#and maybe i'm gunning for steve and eddie as if that would ever happen

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

From Hell to Home to Back Again

Summary: At the talent show, Chrissy Cunningham is so hungry that she nearly collapses. When she's found by Hopper, her parents ended up losing custody of her. She ends up being placed in the care of the Hendersons, and she finally finds the family she so desperately needed. She also ends up falling in love. What other changes are made in this alternate universe?

Warning: Billy Hargrove deserves his own warning, but there's also harassment and assault.

@emen-98 @1lostsoul0fishbowl @vulpixsworld

Prologue . . . Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

The summer quickly faded into fall, and it was soon time for them to go back to school. Keeping her powers a secret from Hopper had been difficult, and it almost seemed like he suspected they were all keeping something from him. He stopped asking her when she mentioned that it seemed like he was hiding something from them as well, but she wasn't going to bring it up to the others. . .unless she was provoked. He shut up after that. Nancy and Steve seemed more distant than ever as it got closer to a year since it all went down. The nightmares for Chrissy were getting worse, and it was getting harder to push her powers away. Once she had opened that door, it was difficult to close it again. The good thing that did happen was that Jonathan finally came out to the group. Joyce was also dating someone, and though Chrissy liked Bob, she had wished that Hopper had gotten his head out of his ass.

"The new guy hit on me again," Heather said as she plopped down at the lunch table.

"Too bad you can't explain to him that you're a lesbian," Eddie said.

Unfortunately, no one outside of their growing friend group would understand. It was nice having them around, having each other like a protective wall that blocked out all the people who would hate them for their sexuality alone. It was like their own little world, sometimes. The only ones who remained ambivalent were Nancy and Gareth, now. Chrissy had been surprised when Heather started to sit at their table on the first day of school, even more surprised that her ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend got along pretty well. She was pretty happy about it, though, especially since it meant that she could see more of Heather now.

"No, I'm pretty sure that it would only encourage him further," Heather said, frowning. "Even if I weren't a lesbian, which thankfully I am, I wouldn't say yes to him if someone was holding a gun to my head."

"The only thing good about him is his car," Eddie said.

"Someone needs to explain to him that the way to a girl's heart is to not call her a fat cow when she rejects you," Heather scowled.

"What an asshole. You know, he looks like he would be hot, and then he opens his mouth, ruining the whole thing," Steve said. "His whole personality makes him look ugly."

"So, you would not leave Nancy for Billy Hargrove?" Eddie asked, teasing him.

"I'd rather run off with you," Steve scoffed.

"Baby, that can be arranged," Eddie said, winking at him.

"Shut up," Steve said, stuffing a spoonful of applesauce into Eddie's mouth.

Jeff scowled and slammed the tray on the cafeteria table as Gareth and Frankie, the new addition to Corroded Coffin as well as Hellfire, sat down with him. He was pretty nice so far, a little blunt but nice. Frankie was pretty nice about their sexuality too, so he had that going for him.

"Well, I was thinking the new guy was hot and maybe played for our team, but then he opened his racist ass mouth. Do they not understand that being racist makes you unattractive?" Jeff said.

"What the hell did he say to you?" Steve asked with a scowl.

"He made it clear that he didn't want to see people like me in his line of sight," Jeff said. "He didn't even look at Gareth. Looked straight at me."

"What a dick!" Chrissy exclaimed as everyone groaned.

"Who's a dick?" Robin asked as she sat down with her sister.

"The new guy, Hargrove," Steve explained. "He's racist. Misogynistic, too."

"Aw, man, I was just admiring his car," Robin said. "Oooh, let's steal it."

"Let's not," Nancy said.

"She never let's me do anything," Robin frowned. "Sometimes I really do wish we were the type of twins who did everything together."

"I'm willing to do almost anything with you. . .within reason. I am not committing grand theft auto with you," Nancy said.

"Sharing a womb together gets me nowhere," Robin said. "We could be badass bandit twins, Nance. Think of the possibilities."

"I am thinking of the possibilities, that's why I'm saying no," Nancy said.

"How about we just curse him?" Chrissy giggled.

"Right, I forgot we decided to be witches! I think he needs to stub something other than his pinky toe," Robin said.

"Especially for calling Heather a fat cow," Chrissy said, scowling, and Robin gasped. "And being racist towards our beautiful Jeff."

"You guys really want to annoy him, put water in his gas tank," Eddie said.

"Let's do it!" Chrissy exclaimed and then looked at Nancy. "Give Steve your radio. I have mine. Let us know when he leaves the cafeteria."

"God, if I wasn't gay and Eddie wasn't my best friend. . .," Jeff said.

"Baby, no, I was joking," Eddie said.

"Besides, I think he gives his little sister a ride home, and he seems like an angry man. . .wouldn't want him to take it out on her," Gareth said.

"Shit, that's true," Chrissy frowned. "You guys going to Tina's Halloween party?"

"I kind of have to for reasons that I'm not going to say," Heather blushed.

Chrissy smiled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. She always suspected it of Tina, but she never said her suspicions outloud, nor would she. She'd let Heather and Tina keep their secret. Finally, Argyle and Jonathan showed up to the table, looking distinctly disheveled.

"You guys get lost again? Did you somehow find yourselves in a broom closet?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah, man. It's become a real problem. They need to make a map for this school, you know?" Argyle said.

Everyone around the table laughed at them.

"I was just asking them if they were all going to Tina's Halloween party on Wednesday," Chrissy said.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. Me and Jonathan decided not to wear costumes, though," Argyle said. "We couldn't decide on one, mostly because it would be hard to dance in a giant homemade weed costume."

"Aww, and Jonathan really wants to dance with you," Chrissy said.

"Yeah, so what?" Jonathan blushed, the corner of his lips turning up.

"Chrissy and I are definitely going to be there. Who would have thought that I, Eddie Munson, would ever want to go to a high school party?" Eddie grinned.

"He's really excited about our costumes," Chrissy grinned.

"Which are?" Steve asked.

"Well, that would ruin the surprise, Steven," Eddie replied. "You gotta be there to see it."

"We're definitely going to be there," Nancy said.

"Hey, am I dropping you off at work again?" Eddie asked Chrissy.

Surfer Boy Pizza was officially up and running. Of course, Argyle's dad was the first one to offer her job, which Chrissy happily accepted. They had been true to their word and kept it to how Benny had wanted it to be. Everything was just updated, freshly painted with their own touch thrown in. It quickly became the new hangout place. It amused everyone to know that there was a place called Surfer Boy Pizza, and there wasn't actually any place to surf in Hawkins.

"Well, yeah, I agreed to work all weekend and today so I could have Tuesday and Wednesday off," Chrissy said.

"Hmm. . .why Tuesday? Whatever happens on a Tuesday, I wonder," Eddie said.

"You know what happens on a Tuesday, asshole," Chrissy said.

"Oh, yeah. That's right! Corroded Coffin will be performing at the Hideout for the first time in months! For Gareth and Frankie, the first time ever!" Eddie hollered.

"And I am not going to miss that," Chrissy said. "You looking forward to it, Gareth?"

"Hell yeah! I never really played on a stage before," Gareth exclaimed.

"Well, I would hardly call it a stage," Jeff said.

"Is he going to be able to get in?" Steve asked.

"Bev's served us before, Steve, I don't think she's going to care," Chrissy said.

"That's true," Steve said.

As Chrissy chatted away with her friends, she felt a presence on the back of her neck. She scanned the cafeteria and located the person who was staring at her. She knew who it was immediately. The person they had been talking about just moments ago. Billy Hargrove. He was looking at her like she was something to eat. He was a predator, and she was his prey. It scared her. She's faced a demogorgon, another dimension, the death of one of her closet friends, and the death of a man she thought of like a father, but the look in this man's eyes scared her more than anything. He was dangerous, and judging by the way that many eyes gravitated towards him with a lustful gaze, he was a dangerous man who could draw a crowd. He was more dangerous than Tommy Hayes, the guy who had no problem wanting to murder Gareth. This was a man who probably skinned many cats when he was younger, and it worried her that many people were ignoring the look in his eyes because his pants were tight. Maybe she was overthinking it, though. . .

"Sweetheart?" Eddie asked softly and she turned back to look at him.

"I'm fine," Chrissy said, hoping one day she'll be able to say that to him and mean it.

She tried to put Hargrove out of her mind, but she couldn't seem to escape his gaze. Sometimes, it seemed like he was following her. She was doing everything she could do to keep her her powers in check when she was around him. Chrissy finally managed to get him out of her mind when she gathered in the library with Eddie, Steve, and Nancy on Wednesday to do their homework. They had been working together in silence for a while before Nancy and Steve disappeared. Chrissy had turned the page in her schoolbook and frowned.

"A page is missing in this book, I'm going to see if they have another one," Chrissy said.

Eddie hummed as he focused on his school work. She smiled. It was nice to see him actually trying this year. She gave the book to the front desk before moving down the aisle to find another copy. Chrissy was browsing the shelves when she felt a presence behind her. She didn't have to see him to know who it was. It was Billy. She felt him lean in and smell her.

"Hmm, I got a wiff of you the other day. My mom wore a similar perfume. . .hell, maybe it's the same perfume," Billy said.

Chrissy tried not to shudder, but she couldn't help it when she could feel his breath on her neck.

"I have a boyfriend, and I'm very happy with him," Chrissy said.

"Yeah, I've seen your boyfriend. . . Munson, right? Watched him at the Hideout last night. You wouldn't have seen me, too busy soaking your panties at the sight of him. They're good. . .no Motley Crue, though," Billy said.

"It's because they're better than them," Chrissy said.

That had been a stupid mistake on her part. Billy pressed himself up against her, trapping her between him and the bookshelf. He pushed her hair back and she let out a whimper at his unwelcome touch.

"You think your freak of a boyfriend is good. . .I can be better in every way possible. I'll have you screaming," Billy said, his lip next to her ear.

"Let me go," Chrissy said.

"Why? I'm enjoying myself," Billy said. "I've seen you walking in the hallway. . .that smile of yours. . . Reminds me of my mother. . .she had a smile that could light up the room."

"I'm guessing she's not around to see what a disappointment her son turned out to be," Chrissy said.

That was really stupid. Billy grabbed the back of her head, pulled on her hair, and pressed her face into the books.

"I could make it a really good experience or a really bad one. Take your pick," Bikky hissed in her ear.

"I think it was really stupid for you to mess with me," she said.

She didn't want to do this, but it was hard to control it once her defenses were up. She could feel it growing inside of her, and the lights started to flicker. She used her powers to push him away from her and into the other shelves. Chrissy turned around and went to leave when he grabbed her by the throat, holding her against the shelves as the blood trickled from her nose.

"So, the rumors are true. You are a witch," Billy glared at her. "What else can you do. . .witch?"

"Let her go," a voice called out.

Chrissy managed to turn her head and looked to see Jason standing at the end of the aisle.

"Jason Carver, the snitch. How's it going for you, ball boy?" Billy asked.

"Better than you if you don't get your fucking hands off her," Jason glared at her.

"Hm, does the witch have more than one dog on her leash?" Billy taunted. "Does he know about your little trick? Come on, Cunningham, show us."

"It's Henderson," she croaked.

Jason growled and threw himself at Billy. He ended up knocking both of them to the ground. Billy growled and kicked him off of him. He was about to hit Jason when the librarian came down the aisle.

"What is going on here?" She asked.

Billy smirked and looked down at Chrissy, who was sprawled on the floor.

"Oh, Chrissy here tripped and accidentally fell into us. We were just about to help her up, weren't we?" He asked.

He gave her a warning look. Fuck. He knew about her powers, but it's not like anyone would believe him, right? She couldn't take the risk.

"Yeah, I tripped. I'm so embarrassed," Chrissy said as she blinked away tears. "I'm such a klutz."

"Well, accidents happen," the librarian said.

Chrissy stood with the help of Jason and Billy. His hand wrapped around her arm, and it startled her how well he could make it look like he cared. The grip on her arm said otherwise. When the librarian left, Billy dropped the facade but still held onto her tightly. Jason glared at him. Billy laughed, dropped her arm, and walked away. Jason pulled a napkin out of his pocket and handed it to her. She quickly started wiping away the blood.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked.

"I will be," Chrissy said.

"I'm sorry, you know, if I ever scared you like that," Jason said softly.

"You were never that bad," Chrissy said.

"Yes, I was," Jason scoffed. "I'll see you around. I'm going to make sure he doesn't bother you again."

"You don't have to do that," Chrissy said.

"Yes, I do," Jason said and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

Chrissy watched him for a moment, wondering if he really had changed or if he was faking it like Billy just had. No, no, Jason had changed. He was changing. She went back to the table to find Steve and Nancy sitting back down, but Eddie was gone. Nancy was frowning, and Steve looked at her, worried.

"W-where's Eddie?" Chrissy asked, realizing now that was shaking.

"Uh, he's in the bathroom. Chrissy, what's wrong? You're pale and shaking," Nancy said.

"Uh, Billy, he, uh, followed me to the bookshelves. He came up behind me - I don't know what he wanted - well, I can guess. I reminded him of his mother, which is so creepy, and then he pressed me up against the bookshelves, and I couldn't - I couldn't get away, so I had to push him away with, you know so he knows. Jason also stopped him, but he didn't see what I did," Chrissy said, and that's when the tears came.

Nancy and Steve jumped up from the table to hug her.

"I'm going to fucking kill him," Steve said furiously.

"Get in line," Nancy said.

"It's nice when couples find things to do together," Chrissy mumbled, causing them both to laugh. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry about him saying anything. There's been a rumor going around since last year that you were a witch. If he does say anything, no one is going to believe him," Steve said.

"And we'll be around you 24/7," Nancy said.

"We all have different classes," Chrissy frowned as she pulled away.

"We'll figure it out," Nancy said.

"Are you sure you want to go tonight?" Eddie asked.

The four of them were getting ready in Nancy's room. Eddie nearly had a heart attack when he came back from the bathroom earlier and found out that Hargrove had hurt her. Neither Chrissy nor Eddie wanted to let go of each other after that. Nancy nearly had to pry them apart with a crowbar. Steve was working on slicking Eddie's hair back while Nancy worked on putting Chrissy's into a perfect ponytail.

"Yes! I want to party with my friends. . .with my boyfriend. I am not going to let some Tommy Lee wannabe asshole try and ruin that!" Chrissy exclaimed.

"That's the spirit, Chris," Steve said.

"God, have I told you lately how much I love you?" Eddie asked.

"All the time, but it's nice to hear," Chrissy grinned.

"My witch," Eddie cooed.

"My freak," Chrissy cooed back. "Lip hug!"

She leaned over and kissed him. Eddie giggled into the kiss.

"Oh my god! Just call it a kiss like a normal person!" Steve exclaimed, but he was smiling.

"You guys need to stop being so cute," Nancy said.

Robin burst into the room with her hands over her eyes.

"Is everyone decent?" Robin asked.

"Well, if you're talking about personality. . .no. If you're talking about clothing. . .also, no," Eddie said.

Robin sighed and took her hands off her eyes before flipping him off. Eddie laughed with Steve while Chrissy rolled her eyes with Nancy as they both tried not to laugh.

"I think it's pointless to ask you to knock on my door, isn't it?" Nancy asked her sister dryly.

"You're learning!" Robin grinned.

"Are you dressed up? I thought you weren't going to the party?" Nancy asked.

"Well, I figured since I had the Mickey Mouse shirt and the leather jacket, I figured I would go as Two Bit," Robin said.

"Oh, man, Ronnie would lose it if she was here. She loves the Outsiders. The book and the movie," Eddie said.

"Yeah, I know, that's why I was hoping someone would take a picture of me so I could send it to her," Robin said as she held up the Polaroid.

"I'll do it, lean against the door," Nancy said.

Robin leaned against the door frame. She took one where Robin was looking off in the distance, one where she was smiling at the camera, and then one where she blew kisses at the Polaroid. There was a fourth and last one where Eddie jumped into it, hugging Robin tightly as she rolled her eyes.

"Are you guys Sandy and Danny from Grease?" Robin asked Eddie, then turned to Chrissy. "You're not going to wear the leather get up from the end of the movie?"

"Yeah, no, Eddie hated that they did that. He wishes there was another scene where Sandy changed back at the end," Chrissy said. "But other than that, he loved the movie. I think he really just loves the songs, though, and he thinks John Travolta is hot."

"I do not think he's hot," Eddie blushed. "You know who I think is hot - ,"

"You're going to say Ozzy, which is true, but also, you think John Travolta is hot," Chrissy giggled.

"Fine! He's hot! Jesus H Christ!" Eddie said throwing up his hands.

"I'm guessing he doesn't like the makeover Ally Sheedy got in the Breakfast Club?" Robin asked.

"Nope!" Chrissy exclaimed.

"She was gorgeous before!" Eddie exclaimed, slamming his hands on Nancy's dresser. "Like I get changing a little bit but to do a complete turnaround! She was beautiful because she was wearing what she liked and her energy exuded that."

"He also thought Emilio Estevez was hot," Chrissy grinned.

"Chrissy! Stop telling everyone who I think is hot!" Eddie exclaimed. "Thank God, Jeff and Gareth decided not to go. I'd never hear the end of it."

"Molly Ringwald was pretty cute in that movie too," Robin said.

"She was," Chrissy agreed. "Everyone in that film was very attractive. Especially Bender."

"What about the principal?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. There's something about him that makes me want him to manhandle me a little," Eddie grinned.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Munson?" Steve laughed.

"Oh, so many things, big boy," Eddie said.

Once they went downstairs, Karen couldn't help but steal them for some pictures. Mike laughed at them on his way out the door with Dustin. Robin and Nancy willing indulged their mother, laughing as they gave it a little model flare.

"And Robin, what are you going to do if someone says something mean?" Ted asked.

"Make them wish their parents had used a condom," Robin said.

Karen turned to give her daughter a disapproving look.

"No, that's not what I was going to say. I was going to say walk away and ignore them," Ted said and winked at Robin.

"I saw that in the mirror, Ted!" Karen exclaimed.

"You saw what?"

"Ted!"

"Karen!"

Nancy shared a look with Robin as they watched their mother try not to laugh.

"Go on, kids," Karen said, rolling her eyes. "Have fun."

"Not too much fun. Robin, I sincerely hope that I don't have to report anything back to Ronnie," Ted said.

"It's weird that you talk so much with my girlfriend, Daddy-o," Robin said.

"Hey, it's not that much, and she left before I could give her the shovel talk," Ted said.

"Wait, he actually does that?" Eddie asked.

"Oh, yeah, it's hilarious," Steve said. "He sits you down to talk to you with an actual shovel, then he asks you if this is how the shovel talk is supposed to go."

"Yeah, I can totally see Ted doing some shit like that while holding a shovel," Eddie laughed.

"Oh, no. He gave me the shovel to hold," Steve said.

"You're hilarious, Ted!" Eddie hollered as Nancy and Chrissy pushed him out the door.

"Please, come again and convince my wife!" Ted yelled out the door.

"Ted!" Karen exclaimed, and then they heard her laughing.

When they arrived at the party, it was in full swing. Argyle and Jonathan met them outside, them being the first to arrive. True their word, they arrived in their normal attire. Argyle had hugged Chrissy tightly on sight, and she melted into his arms immediately. Argyle was a pretty mellow man, but she hasn't had the opportunity yet to see if he had a dark side or not. Jonathan claimed Argyle had cursed Billy out when they heard about the incident. . .or did he say he placed a curse on Billy? Chrissy just wanted to forget him, honestly, but of course, the universe had other plans. As soon as they walked into the house, they ran into the man immediately. Nancy automatically stood in front of Chrissy, glaring at Billy. Robin moved to stand next to her sister while Eddie wrapped his arm around her. Jonathan and Argyle stood next to her. Chrissy was surprised to see Tommy Hagan with Billy. Not even Tommy Hayes wanted to hang around Billy.

"You've got yourself a little army. . . Witch," Billy said, his eyes glinting.

"I prefer to call them friends. . .do you know that word? They're people who want to be around you without fearing for their life," Chrissy said.

"Very brave of you. . .how brave are you without your friends to protect you?" He taunted. "Without those special little tricks of yours? Hmm, does your boyfriend know about those? Judging by the look on his face, I'm guessing not. I know something about your girlfriend that you don't know, Munson."

"You're not going to find that out," Steve said coldly. "Fuck off."

Billy laughed and disappeared into the crowd with Hagan. Chrissy glared at his retreating back before pulling Eddie onto the dance floor. He spun her around, letting her long skirt flare out the way she liked it to be. He pulled her back and spun her right into his arms. He flashed his dimples when she giggled at him before pressing a harsh kiss to his lips.

"I know you're probably wondering what that was about. . .," Chrissy said as she pulled back. "With the tricks and all. . ."

"You ready to tell me about it?" Eddie asked.

"Well, no," Chrissy frowned.

"Then don't tell me," Eddie said. "You were patient with me, so I'm going to do the same. I'm curious as hell, but you're worth the wait."

"I fucking love you," Chrissy said with a gleeful smile. "Let's sneak into the bathroom and have sex!"

"I'm not having sex with you for the first time in a bathroom," Eddie chuckled.

"Fine," she pouted.

She couldn't help but smile when Eddie spun her around again. She giggled when he tried to let her do the same, but their height differences made it awkward. Chrissy rolled her eyes and spun him around without having to spin him under her arm. She ended up inadvertently spinning him into Steve, who caught him. She cackled when Eddie started to dance with him. Steve looked surprised for a moment before going with it and swinging him around wildly. Chrissy pulled a giggling Nancy to her and started dancing with her as well. She happily forgot about their problems for a moment, they could deal with them later but right now all she wanted to do was live in the moment with her friends. She spotted Robin being spun between Jonathan and Argyle. Robin was laughing so hard that Chrissy couldn't help but lean her head back and laugh as well.

"Eddie! Hands!" She heard Steve yell.

"Oops! Sorry, Steve! Sorry, Chrissy! My hands, they slipped."

Luckily, it was dark, and everyone else was too busy enjoying themselves to pay attention. Eventually, though, they returned their partners to the right person, and Chrissy found herself dancing with Eddie again. Chrissy twirled around when someone bumped into her with their drink, spilling it all over her. Chrissy groaned before pulling Eddie with her to the bathroom. Once they were there, Chrissy closed the door and pulled her cardigan off.

"Aw, it bled all the way through," Chrissy pouted. "Oh, well, while we're in here. . ."

Chrissy pressed him up against the door and captured her lips with his, her body filling with euphoria. Eddie grinned and cupped her face as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back and looked at her mischievously.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Eddie asked.

"If only. . ." Chrissy trailed off.

She kissed him again, her hands pressing against his stomach before moving up to his chest. She smirked as she slid her tongue into his mouth. To her delight, he moaned and cupped the back of her head, tugging her ponytail. This time, it was her turn to make a sound, and she hummed with pleasure. She slid her leg in between his and raised it so her knee was pressing against his crotch. Eddie growled and pulled back, yanking her ponytail back gently. His touch was very much wanted.

"Chrissy. . .we both agreed," Eddie said. "And after today, I don't think either one of us is ready. . .I mean, are you?"

"Well, no, and honestly, I do want to do it in a bed," Chrissy said. "God, I just look at you, and I want to devour you whole. . .it's scary sometimes."

"Yeah, and sometimes I want to crawl inside your skin. We're both freaks," Eddie said, and Chrissy giggled. "I think you need to cool down, though."

Chrissy squealed when he picked her up and carried her into the shower, closing the curtain.

"Edward Wayne, if you even think about turning on that water. . ." Chrissy warned.

"Relax, Christine Elizabeth, I would never," Eddie gasped. "Or would I?"

He jokingly reached for the knob and she slapped his chest, laughing. He froze and put his hand on her mouth when two people entered the bathroom. Eddie's eyes widened when they both realized it was Steve and Nancy. It sounded like Nancy had an accident herself. It also sounded like she was quite drunk. How long had Chrissy been kissing Eddie? Oh God, they should really leave. . .because it sounded like Nancy was going to say something that she didn't mean. It was too late, though. . .Fuck.

"Like we're in love?" Steve asked. "You don't love me?"

"It's bullshit."

Chrissy's heart broke for the both of them, and she could tell it hit Eddie, too. She knew that Nancy didn't mean it, but just because she was drunk doesn't make the words hurt any less. She wasn't sure how she would be able to handle it if Eddie told her it was their fault his best friend died. It would kill her, and it sounded like it was killing Steve. Tears welled up in her eyes along with Eddie's as they heard Steve storm out of the bathroom. A minute later, they heard Argyle and Jonathan coming in. Eddie and Chrissy immediately pulled back the curtain, causing a high pitch scream to spill out of Argyle.

"What - ?" He asked.

"Uh, Steve asked us to take Nancy home," Jonathan said in confusion.

"Eddie, quickly, go tend to Steve," Chrissy said. "We'll take Nancy back to my place."

Eddie didn't waste a second before running out of the room. Argyle picked Nancy up, and they left the party just as quickly as Eddie had. Luckily, when she got home, Claudia had been too distracted by whatever Dustin was showing her to notice Nancy being dragged in by Argyle. Although Chrissy was curious about how Dustin had managed to rig his Ghostbusters' costume up like that, she needed to take care of Nancy. Argyle set him on her bed, and he hovered by the bed with his boyfriend.

"It's okay, I've got this," Chrissy said softly.

"Are you sure?" Jonathan asked, looking at Nancy in concern.

"Yeah," she said. "Thank you."

"Anything for Nancy," Argyle said.

"Oh, I don't think Robin knew what happened. She just saw Steve run out. She followed him," Jonathan said.

"Oh, I completely forgot about Robin!" Chrissy gasped.

"It's alright, Lady Henderson, you had other things to worry about," Argyle said.

Chrissy hugged Argyle and then hugged Jonathan before shooing them out of her room. She grabbed some water and set it on the bedside table before closing her door. She took off Nancy's boots and then her clothes before cleaning her up. She put her pajamas on Nancy and then had her sit up to drink some water. Chrissy sat up on the bed to watch her for a while. Was it always going to be like this? Would they always be affected by what those assholes did? How could anyone have normal relationships? Steve and Nancy's situation was a little bit different, so much more complicated but just as awful.

She watched Nancy's eyes flutter close, and Chrissy laid down next to her. She wondered what was happening with Steve. Did Robin go with Steve to his house? Was Eddie there comforting him like she was doing for Nancy? Chrissy stroked Nancy's hair, and Nancy sighed. Robin would be there too, she thought. Chrissy's eyes started to close as she imagined Eddie and Robin hugging Steve on either side of him as they held him in bed, Steve sobbing into Eddie's chest. Chrissy shut her eyes tightly, hoping everything would be alright. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard Nancy gasp out a name.

"Steve. . ."

Chapter Eighteen

[inej-ruination-ghafa]

EIGHTEEN - E.M

Warnings: swear words, implications of sex, implications of drugs, mentions of having children, commitment

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!reader

Summary: Life with Eddie Munson as the twin sister of Nancy Wheeler, best friend of Chrissy Cunningham, colleagues to Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington and her role as the cheerleading freak.

Wordcount: 2.5k

Nobody ever saw you, Y/N Wheeler ever falling for someone like Eddie Munson

He was this freak who everyone seemed to fear and you were the perfect girl, following all the rules. 

You were on the cheerleading team and despite your dislike for most of them, you were friends with one.

Chrissy Cunningham.

Despite her dating the captain of the basketball team and being this scary mean girl to everyone else, they were all wrong. 

All she wanted was to live a peaceful life, she didn't even like cheerleading, her mum made her do it. 

You didn't like cheerleading all that much either but you weren't great at playing any instruments so you wanted to help out by being a cheerleader. 

You're also good friends with Robin - that's why you joined cheerleading, because she was in band - and when you weren't there you worked at the film store with her and Steve. 

Being part of the Wheeler family was tough because of the high expectations from your parents and the way people always looked at your family but the trauma was the hardest. 

Since you were close with your younger brother, you had gone through the whole upside down ordeal with him and the others. 

Some nights you'd wake up in a cold sweat, eyes wide as you looked around, reaching for one of the many guns you opened - this one happened to be hidden under your floorboard. 

You liked your twin sister and everything but you'd always clashed with ideas but despite all that you did care for her. 

The first time you noticed Eddie Munson was in the talent show when your best friend Chrissy had pointed out the band. 

She loved the heavy metal music that he was playing despite her parents' more neutral taste and they became slight friends. She never did fit in with the buzzed hair cut style of Eddie Munson and in high school the two stopped talking. 

The freak and the cheerleader would never work out. 

Then you remembered him as the boy who didn't graduate in 1984. 

And then 1985. 

So at that point you were in the same year as him despite him being a fully grown twenty year old man and you just an eighteen year old with no clue what you wanted to do in life. 

And God did you think he was hot. 

Like come on, the guy was ultra sexy to you and your best friend had realised this. Maybe it was the bad boy persona that drew you in but you were instantly attracted to him. 

Sure, he had seen you around and thought you were cute in your preppy skirts and flower white shirts that your friends joked made you look like a hippie but he never paid much attention to you. 

It was only when Mike joined that he began to notice you more. You would pick your brother and his friends up from the D&D club, making small talk with the boys as they'd pack up. 

You knocked on the door to the room, hearing a loud exclamation of annoyance as you opened the door.

The boys were huddled around a table and they looked up at you as you stood there, Eddie's eyes landing on yours.

"I'm here to pick up Mike, I am on time right?" You second guessed yourself before checking your watch and nodding, "It's nine o'clock now,"

"We're nearly finished Y/N, God, just wait a second," Mike said.

You sighed, leaning against the wall as the finished. When they were done, you ushered your brother out but not before taking one last look at Eddie.

And for a second Eddie would think that maybe you were cooler than he thought you would be. 

You weren't the preppy popular girl he had expected. You like Black Sabbath and had a dark sense of humour that matched perfectly with his. 

So yeah, maybe after that you caught his eye a lot more than before. 

He would never admit that you were the reason he would sneak into the back of the basketball games - because if anyone saw him there it would ruin his reputation - just because he wanted to see you. 

He would smile at you in the halls and occasionally help you if your locker got jammed - which it often did - and you assumed it was just because he was friends with your brother. 

It was around October of 1985, 3 months after the starcourt accident when you bumped into Eddie. 

You had been handing out flyers for the recent charity concert when some guy from the basketball team had knocked them out of your hands.

They weren't fond of you and despite being on the cheerleading squad and having guys gawk at you in your short dress you were still on the bottom of the proverbial totem pole. 

He had rushed over, helping you pick them up off of the ground as he cured the basketball players to hell. 

When he turned back to you your face was burning up, completely embarrassed that he had to help you. 

Your face had gone bright red as you scrambled on the floor for the paper. He had been so helpful and you couldn't help but blush as your fingers skimmed against his as you took the papers back.

"Thanks so much Eddie, gosh, I don't know what I would have done if you wouldn't have helped out," you said, pulling the papers against your chest as another gust of wind picked up, "What can I do to thank you,"

"Don't worry sweetheart, I don't mind helping," he said, flashing that toothy grin of his at you before he walked away.

You were giddy for the rest of the day, heart pounding as you realised the guy that you found to be the new Adonis had noticed you. 

And he was such a gentleman, nothing like they had said at school about him being a freak. 

You may not have approved of him selling drugs - since you came from a very conservative background - but you knew he seemed so nice and wouldn't force anything on you. 

So you made him cupcakes, driving all the way to the trailer park just to drop them off to him.

You knocked on the door, smiling as Wayne Munson opened it, "Hi, I'm a friend of Eddie's, I brought some stuff round for him," you said with a smile on your face.

The man smiled before turning around, "There's someone at the door for ya Ed," he called out and the boy walked by, a smile on his face as he saw you.

You held the tupperwere pot out to him and he smiled as he looked inside to see a row of cookies.

"You didn't have to sweetheart," he said and you blushed slightly at the nickname.

"Just wanted to thank you, nobody else would have stopped for me and I'd have been running around like a crazy person for hours," you chuckled.

You drove home all giddy, happy that his uncle had liked you and unsure how to feel about the rest of it. 

Your sister had seen the huge smile on your face that night, not mentioning that she knew about your secret rendezvous with Eddie Munson.  

You saw each other the next day at school and he thanked you for the cupcakes, bragging about how good they were. 

From then on it became a tradition for you to bring sweet treats to every single one of Eddie's campaigns. He loved them, thanking you every time with varying cute nicknames that would make you blush as you walked out. 

Mike would cringe, questioning as to when you and Eddie had become so close.

The boy would just smile and laugh it off, the image of you walking away in that shirt little cheerleader's dress still replaying in his mind. 

Your brother didn't like it when Eddie would ask about you just because you were his sweet older sister who never got into trouble. You didn't drink, you didn't smoke and he thought it seemed out of character. 

Eddie would find the chance to bring you up all the time, joking about how you should join the campaign or asking when you'd pick him up. 

The people you hang out with didn't like it either. They would laugh whenever Eddie would smile at you and every time he'd talk to you they would make jokes about him, making fun of his appearance or calling him a devil worshiper. 

You didn't believe any of that crap and knew it hurt him but he wouldn't let that show. 

You also knew that he didn't like you the way that you liked him and decided that being friends was good enough for you. 

There was also always the inkling that society wasn't going to accept the two of you if you ever decided to date and that was very off-putting. 

So when he first asked you on a date you just crumbled, heart melting.

He had been so nervous, probably having waited ages building up the courage to ask you. 

"So I was thinking, maybe, I could take you out to dinner tomorrow night, to celebrate your win," he said, referencing to the

He wasn't as cool about it as you thought and the nervous tone to his voice made you chuckle. You always did find him adorable.

"Sure, it's a date," you said, a grin on your face as you walked away, knowing his eyes were trained on the short cheerleading dress.

You went home and told your sister straight away, unable to keep the date a secret. 

She said that she always knew that he had feelings for you and that she could see it a mile away. 

You instantly planned an outfit, knowing that the next day you were going to be going to a cute local restaurant with Eddie. 

You knew he wasn't going to be able to afford keeping up that lifestyle of fancy restaurants but you liked the grand gesture (and didn't mind at all that he didn't come from as much wealth as you did)

The next day you were buzzing, your mum asking what was so important. 

You were hesitant to tell her but eventually you told her you had a date that night, not disclosing who it was with. 

Your mum was a cheerleader and your dad was on the football team so you knew they wouldn't approve of you not choosing some douche like Jason and instead choosing the local freak. 

That night you had waited at the end of your street, not wanting your parents to see him. 

He had picked you up, holding you a bouquet of slightly crumpled flowers but it was the sentiment that counted. 

You both laughed the whole night away, having the time of your lives and he asked you to be his girlfriend straight away. 

The next few months were amazing with Eddie. 

He was the most caring partner you could have ever asked for. He would invite you round for pizza, study with you (even if it would end with the two of you naked) and you'd call most nights. 

He had been your first everything - apart from kiss, your first kiss had been Patrick Mahoney in fourth grade - and you wouldn't have asked for anything else. 

You had never expected Eddie to be into cuddling but the first time that he held you in his arms as you lay on the sofa watching some awful movie he never wanted to leave your warm embrace. 

Robin and Steve constantly made fun of the two of you when you'd come into the video store together to get a film and he'd have his arm wrapped securely around your shoulders. 

The hardest part was telling your parents. 

When they began to wonder who this boy you were going on a date with, you decided to tell them the truth. 

Your mother wasn't too bothered, she didn't mind him but understood that he made you happier than ever before. 

Your father was furious. He wanted you to be with someone who could provide for you and make sure that you had the life that you deserved and he didn't think that was with Eddie. 

So when you invited him round for dinner with your parents it was awkward to say the least.

He already knew Mike and Nancy so that was fine and he got on with Holly so well that you were considering having a baby with him on the spot. 

The instant that he met her they just bonded, the six year old asking questions about his clothes and he'd answer to the best of his ability, crouching down to her height as she giggled at some stupid joke that she had made. 

You knew he fit into the family instantly.  

Your dad was the hardest hurdle to overcome as he kept asking Eddie questions and when Mike accidentally blurted out the idea that Eddie had taken your virginity, he was fuming. 

But Eddie had stood his ground, earning the respect of your father and the two became close over their love for American football - even though you were sure Eddie had never seen it before you knew his uncle was a fan. 

He fit in well with your best friend Robin and although Steve had some animosity with him, he warmed up to him eventually with their mutual love of certain films. 

Then your friends found out. Apparently someone had bought from Reefer Rick and he'd spilt the beans.

So the next day at school you walked in and when your friends ushered you over the first thing they asked was if you'd been fucking Eddie. 

And you just wanted to cry because it was a cold January day and yeah, you had spent time with him last night but there was no reason for them to know about it. 

They weren't your friends anyway, they were just people you were associated with. You had never fit in and the only person that ever made an effort to talk to you was Chrissy who obviously knew about you and Eddie. 

She stuck up for you but the rest didn't buy it, instantly jumping on the bandwagon that you would associate with what Jason called 'a devil worshiper'

But you managed to brush it off until you had to go to Eddie's that night for pizza and a movie and you just crumbled.

You sobbed in his arms as you explained everything that had happened that day and he had comforted you, promising that they didn't know what they were talking about. 

As soon as you fell in his arms you collapsed, "A-and they called you a freak and, God, they, they hate me Ed," you sobbed, holding onto his hellfire club shirt as you cried.

He comforted you, hand on your back as he shooshed you and held you until you calmed down.

"It doesn't matter what rhey think of you okay, I know you're amazing and your family love you and that's all that matters," he explained, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You'd had a tough day after waking up from a nightmare that you couldn't explain to Billy and then having to he bullied about the people you chose to love.

To everyone else in school he had this hard exterior but to you he was so affectionate. Sure, you didn't advertise your relationship in school but he would go out of his way to talk to you. He would stand by your locker and chat or cheer you on whenever you needed it and you would bring him your traditional sweet treats to the D&D campaigns. 

On the note of sweet treats, one thing you never expected Eddie to be able to do is cook. He couldn't bake for the life of him but he made simple meals take the best. 

One time he made you pasta and you could have just died there. His ego was overly inflated after that and he was sure he was going to be the best chef in the world. 

Eddie would go out of his way to make sure you had everything you wanted. He wasn't into PDA but if he even saw one of the boys - or the girls - look at you the wrong way he wouldn't hesitate to kiss you up against the lockers like some horny frat boy. 

He wants to be protective over you and even though he will, he'd rather run away with you then face whatever the problem was. He didn't like conflict and would rather cower with you in his arms. 

It was a trait that you did admire. He was loyal and sure of what he wanted and sure, he got scared sometimes but everyone does. 

He was so sure of his relationship with you that he got the two of you matching silver rings like promise rings that signified the bond between you and to say that you didn't cry at all when he gave it to you would be a lie.

By the time of season 4 the two of you had been in a healthy relationship for around five months. 

He sat through the pep rally that morning reluctantly seeing as it was mandatory. He really just wanted to see you. He supported everything that you did, just not the people that you did it with. 

He didn't come to the game and you didn't expect him to, although you had promised him that the next night you'd come over in the uniform that he loved so much.  

You brought him snacks before his campaign and he explained that he was dealing that night so you reluctantly let him go before leaving for your game. 

But not before a good luck kiss against the wall as he pinned you in, one hand on the wall beside your head and the on your waist. 

It took Mike pulling you two apart for you to finally get to the cheerleading game. 

They won and the next morning you woke up to calls from Dustin who said that it was 'an emergency' 

That was when your whole life changed, and definitely not for the better. 

A/N - so I was thinking about making this into a series that starts with season 4 so this is sort of a prequel. Would anyone read that?

Series masterlist

[jeysbvck]

freedom (is standing next to you) - chapter 6.

author note: once again, credit to @rishlurh for my header & banner! hope you all enjoy this chapter, please let me know if you do, i'm not 100% convinced i should continue! and again, PLEASE REBLOG.

word count: 2.9k

warnings: one mention of rape, main characters injured, violence. im not sure if ive forgotten anything so pls let me know if i have!

taglist (if you wanna be added/removed, just let me know!): @tinalbion @maplefire18 @honeyglee @mercurial-make-em-ups @valeriiecameron @azaleaforsure @stylesxmunson

summary: an attack on the ship interrupts you & eddie, and everything makes you re-examine your feelings.

If seven months ago, someone had told you'd be standing in Captain Eddie Munsons quarters, you'd have called them insane. There were a surprising number of lanterns dotted around the place, and between those and the sheer amount of trinkets he had, the place had a glow about it. This was by far more trinkets than Robin had, and you couldn't help but smile as you thought about the two of them having a competition of who could collect the most. There were paintings on the wall, some were in frames, and so beautiful, they looked like they should be hung up in a museum, whereas some looked like they'd been done by an amateur. They weren't bad, however, the artist had done them had an incredible talent, and the fact Eddie had them on the walls told you that they meant a great deal to Eddie. You walked towards a cabinet full of weapons, some guns you recognised from Nancy's books, but it was the swords that intrigued you. One was silver, with random carvings etched into the black hilt, while another was all black, with a single ruby in the middle of the hilt. You ran your finger over one of the daggers carefully as you walked towards another shelf of trinkets, making a mental note to check out the bookcase that caught you eye from the other side of the room.

You were immediately drawn to a small, round silver box that seemed to shine brighter than the things around it. It was beautiful, with pale blue ornate markings that almost looked like jewels when the light hit it. It was heavier than you anticipated, and when you opened it, the gentle lullaby instantly transported you to being a little girl again, lying in bed in your mother's arms as she showed you her own music box, one different from this, but with the same melody. One that had been lost long ago.

"A drink for the lady." Eddie said. You turned on your heels and closed the box, the music stopping abruptly. You took the drink from Eddie's outstretched hand and put the music box back where you'd found it. "What do you think?"

"Of what?" You asked, and Eddie rolled his eyes as he gestured around the room. You followed his hand, and almost choked on the rum you were drinking when you saw the large, four poster bed. Eddie smirked, his eyes glued to you as you tried to drink away the thoughts of Eddie in the bed.

"Is the Captain's quarters everything you thought it would be?" He asked. There was something in his voice, something you couldn't quite put your finger on, but you didn't like it all the same.

"Eddie, I've literally never thought about this room before."

"Yeah? You sure about that?" Eddie arched his eyebrow, the corner of his lip arching ever so slightly, but just as smugly. Okay, sure, maybe you'd thought about what goes on behind these doors, especially when Eddie and Steve stayed locked in here for days, and there might have been a couple of sleepless nights when your thoughts drifted to Eddie being in bed, and if he was thinking about you. But you'd never tell him about those rare happenings.

"Yeah, Eddie, I'm sure." You said firmly, refusing to break eye contact. Eddie chuckled under his breath and sat down on his bed. He patted the empty space next to him, but not before pointing to the bottle of rum next to you. You rolled your eyes as you grabbed it and sat next to Eddie, handing off the bottle as you did. Although you were gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, you could tell it was as comfortable as it looked and you mentally cursed yourself as your brain conjured up another image of Eddie in bed.

Never really one for small talk, Eddie jumped right into it. "What's going on, Princess? And let's not waste time with you pretending everything's fine. You've banished yourself from the cabin, has something happened?"

"No, nothing's happened. It's just been a strange few days. Nancy and Robin have been on my case for weeks about...something, and nothing I say can persuade them that they're wrong, and then today, I walked in on- wait, do you know?"

"Do I know...what? Oh, about Robin and Nancy?"

You gasped and pointed your finger at him, "So Robin did tell you! How long have you known? I can't believe she told you and Nancy didn't te-"

"Whoa Princess, Robin hasn't told me anything, I mean, it's pretty obvious though, it's written all over their faces!" Eddie laughed. "So wait, what did you walk into?"

"They were kissing!"

"And that's why you banished yourself from the cabin?"

"Yeah, kinda." You sighed, as Eddie filled your glass up again.

"Wow, didn't take you for that kinda person." Eddie replied and your eyes widened. "What? No, Eddie," You sighed and rubbed your forehead. "I don't care that they're both women, and it's, whatever, that Nancy didn't tell me. It's just, Robin made a comment about not being able to...spend time together, because there's three of us, and it hit a sore spot, so I thought I'd give them space." You explained.

"So that explains the self-banishing, but what about the other thing? You were so jumpy, it was like you weren't present."

You chuckled slightly and shook your head. "Now that, really was nothing, it was just me being slightly too lost in my thoughts." You really didn't want to talk about it, but one look at Eddie confirmed he was never going to drop it.

"Come on, we're friends. Talk to me." Eddie insisted, and you resisted the urge to roll your eyes. There was that word again, friends. It felt like he was really pushing the friend rhetoric, and it was weird. Had Robin said something, to Eddie, or to Steve, who'd told Eddie? She wouldn't go that far, right?

"Eddie," You whined. Before you could say anything else though, Eddie cut you off.

"Before you decline, just remember, I'm the Captain, and I can, and will, annoy you to death before I give up."

"Wow, what a power trip." You replied. "Alright, fine, Captain, but only because you're really annoying." You held out your glass and Eddie obliged, filling it to the brim. You finished half the glass in one drink, then looked down at sloshing brown liquid.

"I'm scared, okay? I'm scared I killed my father."

Eddie was silent for a moment, but it felt like forever. He places his glass on the crate next to his bed and was clearly choosing his words carefully. "When did you kill your father? I thought you left in the middle of the night?"

"No, not by my hands. But, Eddie, what if my actions killed him? What if running away, getting on this ship, what if I killed him? Why didn't I just stay?"

Eddie's expression softened at the sight of you spiralling. Speaking it out loud didn't help the weight that was crushing you and it didn't silence that voice in your head. All it did was make you seem crazy, because it was crazy. You knew it was. Eddie replaced the glass you were holding with his hand, and squeezed your hand as hard as he could three times, which brought your focus back to him.

"You know why you didn't stay." Eddie said, softly. "It wasn't what you wanted and it wasn't what your mother wanted either. Your father let his grief consume him, and it made him forget what- and who- was important. You just did what you had to do. Look, your dad could be alive and well, but if he isn't, that's on him. You didn't kill him."

Every time you interacted with Eddie, he surprised you, and this was no different. He didn't really show this side of him around the crew, which made sense, being the Captain, and you couldn't help but wonder if he was like this around anyone else, or if it was just you. "I know that, up here." You replied, tapping your temple with your finger. "But in here," you add, placing your hand on your chest, "I don't know, it feels...like my head is lying to me. And shouldn't you always go with your heart, not your head?"

"Not when your heart is a lying jackass. No offence." He said with a grin and you smiled in spite of yourself. "I know it feels like, if you lose your father, you lose the last thread of your family, but that's not true."

"It's not? Because it sure feels like it is."

"No! Because you can make your own family. Family doesn't always mean related by blood. It's who you'd fight for, who you'd do anything to protect, who you'd die for."

"Thanks Eddie, truly. I know it's stupid, but I guess when you don't tell anyone, things can manifest."

"You haven't spoken to Nancy about this? Well, I feel honored." Eddie lifted up your chin and grinned. "I'm here for you, okay?"

You nodded, unable to look away from Eddie, just as he couldnt from you. His eyes darted to your lips, and your chest tightened. A loud crash came from above, making you look up. "Should we be worried?" You whispered, but Eddie shook his head.

"They're idiots, they've probably just dropped something." He whispered, tracing your jawline with his finger before cupping your cheek. He leaned in ever so slightly, giving you the option of pulling away. You were frozen to the spot, the way Eddie was softly stroking your cheek was intoxicating, unable to remove yourself from the trance that his touch had put you under. But once again, the universe had other plans.

There was another loud crash, only this time, it was from the door to Eddie's quarters, and there stood Steve, gasping for breath. "Cap, you gotta come, it's- we're under attack!"

Eddie jumped up and raced to his weapon cabinet. He grabbed his gun, a dagger and a sword, while Steve was shouting details at him.

"Is it the Royals?" Eddie asked, and Steve shook his head.

"I don't think so, but it could be. It's chaos up there, hurry!"

You attempted to follow Steve, but Eddie pulled you back. "You're staying here." He said, his tone had shifted back to Pirate Captain, but you shook your head. "You cannot come up there! Best case scenario, it's the Royals. Worst case is it's more pirates, and they will rape you before they give you up for the bounty!"

Nausea took over your body, but you stood firm. "Nancy's up there, Eddie! I can't stay here while she's up there!" You yelled. Eddie grabbed your face in his hands, and forced you to look into his eyes.

"I swear to you, I will protect Nancy. I won't let anything happen to her. But you, you gotta stay down here, please."

You groaned and pulled yourself from Eddie's grip, but nodded in defeat. The fact you had to sit down here and wait, well you hated it. You knew there wasn't really much you could do up there; apart from being in the way and being a huge liability, but with Nancy up there, you didn't care about yourself at all. You just wanted her to be safe. "I promise, okay?" Eddie said, and you nodded, reluctantly. He brought your hand up to his face and placed his lips against your knuckles, before he tilted his head to a door that you hadn't noticed before. "It's a closet, if you hear anything outside that door, get in there as fast as you can." And with one last look, Eddie followed Steve out to the war zone above.

You weren't sure how long you were sitting on the floor; hugging your knees, just waiting, listening to the sounds of death coming from above. You had no idea if anyone on the crew was okay, or what was even happening. But then, a loud bang against Eddie's door echoed, then shouting, followed by more banging. You looked to the closet, but you were too far away, so you opted for the closest thing. You crawled underneath the bed and held your hand against your mouth as the door splintered open seconds later. You watched feet wander around the room and trinkets get thrown to the floor, and your hand got tighter against your mouth.

Your heart almost gave out as you let out the loudest scream possible as someone grabbed your ankle and pulled you out from under the bed. You kicked out with your free foot, and a second attacker pulled you up by your hair. "Shut up, bitch!" He hissed. You fought as much as you could, managing to claw at his face. He let go of you and you raced to the weapons cabinet and swiped a dagger off it, before being punched in the face and thrown against the wall.

"Look what the Captain's been hiding away." The pirate sneered. "I could still get a pretty penny after I've finished with you, even with that black eye." His finger ran down your cheek, but it made your skin crawl, it didn't feel anything like when Eddie did it. "I'm going to enjoy my time with y-"

You pulled the dagger out of his abdomen and he fell against you as the light left his eyes. You pushed the lifeless body to the floor and stumbled towards the closet. Before you could get there, a defeaning Pop! echoed out, and you hit the floor.

You rolled over onto your back, unable to hear anything but the sound of ringing in your ears. As the attacker stalked towards you, you scrambled backwards, still gripping the dagger, and pain excruciating from your shoulder, but you pushed through it. When the attacker leaned down to grab you, you sliced his arm as hard as you could.

"Bitch!" He spat, and as he picked you up off the floor, you punctured his neck with the dagger. He staggered back and grabbed at his neck, and you let out an agonising scream when your shoulder broke your fall.

You watched, terrified, as your attacker stumbled around, spluttering up blood. When he clattered to the wooden floor, it fell silent, and let out an anguished sob as you lay on the floor. You reached up to your shoulder and looked at your hand, blood seeping through your fingers, and you frowned, confused, as a sheet of black began to drape over you, but Nancy's voice made your eyes snap open.

"Oh my God, Robin, come help me!" She yelled, and your two friends hovered over you. Nancy cradled your head and she moved some hair from your face. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. "Are you okay?!" Robin asked for her.

"I think so." You said, breathlessly. "Are you okay?" Robin nodded, and you looked back to Nancy. "Nance, are you okay?"

Nancy nodded, but tears threatened to escape her eyes. "Nance? Are you hurt?" She shook her head. "It's not me, it's-"

Nancy stopped talking as Jonathan and Steve came bundling into the room, shouting and carrying an unconscious Eddie. "Steve! Get him on the bed!" Jonathan yelled and tried to sit up, letting out a sharp hiss as you caught your shoulder.

"What? Is he okay?" You asked, your voice panicked and high. Nancy and Robin both helped you up, and you rushed to Eddie's side, Robin helping you into the chair she had dragged across the room for you. His face looked so peaceful, but when you looked at the injuries, a sob got caught in your throat. Blood had dried and stained his white shirt, and you were pretty sure that was a bullet hole in his shoulder. "What happened?!"

"He, uh- I don't-" Steve was a wreck, standing on the other side of his Captain, just staring down at him. Jonathan and Nancy had taken charge, Nancy was already ripping your shirt, and was about to use alcohol to clean your own shoulder wound, while Jonathan was ransacking the room

"He saved Nancy's life." Robin muttered. "He practically jumped in front of the bullet."

Your eyes left Eddie and shot up to Steve, wide and teary, but Steve firmly shook his head. "No, don't even think that."

"Steve." You said, while Nancy and Robin both asked at the same time, "What's going on?"

Steve walked around the bed and crouched down in front of you. "He's the Captain, even if he hadn't promised you, he'd have still done it. He'd have taken that bullet for any one of us on this ship."

You knew Steve was right, and you nodded. You reached out and took his hand, and gave it a tight squeeze before letting go and taking Eddie's limp hand. Jonathan cut Eddie's shirt off, as he and Steve cleaned the wound. Everyone was silent while Nancy cleaned yours, and you pulled your fingers gently through Eddie's curls as you begged him quietly to come back to you.

"Come on, you need to rest." Nancy urged you once your own wound was cleaned and wrapped, and you shook your head. "Please, just a few hours. He's still going to be here in the morning." But still, you shook your head. You weren't going anywhere, not until he was awake, no matter how long it took.

[greatunironic]

20 questions for fic writers

approximately twenty years late for these twenty questions, but i'm here now so that counts rights? thank you to @aidaronan for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 40

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 711,322

3. What fandoms do you write for? currently stranger things, but i've got star wars (prequels + rebels) w.i.p.s in the google docs that i'd still love to see the light of day

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? steddie overtook my oldest fics, so most remarkable thing is my number one, with two other fics in the same universe behind it (frozen with joy and the world throws its light), followed by all the missing girls and brutalist masterpieces

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i try to respond to all of them because i'm trying to be more outgoing in fandom spaces; i also feel very humbled + touched by the response to my steddie stories so i try to stay engaged there when i can

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't think anything is particularly angsty from stranger things -- i try to lean into optimism and hopeful endings when i can, even if something tragic happens with the story; so i would have to say the untitled companion kallus au out of rebels fandom, since part two ends on a bit of a downer.

(though various stories out of the eating in the underworld series probably qualify, especially when you're reading them chronologically...)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i like to think the whole of most remarkable thing, and other b-sides and rarities as the happiest, i would say? mainly because the idea of steve + eddie, alive in 2023 and thriving with their family, careers, and marriage is very dear to me.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not really

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? yes; allow me to be pretentious and say that it's typically serving a plot purpose, and often tender, sometimes silly, sometimes spicy

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? i like a good fusion, mainly; i think the only crossover i've written + published is an ancient avengers and battlestar galactica fic

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes! remarkable has french + spanish translations, and crozen with joy also has a french translation

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? no; i'm a solitary creature by nature, and also anxious to a fault so i've never felt it was something i'd be able to do + do right by my co-author.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? i love steddie but i gotta be honest here on tumblr dot com: kalluzeb

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i pray every day that i'll finish all my wips; but my greatest fear is that i'll never conclude the star wars f+f au, even though the google doc is halfway written

16. What are your writing strengths? once again imma be a little pretentious and say crafting the story itself; i think i'm a really solid plotter + have good outlines that allow me to tell the story i want to tell

17. What are your writing weaknesses? probably being too wordy, and having a hard time trimming + cutting things; i have a whole google doc devoted to passages i've loved that i've excised from stories but just couldn't get rid of entirely -- i'm definitely a director's cut bitch

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i've encorporated mando'a into a handful of star wars stories, and used a few russian terms of endearment for at me too someone is looking (rebels) -- so i think if it serves a purpose to the story, you gotta do it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? star trek, i think?? maybe stargate: sg1??

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? i love all of my children equally but differently, but gun to my head? dogfish or the other hand knocking, because both were so interesting + challenging to write in very different ways

not tagging anyone because i'm so late to the game, but if you wanna play just say i called your name!!

[aringofsalt]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @runninriot, thank you lovely 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

9

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

36,552

3. What fandoms do you write for?

actively, only stranger things; i have one mcu fic and one teen wolf fic from almost a decade ago good lord

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

those hands pulled me from the earth (st, steddie, e))

thinking what you'd do to me tonight (st, steddie, e)

a white blank page (st, steddie, t)

all we do is drive (st, steddie, t)

my kind of marathon (mcu, sam/steve, g)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to!! Sometimes not right away, but I always try to get to them eventually.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I really do not do angst lmao I don't think any of them are even remotely angsty at the end tbh, I am too much of a sucker for a happy ending and making my blorbos happy

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, they are basically all happy!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven't yet!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I doooo. All in the one series so far, for reasons wretched and divine, which is dom steve and newbie sub eddie 🥰

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have been working on a Supernatural-inspired hunters au fic for a while, but I haven't decided yet whether to make it a full crossover or not. Leaning towards no, maybe throwing in a reference and calling it a day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of, but that would be cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No but I think it would be so fun!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I definitely latched on to steddie hard, I identify a lot with Eddie and the ship got me back onto tumblr and into the fandom, so I give it a lot of credit there.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

got caught both hands on the smoking gun which was my first foray into steddie/stranger things fic and honestly I did not plan it out and then life stuff happened and I just stalled 😭 I would love to get back to it at some point but I don't know if I will.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I... tend to not think I have any 😂 I like to think I write Eddie pretty well?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle hard with dialogue honestly, I worry a lot about everybody sounding the same.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think it's great but I personally cannot do it because my grasp on French is very rusty lmao

19. First fandom you wrote for?

All time, Lord of the Rings, but those are lost to time on LiveJournal. On AO3, Teen Wolf.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I really love for reasons wretched and divine! I'm working a lot of personal feelings into that one haha

no pressure tagging some friendos: @panicatthediaz @flowercrowngods @cxwzkeys and as usual anybody who wants to do it!

[doverstar]

Maybe I'm dumb (?) but I still don't get why Eddie didn't like Jason? Like, we never seen Jason bullying him or anything. Actually, he is the one who provoked and, as you said, Jason only got violent when he had to deal with a very hard situation, so I doubt that he left his gold boy image before Chrissy's death. (Not defending Jason by the way)

Hi! You're not dumb! Good point. I guess the assumption that Eddie didn't like Jason came from two things: the cafeteria scene and the Munson Doctrine dialogue. It's easy to understand why Jason didn't like Eddie. But Eddie's antagonism seemed all bias. Now, he turned out to be right about Jason being a jerk underneath all the prep, but the assumption is, again, that they were mutually bullying toward one another. Jason calling Eddie "freak" in front of the whole school, shouting it, shows he's not afraid to be totally rude to Eddie. Maybe because everyone at school doesn't like Eddie, so it's safe for his reputation to insult him. Jason's the school hero, Eddie's the school villain. Yeah, in the one scene we saw, Eddie provoked Jason. But that kind of implies to the viewer that the two of them have crossed warpaths before. Eddie is supposed to have an obvious mental stigma around jocks and rich kids, but no more than Jason and the rest of the school have an obvious stigma surrounding Eddie and his friends. I think it's a mutual dislike based on completely contrasting personalities. Also a lot of people like to sprinkle in the idea that they both like the same girl. And that's super enticing, and it actually would be believable if Eddie had confirmed been crushing on Chrissy quietly since middle school, and there's Jason, everything Eddie despises, dating Chrissy. That makes the cafeteria scene hit differently and I enjoy speculating about that, but-

There's no confirmation of that, so I'm not gonna put that much into it. I think if Eddie has a baby crush on Chrissy, a back-burner crush like I've described him having before, then that just definitely wouldn't help his already-present animosity towards Jason. Jason is everything Eddie doesn't like. Eddie is everything Jason doesn't like. On the surface. If Eddie got to know Jason, he might see Jason is driven and has a code of morals and tries to take care of his own. Jason might see that Eddie is the same way. They have that in common. But they're teenage boys, and they can both be jerks, and they have a lot of pride. The difference between the two is that when Eddie is proven wrong about a presupposition of his, he gives in and recognizes he was wrong. (Erica in D&D, Steve Harrington in general, Nancy Wheeler with guns in her bedroom, Chrissy not being mean and scary.) Jason can't handle being wrong and refuses to accept it, even if it means he's gonna shoot a freshman over it. Between the two, Eddie definitely seems like the better person, despite appearances, but that's Stranger Things' M.O. People are people underneath, regardless of how it looks. You're seeing everyone's life through a keyhole; no one is just how they appear. I don't think Eddie ever assumed Jason was that violent person that he became after Chrissy died, no. I think Eddie assumed Jason was just a token popular rich-kid jerk. And he turned out to be correct, in a way. Jason's life circumstances led him to believe he was always right, and that made him dangerous and horrible to people in the end. Eddie already knew the guy was proud. That pride just became volatile when something crazy happened in his life. So yeah, that's why I think Eddie disliked Jason. It's simple-ish, I guess? I mean, you shouldn't assume things about people; you should believe the best about them with some natural instinctual caution. But in this case, Eddie was right to dislike Jason. Just not for the right reasons. In my opinion!

Gosh I love these asks-

[fragilecapric0rnn]

Made up fic titles:

The Sunflower and the Thistle

There's a Fire In His Back Pocket

We'll Build Something New and We'll Do it Together

I don't know where these came from (besides the last one that was a lyric from a Nothing But Thieves song playing as I wrote this ask!) but I'm curious to see what you would do with them if anything sparked any interest! :D

hi hi! sorry for the delay, but these were just SO GOOD i needed to wait for the time to free up so i can give them my full and undivided attention! thank you for giving me a lot of writing ammo with these so i cannot say it enough THANK YOU THANK YOU sweet and wonderful anon <33

The Sunflower and The Thistle OKAY i am not a plant person (bc i kill everything i bring into my home unfortunatley :/) so i had to look up what a thistle is, and the first thing i noticed was that it was prickly! kinda the opposite of a sunflower based on the vibes. Sunshine Sunflower and the Prickly Thistle. Who would that be?

To me? i couldn't stop thinking of wheelingham (Nancy/Chrissy) and as soon as that popped into my head OH THE WHEELS BEGAN TURNING.

I love the idea of Chrissy Lives!AUs and would do one where she ends up surviving the vecna attack in the first episode bc in Eddie's freaking out/flailing, he accidentally turns on some music, takes her out of the trance, and someone else is vecna's first victim. She gets roped into the Upside Down World Saving Shenanigans and they defeat vecna Somehow.

This fic though, would be following Nancy's POV the summer of 1986. They all graduated, they Byers-Hopper family went back to California and Nancy and Jonathan broke up and shes lonely. She didn't really get close with Robin after everything, she kinda pushed everyone away and plans to wait out her last few months in Hawkins before she moves to Boston and plans to never come back.

Until Chrissy Cunningham shows up at her front door with a cast-free hand and demands for her to teach her how to shoot some guns.

A reluctant friends to actual friends to lovers story with a bit of Nancy character study happening at the same time.

There's A Fire in His Back Pocket Back pocket made me think of Eddie's bandana and Eddie's bandana makes me think of him playing in a show somewhere, maybe its Hawkins, maybe its Indy, but he's absolutely shredding.

Steve is at this particular gig. He's gawking.

They make out about it.

We'll Build Something New and We'll Do it Together I'm thinking a gen fic. Starts out with Stobin and their bad ways of coping with things!

The two of them come out of s4 traumatized as ever, itching to get the hell out of Hawkins. So, as soon as Robin crosses the stage at graduation, car already packed, the set off across the country to (you guessed it) California! They leave everything behind, don't really tell anyone where they went or where they're going, and just drive until they hit the coast.

I'm already thinking of a sequel bc they don't tell anyone where they're going, they just disappear, so obviously Dustin is heartbroken. He doesn't look for them, bc Eddie encourages him not to 'If they wanted to be found, they would've told you in the first place.' But its like, almost 10 years later. Dustin is in grad school in California and Eddie, who is visiting for a week, sees Steve working in town and confronts him. Even though Dustin and Steve and Robin have lived in the same town for a whole year now. So Eddie confronts him and things... spiral... and then... oh god. Now i have to write this.

send me a made-up fic title and i'll tell you what i would write to go with it

[leelei1980]

Part 4- Made For You

Trick or Treat 🌶️

🛑 MATURE 18 + Minors DNI 🛑

Veronica

3 days till I get to hold him again, three long agonizing days until Eddie is finally home. I. Can't. Wait. I want to kiss him and touch him and see his handsome face in real life.

I was sitting in bed reading when my phone rang, I jumped up surprised, panic immediately setting in. No one ever call this late at night unless something was wrong. I ran to the phone and answered." Hello?"

" Hey Sweetheart, sorry to call you so late."

" Oh my god Eddie, are you ok?" My heart jumped into my throat.

" I'm at the hospital with Wayne-"

" Oh no is he ok? What's going on?"

" He has appendicitis, they just brought him in for surgery. His stubborn ass waited until he was in so much pain he just about passed out."

" Poor Wayne! Are you holding up ok?"

" Yeah, just worried. I'll be fine once he is out and I know he's ok."

" I wish I was there with you."

" You would be bored out of your mind."

" But I would be with you. If you need anything call my Mom."

" I will. I have been enjoying my weekly dinners with Bill and Lucy. If I can't spend time with my best girl at least I can spend time with her hot mom."

" Real nice."

" It has been wonderful now that Jason is gone to college . I don't have to worry about running into that asshole anymore."

" I am so glad you have dinner over there. Mom's probably going to miss you more than me." I laughed.

Eddie was quiet for a minute." Baby, I'm not going to be able to come this weekend."

My heart sank." It's ok Eddie, I understand. You have to take care of Wayne. He's going to need your help after having surgery."

" I'm not sure about the timeline, won't know until I see the Doctors.I'm so sorry Sweetheart."

" Eddie, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it. Just concentrate on Wayne and his recovery baby."

" I know." He sighed." I just miss you."

" I miss you too. Just do what you've got to do."

" I will. I've got to go Ronnie, I don't want to be gone too long just in case they are looking for me. I will call when I know more."

" Keep me posted. Call me when he is out of surgery, no matter what time it is ok? Otherwise I will just worry all night."

" I will. I love you so much."

" I love you too Eddie. Give Wayne my love, let him know I am thinking about him."

" I will. Good night Darling."

"Good night babe."

I hung up the phone and tried to get some sleep knowing it was going to be a late night. Eddie called back a few hours later to let me know that surgery had gone well and Wayne was resting in his room. I told him to get some rest now that he knew that Wayne was alright. Then he told me recovery time could be 4-6 weeks. When I hung up I cried myself to sleep.

************************************

" Hey baby, how is Wayne doing? Is he healing well? Following all the rules? If he's anything like you I'm sure he's a handful."

Eddie chuckled." Stubborn Ass Wayne following the rules? I've had to watch him like a Hawk, he's not one for just sitting around. But yeah Sweetheart , he's healing well, driving me crazy but doing good."

" That's good to hear. I've been thinking a lot about you Munson men. I am glad it's going well."

"It is Darlin. Saturday is your neighbor Melissa's Halloween party right? It is all Steve has been talking about.He's dressing up as Maverick from Top Gun, he's pretty excited about the jumpsuit."

" Yeah, I'm glad that he is excited about it. I think that he has been chatting with Melissa quite a bit over the phone."

" Good. Maybe he'll stop trying to take you away from me now."

" That would never happen and you know it. "

" What are you dressing up as?"

" I wanted to dress up as Galadriel, but with homework and studying and giving lessons I had no time to get together a complicated costume like that, so now I am just dressing as a pirate."

" You are going to look so goddamn sexy. Fuck, I wish I could see it."

" I'll have Steve take a picture and bring it back for you. "

" That's the last thing I want is Harrington seeing you in that costume."

" Baby, lots of people are going to see me in that costume. It is a little on the skimpy side but that is just how they make women's costumes."

" You'll be beating them away with your plastic pirate sword."

I laughed. " Well the good news is that I now have a Pirate costume that I will wear for you anytime you want to see it."

" I like the sound of that." He paused."Well baby I've got to go. I promised Dustin I would take him shopping for his costume tonight. I love you so much."

" I love you too Eds. Tell Dustin I said hi and give him a hug for me! "

" I will."

" And tell Wayne I said hi!"

" I will Sweetheart. Love you, bye."

" Bye Baby!"

*************************************

Eddie

My stomach was doing flip flops as I pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. She had no idea I was coming, the only people that knew were Wayne and Bill and Lucy. Wayne was a quick healer, had gotten clearance to do pretty much everything he needed to do by himself and what he couldn't Lucy and Bill and the shrimps agreed to help him with. In fact Dustin, Mike, Lucas and Max all agreed to go over and rake the yard for him this weekend. I had a great friends, they all wanted to see me get to Ronnie as soon as possible.

And here I was, van loaded to capacity with my belongings and me walking across the parking lot dressed as a pirate to surprise her. I went all out. Leather pants, boots, white shirt with puffy sleeves, sash around the waist and most importantly the tricorn pirate hat. I grew some scruff and bam, I'm a fucking Swashbuckler. But boy did I feel like an idiot driving from Hawkins to here dressed as a Pirate. The things we do for love. God I couldn't wait to see my girl, she was only feet away now. I could hear music playing inside her apartment, hear her footsteps. I had fucking butterflies in my stomach. I knocked on the door.

" I'll be right there Steve, hold on!"

Thank god I made it here before Steve. I wanted some alone time, needed some alone time. It had been too fucking long. I heard the chain locks open and the door unlock, and finally the door opened and there she was. Looking absolutely gorgeous and completely stunned.

" Ahoy Bonney Lass, I heard ye was looking for a first mate to accompany you to a masquerade?" I took advantage of her moment of shock to take her all in. Holy fuck. White off the shoulder shirt with puffy sleeves, a corset over the top of it that made her chest pop, a ruffled skirt that was shorter in the front and longer in the back and a petticoat underneath. Thigh high stockings and knee high boots.And the hat, good god, with lace and a big feather sticking out the back. She looked like a fucking wet dream.

" Eddie? Oh my god!" She brought her hands to her mouth.

" Surprise Sweetheart."

*************************************

Veronica

I couldn't believe my eyes. He was here, he was really here. And he was dressed as a pirate. And god, did he look sexy. The white shirt with puffy sleeves, front partially open and tattoos on display, a wide sash around his trim waist and leather pants. Leather fucking pants! I reached out and ran my hand over the stubble on his face then to the earring in his ear.

" I can't believe your really here! It's like a dream."I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him inside and slammed the door. In an instant I was on him, I leaned forward to kiss him and our hats got in the way, he took his off and threw it across the room. He untied the sash at his waist and pulled his tunic up over his head and dropped it to the floor. I locked my lips with his and ran my hands down his chest until I got to the to the waistband of his leather pants.My hand's were shaking but working quickly at unbuttoning his pants. I could feel how hard he was under the fabric, there was no hiding it. I pulled down at his pants and underwear,I wanted him so bad and I wouldn't wait another minute.

He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him,his mouth devoured mine ,his hands hiking up my skirt and sliding my panties aside.

He pressed me up against the wall and lowered me down onto his rock hard member. We both moaned, it had been too long and we both knew that this was going to be a complete frenzy.His hands were grasping onto my hips, his face buried in my breast he thrusted . I cried out, in pure pleasure, his cock filling me so full. I knew that there was no way that I would last, it had been too long and it felt too goddamn good.

There was a knock at the door. "Ronnie? Are you ok?" It was Steve. Talk about horrible timing.

"Don't stop, Eddie. Oh god this feels so good." I whispered in his ear, then nibbled at his lobe then worked my way down his neck. He groaned.

" Ronnie?" Steve knocked again.

" Go the fuck away Steve!" Eddie said loudly.

" Eddie?"

" Just ignore him baby," I gasped as he thrusted harder." Fuck Eddie."

" You feel so fucking good baby, I can't last much longer."

I felt the shockwave of ecstasy roll through my body and I bit my lip to keep from shouting out. I knew Eddie was there too. We rode out the waves of pleasure together and after he just held me in his arms.

" I missed you so much." I felt happy tears roll down my cheeks. " I can't believe your actually here."

" I know baby, I missed you too." He gently kissed my lips.

I carefully unwrapped myself from him and we quickly went to the bathroom to make ourselves more presentable.

I smoothed out the front of my skirt and fixed my hat before opening the door to find Steve sitting on a bench outside the building.

He had a smirk on his face as he stood up and walked over. " Ahoy there! Looking a bit flustered matey, did some scallywag have you surrender yer booty?"

I shook my head and smiled." You are such a dork. Come on in Maverick."

He took off his aviators dramatically."You look dynamite."

" Thank you Harrington. You look quite handsome yourself."

We walked inside and Steve whistled as he noticed Eddie's shirt, hat and sash on the floor.

" Looks like ye village was plundered and pillaged." He smiled.

" Thoroughly."

When Eddie walked out my stomach had butterflies. He was so goddamn hot with his inked up chest and leather pants." Hey Harrington, how the hell are you?"

" Not as good as you are."

Eddie picked up his shirt and slid it on than plopped his hat on his head. I picked up his sash and tied it around his waist. He smiled down at me and winked. " Thank you Sweetheart."

" Hey Munson,How long did it take for you to put on those leather pants? Asking for a friend."

" Guess how long it took for them to come off once she saw them on?"He smirked.

" Touché. How long have you been here?"

"Less than an hour."

" Hence the"Go the Fuck away Steve?"

" We haven't seen each other in almost 2 months, I'm not going to be embarrassed this time."

Steve laughed." He's dead sexy, I wouldn't have been able to help myself either."

I wrapped my arms around Eddie's waist and looked up at him, smiling. I couldn't help myself. He smiled down at me. That smile, that scruff. His hands slid down my waist to my ass and he gave a squeeze.

" You guys are so lovey dovey its disgusting. So you are here for good now Eddie?"

" Yup, this is home."

My heart leaped. My man was home. "Everything fit in the van?"

" Yeah I don't really have a lot, but now I have all I need." He kissed me.

" Are you guys even going to make it to the party?"

" Of course, I wouldn't abandon you , besides I need to introduce everyone to Eddie too. So you have been talking to Melissa?"

Steve smiled." She is a super cool chick. She was super cute too. I can't wait to see what she is wearing tonight."

I looked up at the clock." We should probably head up in a little bit."

Steve excused himself to use the restroom and we had the room to ourselves for just a few minutes.

" God, I missed your face. The scruff is very hot.I didn't know you had your ear pierced!"

" I got it in middle school, then I thought it was lame. But this is a special occasion." He took a step back and looked me over from head to toe. "Your so beautiful. It feels so good to hold you again."

I pulled him close and ran my hands over his chest." I know something else that feels so good."

He smirked." First you attack me when I walk through the door, now Your talking awfully suggestively, I'm beginning to think you only want me for my body."

" That is exactly it." I smiled." No baby you are the entire package."

Steve made a gagging sound as he walked out." You guys make me sick."

" We are in love, shut up." I smiled. "You play your cards right this could be you and Melissa."

" We actually have to go up to her apartment to talk to her."

" Ok, I get it." I pulled away from Eddie and took his hand." Come on, I can't wait for my new friends to meet you!"

We walked up to Melissa's apartment and she opened the door. She was dressed in a cat in a black leotard, little cat ears, she looked very cute and sexy, there was an instant smile on both her and Steve's faces when they saw each other. She was adorable, brown hair and bright blue eyes, and a slim and petite body. And she was smart. I really hoped it worked out.

I could see all eyes on Eddie as we walked into the party, the man couldn't help but draw attention even if he wasn't trying to, and the fact that he was smoking hot also didn't help.I knew he was nervous but I reminded him that he had a clean slate here. People would get to know the real Eddie Munson, unlike everyone's pre conceived notions back in Hawkins.

Once he started talking and realized how much he had in common with everyone I could see him relax, become a little more animated when talking. He was in a room that was 80% full of musicians that we're obsessed with music, he could totally relate. I loved seeing him come out of his shell. They all loved him. I was so happy. Steve was hitting it off with everyone too. His funny and charming personality was winning everyone over, especially Melissa.

We talked, we drank, and we laughed like we hadn't in a while and it was wonderful. At the end of the night Eddie and I walked back down to our apartment, Steve wanted to stay just a little longer. We were elated knowing that we would fall asleep in each other's arms and wake up the next morning the same way, that this was the beginning of the next chapter of our relationship.

[polktd]

i KNOW this won't happen and the show is obviously gunning for steve and nancy to get back together but how good would it be to see nancy and robin together I'M JUST SAYING-