#Jeff's sister stranger things

[sofiiel]

𝕾𝖊𝖜 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝕸𝖞 𝕾𝖑𝖊𝖊𝖛𝖊

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧

ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ | ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ/ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ | ɴᴇxᴛ

𝒟𝑒𝒸 𝟤𝟥𝓇𝒹 𝟣𝟫𝟪𝟢

𝐻𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉.

𝐼𝒻 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈, 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎, 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓇𝓊𝓃 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑔𝑜𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝒾𝓉 𝑔𝑜𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝓉 𝓂𝑒. 𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒥𝑒𝒻𝒻, 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓊𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇.

"𝐼𝓉'𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓊𝓁𝓉" 𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝑒, 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝓂𝓊𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓇.

𝐼 𝓇𝑒𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓉, 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎. 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓇𝓊𝓃 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎. 𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉, 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉.

𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒥𝑒𝒻𝒻. 𝑀𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓊𝓃, 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉

- 𝐸𝒹𝒹𝒾𝑒

"Look out the window, the sounds in the wind, you hear the siren, again and again"

Armored Saint blared on the radio, vibrating the old walls of the green van.

Eddie removed his jacket as he and Moon sat in the back of his van. The seat folded down and blankets tossed across. Her eyes lingered on the tattoo of a widow on his neck, a perfect place to hide a set of four little puncture wounds.

Moon gave her lips a lick, the felt awful dry and Eddie was taking his time. She watched him light shift his hair to the side to full expose his neck to her. "Alright." he exhaled. It was the same every time, from his fingertips to his toes, he was filled with the jitters of anticipation.

Awaiting pain that fell into a lulling subtle high, "None of the books mentioned their bite is a venom." Eddie thought to himself.

He gave a shiver as Moon's cold body pressed against his back, her arms wrapping under his to hold him in an embrace. She blew warm air through her lips against the skin of his neck. Eddie chuckled, he knew she could feel his heart racing. She loved little more than to make thing unbearably slow.

"Not a bad deal, this ones for real, I can't let it go"

Eddie tilted his head and swallowed slowly, Moon glared, and he could feel her nails dig lightly at his chest. "You teased first." Eddie chuckled. "I'm allowed to." Moon murmured. "It's you that kept me waiting, remember." she whispered, lightly kissing along the tattoo.

His eyes closed, the light little kisses gaining in pressure as Moon sucked lightly as his skin, prodding his neck with her fangs but careful not yet to break the skin. Eddie's hand reached up to grasp Moons, his other reaching behind him to lean her head forward.

Moon smirked as he tried to press her fangs into the skin by force. "Just do it, stop being so mean. I won't do it again." Eddie muttered, and with that Moon's fangs sang deep in a swift puncture.

Eddie sighed in a hushed hiss and as he felt the blood seep out from the wound, something else melted in. it was a hot sting, like downing a glass of whiskey too fast, and it was oddly comforting.

With gentle pressure, Moon rolled her tongue around the wounds to help pump out the blood her fangs drew from him. Eddie leaned his head back as the soft effects of the venomous saliva seeped in. Opening his eyes, Eddie found he felt lighter than before and as if wrapped in a soft blanket.

"It won't do any harm, just another false alarm"

His gaze was stuck to the ceiling of the van, fingers tangling in Moon's hair as she drank away, using her tongue and lips to keep the skin around the wound soft and awake. Eddie's breath quickened, "part two," he thought, "possibly the best part." when that gently high fell into a rushing stimulant.

Guiding her hand down, Eddie aided Moon in caressing the steady stiffening in his jeans. Her smirk against his neck and the soft giggle that cause her fangs to vibrate in his skin nearly drew another sigh from him. Flicking his hand away from hers, Moon rubbed along his shaft line slowly, she could almost hear his thoughts protesting. He liked it much faster.

Although, it had been a month of nothing, and it didn't back long for his hips to arch forward, adding more friction. The high was becoming maddening, and it alone was drawing him closer.

He whispered her name, and she drew her fangs deeper. Moon lost in the thundering of his heart beat, she could hear and feel his pulse through his veins. She adored that rallying sound that pulled her deeper into a compulsion. Of the small handful of people she'd had the chance to drink from, his heart wrung the loudest and strongest, jolting her own to pump at full strength like no other could.

Eddie's hands pushed at the back of her head, as if the deeper her bite the more potent the venom, though he knew better.

𝕭𝖆𝖒! 𝕭𝖆𝖒!

"Turn that racket down! And get out of my parking lot!" shouted the furious voice of Kiki's Diner's manager.

Moon removed her fangs from Eddie's neck, her hands holding onto his shoulders as she glared at the shades covering the windows. A low displeased sound rumbling in her throat. "Moon," Eddie warned in a lull, thought he couldn't fight the amusement in his tone from the irritation in her eyes.

"No," he said.

Moon rolled her eyes and lay down, curling into a ball. "You gave her money and ate her food." She sulked. "It's a little music, ugly weeded shrew." she whispered.

"Sorry about that!" Eddie called, taking a seat behind the wheel and fluffing his hair around his neck to hide any remaining blood trickle. He tried to flash the woman a smile. "You might be my best costumer, but at this rate you'll run potential customers away with that horrible noise." She said.

Eddie held back a scowl. "Noise?" he thought with a mental roll of his eyes.

"Right, well. We're gone." Eddie said, starting the van and pulling out of the parking lot.

Moon gave her red-stained lips a satisfied lick. The air of the van seem to change as her mood was lifted. "Feeling better?" Eddie asked her. "A little," she sang.

Eddie frowned, that used to be more than enough to keep her going for a few days. "I guess they're just like everything else, when you get older you need more to keep going." he thought. Eddie heaved a sigh, the thought that one day he alone couldn't help manage Moon's need for blood was a worrying one.

The last thing he needed as another frenzy.

"Hey Moon?" He called to her.

"Yes, teddy bear?" she hummed.

Eddie's eyes focused on the road ahead of him, he couldn't believe he was going to form his next choice of words from his own mouth. "Tomorrow after the game," he sighed, pausing. Moon's ears perked up as she tilted her head to look up from her place on the floor. She knew that sound of hesitation.

"Sacrament?" she asked.

Eddie nodded, "yeah." He exhaled.

"You're sure? Last time you-"

Eddie nodded his head, "I'm sure. We're running out of options. You can go longer if the bond is maintained, right?" He reasoned. "Jeff can't help anymore." Eddie whispered. Moon frowned slightly, looking off to the side, "I said I was sorry for that." she murmured.

"You nearly ripped his jugular out." Eddie said.

"I was not myself. If you'd have let me, I could have made him forget." Moon snapped.

"As awesome as that trick is," Eddie said with a shrug, "You both needed to remember. It can always happen again, to anyone." He said.

"Well, I was feeling better." Moon muttered, rolling over and closing her eyes.

"Sorry, princess." Eddie sighed.

The following day, at the lunch table Gareth, Jeff and David sat at the usual spot, excited discussing the game that night and practice at Davids house the next day.

Eddie's eyes crinkled as he laughed at his friend's excitement over the game, trying to pry details about what was in store for their party this time. But as usual, "My lips are sealed," Eddie sang. From across the lunchroom, Eddie could spot Steve Harrington, nestled near the basketball team, or at least half of the team.

A fairly strained dynamic had taken hold of the Hawkins' Tigers recently, mostly due to the strained relationship between the top two players. Jeff watched Eddie's gaze on Steve and sighed. "You're going to start a fight glaring like that." Jeff warned Eddie.

With a scowl, Eddie lowered his gaze to his lunch and popped a baby carrot into his mouth, his hand reaching to rest on the still healing bites on his neck. "You know how she is, her fascinations don't last long, and what are the odds she'll see him again?" Jeff whispered.

The two made sure Gareth and David were busy talking, for the only two in their circle who knew of Moon were themselves.

"Yeah, you're right. But can you imagine the kind of hell that would rain on us if Harrington up and went missing?" Eddie whispered back.

From across the room Steve sat with a few of the younger team members, Chance and Patrick along with Jason Carver who was a year behind Steve. The boys talked casually, Steve's eyes constantly finding Nancy across the room, where she sat with Johnathan. It hurt a lot less, but the smile she kept on her face while around him was captivating.

"Well, if it isn't Queen Steve," Billy's voice snickered from behind Steve. Steve cringed at the sound, "What do you want, Hargrove?" He asked. Jason's eyes darted between his two teammates, playing peacekeeper often became tiresome.

Steve sighed through his nose and continued to eat his lunch, "Don't let him get under your skin." He thought. "Tommy says he saw you down at that prissy pink palace." Billy said with a smirk. He eyed Steve up and down while popping his bubble gum. "They have cute little baby blue polka dot aprons, don't they?" asked Billy.

"They also pay really well, and yeah, I'm hired." Steve said. "Some of us are secure enough to rock aprons, polka dots or otherwise." 

"What are you trying to say?" Billy growled, "Maybe don't come at me with your own worries just because your old man is a bigot who thinks you're an s-"

"Alright, guys, that's enough." Jason jumped in. He gave Billy a warning glance and Steve exhaled, "right, you're right. My bad." he said.

David shook his head, "those two meat heads are always at each other's throats." He said. Eddie watched the jocks head their separate ways, "great." He thought, looking to Jeff. "The hair's going to be working a Kiki's? I'm never going to talk Moon out of going there. There aren't many places she can go." Eddie's thoughts muted the conversation of his friends around him.

Moon sat outside the door to her bunker and looked up at the sky from beneath her umbrella. Having fed, the sunlight was harder to tolerate, her eyes ached, and her skin itched like an ivy rash. But Moon always did love the color of the morning skies. 

Sunrises, how brilliant and glowing the blue looked in the middle of the afternoon, watching it fade into an explosion of color as day gave way to night. Not that she didn't love the night, which held the object of her new namesake.

Quietly fashioning a crown out of dead leaves, twigs and bush stems, Moon hummed to herself along with the song on the old Walkman Jeff left her.

"You should be sleeping." she told herself, as it was day was her night. Though ever since she'd taken ill she'd struggled with the concept of "sleep during the day" after all she'd spent the first thirteen years of her life rising at daylight.

"I'm tired of floundering about this business of vampirism, if that's what it is at all." Moon thought, a frown falling down her face. "It's almost nothing like the books Eddie and Jeff bring me."

It didn't take long for even watching the sky to grow boring. Moon retreated back into her bunker. Laying on her mattress full of pillows and books, she quietly gnawed at the bones of a little bird, sucking out the fresh marrow and licking the blood away from her fingers.

In her palm a handful of tiny red hearts, Moon got up from her bed and wandered over to a wooden faced mini fridge it was well over ten years old, Eddie and Jeff managed to buy it off a neighbor at a yard sale. It had become Moon's best friend at times. Housing her survival snacks. Snacks like her bird hearts.

Moon placed the handful of hearts into a baggy and then into the fridge. She looked around her little bunker and as the silence settled in, the loneliness took hold.

"I could never tell him," She thought looking down at her hands still mildly stained red, "But I miss life outside." she murmured. Feeling low, Moon crawled back into bed. 

Sleep was starting to sound nicer by the minute. Reaching out she grabbed one of Eddie's shirts he'd left behind and tucked it under her head, they always smelled like cheap hairspray and ganja but in times like these it was comforting.

Moon closed her eyes and waited to drift off, but in doing so a face came to mind, one that reminded her of Chrysanthemums.

"We don't like Steve." she reminded herself. It would be often that Eddie would return from school complaining about the guy. Though, she often had to wonder what exactly did he do?

ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ | ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ/ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ | ɴᴇxᴛ

[fromasgardandback]

Band’s First Album

Eddie Munson x Reader

masterlist | oneshots

The guys shifted anxiously from sitting to standing then back to sitting waiting to be seen by some top executives at a record label firm. They were playing at a local college bar when someone anonymously suggested them to a record label. But just their luck, that deal fell through. However, one of the assistants that worked at the previous record label transferred to the record label Corroded Coffin is signing with right now. They played for them and it was an instant connection. Every single last one of them knew that our little babies were going to make it huge. They had a lot of what metal was in the mid-1980s. It was a perfect fit for everyone. 

Now, Corroded Coffin was back in Indianapolis, Indiana for the day to record their first album. None of them knew what to expect, so naturally, I packed them all goodie bags for when it gets overwhelming they have some home comfort. It took them roughly three months to create the album and another month to record it. Then they had to choose the design and how it wanted to look and the creativity part of it as well. All in all, it took six months to finalize their first album together. While they were doing that, I was working and unpacking the new home we were all living in. Sure, it wasn’t the best, but it was good for right now. 

“Babe! We’re home!” Eddie said coming through the front door. I emerged out of the kitchen ecstatic to see my boys.

“How’d it go? Let me see.” I held their first printed album in my hands. “This is amazing. I cannot express how proud I am of you guys.” I hugged each of them, saving Eddie for last. The guys groaned when we kissed, but only made us hold onto each other more.

Another two weeks passed and even though it was not needed for the rest of their albums, the first album had a launch party. Followed by more press and a slew of fans, their music rose to the charts very quickly. Three months later they were number seven in the top ten in America. It was insane to think that they were traveling around the United States, then going globally to perform. All in a few years' time their wildest dreams come to fruition. 

One of the best experiences was that the guys got to meet their idol musicians at an award show. Not just any award show they were invited to; no, it was the first award show they were nominated for. Metallica, Van Halen, and Dio were there. It was a dream come true, especially for Eddie. They could not contain their excitement. I mean Jeff looked like he was going to pass out just from seeing them twenty feet away. Then Gareth actually started swaying as if he wanted to faint. It was kind of funny to see a muscular metal bad fangirling over their favorite bands that made them who they are. They all introduced themselves and talked for a while. It was heartwarming to know that through all the excitement, Eddie never let me leave his side. His hand either held mine, or his arm was around my waist or shoulder. Occasionally I kissed his cheek to allow his nerves to balance back out.

“Baby, I cannot believe we just met our idols. I mean this is the coolest thing in the world. Am I shaking? I feel like I’m shaking. Shit, please tell me I wasn’t stupid, not that it matters, but yeah it kinda does.” Eddie kept going on. I chuckled at his nervous excited state.

“Yes my love, you were acting like an idiot, but a goofy and loveable one. They loved you guys and it’s nice to see that their job and meaning in life is touching young kids’ hearts.” I said kissing his cheek.

Later that evening at the award show, Corroded Coffin won Best New Artist. As much as this was a dream come true for them, it was a dream come true for me to see the love of my life and some of my best friends their happiest. They worked so hard to be here and it all paid off.

“I love you so much. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Eddie said holding my face.

“You’d still be here. Sad and alone, but you’d still be here.” I giggled looking up at him.

“No, I could not have been here without you. I mean it. You’re my whole world.” He closed the gap between our lips, pressing a chaste kiss to mine. The world stopped for a moment as we engulfed ourselves in love.

[hollandrd]

Gareth putting makeup on Jeff before a halloween hideout gig

[munson-blurbs]

Single Dad!Eddie x Fem!ReaderSeries

1 | 2

Summary: You're determined to figure out why Eddie hates you, and he's more determined to avoid you at any cost. But confrontations with Jeff and Wayne may have him reconsidering all of his choices--including the one to become a father. How long can he run from his demons before they catch up to him?

Warnings: angst, Eddie is really mean to Reader, mentions of drug dealing, mentions of Eddie's dad, Reader's grandma has Alzheimer's, slowburn, strangers to enemies to lovers, angst, Eddie is 30, Reader is 28, no use of y/n

WC: 5.9k

Chapter 2/20

Scruffy!Eddie edit credit to @eddiemunsons-missingnipple Divider credit to @saradika

“He called you what?” Jess screeches, and you have to pull the receiver from your ear to avoid losing your hearing. “Oh, he’s a dead man.”

You place the phone back between your shoulder and cheek so you can stir the pot of marinara sauce while talking to your friend. She’d called to ask about your first day of work, and of course you’d mentioned Eddie’s frigid bitch comment. “I shouldn’t have expected anything less from a grown man who promises to call and then basically drops off the face of the Earth,” you say, trying to keep your anger at bay. There’s murmuring in the background coming from a voice deeper than Jess’s. “Do you have company? Because we can talk later–”

“Nah, I’m just at Viv and Jeff’s place.” Before you can tell her not to say anything, you hear her spreading the news to her sister and future brother-in-law. The girl’s a sweetheart, but she spreads news faster than the New York Times. 

There’s the sound of shuffling and the phone being exchanged between parties, followed by Jeff saying, “Please tell me that you’re joking.”

“About being called a frigid bitch? I’m afraid not,” you confirm with a terse chuckle, draining a pot of spaghetti into the colander. “But, honestly, it’s really not a big deal. I’ve been called worse.”

Jeff’s quiet for a moment before he replies. “He’s such an asshole. Christ.” You detect a note of sadness in his tone, almost grief, like he’s mourning someone he thought he knew.

“Look, I shouldn’t have called him out on that stupid Cat and Mouse thing,” you say. “I should’ve just let it go, put a smile on my face, and acted civilly. I only said it to piss him off, and it worked.”

“No, this is more than you,” Jeff protests, letting out an exasperated sigh. “He never used to be like this. He used to actually be a great guy.” It sounds like he has more to say, but he just blurts out, “I gotta go,” and quickly hands the phone back to Jess.

The two of you talk for a few more minutes until the sauce on the stove starts to bubble, indicating that dinner’s ready.

“Grandma,” you call out, “it’s dinnertime!”

Your grandma pads out of her bedroom, hair disheveled even though you’d just combed through it this morning, and wrinkles her nose. “Not hungry,” she mutters, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, you gotta eat so you can take your medicine,” you tell her, keeping your tone even and patient, “otherwise, you’ll feel sick. C’mon, you love pasta.”

“I don’t have to take any goddamn medicine,” she snaps, scowling at the three pills at her table setting. “These aren’t even mine.”

Well, then, whose are they? Do you think I robbed a Rite Aid? You want to snap, but you bite back the retort. “Yes, Grandma, they are. This one,” you point to a small, white pill, “is for your blood pressure. And this one,” you point to a larger yellow one, “is your multivitamin, and this little yellow one is for, um…” you hesitate, “for Alzheimer's.”

“I don’t have Alzheimer’s!” Grandma shouts, swiping the pills to the ground. They fall with a clatter, bouncing underneath the table. “And I’m not eating shit.” She storms off to her room, muttering a slew of swear words under her breath.

You take a deep breath, feeling the oxygen fill your lungs. This isn’t the first time she’s had an outburst like this, and you know to just leave dinner on the stove, and she’ll come and eat in a few minutes when she forgets that she’s “not hungry.” In the meantime, you pick up the fallen medication and place them back on her napkin before digging into your own bowl of spaghetti.

Sure enough, she joins you about fifteen minutes later, exclaiming that “something smells good,” and eating her dinner happily. She only asks you twice where you’re from and when you’re leaving, but your heart still sinks with each question. The grandma who never missed a birthday and brought your favorite candy when she visited had all but been erased by a vicious disease. All you can do now is keep her safe and enjoy the brief moments when she’s smiling.

There’s only silence when Eddie shows up at Gareth’s house after dropping Harris at Wayne’s trailer. He’s usually greeted by the sound of everyone warming up and tuning their instruments. For a second, he thinks that he has the wrong night, or he forgot that they canceled practice, but he finds the guys sitting in Gareth’s garage. They all look up guiltily when they hear him walk in.

“Who died?” Eddie asks with a nervous laugh, shoving his hands in his pockets and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Seriously, guys, what’s going on?”

Gareth bites his lip, wordlessly turning to Jeff. Eddie stiffens a bit at the silent shift to Jeff’s newfound leadership. Since when does Gareth look to Jeff to speak up? 

“Ed, we need to talk with you,” Jeff says, sitting up a bit taller. “We, uh, we think Corroded Coffin needs a bit of hiatus.”

Eddie crosses his arms over his chest and gives a disbelieving snort. “Oookay,” he says sardonically. “And why are you telling me that we should break up the band I founded?” He walks closer to his bandmates, challenging them with the fury behind his eyes.

“It’s not fun for us anymore, man,” Danny admits. “This is supposed to be something we do to relax, blow off some steam and get a break from the real world. But lately, it’s been more of a chore.”

“A chore?” Eddie echoes, scoffing loudly. “What the hell does that even mean?”

Jeff stands up, ready to bulldoze through whatever counterattack Eddie concocts. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re a miserable person to be around. When you first moved back, when Harris was a newborn, we figured it was just a lack of sleep. But your kid’s four now, Munson,” Jeff says pointedly, “and you’re still a dick.”

“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” Eddie mutters with an incredulous laugh. “Let me get this straight: I have a couple of bad days, and you shut shit down? Without even talking to me about it first?”

This ignites a spark in Jeff, and he puffs out his chest and takes another step towards Eddie. “You wanna talk about it? Fine; we’ll talk. What should we start with, hm? The way you can never be happy for any of us unless it benefits you? The way you act like an immature teenager, selling drugs instead of getting a real job? The way you treat women like they’re disposable?” He looks Eddie dead in the eyes and says curtly, “I heard about your little ‘frigid bitch’ comment. And at her job, too. Real nice.”

“Why do you care whether or not I still sell? Or how I treat women?” Eddie shoots back. “Did I get you in trouble with your old lady or something?”

“That’s the other thing,” There’s no mistaking the bitterness seeping from Jeff’s pores. “I tell you–one of my oldest, closest friends–that I’m getting married and having a baby with the love of my life, and you couldn’t be bothered to give a shit.”

Eddie feels his mouth dry up, knowing that everything Jeff’s said is true; he clears his throat and tries to play it off. “You cool with this, Gareth?” he asks the drummer, hoping no one caught the waver in his voice. 

Gareth can’t even let his gaze meet Eddie’s as he mumbles, “I used to look up to you, man. You were my honest-to-God hero. But now, I…I don’t want to be like you anymore.”

The confession is a total knockout; Eddie stumbles back as though he’s actually been punched in the gut. “Whatever. You can all choke for all I care.” He slings his guitar case back over his shoulder and starts towards his car.

“Let us know when you decide to grow up,” Jeff calls out. Eddie just flips him off, slamming the car door and speeding down the road. 

Fuck them, he thinks, barreling through a stop sign without even noticing. Who the fuck do they think they are; breaking up the band because they don’t like my attitude? They didn’t mind my attitude when it protected them from all the assholes at school, or when it got them into clubs when they were underage. But now they’re complaining about it? Fucking pricks.

As he turns into the trailer park entrance, a thought occurs to him: how the hell did Jeff know that I called her a “frigid bitch” at work? What did she do, call him up and snitch on me? Trying to ruin my life all because I didn’t call her? He grips the steering wheel even tighter, throwing the car in park and stomping out to Wayne’s trailer. He knocks impatiently, as though he’s been kept waiting.

“What are you doing back so soon?” Wayne asks, concern written all over his face. “And why do you look like you’re about to punch a wall–Jesus, Ed, take a breather.”

“They kicked me out of the band,” he mutters through gritted teeth, walking over to where Harris is eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of the TV and sitting down next to him, pressing a kiss to his curly hair. “Gave me some BS about taking a break, how I make all of them miserable, blah blah blah.”

“What’s ‘BS’?” Harris pipes up with a mouthful of cheesy pasta, but Eddie just mumbles, “don’t worry about it,” under his breath, and the boy goes back to watching a rerun of The Flintstones.

Wayne sighs, scratching at the scruff of his beard. “They said that you make them miserable?” he asks, wincing slightly. He knew that his nephew’s demeanor had changed considerably over the years; what was once teenage cynicism had slowly morphed into a constant state of anger and unhappiness. Wayne thought maybe it was just in his head, or just around him, but if Eddie’s best friends noticed it, too, it was more serious than he’d initially thought.

“More or less,” Eddie chuckles tersely. “And then they threw something in there about my–my job, about how I, um, pursue lots of different women, how I don’t support their choices when we all know it’ll take away from the band.”

“Support their choices?” Wayne echoes.

“Jeff’s girl is having a baby, and he wants to marry her,” Eddie explains, biting his thumbnail as he shakes his head incredulously. “So he’s gonna have less time for Corroded Coffin. How are we supposed to make something of ourselves if he’s gonna flake?”

“I don’t know if that’s flaking–”

“I mean, let me get this straight,” Eddie interrupts, standing up to pace. “Jeff’s a goddamn superhero for knocking someone up and taking time away from the band, but I’m the one who’s ruining it for everyone? Because I actually act like a rockstar?”

“Well, Rockstar,” Wayne crosses his arms over his chest angrily, “have you ever stopped to consider that maybe they’re right? Stopped to think about how your actions impact them? How would you feel if Jeff berated you for wanting to start a life with someone you care about?” He pauses for a moment, glancing at his grandson. “I’m not saying you have to get married or settle down, but if you aren’t gonna have a maternal figure in your boy’s life, you should at least show him how to respect women.”

Eddie snorts, grabbing his keys from his pocket and walking towards the door. “Like how women respected me? How all the girls at school called me a ‘freak’ or a ‘loser’?”

“You’re not in high school anymore!” Wayne shouts, snapping Harris from his Fred Flintstone-induced daze. “You’re a grown-ass man! With a kid! And if you spend the rest of your life jumping from girl to girl because of how you were treated fifteen years ago, you’re gonna continue to be one miserable son-of-a-b–gun.”

Ignoring his uncle’s rebuttal, Eddie waves Harris over. “C’mon, Har-Bear. We gotta get home. Say good-bye to Grampa Wayne”

“Ed, you don’t have to–”, 

“I’m really not interested in what you, or anyone else, has to say about my life,” he snaps, taking Harris’s empty bowl and tossing it in the sink with a clatter. “I’m doing the best I can; my kid is fed and clothed, and the lights and water are on in my place. Harris, I said, let’s go.” He takes his son’s hand and walks him to the car. 

“Daddy!” Harris whines as Eddie buckles him into his carseat. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to Grampa Wayne!”

Eddie lets out an exasperated sigh. “It’s okay, bud. We just gotta get home. Grampa understands.”

Harris bursts into tears, screaming and wailing at the top of his lungs. “I! WANT! GRAMPA!” he shrieks, kicking the back of Eddie’s seat over and over. “I don’t like you anymore, Daddy! You’re mean!”

Eddie tries to ignore the sting of Harris’s insult, reminding himself that he’s just a kid, but the words are like a thorn in his side. “I’m mean?”

“Mhm,” Harris says with another heaving sob. He tries to catch his breath between his words. “You…m-made…Grampa Wayne…yell. A-And th-then you…didn’t let me…say…goodbye!”

A dull ache thumps behind Eddie’s frontal lobe. “I’m sorry, Har. I should’ve let you say goodbye. We can call him when we get home, and you can say goodbye then.”

This seems to quell Harris’s tantrum, and his soft hiccups slowly fade out as he drifts off to sleep. Eddie gingerly unbuckles his seatbelt and lifts him. There will be a day where he won’t be able to lift him anymore, but he can’t bear the idea right now. 

He carries his son up the three flights of stairs and places him in his tiny race car bed. Eddie’s frameless mattress is right next to it, and he lays down and watches Harris’s chest expand and contract with each little breath. His bow-shaped lips are slightly pursed, and there’s a smudge of dried mucus under his nose, a remnant from when he was crying earlier. Eddie makes a mental note to wash off his face before he goes to school tomorrow. 

School—the thought of seeing you, really—had his stomach twisting in knots. Everything was fine until you waltzed into town, getting so bent out of shape over a one-night stand that you ratted him out to his bandmate. And now he looks like the asshole. 

He’ll sort it out tomorrow. He’ll march into the school and ask for—no, demand—that Harris is transferred to another classroom. And then he’ll never have to deal with you again. 

“I’m sorry, but all of the classes are full.”

Eddie raps his fingertips on the school secretary’s desk impatiently. “They’re…full?” He sputters, unable to believe his shitty luck. “Nah, there’s gotta be space for him somewhere. Can you check again?”

The secretary peers up at him over her coke-bottle glasses and rolls her eyes. “Mr. Munson, in order to remain in compliance with Indiana state standards, we are allowed a maximum of ten students per class. All of our classes already have ten students.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he hisses, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Can’t we just swap him with a kid from another class? He can have their teacher and they can have his.”

“If a student from a different classroom moves or requests a transfer, we can discuss allowing Harris to switch. For now, we can just make a note of it in his file and let you know if that opportunity arises.”

Harris looks at his dad with a puzzled expression. “But, Daddy, I like my teacher! She’s really nice and she doesn’t get mad at me if I forget the rules.”

Heat creeps into Eddie’s face as he feels the secretary’s glare–a mixture of bewilderment and irritation that he’s wasting her time with his asinine request. He gives a resigned sigh and takes Harris’s hand as he walks him towards the classroom.

“Have a great day, Har-Bear!” he says, feigning enthusiasm as they reach the door. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Harris frowns. “You’re not gonna walk me inside like tomorrow?”

Eddie pauses for a second, brows pinching together in confusion before he realizes what Harris means. “You mean yesterday?” Eddie corrects him, the corners of his lips tugging into a small smile at his son’s error. “I, uh, I think it’s better if I just stay out here.”

He waits for the impending tantrum, but to his surprise, Harris just shrugs and says, “Okay, bye!” and swings the door open, backpack bouncing as he speedruns into the room excitedly. Eddie can hear your voice, calm and patient, saying, “Harris, we use our walking feet in the classroom,” and his son replying with a chipper, “Oh, yeah! Sorry!”

He’s halfway down the hallway when you call out, “Mr. Munson?”

“Ya?” He stops walking, but doesn’t bother to turn around and face you. He stares at a bulletin board that reads Welcome Back to School in glittery red cut-out letters. Framing the message are little cardboard apples, each with a student’s name written on them in permanent marker. He spots the one that says Harris in the top left corner, and an unfamiliar twinge of pride sets in his chest. 

“I need you to sign Harris in,” you say, trying to keep your tone as even as you do with your students. “It’s school policy.”

“Christ on a cracker,” Eddie grumbles under his breath, spinning back on his heels to head back to the room. So much for avoiding you. You’re standing outside the door, and he immediately notices the way your maroon pants hug your curves in all the right places. If only her personality was as pleasant as her ass, he thinks bitterly, dragging his gaze to the clipboard in your hand. “I didn’t have to do this yesterday.”

“It was the first day of school. I forgot,” you admit. You’re not exactly sure why you’re giving him so much ammunition; perhaps it was the way he just conspicuously drank in the sight of you. “Kinda crazy around here.” You will yourself to shut up, practically clamping your lips together so you’ll stop talking.

Eddie scoffs, yanking the clipboard from your grasp. “Well, aren’t you Teacher of the Year,” he sneers, clicking the pen and scribbling his signature next to Harris’s name before jabbing the sheet back at you. 

Ignoring his insult, you force yourself to make eye contact as you inform him, “You’ll need to come back in later to sign him out.” 

He bites back an irritated laugh, shoving his hands in the pockets of his torn black jeans. He’s equipped with another comment ready to launch at you, one related to your rendezvous a week earlier, but he stops when he sees Harris tugging on the hem of your shirt with urgency.

“What if I’m with my new teacher?” he asks innocently, eyes wide with concern.

“What new teacher, honey?” you ask, crouching down to his level. “You mean Mr. Will?”

Harris shakes his head fervently. “Daddy asked the lady at the desk if I could have a new teacher instead of you.”

You expect Eddie to be embarrassed by his son’s candidness, but he doesn’t even appear to be fazed.  “It was your idea, Sweetheart,” he says with a sly grin. “I’m only making good on my word.”

“Well, look at you, keeping your promises,” you bite back instinctively, silently cursing yourself for snapping at him when you’re on the clock. He might be a total asshole, but he’s Harris’s dad first. At least while you’re at work. You turn your attention back to the little boy. “I’m sorry if we confused you, Harris. I’m your teacher, okay?”

Harris nods slowly, indicating that he doesn’t quite understand what’s happening, but he doesn’t press the issue further. His gaze flits between you and his father. “Why’d you call her ‘Sweetheart’?” he questions Eddie. “Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Eddie nearly chokes on his own tongue. “Absolutely not,” he insists at the same time that you chime in with a firm, “no.”

“Then why–”

“It’s a nickname,” Eddie interrupts before Harris can say anything else. “Like how I call you ‘Har-Bear,’ or how I call Grampa Wayne ‘Old Man.’”

“Oh.” Harris chews on the answer before seemingly accepting it, giggling when he thinks of the way his grandpa grimaces at the name ‘Old Man.’. He smiles up at you. “Can I call you Sweetheart, too?”

You smile back at him, ruffling his curly hair. “That’s Ms. Sweetheart to you,” you tease, but as a four-year-old, he doesn’t pick up on your sarcasm.

“Okay, Ms. Sweetheart!” he laughs, and he mimics your movements and ruffles your hair right back before you stand up. How is this kid so precious when his dad is a complete and utter douchebag?

“Well,” Eddie says finally, crossing his arms over his chest, “I won’t forget about signing him out when I pick him up.”

“Try to get here on time today,” you retort, guiding Harris over to where Will is playing with the other students. “Really makes my job easier when the parents do what they’re supposed to do.”

He walks away with a haughty laugh. “Bold of you to assume I’d want to make anything easier for you.”

The rest of Eddie’s morning proceeds as normal. He picks up the product from Rick’s place and gives him his cut of what he made yesterday. Carefully separating it into small baggies, he delivers to his usuals: the guys who work down on the loading dock, the supergenius stoner who allegedly works as some top government official, the young teacher at Hawkins High who, more than once, has paid for her share with decent head behind the football field. Of course, Eddie keeps a bit hidden away for himself. Whoever coined the phrase don’t get high on your own supply never had a seemingly never-ending stash of weed.

He arrives back at his apartment just before noon, ready to crash on the couch and watch some mind-numbing TV. Opening the door, he kicks off his muddy sneakers to find his uncle sitting on the couch, twiddling his thumbs anxiously.

“Jesus, Wayne!” Eddie shouts, putting a hand to his chest. Giving him a key to the place suddenly didn’t seem like such a great idea. “Scared the shit outta me. What’re you doing here? Don’t you have work?” 

“Took the day off,” Wayne explains, reaching for the manila envelope that he’s placed on the cushion next to him. “Had, uh, an appointment.”

Based on the serious look on his face, Eddie assumes he’s talking about a doctor, and the blood drains from his face at the thought of Wayne battling a terminal illness. “Shit, you okay? Are you sick?”

“Sit down, Eddie.” He hands him the envelope without another word. Eddie does what he says, flipping up the edges of the silver fastener and taking out a small stack of stapled papers. He scans the documents, expecting to see some kind of medical test results. Instead, his eyes widen as he reads the opening lines:

TEMPORARY CUSTODY AGREEMENT: 

I, EDWARD JOHN MUNSON, the custodial parent of the following child(ren): HARRIS WAYNE MUNSON, do hereby give custody to WAYNE ALBERT MUNSON.

“What the hell is this?” Eddie snarls, clenching his fists and crumpling the papers. “Are you trying to take my kid away from me? Is this some kind of sick revenge because of our fight yesterday?”

Wayne shakes his head. “Ed, this has nothing to do with what happened yesterday. I’ve had this meeting with the lawyer for a while now.” He lets out a long, tired sigh. “When you got arrested a couple months ago, it made me realize how much I was turnin’ a blind eye to your…business.”

“You mean when Hopper let me off with a warning?” Eddie reminds him. He rolls his eyes impatiently, but his bouncing leg gives away how nervous he is to have this conversation. “The Chief isn’t gonna let anyone lock me up just for selling pot. I won’t sell the hard shit anymore, and Rick knows that.”

But the older man presses on, ignoring his nephew’s rebuttal. “When your dad got arrested, I was lucky that the state gave you to me instead of sticking you in foster care. But we were both twenty-odd years younger; I don’t know they’d be so willing to let an old man take care of a four-year-old without it in writing.” 

The mention of his father has Eddie seeing red. “I’m not my dad.” he spits. “My dad didn’t fucking take me to school. Couldn’t even be bothered to make sure I had everything I needed. Food, water, shelter? That piece of shit didn’t give a rat’s ass.”

“But he did sell drugs. And that’s how he got busted,” Wayne points out, voice rising a bit. “And Hopper’s nearly as old as I am. He’s gonna be retiring soon; we can’t keep countin’ on him to cover for you.” His eyes are misty with tears as he says, “all I want is for Harris to have the same kind of protection that you had. Just until you get a job that doesn’t put you at odds with the law. It’s all temporary, see?” He motions to the first bolded word at the top of the document.

But Eddie’s too enraged to care, tearing up the papers and letting them fall to the floor like legal confetti. “I’ve gotta go,” he hisses, grabbing his keys so quickly that they clatter among the sea of document scraps. “You should go, too.”

“I could get you some work at the plant,” Wayne offers meekly. It’s not the first time he’s extended the opportunity, but he figures it’s worth a shot. “Just somethin’ while you look for what you really wanna–”

“I said, leave!” Eddie shouts. “I don’t need you poking your nose in my life anymore. My life works for me, and it works for Harris, and there’s no reason to turn everything upside down.”

“You think his dad gettin’ thrown in prison won’t turn his life upside down?!” Wayne snaps, finally unloading everything onto Eddie. “You think being torn away from the people he loves won’t hurt him? I’d do anything to keep that boy safe, just like I did for you, you ungrateful sonofabitch.”

Eddie’s response flies off of his tongue before he can bite it back. “And look how that turned out for me.”

A pained expression crosses Wayne’s face, but he recovers quickly. “I’ll always love you, Ed. No matter what.” He pauses. “But I don’t like who you are anymore. Ever since you moved back here, all you’ve done is push away the people who care about you.” He starts towards the door before briefly turning back. “When you’re ready to let people in, to be happy again, you let me know.”

Eddie scoops up his keys and flings open the door, letting it slam behind him. His fingers tremble as he fumbles for the pack of cigarettes in his back pocket. It takes a few tries before he can steady his hands enough to light one, and he inhales deeply to try and calm his nerves. How could Wayne possibly think that Harris wasn’t safe with him? After everything Eddie had sacrificed for his son; the dreams he gave up, the life he let go of…

Did anyone actually believe that he still wanted to be here, in Hawkins, the town bursting with haunting memories? Every time he drove near the high school, he could practically hear the echoing taunts of freak and loser emanating from its hallowed halls. No; he was only here because he couldn’t raise a kid alone. Apparently, Wayne thought he was incapable altogether.

He goes through another three cigarettes on the ride to the preschool, snuffing out the last one with the toe of his scuffed Vans outside the entrance. 

“I need to sign out my son, Harris Munson,” he tells the secretary, who gives him a bemused glare. “Family emergency.” 

The secretary nods, picking up the phone without taking her eyes off of Eddie, as though she’s concerned that he’ll bolt if she lets him out of her sight. He hears her relaying the message that Harris’s dad is here to pick him up early, but he’s too busy pacing back and forth to eavesdrop for a response.

All he can think about is how it would feel to sign those papers, basically admitting defeat. Admitting that he couldn’t handle fatherhood. Just because he stepped up when Harris’s mom wasn’t able to be a parent didn’t mean he was a good dad. It just meant he stuck around.

Maybe his presence in Harris’s life was doing more harm than good.

“Mr. Munson?” Your voice draws him out of his rumination. You’re holding a now-empty Tupperware that once contained a salad; dressing smeared on the inside, and your eyes hold nothing but concern. Nothing in your body language demonstrates any sort of contempt, and Eddie has to wonder how bad he looks for you to not hate him, even briefly. “Is everything okay?”

It’s then that he realizes that his lip is bleeding from biting it so hard, and his cheeks are wet with tears.

“Don’t you have a classroom of kids to watch?” he sneers, watching as you wince. “Really vying for that Teacher of the Year spot, aren’t ya?”

“It’s my lunch break…” you start before realizing that you have no need to defend yourself to him. “Why are you so mean to me?” You keep your tone as hushed as possible, not wanting to attract any unwanted listeners. “Seriously, what did I do to you?”

“Besides ruin my life?”

You scoff incredulously, annoyance creeping back into your posture. For some reason, this bothers Eddie less than seeing you worried about him. “What are you talking about?”

“Your little gossip session with Jeff?” he spits back. “The one where you told him I called you a frigid bitch? Or maybe the one where you painted me to be some asswipe womanizer all because I didn’t call you?” He rakes his fingers through his long brown curls. “I have no one now; are you happy? Christ, you’ve lived in this goddamn town for two minutes and you’ve managed to turn my best friends against me.”

“I didn’t do shit,” you fume, whispering the last word in case children are passing by. “I told Jess, and I didn’t know she was at her sister’s place. And the only reason Jeff even knew about our night together was because I needed a ride after you basically kicked me out of your apartment.”

“You weren’t supposed to sleep over,” he murmurs so softly, you can barely hear him. 

“Why not? What would’ve been so bad about that?”

He doesn’t have the chance to answer–or come up with a half-hearted excuse–before Harris is flinging himself into his legs, wrapping his arms around his waist in a tight hug. “Daddy! Mr. Will said I’m going home, but none of my friends are going home.”

Eddie scoops up his son, resting him on his hip. “That’s because you and I are having a super-special, super-secret Daddy-Son Day at the zoo!” he whispers in his ear, and Harris beams in response. Eddie’s own father never took him out of school and brought him on fun outings. The only time he got out early was when they were on the run from the cops or evading an eviction notice over unpaid rent. Zoo trips? Unheard of. So there, Wayne.

“Have fun!” you chirp, swallowing your anger for Harris’s sake, and for your own. “I can’t wait to hear all about it, Harris.” You rub his back gently and walk back to your classroom. Like most of your encounters with Eddie Munson, you leave with more questions than answers.

“Daddy, look at that!” Harris shouts happily, pointing to a flamingo stretching and flapping its pink wings. “Look how fluffy it is!”

Eddie squints in the sun to get a better view. “Yeah,” he agrees with a laugh, squeezing Harris’s hand. “Fluffy like a teddy bear.”

Harris frowns, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “No, Daddy. That’s a bird, not a bear.”

“You’re right,” Eddie says, trying to hold back his laughter. “You’re really learnin’ a lot in school, huh?”

“Mhm,” Harris says, leading his dad to the next exhibit. A hippo pops its head out of the water and glances around curiously before lowering back down. “Ms. Sweetheart is the bestest teacher ever! She sings songs, an’ reads to us, an’ she’s even helping me write my name!”

At the mention of your inadvertent nickname, Eddie’s jaw clenches. It’s my own stupid fault for bringing up school, he thinks bitterly, but brushes past it. “Are you having fun on our Daddy-Son Day?”

“Most fun ever!” Harris jumps up and down with each syllable. “Did you and Grampa Wayne do Daddy-Son days?”

Eddie shakes his head. “Har, remember? Grampa Wayne is actually my uncle, not my dad.”

“Oh, yeah,” Harris says, slowing his pace slightly. “But he was kinda like your dad, right? He took care of you like he’s your dad?”

“Y-Yeah,” Eddie nods. “Yeah, he took care of me like a dad.”

“Where is your dad? Why didn’t he take care of you?”

“He, um, he couldn’t,” Eddie offers lamely. “He didn’t know how to be a dad. So Grampa Wayne decided to raise me.” As he says the words, he feels sick. He’s tried so hard not to be like his old man–his biological one–and yet he’d basically become a carbon copy. Just a guy in way over his head, failing to be the man his son needed him to be. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” Harris chirps happily. “Daddy?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we go see the penguins now?”

“Sure thing, bud.”

On the way back from the zoo, with Harris nodding off in the backseat after the self-proclaimed “best day of his life,” Eddie pulls into the record store parking lot. It’s changed quite a bit since his younger years, but the music selection is still the best this town has to offer. He peruses their metal section, a snoozing Harris resting his cheek against his chest. Plucking a few cassettes from the bin, he places them on the counter and digs into his back pocket for his wallet. A handwritten HELP WANTED sign catches his eye.

“You guys hiring?” he asks the bored teenager behind the register.

“Yup,” comes the monotone reply, not making eye contact as he rings up the tapes.

Eddie waits a beat before continuing. “Is there an application or something?” The cashier pulls a sheet of paper from behind the sign and hands it to him. “Cool. I’ll drop it off tomorrow.” Eddie takes the bag of cassettes and shuffles back towards the car.

The application feels like it’s staring at him from where he’s set it on the passenger seat. The idea of being a minimum wage employee makes him cringe; it’ll probably take him weeks to earn what he makes in a day for Rick. He glances in the rearview mirror at his peacefully sleeping son.

“Only for you, Har-Bear.”

--

@littlepotatobeansworld @kelsiegrin @lma1986 @munsonology @stuckontheceiling @avobabe87 @eddapwinchester @peachysink @definitelynotecho @browneyes8288 @jeremyspoke-inclasstoday @breezybeesposts @tlclick73 @wednesdaymunson @feltonswifesworld87 @take-everything-you-can @bebe07011 @krahk @81rain @dylanmunson @oscarisaacwhore @eddiesguitarskills @everheart12 @etherealglimmer @hollster88 @wh0re4life @siriuslysmoking

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[xxoxobree]

Can I request Morales twins but with a sister preferably younger, either two years younger or make ‘em triplets but she’s the last one to be born?

Love your blog btw 🤭

Morales Twins with Younger Sister.

You were born 2 years after the twins.

Miles Immediately liked you even held you when he went to Visit at the hospital. Milo was not happy at all he already had to share his mom with Miles and now another stranger. He was pissed 🤣

Rio’s favorite thing to do was dress you in the same colors and snap photos.

DADDYS GIRL‼️ Jeff adores you. He’s wrapped around your finger , anything you want you get and the twins are jealous.

They use you to get things, especially Milo.

“Yo tell mom you want McDonald’s”

“Milo Nooo…..”

You do Milo’s hair when Rio doesn’t want to, you pull his hair for fun sometimes to get him to scream

They ask for your advice on outfit’s because duhh

They walk you to school and back and they better not catch you talking to a boy

Speaking of boys they’re terrified of your brothers so they don’t talk to you much.

Jeff lowkey told them to do that 🤣

The girls on the other hand bug you about you stupid brothers , they love them and it make you gag.

You don’t have much friends because they’re probably trying to get close to your brothers

They barge in your room to do stupid things like knock something down and turn your lights off. Miles most of the time

You love your brothers tho and spending time with them

You love to watch Milo play the game while you scroll on your phone

Or pose for Miles to sketch you.

They’re both thoughtful and buy you little stuff that makes them think of you.

You have them wrapped around your finger too being their little sis. They tie your shoes and carry your bag when you don’t want to.

They hang out in your room when they’re bored .

Dance parties for sure‼️ Rio and Jeff fuss you guys to keep it down.

[buckybarnesss]

I'm thinking about how Eli is apparently living with Scott and an Argent. How Deaton moved to LA as well and Deaton never treated Derek that well.

It doesn't make sense that Scott would get custody over any of the living Hales or even Noah. How Derek supposedly never had any arrangements made up just in case. Especially since Derek lost his family when he was Eli's age.

there's no way in hell scott and allison have legal guardianship over eli. it's a laughable idea and it is the height of insult to even suggest that an argent should be involved with raising derek's son. derek and allison barely tolerated each other not to mention all the other history.

it begs the question why would he want to go with them anyway? if we're following what the movie was putting down than he doesn't know them. there is also no reason that eli should've been pushed to leave his home. his ancestral home at that. the place where so many hales had been born and died.

it also removes him from a stable environment with a support system after suffering a huge loss. the sheriff, malia and peter seem to have been around. noah stilinski was definitely heavily involved in eli's life plus he's the sheriff of the goddamned town. he'd be perfect for temporary guardianship at minimum.

malia and peter are directly related to him and are also shifters.

again, why the hell would eli go live with two people who aren't even remotely connected to him and he barely knows. he last met scott when he was three years old and allison has been dead his entire existence. these people are strangers.

it just gives you the idea that jeff wanted a "happy ending" for allison and scott while not addressing all the questions it brings up. like is scott even remotely prepared to take on a sixteen year old whose just gone through a very traumatic experience? what exactly is allison's mental status right now? she just came back from the dead. they want to handwave it away just like they did with malia's situation. homegirl was 17 when she died. wouldn't she want to like idk catch up on the world? spend time with her dad? her best friend lydia who really, deeply grieved her? figure things out before jumping into a relationship with her high school boyfriend who is now in his 30s? it's weird.

speaking of allison.

allison has been legally deceased for over a decade by the time of the movie.

even if they were to some how "lose" the investigation files surrounding her death and the autopsy report than they used isaac to do an off the books burial i'd imagine there's still a death certificate filed with the state. the social security administration would've been notified as well. there was also fbi presence in town on an active investigation at the time of her death and everyone in beacon hills knew she died.

this does bring up the matter of peter's legal status. is he considered legally dead too? i don't think so actually as everything was really shady about that situation and his nurse was in on the whole thing. i don't think he was declared missing let alone dead.

and also like the most obvious answer to all of this is cora hale. where the fuck is cora hale? she's derek's sister and eli's aunt. she would've stepped in. aggressively. the only answer is that jeff has her locked in the subplot basement.

you also can't convince me that derek hale wouldn't have his affairs in order.

not only did derek have the experience of going through the untimely death of his family at a young age but he also had to do it again with laura.

there's no way he didn't have a will and it'd likely have to go through the probate process so his estate could be executed. derek hale had assets.

the hales were loaded. they were rich. season 4 drove that point home. derek owned the building the loft was in. he also had a business at the time of his death too.

derek would've ensured eli's inheritance and stability in case something happened to him and none of it would've included scott mccall or an argent.

scott was never derek's alpha. derek was not part of the mccall pack.

this isn't to say scott couldn't mentor eli. that'd be fine. it'd bring things full circle in a way but it's dumb as hell for scott to take eli to LA and i do genuinely think it's out of character for scott. especially an adult scott but i've written about that somewhere on my blog i think.

jeff davis can meet me in hell is all i'm saying.

[jokeringcutio]

"D&D Saturday" - Stranger Things & FFNAF Crossover - Reader Insert (Implied William Afton x Reader & Eddie Crush, Implied Eddie x Steve) (1...)

AN: Reader works at Freddy's and meets interesting characters. Not sure how to tag this, can be seen as a follow-up on [this is a nice job ](Black Phone) & [ The Star Clown ] (One Piece) which doesn't feature Eddie or Steve), or can be seen as the first of a series involving Stranger Things characters in this setting.

Summary: You're working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place for William Afton and Mr. Henry, when it's a D&D Saturday. Your colleagues are discussing who they would date. The curly-haired Eddie keeps stealing glances. But then Steve enters and you have a hunch something is going on between the two.

Fandoms: Five Nights at Freddy's, Stranger Things. Rating: Teen? Warnings: None really. Girls discussing boys. Creepy older boss Afton. Possible EddiexSteve. Possible Reader x Eddie/Steve attraction. Modern-day life/Contemporary setting. Lucy is sweet and Erica is up for some. Not betaread. [ Support x ]

Dungeons and Dragons. An entire Saturday filled with sweaty teenagers and adults alike, playing imaginary heroes in the grand hall that usually hosted kids' parties. Events like this took place every once in a while. It was a way for Mr. Henry and Mr. Afton to gain a little extra money and show they played an important role in society.

You darted through the crowded hall of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place, the fabric of your uniform clinging to your skin like a second shadow. It was hot in here, and stuffy. Your arms balanced a tray laden with vibrant bowls, each brimming with sugary concoctions meant for the hungry adventurers at the tables. The cacophony of arcade games and children's laughter was punctuated by the occasional clatter of dice on tabletops.

A group of mostly teenagers caught your eye. You’d seen them here before, they usually played with the arcade machines down the hall. Approaching the table where Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas's little spitfire of a sister Erica, Gareth, and Jeff were huddled, you caught fragments of another realm spilling from Eddie Munson's lips. He was their Dungeon Master, a weaver of worlds, his hands orchestrating the rise and fall of empires with a mere flick of his wrist.

"Behold, the cavernous abyss opens before you," Eddie's voice rumbled, deep and gravelly, commanding the room's attention despite the surrounding chaos. "A pit of despair where only the valiant dare tread."

Intrigue snared you, halting your hurried steps as you lingered at the edge of their table. You stood there, rooted, while Eddie painted scenes of dark fantasy with his words. His long, curly hair framed his face, the dim light catching in those wild locks as if he possessed an inner fire that threatened to consume the very air.

He was hot all right. Mesmerizing. Beautiful.

"Will you cower? Or will you leap into the maw of madness?" he challenged, eyes dancing with a ferocious glee that seemed to mock the very notion of fear.

The players leaned in, ensnared by his narrative. And so were you. All other sounds faded to a distant hum, drowned out by the beating of your heart and Eddie's hypnotic cadence. No wonder his group was one of the biggest. He had a way with words, telling tales like a true artist.

"Darkness claws at your back, whispering secrets of power and ruin," he described everything so vividly that you could see shadows slipping along the walls, transforming the restaurant into a menacing forest. You wanted to hear more, to know how this story would end. But you were supposed to be working and knew your boss was always watching and listening in.

“Do you like what you see?” Eddie’s voice wrapped around you, and you realized with a start that his dark eyes had turned to you.

Wait. Was he talking to you now?

"Want to join us?" He asked, his voice dripping with flirtation and edged with a charisma that was hard to resist. Eddie's invitation sliced through the din of clattering dishes and muffled conversations, directed solely at you.

The world around you seemed to pause, every eye at the table briefly flickering towards you.

“I… I,” you stammered.

“There’s room in the party for one more,” Eddie's dark eyes burned upon you, a mischievous smile curving his lips. His question was bold, his eyes raking down your body, obviously taking in the fact that you wore a uniform and were on duty – and then bluntly ignoring this.

“The devil knows they need every help they can get,” he added with a dramatic roll of his eyes while he gestured at the group around the table, earning him shouts of ‘oi’ and ‘hey, not fair dude’ from the others.

Blushing under the intensity of Eddie's stare, you stammered. "I…I can't. I am working,” you gestured rather helplessly at your uniform. He must have seen it. Why did he still ask you to join?

"Oh man,” the shout came from the boy wearing the cap indoors, covering his dark curls. Dustin, wasn’t it? “ Eddie's going all heartbreaker on the waitress!"

Oh, So that was why. Was Eddie flirting with you? Did he do that more often?

Laughter erupted from the table, your cue to escape. You seized the opportunity to back away, to retreat into the safety of routine and responsibility. Yet, Eddie's smile lingered in your mind, the glint in his dark eyes, the mischievous curl of his lips. Would you have joined if you hadn’t been on duty?

With measured steps, you navigated through the maze of tables. The bar loomed ahead. Just a few more steps and you’d have a place to hide behind. Erica and Lucy, your colleagues, huddled there, eyes sparkling with secrets and sin.

"Check out the back," Erica said the moment you got to their side, a wicked edge to her voice. “Lucy can’t stop talking about the big bloke with the blond hair over there.”

"Golden boy's got charm," Lucy murmured.

Erica agreed, nodding toward the far end where a blond guy leaned into the game, unaware he was being watched, weighed, and measured. Their laughter spilled over, sharp and sweet like shattered candy.

Lucy's gaze flicked to Eddie, then back to you. "And what about curls? Dark and dangerous has its perks."

"Metalhead's got mystery," Erica conceded, her grin all teeth and trouble.

Your eyes followed theirs over to where Eddie sat and you felt your cheeks flush.

Had they seen you talking to Eddie?

Erica’s grin told you they had.

"Who needs golden boys when shadows beckon?" she teased you. Oh, they knew. They knew.

“Shut up,” you said, carelessly waving a hand to brush it off.

“But he’s got a fine figure, girl,” Erica said, wiggling her eyebrows. “No need to feel ashamed to admit it. Of all of the guys around here, there are only a few that would do. And he’s definitely one of the better ones.”

"Shadows can hide monsters," Lucy said, but her eyes showed a glint of giddiness. She wasn’t warning you to stay away, that was for sure.

"Or treasures," Erica countered, though her eyes never left the figures at play.

"Treasures," you echoed, “this whole Dungeons and Dragons game is starting to affect your minds.” You dropped the empty tray in the trolley and came to stand with them behind the bar.

“So what if?” Erica asked, challenging you while she rested her elbow on the bar and wiggled her eyebrows.

“You’re going to play along with them?” You asked, curiously.

“Na-ah, I’d never be caught at one of them tables,” Erica replied a little too brusquely. “I’m not a nerd.”

“Would you?” Lucy’s soft voice caught your attention, but there was no judgment in it. Such a sweetheart she was. You turned to see her leaning on the bar, both arms in front of her, her chin resting on her hands. Her eyes firmly upon the room to keep track of anyone who might need her.

“I’m not sure,” you answered truthfully.

Erica snorted, but before she could say something teasing, the door swung open and the three of you fell silent. A young man came in, hesitating as he looked around, and then smiled as he noticed the three of you behind the bar. He instantly headed your way.

He was well-built, you noticed, in his early twenties probably. Brown eyes sparkled with kindness as he approached. But the hair. Gosh, that brown hair!

Your gaze clung to him, the way his shadow stretched across the scuffed floor, how the light caught the edges of his brown hair, accentuating the fullness and fluffiness of it.

"Look who's here," the only girl at Eddie’s table called out a little too loud, making it obvious that it was meant to be heard by your new guest. "Steve!" she called out, her voice a melody laced with mischief. "You rolling dice with us tonight?"

“You're early,” the boy you knew to be Dustin hollered.

“Game hasn’t ended yet,” one of his friends – Gareth? – shouted.

“Sure hasn’t,” Eddie piped in, a mischievous grin spread across his face. “Can wait another minute, big boy?”

Your lips parted, but no words came. There was a spark between the two young men and all you could do was watch, heart thudding against your ribs. There was definitely something going on between those two.

Your friends would be so disappointed to learn they wouldn't stand a chance.

“Sure,” Steve – you now knew – waved at the group and then turned to continue his way to the bar. He ambled over, his smile warm and inviting.

“You’re not going to play?” Erica asked the moment he arrived, and he chuckled, then shook his head.

"Nah, the only thing I am playing is chauffeur today." His eyes twinkled while he placed his right hand atop the bar. “I’m driving some of the kids.”

Kids, you thought. Most of them were around fifteen or sixteen years old and he still called them kids. It was cute in a way.

“Are you a big brother or something?” Erica asked, still doing all the talking. But Steve shook his head once again.

“More of a babysitter. Well, used to be,” he said with a frown when he seemed to realize how silly that sounded with the kids being teenagers and all. “But it just… stuck, you know.”

He pointed at the fridge behind the bar. “Can I have one crystal green one, please?” He started to take out his wallet.

“One crystal green coming at ya,” Lucy replied, rushing over to the fridge and beating a clearly agitated Erica to it. Erica’s expression soured even more when Lucy put the drink on the counter and took the time to help Steve as he paid with one swift wipe of his card.

“So have you ever played?” Erica asked, clearly trying to get Steve’s attention again and ignoring how Lucy was working on Steve’s order.

“D and D?” Steve asked, surprised, like a deer caught in the headlight – as if no one had ever asked him that question before. He put his hands inside the pockets of his coat, awkwardly shuffling on his feet. “Naah, I am more of a er…”

“Hey Mom, can you get us a Coke and a soda while you're at it,” Dustin shouted across the hall and Steve flinched.

“More of a mom?” Erica asked while grinning cheekily.

Steve flushed, clearly not at ease, while Lucy piped up from behind Erica’s back. “Ah, a mom. Isn’t that lovely,” not a question but a statement. She didn’t seem to notice how shy Steve turned at her comment, his cheeks flushing red and his lips parting in a stammer.

“Shall I get you a Coke and a soda then?” Lucy professionally asked, turning her big doe-eyes on Steve who was still looking all flustered.

“Yes,” he said, nodding. You noticed how he was still fumbling with his pockets.

“I never eh,” Steve looked over his shoulder, his eyes directed at the group and you followed his gaze. Eddie looked up. Dustin smirked and held up two thumbs. Steve let out a loud groan at this.

“I never played this game before, if you wish to know. I’ve no idea how it works. Driving those kids around is heroically enough for me,” he joked.

Erica cocked her head, grin undimmed. "Our knight in shining armor."

"Someone's gotta keep these streets safe," Steve said with a mock salute, the gesture a dance between boyish charm and the weight of something more – something you had no idea about. As if he was older than his age, had seen more horror than he should have.

"Safe from nerds or Demogorgons?" Erica chimed in, her laughter a silver bell in the dim room. You’d heard a lot of talk about Demogorgons as they featured in today’s one-shot as the bad guys. Apparently, Erica had been paying attention too - despite claiming she would never play the game.

"Both are equally terrifying," Steve shot back, the corner of his mouth lifting.

“I bet,” Erica said, handing him the Coke and soda. She stood behind the register, cashing Steve’s payment with a flirty smile. Steve remained polite, you noticed. Still smiling that kind smile, but not reacting to Erica’s flirty comments as he paid.

Definitely not into Erica, you made the mental note.

You leaned against the counter, the hum of conversation and clinking glasses a backdrop to your silent observations. Steve's laughter, a rich melody, floated across the room. Yet, his gaze… Those brown eyes betrayed him. They flicked. Once. Twice. Thrice.

His eyes were drawn like magnets to where Eddie sat.

And Eddie returned the glances with a wicked little smile every single time.

Something's there, you thought. Not just camaraderie. More. A lingering look too potent to be platonic. The glances and smiles only confirmed your suspicions.

Steve drained his drink before gently placing the empty bottle on the bar. He stood, broad-shouldered silhouette moving with a purposeful gait. Toward Eddie. His stride was a silent confession, each step an unspoken word.

"Erica," you said, turning to Erica and Lucy, "I think you might have to try someone else.” They both looked at you skeptically. “Steve might be into guys." The words fell like stones in still water.

Erica's laughter pierced the air, sharp and sudden. "Gay? Steve 'The Hair' Harrington? The boy who has been dating all the girls while in high school?" She snorted, shaking her head, curls bouncing. "That's rich."

"Watch," you said, nodding toward where Steve approached Eddie's table, a gravitational pull in every motion. The way their eyes met, the sparkle you saw between them, the way Eddie smirked and Steve smiled, leaned over him. A silent whisper passed between their lips, each mindful of the audience they had.

“Oh wow,” Lucy said almost breathlessly, obviously seeing what you saw.

"Nonsense," Erica huffed, not ready to see what the two of you saw, though her tone wavered.

"So, who are we gonna date? I call dibs on Steve," Erica declared as she leaned over the bar and cocked a brow, completely ignoring the obvious. Her fingers drummed on the countertop, a rhythm to her racing heart.

Lucy leaned back, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the distant figure at the rear of the room. "I’ll take Blondie back there," she said, a smirk played on her lips, confident, challenging.

"Lucy, you don't even know his name," Erica teased, her laughter dancing in the air.

A shrug. "I don't know his name... yet." Lucy's words dripped with promise, a huntress eyeing her prey.

They turned to you, twin sets of eyes bright with curiosity. "And you? Who would be your pick?" Erica asked, her voice lilting with mischief.

“I bet you’d go for the curly-haired one,” Lucy murmured, batting her lashes at you. “He’s dreamy in a sort of Goth-Punk kind of way.”

You were certain those weren’t the right terms to address the man, but still, you couldn’t help how your eyes wandered and found him. Eddie. His gaze locked onto yours, a spark igniting in the darkness. That smile, lopsided, dangerous.

You quickly turned your gaze away but were certain the others had seen you looking.

“I knew it,” Lucy said with a victorious smile.

"Ladies," a voice like gravel rumbled behind you.

You spun, heart leaping into your throat to find your boss standing right behind the three of you. Because... of course. The worst scenario you could think of just had to become real.

William Afton loomed behind you, his presence casting a shadow that felt too cold. The aviator glasses perched on his nose magnified his predatory gaze.

"Perhaps you should focus on serving rather than fantasizing about dating our customers," he drawled, his tone edged with something unspoken, something dark.

You nodded, mutely, the warning clear. Get back to work. Don’t talk about our guests like that.

"Of course, Mr. Afton," you managed, your voice barely above a whisper.

His smirk was knowing, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

"Good girl," he said, the words a caress and a brand all at once.

Had the others heard that? But when you looked at them, they were already rushing into the hall, busying themselves in fear of being reprimanded by Mr. Afton again. And when you turned to your boss, he was no longer there but had returned to his office, his door ajar. Listening, lurking.

You quickly busied yourself behind the bar and suppressed a shiver.

Surely you had imagined his words?

Yep, that was totally it.

Your eyes drifted back to Eddie at the table, Steve by his side, half bent over him, their breaths mingling. And then Eddie’s dark eyes shot up to meet yours.

He grinned.

[junko-en0shima]

He's A Pirate - Pirate! Eddie Munson x Mermaid! Reader

Summary: Captain Eddie is traveling for the seven seas with his first mate Steve Harrington and their crew, but to reach the treasure island they've been looking for about four years now, they have to go through The Mermaids Bay on a Blood Moon night which many legends are told about. That sounds dangerous, doesn't it?

Warnings: mention of drinking, (h/l) = hair lenght, (h/c) hair colour, (e/c) = eye colour.

A/N: Hey there, my Eddie loving fellas! This is my first fics ever about Stranger Things and Eddie Munson ofc hahah. I want to make this a mini serie, so please let me know if you want part 2.

*Comments and reblogs are appreciated!*

The wind blew harder than usual, pushing itself against the white sails which were light orange because of the light of the Blood Moon which could be made out of the blood of all the sailors who were captured by the mermaids a lot of legends told about.

But Captain Eddie didn't believe a word of those silly legends!

He was just standing there, proudly point his sharped sword towards the horizon to announce anyone who dared to get in his way his arrival.

"Together we will conquer every island, fighting the most dangerous creatures the world can provide and finally, I, Captain Edward Munson, will be the king of the seven seas!" He repeated his iconic line.

"You told this about a thousand times today." First mate Steve Harrington complained before to take a sip from his rum bottle. "You should cut it off repeating that childish line all day long." He added.

"But people should know who's soon gonna rule them all." Eddie jumped down from his spot.

"You told this about a thousand times, too." Steve took one more sip as he was slowly beginning to forget what patience was.

"You're gonna thank me once we'll get to put our precious hands on that freaking treasure." He looked through his telescope to scan the horizon once again which caused Steve to roll his eyes at him.

In the meantime, their crew mates, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Gareth, Jeff, an unnamed freak and their new addition Erika, Lucas' younger sister, were sitting on some barrels to discuss about the treasure they had been looking for about four years.

"What do you think those old folks put in that old wooden chest?" Dustin asked his mates.

"Gold coins?" Will suggested.

"Jewerly?" Mike added.

"Pearl necklaces?" Jeff suggested.

"That's jewerly, too." Dustin whispered and Jeff pulled an 'oh...' face at him.

"More maps to find more treasures?" was Erika's theory.

"That would be too silly of them." Lucas immediantly contradicted his sister.

"These are all good theories, but first we have to find this chest to find out." Gareth reminded. "We've been navigating for about four years now and nothing to be found yet."

"We should ask Eddie about that." Erika spotted Eddie talking to Steve, probably both drunks already, before to get up her way to go to her captain.

Everyone nodded in agreement and got up from their barrels to march to their captain and his first mate.

"Excuse me, long haired freaking captain." Erika spoke, making sure to catch Eddie's attention.

Eddie turned to the girl. "Yes, Sinclair?"

"How long is it gonna take before we find this 'treasure' island?" She gestured open brackets. "Is that even real?"

"Well, all the retired captains I confronted before to sail told me that the treasure island should be right behind the corner..."

A smile of relief begun to appear on their faces.

"... but not before we pass The Mermaids Bay." He finished.

"M-m-mermaids?" Jeff was shivering like a leaf, clutching to Dustin, who begun to shiver as well. "B-b-bay?" He tried to finish.

"Yeah, what about that?" Eddie raised an eyebrow at the two scared little mouses.

"Legends say that all the sea dogs that tried to sail this dark bay..." Jeff begun.

"... were put under a spell by the mermaids singing which leaded them to fall in the trap, with their whole crew and ship, elaborated by these beautiful, but dangerous creatures." Dustin continued.

"And they were never ever seen again." Jeff finished, giving everyone a serious look.

Eddie stared at them concerned for a moment... before to burst into a fit of laughs.

"What's funny?" Dustin asked him. "Yeah, it's a true story!" Jeff specified.

"Yeah..." A tear escaped from Eddie's eye which he quickly wiped away with his index finger. "And I believe it." Eddie kept laughing, slapping his knees before to begin hold his stomach which was twisting for the laughs.

Steve stared at his captain and then stared at the kids. "Tonight is gonna be the night of The Blood Moon, too."

The kids, most likely Dustin and Jeff, begun to panic and pronunced 'Oh, it's really late! We're going to bed! 'Night!' as an excuse to run lower deck to hide and the others followed them behind; Lucas, who was most of the time the cold-blooded of the crew, panicked as well and grabbed his sister by the hand to drag her away with them.

Eddie and Steve were now alone.

"Well, I guess I'm going to sleep, too." Steve faked a yawn and took a last sip before to pass the now empty bottle to Eddie, wishing him a good night and head his way to bed.

Now Eddie was pretty much alone. He already planned to stay awake, though, so he knew he would be.

He took control of the helm after grabbing a new bottle of rum for himself; he insisted it helped him to concentrate though Steve told him tons of times it wasn't a good thing to do because it wouldn't take a long time for hum to crash against a rock.

Steve even made a bet on that and sweared on Dustin's mother he would celebrate, drinking all the bottles himself, if he won.

The fog begun to cover his view, so he couldn't see a thing, but he could hear a beautiful enchanting voice coming from afar.

At first, he simply tried to ignore it, taking a few more sips of rum as he believed it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but it was just too captivating to resist; he dropped the anchor, so he could leave the helm to go see what was happening.

Through the fog, he could barely spot a female figure with a human bust and a fishy tail, lying on a rock.

As it begun to fade away, he could see it better: it was a beautiful woman with (h/l) (h/c), enchanting (e/c) and a sparkly and scaly tail; her beautiful figure was highlighted by the red moonlight.

'For my uncle's golden teeth...' he though to himself, 'so... beautiful.' An enchanted smile grew on his lips; he had never seen such a beauty in his whole life.

Her hair looked just silky and soft to stroke, her tail was pretty interesting to examinate and her eyes seemed to talk to him.

Her glossed lips seemed to tune the same captivating melody he heard earlier.

The boys, Erika and Steve were hiding their faces under their pillows as her voice didn't sound as tunful in their ears as it sounded in Eddie's.

The woman jumped from the rock and seemed to be swimming to another one, closer to the ship.

"Hello there, sailor." She looked into Eddie's chocolate brown eyes as deep as the ocean with no shame.

"Hi..." He was a bit shyer, but kept eye contact with her as he managed to fall under her spell, enchanted by her beauty.

He couched to clear his throat and boldly introduced himself. "I'm Eddie Munson, Captain Eddie Munson."

"Oh, what a lovely name you've got there, Captain. My name's (Y/n)."

"Nice to meet you, little mermaid."

She shyly chuckled as her cheeks slighty heated up.

He was about to reach out her hand and so she was, when...

"Eddie!"

Dustin's voice seemed to be calling him and he was pulled back to reality.

"Eddie!" Dustin's eyes expressed all his worry. "We though you fell under the mermaids' spell!" His eyes looked like he was about to cry.

"Sorry, I..." Eddie tried to explain, but Steve cut him off.

"No time to explain. You should get a bit of rest. I'll be at the helm for tonight." He gently pushed him lower deck with the kids so they would make sure he would get some rest.

For all the time, Eddie could think of nothing, but that beautiful mermaid he met; was that only a dream or was it real?

© alexandrawritesfics on Tumblr.

[mooncakesofpan]

Ten minutes

Gareth Emerson x Gn!Reader

A/n: this is purely self indulgent, I'm telling you now

Summary: Dustin, Mike, and Lucas are invited to watch Corroded coffin practice rather than waiting to see if anyone is at the hideout they goes snooping.

Warnings: suggestive content, strong language, Established relationship, Mike being odd, mentions of getting caught making out, 

Word Count: 760

Stranger things Masterlist | Main Masterlist DO NOT STEAL MY WORK

Your hand was on Gareth's neck as you kissed him, your other hand on his thigh as you sat in his bed with him more he was leaning back slightly and you were between his legs making out with him. This wasn't something new you guys found yourself like this on more than one occasion, your pg kisses would snowball, which in knowing this and due to the multiple embarrassing moments from the past led Gareth to lock the door the moment he steps into his room to avoid the embarrassment of being caught again. it was embarrassing the first 3 times it happened after that changes were made.

 He smiled against your lips.

“what time is it,” he said against your lips.

You pulled away the two of you panting to look at the clock on his bedside table “3:40,” you say

He thinks for a second “ten more minutes then I have to go open the garage okay,” he says leaning back in to connect your guy's lips giving a comforting squeeze to his thigh. at 4 o’clock corroded coffin was having practice and of course, the rest of hellfire was invited. but this was the first time the freshmen in hellfire had been invited to the practice. they didn't want to be late so they arrived about 15 mins early at 3:45 the house looked empty and the garage was closed the three teen boys didn't know if Gareth was there or not ”what should we do no one here” Lucas

“maybe someone inside, we could look threw the window,” Mike says.

“Mike that sounds like a really dumb idea,” Dustin responds to the boy's stupid idea

“do you have any other ideas,” Mike says.

“I don't know Maybe, Wait for Anyone to get out here!” Dustin yells throwing his hands up

Mike already making his way to the smaller window a bit higher up on the wall on the side of the house leaving the other two boys to follow him begrudgingly. mike jumps on the crates on the side of the house and peers threw the window along with the 2 other boys too curious to see what eve Mike had found.

there behind the gap in the curtain, they could see Gareth with his arms wrapped around someone's neck as he kissed them the group of boys gasped and ducked

“We at least now we know someone home,” Lucas says

“do you think we were supposed to see that,” Dustin says

“Who is that,” Mike asks

“I'm not sure maybe we should ask,” Lucas says the next thing they hear is the garage opening and voices

“your sisters at work right,” you ask

“yeah and Lillian and Ellie at the after-school care thing at their school,” Gareth says hands in his jean pockets 

“well let me know if you need anything alright, oh, and also give me back my note tomorrow before Mr. burners class,” you say walking back to your car Gareth joins you in walking to your car.

“yeah yeah I’ll return your notes,” he says teasingly

 saying goodbye to each other and your car pulls off leaving Gareth standing there the group of boys walks up to the curly-haired boy who turns around to walk back to his garage. The three boys near the side of his house not knowing what to do, confront Gareth or just let Gareth say something on his own about dating someone?

 Pat Jeff and Eddie arrive as Lucas, Dustin, and Mike wait to not show up till everyone else is there not wanting to let everyone know they were there very early.

the older boys take a small break an hour into practice and Mike decides he's going to bring up what they saw.

“so Gareth who was that in your room earlier” Gareth almost chokes on the dr. pepper he's drinking.

“Were you guys looking threw my window!” Gareth's face scrunches up mike starts to scramble to explain “w-well we thought no one was home so we kinda just look threw the window” Dustin and Lucas facepalm at Mike's terrible excuse.

Eddie Pat and Jeff laugh at Gareth's red face, “one, don't look threw my windows like some fucking peeping toms you weirdos, and two that's my partner I thought you three knew” he said trying to drink the rest of the drink,

“wait why don't they ever sit with us at lunch” ”they tend to do homework in the library during lunch” Gareth shrugs.

[eriquin]

The Prophetic D&D Game, Part 2

Part 1

Eddie went around the table handing out folded over pages like they were prizes. The boys were silent as they unfolded them, with some of them being more careful about keeping them secret than others. 

“Yes!” Mike said, throwing a hand in the air. “He’s really a paladin! Woo!” 

“Mike loves playing a paladin,” Lucas said.

Eddie nodded. “I had noticed that. We’ll see how he does with Joe.” 

“So I guess I should assume we’re all a little more powerful than the little level ones you reeled us in with?” Jeff asked. He was keeping his sheet folded over. 

“You should assume nothing!” Eddie said with a wave of his hand. 

“Maybe one of us is the murderer!” Dustin giggled. He gave Mike a little shove. “Maybe it’s you, Mr. Paladin.” 

“I would never,” Mike said. “That goes against the paladin’s code.” 

Dustin raised his eyebrows. “Maybe the murder victim was a terrible person and you were forced to kill them.”

“No way,” Mike said. “Maybe you’re just trying to throw suspicion off of yourself!”

“Jesus, we haven’t even started the game and the infighting is already happening,” Gareth said. “Nice job, Eddie.”

“I know,” Eddie said. He hadn’t stopped grinning. “Before we get started, does anyone want to change their seats? Rearrange themselves to be closer to their co-conspirators, as it were?” 

They all took another look at their character information. Gareth got up first. “Dustin, trade with me,” he said. “I need to sit next to Mike.”

Dustin made a weird little hooting noise as he got up. “Are Maya and Joe secret lovers? Is that why his fiancée dumped him?” 

“No, dumbass, they’re siblings,” Gareth said.

“Well, kind of,” Mike said. “I mean, they’re actually—”

“Hey, no telling all our family secrets to strangers,” Gareth said as he took Dustin’s chair. He waved his finger in Mike’s face. “Come on, dude.” 

“Right. Right.” Mike nodded. He pulled a little notebook from his backpack and tore out a sheet of paper. “We can pass notes, right?”

Eddie nodded. “I expect you’ll be doing a lot of that in this game, yeah.” 

They all settled into place and started sharing small amounts of information. Everyone knew each other from a past adventure, where they had fought together and assisted a sorceress in banishing a demon. Caleb and Gaten had grown up in the same village, along with two other boys. The sorceress had been the long lost twin sister of one of the boys.

“That’s very Star Wars,” Dustin said. 

“It’s a pretty common thing in mythology, actually,” Eddie said. “But yeah, I might’ve been thinking of Princess Leia when I made Millie the Mystic.” 

“Leia should totally have force powers,” Dustin said. 

“She should!” Eddie yelled. 

“For the love of god can we not start this again?” Gareth sighed. “Okay, so half our friends took Millie back to the hidden village so she could recover, right? Does that matter? Like, is it close enough that we could get them to help if something goes terribly wrong?” 

“No, it’s too far. You usually send letters, but it takes weeks to get there, and none of you have teleport. There are magic items you can use to send a faster message, but they’re unreliable.” 

Gareth scratched his head. “So, it’s just backstory?” 

“Basically. To explain how you all know each other.” Eddie grinned. “But maybe it’s important.”

“You’re the worst,” Gareth said. He started scribbling a note to Mike. 

Once everyone had established how they knew each other, Eddie set up his DM screen and stretched his arms out over the table. He waited until he had their attention before launching into his story.

“The sleepy little castle town of Kiteshire has had its fair share of tragedies, but things have largely settled down in the past few years. It seems like business as usual one bright Saturday morning, with everyone going out to work or running errands, when the rumors start to spread. A body has been found in the thieves’ quarter. Now, this would normally not be news. Thieves kill each other all the time. But this was the body of a noblewoman. Lady Grace, beloved philanthropist, was found in a most horrific state. The guards have been trying to keep it quiet, but bad news travels fast. So far, there are only whispers of what happened, but they imply that it could only have been done with magic.”

“Caleb’s one of the guards, right?” Jeff asked. “Does he know anything?”

“He’s a junior guard,” Eddie said. “There’s a group of senior guards in charge of the investigation. He knows that Lady Grace was married to one of them. Lord Mason. Word is that he’s in his mansion, paralyzed with grief.” 

“So no suspects?”

“None that they’ve said yet.” 

“What about Sadie?” Lucas asked. “She’s a thief, and she lives in the thieves’ quarter with her mother. Did either of them see anything?” 

Eddie smiled and folded up a note to pass to Lucas. The boy’s eyes grew wide as he read it. “Woah,” he said. “I have to go talk to someone.” 

“Would you talk to Caleb?” Jeff asked. 

Lucas shook his head. “No. Remember how Caleb joined the guards even though Sadie was a thief?” He flipped his hand as if tossing back imaginary locks of long hair over his shoulder. “We’re from two different worlds, Caleb.”

Jeff clutched his hand over his heart. “But Sadie! Darling! My love!” he said. The rest of the table giggled.

“It’s over between us,” Lucas said. “I’m going to, uh—” He double-checked his notes. “Gaten for help.”

Dustin rubbed his hands together and turned to Lucas. The other boy leaned in and whispered something to him, then passed him the note. Dustin’s eyes also grew wide. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said as he flipped over his character sheet and pointed at a line on it. “Quinn? I know him! He’s the one who taught me how to be a bard.”

“You’re a bard?” Mike asked. “But halflings can’t be bards!” 

“Oh my god, Mike,” Gareth said. “I know it says lawful good on your character sheet but you don’t have to be such a little bitch about the rules all the time.” 

“Okay, we’re ignoring Mike,” Eddie said. “Dustin, what’s Gaten doing with this information?” 

Dustin grimaced. “I mean... Shit, we need some help, don’t we?” He sighed. “Okay, so Sadie and I are going to go to the archives to look up some things.”

“Hey, that’s where Maya and Joe work,” Gareth said, patting Mike’s arm.

“I guess we’re not ignoring Mike afterall,” Mike said smugly. 

“You’re not talking,” Gareth said. He put his hand over Mike’s mouth. “No-no-no. You just stand guard at the front door, like one of those Buckingham palace guys. You have to show no emotion and not flinch when tourists make fun of you.”

Mike squirmed out from under Gareth’s hand. “No. No way,” he said. “I do not agree to that. I’m at the archive desk with you. We spend the whole time filling requests and making fun of what people are looking up.”

Gareth stroked his chin and nodded. “I’ll accept that. Okay, so Joe and I are at the desk by the archives when you guys walk in. You need to get our permission to access them, so you’d better have a good story, or else I’m going to have Joe throw you out.”

“Joe would never throw me out,” Dustin said. “He loves Gaten like a brother.” 

“Only when you don’t bother me at work,” Mike said. “When I’m at work, you little shits better be on your best behavior.”

Dustin snickered. “Oh, you know who you sound like?” 

“I know!” Mike slapped his hand on the table. “Oh my god, that’s how I’m going to play this, isn’t it? That’s a terrible idea.”

“What is?” Eddie asked. 

“Nothing. Nevermind,” Mike said, rubbing his face. “It’s not important. Anyway!” He slipped back into character. “Welcome to the city archives. How can we help you?” His voice dropped from a chipper customer-service register to a deadpan. “Oh, it’s you. This better be good, Maya and I are working.” Gareth started to giggle. 

Lucas frowned and leaned in close to whisper in Dustin’s ear. He looked confused until Dustin whispered something back, and then he threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, that’s good. He even sounds like him.”

“Hey, shut up,” Mike said.

“It’s what you were going for, isn’t it?” Dustin asked.

Mike’s mouth twisted into a frown. “I mean... Still. Shut up and stay in character or I’ll throw you out of the archives.” 

“I gotta say, I’m loving this,” Eddie said.

“Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on, but this is great,” Jeff added. “Wish I had some popcorn.” 

“Just get to the point,” Gareth said. “Fill us in on what happened so we don’t have all this whispering back-and-forth all the time. I want to start investigating.”

Dustin spread his hands out “Okay, so, we need to do some research on curses and bardic magic,” he said. “It’s... Lucas, do you want to tell them?”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, Sadie will fill them in. She tells them how the guards showed up in the building across from her this morning, and she saw the body of Lady Grace there. It was all twisted and broken, like she’d been tortured or done in by dark magic.”

“What kind of dark magic? Like, demonic magic?” Gareth asked. 

“I mean, maybe?” Lucas continued. “That’s why we’re here. To look it up.” 

“And also to help clear my mentor’s name!” Dustin said. “She was found in the home of Quinn the bard, and I know he would never dabble in dark magic. He’s missing and the guards are looking for him. We need to find him first.” 

Mike and Gareth wanted more information about what they already knew, and why they were so sure that Quinn wasn’t the killer. Dustin did a bit of metagaming then, saying that it couldn’t be the person that the guards suspected because that’d be too easy. Mike countered with the concept of double-bluff, theorizing that Eddie would try something like that, which was where Eddie stepped in and quashed it. 

“Don’t make me make you all do this in-character,” he said. “I will!”

“Then I won’t get to talk at all,” said Jeff. “I’m still stuck training with the guards.” 

“He’s got a point. We should get the group all together,” Lucas said.

Jeff frowned and gave his shoulder a little shove. “You’re the one who didn’t want to tell me.”

“No, Sadie wouldn’t tell you,” Lucas said. “I was trying not to metagame at the time.” 

Jeff chuckled at this, but Eddie cleared his throat and gave the group of them such a mean glare that they all got back on track in a hurry. Dustin and Gareth came up with some theories about how they would research the magic used without being able to cast anything at the scene while the rest of them listened. Mike suggested they talk to witnesses, but Lucas said there weren’t any. 

“Other than me, I guess,” he added. “I was the only one out on the street when Quinn ran away. Oh, but something weird happened right before. Maybe that’s a clue. Hold on, let me check Eddie’s note.” 

The rest of the team leaned in to listen as Lucas read from the note he’d been given and hear about how the gas lamps on their street had pulsed ominously. Dustin theorized that it was just the wind, but Mike said it wouldn’t have been written down if that was the case. Gareth groaned and poked Mike in the arm, whispering, “Metagaming!” 

“Oh! It has to have been different from what would normally have happened, or else Sadie wouldn’t have noticed it,” Lucas said. “Maybe it was, like, some kind of a pattern?” 

“Fucking thank you,” Eddie mumbled. He pointed at Lucas. “Roll against your wisdom to figure the pattern out.” 

Lucas rolled and Eddie stood up to describe the scene that his character had witnessed. How the gas lamps in the street had been shielded from all the wind, but in unison they had all gone out, then flared back to life, then out again. The boys all watched him intently, but it was Gareth who pulled his notes out and tapped them. “Demonic magic from another realm can be detected in the way it can suppress mundane flames,” he said, holding the page up. “Also, magical lights will turn strange colors in its presence. Jeez, Eddie, there are a lot of weird details here. You came up with this on the fly?” 

The younger boys were all staring at each other and looking a little grim. Dustin was the one to speak up first. “So, it’s like the lights were flickering?” he asked quietly.

Eddie frowned. “I mean, this is D&D. It’s not like they’re light bulbs burning out, but... I guess? Yeah, that’s kind of what I pictured.” 

“Were there any other signs of demonic magic?” Mike asked. He sounded cautious, and his question was directed at Eddie instead of Lucas.

Eddie looked over to Lucas, who was staring down at his notes but didn’t look like he was reading them. “Well, Sadie?” he asked. “Anything else you want to tell your friends?” 

Lucas looked up briefly when he realized the question was directed at him. “I mean. There weren’t, right? No, monsters or...” He looked between the notes that were specific to the events of the game and the ones that were background information. “Uh. No smell of brimstone or...”

Jeff, who had leaned in to read the details over his shoulder, chimed in with the rest of them when he hesitated. “Or flakes of ash in the air, like hell was seeping through to the material plane.” He chuckled. “Damn, Eddie, really leaning into the satanic vibe, huh?” 

The three freshmen shared a startled look. “Oh, come on, guys,” Gareth said. “Don’t tell me you’re freaked out by a little satanism.”

“You’re in a club called Hellfire,” Jeff said. 

“I promise, we only sacrifice virgins,” Gareth said. “Oh, wait!”

Eddie scoffed. “Please. Like membership in this club isn’t a bright shining ‘don’t fuck me’ sign on its own,” he said. “Quit teasing the sheepies for being intimidated by my disturbing imagination and get back to the game.”

Jeff and Gareth both rolled their eyes in unison. “Yeah, all right,” Jeff said. 

“I thought the club was named that because of the X-Men comics,” Dustin said. 

Eddie grinned. “It was, Henderson,” he said. “It has the added bonus of freaking out the mundanes in the rest of the school who don’t know about its innocuous origin.” 

“I mean, those same people probably don’t think of comics as innocuous,” said Gareth. “In fact, X-Men itself is pretty subversive, being about—”

“Bup-bup-bup! No! No more digressions!” Eddie slammed his hand on the table. Everyone shut up and he stared off in the middle distance, looking angry and frustrated. It melted away in a second, though. “Wait, where the fuck were we? In game, I mean. I’ve lost track.” 

Mike chimed in quickly. “No other signs of demonic magic!” he said. “Just the lamps.” 

“Still, that’s weird enough to keep it to ourselves right? If it’s demonic stuff again, we can’t bring it to the city guards,” Dustin said. “Let’s see what we can figure out about where Quinn would’ve gone. He might have seen something else, and we can’t let the guards pin it on him if it’s... You know. Demons again.”

The rest of the group was in agreement, but finding out where Quinn could have gone proved to be difficult. Dustin’s character knew him the best, but he rolled poorly in his research checks. Gareth had the highest int and wisdom and the background of having worked in the archives, but once again the dice did them no favors. Eddie chewed on his knuckle and glared at the offending dice, but he couldn’t push himself into giving them any hints they hadn’t earned.

Finally, it was Mike who came up with a new idea. “We should go find Jeff. I mean, Caleb. He’s in the guards, so he’ll be able to tell us where they’ve already looked. 

“Also, I know Quinn because I go to Gaten’s shows,” Jeff added. “And if there’s demonic stuff involved, I’m one of the few people in town who knows the truth.” 

They agreed to loop Caleb in, and the group went to the guard house. They sent in Mike’s character, as he was a former guard, and it didn’t take much convincing for Caleb to join them. Jeff and Eddie exchanged some notes and rolled some dice to figure out how much information he’d gotten from the guards, and thankfully the dice gods smiled up on them this time. He let them look through the reports that had been compiled and come up with a list of places that the guards were looking for Quinn.

Jeff looked thoughtful and held up his dice. “Hey, they haven’t found him yet, right?” 

“That is correct.”

“And we don’t actually want the guards to find him, do we?” He looked at the group. “Like, we know it’s demonic stuff, right? So there are two options. Either Quinn is the source of it, and we need to fight him. We don’t want the guards interfering with a fight, because they can’t learn about the demonic stuff. The king’s men would hunt us down for betraying the secret.”

“Right,” Mike said. “That’s true.”

Jeff continued his reasoning. “And the other option is that he’s an innocent witness to demonic horrors... But the guards are convinced that he’s the killer.” 

“So we need to protect him,” Dustin said.

“And the best way to protect him is to make sure he’s hiding in a place they’re not looking,” said Jeff. “Can I tell which of the places on this list are actually really good places to hide?” 

Eddie pretended to think about it for a minute. “Yeah, you have some idea.” 

“Okay, then can I mess with their system so that the guards lose track of those leads?” 

The rest of the table let out a low cheer and looked at Eddie. He grinned. “Roll me percentiles,” he said, hoping that the score would be high enough to justify it. 

Jeff picked up his dice and shook them dramatically. He let them fall in the middle of the table. The rest of the group leaned in to read the numbers off of them. “Does eighty seven work?” Mike asked excitedly. 

Eddie leaned back in his throne and steepled his fingers. “I’ll allow it,” he said. The group cheered. 

They made their way through checking all the locations that the guards had listed, while also dodging the guards. Eddie had a possible fight with the guards planned out, but once Jeff’s character joined up they were able to use his background to avoid patrols instead.

[ashes-writing]

wild one | stranger things ; g.emerson

tag list babes || rules + fandoms/characters || got a ? or req? || masterlist

CHAPTERS ; 

AUTHORS NOTES;

Smh at myself. We're not ignoring my ten thousand other wips but.. This idea, to write a popular cheerleader reader who isn't necessarily the 'traditional' cheerleader stereotype, y'all.. I needed it like I need air to breathe. Then the cute but awkward lil backstory you're about to read scattered throughout the first chapter filled itself in and yeah.. here we fuckin goooo. All I can say about this one is I had a blast writing out this part. It was good for shits and giggles but this is literally all I got for this idea of mine, so like.. lmk if you guys want to see more. Reader is the new stepsister of Max Mayfield, btw, whether I go with this being the "upside down being real / bringing back dead characters / etc" I've been dying to do or not. I thought it'd be cute to do something where reader is connected to Max.

Huuugest of hugs and love to all of you for a) putting up with my fuckery and reading - esp the likes, comments, reblogs with and without hashtags. You guys really do not know how much motivation that some of you have been with me posting again and I can never thank you enough, tbh. I love you all sm.

Okay, so two things here... One, Spot the 80's movie easter egg, bc I'm curious who will pick up on it, lol. Two, should I have the upside down / vecna and all of that happen here or no, you guys would rather read more slice of life stuff? Because honestly, I'm torn on that.

SUMMARY;

-- cheerleaders and drummers, especially ones with awkward histories and mutual crushes, they don't mix... do they?

aka, you are one of the popular kids, a cheerleader. but you're not a carbon copy of the rest. you've managed to catch the eye of a certain drummer. what's going to happen next?

PAIRING;

Gareth Emerson x Popular!Cheerleader Fem reader.

{ aside from having female parts + outfit descriptions, there is no physical description given of reader so knock yourselves out here.}

WARNINGS;

underage drinking, body issues briefly mentioned, swearing, assorted teenage fuckery (skipping, possibly fights, sneaking out of the house and sneaking into bars), vomit is briefly mentioned in this chapter, jason carver existing, who knows what else.

TAGLIST;

The only people on my taglist for Stranger Things currently are listed below. If you’d like to be and you aren’t, please go add yourself via the link at the very top of the post.

@ALLELITESMUT

@AURUMBELIS

@ARIES-ARCADE

@COLE22ANN

@HCLOANGCLS

@HEYAITSKLAUDIA

@ICEQUEEN1371

@KRYS-ORION

@LETSBEDRAGONSTOGETHER

@MUSICHEALSSCARS

@SCOOBIESSNACKS

@SUITS-AND-SMIRKS

OTHER STUFF;

Set in the summer leading up to S4. Max Mayfield has a stepsister so this implies that Neil and her mom split and depending on whether I do this as another slice of life story or not (i haven't decided just yet) Billy may or may not crop up / become a part of this either way. Just so we're all clear, Gareth -and Jeff because he can't graduate without bestie, can he?, have been aged up to 18. Everyone is of legal age for any potential shenanigans that may occur within.

“Okay, I’ve got one.” your best friend Emma glances up, green eyes darting around the pool before fixing her gaze on you. The smirk on her face doesn’t go missed. “Gareth Emerson... On a scale of 1 to 10, how fuckable?”

You rub your forehead, wiping away the blazing hot sun overhead. “We’re cheer zombies now, Em. You know that’s frowned upon… Sides,” you sigh, “Remember when I did try to go for it? Remember what happened? Because I sure as shit haven’t forgotten. Kind of why I avoid him at all costs now, remember?” and you go quiet for a few seconds before answering quietly, "10. He is absolutely a ten. I mean..." you gesture to where he stands in the water, playing with his sisters, "Look at how fucking sweet he is, he's so gentle with them. And he's hot, there's that.."

“Oh come on… all you did was throw up on the guy.” Emma shrugs mildly, glancing in the direction of Gareth Emerson, known freak and drummer for the band Corroded Coffin. The boy you had a crush on in seventh grade. The boy she still catches you staring at now and then. She loves to tease you about your little moment of panic, but honestly, she just thinks you’d look so damn cute together. She laughs when you give the answer she figured you'd say and she nods. "Okay, so you'd fuck him."

“Em, we were practically glued to each other in the closet that night til I went and did that then bolted... I’d think it kinda scarred us both?” you cringe as you say it and you shake your head. “I still want to die, okay? I just.. I got nervous, I’d never kissed a boy and then the bottle lands on him and you know how much I liked him then. “ you laugh and shake your head at yourself. Feels like a lifetime ago. When she asks if you'd fuck him, you bite your lip and glance his way again, staring just a little too long. Distracted. Taking him in. And finally, you answer. "He could definitely fuck me." as you fan yourself and tear your eyes off of Gareth Emerson to glance over at your best friend.

“Speaking of scarring… Here comes Carver. Pretend to be happy to worship the idiot king. We can’t have the rest of the girls figuring out we haven’t been swapped out for a pod person yet. I mean it.. On your best behavior, woman!” Emma nods in the direction of Jason Carver and his two best friends, Andy and Patrick and she laughs, because she knows that best behavior is an impossible task for you, especially when it comes to Jason and his friends or any of the other girls on your cheerleading squad.

You smirk. “I make no promises, Em.” you mouth as Jason spots you both lounging and makes a beeline for the side of the pool you happen to be sitting in lounge chairs on.

“Hey girls.” Jason plops himself down between your chairs, drawing his knees up and draping muscular arms around them. You roll your eyes and say nothing.

Emma does the same. If Patrick had wandered over, she’d have been all over it. But there’s something that you both agree is inherently creepy about Jason Carver.

“How’s summer so far? Excited to get back and cheer our team to victory, huh?” Jason tries again, a hint of annoyance edging into his tone because you’re both ignoring him and he does not like being ignored. 

You pull yourself to a sitting position and nod to the blood red towel with the white Playboy logo that  he’s currently parked his ass on top of. “You’re sitting on my towel, my cigarettes and my tanning oil, idiot.”

“Sorry.” Jason’s all plastic grins as he gazes at you and there’s this lewd gleam in his eyes that makes you want to vomit all over him -or alternately, claw out his eyes with your press on nails. “Y’know… you could really do with more lotion, sweetheart.” he suggests, reaching for the bottle of sunscreen near him. “You’re starting to burn.”

“Ah ah!” you’re loud when you say it while shrinking back as Jason moves just a little closer to your chair, “Did I give you permission to come closer, Carver? We’ve had the discussion about boundaries how many times now?”

Jason rolls his eyes. “Y’know, I have friends on your team and all it’ll take is one word from me.. Maybe you two should do a better job fitting in, hm? Just something t’ think about. Have a good afternoon, ladies.” and he pulls himself up off the hot concrete, walking away.

“Did he seriously just hint he’d get us thrown off the team? For not kissing his ass like the other girls?” Emma’s gaping, glaring at his retreating back. You smirk and shrug. “Fuck ‘em. I mean this is senior year, Em. Do we really need to be cheer zombies yet again?”

“One, that outfit makes me look fucking hot and it’s a one way ticket to all the cock I can handle... Two, if we abandon ship now, we’re only showing them they really are better than us which we both know is not true and three, hello? The parties we won’t get invited to?” Emma’s little speech has you side-eyeing her. You snort in laughter and you shrug it off, but the idea takes hold for a second time since summer starting and as you lie there, marinading in the strongest suntan oil the local tanning bed sells, you find yourself wondering all over again… what if you did say fuck being popular? Because honestly, you don’t really care either way. School is just school. You’re not subscribing to the whole “ it will matter how popular you were” crap because you don’t really give a damn as long as you have fun. Live your life.

The only reason you even made the damn squad to begin with is because you knew the stunts, you’re loud and you happen to be really flexible for some reason. If not for those three things, you have absolutely no doubt in your mind, you would’ve never made the cut.

And across the pool, the laughter of Gareth Emerson’s two little sisters rings out, causing you to glance up and in that direction over the rim of your sunglasses, a soft smile playing at your lips as you watch him let his sisters use his body as a jungle gym and laugh about it.

“Wish that was you right about now, hm?” Emma taunts quietly, flashing a smirk at you.

You flip Emma off wordlessly and pull yourself up off the lounge chair, holding out a hand to her. She tosses you the baggy black Billy Idol shirt you were wearing over your favorite little red swimsuit and you pull on your favorite cut offs. “The ice cream truck is out in the parking lot, c’mon let’s goooooo.” you’re practically bouncing and grinning and Emma laughs, nodding. “I could go for a blue bomb.”

“Last one to the truck has to be DD tonight when we’re out and about.” you call out to her as you cheat and start to rush towards the chain link fence after pulling on your favorite pair of red pull on boots -that you totally didn’t become inspired to buy after being suckered into seeing the lead girl in a movie sometime around tenth grade but have since become a huge part of your wardrobe and your new ‘persona’.

 Just as you’re out in the parking lot, your new step sister rushes up behind you, her skateboard skidding to a stop as she kicks it up and tucks it beneath her arm.

“You’re getting ice cream too?” Max Mayfield asks, nodding towards the stopped ice cream truck.

“Mhm. You want anything, little red?” you ask, giving her boyfriend Lucas a warm smile and grinning at Lucas’ little sister Erica. “What about you two?” you nod to the Sinclairs.

“I’m good, thanks though.” Lucas politely declines because they’re sold out of his usual. Erica starts to speak up but Lucas gives her a warning look. You laugh. “You want some of those little dots?” and the 11 year old nods, sticking her tongue out at Lucas, “She likes me.” Erica asserts. Max laughs and nods to a new addition to the board tacked to the truck. “They’ve got snow cones now.”

“Oooh. Do you want tiger blood?” you ask, tapping your chin thoughtfully. “I’m either gettin that or bubblegum.”

Max grins and nods. It’s not a real grin, you haven’t seen one of those out of her as long as you’ve known her, but.. It is a grin. “Bubblegum, I think.” Max answers and you give her a thumbs up. “Bubblegum.” she confirms a second later after thinking it over. You laugh and nod. “I’m gonna get tiger blood.” you answer, nudging her.

You happen to glance back just in time to see Gareth emerge through the gates, one sister holding his hand and the other snuggled up to him as he carries her across the lot on his hip. Lucas waves him over and you’re quick to face the front. “Shit, fuck, shit.” you mumble.

Max snickers quietly. “It’s just Gareth. He lives down the street from Lucas. They played DnD together earlier this summer, I think.” she shrugs, gazing up at you with your flushed face and her brow raised at it.

“Yeah, well Gareth also happens to be the guy I threw up all over, Max.” you cringe as you say it and she gapes, blue eyes widening almost comically. “Wait… Him? He’s the one you were telling me about that night I had the nightmare and came into your room?”

“Him.” you drawl out the word. “I uh… kind of avoid him as much as possible now. I mean, I threw up all over him and blew what could’ve been my dream first kiss back then, fucks sake…”

“Because she’s somehow both a daredevil and a little chicken shit.” Emma taunts as she turns around and smirks. 

You can feel someone staring but knowing that Gareth is literally right behind you in the line almost and that with your lousy luck it’s probably just Jason Carver, the creepy asshole you and Emma  just can’t seem to get rid of despite him having a glrl already, you do not dare turn around. Nope, not happening.

You let out a ragged breath when it’s finally time for you to order. You rattle off your order as Lucas and Gareth continue to talk quietly amongst themselves.

When your snow cones are ready, you take yours and hold the one you got Max out to her. Then you hand the little bowl of dots and a spoon out to Erica.

“You know her, Sinclair?” Gareth nods to you and swallows hard as his eyes roam your body. He finally manages to tear his eyes off and he gazes at the lanky teen boy from down the street.

“Yeah! She babysits my youngest sister sometimes, man. She’s Max’s new stepsister too.” Lucas shrugs and laughs. 

“Wait.. so she’s the one you had to help in the house because she was literally off her tits drunk and started an argument with the front door?” Gareth snickers quietly. Lucas laughs and glances at you, “Mhm. She’s kind of a handful, man.”

And he wonders to himself when this happened because you used to be quiet and sweet. Real shy. He ultimately shrugs it off though, because you’re one of the popular kids now and about the only time any of you speak to him or any of his friends is if your friends are bullying his friends. And you haven’t even looked at him since back in middle school, the night of some classmate’s birthday party.

But he does notice you. He never stopped, really. And he does  enjoy pep rally days, watching you roam the halls of Hawkins High in that little green and orange uniform with those loud red boots you started wearing back in tenth grade and you now wear with practically everything. And the one time you and your friend Emma wore ripped fishnets beneath the uniform for a Halloween pep rally, ugh… He couldn’t take his eyes off you for the rest of the day and his focus was completely fucked and that carried over into a practice session in his garage for the band that night.

It’s been haunting his mind for a while now, he was thisclose to having you as his first kiss back then. It would have been peak for him because honestly, he’s had a huge crush on you for years. He just never went for it -and still doesn't, because he didn’t think he had a chance. And then, the night you were sent into a dingy basement closet during your first ever game of seven in heaven and you threw up on him and bolted, he kind of got the message loud and clear. The thought of kissing him was enough to make you literally lose your lunch. So he keeps a wide berth.

He spots Jason Carver approaching and his entire body tenses up. He swears under his breath and pulls the sister standing at his side as close as he can get her to him. 

Jason makes his way over to you and taps your shoulder and you whirl around, a hand on your hip and an annoyed look clearly written on your face.

You scowl up at Jason and laugh while shaking your head. When he steps a little closer, you gently shove him back. “There you go again, Carver. Am I gonna have t’ knock you stupid, buddy?” you say it in the friendliest tone, you’re even smiling as you say it, a scolding hint edging into your voice as you continue to drawl, “ I told you, stop gettin so close, idiot. Do I need to say it slower or somethin?” you say it cheerfully, you’re even giggling as the words leave your mouth and when he gives you a bit of an angry look, you roll your eyes.

“Andy wants t’ know if you’re coming out to the carnival later.” Jason backs up, but he’s visibly irritated at being told off by you yet again. It’s something he clearly should be used to by now but he hates the word no. Or any variation. As he stares down at you intently and scowls at the blood red face of Billy Idol printed on the front of your shirt, he waits on an answer.

“Probably after I play a few rounds of darts at the Hideout. If I feel like it, that is.” you shrug, gazing over at Jason’s pet idiot as he leans on the gate, giving him a sarcastic wave. “Why?”

“He really likes you. I mean he really, really likes you.” Jason is saying it in this coaxing way, it’s almost as if he’s trying to charm you into going along with what he wants you to do. You double over howling in laughter, even snorting a little. “No. Nope. No thanks, I’m all good.”

“Oh come on! I already said I’d go with Patrick.” Emma pleads. You laugh. “Yeah, but see, you like Patrick. I can’t stand Andy, I don’t do things I don’t wanna.” you smirk when Jason’s fist clenches at his side. “And no amount of threat is gonna make me either, Carver. Take a hike.”

“Ya know, he’s going to State next year on a full athletic scholarship.. Right? Being his girl would be huge for anybody, especially  you. You’re the only girl on the squad left single and with the reputation you already have, sweetheart… They talk, ya know. Chrissy tells me everything because it bothers her when they say things about you. She thinks you're a nice girl, y'know... I’m just trying to help you fit in.” Jason says it so mild and calm, with the sweetest grin.

“Oh my gosh, do I fall at your feet now? You’re trying to help poor widdle, defenseless me, aw…” you laugh quietly and give him the same mild and calm look he’s giving you as you drag a hand through your hair. “Do I look like I want your help?”

“Okay, fine. Just trying to be a good friend. Y’know, you’re a real bitch, sweetheart.” Jason starts to walk off and you laugh and call out after him, “Thank you, Carver. I’ll take that as flattery.”

Gareth has just stood there, watching the whole thing unfold.

Lucas snickers quietly as he gapes at your now turned back. “She’s only on cheer in the first place because she’s pretty much a human bendy straw. That’s what Max told me, anyway.” 

Gareth nods. “Yeah.” he remembers watching you put a leg behind your head in the back of the classroom in fourth or fifth grade because one of the girls you were friends with dared you to do it and he chuckles quietly, shaking his head, making soft curls bounce just a little.  

He lets go of his little sister’s hand for just one second to scratch his nose and she’s tugging on the bottom of your cutoffs and he wants to simply vanish in that moment. He tenses up and he’s watching the situation intently, frozen because while he knows he needs to grab her so she doesn’t bother you, his brain and body simply won’t allow it. And deep down, parts of him are just waiting on you to be rude or dismissive or even ignore his little sister outright so that maybe he finally has proof positive that he’s right and you really are one of the popular kids and you were repulsed the night you threw up on him.

You feel a tug to your cut offs.

You turn and glance down to find a little girl standing there with curls similar to the ones on Gareth Emerson’s head. You smile at her and bite your lip. “What’s up, sweetheart?” you bend down to her level so you are  eye to eye with the little girl. “Your boots are pretty.” she grins when she says it, tilting her head so that all those pretty little curls fall to one side a bit. 

You laugh softly. “You’re a little cutie.” you boop her nose as you tell her and you notice that her sandals are on the wrong feet so you laugh softly and sit down on the pavement, holding your arms up to her. “C’mere, cutie. You’ve got those shoes on all sorts of wrong. I’ll fix it.”

The little girl grins and sits down on your legs and you swap her shoes. 

Gareth watches you with his little sister and he grins to himself a little. On the one hand, he’s relieved because you weren’t mean or anything. On the other, this is bad news for him because that stupid little crush that he thought he forgot about forever ago? It’s starting to come back, little by little. Especially after watching you handle Jason Carver the way you did.

Lucas wants to die laughing as he watches the intense internal struggle play out in the facial expression of his neighbor. “You good, Emerson?”

“Yeah. Do you think you could uh…” he nods to where his little sister stands and gives Lucas a pleading look. And after teasing Gareth for a second, he grabs up the little girl, making her laugh as he stands her on her feet beside Gareth again. “It wasn’t that hard, Emerson.” Lucas taunts, smirking at the older boy. “Why are you wearing a shirt at the pool anyway, man? It’s hot as hell out here.”

It’s a question Gareth refuses to answer because the answer is obvious. He doesn’t want to take off his shirt because he’s not comfortable with the pudge he has. He hates it, honestly. It’s one of the things that bothers him most, the chub to his cheeks being right in line behind that. Eddie or Jeff get girls' numbers at shows. Even Grant's hooked up with someone before. When it comes to him, the girls all either ignore him or think he’s just some annoying kid because thanks to his cheeks and the fact that he's not quite as tall as his friends, he looks a lot younger than 18. It used to hurt a lot more than it does now. Now he’s just resigned himself to living with it. But he’s not near comfortable enough in his own skin to shed his shirt at the pool. If not for the heat and his sisters begging him to join in and swim with him this time, he’d probably have worn jeans again too.

You glance in Gareth’s direction and as your cheeks burn hot, you manage a smile and a little wave while slurping your snow cone through a straw. “Your sister’s a little cutie, man.” you’re surprised you got the words out. Gareth fluffs her hair and smiles. “Yeah, don’t let it fool you. She uses it to her advantage.” he laughs as he says it, glancing down at her and then back up at you.

You glance at the little girl and shake your head. “Don’t lie! She’s a little angel, she has to be.”

And as you turn to face the front, you feel just a little better. Relieved, even. You finally managed to say two coherent words to the boy you had such an intense crush on back in seventh grade that you threw up all over him when you finally had a chance to kiss him. You really feel like you’ve conquered something.

Only, you have not the first clue what you’ve just started… 

[just-my-fandom]

Outcast (Gareth Emerson x Henderson! Reader)

Request; I have a request for a side character(?) Gareth from Stranger Things (The curly haired kid that’s in the hellfire club), with the reader being Dustin’s sister, and I’m probably wrong but can we make the rest of the group besides Dustin and mike seniors, including reader, and Jason shows up at the garage while the group, minus Dustin and mike and Eddie obviously, are practicing the band??

Summary; Things go south when two opposite groups meet up, especially when one is looking for your brother. Reader doesn’t want to worry Gareth about her constant disappearances, but knows Gareth deserves to learn the truth revolving Vecna and Eddie’s supposed murders. Dustin and the reader have to watch Eddie die, while also experiencing a terrible earthquake that helps them hide the real reason behind Eddie’s death.

Warnings; Jason and Reader fight, cussing, BIG SPOILER FOR V2, Eddie dying, Reader tells the Hellfire club about Eddie’s death, Gareths really the only one who knows about the upside down.

A/N; I realized there’s not really enough Gareth moments in the show to be able to really get to know him. This was a cute request I did and I was glad to include the side characters. Hope you enjoy.

Tag list; @emersongareth @krys-orion

“Jason?”

You look over your shoulder at the sudden call of a name. Sure as hell, Jason Carver, along with three other members, including Lucas Sinclair, stand at the doors of the garage you and your group were practicing in.

“You’re early,” You heave, turning away from your band mates to face Jason’s figure, “Show’s not until next week,”

“Oh that was music you were playing?” One of Jasons friends shoots, your smile tight as your eyes flick back to Jason,

“What are you doing here, Jason?” You look back down where you were separating music note sheets, knowing Jeff would complain about the untidiness,

“Looking for your brother,” Jason speaks up so you glance at him, eyes narrowed towards him, “Where is he, Henderson?”

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business. Now leave,”

Your eyes flick to Lucas, who watched the interaction, your head tilting in a “I knew it” motion.

“But I think it is,” Jason’s step forward leads to a flurry of motions, you dropping the sheets to follow his steps so you were nearly chest-to-chest with the man, Gareth close behind you if Jason was to do anything,

“Hit me, Jason. I fucking dare you,” Your eyes squint, again, eyes flicking between the blondes, “I don’t know where Dustin is. So fuck off, and get off this property,”

“Y/N,” Gareths warning behind you alerts the amount of threats you have thrown at the bully, Jason chuckling as he peers over your shoulder, to the curly haired male and your two other friends behind you,

“Yeah, Y/N,” Jason murmurs, tilting his jaw down, “I’d listen to your freak boyfriend if I were you,”

With that, your hands find Jason’s shirt with a rough shove, sending him stumbling back into his friend group, before he immediately lunges back towards you, shoving you just as hard, if not harder, so Gareth and Jeff could both catch an arm, tightening their grips when you begin to pull in an attempt to escape,

“Didnt think you were one to need body guards, Henderson,” Jason wipes down the front of his shirt, eyes narrowed, “As if I need you to tell me where your brother is. I’ll find him. Trust me,”

Somehow, you manage to slip your body free from Gareth and Jeff’s grasps, shoving Jason hard enough to where he toppled onto his back, your figure hovering over him, only getting a single punch in before Gareth is grabbing at your waist, heaving you off the man’s body.

“Touch my brother and me and you will have a bigger fucking issue, Carver,” You hiss, eyes shooting to Lucas, “All of you,” Another push away from Gareth, but he manages to catch you,

“Okay, okay! Enough,” Gareth demands, Jeff moving in front of you with one of Gareths drumsticks in hand, attempting to look intimidating.

Jason leaves with a heaved scoff after his team helps him off the ground, hand rubbing his face, and after a moments pause, Gareth releases you, your body spinning to dig through your bag,

“Y/N, what the hell was that?” Jeff asks, Gareth crossing his arms as you pull out your walkie, something Gareth knew was an easy way for you and Dustin to communicate, “You punched Jason Carver, he’ll send his whole team out before we know it!”

Ignoring your friend, you pull the antenna to your walkie, pressing a button on the side, “Dustin, you copy?”

A slight pause, “Y/N! Holy shit, you won’t believe what’s been going on,”

“Dustin, are you home?” You ignore, your friends behind you slowly moving back to their previous tasks,

“No, we’ve been at the Wheelers, why?”

“Good, Jason’s gone fucking nuts looking for Eddie and now he’s going after you,” You lift your bag, rubbing your temple at the growing headache you received.

“What did he do?” Steve cuts, Jeff mumbling behind you “Is that Steve Harrington?”

“Just his usual threats,” You mutter, slinging your bag over your shoulder as you rub your temple at the dull headache behind your eyes, “I’m on my way,”

“What about practice?” Jeff asks, hands out as Gareth watches your movements, brows furrowed,

“I need to make sure Jason doesn’t go after Dustin. I separated the sheets for you,” You pause to let him breathe out, thankful, “Just-,” You stop to hand Gareth your walkie, confusion on his face, “Let me know if he comes back. Channel three,”

“Just be careful, okay?” Gareth pleas, breathless, your shoulder curling as you give him a small smile,

“Always. You know me and Dustin get into crazy shit a lot. This is nothing,”

. . .

“So do you guys have an actual plan or you just deciding to chit chat?”

The group of seven spin around at your voice. The leaves crunch beneath your feet, eyes squinting at the large party before stopping next to Dustin,

“How the hell did you find us all the way out here, Henderson?” Steve questions, your hand raising up then dropping with a scoff-like laugh,

“You’re not very quiet. I can hear you guys over a mile away,” You turn to Dustin, pulling his own bag from off his shoulder so he blinked in confusion,

“Dude, what are you looking for?”

“Your walkie,”

“What? Why mine?” Dustin complains, “Where’s yours?”

“Gareths got it,” You lift the walkie from the bag, looking up at Dustin’s pause,

“And why does Gareth have your walkie?” There’s a threatening tone to his voice, obviously bothered by the fact that your boyfriend and his group member now holds your walkie.

“Jason’s looking for you!” You gesture to Dustin himself, then to Eddie, “You, too. Gareths just keeping an eye out, calm down,”

“If he breaks it he buys it,” Dustin rolls his eyes, watching you pull the antenna up,

“Hey, Gareth?” You release the button to listen, the walkie beginning to static before it stops,

“Yup, I’m here,” Gareth responds, your eyebrows raised up towards Dustin, “Still no signs from Jason,”

“Good, try to keep it like that. We won’t be going home in case he does find out. Lucas is with them so if he decides to be a dick,” You roll your eyes with your pause, “There’s always a chance they’ll figure out. I’ll check back in later,”

“Be safe,”

“So does this Gareth dude know about the whole upside down shit?” Steve questions, your shoulders lifting with your sigh,

“Kinda, yeah. Just the basics. Eleven, Wills reason for disappearing, oh he also knows Star Court didn’t actually catch fire,”

“So we’re just telling random people about aliens and Russians now?” Nancy squints her eyes, you copying her action,

“Gareth isn’t a random person. He’s been involved for like, two years. This isn’t the point of the topic,” You wave your hands around, dropping the walkie back into Dustin’s bag, “So what’s the plan?”

. . .

That night at the Wheelers house, you find yourself sitting on the hood of Steves car in the driveway, Gareth next to you with his arms propped on his knees, chin against his hand,

“So how long are you guys staying here?” Gareths eyes flick to Mikes house behind you, indicating he meant the Wheelers house specifically.

“Just until Jason gives up on looking for Dustin,” You copy his motion, propping both hands beneath your jaw, “But it’s not just us. The whole group minus Mike and Lucas are here. Mainly to keep an eye out on Max. But that’s a long story,”

“I’ve got time,” Gareth shrugs, shifting his gaze back to you, watching your small smile falter, glancing up at the dark sky.

“Eddie didn’t kill Chrissy, Gareth,” You sigh, shifting your hand to rub your temple. You really wish you took some painkillers during dinner.

“Innocent until proven guilty, in my opinion,” Gareth shrugs, eyes flicking across your face, curiously, “But if he didn’t, who did?”

You pause, “Do you remember the whole Upside Down thing I told you about? With the gate that we closed?”

Gareth hums. “It opened again. There’s a new bad guy. I get this is going to sound fucking insane but, the bad guy is Vecna,”

Gareth doesn’t say anything. When he does, “Vecna as in Dungeons and Dragons?”

It’s your turn to hum, then you rub your forehead a second time and rest your head against said hand, “It sounds so stupid. I probably sound insane,”

“Unless you and Dustin really planned out this prank to stick to the same storyline, I believe you,” Gareth leans to the side to nudge his shoulder to yours, your giggle quiet as you nudge him back.

“Trust me, Dustin can’t lie for shit,” You mutter, glancing over your shoulder when you hear a footstep, Steve’s figure making his way towards you and the other teenager beside you,

“What have I told you guys about sitting on my car?” Steve heaves, your grimace light as you shrug a shoulder, Gareth squinting at Steve to see his face in the dark, “C’mon. Ill drive you home, Gareth. I don’t want Y/N out here so late,”

“What are you, her babysitter?” Gareth questions, your head tilting with a shrug as Steve rolls his eyes,

“At this point, kinda,” You smile, softly, leaning to the side again to nudge him a second time, “I’ll be fine. We’ll do our daily walkie check in like usual,”

You slide off the hood, waiting for Gareth to do the same, “But in Dustin’s words, you break it you buy it,”

“Noted,” Gareth clicks his teeth, as Steve rounds to the drivers seat, “Just- be careful, okay? I don’t understand half this shit, but, sounds dangerous,”

“This is my fourth year dealing with these things,” You laugh, “I’ll be okay,” You lean into the passenger window of Steve’s car, “Get him home in one piece, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, get in, dude, or you can walk,” Steve grumbles, Gareth barely pecking your cheek before he climbs in, you turning on your heel to prepare another night in the basement.

. . .

“Eddie! What the fuck are you doing?!”

You and Dustin crane your necks to look up into the doorway to the Upside Down, Eddie mirroring you from the opposite side.

“Buying us time,” Eddie leaves the trailer, your head shaking in a panic along with your hands, looking around in alarm,

“Holy shit- okay,” You drag a chair to level with the open portal, stepping up to grab the edges of the doorway, heaving yourself back into the unknown location of the upside down,

“Eddie!” Dustin follows suit- most likely breaking his ankle in the process- and the next few seconds are a blur of bats, blood, and screaming. So much screaming.

You and Dustin sit at Eddie’s sides. Blood covers his face, while tears cover yours, and your chest hurts from the ongoing panic attack that seemed to take over your senses,

“I didn’t run away this time,” Eddie gasps, Dustin’s head shaking as your hands pull off your sweater cover over, pressing it to the wound on Eddie’s side so that the older teenager hissed, “It’s my year. I was going to graduate,”

“And you will!” Your wheeze startles Dustin to look up, and your hands shake so violently you can’t seem to keep the pressure on Eddie’s wound, “You’re going to graduate, just stay awake for us, Eddie,”

Silence. You and Dustin immediately look back down to the man, both seeming to exhale harshly at the realization- Eddie was gone.

“Oh my God,” You gasp, immediately coughing on the sob lodged in your throat. Raising your hands to your face, you sniffle, so hard your shoulders shake, before you flinch at a rumble, looking up at Dustin, “We gotta get out of here,”

“I’m not leaving him,” Your younger brother forces, face red from tears and lip trembling, “We can get him to a hospital!”

“He’s dead, Dustin,” You hiccup, standing on trembling legs before stepping over Eddie, grasping at Dustin’s arm as another shake took over the underworld, “We have to go!”

Getting back through the portal seemed easier than the first time, you and Dustin both managing to land without injuring yourselves again, but as soon as you regain composure, a crack forms on the ground, startling you both to look at each other.

The ground then snaps open, your arms sticking out to shove Dustin into the closest wall, your own feet stumbling backwards so you press your back to the opposite wall, eyes wide in alarm at the red glow that came from the crack, “What the hell?”

. . .

It’s another day before you see the group. You stand in the gym of Hawkins High, barely listening to Steve and Robin talking to one of the volunteers, before you finally spot Jeff, who immediately grabbed at Gareths shoulder to direct his attention to you.

All emotions from yesterday seem to build back up as you move towards them. Trying not to stumble on people sitting or lying on the ground, Gareth too begins to navigate through citizens, meeting you halfway to wrap his arms around your middle, while your own threw themselves at his shoulders, hiding your face in your sleeve to muffle the sudden sob you release.

You notice Jeff’s worried confusion, Kevin beside him sharing a look with him as they watch Gareth lean back, one hand at your arm while the other held in the air, unsure as you wipe your face,

“Eddie’s gone,” Your breath is short, hand dropping to grasp at his flannel, as his face dropped in realization, “The earthquake- Dustin and I were there,”

His eyes soften, knowing the earthquake wasn’t really the reason, glancing back at your two other band members before facing you, “Let’s get you some water, yeah?”

Taking your hand, Gareth leads you back through the crowds, your free hand wiping your nose with a heave of a breath, sinking down onto the bleachers as Gareth grabbed two cups, handing one to you before sitting next to you, your knees turning to bump his,

“It wasn’t the earthquake,” You murmur, Gareth nodding as your eyes flick to the side, spotting Dustin talking to Mr. Munson, “He died a hero for a town that called him a killer, Gareth. He didn’t do any of it,”

“Hey, drink some water,” Gareth murmurs, hand at your knee when it begins to bounce, taking your own hand that sat on your leg with a comforting squeeze, “Take a sec and calm down,”

Your nod is weak, nose stuffy and eyes puffy as you glance up, Steve moving to sit next to you with a heaved breath, “You two okay?”

Gareths hand now rests at your back when you curl into his side, Gareth sighing himself as he glances around the crowded gym, “How’s Max?” He avoids, barely glancing at you and to Steve,

“They don’t have an estimation of when she’ll wake up,” Steve shakes his head, his own eyes shifting to you. Your eyes have closed out of exhaustion, and Steve wonders if you’ll even be able to sleep tonight with last nights incident, “Keep an eye on her, okay?”

Gareths eyebrows furrow at the sudden topic change, the slack of your figure indicating you have nearly dozed off. Gareth nods, looking over to meet Steves eyes, “Yeah. Same to you for Dustin,”

Steves eyes leave Gareth to find the younger Henderson sibling, heaving himself to his feet with a quiet goodbye. Gareths eyes finally shift to you, lips at your temple silently as he takes the cup you held, setting it on the bleachers at his other side before silently watching the people around him, wondering just how Hawkins would heal from all this.

[teenwolfmarvel-obsessor]

Question…?

Stranger Things Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Summary: Eddie Munson is different from other people you've interacted with. Sure, you've dated your share of weird guys, but Eddie was different. He had his own way of showing affection, whether it be teasing or subtle actions. Changing for someone you're in a relationship with isn't usually something you should do. After you graduated and he continued on with high school, you noticed that you were slowly changing for a certain someone.

A/N: Okay, I know that this is very, very, very late. I always run into writer's block, especially when I'm trying to base a story on a song. Hope you all enjoy it!

Notes:

Y/N/N: Your Nick Name

Robin -> Your Younger Sister

Warnings:

Language

Angsty

Eddie Munson x-reader

Good girl, sad boy, big city, wrong choices We had one thing going on I swear that it was something ’cause I don’t remember who I was Before you painted all my nights a color I’ve searched for since

Goosebumps appeared on my skin as the wind hit me. I tightened the jacket around me. Eddie came outside with a bottle of water and a beer for himself. I thanked him, grabbing my drink. He sat down and leaned back.

His hands propped him up. The two of us stared at the sky, the sun slowly being replaced by the moon. I noticed Eddie turn to look at me. Eddie took a sip of his drink and set the can beside him. I sat up, resting up against the tree behind us. I could see the stars begin to form just as the moon rose. I always found the night sky to be rather comforting. When I was younger, my mom and I would sit outside to watch the sky.

Her favorite part was to journal the different colors and draw the stars. She'd quote some random author before saying it wasn't her who said it. "Hey, could you help me with the campaign tomorrow?" Eddie asked, "Dustin's been on my ass about some new ideas."

Even though I didn't understand half of it, Eddie still wanted me to help him with his DND events. He always tried to help me understand. I nodded with my eyes remaining on the sky. "What?" he said. He sat up and looked at me. I turned to look at him with furrowed brows, asking with my expressions.

But one thing after another Fuckin' situations, circumstances Miscommunications, and I Have to say, by the way I just may like some explanations

"Do you not want to help me with the campaign?" he said. Eddie sat up with the can beside him. He bent his legs, his arms resting on his knees. "Eddie, I feel like you would get things done quicker," I paused, "if I wasn't there with you."

My boyfriend sighed, sitting up straight. He took his arms off his knees and played with his rings. "I thought you liked helping me with DND stuff?" he said. "I do, and it's really fun. It's just not something I like to do," I replied. "Have you always felt like this?" he asked, "how many other things have you said yes to?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but he interrupted me. "Why are you just now telling me this?" he asked. "Because I-I didn't want to say anything," I replied.

"You didn't want to say anything? So, you thought lying to me was a good idea rather than just telling the truth."

"You like it so much. I-I didn't want to, I don't know, ruin your spirit," I said. "Ruin my spirit?" he questioned, "Wow, great choice of words, babe." He stood up from the grass and grabbed the grocery bag of snacks. "Eddie," I followed after him.

"You've got a shift at Family Video in the morning. I'm going to head home. I don't want to keep you up late," he said, "Jeff is always asking to help anyways. Maybe he'll enjoy it more than you." I watched him throw the grocery bag in the back of his car and unlock the driver's side. "I'll see you after work," he said, "Tell Sir Harrington I said hello." He looked at me one more time before driving away.

Can I ask you a question? Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room And every single one of your friends was makin' fun of you But fifteen seconds later, thеy were clappin' too? Then what did you do?

_______

(The Next Day)

"And he drove away just like that?" Robin asked, handing me one of the movies. I nodded and set it on the shelf. The two of us walked over to the other column. My sister set the basket on the cart between us. She grabbed the first case, putting it on one spot on the metal shelf. "What were you two arguing about?" she questioned.

"He asked if I could help with his campaign, and I said that it wasn't my favorite thing," I answered, "Eddie questioned if I've said yes to other things he likes to do." Robin's brows raised. She motioned for me to continue before pulling the cart behind us. "Then he got mad and left," I finished.

Did you leave her house in the middle of the night? Did you wish you'd put up more of a fight? When she said it was too much? Do you wish you could still touch ...her? It's just a question

She mouthed a response and walked over to the counter. She pushed open the gate, letting me through. "I feel like it's my fault. Maybe I'm just overreacting," I commented. My younger sister handed me a crate of movies. I typed in the returned movies, clicking the check mark to the side.

Steve leaned against the counter with crossed arms. Robin stood beside me, helping me log in the movies. "I don't think you're overreacting," Steve said. "I'm not?" I broke my attention away from the computer's keyboard. The bell above the store's door rang. A girl around our age walked into the store wearing a Hell Fire Club t-shirt.

"Hi, I'd like to return these movies," she said, carrying a cardboard box. I nodded and took the box from her. "Okay, all I need is your receipt and the card you paid with, and then you're ready to go," I explained. She smiled and pulled out her purse, looking for the receipt and her card. After a few seconds, she found them.

The girl set it on the counter. Robin went back to another aisle to re-organize a shelf after some kids messed it up. "I like your shirt," I complimented. She looked down at her shirt and smiled. I finished logging in the second movie. "Thanks. Mine was in the wash, so a guy in our club let me borrow it," she said.

Steve appeared by my side. He took the box after the movies were completed. "My boyfriend's the leader. Eddie Munson," I said. She broke out into a big smile. "Oh, you're Eddie's girlfriend?" the brunette said, "He's a great campaign leader. Do you play?"

Half-moon eyes, bad surprise Did you realize, out of time She was on your mind With some meathead guy that you saw that night, but you were on something

I shook my head in response. The girl's smile faded. "Oh," she said, "Well, I'm going to look around. Thanks..." She paused and glanced down at the name tag attached to my green vest. "Y/N," the customer smiled. She fixed her jean jacket and walked to the other side of the store.

"She's a joy," Steve muttered. I chuckled and set the box underneath the register. Robin came back with a sigh. "I swear, if I have to redo a whole damn aisle, I am going to blow this place to bits," she said, pushing open the gate with her foot. We went back to our conversation.

"I just feel really bad. I mean, as his girlfriend, shouldn't I feel obligated to help him out?" I spoke, "I just-I've noticed that I've changed."

Robin took a sip of her water. She exchanged a glance with our friend before looking at me. "Isn't that a good thing?" Robin asked. I explained how I've been changing for Eddie. "Every time I'm with him, I feel like I need to be a totally different person. I mean, you saw me snap at Dad the other night," I glanced at my sister.

She nodded and motioned for me to continue speaking. "That's not me, and it's never been like that," I added, "I don't like it." I kept my voice low, making sure the Hell Fire club member didn't hear our conversation. I'd hate for her to tell Eddie without my knowledge. Steve asked if I have told Eddie, but I respond with a 'no'.

I was planning on telling him last night, but when he asked me about the campaign planning, my plan kinda went sideways. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to break up with him, but I feel like I need to," I said. Steve walked over to me when the customer was making her way over to the counter.

"Y/N/N, you shouldn't be changing for someone you're in a relationship with. It's not healthy for you, or him," Steve said.

It was one drink after another Caught in politics and gender-roles And you're not sure, and I don't know Got swept away in the gray I just may like to have a conversation

_______

(Later that day)

Robin sat on my bed, flipping through a magazine. She grabbed a pair of scissors to cut out a picture. She walked over to my corkboard and pinned the picture. "Do you think it's weird what the girl said earlier today?" I looked up from my notebook. "I mean," Robin sighed, "It is a little weird how she reacted to you not playing DND."

"That doesn't help my nerves," I said. Robin let out a sigh and set the magazine on my side table. She sat up from the bed. "Sorry," she apologized. I closed my notebook and then dropped it into the big pocket of my backpack. "What're you going to do?" Robin questioned.

I shrugged my shoulders, turning to her. During and after work, I had a few hours to think about what to do. It took me a bit to think about myself and really understand what I needed. "I'm going to break up with him," I sighed, taking a minute to think. Robin nodded and stood up from the bed.

She walked over to my desk and leaned against the edge. She stared at my bedroom carpet before speaking. "I think that's a good choice," Robin said. Robin saw my expression and went to finish her statement. "Y/N/N, I know you more than you think, and from watching you date Eddie," she paused, "I can tell that if this relationship continues, you're going to tire yourself out for not being the person you've always been."

Can I ask you a question? Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room And every single one of your friends was making fun of you But 15 seconds later, they were clapping too? Then what did you

Robin put an arm around my shoulders to bring me in for a hug. She squeezed me tightly before letting me go. She watched me grab my purse and head over to the front door. My sister followed me. "Good luck," she said. I thanked her and walked over to my car, parked in the garage.

_______

(A Few Minutes Later)

I noticed a black car sitting in the grass that neither Eddie nor his uncle drove. I gathered up the courage and walked over to the door. Sounds of people talking could be heard when I knocked. "Hold on a second, guys," Eddie spoke mid-laughter.

He opened the door with his smile slowly going away. "Y/N," he said. "Hey," I replied, holding onto the strap of my pocketbook. Eddie looked behind him at the group and then at me. "Can we talk?" I offered. He told everyone that he'd be back. Eddie closed the door behind him.

Eddie and I walked to the middle of the neighborhood, where the picnic table was. "What's up?" he smiled, sitting on the edge of the table. I fiddled with the hem of my jacket. "Y/N/N, what's wrong?" Eddie questioned. I swiftly wiped a tear and looked to the side to prevent me from making eye contact with him.

"I think we should break up," I said.

Does it feel like everything's just second-best after that meteor strike? And what's that, that I heard, that you're still with her That's nice. I'm sure that's what's suitable and right, but tonight...

He was taken aback by my answer. Eddie sat up in his position, resting his arms on his knees. "What?" he replied. He sat down on the seat rather than the table. I put my purse on the table and faced him. I repeated my sentence, with him stating he heard me the first time. "Why?" he asked. "Because I've changed," I answered.

Eddie's brows furrowed. He scoffed and looked at his house. "You've changed? How the hell is that a bad thing?" he said. "Because I'm not the same person I was," I claimed. "Okay, that's a good thing. It's a good thing to change," Eddie stood up from the bench. His hands rested on his hips as he tried to digest what I was saying.

"It's not when you look in the mirror and see a totally different person," I said. He sighed and began to pace back and forth. I watched him with my eyes as he changed spots every once in and awhile. "Eddie, we're the exact opposite. And even though I try to impress you or-or like the same things you do, I don't like what I see."

"So, you're saying this relationship was a mistake?" he pointed at himself, then to me. I shook my head no. "Y/N, it sounds like you are," he laughed slightly. "No," I stood up from the table, "It's not. I don't know who I am anymore. I was talking to Steve, and...." Eddie's head turned to me, his face contorted with annoyance.

"Oh, great, you were talking to Steve," Eddie rolled his eyes, throwing his arms up in the air. I hoped that nobody would come out at the sound of our argument. "Eddie, he and I work together. And my sister is best friends with him. Of course, I'm going to be talking to Steve," I waited a second before adding, "Steve said I shouldn't be changing myself for someone."

Can I ask you a question? Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room, and every single one of your friends was making fun of you, but fifteen seconds later, they were clapping too? Then what did you do?

He rolled his eyes again and sat back down. He refused to look at me directly. "So, Steve knows all about our relationship," Eddie remarked, "I knew this was going to happen right after you graduated, and don't say that we could've graduated together. I am very aware of my academic state right now. Also, are you and him, like, buddy-buddy now?"

"We're co-workers. Steve and I are just friends. Just like Nancy and I are friends," I said, "And why is that the only thing you're grasping right now?"

"Because that's the only thing about this argument that makes sense," he said, putting his hands back on his hips. "We're not arguing," I said. "Really? Because I'm pretty sure you were the one that started it all," he tilted his head as he spoke. "All I said was I thought we should break up, and then you continued it," I countered. "Of course, I'm going to continue it. You said you wanted to break up," Eddie said.

I huffed in annoyance and stood up from the bench, grabbing my purse. I began walking over to my car. "What're you doing?" Eddie asked. "Leaving because you clearly don't understand what I'm saying," I said. Eddie grasped my wrist, preventing me from leaving him. He turned me around.

"Oh, I understand perfectly. You think that this relationship wasn't a good idea," he held up a hand to stop me, "You think that you've changed, whether that be negatively or whatever shit you think. You think that it's better for us to split because we're not who we were at the beginning. And I can't say I disagree."

I looked up at him. "You don't think I've noticed?" Eddie said, "Your hair's different. You're not wearing the same clothes you were before, and despite me trying to tell you to dump the thought of college, you've still held onto that."

He sighed heavily and backed up. Eddie ran a hand through his hair and returned his hands back to his hips. "So, we're breaking up then," I said. "We're breaking up," Eddie repeated. Someone yelled from the door of the house. I turned away from our conversation to see the girl from Family Video.

"I'll be right there, Peggy!" Eddie exclaimed. I looked at Peggy, to which she glared at me and walked back into the house. "Peggy seems nice," I said. "Yeah, she is," Eddie said. It grew quiet between the two of us. I went to open my mouth to speak but closed it when I thought it was best not to speak.

"I should probably get back to Peggy and the others," Eddie said. I nodded, staring at the grass. "I'll see you around, Y/N," he walked past me, patting me on the shoulder. I heard the door open and close, with Eddie hollering at his friends.

Did you leave her house in the middle of the night? Did you wish you put up more of a fight? When she said it was too much? Do you wish you could still touch ...her? It's just a question

Taglist: @b-ritney @midnightstar-90 @ramaalkayyali

[pohlepen]

meet the writer  ♡

alias: jackal

birthday: may 3rd

zodiac: tarus sun, gemini moon, virgo rising

height: 5'1" or 154.94cm according to google.

hobbies: reading, writing, volunteering with a local animal rescue group, being boring as shit fr. sometimes i game and i'm awful at it. i'm organizing a clothes donation thingy for the homeless and underserved population in my city with a friend and at work, which is probably the most exciting thing i've done in a while. sometimes i go on hot girl walks in the rain.

favorite color: red, maybe crimson? maybe something darker.

favorite book: i genuinely can't say, i think it changes depending on my mood. but a few top tier choices are- the southern reach trilogy by jeff vandermeer, the leftovers by tom perrotta, sister of my heart by chitra banerjee divakaruni, and LITERALLY EVERYTHING by khaled hosseini.

last song: cry little sister vs hello zepp by celldweller (it's spooky season ok)

last movie/show: the fall of the house of usher and now i have to create a multi :) last movie was the strangers with @renkniighted on our movie night.

recent reads: dune: messiah by frank herbert, old babes in the wood by margaret atwood, acceptance by jeff vandermeer, the trigun manga by yasuhiro nightow.

inspiration: tbh, frankie started out as a kingsmen oc and then she morphed into a shingeki no kyoijin oc and then i was gonna make her in the far cry 5 world and finally i just decided to make her a fandomless oc. after that, i kind of honed in and wanted to focus on making her ugly. not physically, i mean, but mentally, spiritually. emotionally? ugly. i wanted to add a repulsiveness to her. she's hypersexual (which i am not saying is inherently something to look down on, just that like all mental illness', parts of it can have huge negative effects on that person and the lives of those around them), and i wanted to show the ugly parts of that especially. the cheating, the self destructive sexual tendencies, the casualness in which she hurts people and her adherent selfishness. she has a plethora of undesirable traits, yet i also wanted to make her a nurse because she has so much desire in her heart to take care of people to make up for never having that in her most formidable years. i wanted to make her really human and flawed and not a good person, but not entirely bad either.

story behind url: in croation, "pohlepan" is the word for greedy. frankie is selfish. i changed the a to an e because the other was taken!

tagged: by no one! stolen from @savagecowboy

tagging: @whitelace, @nightmarecountry, @whcwashe , @e1igius, @faethn, @cryptidsdad, @antisupe, @sherez, @renkniighted, @monstriiss, @mythvoiced 👁️❤️

[thruheavenandhighwater]

Pairing: Eddie Munson/ Steve Harrington

Requested By: NA

Word Count: 3,448

Summary: Miss Dorothy announces her plans to move closer to family. The Munson's finally find their forever home.

Stranger Things Masterlist

Steddie Masterlist

Series Masterlist

~~~~~

April 2001

"Really wish you'd quit sniffin' my armpit," Steve groaned.

"'m not," Eddie sighed, his voice muffled by Steve's skin. "Sniffin' your shoulder."

"Your nose is like an inch from my armpit."

"You smell good."

Steve had to laugh at that. He tightened his arm around Eddie's shoulders, pressing his nose deeper into his skin. "The nature of armpits is that they don't smell good," he giggled.

"Okay, well, the nature of me being in love with you is that I think you do smell good. So shut your annoying, beautiful mouth and let me indulge."

Steve giggled again and pressed a kiss to Eddie's hair. "You're such a weirdo," he whispered.

"I like how your balls smell, too," Eddie admitted. Steve could feel his smile where his lips pressed into his skin. He just knew that his boyfriend was wearing the textbook definition of a shit eating grin, though he couldn't see it. He moved his hands to Eddie's shoulders and pushed, a weak attempt at pushing him off.

"That's disgusting."

"Just let me love you, Steven," Eddie whined, tightening his hold around Steve's middle.

Just as Steve was about to protest, there was a knock at the front door. A series of three soft taps that they'd recognize anywhere. Eddie groaned against Steve's skin. The tickle of the vibrations had Steve laughing again.

"I love Miss Dorothy, I promise I do. But that woman cock blocks like nobody else." Eddie said as he finally pulled away from Steve.

Both men shrugged into last night's t-shirts and whichever pants were easiest to access. They walked out of their bedroom and into the living room to find that Lucy had already let Miss Dorothy into their home. They were sitting beside each other on the couch while Lucy showed off her latest drawings in her sketchbook. The sounds of Eddie and Steve behind them drew their attention. Miss Dorothy smiled warmly at them as she made a motion to stand. Steve scoffed and sat on the coffee table in front of her while Eddie took his seat next to Lucy on the opposite end of the couch.

"Good morning, boys," she greeted them. They both smiled. They loved that she called them boys despite both of them being in their 30s.

"I'm sorry to bother you so early," she continued. "But I'm afraid I've put this off long enough."

"What's goin' on?" Eddie asked, leaning forward to see her more clearly.

"Well, you boys know about my sister? The one in Florida?" They both nodded in unison. "Well, she's been pestering me to move down there since my Roger passed. And, well, the older I get the more I think it would be awful nice to be around family. Her kids all live down there, and Jeff has been talking about moving to Georgia since he was younger than you two."

"So what are you saying?" Steve asked.

She looked almost sad when she looked up to him. She took a deep breath, her blue eyes falling to her hands in her lap. "Well, I think I'm gonna sell the house," she finally answered.

Steve and Eddie exchanged a look. Lucy leaned into Miss Dorothy's side, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Are you moving away?" She asked quietly.

Miss Dorothy placed a weathered hand on Lucy's knee, patting her purple sweatpants. "I am, honey," she told her. "But it would make me happier than anything for you to come see me down in Florida someday." Lucy nodded sadly against her shoulder.

"I wanted to give you boys a chance to buy the house, if you wanted," she told them. "Promise I'll give you a good price."

Steve nodded, a fond smile on his face. "I'm sure you would, ma'am," he told her. "But I think we should probably talk about this before we make any decisions."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," she said as she stood from the couch. "No rush at all. I won't even call the realtor until I hear from you." They all shared a round of hugs at the front door before Miss Dorothy slowly made her way down their stairs.

The week that followed was full of hushed conversations about their options. Neither of them wanted to tell Lucy many details until a decision was made. But she was smart. She knew what was going on. When they tried to tell her to go down and spend the afternoon with Miss Dorothy so they could run errands, she clocked them immediately.

"Are you going house shopping?" She asked as she took a sip from her blue juice barrel.

Eddie sighed, "Yes, we are. But we're just looking. We haven't decided if we're gonna buy one yet."

Lucy picked at the cast aside crust of her sandwich, a concentrated look across her face. "Why can't we just buy Miss Dorothy's house?" She asked. "We already live here."

Steve sat across from her, taking a deep breath as he considered his words carefully. "You're right, we do live here and already love it so much. But Daddy and I aren't sure that this is the house we want to live in forever. So we're gonna meet up with our friend and go look at some other places."

"Can I go?"

Eddie picked up Lucy's plate, dumping her lunch leftovers into the trash before placing it into the sink. "Trust me, kid, it won't be fun." He came to stand behind her, placing both hands on her shoulders. "But we promise to tell you if we find something nice. And we won't buy anything without taking you to look at it first. Deal?"

After a few more questions and asking to go again, Lucy finally accepted their deal. She grabbed the last purple juice barrel from the fridge and made her way down to the main house. Her dads followed behind her and told Miss Dorothy what they were doing and that they wouldn't be long. She waved them off with a smile.

"Oh, I don't mind having her," she told them. "I was hoping you'd come see me today anyway. I just bought the prettiest petunias and I need help planting them."

Four hours later they sat in Erica's office sharing Chinese takeout as they went over their options. They'd driven all over town and been inside half a dozen houses. A few were nice. A few were not so nice. One even had a pool, but was so far out of their budget that Eddie was more than a little annoyed at Erica for even showing it to them.

"The one on Elm was okay," Steve said as he took half an egg roll into his mouth.

"You want- hey, share those," Eddie grabbed for the box of egg rolls in front of Steve. "You want to raise our daughter in an 'okay' house?"

Erica nodded, holding one hand up to them as she finished chewing. The boys waited for her, knowing all too well not to interrupt Erica even if she hasn't started speaking yet. "The guy on Elm wants that house gone like, yesterday. You could definitely get him to come down."

Steve picked up the listing that they'd printed out and set in front of him. He poked at it with one finger, "Maybe." He announced.

"I liked the one by the school," Eddie said.

"That one smelled like old lady," Erica chided, wrinkling her nose.

"Okay, well it won't smell like old lady after we move in."

"And the wallpaper?" Steve asked, one eyebrow raised too high on his forehead. "Absolutely god awful. No way."

Eddie rolled his eyes, "We can rip down the wallpaper."

"Oh, honey, how nice of you to say we when we both knew you mean me, while you and Lu watch."

Eddie scoffed, but didn't refuse. Everyone knew that Steve was right. If they bought the house by the high school Steve alone would spend his weekend ripping down the wallpaper that was glued to every wall in the house. That one was the first entry into the no pile.

Erica held out a sheet of paper with the listing for what they had all thought was a nice little ranch style house near Eddie's job. It turned out to be one of the not so nice houses. The group left after less than fifteen minutes inside.

"Shit hole," Steve decided.

"It was not a shit hole," Eddie answered.

"There was mold on the ceiling in the bathroom."

"And that makes it a shit hole?"

"Yes," Erica and Steve answered in unison. Erica set the listing on top of the old lady wallpaper house and they moved on.

By the time all of their takeout was eaten they were down to four 'nos' and two 'maybes.' The house on Elm that Steve had deemed "okay" and a two story Dutch colonial on the opposite end of town. Each of them had their pros, and each of them had their cons. The one on Elm had an attached garage, but only two bedrooms. The other had a huge backyard, but it was the farthest away from both of their jobs and Lucy's school. In the end they decided to take both of the listings home and talk it out as a family.

That weekend they loaded up Lucy and met Erica at the house on Elm. They'd promised that no decisions would be made without her and they intended to stick to that promise. She brought along a notebook and three different colored markers to take notes of the houses. When Eddie asked what the different markers were for she explained that each color was for a different type of note.

"Purple for things I like, 'cause it's my favorite. Green for things I don't like, since I don't like green. And red for things I need to think about."

"What do you need to think about?" Steve asked from his spot behind the wheel.

"Well like, what if the kitchen is ugly? I would write that in green but if the living room is cute, then I'll write it in red so I can think about it later and decide if it's too ugly to move in."

"Ya know we can change things when we move in, right?" Eddie said, turning in his seat to face her. "If something is ugly we can like paint and stuff."

"Can I paint my room again?"

"Any color you want, princess."

Lucy nodded to herself and adjusted her purple sunglasses on her nose. She knew that Eddie meant what he said. Before she unpacked she knew that her daddy would make sure that her new bedroom was painted any color of the rainbow that she could choose. She spent the last few minutes of their drive writing all of her favorite colors in her notebook, all written in red so that she could think about it later.

Erica was waiting for them on the front porch when they arrived. She greeted Lucy with a tight hug and a warm smile. Lucy was growing like a weed, nearly as tall as Erica's shoulders at only ten years old. Since Steve and Eddie had already seen both of the houses they'd be looking at Erica more or less ignored them, giving Lucy the grand tour instead.

"So this is the living room," she told her as they stepped inside. "And the kitchen is through there."

Lucy followed Erica closely, her notebook open and markers ready. She stopped in every room to take notes. She'd stand in the middle of the room with her notebook hugged to her chest while she surveyed the empty space. Before allowing the group to move on to the next room she'd take the time to uncap her markers, write her notes, and double check that she'd seen every inch. When they got to the room that would be her bedroom Eddie had to bite back a laugh when she immediately uncapped her green marker. Nobody was allowed to see what she was writing, but he knew. The carpet in the bedrooms was a dark, almost depressing shade of green. They'd already agreed to replace it before moving in, but he knew she hated it.

It was the backyard that she seemed to be the least impressed with. As soon as they stepped through the back door she scrunched her nose in disgust. "This is the whole yard?" She asked, turning to Erica who was wearing her best realtor smile.

"Yup, already fenced in and ready to go."

"But it's little," Lucy said. "And there's like… not any grass?"

"We can plant grass," Steve told her.

"I guess."

The family left Erica to tidy a few things in the home with plans to meet at the second house in half an hour. As soon as her seatbelt was buckled Lucy opened her notebook in her lap. Eddie glanced back at her as she studied her carefully written notes. He and Steve shared a fond look between them as Steve started the car.

"So, what'd'ya think, honey?" Eddie asked.

"It was okay," she answered with a shrug. This time Eddie couldn't hold back his laugh. His head fell back against his head rest as his hands crossed over his stomach. Steve only shook his head and signaled a turn onto Central.

"Ya know, kid, dad said the same thing last week," he told her through his giggles.

"The carpets are green, daddy. And the yard was like… dinky. We wouldn't even be able to get a puppy."

"Who said anything about a puppy?" Eddie asked, turning fully in his seat to face her. "Keeping you alive is hard enough, we're not getting a puppy."

Steve sighed from his spot behind the wheel. He reached over and placed a hand on Eddie's knee, a soft smile on his lips. "Come on, babe," he sighed, glancing at Eddie for just a moment before returning his attention to the road. "Let the girl get a puppy."

"Yeah, daddy" Lucy whined. She lifted her sunglasses to rest them on her head, her eyes wide as she jutted her bottom lip forward. "Let the girl get a puppy."

Eddie shook his head, sighing as he shifted to sit properly in his seat. "You two are ridiculous, you know that? Ganging up on me. Two against one isn't exactly fair."

Steve took Eddie's hand in his and pulled it over the center console. Eddie felt his lips curling into a smile when they met the back of his hand. The gesture immediately put an end to the angry, tough facade he was trying to build against them. As the smile broke out across his face he couldn't help but to roll his eyes. Even now, ten years in, Steve still managed to awaken the butterflies in his stomach with the most simple gestures.

The second house was much better as soon as they parked in the driveway. Lucy bounced excitedly to the open gate in the fence. Her jaw dropped dramatically in an excellent impression of Eddie upon seeing the size of the backyard. There was a trampoline in the center of the lawn that Steve had to physically hold her back from. As she pulled out her notebook and flipped it to a fresh page Eddie grinned as he watched her open her purple marker to write "BIG YARD!! WE CAN GET A PUPPY!!!!" Before underlining it four times.

"You wanna see the rest of the house, or are you sold already?" Erica asked with a laugh behind them. Lucy turned to her with a smile and agreed to walk through the house. She had to be fair, after all.

The one problem Lucy found with the house was that the bedroom that would be hers had clearly been a boys room. The walls were pale blue and there were football and Pokemon stickers stuck to them. Two things that did not at all match her purple princess aesthetic. Once Steve reminded her that she'd be able to decorate and paint however she wanted she was excited once again.

They walked through the house quickly. Lucy was too excited to see the yard again to pay much attention to anything else. She pushed the sliding glass door open just a bit too quickly and all but ran outside. There was a concrete patio big enough for some furniture and a grill.

"I could have parties out here!" Lucy squealed.

"Parties?" Eddie asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Who are you having parties with?"

"I have friends," she shrugged.

"Every single day you get more and more like your dad." Eddie groaned. Steve and Lucy shared their "secret" handshake, which consisted of a high five and a series of hand smacks and finger waves.

"So," Erica interjected. "Have you decided? Or do you need to go over your notes?"

Lucy looked back out to the yard in front of her. She imagined a puppy running around. She thought of how much fun the trampoline would be. She looked back at her dads and Erica standing in a group behind her. She took a deep breath before announcing her decision.

"I think we should live here."

It took a few weeks for the paperwork to be drawn up, signed, and filed. It felt like it was all happening in a whirlwind and slow motion all at the same time. The family packed most of their things into boxes that were stacked in the living room of the apartment, waiting to be moved across town. Wayne and Jeff offered up their trucks to move the bigger things. There were many hugs and many more tears shared the day they loaded up their last few boxes and bags of possessions from the small apartment in Miss Dorothy's house.

"Thank you for giving us somewhere to call home for the last ten years, ma'am," Steve said quietly through tears as he hugged her one last time.

"Oh, honey, thank you for keeping this old woman company," she answered. "And you better bring that baby down to Florida to see me come summer break."

"Already marked on the calendar," he told her with a wet smile.

Lucy chose a butterfly theme for her brand new bedroom. Her grandpa took her on a shopping spree at Walmart for decorations while her dads spent the afternoon painting the room the buttery yellow she'd picked and putting together her new bed and dresser they'd gotten for her as a surprise. They were actually brand new, not secondhand or hand-me-down like most everything else she'd had in her short life. They were still using the old furniture that had been Steve's for most of his life, with plans to replace things as they could afford to. But they wanted Lucy to have new things, stuff that only ever belonged to her.

When she and Wayne finally got to the house after their day together she actually jumped onto Eddie, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her like she was a toddler all over again.

"I love my room, daddy," she told him, her face pressed into his shoulder as she hugged him.

"It's not done yet, princess," he told her as he set her back on her feet. "You still gotta put up all your new stuff. Come on, you and gramps can sure it's what ya picked up."

The family spent the following day putting the finishing touches on Lucy's bedroom. Steve hung the butterfly shaped mirrors she'd chosen with Wayne. Eddie helped Lucy put all of her books into her bookcase that stood against the wall beside her door. She insisted on having stars again, though she argued that she was too old to have them all over. Her galaxy was confined to the inside of the closet that was just large enough for Eddie to stand inside as he hung them for her. By the time they were done Lucy's smile was brighter than any galaxy.

They all missed their old apartment sometimes. They missed the view of the river behind the house. They missed the neighborhood. But more than anything, they all missed Miss Dorothy. They missed their dinners at the large dining room table and her beautiful flowers. She gifted them a small rosebush, pulled straight from that garden just before she left for Florida. It grew big and beautiful every year, its yellow blooms serving to remind them that even with hundreds of miles between them, their family wasn't as separate as they thought. Miss Dorothy was there, right outside the front door.

~~~~~

This might be my last post for a while again. It I might post in a week. Who knows? Anyway, I loved writing this. I'm trying to make an effort to include more of The Party in my fics, instead of just Steve and Eddie. I hope you all liked my little Erica addition here. As always, I hope you enjoyed this little look into the Munson's lives 🥰🥰🥰

[evergreen-oflife]

Saw Declan Welsh & The Decadent West live on Wednesday night, and I was blown away with the way they took over the stage. Declan’s stage presence was just amazing, he is so expressive and lively and absolutely put his whole soul into each song which was amazing to witness. Definitely went right up to the top of my list of live performers I wish to see again. Already adored them for their music and values, but wow the energy radiating off the stage was just amazing! What really blew me away was the two speeches they made, one in solidarity with Palestine and their experiences there before playing their song Different Strokes. The second speech leading to their song Do What You Want, my sister managed to catch on record almost in it’s entirety. I’m posting it because it felt so personal to me, it felt so so special to be in a room full of strangers and hear it and feel, for a second, the power in people. The power in us. Because while I love softness and I love kindness, I do miss a bit of punk and anarchist attitude. We should, as a matter of fact be getting pissed off about being fucked over, we do deserve better and we should be fighting for our rights! We should unite over the important stuff!

”…..and when ever that happens, the people who wish things would just stay the same, become increasingly desperate in trying to create, new parayas, new scapegoats, new people or actions to focus on, and in the last few years one of the most pronounced efforts has been seen in the strange fixation on trans people.

The transphobia taking over institutions and media, despite the fact that almost every public attitude survey, in most countries, say again; people just wanna let people live their lives. So why is this manufactured? Well, number one: Straight up bigotry! Some people hate other people because of who they are. And that’s fucking shit, and those people are not worth our conversation or attention.

But secondly: The only way that we change things is through creating a big group of different kinds of people, who all understand what is to get fucked over. We are fucked over in different ways, for different reasons and at different pains. But unless you have a personal net-worth of over one million dollars; welcome to the fucked over club, we are happy to have you!

And they know, the people who have a lot right now; Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos... That the biggest danger to them is that if poor people, transpeople, black people, white people, asian folks, women, straight people and queer people… all realise here: If we can unite over one thing; being fucked over, there’s no way they can stop us. So they try and pun you against other people, who should be with allied.

Do you know how I know that hey are our allies? Is that if you go and march with Palestine, you’ll see a trans flag. If you go at a march about women’s rights, you’ll see a trans flag, if you go at an anti-war march you’ll see a trans flag, if you go to a march about trade union rights, you will see a trans flag. Because when you are a part of a community that has been oppressed, you’ll understand what solidarity is. You understand it’s importance. Let’s learn from our times comrades, and be there for everyone, no matter how much their experience is like ours!”