"Fine, I already assisted you on my day off, so I think this is my cue to leave," you went for your bag into his Foyer, and when you came out, Eddie was waiting for you in the same place, in the opulent entrance of his home next to the marble pillars holding the front facade. "I hope I don't have to come because you adopted another one of your girl's babies, okay?" you asked, but you weren't really blaming him for anything.

Eddie noticed it from the way you looked at him, and you decided to do that small servile bow that, unwittingly, you always did when you said goodbye to him or accepted one of his complicated tasks. He saw you start walking out, where you surely parked your car.

"Feywild," he called you, and you turned to him. You had strands of your hair on your face, and he saw your slightly worn-out converse sneakers, which you always wore even though you had money to replace them but for some reason were emotionally attached to them.

He could tease you about it, but he wouldn't. He understood without you explaining it because there was a reason he kept his old van in his garage with the same scraped paint.

"What's up, Munson, already missing me?"

He smiled. "Thanks for saving my ass today."

You pressed your lips into a smile. "Always, Mun."

#eddie munson x female reader #rockstar!eddie x reader #rockstar!eddie munson x assistant!reader #rockstar eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson frenemies to lovers #corroded coffin #eddie munson #stranger things fanfic #stranger things au #edie munson au

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sxriusblxck · 2 years

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this is extremely self-indulgent, sorry

eddie loves you on your good and bad days.

he loves you when you don’t want to touch him; when even the thought of skin-to-skin contact makes your skin crawl. he’ll spend the day with you, comfort you, but he won’t touch you. he won’t cross the boundaries you’ve put into place because he loves and cares about you.

he loves you when all you want to do is touch him. when your body aches to be in contact with his, when your heart burns and your chest throbs because you just need to be touching him. you need to have that closeness with him because you love him and can’t coney it any other way.

he loves you when you don’t have to have sex with him. he’ll do everything short of sex, kiss you, hug you, cuddle you. until you’re in the right frame of mind to be intimate with him, he refuses to even think about it. he knows how difficult it is for you, and he’d never do anything to make you feel like he needed it to be with you.

and he loves you when sex is one of the main things on your mind. he’ll slip his cock into you when you wake him up in the middle of the night because you can’t sleep, his cock and only his cock able to put you back to sleep. he’ll fuck you eight times a day if that’s what you want.

because he loves you, and trauma/it’s responses will never change that.

#concepts #eddie.concepts #tw trauma #tw sex abuse #eddie munson x you #edie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader

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cacoetheswriting · 4 months

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celebrity skin. (part seven)

pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x popstar!fem!reader word count: 6.7k summary: due to an unexpected visit, you're forced to tackle a certain situation head on. maybe now you can get some answers from the rockstar that broke your heart — or maybe your family will just annoy you about it.

content warnings: 18+, minors dni: suggestive & mature themes, adult language, post-breakup emotional hurt / a little comfort, minor use of pet names, tiny bit of fluff, familial drama — if i missed anything in this chapter, pls let me know!

& psa: images used in the header don’t depict readers physical attributes! these are also described vaguely in the story, only that she’s a little shorter than eddie.

celebrity skin. masterlist

There is an infamous estate in East Hampton that’s been key to many conversations between your family members.

Grey Gardens was four acres of oceanfront land.

The prime location had been prone to controversy right from the very beginning, or more accurately, since 1901. Controversies involving the women that owned the estate. Women not so dissimilar to your own grandmother, such as Margaret Bagg Phillips who was challenged for ownership of the land after the passing of her husband — (his brother suspected that she cremated him so that an autopsy couldn’t be performed).

More notably though, Grey Gardens had at one point been home to Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale, and her daughter, Little Edie.

Your Nana would often use Big Edie’s martial fall out as an example to never trust a man’s intentions. She’d also use the Beale’s widely publicised story as a warning. People will judge you, especially if your name is already known to some.

Despite the gossip associated with Grey Gardens, the reason for its frequent mention at your family’s dinner table wasn’t because of the vast size of the property, its architectural style, or design. And it wasn’t the scandalous story, or the association with being a recluse. No. For your family, the name signalled an escape. A white flag, of sorts, to end the standoff between two or more people because the talks were going in circles. The mention of Grey Gardens was to allow for reflection since seeing someone else’s point of view, in the heat of the moment, was not easy.

A white flag you were now waving.

“Eddie came to see you?” Val asks in disbelief while she carefully sets a bowl of mashed potatoes down on its designated spot at the family dinner table.

“Grey Gardens,” you mutter, not interested in getting into this conversation.

Unfortunately, your younger sister ignores you, along with the meaning that your family has given to the East Hampton acres of land. She proceeds to press on the matter, rather indelicately, because she’s always been nosy when it comes to your celebrity skin — not out of jealousy, you knew that much, just morbid curiosity, as she’d always say. Normally you don’t mind it. Hers is the only attention you give into because she’s always been your number one fan. This whole situation with Eddie however, well, that you didn’t want to get into. It’s the reason you stayed hidden in your apartment for all those weeks following the breakup.

So you made a promise with yourself: no one has to know that the Corroded Coffin frontman showed up at your door the other night. And by no one, you meant your own family and close circle, since you already told Steve and Eddie’s undoubtedly gone to visit his sister. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, three days with no hitch. Saturday… Well, the tabloids had to go and ruin that day for you and put a hink in your plan to keep this situation underwraps. EDDIE MUNSON SPOTTED IN NEW YORK: the Rockstar plus the Big Apple, it can only mean one thing.

People aren’t stupid. They picked up on the hidden meaning immediately. Understood the illusion presented to them by second-rate journalists who were dreaming of writing about things that matter, but are instead stuck working on puff pieces about people five-times more famous than they’ll ever be. So the gossip train took off. Eddie Munson was in New York City to see you. This time, of course, that was true, but you hated that other people knew about it. Most importantly, you hated that your family knew.

“Did he say why he came?” Val is relentless.

Tension is building up your back, to your shoulder blades. You crack your neck. You’ve never been one to go against family, but you’re maybe about one question away from telling Val to fuck off. Jesus. The intention behind the thought disappears from your mind just as fast as it initially crept up. It would be redundant. She’d just call for mom, the peacemaker.

And speaking of mom…

“Valentine, can you please gather your siblings? Dinner will be ready in five minutes and I’m pretty sure Jonah is knee-deep in Play-Doh, while Amelia will take about twenty to put down the phone.”

She always walks into the room like she’s in a rush for something, despite never having anywhere to go outside of school pickups and grocery runs. Yet there’s an elegance there, thought by your Nana, and an aura of warmth and a certain poise that you’ve envied since you were a little girl. An aura that can’t be mimicked or copied. You’ve tried.

“Your sister is going to help me out here,” your mom adds before Val can argue, “The green beans need to be finished, and I need someone to check on the pie because I have to handle the steaks.”

You’re grateful for the distraction, following your mom into the kitchen. The sizzle coming from the oil is soothing, like white noise. You stand in the doorway for a moment, allowing yourself to close your eyes, listening to the hissing as you take in the surrounding smells. Solace. Although it’s brief because your mom is calling your name and she’s again in a rush, opening the oven quite harshly and telling you to look at the pie.

“Where’s dad?” You wonder while doing what she’s requested you to do. The pie is burned at the top, but you don’t tell her, taking it out instead and setting it aside to cool. The oven is off before she even gets a chance to ask what it looks like.

“He’ll be back soon,” she answers simply, “Went to pick up Caroline and your Nana.”

You nod and move onto finishing the green beans before your mom can implore you to do so. She starts whistling. The same tune she always does when cooking — your first number one song. It makes you smile. She’s always told you how proud she was, both of your parents did. Their beautiful girl, their second daughter, grew up to become bigger than the world. That’s plenty of reason for pride. You start to hum along.

For the next ten minutes, five longer than what your mom said dinner would take, you forget all about Eddie Munson showing up at your apartment door.

The banging continues. Eddie's calling your name through the wood that’s separating your two bodies, desperate for your attention. It’s almost like a plea, but that would mean he’s remorseful of something, and if you know Eddie at all — which you think you do — he’s not the remorseful type, considering how often he fucks up.

With a trembling hand, you slide the chain onto the lock and slowly open the door, peeking at the rockstar from between the created gap. Eddie is quick to readjust his position, leaning forward against the frame, so that he can see you better in the dim light of your apartment.

“How did you get past the doorman?”

“I uh… I told him I was your boyfriend.”

You can’t help but scoff. His answer angers you. Enough to want to shut the door back in his face, which you’re about to do when Eddie places his hand between the crack, preventing you from doing anything.

“Just hear me out.”

“Please leave.”

“Sweetheart—”

“No,” you snap, “You… you don’t get to call me that.”

Eddie sighs while dropping his hand, though he doesn’t move much further and his persistence makes it hard for you to just leave him there, sulking in your hallway.

Motherfucker.

Despite the resentment you currently feel, and despite not really wanting to talk to him, you briefly close the door to unlatch the chain, then open it again before stepping to the side, allowing him to enter the confines of your apartment because a) you’re an idiot, and b) you’re a stupid fucking idiot.

The rockstar lingers for a moment, glancing between you and the inside of your home, and you think he must be unsure about your sudden change of heart. Frankly, you’re unsure too since you did your best to get over him — a lot of that effort to no avail. You’re mainly unsure though, ‘cause once he steps through the threshold, it will be a lot harder to kick him out.

“Do you want something to drink?” You ask, breaking the rather heavy silence, but you don’t wait for him to answer. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get us some water.”

Eddie nods at your words, slowly, and you leave him there, lingering by the open door before he finally takes that step forward. You disappear into the kitchen under the pretext of hydration, when you’re alone, however, instead of reaching for two glasses, you lean against your fridge as the tears breach through the corners of your eyes. The stone-like facade you put up just moments prior has disappeared the second you allowed yourself to breathe.

Every inch of you is against indulging the Corroded Coffin frontman in whatever conversation he hopes to have with you, hence why you shut the door in his face in the first place. He broke you, a sentence you repeated to yourself like a mantra while spending hours on end in bed instead of living your luxurious life. You’re dreaming of Grey Gardens. The escape that it provides. The white flag you wish to wave in means of avoidance because avoidance is always easier than working through feelings, especially since you’ve been down this road before with Eddie and he just doesn’t seem to change.

Then there’s that voice of reason, closely resembling your mom, telling you that Eddie did come to New York and of all people, he chose to see you. Despite everything that’s happened, despite knowing he most likely wouldn’t be greeted kindly, he still came to see you. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Wrong, considering the timing of his arrival is shortly after your not-so-fake date with one of his closest friends as so carefully planned by Max; who was counting on this very reaction from her brother. She prepared you for it, so you knew damn well that whatever conversation you’re about to have would be far from productive, since, you suspect, this is the reason he’s in the Big Apple to begin with.

And while you’re in the kitchen trying to regain control of your nerves, Eddie is also going crazy.

He didn’t really come here with a clear mission. Honestly, calling Marianne to charter a jet last minute was a pure knee jerk reaction after reading that spread on you and his so called friend, Steve. A night out on the town, featuring his best girl and someone he thought was a best friend. The photo of the two of you was cosy, too close for comfort and too much for poor ol’ Eddie. He wondered how the two of you met. He wondered what you talked about on this date. Did either of you mention his name?

Then the questions took a turn for slightly more perverse considering your history.

Did you do more than just hold hands, as depicted in the photo? He wondered if you, as the tens of girls in Hawkins, also thought Harrington was a good kisser. Was he better than Eddie? Did you enjoy kissing him? Fuck— Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy. The feeling made him sick.

That’s when Eddie knew, despite all perceived consequences, he needed to see you.

Your apartment was exactly like he imagined it to be. Big and bright. Eclectic, but with classy furniture that unsurprisingly looked more expensive than anything he’s ever owned. It was carefully arranged to maximise the space and make it look more inviting.

There was a display of various awards on top of the marble fireplace, most notably a Grammy. Eddie smiles at the statue, then continues to glance around your living room. A gallery wall catches his attention, so he stops his small, self-guided tour in front of it. The photos vary from your magazine covers, to childhood memories. In the middle, there’s a picture of your family and although Eddie’s never met anyone aside from your evil grandmother, from your stories, he knows exactly who everyone is — your parents, Alicia and Brad, with their four daughters, Caroline, Valentine, Amelia, and you, plus the youngest boy, Jonah — and he can’t help but wonder if you told them anything about him.

He suspects the answer is yes, since why else would you disappear for a few months to Los Angeles, only to come back heartbroken. So the brunette rockstar hates himself even more for putting you in that situation in the first place. He wishes more than anything that he could explain, but the grisly threats made by the very person that’s sitting right in the middle of the family picture, ring in his ears.

That’s how you find him. Staring blankly at the photo frames ahead.

Everyone settles at the table, taking their assigned seats, like it’s always been. Mom on one end of the wooden piece of furniture, your dad on the other. The sides see your Nana sitting in between you and your older sister Caroline who’s partner, Jackie, usually takes today’s empty spot. Across sits Valentine, Amelia, and little boy Jonah, who’s always closest to your mom, otherwise he throws a fit.

Nana initiates prayer. Your family has never been overly religious, if at all, but you do believe in thanking whatever higher power may exist for the blessings you’ve each encountered in life: your parents meeting each other when they did and starting the beautiful family your Nana is constantly praying for, Caroline for graduating at the top of her class in medical school and most recently starting her surgical residency at John Hopkins Hospital, Val for her spot at NYU and Amelia for her spot at the top of the cheer pyramid (a sure scholarship ride, when the time comes), and lastly you, for everything that made you. Jonah is the only one that has no idea what’s going on. He’s just happy to see food.

The potatoes are passed clockwise. That’s when the chaos slowly begins to unfold.

“Guess who came to see our star,” Val teases. She means no harm, but you just have this feeling that there’s no way this could end well.

“Who?” Caroline asks, focused more on plating her dinner than on actually getting an answer. She’s just being polite, as always. Unwilling to leave her sister hanging.

“A certain dark-haired rockstar.”

“Val—”

But your attempt at a protest is quickly interrupted.

“Oh for the love of everything good,” your Nana exhales rather loudly, “What does that boy want with you now? I thought you left that fiasco behind in Los Angeles, where it belongs.”

“It’s not like I invited him over,” you state, “He just… appeared.” Not entirely a lie because they don’t have to know that the last date you were seen on was carefully orchestrated to get under the rockstar's skin, which is why he came.

“I for one like the thought of you and that boy together,” your mom says, knife cutting into her piece of steak, “There’s something very kind about his face, and you know what I always say about kindness.”

“At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters when it comes to love,” you chime in unison with each of your sisters.

“Exactly.”

“This isn’t about love.” The tone of your Nana’s voice is urging close to displeasement. You look at her, but she’s focused on her plate. If you knew any better, you’d say she was avoiding your gaze. Almost as if she was hiding something.

But you quickly brush the thought away before it can grow into something more. Whatever her stance on the rockstar, and she’s made it very clear on numerous occasions that she wasn’t Eddie’s biggest fan, your Nana was often a lot of talk and little follow through. She didn’t like to get her hands dirty, unless there was a clear benefit to her, or someone in the family. And there was no winning for anyone when it came to the whole situation with Eddie.

“Eddie’s cute,” Amelia says sweetly, taking a forkful of green beans into her mouth. “Like a sexy sort of cute. That bad boy look is definitely working for him.”

“I don’t see it.” Caroline shrugs.

“That’s ‘cause you’re into chicks, not dicks.” Val points out.

“Valentine.” Your dad’s first words around the dinner table are always spoken to reprimand someone else. A man of a few expressions, is what you often described him as. Holly thought it was insanely hot which always grossed you out.

Val clears her throat, understanding that she’s crossed a line with that rather cheeky comment, but she doesn’t apologise. Instead she continues with questions to the initial subject she raised — Eddie coming to see you.

“Did you let him in?” She probes, “Did you guys talk?”

Eddie does turn his head as soon as you walk back into the room, sensing your presence like he usually does. He tries to smile, though his mouth refuses cooperation with his brain and instead pursues his lips into a lopsided line, somewhat reminiscent of what he was trying to achieve, but not quite. Not really.

Avoiding more eye contact than absolutely necessary, you place the two glasses of water on the coffee table before standing on the other side of it. Ensuring ample space between you and the Corroded Coffin frontman. A necessary precaution considering how fast you tend to give into his mahogany-coloured eyes.

“Talk.”

It’s simple. Right now, that’s all you can muster.

Eddie clears his throat. Right now, that’s all he can muster.

In the few minutes of rather unbearable silence that follow, you’re forced to come to terms with the fact that Grey Gardens is most definitely not an option. Eddie is actually here, in your living room, for one reason or another, which is another reminder of how the two of you ended up like this in the first place: “I think we made a mistake,” he says a little too bluntly. “I-I don’t think we should have labelled this so soon, and ehm… This is nothing on you, sweetheart. I’m just not the relationship type.”

“Eddie, talk.” You say with a little more conviction. “Because you begged me for a chance to hear you out just mere minutes ago, and now you’re as silent as the dead, so I’m a little confused and getting even more peeved off.”

“Okay,” he breathes finally, “Okay, uhm.”

Running a hand through his crazy locks, Eddie glances briefly at the golden award on your chimney, before settling his gaze on you.

“I-I saw the pictures of you and Steve.” A statement that surprisingly isn’t fueled by anger, or the jealousy he was for sure feeling, but rather by a sadness that he only blamed himself for.

“Right…”

“How did you two meet?”

“At Saks,” you answer, intentionally leaving out the young redhead that was also present, “We bumped into each other and kind of hit it off.”

“Did he say he knew me?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking him all those questions, Eddie? I’ve got nothing to explain to you since we’re no longer together, you made that very clear,” you state. “If it bothers you so much that I was seen out with Steve, then ask the guy that’s supposedly your friend.”

There’s a twinge of guilt that oozes through your veins because if it wasn’t for your agreement to Max’s little plan, you wouldn’t have to witness Eddie’s desperation. And even though you try to remind yourself how hurting the brunette man back is exactly why you agreed to the stupid date in the first place, seeing Eddie’s melancholy expression makes you think it wasn’t really worth it.

“Look, I-I—” You’re about to give in, explain the situation in hopes he’d simply let it go and leave you be. Leave you to finally move on since, at the end of the day, that’s what you really wanted, no, needed to do.

The phone rings. Interrupting your train of thought along with the conversation. When you answer and it’s Steve, calling to check in since you never called him back, like you promised you would, the guilt bubble bursts and bleeds.

“Eddie’s here,” you simply state into the receiver, your back now to the Corroded Coffin frontman as he continues to stare at your frame.

“Oh,” Steve sighs, “Do you need me to come over? Diffuse the situation?”

Even though Harrington can’t see you, you shake your head. “No, that’s okay. I’m okay,” you affirm and for the first time that night, smile. Albeit slightly. “Thank you anyway, and ehm, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Deal.”

“Goodnight, Steve.”

“Goodnight, darlin’.”

When you shift in your spot to once again look at Eddie, his expression is no longer one of dejection. Instead it’s replaced by the look you knew you were bound to be at the receiving end of at some point during this night — resentment.

“So you call each other goodnight after just one date, huh?”

Bitter, the tone of his voice. Like a child at a playground who was forced to share his favourite toy. It causes you to roll your eyes ‘cause you’re once again reminded of the person everyone warned you Eddie is: a self-serving asshole. And to say you weren’t expecting a drop of the broken facade at some point would be a lie.

“It’s really nothing to you,” you state back, crossing your arms under your bust, no longer wanting to explain how this all came about. “Now, if all you came here for is to question me about my date, I guess you can leave ‘cause I’ve got nothing else to tell you, Eddie. It’s frankly none of your business and I once again remind, that you made sure of that.”

Eddie scoffs, but doesn’t say anything else, not even a stupid goodbye, or see you around. He simply brushes past you and slams the front door shut. Leaving you all alone with your thoughts, yet again.

The sudden silence is overbearing.

You think of Grey Gardens. Inside, a dust-covered grand piano. Untouched and unplayed for many years. You think of the songs that never made it past the first key, wasted because of the hosts decision to lock all doors. Self-preservation. Recluse, like Val recently called you.

And a recluse is the last thing you want to be again.

Jonah is making a mess. He’s playing with his dinner, potatoes everywhere but the places they’re supposed to be. Your mom is trying to calm him down. Unfortunately the further she bargains for peace, the more excited he gets. He’s laughing now. Clearly enjoying himself, along with the attention he’s getting.

Mom’s voice is calm while she repeats his name. Amelia can be heard from the kitchen, screeching that your brother got his dinner all over her new jeans and the stain won’t come out. Caroline is shouting back from her seat, giving your youngest sister cleaning tips she’s picked up at the hospital. Your Nana and Val have gotten into an argument over the parenting style you were all raised with (Valentine protecting your mom, while your Nana remains ever the scrutinizer).

You’re grateful that for a few minutes, everyone is focused on your brother.

Then Jonah starts crying. It’s gotten too loud for his tiny ears. He’s no longer enjoying the minor disruption he’s caused, he just doesn’t know how to apologise for it, so he opts to let the floodgates open. Watching him, you think how lucky it must be to just cry when things get tough. How freeing it must be to not keep shit in until it gets too much.

When his screams get louder, your mom glances at your dad, who understands without a single spoken word that he can no longer just observe. So your dad stands. He walks around the table until he’s by Jonah’s chair, lifting him up in one swift movement.

“It’s alright, my man.”

With that, they’re gone. The cries soon fade. When Amelia sits back down, a wet patch on her jeans, it’s quiet around the table again. Your mom asks for the empty plates, a smile on her face as if the last ten minutes didn’t just flutter her completely. One by one they’re passed to her without a word. When she stands, Caroline follows by picking up the bowls with leftover mash and beans.

“So are you gonna see him again?” Amelia asks. Continuing the previous topic because if she’s engaged in conversation, then mom won’t ask for her help.

“Who?”

“Eddie, you dingus.”

You grimace. “I don’t know.”

That apparently was not the right answer because your Nana jumps back in with nothing but judgement in her tone of voice.

“Honey, do you really want to put yourself through more heartbreak?” She queries, “Because I’ve told you before that boys like that don’t change their ways.”

“Well, I wouldn’t really know if they change or not, since I wasn’t exactly privy to the circumstances surrounding the demise of my and Eddie’s relationship in the first place.” You don’t mean to snap, but that’s exactly what happens. “Now, does the concept of Grey Gardens not apply anymore, because if so, I must’ve missed that family meeting.”

You walk away from the table next. Sick of answering questions. Sick of this conversation. Sure, this was your family, but there were things you wanted to keep private. Especially things relating to Eddie since you were still only trying to figure everything out yourself.

The conversation with Eddie didn’t amount to much. Without allowing yourself to second guess the feeling in your gut, you rushed after the rockstar the night he walked out of your apartment. There was a lot going through your mind, but one thing was a little more clear, he wasn’t going to win. Eddie Munson was not going to be the one to play victim in this situation since he’s the person that’s caused this crazy domino effect. He won’t turn you into a fucking recluse again.

Unfortunately he’s gone by the time you make it to the lobby. You don’t get a chance to confront him then and you haven’t heard from him since. You’re not even sure if he’s still in New York — a feeling creeping through you screams that he is, but you can’t be sure.

The line rings once, twice. Then a jovial voice picks up.

“Mayfield residence.”

You clear your throat. “Hey, Max, it’s uh… it’s me.”

“My favourite popstar,” Red cheers, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Is Eddie there? Or do you maybe know what hotel he’s staying at?”

When Max doesn’t immediately answer, you think you fucked up by calling. Dumb idea, dumb idea, dumb, dumb, dumb. Sucking your bottom lip in between your teeth, you proceed to chew on it nervously, about to tell her to forget you asked, forget you called. But then a voice flows through the receiver and it doesn’t belong to Max.

“Heard you’re looking for me, sweetheart.”

Eddie.

“Have you ever been to Coney Island?”

The Wonder Wheel was an attraction to hundreds, if not thousands, locals and tourists. A glistening staple of the peninsular neighbourhood. You could never hope to see it during the day anymore. Not since your fame skyrocketed, now on par with the amusement park. At night however, when the sun went down and the workers finished their shifts, well, that was a different story.

The watch strapped to your wrist displayed two in the morning as you walked towards the metal gate with a rather hesitant Eddie by your side. He’s unsure why you called, unsure of why you invited him out here after making it pretty clear the other night that you didn’t want to talk to him. What changed?

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Tony was the security guard, about four years shy of retirement. Working the Wheel grounds since he was a kid, following his dad who’d done the job before. A true New York family affair. You befriended him a long time ago now.

“I thought I’d seen the last of you, kid.”

“Back to my roots now. It’s nice to hear I’ve been missed,” you say as Tony opens the gate for you without question.

“One hour,” the older man states, like he’s done many times before, only briefly glancing back at the rockstar that’s accompanying you. Thankfully, he chooses not to comment.

“One hour,” you repeat with a nod and a smile.

Underneath the Wonder Wheel is where you hope to find some peace in this whole situation. Eddie’s still hesitant, and a little confused, especially when you lay flat on your back on the dirty ground to stare upon the metalworks of the world famous attraction. He doesn’t question you though, just accepts that to continue any sort of conversation, he’s going to have to join you.

There’s a half-a-beat of silence. Just the wind, the water, and some crickets. You exhale slowly, eyes closed momentarily because this was one of your safe spaces and now you might’ve ruined it by bringing your ex.

A sigh escapes your lips.

“Eddie, why did you really come to New York?” You ask without looking at him.

When the rockstar doesn’t immediately answer, a glimmer of hope for what you two lost, oozes through you. It’s foolish, yes, you know that. Your Nana would even call you stupid for holding onto something — someone — that has hurt you repeatedly. Matter of fact, she damn nearly has earlier this evening. But it’s Eddie, you tell yourself. He’s charming, but not in a try-hard way. The charm comes naturally to him. He’s funny. He’s wicked smart. And underneath that cold-ish exterior, he’s unbelievably kind (as your mom suspected). You learned this about him. Which is why it hurt so much when he ended things so casually. It seemed uncharacteristic to the Eddie Munson you’ve gotten to know, and possibly even love.

He seemingly came to ask about your date with Steve, as his little sister predicted he would. Just like she planned for. At first, you thought that too ‘cause what other reason would there be to bring him all the way out here after months of no contact. What other reason, except for just seeing you.

“I think I told you once that wherever I go, solo or with the band, I never really set foot outside of whatever hotel they have me staying in, or whatever studio I have scheduled interviews and press in, venture from whatever show I have.”

“Your exact words were: they keep me prisoner,” you say through a smile.

Eddie laughs briefly at the memory. “Well, sweetheart, it’s true. Fame overall in a way is like a prison. Do you ever feel that way?”

“That’s one way to not answer my question,” you tease, nudging his side slightly. “But I guess, yeah. Can’t go anywhere without Hank out of fear some randomer will come up to me with ill intentions, or I’ll end up in the papers again and my ex-whatever will fly across the country to confront me about it.”

You look at him then, a smile circling your lips. Eddie does the same. His brown eyes scan your own for a moment, contemplating the comment you just made.

“We kinda get what we signed up for though, no?” You add. “Seems ungrateful to complain.”

Eddie nods. He licks his lips before looking back up at the sky above, spotty between the metal of the wheel, but beautiful nonetheless. Different from Los Angeles. Different from Hawkins. Reminiscent of the people he’s met here. Reminiscent of you which makes it perhaps the most perfect night sky he’s ever seen.

“I came ‘cause I wanted to see you.”

He exhales.

“When everything went down… I thought I was doing the right thing, sweetheart. I thought I was protecting you from the hell I know dating me can become,” Eddie explains, “I know that’s not an excuse and if it was, it’d be a fucking lame one, but people that are close to me get hurt. That’s just the honest truth.”

“People like Chrissy Cunningham.”

Eddie’s head snaps back in your direction. He’s shocked, that’s for sure. How do you know that name? Did Steve tell you? Surely not without giving Eddie a heads up first. That’s the least Harrington could do after going on a very public date with his ex-girlfriend.

Quick to notice his surprise at the mention of Chrissy’s name, you realise the only way to get the truth, is to be honest yourself.

“Eddie, there’s something you should know about my first run-in with Steve.”

“Did he tell you about Chrissy?” The question is quiet, almost as if the rockstar is afraid to ask it. He’s clearly nervous and it goes well beyond you just knowing about Chrissy.

“Max told me.”

“What?”

You sigh, glancing back up at the metal and sky above.

“She was with Steve that day at Saks. We, uh, we didn’t really talk then. We didn’t even introduce ourselves ‘cause I was with Val who was trying on dresses for this event,” you tell him, then quickly look at him again.

“Max left a note with Hank. It was her address, she wanted to meet me.”

“You met with my sister? I was just with her. Why didn’t she tell me that?”

“I guess maybe she wanted me to be the one to tell you, I don’t know.” You shrug before continuing, “Eddie, she told me how you were seemingly crazy about me, so to her, it didn’t make sense that you suddenly weren’t. All she really wanted was to get your attention, get you to talk to her at least.”

You pause. “Don’t be mad at her please.”

“Why would I be mad at her?”

“Because she’s the one who organised that date with Steve,” you answer. “It was fake, Eds. All for show, to get under your skin.”

He stares at you. Blinking as the information settles. Betrayal isn’t exactly the word he’d use to describe what he was now feeling. Lord knows he deserved it ‘cause there’s no denying he’d been acting like a complete prick towards everyone around him, including little Red who he’s supposed to always be honest with.

So the date was fake. That gave Eddie some solace. You weren’t really going to start dating one of his closest friends, even if the friend in question is calling you goodnight after said fake date. Then again, that’s just Steve the King Harrington, always the gentleman.

One thing remained unanswered, however. How much do you know of Chrissy?

“I’m not mad,” Eddie says eventually. “It actually makes a lot more sense now. Steve’s a good guy.”

“Not the type of guy to go out with his friends' ex,” you tease lightly.

The brunette smirks. “Still a dickhead.”

That makes you laugh. And as the sound settles, a sound Eddie would only describe as angelic, it makes the brunette rockstar smile a little wider. He didn’t think he’d ever be so lucky to hear your laughter again. He especially didn’t think he'd be the one to make you spur the emotion, not after what he’s done and how he’s treated you. But here the two of you are. Your laughter has faded, but the smile on your face remains.

“Well, I’m glad you’re not mad I went on a date with that dickhead,” you say honestly.

“Tsk. I’m not mad at Red,” he clarifies with a smug smile, “Never said anything about you, sweetheart.”

You roll your eyes. “May I remind you that you have lost all right to be mad at me for seeing other people when you’re the one that ended things?”

It’s meant to come off lighthearted, but you can’t hide the hurt behind your words. There’s a pain there. One that you’ve forgotten about for the last twenty-or-so minutes because things are easy with Eddie. They align. The imperfect dots that represent your life are pulled together by an invisible string when the rockstar’s around. He somehow manages to make you feel normal and you live to experience a level of normalcy. Even if he hurt you. Twice.

“Tell me about Chrissy,” you change the subject. Steer your thoughts in a different direction.

Eddie avoids eye contact. He lifts one of his arms, flicking the piece of metal and listening to it echo in the night. A lame effort to buy some time before answering you because now that his initial fear of someone else telling you about Chrissy has been squashed by your not-so-simple request, he needs to figure out a way to avoid answering. The threat your grandmother has made at that godforsaken party remains fresh in the rockstars mind: “And Eddie,” she continues, “I wouldn’t tell her about this conversation, and I also wouldn’t be so brave to tell her about Chrissy yourself, because with a snap of my finger, the whole world will know. Then you gotta ask yourself, what’s more important? Your happiness, her happiness, or the careers you both worked extremely hard for.”

He swallows his breath before glancing back at you once again.

“There’s nothing to say.”

It’s simple. Can be perceived as vague ‘cause someone is avoiding the answer, but Eddie hopes you’ll just take it as him not wanting to talk about an ex-girlfriend. Not that Chrissy was his ex, but you didn’t really know that.

“Nothing at all?”

“Nothing at all,” he lies.

There are clear moments that define a person's life and they’re not as basic as one would believe: first words, steps, tantrums, day of school, first friends, first fallouts, fight, crush, kiss, first anything — the list goes on, and on, and on. No. These definitive moments are a lot more hazy. Often remain unclear until you find yourself in therapy, spewing your feelings to someone who’s paid to listen, or when you’re black-out drunk and what’s bothering you deep inside is now between you and some stranger you just met in a nightclub bathroom.

Your list of moments is short and yet, somehow, it features Eddie’s name multiple times. In any other reality, that would be almost poetic. As if some higher power considered the two of you to be bound together. In this reality however, it was almost cruel. You had built a life bigger than you ever dreamed possible, and yet your existence is defined by the rockstar.

Almost cruel.

“There’s a place in the Hamptons. Grey Gardens it’s called. I like to walk by it whenever I’m in the area, which in recent years obviously isn’t often, but still… There’s a certain solace about the property and despite its rather barmy history, my family uses Grey Gardens as a way to move past certain topics without a larger fight.”

The sand beneath you is coarse yet soft at the same time. You run your fingers through it, feeling every individual granule, while your gaze is fixated on the dark waters ahead. Eddie watches you. His arm is pressed against yours. He’s got no idea what you’re talking about, but he’s hooked on every word. As always.

“When you showed up at my door the other night, Grey Gardens is what I thought of,” you admit, “Truth be told, as angry as I was at you for breaking up with me like that, when I saw you, the last thing I wanted was any sort of confrontation.”

“I didn’t come here to argue,” Eddie clarifies.

“I know, Eds.”

There’s a brief moment of silence during which you wrap your arms around your knees and tilt your head to look at him, offering the rockstar a small smile.

“I believe you came ‘cause you regret your decision.”

Eddie looks away, bottom lip now between his teeth. He does so because you’re right, but unfortunately he can’t admit that out loud. He can’t say anything that’s on his mind because he’s aware of the wider implications to both of your careers.

“So, what happens now?” The rockstar asks, only slightly afraid of the answer.

thank you for reading! really appreciate the endless & continuous support!

celebrity skin. masterlist

& tagging some cool ppl that expressed interest: @eviethetheatrefreak , @thirddeadlysin , @haylaansmi , @nope-thanks , @tlclick73 , @vintagehellfire , @ashlynnkennedy , @avalon-wolf , @sidthedollface2 , @astheni-a , @bebe07011 , @aysheashea , @papillonoirsworld , @vol2eddie, @spideyanakin-interacts , @rogers-sweatbands , @mimsie95 , @mmunson86

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #rockstar!eddie munson #rockstar!eddie x reader #rockstar!eddie smut #celebrity skin.

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m0chaminx · 2 years

Text

Eddie Munson | Beat Up

*•.¸♡Request : Eddie munson angst?

I added a bit of fluff at the end :)

*•.¸♡Prompt : none

*•.¸♡𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 : violence, blood, injuries, swearing

*•.¸♡Paring : Eddie Munson x GN!reader

*•.¸♡𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 : Eddie gets his ass kicked by Jason, but thankfully you'll look after him

*•.¸♡words : 319

Edie sighed, his eyes wincing in pain. Eddie reached for his guitar, trying to pluck a few cords but simply hissed in pain. Eddie put his guitar down, his fingers to bust up to play. Eddie leant back against the wall under the bleachers. He could spot people walking around and he could even see Jason, who just beat the shit out of him.

The staff door to the left opened and Eddie pushed himself against the wall trying to hide from whoever it was. "Eddie? Eds are you down here?" You called out, squinting in the dark. Eddie groaned, letting himself slip back to a comfortable position.

"Over here," Eddie called back, trying not to raise his voice too much. Hearing his voice bounce off the walls you walked over to him, wrapping yourself tighter in your jumper. "Hey you," Eddie smiled trying to chuckle but it came out as a sputtered cough. Eddie pressed his hand to his side wincing again.

You kneeled in front of him, reaching out to brush under the cut of his cheek, being careful of the dark bruise already forming. "Got your ass kicked," You laughed softly, a small smile gracing his face. "You alright?"

Eddie scoffed at you, pushing past the pain in his split lip. "I got beat to shit by Jason and goons, no I'm not alright," Eddie huffed knocking his head against the wall. "Sorry. I'm pretty sure when Jason kicked me he bruised my ribs," Eddie joked, smiling with pursed lips. You smiled sadly, looking down at Eddie's hands. "Oh yeah, fucking Mark jumped on my hand."

"Let's get out of here, get a burger or something," You offered standing up again. "I'll fix you up at my place." You held your hand out for him to grab. Eddie nodded using your hand to pull himself up. You crouched quickly, grabbing his guitar and leading him out.

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#eddie i love you #st4 #stranger things #nancy wheeler #ronance #eddie munson #robin buckley #eddie munson icons #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #angst with a happy ending #stranger things season 4 #stranger things 4 #stranger things 3 #stranger things x reader

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spiderrrling · 2 years

Text

Playing dress up - Eddie Munson x Reader

summary - you need eddie to help zip up your dress

a/n - little tiny drabble written on my phone because i feel bad not giving you guys anything - 500 words

"Hey Eddie?" You were standing in a room surrounded by pictures of yourself in the changing room mirrors, creating an infinite illusion of yourself that went on forever.

"Yes Pumpkin?" Your childhood nickname, and in recent months the word that made your heart skip a beat.

"I-" you breathed for a moment, your head tilting back and your eyes met the sharp stinging spotlights of the changing room, "I can’t- I need help zipping up my dress-"

Your teeth dug into your bottom lip as you anxiously awaited for his reply.

"Do you need- want help?" Eddie quickly corrected himself, his fingers we're already hovering over the threadbare and worn velvet curtain separating you.

"Please?" Your eyes slid shut for a mere second as the moment passed and your shoulders unclenched from your ears, your body finally remembering how to breathe on it's own again.

The rushing of metal on metal filled your ears as he pulled aside the curtain separating you,

"Could you move your hair please pumpkin?" He was already standing so close to you, but it wasn't nearly close enough for the task at hand, the task you had asked him to help you with.

Your answer didn't come as words from your lips, simply you grabbed your hair and carefully sweeping it away, and you knew that your back was on full display for him to see.

But instead Eddie’s eyes met yours in the mirror as he focused on looking anywhere but on your exposed skin as he stepped closer to you. His hot, shallow, breath fanned over your neck as his fingers fumbled blindly for the zipper on your dress before slowly pulling it along the soft slope of your back, and you swore that you could hear his breath hitching in his throat.

Slowly he pulled at the zipper along the back of your dress, his hand brushing the delicate band of your bra as they passed over it, and he tried his best not to think anything of it.

The slider reached the nape of your neck, and Eddie let it release from his fingers with a thud against the dress. But instead of letting his hand drop, his fingers lingered on your shoulder, teetering closer and closer to your neck with every second that passed.

His thumb pressed softly against the base of your skull, and his eyes we're still fast on yours in the mirror. Eddie was standing close enough to you that you could have rested your body weight on him, and you knew that he would catch you in his arms.

"You should get this one," Eddie finally broke the silence between you, his words hanging in the small and confined space of the changing room, ricocheting off the walls until you were convinced the echoing would drive you mad.

"You said that about the last one... and the one before that."

"Well- this time it's personal,"

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spiderrrling · 2 years

Text

Anybody have a map? - Chapter 1: Welcome to camp Sunshine

Series Masterlist - Masterlist - General Taglist

Chapter summary - The summer is finally here, and you've arrived at camp, happy to know that your sworn enemy is no where to be seen. Sadly, it doesn't take long before he shows up and bursts your bubble of hope for a happy summer, instead now you are stuck in the middle of no where with the person you hate the most in the world.

Word count - 9.3k

Chapter warnings - Brief mentions of smoking

A/N - thank you guys so much for the support you’ve already shown to this fic, and thank you so so so much to the genuine mastermind behind it @uglypastels i literally wouldnt have been able to do it without you

Day 0 - Sunday, 19 Days before

There was something special about a place like Camp Moonglade. Barely an hour and a half away from the chaos that was downtown Hawkins, and yet a completely different world. There was no rush of traffic in the morning, no peering eyes from pestering neighbours who would rather be caught up in other people's business than their own, and no pressure to maintain the expectations laid on you by the social society of Hawkins High.

All of that was to be exchanged for the happy smiles (and screams) of children seeking out adventures and stories to be told years down the line. An escape from pesky parents, bullies and teachers and where anyone could be whoever they wanted to be. A place where the trees grew tall and the birds tweeted with glee, helping you forget about the worst of times.

It was a complete and total getaway into a lakeside summer paradise. That's what this summer was supposed to be. But the reality settled in hard and was far from the idyllic summer escape you had imagined in the months leading up to what should have been long and lazy summer days. You had been looking forward to it for ages, couldn't wait to see the returning campers again and help them create an unforgettable experience. So, it was infuriating to know that your entire plan had been tainted with something so dark, vile and evil that had taken root in them.

Eddie Munson, your (camp) arch nemesis. Because, even though this was only your second year of counselling at the camp, the one summer of experience had been enough for you to realise two things:

1. You absolutely loved the camp and the job. 2. Eddie Munson was the Devil's spawn.

He was bad news, you could tell it from your very first meeting, and you had all of your first year at Moonglade to prove it… not to mention your shared three years of high school. So, by this time around, there was nothing that could still surprise you. Not that that stopped you from wishing this time would be different.

Eddie Munson wasn’t some bully though, who did things out of malice. He just enjoyed winding you up and seeing your reaction, he was a tease. And ever since last summer you absolutely despised him.

You should have known better, though, than to set up these high expectations for your return to camp. Ever since you had heard that Eddie wasn’t set to graduate, you knew this had been a possibility. He would come back for his third year of Camp Moonglade, just as he would return for his third senior year once the fall semester would start. And in the meantime, in the five weeks of exile, he would make sure to put you through living hell.

Well, he hadn’t directly decided to ruin all of your summer plans, that you knew of, but when Eddie was around one thing was for sure– You would get to spend yet another summer along with a person who hated your guts (not that the feeling wasn’t at least partially mutual). It wouldn’t have even surprised you if he came back solemnly just to spite you. To have yet another summer of wreaking havoc on your cabin and the planned activities ahead.

That is what you knew would happen, but, against all odds, you had really held out hope until the very last second that he wasn’t going to show up. That you would at least get these few weeks of rest away from him.

The first day at Moonglade had not helped your ideals either. In fact, it created a false hope, actually. A glorious 24-hour period had gone by on the camp site and Eddie was nowhere to be seen.

On the second day of preparations, with kids set to arrive just the next day, you and the other counselors were fast at work dusting off the mess hall and the cabins to get ready for the summer ahead. And you were intently working, sweeping out one of the cabins, ridding it of old cobweb and the thin layer of dust that had settled in the past eight months.

The strong afternoon sun was hanging high in the sky, blaring with the early Indiana summer heat when the beat up, rusty, old van pulled up into the staff parking lot. With the windows rolled halfway down you could hear the blaring music before you even laid eyes on the car.

Jumping out of the driver's side was Eddie Munson, truly he must have believed he was a sight for sore eyes. His messy brown curls pushed back with a pair of aviator sunglasses and combat boots halfway laced up. Flashing you a little too much thigh for your liking with a pair of black home made denim shorts he had clearly cut off himself based on the fraying around the hem. And he was wearing last year's camp T-shirt, or a mutilated version of it, the sleeves and side seams cut off, the shirt hanging together with barely an inch of material. You weren’t sure if it could even be called a shirt, barely covering his chest and you could visibly see one of his chest tattoos peeking out from beneath what little fabric was left.

A half smoked cigarette was dangling between his lips as he swung an old and battered duffel bag over his shoulder, stuffed to the brim with everything he might need for the next month and a half. His other hand was carefully wrapped around the handle on his guitar case, the metal of his rings glinting softly in the blaring sun. Making his way over to the mess hall, completely nonchalant to the fact that he was over a day and a half late to when he was supposed to arrive.

Standing on the terrace to one of the campers' cabins your eyes followed him the whole way to the mess hall where he greeted Zoe with his usual infuriating charm and wicked smile that always made it look like he knew something no one else knew.

You watched as they spoke, and even from a distance you could tell Zoe wasn’t particularly pleased with his late coming, her pen tapping against the edge of her clipboard impatiently as she listened to whatever poor excuse he had managed to concoct.

It was almost fascinating watching him try to flirt his way out of it, while being completely oblivious to Zoe’s dead eyed stare that she was returning to him. Or maybe he just believed in his abilities that much?

You could tell the exact moment she had told him, his face dropped and his mouth made a perfect o-shape before he yelled, “WHAT?!” His eyes wide and frantic as he searched around the camp grounds, and when he happened to find you, you were glad that looks couldn’t kill.

Eddie took a moment to compose himself, clenching his jaw ever so slightly, quickly returning to his conversation with Zoe, And you watched them from a distance, your eyes intently following Eddie as he disappeared into the main building and out of your line of sight. It is what you would have to settle for, for now.

You had decided early on that if Eddie was going to make his appearance, you were not going to sit back like you did last summer, this year you were going to be his problem. You were done letting him play elaborate pranks on you and your campers.

And seeing him just reaffirmed this, this summer you were going to hit back.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, tasks that needed to be done piled up quickly as you worked your way through an already tedious list of chores. You were hiking up the crossroad of paths to the dining hall, the promise of dinner hanging softly in the air as you got closer to the main building.

A low two story building, old and with its red paint chipping in the corners desperately trying to hold on another summer, which housed the dining hall (frequently called the mess hall by the campers), the nurses office (the infirmary), and the office (the base).

“And there she is! My favourite counsellor!” Eddie’s voice sounded and he appeared out of the mess hall as you approached, his voice was like nails on a chalkboard which contrasted with the signature flashy grin he gave you. “How is my favourite happy camper?”

"You're late." Was all you said in response, your eyebrows elevated slightly as you took in the sight of him, close up you could see even more of his chest tattoo and the faint shadow of his chest hair. Even with the sun hanging low in the horizon he was adamant about wearing the horrid tank top.

"And yet I'm still here, and the canoes have been cleaned off and are ready for the water, plus my cabin is in tip top shape and ready for inspection." To underline his point Eddie gave you a military salute and stood up just a little bit straighter, forever the main audience for his own antics.

“Cute- did Mark teach you that?” The reference to your fellow camp counselors managed to place a crack in Eddie’s stone cold facade into a smile for just a split second. "And I suppose that'll be the only time this summer that cabin will look presentable?" Both of you cringed slightly at the thought of what had happened last summer, when one of his campers unbeknownst to him had adopted a pet frog they'd found down by the water. The results of which were not pretty.

"Who's got time for grudges and complaints, we have an entire summer in front of us to enjoy." Eddie slung his arm around your shoulders like the two of you were old friends, helping to lead you into the dining hall, and you had to fight the instinct to flinch away. “But first- dinner I am starving after a hard day’s work.”

You and Eddie were the only counselors who attended Hawkins High, everyone else originated from a couple of different high schools in the surrounding areas. And while you and Eddie knew each other from camp, you didn’t speak in your regular day to day lives. You just saw each other in casual passings in the concrete tiled hallways of Hawkins High School.

All of you were upperclassmen in school and about the same age. All of you responsible for your own cabin and campers.

Everyone else was working, setting the head table with disposable paper plates since none of you were particularly interested in doing the dishes before camp had even begun. With Tiny Sal not set to arrive until tomorrow along with the rest of the campers Zoe and Lisa had taken the executive decision to nurture every last opportunity on your last day of freedom and ordered pizza for the whole gang from the nearest town. Which was still over 20 minutes by car.

Eddie’s grip loosened on your shoulder and his arm fell away from you as he walked off to chat with Connie #2 and Richie without saying a word of goodbye to you. All of you knew each other from the previous summer, and after five weeks of working together they had quickly become your home away from home, your own little camp family.

And even though it was unspoken, your seats around the counselors table had remained the same. Walking over you took your old spot between Joan and Connie #1 who were already deep in conversation.

In total there were ten of you who together ran the majority of activities at Camp Moonglade. There was Zoe, the activities leader and head organiser, you wouldn’t dare cross her in a million years. Joan, who was possibly the sweetest soul alive and helped run the arts & crafts activities. Lisa, a complete sweet tooth and the sole supplier of snacks, and is one part of the music team. Connie #1, sometimes referred to as just Con for convenience, the first half of The Connies, and co-leader of the water activities. And of course, yourself.

Then for the guys there was Richie, Eddie’s partner in crime and helps Joan with arts & crafts. Tommy, your wildlife expert and a mean games strategist. Mark; Zoe’s right hand man and sports director, complete hard ass but with a heart of gold. Connie #2, who you believed no one actually knew his real first name, who helped Con with water activities. Then last but not least, Eddie Munson, resident musician and outdoor survival skills leader.

Along with the ten of you there were three "adults", Lenny the camp director, Tiny Sal the camp chef and Maureen the nurse. Meaning in total the thirteen of you ran and operated Camp Moonglade for the summer.

“Ok but Joan we need you to join our team for capture the flag-” it was no surprise to you that Con was already fast focused on game strategies, and it would be no shock to you if the other Connie was chatting Eddie’s ear off about a team up. “With your strategy and with our energy then we’ll win for sure!”

“Well I suppose I could-” Sadly, Joan never got to finish her sentence.

“You know, I thought we had a strong sense of tradition here at Moonglade, canoeing, capture the flag, and yours truly having Cabin 9.”

Great, you could tell this was going to be another Eddie Munson spectacle. If you were a resident student at Hawkins High, you were probably unlucky enough to have caught at least a couple of them.

Eddie’s voice was loud enough to be ringing off the walls, and as you looked up, he was staring directly at you, truly something only second to rage in his dark brown eyes, mixed with some form of enjoyment he was taking out of having everyone's eyes on him.

The other counselors falling quiet around you, they'd been waiting for this. What they expected to be your moment of reckoning with Eddie. Based on his interaction with Zoe earlier, you figured that Eddie had been informed that you had taken Cabin 9 this summer, but he was yet to confront you about it.

"That is my cabin, you know that is my cabin." Eddie swung his leg over the bench directly opposite you. You did know that was Eddie's cabin for the past two years at Moonglade, and maybe that's the exact reason you had picked that to be your camper's cabin this year, but you weren’t one to kiss and tell. Taking a bit too much pride in snatching it right from under his nose due to his late coming.

"Well now I suppose that it was your cabin Eddie, it isn't anymore," you could feel the smirk tugging at the corners of your mouth and you had to resist to not let them show.

Your eyes fast on Eddie's face, thoroughly enjoying his almost frantic wide eyed stare back at you. The fellow counselors around you were intently listening in on your conversation, not soon about to forget the intense rivalry and nuclear fall out that had occured last summer.

"Besides, it's not like you're staying in the cabin anyway." You were enjoying yourself way too much, but what truly made it worth it was Eddie’s reaction to you teasing him back. “So I don’t see how it’s going to be a problem.”

It was clear he had not been expecting you to be teasing him back, there was some semblance of genuine shock on his face, but he was doing his best to hide it with his sly grin. But you could pick up on that little glint in the back of his eyes that was telling you differently.

“I suppose we’ll see whose problem it really is sunshine,” Eddie said, his smug grin fast plastered to his face and you bit the inside of your cheek, and before you could think of anything to quip back at him, he swung his legs over the bench and went back to chatting with Richie.

“Trouble in paradise.” You heard Connie whisper to Connie along with a soft snicker, but after a quick and hard look from Zoe they both fell deadly silent.

You didn’t stay long after, quickly losing your appetite and not too interested in spending the rest of the evening trying to avoid contact with Eddie. Muttering some excuse about being tired and wanting a good night's sleep before tomorrow you retired back to the counsellors cabin.

Laying on your back in your bed, your eyes were glued to the wooden ceiling above you, slowly counting the slats as you attempted to fall asleep. It was a special kind of atmosphere when it was just you at camp, time almost seemed to stand still when there was no disruption of little kids running around weakening havoc, yet you also couldn’t help but be excited for your campers to arrive and for moonglade to once again be filled with screams of joy and laughter.

Somehow this is where you always slept best, in a small cramped cabin with four other people in the middle of nowhere. With the window wide open you could taste the soft summer nightair, hear the soft sounds of the lake as water hit the shore, the creaking sounds of the forest as the breeze travelled through branches and leaves. There was something oddly calming about it all, which brought you a sense of peace you couldn’t get anywhere else.

It didn’t take long before you finally fell asleep.

Day 1 - Monday, 18 days until

The next morning started with a bang, quite literally. Mark banged on the door to your cabin, at what felt like the very crack of dawn, resulting in a synchronised groan from the ones of you still half asleep inside the cabin.

“Breakfast in the mess hall at exactly eight-hundered hours! Campers arriving today!” How anyone could have this much energy at this hour you could not figure out. But you were glad to know that even though a year had passed, Mark was still insistent on using his military terminology.

Yet you didn’t dare disobey Mark's words, quickly slinging your legs over the side of your bed and jumping out from your top bunk, looking around you could see Zoe and Joan’s beds were already empty. But Connie and Lisa seemed to be quickly falling back asleep where they laid in their bunks.

“Good morning sunshine.” Eddie looked up at you as you stepped over the threshold into the mess hall, and you were immediately convinced that he was the spawn of the devil. You yawned and rubbed sleep out of your eyes, doing your best to ignore him where he was sitting with a half empty cup of coffee.

“What? I don’t get my good morning kiss?” Eddie said as you walked past him, you turned around and raised your hand as to blow him a kiss but you finished by flipping him the bird as you walked backward through the swinging doors into the kitchen, which gave away with a soft groan.

After taking a quick glance at you Joan quickly poured and pressed a mug of steaming hot coffee into your hands to which you muttered a quiet thank you as you gladly accepted the offering.

The hot mug between your fingers served as some level of comfort, the dark and bitter liquid sloshing around. You hated black coffee, but it would have to do for now.

Around you everyone else was either deep in their planning, or having some off conversation, and you swore you heard the Connies discussing their capture the flag strategies, or was it boat strategies? You were honestly too tired to fully tune into what they were saying.

Besides, you had already started your own scheming plans for capturing the flag that you weren’t quite ready to disclose to anyone just yet. You were not about to let Eddie Munson’s team beat yours this year and if you wanted that reality you would have to play your cards just right.

Capture the flag at Moonglade was almost a religious experience, and the winner of the tournament won every possible bragging right over the rest. Last year Eddie’s team beat yours after he played dirty, and you would rather be six feet under before you let it happen again.

Sliding into the seat next to Zoe, she didn’t even notice you. Her eyes fixated on the sheet of paper laid out before her, a pen clutched in her hand, the pen cap stuck between her teeth was littered with bite marks.

“What are you working on?” You took a sip from your coffee, sipping at the hot liquid and savouring the taste as caffeine coursed through your veins, slowly waking you up.

“Finishing the week's schedule…” her eyes were completely glued to the papers in front of you, and you were honestly shocked she heard you, given how in the zone she could get. “Wow this late? Don’t tell me that queen Zoe is slipping from her throne,” you said in a playful sarcastic tone.

“Don’t you have things to finish? You know before campers arrive?” She turned towards you and rested her head against her hand, flashing you that slightly evil Zoe smirk that she always had hidden up her sleeve. “It’s good to be back.” You laughed and glanced down at your wrist, the watch strapped to it read just a little past eight, which meant you had at least a couple of hours to get your schedule and finish preparing Cabin 9 for its guests.

You had cut your morning in The Mess short, grabbing a stray piece of unclaimed toast to tidy you over as you hurried over to Cabin 9.

—

The gravel under your shoes crunched softly as you trekked your way up to the campers cabins, ten of them in a circle and in the middle a massive tree. Cabin 9 stood at the corner furthest down towards the lake. It wasn’t much but you couldn’t help but feel some level of satisfaction as you approached the low wooden building. Knowing that this year Cabin 9 belonged to you and your campers, and not Eddie.

The front deck had a couple of chairs and a table standing in front, on the inside the walls were lined with bunk beds along with a couple of drawers. However what made Cabin 9 so special was that the back window was bigger than the rest of the cabins. Meaning that you could see all the way down to the lake with a proper view, the blue shimmering surface peeking through luscious green leaves just added to the idyllic summer paradise that Moonglade was.

Yesterday you had managed to clear out most of the dust and cobwebs that had settled since last year, so luckily there wasn’t much left to be done. Still you found yourself picking at all the little details, quickly losing track of the time.

A loud bang sounded among the cabins, pulling you from your work and you rushed to the window to see what had happened.

Looking through the front window you could see Cabin 10, the unclaimed cabin that had become Eddie’s by default. He was rummaging around trying to get the last of it ready. His curly hair hanging messily around his shoulders, thankfully forgoing the hideous mutilated yellow shirt for a proper one today. The newly minted green counsellor's shirt hugged the curves of his shoulders as he worked.

Eddie ran a hand through his curls, in what from a distance looked like frustration, before he quickly walked away from the cabin in an almost half jog.

But something caught your eye, a sheet of paper stapled to the inside of the widely opened front door, but you couldn’t read it from a distance. You looked around quickly, checking to see if Eddie was coming back before running across the short distance between the cabins, climbing up the steps onto the deck.

Your eyes reading over the list Eddie has stapled up to the door, chuckling quietly to yourself.

“Curiosity killed the cat?” You jumped at his voice, not expecting him to come back so soon. “Just checking out your cabin, what number is it again?” Eddie didn’t answer you, just shot you a dirty look instead. You turned around and started reading off the list out loud.

“Camp constitution… solid name I’ll give you that… respect other people's stuff, obviously… maintain personal hygiene, good one… no summoning demons?” you read off the last one and turned to Eddie who was grinning from ear to ear. “Without permission and adequate supervision-” he leaned past you and tapped at the appended point at the end of the document, “it has to be done with proper care,” he finished.

“I am pretty sure Mark and Zoe aren’t going to be happy if you decide to summon a demon,” you almost wondered out loud as your eyes grazed his face.

But before he could quip back, you both heard the bell ring in the distance, meaning the first campers had probably started arriving, you cursed under your breath knowing you were late and you still had to pick up your check-in list from Zoe.

Both you and Eddie turned your head towards the sound of the bell and you could hear Eddie curse under his breath before quickly checking the time on his watch.

“I’ll have to catch you later sunshine, our queen Zoe cannot be kept waiting.” With a quick flash of a grin and the turn of his heel Eddie was gone, leaving you standing all by yourself once again.

—

When you arrived at the parking lot there was already a sea of campers waiting for you. Buzzing with excitement and some tears, most of them wearing backpacks larger than their bodies and stuffed to the brim, making them slightly unsteady. Like the slightest miss step would cause a domino effect of falling campers.

“Everyone listen up!” Eddie stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled so loud your ears hurt. Quickly he climbed up on the registration table, his check in sheet in hand.

"Could I have Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Lucas Sinclair and Mike Wheeler report to me please? Spread the word, thank you, that will be all." He finished off his little charade with a bow to his audience and you swore you could see some of the campers with a sheer look of terror in their eyes, and you couldn't blame them.

You had to at least give him credit for the idea, because as soon as he finished speaking it was clear who his campers were and they quickly shuffled their way over to Eddie’s table to get themselves checked in.

When all campers had finally managed to be situated with their counsellors and parents excitedly drove away to enjoy their few child free weeks, Zoe got up on one of the tables, her trusted megaphone in hand.

“Hellooo happy campers! Could I have everyone's attention for a moment?” When Zoe said it, it wasn’t a question, it was a demand, and everyone there knew it. New and returning campers alike, meaning the crowd fell silent within moments. “Thank you! Now that you all have your cabin counselors and are checked in we’re going to let you head down to your cabins to get settled for a moment, but please could all councillors make sure to have everyone in the dining hall in an hour for camp introduction and rules.”

As it always was, Zoe’s word at camp was law. Even the new campers could feel the presence she had when she picked up that megaphone.

The next couple of hours passed in a blur of trying to get your campers situated in their cabin, answering any and all questions that popped up, and hurrying to make sure that you weren’t late for camp meeting.

The grand circle was finally teeming with life once more, kids running around already enjoying the freedom away from parents, and your poor counsellor friends running after them.

And before you knew it, you had reached the end of the first official day at Camp Moonglade.

Day 3 - Wednesday, 17 days until

Rocks crunched softly beneath your feet as you walked along the shoreline, with the exception of the beach, most of the shore was either covered in big flat rocks or the stretch of grass reached all the way down to the water.

Your sandals dangled from your fingertips as you walked along, letting yourself feel the cool rocks against the rough pads of your feet.

The water gulped softly against the shore with every beat of the waves, and the only light came from the reflected image of the moon. Softly illuminating the night ever so slightly, but you still found yourself needing to squint to make sure you were still placing your feet in front of you.

The overwhelming hot swell of the day had finally faded, letting the cool night air finally seep in and you felt like you could breathe again for the first time. Relishing in every soft breath of night summer air that washed over your exposed skin.

Three full days had somehow already been and gone, passed in a blur of excitement and activities. Which your mind and body ached from, and you already found yourself longing for a break, nothing big but just a little get away.

Which is how you found yourself trekking along the shoreline of the lake, slowing your breathing, and taking in every sound of the lake, of the forest. The creaks and groans of the trees as they shifted with the wind, the rustle of leaves and the soft chirping of cicadas.

Even at night Camp Moonglade was never truly silent. Especially not when you were left with your own thoughts ticking away and churning around in your head.

But your thoughts quickly came to a grinding halt as you came upon the last person you expected, or at least wanted to see tonight. Eddie Munson, sitting by the lakeside.

His shoes were tossed almost carelessly to the side, along with his socks, allowing him to sink his feet down into the cold water. A half smoked lit cigarette dangled from his lips, glowing a soft red in the darkening night with every drag he took.

“Of course, it’s you, you know you’re not supposed to smoke at camp, right? Against camp rules.”

“Ah, my favourite happy camper, come to join me, sunshine?”

You didn’t really think about it, you just kind of sat down next to him, but you made sure to keep a distance between you. Snagging the cigarette from his hand and taking a puff before he could oppose you. The smoke filled your lungs and you immediately gagged, trying to hold back a cough, and failing spectacularly.

“You know smoking is against camp rules, right?” Eddie echoed your words from earlier, and you had to fight the chuckle that threatened to bubble up in your chest.

“So, what’s on your mind this evening, sunshine?” “Nothing-” your voice was calm into the empty night.Realising you were still holding it, you passed the cigarette back to Eddie. And you stuck your feet in the cold water, kicking your feet ever so slightly.

“Oh, c’mon I know there has got to be a reason if you’re desperate enough to sit down with little old me,” Eddie laughed, taking a drag from his cigarette much more skillfully than you did, letting the thin cigarette smoke hang in the quiet air between you, “so please, enlighten me why are you so desperate to be hanging out with yours truly.”

“Did you pack enough cigarettes to last you the next five weeks?” you asked instead to deflect the question, and pulled your thighs up to your chest, wrapping your arms around yourself, trying to fight off the sudden cold that started seeping in now that you were sitting still.

“Hopefully, as long as I make sure I don’t smoke em’ all, then I’ll be ok,” Eddie laughed, and he could tell you were trying to deflect, but hey, he wasn’t one to push. Knowing he was probably the last person you would ever want to talk to about anything running through that mind of yours. Any semblance of trust you might have had in him was long gone after last summer.

You sat there with him for a moment, almost finding some sense of peace in the comfortable silence you shared between you. It was different to anything you had experienced with Eddie. He was always the loud, fidgeting, bold, bouncing off the walls, walking on the cafeteria tables Eddie Munson.

But sitting there by the lake with you, he was calm. Calmer than you think you’ve ever seen any person. Almost as if there was no worry on his mind, despite actively breaking camp rules by insisting on smoking his cigarette. And that, you thought, might be the most Eddie Munson thing, breaking the rules and not breaking a sweat doing it.

“You know Zoe caught me down here once last summer, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that pissed,” Eddie said, and you couldn’t help but stare at him with wide eyes, it was almost as if he had been reading your mind just then, “I was sharing a joint with Richie, and we heard her approach, we both panicked and just ran for our lives, not thinking she would still see us the next morning and-”

“So that’s why you and Richie had that unexplained cleaning duty last summer!” you blurted out before you could stop yourself, instinctively clasping your hands over your mouth as you realised you had forgotten your manners and interrupted him. Which Eddie seemed to find immensely entertaining, laughing wildly at the sight in front of him.

“Yes, that is indeed why,” he chuckled at your response, quickly glancing over at you from the corner of his eye. Stumping out the cigarette bud on a nearby rock and throwing the end of it into the lake to be swallowed by the water. “You know- I think the only reason we got away with it is because I’ve known Zoe for so long.”

“Wait you’ve known Zoe since before you were a councilor?” His words puzzled you a little bit, you had no clue they’d known each other before hand, and maybe you found yourself a little bit dumbfounded for judging their interaction on Sunday.

“Yeah- me and Zoe used to be campers here together. My uncle used to send me here for the summers so he could get me out of his hair for a little bit, and so that I wouldn’t get bored and go around getting in trouble.” His eyes were looking anywhere but at you, wandering the scenery in front of them as he spoke, transfixed on the soft slopes of the water that surrounded his feet.

“So… you come here to cause problems instead?” you looked over at him and asked with a rise in your brow.

“And because you’re so much more fun to vex than my uncle,” Eddie finally looked over at you and flashed you his infamous cheeky grin. And there it was again, that same smile he’d flashed you last summer and you were ashamed to say it still elicited the same reaction in you as it had back then, and you hated yourself for it.

“Sooo, what was little Zoe like?” you kicked your feet in the water as you spoke, the water sloshing around gently, adding softly to the sounds of the night.

“Oh- not so different from how she is now. Even when she was little, she had more command than anyone else, even the old councillors back then.” He fished his lighter out of his pocket and fidgeted with the lid, flipping it open and closed rhythmically, lighting the flame every now and then.

“Why does that not surprise me,” you wondered out loud, but it was clear your tone was littered with sarcasm, and you earned a little chuckle out of him.

“Shit, are you cold?” He noticed the soft dusting of goose bumps that had gradually settled on your skin and the way your hands ran up and down your forearms trying to settle into the gentle chill of the night. Eddie shuffled out of the jacket he was wearing and held it out to you, letting the article of clothing dangle between you on the tips of his fingers.

Suddenly, you became aware of just how small the distance between you had grown, and how he offering you his jacket was painfully similar to last summer.

And perhaps, he had felt it too.

“Oh- no thank you I’ll be just fine.”

“You’re shivering like a leaf, c’mon just take it.”

“Eddie seriously I’m not cold-”

“Listen- I know after last year you might not be my biggest fan, and it's pretty clear that you’re still upset-” Eddie started. “Under exaggerating there just a little bit, Munson,” you interjected quickly, making him reconsider his words for a moment before he spoke up again.

A deep crease forming between his eyebrows as he gazed at you from the short distance between you, and you were convinced you could see the tiniest tug at the corner of his lips before he spoke.

“How about I make it up to you? Say if by some incredible, and I mean truly incredible, miracle you manage to win camp championships, I will let you give me a stick and poke tattoo. Whatever design you want, sounds good?” And you absolutely could not deny it, it was a tempting prize he was offering you. Eddie was already covered in tattoos, one more wouldn’t be much of a hassle for him, but one from you?

“And what if I don’t win, what do you get then?” You asked and Eddie bit down his bottom lip and stared at you, simply to drag it out because it was clear he already knew what he wanted. “A kiss,” he finally said and your blood ran cold.

“A kiss?” you raised your eyebrow and fought the urge to bite into your lip in the slight bit of anguish the thought caused you. And in that moment you knew, this is what he had meant when he said you would be regretting taking Cabin 9, but what you didn’t know was that this was only the beginning.

“Y’know it wouldn’t be-” Eddie started, but he never got a chance to finish.

“I know Munson, trust me I know,” you cut him off before he could finish, not wanting to think about what he was insinuating, trying your best to shake off the feeling that had washed over you.

“So what do you say, we got a deal?” Eddie reached out his hand to you, letting it hang in the space between you, and your mind was still running wild with contemplations. Your eyes darting between his hand and his eyes, feeling that little pit of anxiety in your stomach gnawing away at you, telling you not to do it.

“Deal,” you said and grabbed his hand, shaking it quickly. In the end it was too tempting not to take on the challenge. Besides, there was no way that you were going to lose anyway.

“Now will you please just take my jacket? It’s almost painful seeing you this cold.” Oh, right, his jacket. He had placed it in the space between you once the talk of the bet started. And while you had agreed to kiss him, in the slight chance you would lose, his jacket felt way too intimate, way too special for you to take.

“Oh- I’m fine, I really should be going anyway, early morning tomorrow,” you mumbled as you shuffled to get your feet beneath you so you could stand up, grabbing your shoes and quickly, but rather awkwardly, slipping them on. “Thanks for the conversation, and bet, I guess.”

“Good night sunshine!” You heard him call out to you as you were almost out of earshot, and when you looked over your shoulder you saw his jacket was still lying on the ground next to him, but his eyes were fixed on the water in front of him. “And I’ll be looking forward to that kiss!”

Day 5 - Friday, 14 Days until

Finally, Friday night rolled around, another day filled with endless activities in the baking summer sun. While only a couple of days had passed since the beginning of camp, you could already see more than one set of sunburned shoulders, an inevitable case no matter how hard you and your fellow councillors tried, and it didn’t help that some of the councillors weren’t particularly skillful at it either.

Friday nights at Moonglade were always marked by bonfire nights. Late nights around the bonfire, fingers sticky with marshmallows and soft sing alongs being played on guitar. And while most of the campers weren’t particularly vocally inclined, it was still a regular highlight of the week.

The bonfire pit laid down towards the lake side, a big stone pit with wooden benches lined up in two circles around it. The sun had just barely dipped below the line of the horizon, but the evening was illuminated in the soft orange glow of the cackling bonfire and the heavy smell of smoke hung in the air.

Eddie was sitting on one of the inner benches, his guitar in hand and perched across his knee. Picking at the strings to make sure they were in tune.

You knew Eddie liked music, his band played at some run down bar at the edge of town every few weeks, but despite that you had never really heard him play more than at camp.

At camp, the songs he played were far different to the ones you heard him blast from his van at all ungodly hours of the morning in the school parking lot before classes started. His hair was pushed back between his ears, someone had placed a small white flower in the mess of his curls, which you couldn’t help but smile at.

It was such a stark contrast to who he was as a person, a metal head with clothes to fit, now sitting there in cut off denim shorts, an old worn out camp t-shirt and a soft delicate white flower in his hair.

But the irony wasn’t lost on either of you. He knew how silly he looked, but it was part of the fun while being at camp, he could look silly and also have fun with it.

Besides, he was so focused on leading the sing along, his fingers rapping against the guitar with ease as he drew out the melodies. And while his choir wasn’t the most talented, what they lacked in skill, they made up for with volume.

Finishing off the last song with his own personal improvised guitar solo, the need to always be the centre of attention continued to surprise you even though it really shouldn’t at this point. You did attend high school with him, and while you were far from being on speaking terms with each other, Eddie Munson was impossible to miss.

Mostly because he did stick out more than most, with his classic metal head attire, long curly hair and a band of nerds following him. But also because he refused to make himself invisible.

Eddie placed the guitar by his side, scooting down and settling in on the ground, urging the campers closer towards him. “Closer… closer… you too Wheeler-” soon he had them all huddled around him, almost like a herd, every pair of eyes was on him.

Looking across the circle you shot Joan a questioning look, and she simply shrugged in response, having no clue what he was about to do either.

“Everyone’s here? Ok good, then we can begin,” that same evil grin he had was once more plastered to his face, and you immediately feared for what was about to come, absolutely no good could come from a look like that. There was something hidden behind that smile, it was the kind where you could tell he was scheming for something, but you could never quite anticipate exactly what was about to happen.

“What I am about to tell you is the story of a man. A completely ordinary man, who goes by the name of Victor Creel.”

You didn’t have to look, you could practically hear Con rolling her eyes from where she was sitting across from you. Looking around, you couldn’t see Zoe or Mark, which meant Eddie was practically left to his own devices, no one else would be able to stop him.

All the kids were laser focused on Eddie as he spoke, dramatically retelling the story of Victor Creel to the children. The soft glow of the fire illuminating his face perfectly

“And you know what they say, all of this happened not too far from-”

“Ooohkay I believe that is enough for today.” Zoe walked into the circle, up behind Eddie and placing her hands on his shoulders, Eddie’s mouth slid shut immediately and he pressed his lips together.

“I think it’s time for lights, don't you agree Eddie?” Her voice was sweet but heavy with annoyance, and you had to bite your lip to hold back a laugh at the sight in front of you.

“I think that’s a great idea.” You couldn’t tell from the dark night if Eddie was blushing or if it was just the warm light from the campfire.

Half an hour later you were sitting in the mess, after a hassle of getting the campers settled into their cabins and countless questions about Victor Creel you wanted to murder Eddie more than ever.

“Wow, way to go scaring the crap out of the kids just four days into camp," you said as you heard Eddie’s heavy footsteps cross the threshold into the mess, the old wood giving away and squeaking softly as he walked

"What are you talking about! They loved it!" Eddie quickly made his way over to the table where you were all gathered around, and he snatched the deck of cards Mark was shuffling from him.

"I'm pretty sure I saw at least three kids crying…" Con mumbled as she picked at her nails, and next to her Connie gave a soft chuckle.

"I didn't like it either," Joan piped up and put her hand up in the air in consensus.

"And none of you stopped me, so who is really to blame here?" And you all fell silent at that.

"Soo how long do you have cleaning duty for?" Richie elbowed eddie in the side playfully.

"Undecided," Zoe said as she walked into the room, her slightly evil grin just barely tugging at the corners of her lips, but it was clear she was enjoying it, "for now."

Eddie twirled the deck of cards expertly in his hand, shuffling them until he was satisfied enough with his job. He was sitting at the head of the table, the rest of you in a ring around him with a stack of poker chips in the centre of you all.

A more secretive tradition at Moonglade, councillors poker night after bonfires. Where you all repeatedly lost what little money you had to each other, and Connie somehow always ended up winning.

He was just a really good bluff.

With Eddie as the designated dealer you made sure to sit as far away from him as possible. Still not convinced he wasn't rigging the game to make you lose, since you always ended up with the worst possible cards.

Outside rain softly started pattering against the windows, soaking the forest and earth with water. It didn't take long before rain was hailing down while you all exchanged cards and laughs between you continuously.

The rain was still hammering down as you stepped onto the deck, ready to tuck in for the night, eyes heavy with sleep and you longed for the quiet comfort of your camp bed.

Day 6 - Saturday, 13 days until

The rain was hammering down, on every surface it could, creating small echoes which ricocheted around the entirety of camp. Soaking the forest floors and rippling the water of the lake which was now reflecting the dark storm grey of the sky compared to it's normal brilliant blue.

This is what you had all been afraid of last night, but then it had only been soft pitter patters of rain droplets against windows. Now you were struggling to think over all the noise.

It was the kind of rain you couldn't see through, the kind that created a curtain of water and you weren't sure if the water was coming from up or below.

Zoe and Mark had you all called to The Mess, leaving your campers sitting tight in their cabins for the time being.

Lisa was the last through the door, her long blonde hair a couple of shades darker from the rain soaking it.

But all of you were practically dripping onto the wooden floors beneath you.

"I don't want to say it and you guys don't want to hear it, but we have to cancel," Zoe said as she boldly drew a red marker through 'capture the flag' on today's itinerary, she wasn't the kind to sugar coat anything but right now you really wish she would. Her declaration, a bold one at that, practically led to an uproar of complaints from the lot of you.

"It's tradition!"

"Cancelling because of a little rain?!"

"What about camp championships!?"

You also couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment in your stomach. This was supposed to be your first real match up against Eddie since last summer, and you would have been lying if you said you weren't looking forward to it.

The wooden floor creaked beneath you as you swayed softly against it.

"We know you're upset!" Zoe said in an almost useless attempt at calming the group. "But it would be a hazard to let them play in these conditions!"

"It's just a little rain!" Connie #2 insisted again.

"Do you want to be in charge of bandaging scrapes and cuts afterwards, Connie?" Zoe asked simply, and Connie's face immediately faced the crooked floorboards.

"Please inform your campers about the schedule change, well try to reschedule for another day ok? In the meantime let them know they'll have the afternoon session off instead before dinner. Morning activities will resume as normal.”

At least she didn't bring out the megaphone this time, you thought. The tiniest victory.

You pulled the hood of the rain coat well over your forehead and zipped up the jacket until only your eyes were visible through a small slit.

"You know you look ridiculous right?" The only thing that could be worse than capturing the flag being cancelled had to be dealing with Eddie.

"Well at least I'm dry." You gave him your best cocky smile, which was completely lost given most of your face was hidden by your coat and Eddie chuckled softly. "In comparison to some other people, forget to pack your jacket, Munson?"

It was clear Eddie hadn't brought his jacket with him, his shirt drenched in rain water, enough that you could see through it.

"No, this is simply a fashion choice…" "Besides, I'm not scared of a little rain."

"Well, I'm not making you soup when you get pneumonia," you laughed as you looked at him, he really did look ridiculous, even though his shirt was practically glued to his chest. His curls were dead and flat, sticking to his face and you couldn't help but think he looked like a rain soaked dog.

The whole group tracked back to the circle of campers cabins, a couple of you huddled together under a couple of too small umbrellas, to deliver the unavoidable verdict to your campers.

"Hey! Don't shoot the messenger, Zoe's verdict!" You threw your hands up to proclaim your innocence in the matter, truly one of the scariest demographics on the planet had to be middle schoolers. Just as you expected, no one was happy about the cancellation of capture the flag. And you couldn’t blame them, you had been looking forward to this more than you expected to.

However with morning activities still scheduled to take place like normal, there was no time to hang around. Quickly gathering your campers and hurrying them off the regularly scheduled arts and crafts. Always the same pleasant mix of glitter and craft glue.

But as you looked around Eddie was nowhere to be seen, which quickly created an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Where was he? Why wasn’t he here?

All of his campers were here, they were fairly easy to spot all things considering, but their so-called fearless leader was nowhere to be found.

However, you didn’t have to worry for long. You had sent your campers back with Con, staying back to help with the inevitable clean up of almost forty kids doing arts and crafts. Finally, after what felt like hours, the arts and crafts room was left in a somewhat decent state, you had settled in with your campers in their cabin, a deck of cards being passed along you all with soft laughs drowned out by the roar of the rain still raging outside.

And you were finally dry. After misplacing your raincoat and having to walk back to the cabin without it you were completely soaked head to toe. But now you could appreciate the feeling of dry clothes against your damp skin as the warmth slowly returned to your body.

But your peace was not long lasting. Eddie’s voice sounded from outside your cabin, the door cranked slightly to let fresh air in, and somehow he was so loud you could still hear him over the thundering of rain outside.

“Hey Sunshine!” Sunshine, ironic nickname considering the weather conditions. But Eddie stuck with it, knowing whenever he said it you got just a little crease at the corner of your eye. “Could you come out here for a second? I need your help with something.”

You shut your eyes to keep yourself from rolling them, and reluctantly got up from your comfortable position on the floor, pushing the door to the cabin open all the way.

The freezing shock hit your body before you could even react, the water that washed over you made you cold to the bone and it took you a moment to realise what had happened. The bucket fell to the ground with a hollow clang, and you were once again soaked completely head to toe.

You wiped water from your face and had to resist the urge to scream until you cried. When your vision finally returned to its fullest, you could see Eddie standing leaned against one of the support beams on Cabin 10s deck, with probably the biggest smile you had ever seen plastered to his face.

“Nevermind- I think I’ll manage on my own.” Behind him in the window you could see his campers lined up along the still to look at the play out of what they must be considering the funniest prank ever pulled considering their inability to hold in their snickers and laughs.

Then and there you knew, the game was afoot.

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spiderrrling · 2 years

Text

Anybody have a map? - Chapter 2: Retaliation & Retribution

Series Masterlist - Masterlist - General Taglist

Chapter summary - The summer is in full swing, and you've started your retaliation against Eddie and his string of pranks

Word count - 8.6k

Chapter warnings - None in particular, more pranks, Eddie being a little shit, not beta read

A/N - I am so so so sorry this is late!! I didn't want it to be late this week just has not been it for me health wise but here it is and I hope it's everything you guys hoped for

Day 7 - Sunday, 12 days before

You slept peacefully through the night, knowing that last night Eddie crawled into his sleeping bag to find it filled with sand. A slightly evil idea suggested by one of your campers, and while you were hesitant to do it at first, you could not deny how tempting the thought was. To get just a sliver of revenge on Eddie after his water prank, that had left you cold and soaked for hours afterwards.

And that smug face, that smirk he had flashed you yesterday after you got soaked. That stupid smug smirk that had been haunting your mind for the rest of the day. God all you wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Besides, the plan was painfully simple. You simply slipped away during dinner to execute your devious little plan, and returned to the mess before dinner was finished, no one even noticed. Except for your campers who simply could not stop grinning from ear to ear.

And based on the loud groan and assumed string of swears you could hear from the male counselors cabin, you safely assumed that your plan had succeeded.

You made sure to get to the mess hall before Eddie that morning for breakfast

“Slept well Munson?” You had to bite at the inside of your cheek to make sure your grin wasn’t too bright, maybe you were a little too pleased with your own accomplishment, but you felt you had earned it.

“As a matter of fact, I slept wonderfully,” Eddie said, rather contradictory as you could see the visible dark bags under his eyes that he rubbed at in a desperate attempt of trying to make them go away. “I’m not sure what you girls call it but I feel rather… exfoliated?”

But of course all wasn’t said and done at that. Your small victory was almost in vain with how short lived it ended up being.

When you didn’t see Eddie during the entire afternoon an anxiety settled in your stomach that you could not seem to get rid of no matter how hard you tried. A feeling that you soon felt was entirely justified as you returned your campers to your cabin in the evening.

Every spare square inch of the cabin was covered in string. Colourful yarn stretching from every piece of furniture creating an intricate maze of webs. And also making it impossible to enter.

Honestly you couldn’t even fathom how he had managed to do all of this in such a short amount of time. And you hated to admit it, but Eddie was a better pranker than you were. More skilled, more devious, and more playful. A proper fox through and through. Which made it almost impossible to compete with him. Almost.

But it was more than just a prank, it signified that you were both willing to retaliate. Which is how you wound up starting what some would call a prank war between yourselves and your cabins.

You couldn’t sleep that night, your eyes fast on the worn wood panelling that covered the ceiling, your bunk was so high up you could reach out your hand and drag your fingertips over the rough grain of the wood.

An endless stream of thoughts ran through your mind, but there was one that was more persistent than the other, one that no matter how tight you closed your eyes would still flash through your mind.

Eddie’s dumb, stupid smirk when you finally returned after carrying out armfuls of strings from Cabin 9. And his words, his words repeating in your mind like a broken record until you could scream with frustration.

“Your move, sunshine,” Eddie smirked at you, his voice was soaked deeply with satisfaction, as he leaned over the railing to the male counsellor cabin. But his words had deeper meaning than that

“Oh, did you stay up waiting just for me?” While you had been exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to crawl into your bunk, you couldn’t help yourself but to quip back at him, and now as you were laying in bed you couldn’t help but cringe at your words and regret that you said anything at all.

You didn’t even bother waiting to hear his response, tuning out whatever he might have said and pushing into your own cabin and climbing into your bunk.

And that is what led you to your current position, eyes wide open and stinging from the lack of sleep as you desperately tossed and turned waiting for the relief that never seemed to come.

Deep down you knew why you couldn’t sleep, every time you closed your eyes to try and fall asleep your thoughts drifted to the last person in the world you actually wanted to think about.

He was expecting you to prank him back, to get back at him in some way. This clearly wasn’t a done and over deal, and a part of you feared that this could go on for much longer than either of you probably wanted to. With both of you incapable of taking the first step back and wave the white flag in defeat.

And you knew that you were in for a very, painstakingly long, night as you slowly started plotting your revenge.

Day 8 - Monday, 11 days before

The rain from the weekend had finally dwindled enough that Zoe finally announced there would be a return to regularly scheduled activities, which meant it was finally time for the Connies to have their time to shine as activity leaders.The two of them were in charge of any and all activities that occurred on the lake, and today on the schedule was canoeing.

You hated canoeing, you were absolutely rotten at it, and you were dreading having to be around Eddie for it, who of course was a natural, at least from what you remembered from last summer.

And it certainly was not helping that your mind was clouded and disoriented from the lack of sleep, which was painfully visible on your face, once again thank you Eddie Munson, you thought.

The sun was once more starting to peek out from behind the once dark and rain heavy clouds, turning the surrounding forest damp and hot as the water finally started to evaporate.

Finally you had managed to pull your campers out of their cabin and were making your way towards the lake when you got a tap on your shoulder.

“Last one to the lake is a rotten egg!” The dark mop of curls bounced past you before you could understand what he had said. But that didn’t stop you from breaking into a dead sprint, leaving your campers behind and you swore you could have heard Zoe yelling at you through her trusted megaphone, while Tommy and Richie exchanged some questioning looks.

You ran until your legs ached and your entire body screamed for a breath of air as you felt the lactic acid building in your muscles. You had reacted so fast, just started running after him, and while you knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that you could win, you had to try.

Somehow he always made everything into a competition, and dangled the sweet price of victory just in front of you but never actually within your reach.

Eddie made it to the shore of the lake way before you did, and when you caught up to him you were a painting, breathy, sweaty mess, with your hair sticking out around your head and cheeks flushed ever so slightly with a tint of pink.

“Guess you’re the rotten egg-” Eddie wasn’t much better than you at least, but he sure was better at hiding it than you were, yet you could still pick up on his small gasps for breath between his words.

“You win- for now-” You didn’t want to admit defeat so easily, but with your still ragged breaths you really didn’t have a lot of options.

It didn’t take long before you were surrounded by the rest of the camp and you found your campers, ignoring the gleaming smiles coming from them.

“Happy canoe day!” Connie #2 stepped onto one of the tables that stood in the sand at the beach, Con sitting just by his feet. “I hope those of you who are returning campers remember all our boating rules, but for you newbies I will be reciting them quickly for you,”

“When you are in a boat you are wearing a life jacket, this is non negotiable, this also goes for all you counselors. On the water you will absolutely not be doing anything that I would consider, stupid, silly or reckless, and finally you will under no circumstances be allowed to-

“We will be mixing your cabins a little bit, Tommy has your canoe groups please organise yourselves into your selected groups, grab a life jacket and line up by a free canoe.”

Just as it was your luck, you ended up in a group with one of Eddie’s campers. The one called Dustin who looked like he was more curls than anything else, but he still seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, no matter how much he idealised the literal spawn of the devil who was standing only a stone's throw away from you.

The next half an hour went to help checking that all the campers had the necessary equipment and that everyone was wearing their life jackets the correct way. While you were pretty sure they could all swim, Zoe and Mark would not be taking any chances on it.

When finally you were out on the water it wasn’t as bad as you had previously thought it would be, in fact it was quite calming. The other campers in your canoe seemed to know what they were doing, which massively helped calm your nerves, yet you did feel your heart clench in your chest with every big wobble of the boat.

The Connies were up ahead in their own canoe, overseeing everyone and assisting where needed, making sure no one fell astray and knew what they were doing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on the lake, each canoe becoming a team, and the Connies sure managed to come up with some strange games to play. Today on their docket they had canoe baseball, relay race and frisbee. All of them added up to quite the afternoon of activities, with more than a couple tipped canoes and drenched campers.

But it wasn’t until you were almost home clear, just about to head back to the shore that Eddie’s canoe slid up next to yours, halting the movements as he grabbed onto the side of your boat, his metal rings glinting in the soft sunlight of the afternoon.

Your head turned to the side as you were determined to ignore him, and whatever antics he for sure was planning on getting up to. His grip on your canoe forced you in place, and you rested your paddle across your knee. It was clear by the looks of him and the other campers that his canoe had tipped at least once previously, with the way his hair was hanging around his face in damp curls.

“What do you say Henderson?” You didn’t need to look over at him to know he had that evil glint in his eyes, instead you focused on bracing yourself for whatever cruel fate he was currently planning for you. “Are you ready for a little swim?”

Now, that made you turn around, your eyes meeting Dustin’s from under his hop of curls, mustering up the closest you could get to a death glare, which in all honesty couldn’t have been much based on the sound of Eddie’s laugh beside you.

“You know, I think I would love a swim.” The rest of the campers on your canoe laughed, and for a split second you truly wondered why you had accepted this job in the first place. Slowly Eddie started rocking the canoe from side to side, gaining a little more leverage with each rock of the boat. You felt your heart clench in your chest as you gripped the sides of the canoe for dear life, as if it would save you from your impending fate. The row of campers behind you helped the rocking a little bit, starkly contrasting to you they seemed to be having the time of their life.

But then, suddenly, Eddie stopped, letting the canoe sway a little in the water before he let it lay completely still.

“No- I am not that much of a bully, besides-” Eddie stood up abruptly, making his own canoe wobble slightly from the sharp movement, “captain has got to go down with the ship, right?” He took one big, and quite awkward step from his canoe to yours. His foot resting on the rim of the canoe, it was immediately dangerously unsteady, and he had all the leverage and power he would need to capsize you in an instant.

And he didn’t waste another second before he did just that, and a loud shriek left your lips as your body crashed into the water.

While the rain had stopped, the air was still chilly, and the lake was freezing cold. Cold that seeped into your body the second you hit the shining surface, seeping through you and freezing you to the bone. Thanks to your life jacket you didn’t stay under the water for long, your hands clawing through the silky-smooth water until you could gasp for air.

The water wasn’t shallow enough for you to stand so you did your best to hold yourself above water as you pulled air into your lungs, coughing slightly from the lake water that got stuck in your throat.

“You’re horrible,” you practically spat in Eddie’s direction, but he only took it with a smile and a laugh as he seemed to do with everything. “And you look really pretty when you’re pissed off.”

You groaned loudly and pushed water to splash him, the wave of water hitting him right in the face, and Eddie laughed as he made a face before immediately retaliating and splashing you back.

As he turned around to help empty the canoe of water you splashed at him again, getting him in the back of the head. Eddie only laughed, turning around and his arms landed around your waist as he clumsily grabbed at you and with ease he tossed you around, but carefully to not dip your head under water. Your body froze in his grip, every muscle hyper aware of how close to him you were and how tightly he was holding you to him.

“Truce! Truce!” you shrieked and threw your hands up over your head to signal your defeat, Eddie’s arms were still around your middle, slightly awkwardly given both of your life jackets, but he quickly released you from his grip and you felt you could breathe again.

“You okay?” he asked, and you were a bit shocked to hear him ask and for a moment you didn’t believe he actually had, that it was just a part of your oxygen starved brain making it up. You only gave him a curt nod in response to his question, taking a moment to breathe before helping your campers with turning and emptying your canoe of water.

You were sitting down by the small fire Tommy had built, your legs pulled up to your chest and your hands stretched out towards the fire, flexing your fingers intermittently as you tried to regain some level of warmth. Your body felt frozen to the bone, limbs numb from the shock of the water. A couple of the other campers that had fallen in the lake during the afternoon were sitting around you.

What warmed your heart a little was knowing that your campers had joined in on attempting to prank back Eddie and his campers, Max with her Halloween mask delivered more than one well done jump scare.

However, that didn’t mean that Eddie’s campers didn’t retaliate, but it truly was a genius prank to let the frogs from the arts and crafts block loose in Cabin 9. And you knew just which one of the little tricksters must have thought of that.

“Here-” A towel dropped around your shoulder and you instinctively pulled it closer around you, enjoying the feeling of the soft cotton against your skin. The voice belonged to no one else but the one who caused this situation in the first place. “Thought you might want this.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” That was all you said,

“Is it really that far-fetched for you to believe a part of me might feel just the slightest amount of guilt about making you fall in the lake?”

“Yeah- yes I think it might actually be,” you laughed softly, pulling the towel tighter over your shoulders wrapping it closer to your body as you tried to regain some sense of warmth. “Why is it that whenever you’re around I always end up soaking wet?”

When you looked over at Eddie he was smirking at you like there was no tomorrow.

“Not like that jesus christ-”

“Sorry sunshine, you know it’s just too difficult for me to resist,” he said as he tried to put his arm around you, which you swiftly pushed away. He was saying sorry, but it was so clear he did not mean any of the words that came out of his mouth. Pulling your legs closer to your chest and quickly running your hands up and down the length of your limbs, desperate to try and bring some warmth back to your body. “What’s the standings now, me three, you one, huh-”

You didn’t say anything back, simply sitting there enjoying the warmth from the fire and breathing softly

“Not in the mood to talk?” he asked, and you didn’t bother responding to that either, desperately trying to tune him out of your brain. “That's ok, I can’t imagine you’d really want to talk to someone you’re currently losing to.”

Just as Eddie left your side, two others sitting down on either side of you, a Connie on each shoulder you thought. Almost like a devil and an angel, except they should both be classed as devils.

“You know-” Con started, an open packet of chips in her hand which she offered to you, “if you want to get back at him you need to come up with something better than sand in his sleeping bag.”

You looked over at her and shot her a glare, which she only laughed at. Both of you knew that she was correct.

“What do you have planned?” Connie asked before he reached across from you and grabbed the chip back from Con. “Nothing?” you answered questioningly, and your eyes locked with the small bonfire, tracing the dancing outlines of the crackling fire.

“Nothing?” they both said in unison which was a little too creepy for your taste and looked at each other, something slightly wicked hidden beneath their voices. “How lucky for you that we just happen to be here…”

“Ok- what do the two of you actually want?” You looked between them, just to find them both grinning wildly at each other. “To help you, because this isn’t entertaining when you’re so bad at it.”

“Hey!” you protested but Con just rolled her eyes at you with a look that said, ‘you know it’s true’ and you dropped it. As much as you hated to admit it, he was right. You were losing, and quite badly at that. Eddie knew what he was doing, he was a natural at this just as he was so much else it seemed. God he was infuriating, and impossible to compete against.

“So… what exactly are you suggesting?”

If you wanted your next prank to be the best one yet, you knew you were going to need some help. And honestly, who better to plan and execute elaborate pranks than the Connies themselves.

Day 9 - Tuesday 10 days before

The rest of yesterday had luckily gone without a hitch, no pranks of Eddie’s to be seen but you were still peeking around every corner in fear another one would crop up.

You felt much better knowing that the Connies were on your side with this one, both of them slightly dubious and cunning. Which was just what you needed if you wanted this to succeed

Thankfully they had done most of the planning, and execution. All you had to do was stand at the finish line and wait for the race to end. While it didn’t seem like much, both of them were insistent that you were the key to their so called masterplan.

Breakfast was already in full swing inside of the mess hall, where most of the awakened souls of the camp found themselves. Key word; most. Three major exceptions were you, Con, and Connie.

You had already been placed on the finished line before the race even began, your back pushed against the cold hard metal of the camp flag pole, your eyes searching the tree line for where Connie #2 should be emerging from any second.

With each second that passed your heart beat just a little bit louder, the sound echoing around in your head until you were sure it was going to drive you crazy. And with every moment you grew more and more anxious that your plan wasn’t going to succeed.

But just before your thoughts could spiral out of control any further Connie came sprinting down the gravel trail as fast as his legs could carry him, the piece of fabric tucked carefully under his arm and you gave him the sign to signal that the coast was all clear for phase two of the plan.

Turning around you quickly grabbed the strings of the flagpole in your hands, finding the clips and quickly helping Connie attach the article of clothing to them before roughly starting to pull it up the length of the pole.

Before you could reach the top you stopped, shooting each other a look before it was time for you to finish off the plan, fishing out Lisa’s camera that you had taken the liberty to borrow for the morning out from your bag.

Con had snuck around the back of the main building to grab your hopefully unsuspecting victim, while you and Connie got into hiding, the grins on your faces too big to contain.

You had no idea what Con had told Eddie, but you breathed a small sigh of relief when you saw both of them heading out of the mess and to the flagpole, and Eddie immediately grabbed onto the rope, and you didn’t miss a beat.

“Hey Eddie, smile!” you called out, and his eyes immediately looked for your voice, but instead of finding yours they found the camera and you immediately snapped the picture. “Thank you.”

Halfway up the flagpole hung… Mark’s boxers? When the Connies pitched the idea to you, you had looked at them like they had grown a third head. But you couldn’t deny it, their plan was brilliant, if you could manage to pin it on Eddie it would hopefully be enough to prove yourself.

While you knew the picture wouldn’t be developed for weeks to come, you were still so pleased with yourself that you managed to capture the moment.

And while he seemed incredibly amused and impressed by your efforts, his face quickly dropped and his eyes locked on something behind you. A cold chill ran down the length of your spine and you grimmaced before you turned around, your eyes meeting Zoe’s.

“Ok-” Zoe pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a breath before she continued to speak. Both you and Eddie were hauled into the base almost immediately after the little stunt you had pulled. “Ok, here is where we stand,”

“You two,” she said, pointing an accusatory finger between you, “cannot seem to understand the basic idea of having a conversation, instead you start this elaborate series of pranks, and you decide to get poor Mark involved.”

Being yelled at by Zoe was worse than being yelled at by your parents. She was the one person at camp you never wanted to disappoint, and now you had really done it and all you wanted to was to sink through the floor. When you brought home an F on a math test to your parents and you were grounded for two weeks, that could not compare to that moment with Zoe.

Eddie opened his mouth to say something, but Zoe held up a finger making him shut his mouth immediately and press his lips together, and silently you wished you had the ability to do that.

“No- quite frankly I am not interested in hearing what you have to say for yourself, because what is done is done,” Zoe spoke as she paced back and forth ever so slightly, “I want you both on dish duty, tonight and tomorrow.”

You didn’t dare open your mouth to argue, even though dish duty was the worst, you knew it could have been so, so much worse. In all reality she seemed to be going easy on you, which was probably the most shocking.

“Report to Sal after dinner tomorrow in the kitchen, he’ll have enough work for you, I’m sure.”

Day 10 - Wednesday, 9 days before

You had been dreading dish duty the whole day, the thought of being forced in such close proximity with Eddie built in your mind, with every hour, minute and second that passed. The dread built and built in your mind until there was no room for anything else.

However you were shocked when you walked into the kitchen at the hour of duty, and Eddie was already there quietly working away at the mountain of dishes that piled up after dinner. And much to your pleasant surprise he actually didn’t say much. Barely anything at all, until he asked one small question.

Dish duty was by far not the worst, but what made it your own personal hell was having to spend it with Eddie Munson. At least an hour of your life spent right up against the last person in the world that you wanted to see and the person who got you into this mess to begin with.

“Why-” He hesitated for a moment, not fully sure if he actually wanted to ask the question that he so desperately wanted to ask you. “Why do you hate me so much?”

“Why do I hate you?” you repeated his question back to him, almost baffled that it was a question he had to ask, and you had to hold yourself back from letting a laugh escape from your lips.

“Eddie, you are seriously not asking me that-”

“What if I am?” he interrupted, “asking you that?” While you weren’t sure you could have sworn you heard some level of uncertainty in his voice, just the slightest quiver of his words that placed the small amount of doubt in your brain.

“Then I’d say you’re more of a fool than I ever took you for Eddie.” That was the last thing either of you said, and it wasn’t until later that you realised that you had used his name.

Day 11 - Thursday, 8 days before

“You do know this is all your fault right?” you muttered quietly, almost to yourself but you knew he would hear you anyway, your hands were already raw and aching from the scrubbing and hot water, and the strong smell of dishwashing soap stung in your nose.

You were both already stationed in the kitchen for your second day of dish duty, already well away as you worked through the task at hand.

“My fault? Pray tell and enlighten me sunshine as to how this is my fault.” You looked over at Eddie and had to bite at the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from laughing, he looked ridiculous in an apron, his hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing neon pink almost glow in the dark dish gloves as he focused on the seemingly never ending pile of dishes in front of him.

“If you hadn’t pulled that first prank, then we would never have been in this situation!”

“By that logic, if you hadn’t retaliated, then we also wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“No, my point is that you started all of this!”

“And for that I am sorry, is that what you want? An apology? Will that make you feel better and make you stop being so pissy with me?”

“Maybe?! I don’t know-” You threw your hands up in front of you in frustration and wondered how he had the ability to get under your skin so easily, it was driving you crazy.

Eddie didn’t say a lot after that, his lips pressed against each other as he quietly worked on his pile of plates, that he seemed to be getting through much faster than you were getting through yours. Was he just good at everything?

“Y’know-” The sound of Eddie’s voice almost made you jump, even though you were painfully aware of how close he was standing to you. “I was actually quite impressed by some of your pranks, I didn’t know you had the ability to be so… merciless.”

“Are you praising me for becoming a delinquent?” While it was strange being congratulated for pulling a couple of pranks, you did feel some sense of pride bubble in your chest. After all, you did spend the past couple of days feeling outmatched by Eddie in your little prank war.

“Sunshine, just take the compliment please-”

“Fine- thank you,” you said through a tight lipped smile, not wanting him to see it. “Why do you-” your words stopped for a moment and you bit your lip, now it was your time to be unsure of the question that had been hanging on your lips, “why do you call me that?”

“Sunshine?” Eddie asked, and you nodded slowly in response, your eyes glued to the plate in your hands, your fingers gripping around the dish brush until your knuckles strained against your skin and turned white. Beside you, you heard just the faintest chuckle escape from Eddie’s lips.

“Well- I suppose that in the beginning it was because I knew it drove you crazy, and you would get this crease right beside your eyebrow,” his voice was suspiciously hushed, a drastic change to how it normally was, loud and easily excitable. It was almost as if he didn’t want her to hear what he was saying, like he was letting her in on a well kept secret. “But then it just… stuck I guess? Would you rather I call you something else?”

When you didn’t answer, Eddie did what had to be his favourite thing he kept talking.

“Well if you’re not gonna give me any suggestions I suppose I’ll have to come up with one all on my own, how about…” Eddie’s voice trailed off and he tapped his still gloved finger to his chin as if he was deep in thought, and you rolled your eyes at him in return. “Mmhh what could fit someone as bitter and vengeful as you…” now that made you elbow him in the side, which only made him laugh, “sweetheart, it’s got to be sweetheart.” He decided with a laugh.

An audible annoyed groan escaped from your lips and you let your head fall back almost playfully in frustration as you heard the nickname fall from his lips.

“Ah, it’s perfect, thank you sweetheart.” And you knew that you really were in for it now, hoping that Eddie hadn’t caught the light flush of pink that had rushed to your cheeks, and if he did maybe he would be susceptible enough to think it was just how hot the room was.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” was all you said as you went back to washing, your tower of plates loomed over you and didn’t seem to be getting any smaller, whilst Eddie’s was significantly reduced compared to yours.

“And you don’t seem to know how to wash a plate properly, here-” Eddie dropped his sponge as he spoke, and before you could protest he had stepped up behind you, reaching his hands out to grab yours.

Your entire body froze as you stood there, with Eddie’s arms practically draped around your body and his front pressed to your back. He loomed over you and you could feel the stray pieces of hair that had escaped his ponytail brush over your skin.

“Just let me show you please- if I have to be here all night because of you I’ll never let you hear the end of it.” His hands had found yours, and you reluctantly let him start to carefully guide your movements.

The second time this week he had been this close, and it seemed to have the same effect on you. Your entire body freezing in his grasp and your head becoming heavy with thoughts.

He was impossibly close, you could feel every single one of his movements, and you had no idea what to make of it. Your mouth was running dry and you pressed your lips together in an attempt to ground yourself.

“See- just like that,” he said, and his voice was right by your neck, and an involuntary shiver slithered down the length of your spine. You hummed at him in response, but in all honesty you hadn’t been able to focus on anything he had been showing you with how close his body was to yours.

“Think you can manage now?”

“Yeah- yeah thanks,” you mumbled out your half heartfelt gratitude, almost through gritted teeth and breathed a sigh of relief when Eddie stepped away from you and back to his own pile of plates.

“Maybe now we can get out of here before the sun sets.”

Day 12 - Friday, 7 Days before

"Watchuuu reading..." Eddie said in his sing-song voice and slid into the seat next to you, pushing himself as close to your body as he could and stuck his face in the book you had been enjoying just a mere moment ago. "Is it one of those period historical romances? Not very camp-friendly, don't you think?"

You snapped your book closed and placed it on the table with a heavy sigh, somehow he managed to ruin your little peace of freedom. It wasn’t common for you to have little get aways, and you did not appreciate being disturbed. You had been seeing way too much of him between your regular tasks and also being placed on dish duty together.

"Can I help you with anything?" turning to look at him you noticed just how close he was sitting, his face mere inches from your own, so close you could see all the tones of brown in his eyes in the late afternoon sun. "Zoe needs you to chop the wood for the fire tonight," Eddie said with a smile and the slightest hint of an evil glint in his eyes.

"Me? She wants me to chop the firewood for tonight?" There was no way he was serious, but the look on his face quickly discouraged you.

"Mmh that's what she told me, why I had to march all the way out here and find you so I could tell you," Eddie leaned in closer to you as he spoke, propping his head up with his elbow. "but of course if you don't think you're fit to do the task then I'll gladly help you, all you gotta do is ask."

"I'll manage but thank you."

That was a lie, a complete lie. And what made it so much worse is that you both knew it was a lie. However you were determined that you wouldn't give him the satisfaction that easily.

Your hands were burning as you held the axe between your fingers. It hung with a heavy head as you swung it and groaned as you hit the chopping block... again.

The original piece of wood you'd placed was still standing on the chopping block, intact and in one piece. Your head fell back and your own groan fell from your lips in frustration.

"I know you're looking, Munson," you exclaimed and turned around trying to see where he was standing, you could feel his eyes on you, "and I know you're smiling."

"Can't help but smile sweetheart, you're just so cute when you get all worked up." Eddie leaned out of a window on the side of the main building, and you were convinced he'd been looking at you for the better part of the past half an hour, like he didn't have anything better to do. "Still don't need my help?"

"I would rather die, than accept your help-" you said with a huff, you were exhausted and drenched in sweat with your hair all messy.

"With that stance you might get your wish sooner than you think, and we can’t have that now can we, sunshine?" Eddie retreated from the window and quickly sauntered down to where you were standing. "You're doing it wrong.”

"And?"

"And I would rather not have to drive you to the hospital, I don't want you bleeding all over my car." Eddie rolled up the sleeves of the flannel he was wearing up to his elbow and you could see the bats peeking out from below the fabric. "So please, will you let me?"

Reluctantly you stepped aside, and Eddie wrapped his hands around the handle of the axe, loosening it with ease from where it was stuck in the block. The cheap silver rings he always insisted on wearing glinted softly in the sunlight.

"What you need to do sweetheart, stand with your legs a little apart," Eddie narrated as be demonstrated to you, "and keep your hands at a good distance to give you enough leverage."

"Then- all you do is aim and go for a clean swing," he took a deep breath before raising the axe and bringing it down, the two halves of the log fell to the grass with a soft thud. Eddie turned around to face you, his entire face lit up with a smile and he gave you a quick bow, "and that's how it’s done.”

“Ah my knight in shining armour,” you pretended to swoon slightly, and maybe all of it wasn’t pretend, not even you could deny that Eddie Munson looked good holding an axe. Nonetheless, he was charmed by your perhaps fake gratitude. “You are most welcome, my lady.”

“Now I suggest you let me do this so Zoe doesn’t chop both of our heads off,” Eddie wasn’t looking at you when he spoke, he was too busy placing a new log on the block, his back was facing you and you could see the muscles under his shirt flexing as he worked. “Run along sunshine, I’ll see you later.”

The smile that he flashed was stuck on repeat in your brain for the rest of the day.

—

When the bonfire finally rolled around you were well beyond exhausted, and your arms aching from your almost helpless attempt at chopping wood. Luckily your dish duty buddy had managed to finish up the task in what you believed to be record time, as the fire in front of you was ginormous and you couldn’t sit too close without feeling like you were melting.

Once more Eddie had his time worn and trusted guitar perched across his lap and his fingers strumming against the strings, drawing the music out of the instrument with every rap of his fingers. You weren’t sure, but there almost seemed to be something extra to his songs that night.

Last week it had been his retelling of Victor Creel to serve as his half time performance, and you wondered to yourself what it would be this week. It was rare when he didn’t have something extra tucked up in his sleeve.

Something just a little bit extra special to leave the kids with something new and exciting, and you did really hope that this week it wouldn’t result in more than one nightmare.

But you didn’t have to wonder, or worry for that matter, for long. Eddie passed his guitar to Lisa and gave her a quick signal, letting her know it was time for whatever he had rehearsed for this week. And it wasn’t long before Joan started plucking away at the strings, quickly leading into an all familiar melody.

Eddie had stood up, and found a place for his little performance. You hadn’t noticed it when he was sitting, but one of the home made swords from the woodshop was strapped to his back.

He spun around slowly in a circle, making sure everyone’s eyes were on him before he pulled the sword from its sheath, twirling it around in his hand a couple of times in an attempt to stun the crowd.

Then he started telling the story of a knight, the story of all his adventures and quests, his life from beginning to end with the soft guitar in the background Lisa provided. You all knew the song, a classic song at Moonglade, and he encouraged your camp choir to sing along for the chorus.

When his performance ended he took a couple of deep bows in front of his audience, proclaiming “thank you, thank you but it was all you,” to everyone around him.

Then he did something you were not expecting him to, instead of returning to his old seat, Eddie slumped down in the limited space next to you. He was so close you were hyper aware of every movement you made, every breath you took, and every small shift in his body.

Then it was your turn to do something unexpected, your head tipped to the side and rested against his shoulder and Eddie’s arm wrapped around your back instinctively to help you steady yourself.

It was strange, sitting so close to him but you didn’t feel the slightest amount of worry, or anxiety in your body. And the feeling seemed to betray every rational thought you had in your head, and the only rational reasoning you could come up with was the exhaustion sweeping through your body.

Now you were close enough to feel every breath he took, you could hear whenever his breath hesitated or hitched in his throat, and you could breathe in his scent. He smelled of cheap cologne and campfire smoke. An impossible mix that could have made your head spin.

But your mind wasn’t the mess of thoughts it had been for the past two weeks, sitting there with loud campers and the quiet cackling of the campfire it felt as if your mind was still for the first time in a long time.

The rest of the world seemed to fall away for a moment, every ounce of you consumed by how close you were sitting to Eddie. Before you could register what was happening your eyes had started sliding shut, the exhaustion that had taken root in your body washing over you before you could even attempt to stop it. Your shallow breaths became heavy and perpetually slow.

He said something, but you couldn’t hear it.

A small yawn escaped from your lips, and if you hadn’t been sitting this close to him you wouldn’t have been able to hear the smallest chuckle resounding from Eddie’s chest, which only lulled you further into your trance of sleep.

Three soft taps to your shoulder tore you awake from your sleep and your eyes fluttered open. Only the hot, and red glowing embers were left from the fire pit, and Eddie was nowhere to be seen.

But his scent still hung strongly in the air around you, and as you slowly regained your consciousness you realised it was because of the flannel he had been wearing earlier. Only now it was draped around your shoulders.

“Heey there you are, dosed off for a minute or two,” Tommy’s voice sounded, but you were convinced it had to have been more than a minute, most of the campers had cleared out and headed back to their cabin, the time for lights out quickly approaching. “Do you need help getting back to the cabin or will you be ok?”

Your eyes were still heavy with sleep, and you wanted nothing more than to return back to your blissful rest. A small yawn escaped from your lips as you stretched your arms out over your head.

“I’ll be ok,” you said with as much conviction as you could muster in your voice, but you honestly weren’t sure how you were supposed to manage. Your legs felt as if they had been filled with lead, and every thought in your head seemed against the idea of moving even just an inch from where you were sitting.

As soon as Tommy left your line of sight you stopped fighting the urge to let your eyes glide shut, and it didn’t take long before the sleep your body was so desperately craving washed over you once more.

Day 13 - Saturday, 6 days before

The cold morning contrasted sharply with the previous night. Basked in the warm golden glow of the bonfire, the dewy morning seeped in with much gratitude. The soft chill of the morning brought much needed relief, and you felt as if you were able to breathe again.

Already two weeks out at camp and your body still had not adjusted to the hot weather and poorly insulated cabins.

The watch on your wrist had told you you had woken up long before you needed to, but strangely enough you felt better rested than you had in the past two weeks.

The watch on your wrist confirmed your suspicions, you had woken up long before you needed to,

Still unsure of how you had arrived at your cabin last night, the memories of the previous night hazy in your mind and you struggled to place the glimpses together into a whole picture.

Dew stuck to every available surface, clinging to leaves and leaving traces of soft condensation along the corners of cold glass windows. Camp early in the morning and late at night had a special timeless feel to it, when there was no one running around causing chaos, it felt timeless. But contrasting with the evening, the morning brought a sense of promise, the anticipation for the day ahead.

The cold and damp air seemed to stick ever so slightly to your skin, and the ground was blanketed by a thin, delicate layer of fog. With the sun just starting to peek above the horizon the camp was lit in the faint and bright morning sun shining through the leaves and reflecting off the lake.

At first you hadn’t been able to tell if you were imagining it or not, but as your footsteps crept closer to the mess the sound got louder.

You couldn’t see him, but you didn’t have to in order to know it was him. The soft plucking at guitar strings was so different to what he usually played, but to anyone listening it was still clear as day who was commanding the instrument.

Your footsteps stopped right before you rounded the bend around to the mess hall, and there he was, sitting on the steps up to the small deck, his trusted guitar in hand as he mindlessly plucked away at the strings of the instrument.

His hair pulled out and away from his face, the T-shirt he was wearing revealing some of his tattoos sneaking up his bare skin. You leaned against one of the trees, simply observing him from a distance as he played for a moment.

You had only barely seen it before, the look he gets when he plays music, just small glimpses of it during campfires, but here basking in the soft glow of the morning sun you could see all of it. His busy and slightly messy eyebrows pushed together, creating a series of creases between them, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth.

“You know I can see you right?” Eddie’s voice sounded, but instead of freezing up like you might have done, you instead smiled and stepped out from your clearly insufficient hiding place.

Ironically, his eyes were much too focused on his guitar to pay you any real amount of attention, he wasn’t even looking in your direction. “Don’t tell me you’ve started stalking me sunshine, that’s gonna make all of this so awkward.”

“You called me sunshine there,” you noted as you walked over to where he was sitting on the steps, sitting down next to him but making sure there was still a respectable distance between the two of you. “And not sweetheart.”

“Well, I like both so I will be using both, sweetheart, why do you care anyway?” You ignored his question, because when you thought about it you could not come up with a simple rational thought as to why you did care.

“What were you playing?” you asked, tilting your head slightly to the side as you looked at him, noting that his guitar had fallen silent between your conversation.

“Nothing much, just kinda playing around.”

“You’re in a band back home right?” You didn’t really know why you were asking, especially since you knew the answer. Maybe you just wanted to hear him talk, and in that moment you wondered if you truly had gone crazy.

“Corroded coffin,” Eddie practically beamed at you, “we play actually, I’d invite you to come and listen but you don’t seem to want anything to do with me back home… or here for that matter.”

“Well, I’m here now arent I?” The words seemed to come out of your mouth before you could stop yourself.

“That you are-” Eddie hesitated for a moment before he looked over at where you were sitting next to him, “why exactly are you here?” His eyes narrowed for a moment, examining the features that outlined your face.

“I couldn’t sleep, and my cabin is a little bit too crowded for my liking at the moment, and here-”

“Here I am?”

“Exactly, here you are,” you laughed softly. There was something hanging in the air between you, and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. It was almost as if something had shifted, changed, and it left the strangest feeling in your mouth.

“Now will you shut up so I can get back to playing? You just sit there and look pretty ok sunshine?” You playfully wrinkled your nose at him and shook your head ever so slightly before you settled into the old and worn wood beneath you.

Eddie picked up his guitar once more, his fingers carefully strumming along the strings of the instrument. Drawing out the softest of melodies from the instrument, and your eyes slid shut. The melodies and riffs of the guitar mixed so easily with the sounds of the woods around you, with the creaking of the steps with every shift in your weight, and with the faintly sounding, but loud beating of your heart in your ears.

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