#and then eventually in the hallways of his and jeff's school

[clowningaroundmars]

listening to rakim and the pharcyde rn and just thinking it's actually kinda weird that more ppl haven't pointed out how much miles' taste in music affects his life and viewpoint in general

and how being raised by his uncle who's into more old school stuff on earth-42 would affect him and his development

i'm imagining 42 actually clowning 1610 for listening to post malone while placing a labcabincalifornia vinyl on his record player while they chill in his room one day lol

42's tastes would probably be more varied and just... like more developed in general bc he has a man who was more than likely a Part Of The Culture helping to raise him. aaron was out on the streets of brooklyn as a kid most likely swapping diy mixtapes and buying local rap cd's with his allowance/summer job money (assuming he was born like around 1978-1980, then he was most likely on the streets in the mid 90's during the Golden Age of Hip Hop).

not to mention that for aaron to even Do What He Does as the prowler, he is still out on the streets til this day, shooting the shit with fellow neighbors and shaking hands with black market merchants. he's dapping up store owners and trying to get on local gang leaders' good sides for intel. he's making connections! he is most def still swapping music recommendations with ppl in the hood and ordering vinyls online if he can't get his hands on them in physical brick-and-mortar stores

and music seems to be a super important thing to a man like aaron. that would definitely influence miles. interesting that i haven't seen more posts mentioning that actually!

[rhiannonsknife]

fake dating with jackie taylor... what do people love more than a cliché between the popular cheerleader and athlete together? it's okay they kiss, it's just practice, or that longer look, it's to make it seem more real, or that jealousy because someone looked too much at your skirt, it's okay!

— FAKE DATING JACKIE TAYLOR

— summary: cheerleader!reader fake dating hcs.

— warnings: sort of modern au. because there’s no period typical homophobia. fluff. fem!reader.

it all starts out as jackie’s idea:

maybe she wants to make jeff jealous, or maybe she wants to one up another couple at school. either way, she’s confident it’ll work. besides that, it’s almost a mutually beneficial agreement: as a cheerleader, you often get attention from the wrong kind of people in school. whether it’s guys from the football team thinking they stand a chance or ‘only’ rumors that you’re dating someone you definitely aren’t.

“if we date,” jackie says one day in the locker room, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, “we both win! think about it!”

you’re hesitant at first. “jackie, we really don’t need to…fake date“

“maybe you don’t,” she teases, tilting her head, “but some of us need to keep up appearances!” she won’t outright say she’s trying to make jeff jealous, but you’re not stupid. and still, you agree.

jackie has a hundred different rules and conditions for it to be as convincing as possible.

and she is committed, refusing to half ass anything: “okay, first things first: we have to hold hands. like, all the time.” she explains. “that’s just a given!”

“all the time?”

“yes, obviously! in the hallways, at lunch, at parties…“ she lists them off on her fingers. “oh, and you should probably walk me to class. that’s what good girlfriends do!”

and jackie commits. she slips her fingers through yours between classes, slings an arm around your waist during lunch. at group hangouts, she doesn’t hesitate before pulling you onto her lap, her chin resting against your shoulder, voice low in your ear as she teases: “we have to make it believable,”

the first time jackie kisses you…

…it happens so fast, you barely have any time to process it.

you’re at a party, packed into someone’s dimly lit living room, and jackie’s got an arm lazily draped around your waist, playing her part like she always does. that’s until she overhears some guy muttering to his friend: ‘there’s no way they’re actually together’.

you barely catch it over the music but jackie does, and if there’s one thing she hates, it’s people doubting her.

before you can react, she turns to you, cups your cheeks and presses her lips to yours. it’s soft at first, but there’s a purpose behind it, like she’s proving a point to those who are still in doubt about you two. your brain short circuits.

“jesus, jackie,” you mumble when she pulls away.

jackie just pats your cheek, grinning. “don’t look so flustered!” she leans in and adds: “we’re gonna have to get used to it eventually”

after that first kiss, jackie is convinced you’re gonna have to practice some more to really sell the act.

“a real couple wouldn’t just…hesitate like that!” she points out during what’s supposed to be a study session at your place a couple of days later. “we need to work on that!” you arch a brow at jackie from across the bed, where she’s sprawled out in your hoodie. “oh, so now you’re a method actor?”

she scoffs, tossing a pillow at you. “i’m just saying, if we really want this to be convincing, we can’t flinch every time we kiss!“ she looks at you expectantly, propping herself up on her elbows. you didn’t flinch. you froze, because jackie taylor kissed and you haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

“so what exactly are you suggesting?”

jackie tilts her head like it should be obvious by now. “practice…repetition leads to confidence and that’s what we need!” she talks you through it like it’s soccer strategy. you roll your eyes. “right. because that’s totally normal!”

and then there’s the actual kissing practice with jackie.

she misses the sarcasm in your voice. or perhaps she just ignores it. either way, jackie shifts closer. it starts out innocent enough: a quick peck, a short, almost immediate pull away, followed by jackie scrunching her nose in dissatisfaction.

“see? that felt awkward,” she critiques, adjusting on the bed so she's facing you more directly. “try again, but, like...smoother!” you huff. “alright, smoother. got it”

you lean in again, tilt your head a little more, press a little softer. jackie hums approvingly against your lips, but when she pulls back, she still doesn't look satisfied. “better,” she admits, studying your face, your lips. “but i think we should-“

you don't let her finish this time. you’re not sure what comes over you, but you kiss her again, just a little harder than before, and she doesn't stop you. this time, her fingers curl over your shoulder, keeping you close.

it escalates so beautifully from there.

soft pecks turn into lingering ones. lingering ones turn into gentle tugs. you don't know who deepens the next one, only that suddenly jackie’s lips are parting under yours, and her hand is sliding to the back of your neck. she pulls back for a second, eyes half-lidded and lips already a little swollen. “that was...”

“convincing…?” her gaze flickers to your mouth before she nods. “yeah. convincing”

neither of you talks about that again after.

people love the idea of you together and jackie loves the attention.

honestly, it’s not hard to see why: the soccer captain and the head cheerleader? it’s the best pairing whs has seen in years. you hear it in the halls, the whispered gossip and the not so subtle excitement whenever you two walk into a room together.

jackie loves it. you can tell by the way she holds herself a little higher when people talk about you, how she glows under the praise of being part of the school’s it couple.

but speaking of attention: jackie who loves it when you wear her clothes out in public.

she drapes her jacket over your shoulders one morning before class, shrugging like it’s no big deal. “people expect it,” she says. and, honestly, you don’t mind all that much. it’s warm. it’s comfortable. and it smells like her.

after that, it becomes a thing. jackie insists you wear something that’s hers, whether it’s the jacket, her tops or the soccer jersey, and you stop pretending to have an issue with it. she throws it over you after practice, tugging the sleeves up your arms herself with an approving little nod.

jackie, who’s absolutely not jealous at all.

jackie taylor is not jealous. she swears. she’ll say it outright if you ever accuse her of it: “jealous? please. i just think we need to be more convincing!” it’s fine when she flirts with other people, obviously. that’s just how she is, she claims, always flashing smiles, twirling her hair in a way that makes people trip over their words. but when someone flirts with you? that’s when she suddenly has a problem.

“wow, that guy was really into you,” she’ll comment after a big game, voice just a little too sharp.

“what?” you blink. “who?”

“who? seriously?” jackie shakes her head, arms crossed over her chest. “the guy you were talking to for, like, forever at the sidelines?“

“he was just being nice!”

she lets out a short laugh. “nice? nice? he was practically all over you, and you were just standing there, smiling at him like-” jackie cuts herself off then, inhaling sharply. “you know what? doesn’t matter!”

jealous or not, jackie still loves to show off for you.

she has always been a performer, but ever since people started thinking you’re dating, she’s been playing it up even more, milking every moment for all it’s worth: on game days, she winks at you from across the field before the match even starts.

once it does begin, she is on: you knew she was good, of course, but with you watching jackie starts playing like she’s got something to prove. she scores the first goal not even fifteen minutes in, instantly looking out for you. and then, when she finds you in the stands, she points right at you. jackie mouths something you can’t quite make out, but you’re pretty sure it’s along the lines of that was for you.

jackie, who tells some of her teammates that this is all just ‘for show’ and ‘to make jeff jealous’

you’re not surprised when she admits that shauna knows you’re not actually dating; you didn’t except jackie to be able to keep this from her.

but then, one day at lunch, she sighs at you and jackie: “you guys are almost too convincing!” naturally, jackie beams. “obviously, shipman!”

you just shake your head, but then shauna smirks. “if i didn’t know better, i’d think you were actually in love with her.” jackie freezes mid-bite. it’s just one second of silence, but it feels so much longer before she scoffs: “please. i’m just good at this!”

you’re not sure why it stings to hear that.

and still, regardless of her constant reminders, jackie starts to let things slip.

she loves physical touch. it starts small, with the casual arm drapes, leaning against you after practice, dragging you along by the hand, then not letting go like you expected her to. and then there’s the team sleepover she dragged you to.

most of the other yellowjackets around you are either asleep or close to it, curled up in blankets and sleeping bags. you’re lying on your side when jackie shifts behind you, throwing an arm around your waist, snuggling up against your back.

you freeze, eyes snapping open in the dark.

jackie, half asleep, just hums, her breath warm against your shoulder. “what?” she murmurs. you hesitate, barely daring to breathe. “nothing”

jackie hums, already settling back into the warmth of you. “good!” and then she snuggles closer. as her breathing evens out against your neck, and you lie there, wideeyed, you wonder how the hell you’re supposed to keep pretending that this is all just for show.

jackie who starts to feel too familiar. who starts to feel real to you.

in the beginning, it’s easy to remind yourself that she is just playing the role of your girlfriend, the same way jackie plays every role; effortlessly, like she was made for it.

but then, little by little, it starts to feel real.

it’s in the way she links her pinky with yours when no one’s looking, not for an audience, just absentmindedly, like she forgets she doesn’t have to. in the way she picks you up every morning even though she hates driving. in the way she always saves you a seat, always passes you the last fry in the cafeteria without a second thought, always leans in close when she talks like there’s no one else in the room…

the thing with jackie is that she’s good at this. too good. maybe that’s why it sneaks up on you. the way your heart starts to trip over itself when she smiles at you, the way her touch lingers longer than it should, the way you catch yourself wanting it.

wanting her.

[bvtbxtch]

Angry Heart | Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader (Part 1: Prom Night)

Series Summary: Your best friend Chrissy Cunningham always got everything she ever wanted, even you new friend and crush Eddie Munson. When Chrissy does the unthinkable, Eddie is left to pick up the pieces alone... or is he?

Chapter Summary: You have finally started to find your own groove after accepting that Eddie and Chrissy were an item, and ultimately more into each other than you. But why do you still feel such a strong connection to Eddie? Why are you secretly wishing for their downfall? Everything comes to a head during your final high school play and the prom where a new friend makes Eddie rethink everything.

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham, Eddie Munson x Reader (eventually), reader and Chrissy are friends but have a fallout. Minimal usage of Y/N

Series warnings: MDNI 18 +, Smut, fluff and angst (everything all rolled into one beautiful shit show), mentions of drugs and alcohol being consumed, overall adult language and theme. By clicking the read more, you agree that you are over 18! Ageless and minor blogs who interact will be blocked.

Word Count: 9k (I got excited)

A/N: Holy hell! I never thought that this series would get so much love just from the prologue. I thought this was going to take me the next week or so to write, but I whipped this puppy out in 2 days. Thank you thank you thank you for all of the support. Again, your feedback, reblogs and replies are so appreciated!

Prologue

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

April 1986

Falling in love with Eddie Munson was easy. He made it so incredibly simple. The spring production rehearsals were in full swing and you got the lead role. It meant long hours in the theatre with your favorite metalhead, sharing snacks, laughing at inside jokes and telling deep dark secrets. You had started to spend equal amounts of time at the Hellfire table, making quick friends with Jeff and Gareth, you grew to love and protect the freshmen as your own as well. Even though you had no interest in playing DnD with them, Eddie always invited you to sit in on their campaigns. Chrissy and the other jocks started to distance themselves from you on the days you would decide to sit with them, but it started to bother you less as you made more meaningful connections with people who liked you for you. The last 5 months caught you off guard. Things seemed like they were normal, better than normal even; until you went home alone after school and remembered that Eddie had someone else keeping his bed warm. Chrissy was there. Your best friend stealing your other best friend away from you and nobody knew.

Things between you and Chrissy were tense only on one end. The blonde always greeted you in the hallway and passed you notes in class, blissfully unaware of the heartache her new romance had caused you. But when you were in a group, she seemed to unconsciously take value to others in the group. Eddie and Chrissy had started their relationship in private, and you were their sworn protector. Even when you didn’t necessarily want them, you got all the gory details of how Chrissy let Eddie feel her up for the first time, or how Eddie is a lot more well endowed than many had previously thought. It killed you on the inside, but throwing yourself into the spring show gave you a healthy distraction. Cheer kept you just close enough to Chrissy to keep up the feeling that things were not falling apart between the two of you, but you could focus on what you needed to do on the field. It felt good to put effort into new friends and reignite passions, even though the love the two of your best friends shared would always take up a small residence in the back of your mind. 

It was three weeks until prom. You were seriously considering not going, but you knew you would regret not going, so you decided that you would make an appearance, likely not a sober one, but you would show up. You waltzed past the posters in the cafeteria, and the ballot box being guarded by the student council, stationed around it like soldiers. You knew who would be winning each crown, there wasn’t even a point in voting for anyone else. You would be there to cheer Chrissy on for the third year in a row of winnings. Like clockwork, she would accept her crown, dance with whatever meathead got crowned king, and then help her fix her mascara that ran from her happy and “surprised” tears. You rolled your eyes thinking about it; but you were snapped out of your trance when you heard the blonde call your name. You reluctantly wave to her and the other ponytails looking expectantly at you and you start to cross the cafeteria. You are interrupted by a mop of light brown hair and a gleaming smile.

“Hey! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Gareth greets. You instantly relax as your new friend puts his arm over your shoulder and leads you to the Hellfire table. You look over Gareth’s shoulder to see the cheer table staring daggers at you. Chrissy looks disappointed, and the rest of the table looks mildly disgusted. Chrissy understood why you would hang out with the freaks but she still didn’t necessarily approve. Your image was important to her as you continued to be associated with her. You look at Chrissy apologetically, but happily turn and walk with Gareth. 

“It’s good to see you, Gareth” you smile up at him. 

“How are rehearsals going? You getting excited for the big show?” He remembered, and he seemed genuinely interested. 

“Yeah I guess so! I’m sort of ready for it to be over so we can push through exams and get out of here.”

You slide out your usual chair at the hellfire table, across from Gareth and beside Eddie at the head of the table. 

“I thought you were eating with Chrissy today?” Eddie questions. 

“Good to see you too, Ed…” you mumble. 

“No, it’s just… I wanted you to see if anyone had asked her to prom yet” Eddie leaned over and whispered to you. 

Gareth rolled his eyes. Eddie had recently let him in on his secret relationship with Chrissy, since he was missing or late to more and more hellfire meetings and had been mentally absent during their band practices. He needed someone else within the group to be able to cover for him when you couldn’t, and Eddie trusted Gareth with his life.

“Why the hell wouldn’t she be going with you?” you snorted. You knew that Eddie and Chrissy weren’t necessarily public, but you would never think that she would brush him off like that. 

“I don’t know… because I’m well… me” Eddie looked to the ground. You grabbed his hand and he instantly turned red. Your skin burned when you touched him. It felt like it had been so long since you had any physical contact which made you feel empty. Eddie was always one to give you a hug, or hold your hand or pick you up and carry you down to the theatre when you were running late. He was a tactile person and it took you until now to realize how much you really missed the way things were.

“Eddie Munson you listen to me, anyone would be lucky to go to prom with you” You turned pink as you reassured him. Gareth noticed and tried to hide his smirk underneath his hands. You kicked him under the table. You wish you were the lucky person that he would take, but you know that he would soon rather die than be seen with anyone else but Chrissy.

“ I don’t know” Eddie questions as he shyly pulls his hand away from yours. Both of you felt cold after the loss of contact. “I just really like her and I really want her to be with me, you know, not in secret… sometimes I think she’s ashamed of me.”

“Well, that’s her problem then, isn’t it?” Gareth snaps. He was so tired of watching Eddie stomp all over your heart when he knew that Chrissy was going to do the same to him eventually.

Both yours and Eddie's heads snapped to look at him. He was never one to question anything from Eddie, but he looked bothered. He stood up and left the table without a word. 

“What’s up with him?” You chide. Eddie shrugs and picks at his pretzels. 

“Hey, I was wondering if you could give Chrissy a note for me? I think I’m gonna ask her to go to prom with me today.”

“Ed, shouldn’t you just go up and talk to her? She’s your girlfriend for fucks sake.” You were getting sick of being put in the middle. Neither of them understood how much their romance crushed you. 

“Whatever, I thought you would wanna help me, seeing as you’re my best friend and all, but I’ll just humiliate myself then”. He shoved his chair backwards and with a huff, he stormed out of the cafeteria. Eddie was always one for theatrics. Usually it was entertaining, but this felt more like a toddler’s temper tantrum. You rolled your eyes and flipped him off as he left.

Eddie’s departure caught the eye of Chrissy. She looked at you quizzically and you gestured for her to follow him and rolled your eyes. She discreetly got up and trotted out the exit Eddie had just used. The back exit opened up to the field outside. You could see Eddie’s figure heading out to the bleachers - the place where you often went to to get out of O'Donnell's class, or smoke after a particularly stressful rehearsal. But it wasn’t sacred to you two anymore. It was their spot now. You could see Chrissy’s figure following behind him. You took the rest of Eddie’s pretzels and ate them with a huff.

The final night of the play was here. Your last hurrah as the lead and the last show you may ever be a part of. Hawkins for sure does not have a thriving theatre community, so who knows what other opportunities you might have. You didn’t want this to be the last time though, it made your heart hurt and you wished this night would never end.  You had spent your time before curtain warming up with Eddie. He could tell you were nervous. 

“Sweetheart, I am telling you, you have nothing - and I mean nothing to worry about. You have been crushing this whole show run. All you have to do is go on stage and do your thing! And if anything bad happens, I tell the booth to blackout and I cut your mic!” he giggles. You didn’t find it as funny. You paced back and forth across the small stage, arms shaking and your breath hitching. None of your friends had been there to see your performance yet. You weren’t expecting many people, at least Chrissy, but she hadn’t said a word about your show or if she was coming. You pacing was driving Eddie wild. He hated seeing you so bothered.

“Y/N just relax” Eddie grabbed you by your shoulders and your whole body went stiff. Your breath caught in your chest and your heart sank to the floor. You could feel his breath on your face; you hadn’t been this close in a long time. Without being able to help yourself, your eyes flicker from his to his lips. All you would have to do is lean up and your mouth could be on his. His gaze lowered to your lips as well. You wanted to give in so badly, you wanted to kiss him, to feel like his again - but you couldn’t do that to your friend. You broke his contact and took a step back. Eddie cleared his throat and looked at you expectantly. 

“Did Chris say when she was coming to the show?” You ask, clearing your throat in an attempt to clear the thick, tense air. Eddie’s gaze went from soft and longing to hardened. Eddie looked to the floor and shifted his weight. 

“I-uh I don’t know… I haven’t talked to her in the past couple of days.” Your eyes doubled in size.

“What do you mean? What happened that day after lunch?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it” Eddie turned to stalk back behind the wings of the stage. You pulled his arm back and turned him towards you.

“Eddie, please. What happened?”

“She said she didn’t want to go to prom with me, okay? Are you happy now? Is that what you fucking wanted to hear?” His voice boomed through your skull. His eyes were glassed over, dangerously close to spilling tears, like yours have already started to do. He had never talked to you like that.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“Oh don’t be so naive. You’re fucking happy that Chrissy doesn’t want to be seen with me. This is what you wanted the whole time, right?

“What the fuck are you talking about?” you whisper to him, tears free flowing. “Why the fuck are you coming at me now when you just wanted to kiss me? I know you felt that too and you can’t deny that to me” You yell at him with a shove. You were shaking. You wanted to pour your heart out to him now, tell him how angry you were and admit that maybe you were happy that things weren’t picture perfect for them. But it wasn’t worth it now. 

“You know what, Eddie? You both deserve each other. Have a great show” you turn away from him, panting. You felt like you were going to fall to the ground because your legs felt like jello. Eddie grabbed you by the shoulders. You both looked into each other's eyes, glassy with emotion. For the first time in what seems like forever, you could not tell what Eddie was thinking. His eyes clouded with conflict, with anger, but with something else you couldn’t quite decipher. His lips quivered and his cheeks were flushed. 

You felt like your head was going to explode. What was going on? You felt like all of your weight, your body and soul were all dependent on Eddie holding you up. In one swift movement he pulled you in and his lips were on yours. Your whole body tensed, your eyes remained on his face. It was so wrong. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. But as much as your mind was screaming at you, his lips felt perfect on yours, like they were made to be there. Your heart was on fire and you felt like you might crumble into tiny pieces. But this is not how it was supposed to be.

You pull away and look at him. His eyes were beautiful. The glow of his chocolate irises were back. He looked at you like you were his world, but he looked guilty. 

You slapped him across the cheek. You turned around and you paced back to the dressing room, leaving Eddie there with a burning cheek and a hole in his own heart. He walked backstage.

“Fuck!” He yelled and punched the cinderblock wall, making his knuckles bleed. He trudged back up to the booth to prepare for the show, the feel of your lips on his lingered on his  like a tattoo.

You took your final bows with heavy applause. Your heart felt warm and finally you felt like things were falling into place for you. The stage is where you belonged and where you felt the most like yourself. You had almost forgotten that you were standing in the very spot where Eddie Munson kissed you for the first time three hours prior. He shouldn’t have done that. You shook the memory out of your head. He didn’t matter right now, this was your time. You gestured up to the booth for their applause and there your gaze met Eddie’s. He was beaming, both dimples showing from the sides of his cheeks. For a moment, you saw your proud best friend. You saw the boy you made friends with in seventh grade art class and you saw the boy that came and knocked on your door to see if you wanted to go to the arcade with him. You beamed back at him, in hopes that he felt those same feelings as well. You eyes cast down to the audience and you searched for the other face you were so wishing to see. Chrissy was nowhere to be found. Instead, you saw another mop of shorter dusty brown curls and four other hellfire shirts to accompany him. Gareth whooped when you took your final bow. Your heart soared. You finally found your moment. 

The Hellfire club waited for you in the hallway outside of the auditorium. Jeff and Gareth each wielding bouquets of flowers to give you. The freshmen were buzzing about the performance. You ran to them and embraced them in a big group hug. You thought your face was going to break from how wide you were smiling. 

“Holy crap, Y/N! You were amazing!” Mike gushed.

“That actually made me regret not going to more plays here” Gareth laughed and handed you the bouquet in his hands.

“Thanks guys. I am so happy you’re here” You were so relieved to be telling the truth from the bottom of your heart. It seemed like forever since you could be totally honest with yourself.

“Dude, we wouldn’t have missed it” Jeff offered his bouquet to him and you gave both older boys kisses on the cheek. 

“Did I ever tell you guys that you’re the best?” You exclaimed, while you brought them in for another group hug. 

“I’m just gonna run and grab my things from the dressing room and then we should go grab something to eat! I am starved!” You turned and trotted towards the stage door. 

“Hey, Y/N wait!” Gareth ran up to your side

“What’s up?” Gareth shifted his weight and looked to the floor. 

“I want you to know that we - I think you’re great.”

“Thanks, Gareth” you wrapped your hand around his wrist and gave it a squeeze.

“You deserve better than you’re getting, sweetheart.” Your smile faltered.

“What do you-”

“You know what I mean, Y/N…” Gareth implored. You nod. 

“I know that I am not your first choice, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to prom together? I promise I am not in like love with you or anything, and I want to go with you as a friend, but I don’t want to see you go alone, or worse go with friends you don’t like or don’t show up at all because I think you could win pro-” You cut Gareth off by giving him a tight hug and when you pull away you give him a kiss to his cheek. Your eyes wet with gratitude.

“Gareth, I would love to go to prom with you” Gareth lets a long breath out and laughs.

“Okay, great. That’s really great… cool” You squeezed his shoulder and turned towards the door again.

“I’m gonna go grab my stuff and then we can talk more about plans over some food” You offered. 

“Okay cool! Awesome! And Y/N? We’re all really proud of you. You shone out there.”

Gareth retreats back to the group to wait for you. Eddie had now joined the group, his face looked hardened. Why did you just give Gareth a kiss on the cheek? He knew, like him, that you were a tactile person. You showed your appreciation in physical ways, but he had never seen you be so close to Gareth. It bothered him more that it should. “What was that about?” Eddie interrogated.

“Nothing man, I was just congratulating her.”

“Did she say anything about me?” Eddie pressed.

“...No? Why would she?” The rest of the group snickered at Gareth’s remarks. Eddie turned away. Not only was his mind racing, desperate to talk to you, but now he was embarrassed in front of his own group of friends. He couldn’t take being in the same room with you right now. He needed time to think.

“Alright, I’m going then.” Eddie stalked off to the double doors.

“Wait! You aren’t going to come out to celebratory dinner with us?” Dustin whined. 

“Not this time. I got shit to take care of” Eddie retorted. 

“Probably another hot secret date” Jeff poked at Gareth and they both laughed. 

Eddie grumbled as he turned and opened the door to the parking lot, a cigarette already out of his pocket and in his mouth. He needed to find Chrissy.

It was 11:36pm. Chrissy had gotten home just an hour ago from an outing with Tiffany and Sarah. Her stomach was in knots, she was afraid her reputation was slipping. They had both made a comment about you sitting with the Hellfire club recently and she instantly went into defensive mode. She couldn’t handle them talking shit about you, her best friend and her boyfriend. The girls grilled Chrissy about why she had been being so nice towards the Hellfire seniors and started to put two and two together.

“Oh my god, did that Freak Munson put a spell on you or something when you went for that deal?” Sarah sneered.

“Holy shit! That would make sense as to why Y/N is spending so much time with him too. I heard she sucked his soul out of his-”

“Okay enough!” Chrissy boomed. She could feel her chest caving in. She hated hearing people talk about you that way, but she hated the idea of you and Eddie being together even more.

“He was really sweet and friendly to me when I went over to his trailer. He seems like a really nice guy. And Y/N is one of us, she wouldn’t do that with him.” Tiffany and Sarah sat with their mouths ajar, unwilling to believe that Chrissy would ever talk back to them like that. 

“Oookay, Chris. Didn’t know you were like, in love with him” Tiffany teased. 

“Ugh, as if. Let’s just drop it…” Chrissy mumbled.

She couldn’t sacrifice her already jeopardized reputation by being seen in the auditorium, where both you and Eddie would be. She wouldn’t be able to help herself around him. Her feelings towards the metalhead, although still conflicted, were growing stronger. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out in keeping this a secret if she was going to actively be seen in public with him. 

She had plopped onto her perfectly made bed with a new Danielle Steele novel when she heard a knock at her window. She looked up and her face contorted into the most beautiful look of surprise to see her favorite curly haired metalhead at the window. He looked like he lost his lucky DnD dice. She opened the window quickly and stood out of the way to let him stumble into her room.

“Eddie? What’s wrong, darling?”

“Are your parents home?” he grabbed her waist and began to back her into her wall.

“Ummm no, they’re out” Chrissy breathed. Eddie pressed his lips to her neck, moved his right hand up her torso as his left hand flicked the lock on her door.

You had tried to call Chrissy a few times after you had returned from the diner with the hellfire club. You were hurt and wanted to know where she had been. But most importantly, you wanted to tell her what happened between you and Eddie. Although you also felt your friendship slipping, this was something you couldn’t keep from her. You had showered your show hair and makeup off and had gotten yourself into comfortable pjs. The flowers the boys had got you sat neatly in a vase on your nightstand; they made you smile every time you looked at them. You had just closed your eyes and surrendered to sleep when your phone rang. You answered and you heard the cheery voice that you had been waiting for.

“Hey babe! How was the show?” So she did remember, but just decided not to show up.

“It was great Chris, but it would have been a lot better if you were actually there.” You tried not to sound angry, because in the long run, you really wanted her there. She hurt you more than made you mad. 

“Yeah, I’m really sorry, I had this thing that I couldn’t get out of with Tiffany and Sarah. I’m sorry, you know I’ll be at the next one” She offered.

“What if that was the last one, Chris? You know what, I would rather not do this over the phone… Can I come over?”

“Oh.” Her voice dropped. “Yeah, Okay.”

“I’ll be there in 10.”

You knock on Chrissy’s door. Unlike her previous visitor, you knew you were always welcome at her house. She was quick to open the door. She looked perplexed, worried even. It wasn’t often that you saw her being anything but her shiny happy self. You knew something was very wrong. She knew too.

“Hi.” You offer

“Hi… come in” she opens the door wider to let you into her foyer. She holds her cardigan tight to her chest. You follow her up her stairs and into her bedroom. It felt so familiar but there was a tension that made this feel foreign. You sat yourself on the end of her bed while she perched herself on her vanity stool. Even though you were facing each other, you found it hard to make eye contact with each other.

“I need to tell you someth-”

“I feel like we need to-”

You both started talking at the same time and with an awkward chuckle, you stopped talking so she could speak.

“Eddie came over after the play” Chrissy whispered. You clenched your jaw. 

“Oh, I couldn’t tell from the numerous hickies on your neck, Chris.” you poked. She wrapped her cardigan around her small frame tighter and kept her stoic expression. 

“Eddie told me that you kissed him at the theatre” she said, her tone hard. You shook your head in disbelief.

“Is that what he really told you?” You pressed. She nodded her head, not being able to make eye contact with you. 

“Huh. So what if I told you that he kissed me? That we had a fight over the fact that you won’t be seen in public with him? That he accused me of being happy that my two best friends in the whole fucking world were destroying each other, all while they pretend that I don’t exist anymore and just keep shitting on each others’ feelings, leaving me in the middle of this whole mess?” you started to raise your voice. You couldn’t believe that Eddie would ever lie about what happened, and you really couldn’t believe that Chrissy would believe him. 

“That sounds like a real easy way to shift the blame, Y/N. You kissed my boyfriend” Chrissy snaps, tears threatening to spill.

“Bullshit, Chrissy! He kissed me! And I still don’t fucking know why! He kissed me, I pulled away, I slapped him in his stupid fucking face and I left.” You screamed. Your tears flowing freely. This had been the single most confusing night of your life. You thought that the two people you loved the most couldn’t betray you more than they already had.

“Well, that’s not the story that Eddie told me” She whispered.

“Yeah… it seems like Eddie told you that story all over your body, Chrissy” she gasped and lunged for her bedroom door. Your face twisted in disgust. He used you because he was mad at Chrissy, and the he used her to lessen the blow.

“Get out.” She sobbed. 

“You tell me to leave right now, you are telling me that you believe Eddie’s word over mine - fuck, not even Eddie’s, a stupid fucking boy over my word. Me. Your best friend. The one who has been there for you since forever.” The air was thick. Both of your eyes were red and chests heaving. 

“I do. I believe him.” Chrissy gasped.

You cackled as you stood up. You huffed out of her room and bound down her stairs. You opened and slammed her front door shut and climbed into your car. You sped out of her driveway and rounded the corner. When you got out of eyeshot from her house, you turned off your car, slammed your hands on your steering wheel and screamed at the top of your lungs. 

You wanted to go see Eddie. You wanted him to tell you that it would all be okay. You wanted him to wipe your tears away and you wanted him to hold you with the same passion he did at the theatre. You wanted him to kiss you and tell you that you were right and she was wrong; but you also knew that she would be calling him right now and she would be getting the comfort you so desperately needed. You turned your ignition and started back to your house. 

The next weeks of school seemed to bleed together. You felt numb. You had no play, no Chrissy and no Eddie. Every other day, Gareth would meet you in the library to eat lunch with you. You were so thankful for his friendship. You didn’t have the heart to tell him what happened with Eddie and Chrissy; knowing that it would cause yet another rift within their tight group. He also thought that it was best to keep the fact that the two of you were going to prom together between the two of you to prevent the same thing; But, he knew that Chrissy had pushed you to the side. You had secretly thought that she was waiting for a reason to ditch you as a friend, seeing as you weren’t what Chrissy envisioned as a perfect person to put on her social resume. You knew that the cheer girls were starting to treat her differently because you were friends and you didn’t subscribe to the jock way of life. Gareth was there to listen through it all, and although your heart was broken, it was comforting to know that you still had a friend that was willing to help you put the pieces back together. You were grateful that one of the biggest nights of the year was going to be spent with him. 

May 1986 

Your preparations had begun as prom week came. You took Gareth shopping for a new shirt and tie.

“Are you sure I don’t need like, a tux or something?” he questioned.

“Do either of us look like we are fancy or rich enough to be tux people?” you joked.

“Fair enough.”

“You are going to look awesome in whatever we find!” you praised. Gareth beamed back at you.

You walked through starcourt mall arm in arm. The sting from the past couple of weeks had become a dull ache and you started to appreciate the little things again. You had been bold enough to take your seat at the hellfire table last Friday and although Eddie looked at you quizzically, he didn’t say anything. It seemed like there was a silent agreement between the two of you, that you were both going to put what happened at the show behind you. As much as you both wanted to though, neither of you could forget. You both remembered each time you looked into each other’s eyes. Your conversations had begun to pick up again, they were surface level and short, but you were happy for the small sense of normalcy. You wondered if Chrissy did tell Eddie about the conversation the two of you had. But in your growth you decided that you didn’t need to know that, and worrying over it was just going to cause you more stress than it was worth. 

As you and Gareth passed through the food court, a pair of chocolatey brown eyes fixed on your figure. Eddie had posted up at the mall with Steve Harrington, the former King of Hawkins High and adult friend to many of the Hellfire freshmen. 

“Dude, you gotta relax.” Steve warned. Eddie’s jaw had instantly tightened and his body had stiffened when he had seen you and Gareth walking through the mall. Why the hell were you out with him?

“Why is she here with him? Why is she holding him like that?” Eddie sneered.

“Is… Is Eddie Munson Jealous? I thought you were boning the hottest girl in school?” 

“Yeah boning. But we’re also dating and she doesn’t want anyone to know that”

“Shit, dude” Steve gulped.

“Yeah… Shit.” Eddie wished he had natural charm like Steve. Maybe it would make it easier for Chrissy to like him. He hated that he was questioning his whole person because of a stupid girl. But he really thought that he liked her. But how could she like him if she didn’t even want to be seen in public with him. Eddie ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated, overwhelmed and wanting to burn starcourt mall down if it meant that you wouldn’t be here with Gareth anymore.

You found Gareth a satin button up shirt and he stole a lavender bowtie that matched the color of your dress. You were finally laughing and joking faintly like you used to. It made Gareth’s heart soar. He cared greatly for you, but knew that your heart belonged to Eddie. It never stopped belonging to him, even if you told him repeatedly that you didn’t have feelings for the Hellfire leader. Even though he was hoping you weren’t going home with him on prom night, Gareth was more than happy to be taking you.

Tonight was the night. Eddie was sure that everyone in his graduating class was stirring with anticipation and excitement for what was going to be the best night of their lives. Eddie wasn’t as optimistic. He had put on his best black jeans (the ones with no holes in them) and was sitting on his bed, lazily strumming his guitar with a lit joint hanging out of his mouth while he waited for his wet curls to come to life. He didn’t want to go anymore. Chrissy had ensured the fact that she was going with Jason Carver meant nothing but keeping up appearances and that she would save a dance with him once she was crowned prom queen. Eddie felt like a charity case and had been feeling so increasingly often lately, Chrissy only daring to talk to him through notes left in his locker, or going to their hiding spot during their class breaks. Eddie was sure that he wanted to be in love with her. But when he kissed Chrissy, it didn’t feel like it did when he kissed you. He was so confused. Your relationship was finally amicable again, and he had the girl that he had been chasing after for years. But he was scared to see you tonight because he was worried he was going to mess everything up. He could be in love with Chrissy, but it seemed like Chrissy might not love him back. But maybe you did. Eddie let out a loud groan and flopped back onto his bed. He finished his joint and put on his burgundy dress shirt and put his arms through his vest. He put on his freshly polished rings and toed on his reeboks. He reluctantly started his van and began his drive to Hawkins High.

Gareth picked you up at 7 o’clock sharp. You answered the door with a bright smile and his face lit up the dusk behind him.

“Wow, girl. You look amazing!” Gareth looked you up and down. Your lavender sleeves landed just off of your shoulders, highlighting the pearls that rested on your collar bone. Your tiered skirt flowed and shimmered beautifully with the light.

“Says you! I told you you didn’t need to get a tux!” you slap him on the shoulder. To your surprise Gareth had showed up in a full tuxedo, sporting the shirt and tie the two of you had picked out.

“Yeah I know but my mom was so excited that I was going that she went out and bought me one anyway” You both laughed as you turned to take your polaroid camera off of the entryway table. 

“Let's take a picture to commemorate the occasion” you tease. The two of you place your cheeks together and smile for the camera. The light flashes and you both giggle. You were so excited to be spending an evening with your friend. 

“Jeff gonna meet us there?”

“One step ahead of you!” You heard from Gareth’s truck. Jeff stuck his head out of the back and gave you a huge smile and a wave. You laughed as you closed the door behind the two of you. Tonight was going to be a good night.

Chrissy had stationed herself at Tiffany’s directly after school to prepare for what was going to be the best night of her life. Sarah had snuck a bottle of champagne from her mother’s wine cellar and by 6pm, Chrissy could feel her own pulse in her head. She felt beautiful, she looked beautiful, but even her baby pink slip dress could not hide the insecurity on her face. The stakes were high and all she wanted was everything to go the way she wanted. Her glossed lips sank another flute of champagne while they waited for Jason and his posse to show up in the limo.

When you arrived, the Hawkins gym was decorated with tinsel and adorned with snack and drink tables on the opposite side of the stage. Your stomach fluttered at the excitement of being at your senior prom with some of the people you loved the most. You grab some punch and you Gareth and Jeff sit. Your head was on a swivel looking for a beautiful blonde, or a mop of brown curls, but to no avail. You took a big sigh and shook out your hands. Tonight was going to be a good night, you repeated to yourself. No one was going to ruin this for you. 

“Wanna dance?” Gareth held his hand out to you. You gladly grabbed it and let him sweep you out to the dancefloor. He spun you and you laughed. Any thoughts of anyone else dissipated as you laughed and danced with your best friend.

Chrissy entered the gym in awe, teetering on her pumps, and brain fuzzy from the champagne. It was her night for a win and she knew that. She walked arm in arm with Jason, a smile plastered wide and eyes full of expectation. Her eyes faltered when she saw you smiling and laughing with your date, she didn’t remember his name. She longed to give you a hug and apologize. She wanted to dance and laugh with you, but she knew that now wasn’t the time. She needed to focus. Tonight was her night. 

Eddie trudged into the gym, head already aching from the synth pop being played out of the large speakers. He grabbed a small flask out of his back pocket and took a swig. He sauntered over to the punch bowl and grabbed a cup, eyes scanning for two women. He found neither. Who he did find was his hellfire clubmates sitting at a table on the outskirts of the gym. Eddie tramps to them.

“Who let the freshmen in here?”

“Your guess is as good as mine” Jeff offers as he shakes Eddie’s hand “Looking good Ed. I didn’t know you even knew what a dress shirt was”

“Ha ha… I feel like shit. How long do we have to be here for?” Eddie whines

“Dude no one is making you stay! So have some fun with your friends would you?” Dustin scolds. Eddie scowls as he sinks into a chair at the round table. He immediately senses your absence. He looks around inquisitively.

“Where’s Y/N?” He asks. Jeff nods towards you on the dancefloor and Eddie’s heart stops. You looked absolutely radiant. He felt his hands get clammy and his chest got tight. You looked so happy and carefree. He missed seeing you like this, his girl the way he remembers you the best. He smiles to himself when he hears you laugh.

“Gareth, stop spinning me, I'm gonna throw up!” 

His smile faded. Gareth? You were here with Gareth? He saw the mop head holding your hands and laughing with you. Suddenly, Eddie felt sick to his stomach. He could feel his pulse in his ears and he saw red. Jeff saw Eddie’s gaze harden.

“Eddie, don’t.” Jeff warns. “She’s having a really good time.”

Eddie didn’t respond. He took the flask out of his pocket and took a long swig. As he put it away, he stood up, vision locked on your dancing figures. Jeff sighed and put his head in his hands. Dustin and Mike looked at him confused. Jeff shook his head at them, implying that they didn’t want to know.

Eddie sauntered up to Gareth and grabbed his shoulder. Your smile faded as Gareth turned around to face Eddie.

“Hey, can we talk?” Eddie seethed through gritted teeth. Gareth looked at you apologetically.

“I’ll be right back okay?” He squeezed your hand and let Eddie guide him out of the gym. You were left in the middle of the dancefloor, too stunned to move or say anything. Dustin came to your side and asked if you wanted to sit back down with the club. You nodded, dazed, but followed after the two boys into the hallway instead.

Eddie pushed Gareth into the hallway and grabbed onto his lapels. You ducked around the corner so you were within earshot and close enough to help Gareth if he needed it.

“What the fuck are you doing Gareth?”

“What are you talking about, Munson?” Gareth pushed Eddie off and he began to smooth out his jacket.

“Why are you here with her?”

“What, like you were going to ask her to go with you?” Gareth challenged. Eddie looked at him dumbfounded. “Look, Eddie. If you really cared about her, you would let her have a good time tonight. You’re too busy with Chrissy lately anyway so I don’t know why this is suddenly such a big deal…”

Eddie clenched his fists and stalked towards Gareth. You covered your mouth to prevent the two from hearing your gasp.

“That’s my girl… you’re here with my-”

“Oh shut the hell up, Munson! She’s not your girl! Your girl is here with Jason fucking Carver. The guy that has been tormenting us for fucking years! Get your head out of your ass and stop playing with Y/N. She isn’t yours.” Gareth yelled. Eddie wracked out a sob and turned away from his friend. Gareth’s stomach sank and he watched his friend unravel in the hallway.

“I didn’t ask her here romantically, Eddie.” Gareth offered. “I care about her a lot, but I know that she doesn’t like me. I know exactly who she wants to be here with.” Gareth bores into Eddie, only hoping that their conversation will knock some sense into him. You slip back into the gym and sit with the hellfire club, mind racing thinking about what you just heard.

“If you’ll excuse me, I am going to continue to keep having fun with my friend.” Gareth stepped closer to Eddie and clapped him on the shoulder. “Get your shit together, Munson, and then try and enjoy yourself for once.” With that, Eddie was left alone in the hallway. He pulled at the roots of his hair, and let a string of profanities leave his mouth. It was better than punching a wall like last time.

Gareth returned to the gym and sat next to you with a smile, reassuring you everything was fine. Gareth whispered in your ear, telling you he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin this night for you or him and that it was time to have fun and forget about everything happening outside of this night. You couldn’t agree more. You wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a thankful hug. He laughed as the two of you positioned yourselves towards the stage as the principal announced the prom king and queen would be crowned shortly.

Eddie slithered back into the gym, his arms crossed and a grimace glued on his face. He saw Chrissy and although his heart should have skipped a beat, it did nothing. She looked beautiful, gorgeous even. But she wasn’t you. But you made it clear, and Gareth made it clear. You weren’t his and you didn’t owe him anything. You deserved to have a good night and as much as he wanted to take you away and drive off with you, he knew that couldn’t happen. So he would settle for his dance in secret, and the potential for some action after Chrissy got her ten minutes of fame. 

As the microphone squealed and the gym quieted, Chrissy shifted in her chair restlessly. Her dress felt too tight, and Jason felt too close. She wanted the boy that made her feel the prettiest. She wanted the boy who would do anything for her to be beside her. She wanted to dance with the boy who told her that he adored her. Her eyes scanned around the gym and she saw him lingering against the back wall. She sent him a wave as she smiled brightly. He waved back but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. She thought she knew why he was so upset. He hated seeing her with Jason. She was starting to hate being here with Jason too. When Jason was called for prom King, he patted Chrissy on the thigh, gave her a kiss on the forehead and sauntered up to the stage to receive his crown. Chrissy felt like she was going to be sick. This was the single most important moment to her. Principal Higgins held a white envelope in his hands.

“And this year’s prom queen is…” He fumbled with the envelope.

You were rooting for Chrissy. You knew that you didn’t need to be, but there was part of you that was longing for your old friend back. Maybe her winning prom queen would bring her back from her orbit. 

“Chrissy Cunningham”

Chrissy opened her perfectly glossed lips into a gasp. She stood timidly and strutted to the stage to accept her crown and flowers. She flashed a beauty pageant smile and wave and sobbed a thank you to the gym. You could tell that she was definitely not sober. You worried for her, but this was also your night. She was Jason’s problem, not yours. It gave you a small bit of relief to see Eddie was not in a matching baby pink getup to the blonde’s. They didn’t come here together. You knew you shouldn’t be holding out hope, but the scene he caused on the dancefloor and now this, you couldn’t help but be a bit hopeful.

Once Chrissy and Jason took a bow as king and queen, the DJ had spun a slow song. Gareth offered you his hand again and you happily accepted it. Dancing with Gareth had been the most fun you have had in a while. You both went to the dancefloor and dramatically rocked each other back and forth. 

Chrissy left the stage and as Jason went to grab her to dance with her, she tossed her flowers to him and trudged across the gym in Eddie’s direction. Jason looked back to his posse confused, he followed Chrissy’s bouncy curls to the opposite end of the gym.

Eddie nursed his flask as dancers started to repopulate the space. He saw you get up with Gareth. He scoffed and took another swig of his flask. When his eyes returned to the mass of students, he saw a pair of bright blue eyes bounding towards him. He stood in shock, not knowing what Chrissy was doing. When she reached the wall he was leaning against, she stuck out a perfectly manicured hand to him, her face set with determination. She led him to the middle of the dance floor. 

“Chris, wh-what are you doing?” Eddie breathed

“Shut up, Munson. W-we are gonna d-dance:” she slurred. 

“We don’t have to-” She stopped him in the middle of the gym and wrapped her arms around his neck. He could see Jason fuming behind her and he smirked down at her. 

“You’re ready to stir the pot aren’t you, doll?” Eddie chuckled. 

“Yeah, I’m r-r-ready to start some, some shit b-because I-I love you, E-Eddie Munson.” Her blue eyes bore into him. Did he really just hear her properly? He felt like there was only one right thing to say.

“I, I love you too, Chrissy,” Eddie hesitated. Before he could wrap his head around what had happened, Chrissy pulled his head down to hers and planted a searing kiss on him. He quickly returned her offer and swiped his tongue over her lips. She deepened the kiss. Eddie felt like he was floating, but it didn’t feel like it was a good feeling. Chrissy tasted sour like wine and Eddie’s head pounded. But feeling this was better than feeling nothing. It was better than the emptiness he felt when he saw you being held by someone else. He kissed Chrissy like no one was watching, while in reality all of the gym had directed their gaze to the world's oddest couple they could imagine.

You swayed Gareth back and forth, laughing so hard your stomach hurt and your face felt like the smile was never going to leave. Once your laughs subsided, you pulled Gareth in closely and rested your head on his shoulder. You closed your eyes and hummed in content. 

“Thank you, Gareth. This has been such a great night”

“You’re welcome, Y/N. I am having so much fun with you” Gareth rubbed small circles into your waist as you turned slowly. You opened your eyes and you instantly stood up, your body tensing under Gareth’s touch.

“Hey, what’s wr-” Gareth turned to look behind him and saw the picture perfect way to ruin your night. Gareth stiffened and grabbed your hand. You didn’t want to look but you couldn’t avert your gaze. You felt like you were going to be sick. Gareth grabbed your hand and whispered in your ear.

“Let’s go get some fresh air, okay?” You nodded your head and let him lead you out of the gym.

As Eddie broke his kiss, the first thing he saw was you taking in their display. Then he saw you turn and leave the gym with Gareth’s hand in yours. Eddie grabbed Chrissy’s hand and kissed it and ran out of the gym after you. 

You refused to let the tears fall. You didn’t want to ruin your night with Gareth and you didn’t want to give Eddie and Chrissy the satisfaction. Why would he look at you the way he did, why would he say those things to Gareth? Why would he call you his girl? Gareth could tell you were trying to process, so he squeezed your hand to ground you and remind you he was here for you. 

“Y/N” you hear a familiar voice ring out. The voice you wanted to hear the most and the least. You turn to find Eddie standing in the middle of the empty hallway. Gareth gripped onto your hand tighter, a scowl setting on his face.

“What do you want, Eddie?” you manage to squeak out.

“I-I’m sorry” he huffed. “I’m so fucking sorry”

“For what, Eddie? For being defensive all night, telling Gareth that I’m your girl?” Gareth and Eddie both tensed. “For knowing that my heart fully belongs to you and you actively shitting on it? What is it?” You were angry. You deserved to be angry. This time, it was Eddie’s turn to cry. You walked towards him, cheeks growing hot. You came chest to chest with him when you heard the gym door fly open.

“E-Eddie, my love?” Chrissy giggled. She stopped when she saw the three of you in the hallway. “Oh no.” She murmured. 

“Chrissy, go back inside. I’ll be there in a minute.” Eddie ordered. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. Tears are now dangerously close to ruining your makeup.

“Hmmmm, no. I think I wanna st-stay for this Teddy” she cooed. She stumbled towards him and threw her weight on him. 

“Yeah, Teddy. She might want to stay for this.” you sneer. You could feel your blood heating up, your hand tightening on Gareth’s.”Why did you kiss me in the theatre?” You take a step back as Eddie opens his mouth to speak and closes it again. “Tell me it wasn’t because you were in love with me and I’ll walk away right fucking now.” you sniffle.

“He didn’t love you, babe. He only kissed you b-back  b-because he f-f-felt bad for you. That’s what he told me” Chrissy hiccupped. Eddie looked at you, his eyes now freely flowing.

“Y/N… Please” Eddie begs. You laugh at him.

“Is that the truth Eddie? Is that how you really feel? Or is that what you told Chrissy to feel better about the fact that you kissed me, and you didn’t want to stop?” You spit.”Or was it what you told her to get in her pants without any punishment?”

“Please don’t do that” Eddie whispered. You start to back away with Gareth. Eddie tries to peel Chrissy’s arms off of his torso.

“I’m leaving right now Eddie and you have a choice to make. You can come with me and that will be enough of an explanation.” You stood strong and dropped your hand that was holding Gareth’s. He whispered your name softly. You turn to him and smile tightly to let him know that it was okay. You turn back to Eddie who stands still.

“Eddie, lets gooooo.” Chrissy whines.She began to pull his arm back towards the gym. His feet feel like they weigh a thousand pounds. He looks to you, completely heartbroken as your gaze hardens at the drunk prom queen hanging around his body. You chuckle as he lets Chrissy pull his body back towards the gym.

“Great. We’re done.”

You hear Eddie release a broken Sob as you grab Gareth’s hand and walk through the double doors.

Chrissy finally drags him back towards the bustling music and plastic tinsel of the gym. He felt like he could throw up. How could he just let you walk away?

Gareth opens his truck door open for you and helps you get seated in the passenger seat. He stands in between you and his truck door. He kissed your forehead and began to run his hand up and down your arm.

“Do you wanna go home, sweetheart?”

“You know what, a milkshake sounds really fucking great right now” you smile. Gareth laughs and you eventually join him.

“Milkshakes coming right up.”

Taglist:

@mxcheese , @anislabonis-love , @zenathebeautiful , h-ness1944 , @nymphetkoo , @tlclick73 , @darknesseddiem , @nega-omega , @them-cute-boys , @eggo-segual , @browneyes528 , @ali-r3n , @micheledawn1975 @partydulce @eddies-puppet , @elvendria , @itsjustwous , @littlemisslovestoread , @kjcmama , @chloe-6123 , @navs-bhat , @loveforreading , @thegirlthatsfalling , @r-a-d-i-0-n-0-w-h-e-r-e , @metalhead-succubus

[nokonomi]

CreepyPasta OC. Yes guys I know I know I know I KNOW ANOTHER ONE WHY?!

So uh, meet Louise/Luise, and SHE IS NOT EMO GUYS TRUST ME! (She is emo lol)

Okay so Uhm she basically grew up in a part of a rich neighborhood honestly to say, spoiled kid, but she didn’t like the attention she was receiving. Her parents always abused her to be “pretty” her mother had said to her that “beauty matters, nothing else!”

I So she was basically ripped of her childhood and instead forced to be a child diva which she didn’t want to be. What did she want to be? All she wanted to be was a lawyer or medical surgeon. Her father passed away and it was just her and her mother, which her mother was very abusive and always despised her, shrugging off that her supposed “depressive state” is caused by her lack of confidence and beauty.

is beauty all that matters though? She doesn’t know. Know hated and bullied, she constantly roams through the hallways of her school, being shoved for who she is now. She had to take pills at the age of 13 for some disorders she had before (which I will name later) when her mother found out she had disorders, her mother basically said she was a nobody. Instead of listening to her, Luise fought back and tackled her mom, got spanked a few times, and showed her the pain she grew up with being pressured to be pretty. She doesn’t care about being pretty. All she wanted was to have loving parents who could eventually tell her that they loved her for who she is. But she never got that. Murdered her mom and escaped the house into the woods, leaving a trail of her mom’s blood. There she met the strange faceless figure of the man who had been haunting her. The Operator/The Slenderman.

“Louise. You do not have to live in constant pain of being pressured to be pretty. Come and live with us, and you shall be free.”

Louise was horrified, but had the horrible decision to either go back or stay with this monster. She obviously panicked and over thought, and ended up passing out. Slenderman took that as a yes and took her in to the mansion, where she met the rest of the residents. From 17 to 23 now. Been at the mansion for 5 years. Now a proxy that works for Slenderman.

now for some facts! who does she target? well she targets cruel and abusive parents who force their kids to be pretty. She calls it “freedom”

why did she do this? To escape the torture of being pressured and abused to be pretty. When she had pimples, her mom basically tried giving her surgery by her own hand. Which meant she gave her surgery without any doctors or anything. It didn’t disfigure her skin but it did leave a gash she hides on her left eye.

what’s one of her disorders? PTSD, and Dissociative Amnesia Disorder. She cannot remember her past anymore, but for some reason when someone calls her “pretty” it causes her to go into a panicked state. Maybe because of her ruined childhood, that is. So avoid calling her pretty. so she won’t suffer.

is she Emo? YES SHE IS EMO. well she’s planning on dying her to hair to a more 2000s style but I LITERALLY CANNOT FIND A HAIR COLOR TO GO WITH BLACK RAAA. BE FAIR GREEN OR PURPLE? what an Emo girl. so Kawaii.

who does she get along with most? Honestly she gets along with people who make sure to give her a safe distance. She doesn’t really talk to anybody except for Liam/Cody (X-Virus) She warms up to the guy. (HE’s MY FAVORITE) Cody and her talk about trauma they had, so they both traumadump onto each other. For right now she is not ready for a relationship until further notice, but she still has a little (BIG) crush on him. Toby? He’s fine. Jeff? she doesn’t like him. but she still talks to him. just doesn’t like his behavior or anything at all. hates whenever he tries to bring up “OMG YOU ARE SO PRETTY!”

sexuality? she’s dated a few girls and boys back to back in Highschool, maybe if they weren’t such bitches she wouldn’t have ended up like this in the first place. Considering dating Liam/Cody maybe? but her sexuality is bisexual/straight. she had a little crush on Nina but realized she was probably taken by Kate so yeah no.

Ooooo! she looks up to Liu as a father figure since he is much older than her. he’s like the father she’s never had before. begs for him to make her cereal in the morning but her lazy ass is too lazy.

[grandwretch]

only i must wander, chapter 10

eddie's intermission

[on ao3][ch 1][ch 2][ch 3][ch 4][ch 5][ch 6][ch 7][ch 8][ch 9]

1985, october

Showing up for his third senior year had been more embarassing than he'd expected. 

None of his friends knew why he had bothered, had offered to help him study for the GED if he dropped out-- Hell, Steve had offered to pay his fees and drive him to the classes, although Eddie thought that might have something to do with finally having a friend available between the hours of 8am and 3pm. None of them got it, if only because it was even more embarassing to explain how important this was to Wayne, or admit that as far as Eddie knew, no one in his family had ever graduated from high school. 

From the stories Wayne had told him about the Munson pack, he'd be shocked if some of them had graduated elementary. 

Embarassing at the constant disappointed looks and snickering was, though, Eddie had to admit that the third was much better than the second-- He wasn't scared shitless of a baby Grimm stalking the halls, for one. There was also his new sheepies, delivered to his tender care by said baby Grimm. The new membership had added to Hellfire morale, triple what it had when Gareth joined up two years ago. Sure, Dustin hadn't been officially allowed to join, and had to skip pretty much every meeting, but he was part of them in spirit. 

And lunchtime, which was arguably more important. 

They had Max and El, though, both of which was a surprise. Eddie hadn't expected the girls to be terribly interested in D&D, especially when Max had admitted she'd only played it once or twice, and El never. But with Dustin's mom, and Mike hardly talking to any of them anymore, and Lucas's basketball schedule-- 

Ugh. Eddie didn't even want to think about Lucas and basketball. He'd tried to protest, finangle the kid into trying to do both clubs, but Steve had shut his attempts down before he even got a chance to try them out. All it took was a mention of how hard the kid had taken Will's absence, and Eddie had shut up. He couldn't imagine how it would feel trying to play without Jeff or Dougie, knowing that they might never play again. 

Yeah, Eddie could be a judgemental asshole sometimes, but he wasn't that bad. 

So Lucas joined them sometimes for lunch and oneshots, but mostly it was just Eddie, the girls, Dustin, and his best friends. Practically double the amount of friends he'd had last year, so really, who was Eddie to complain? Even Buckley dropped by to chat sometimes, and she was helping him scrape by in English. She'd even had his back when he'd gotten into a fight with Mrs. Dodd over the homosexual undertones in Dorian Gray, although it was tantamount for social suicide for both of them. Hell, even Nancy Wheeler nodded to him in the hallways. Jonathan Byers waved, even when he couldn't force a smile. 

It boggled the fucking mind, really. 

None of his old friends had been as excited by the changes as Eddie had. The first day, when Eddie had approached them with an Eisbiber, a Hexenbiest, and a human already trailing behind, they had been cautiously supportive. The cranky Fuchsbau had been a harder sell, and apparently 'mutual friends' wasn't a good enough reason for a band geek to suddenly be in his inner circle. Dougie had even asked Eddie if he was having a sexuality crisis, sending Eddie into near hysterics. If he was going to wake up one day and try out bisexuality, Eddie would hope he'd choose better than a lesbian-- Not that he told Dougie that, of course. No, he'd told Dougie that Steve had dibs, waving off any further protests with a supercilious hand. 

Not that Steve was an easier subject, with them. Robin they had eventually accepted, but Steve was still a contentious subject, brought up everyday to check once again if Eddie was still deadset on losing his mind. It hadn't helped that Steve had introduced their dynamic in the most Steve way possible-- He'd shown up halfway through a Hellfire session, hours early to pick up El, and spent the better part of the next four hours doing his level best to distract Eddie. The meeting wasn't even meant to go on that long, but between Steve's interjections and the boys' fear, the simple oneshot had taken all day to complete. 

Eddie had been ecstatic. 

The boys, less so. 

They had thousands of arguments as to why they didn't think Eddie should keep Steve around. Being a Grimm was only one of them, although definitely the one touted most often. Sometimes, though, Eddie suspected they weren't actually all that afraid of Steve, only falling back on the old fear because it seemed the politest reason to judge him. It wasn't like the Harringtons were going to start hunting down owls and otters anytime soon. 

Today was no exception. They had about fifteen minutes before Gareth and the freshmen got out of their classes for their lunch period, and Jeff and Dougie had marched Eddie to the lunch room. They let him sit in his usual seat, probably aware he'd spend more time complaining than listening if they didn't, but they broke formation by sitting on either side of him. They sat with their hands clasped on the tables, mimicking the serious adult conversations they'd seen at home and on TV. 

As if Eddie's friendships were a matter of committee. 

"I think it's time we talked about you going AWOL all summer, Munson," Jeff said, his voice solemn. He spoke slow and steady, like someone who'd read books on how to talk to people, and Eddie couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. It was one thing for them to be the meddling meddlers he'd already known they were, but it was another one entirely for them to start digging into last summer. Whatever the King had done to buy off the government for their ruined project probably didn't cover Eddie yapping to his friends about it. 

"It wasn't all summer--" Eddie began, but they weren't listening.

"You came back with all these little sheepies and a girl, of all things, and that was one thing. But a Grimm?" Dougie said. Disgust was evident in his voice, and for the first time Eddie wondered if, perhaps, he'd been as much of a bad influence on them as their parents had feared he'd be. 

"We're really doing this, huh?" he sighed. For what felt like the hundredth day in a row. 

"Of course we're doing this!" Dougie hissed. "What the hell are you doing palling around with a Grimm of all things, Eddie?" 

"He was a basketball player, too," Eddie said, eyes widening in mocking shock. "Which one do you think makes him more fucked up, in the end?" 

"This is serious, Eddie. He could be dangerous," Jeff said. 

"Please." Eddie snorted a little at the thought of Steve being dangerous. Sure, he had seen the guy tear apart a few zombies, and he might be related to more serial killers than normal people, but he'd been with Steve in those long months of recovery. The adrenaline that had been keeping Steve alive in the mall had inevitably crashed, and it had taken the rest of the summer for Robin and Eddie to get him back on his feet. Hell, he'd needed help going to the bathroom for the rest of July. Even when Steve hadn't been actively recovering from being tortured and having his ass kicked, the most he'd ever done to Eddie was stare at him with big cow eyes. 

What was everyone so worried about? Steve blinking at him wrong? 

"Look, guys," Eddie sighed, "I get it. A few months ago, I probably would have said the same thing. But, really, you don't have to worry about Steve. His parents aren't exactly traditional, and he's... He's like the us of Grimming." 

Doug's face wrinkled in disgust, his features collapsing in on themselves with the force of his grimace. "Steve Harrington doesn't have anything in common with us." 

"You'd be surprised. Steve and I have talked about it a lot, and he's totally against the operation his parents are running here, okay? Steve is chill," Eddie insisted, and began listing off all the ways Steve Harrington was actually a little bit of a rebel. "He has an illegal hexenbiest for an adopted sister. Steve listens to nothing but Bon Jovi. He watches samurai movies without the subtitles. It's a non-issue." 

Jeff frowned, eyes hardening. "Guys like him are always non-issues until they get bored with slumming it," he told Eddie, as if Eddie needed to be reminded who was slumming it, here.

"You don't know him," Eddie said. All the humor was draining from his voice, and he could feel the back of neck begin to prickle as fur began to sprout there. He tried to breathe through the insult, the indignation, but he was thankful for the cover his long hair lent him, because he was getting sick of his best friends sitting around and insulting the best man he'd ever known. 

"No, seriously, Eddie," Dougie said, evidently not picking up the change in mood. "Why would Steve Harrington want to be friends with you?" 

"Wow," Eddie said. "Fuck you, too, then." 

"No, obviously we think you're awesome," he was quick to say. "Steve doesn't really seem the type to be into thrash metal and DnD, though." 

"Sorry, I didn't get the memo that friends have to have the same hobbies," Eddie said. Sure, it helped, but there were lots of things he and Steve had in common. It just wasn't things that Jeff and Dougie cared enough about to count. 

Dougie winced. "Well, okay, but--" 

"Look, I'm through debating this," Eddie said, and although he was talking to Dougie, he was making eye contact with Jeff. Jeff, who had gone suspiciously quiet and still, watching Eddie with dark eyes that reflected every bit of heartbreak that Eddie had laid at his feet over the years. He needed Jeff to understand that this wasn't another youthful mistake, something Eddie would regret. He needed Jeff to understand that Steve, no matter what Eddie felt for him, was different. "Steve is my friend, end of discussion. Keep pushing it and you're about to discover just how good of a friend he is." 

"We're not trying to insult him, Eddie," Jeff said, softly. "We're just worried about you." 

"I can take care of myself, Jeff," Eddie said. 

"I know. You just have the tendency to focus on the best in people, even when it's not in your best interest." 

Eddie was pretty sure that wasn't true, actually. Robin called him a judgemental asshole all the time, and he had to admit that she was right. He'd been wrong about pretty much everything he'd ever thought about Steve Harrington, for one. What else had he gotten wrong, over the years? What else has he painted with one big brush just to keep himself safe? He's probably missed out on a lot of cool shit over the years, too scared to open his mind for more than a split second. He'd almost missed Steve. 

Steve, putting himself inbetween Eddie and danger even as his body was shutting down. Steve, organs failing and bleeding out, putting all his weight and trust in Eddie's arms. Steve, laughing in the parking lot at one of Eddie's stupid jokes, eyes still puffy with sleep. Steve, smiling as he watched Robin and Dustin argue over pizza toppings. Steve, fallling asleep wrapped up in Wayne's clothes and smelling of Eddie's soap. Steve, in Eddie's arms, making his chest feel too small for his racing heart. 

"Jeff..." 

Before Eddie could finally put the debate to rest, a crowd of freshies and sophomores flooded the caf, Max's bright hair and El's wide smile easily identifiable amongst them. Eddie's voice fell silent, Jeff and Dougie following suit-- None of them were stupid. If the kids got even a whiff of what they were arguing over, everyone would be in trouble. All of them were fiercly protective of Steve, especially after the summer he'd had, and if they found out Jeff and Dougie were bad mouthing him behind his back, their revenge would be swift. Even Eddie would be in the dog house for not cutting them off immediately for their crimes against Steve's honor. 

Especially El. Dustin would always be Steve's first kid, but El had never for a moment let the older boys forget who her big brother was. 

Dustin was the first to the table, hustling between bigger bodies. He frowned when he saw Dougie in his seat, but shrugged it off and plopped himself in the next seat over, immediately starting in on another Dustin Henderson branded scheme.

"So I was thinking, actually. Maybe if my mom meets you in person, she might--" 

"Steve already told you that was a bad idea, dumbass," Max said from the other side of the table, slamming her books down next to her lunch tray. Ugh, tuna casserole. Eddie would just starve until he could steal snacks from the Harrington pantry. "You might as well just keep lying." 

"I mean, it would be easier, but this isn't just about joining Hellfire anymore!" Dustin protested as Gareth settled in beside him. He looked highly amused, and Eddie assumed this rant had been going on at least since the bell rang. "This is about saving my mom, okay? And to do that, she needs to--"

Eddie tuned them out. Dustin's insistence on saving his mother from herself was adorable, really, and noble in a way Eddie didn't really understand, but he was tired of hearing about it. Plenty of people, Wesen and human, hated the Munsons for one reason or another. It sucked that Dustin couldn't hang out with them, but he wasn't about to put all his energy into changing one woman's mind. It was a lot more fun focusing on the people who didn't judge him before a single conversation, the people who liked him for he was. 

Speaking of people he loved, Eddie offered a smile to El, who had sat next to Max, completely silent. She was the quietest of the little group of freshmen, so unflappable that even Lucas seemed high-strung and sensitive next to her. And Eddie had only seen that kid lose his cool twice. She still carried a sorrow with her that Steve insisted was brand new, but Eddie doubted that-- Her gaze sometimes seemed older than her face, as if she'd seen years and years more than Eddie could even imagine. Maybe she had just gotten worse at hiding it, after Will, but the grief ever-present in her smile wasn't new. 

"Steve bought me the book you showed me," El said, that sad smile on her face, and she pulled a book out of her bag. The brown cover was familiar to Eddie, it's maroon logo blazing proudly. He'd picked it up after reading a Star Trek paperback from the same author, and after trying desperately to find the rumored sequel, he'd stumbled upon the book. It was about misfit kids who became wizards and traveled to other dimensions and talked to trees, finding belonging and friendship with each other and the world. He'd enjoyed it immensely, even though it was a little young for him, and when El revealed she'd never read a book for fun before, he knew she had to have it. It was her all over, and he couldn't imagine a better story to help her prepare for the troubles of high school. 

"Oh yeah? How are you liking it?" he asked, leaning forward to hear her over Max and Dustin's argument. 

"Nita is very cool, but I like Kit the best," El said, very seriously. "I think I want to play a wizard like him in our next game." 

"Great idea!" Eddie said, enthusiatically. Maybe Eddie couldn't hold El's hand and walk her through bullies and crushes, but this he could do. He would go above and beyond to make this next game the most fun El had ever had, even if he had to write the damn module himself. "There's a version of Specialist Wizard called Artificer that I think would work if you wanted something more like Kit's powers. I'll bring Spells & Magic over before game night, and we can have a look. I gotta warn you, though, you're gonna start out really squishy. No more running into battles head first like you did last time." 

El's fighter had been prodiguously gifted at getting himself killed, needing to be rescued so often that Max refused to call him anything other than Steve. El had glowed every time like it was a compliment. 

A shadow crossed over Dustin's face for a moment, words stopping in his throat. "A wizard? But--" He stopped again, frowning down at the table before sighing. Whatever his problem was, he let it go with a shrug. "It's okay, El, I'll tank for you," he said, eventually. "I was thinking of playing a Fighter this time." 

"Go for Gladiator instead," Dougie advised. "Eddie never does huge army battles so less of the Fighter skills will come in handy." 

"Plus you can use literally any weapon, so we won't have unusable magical weapons encumbering us until we get to the next town," Jeff said, and they laughed when Max hissed at him. Eddie had never pegged her for a loot hoarder, but Max's dwarf had spent the entire last campaign at reduced speed, lugging around so much garbage that Robin had taken pity and made her a spreadsheet.  

"You can only use Gladiator in a Dark Sun campaign, though," Dustin said, grumbling even as he turned puppy dog eyes on Eddie. 

"Eddie rewrites the entire module half the time anyway," Dougie said dismissively. "It'll be fine."

"Excuse you," Eddie said, without much heat. He was a hardass when it came to the rules, sure, but when it came to making the game cooler? He couldn't pretend he wasn't an easy sell.  

"Maybe I should play a priest this time," Dougie mused. "Cleric maybe, get some heals?" 

"Wait, someone besides Jeff is volunteering to be Cleric?"

"Bard, here I come!" 

"Dude, no." 

"Can we please get a thief this time?" 

"Oh, I'll do it if Eddie lets me wear rollerblades." 

"I'm not letting-- You just want to steal loot from people's houses." 

"Why else do people become thieves?" 

[livfastdieyoung69]

Bones, Body, Soul.

A Jeff Hardy Story. (Ch. 5)

A pounding knock on the hollow, rickety door of the Hilton hotel room, number 103, is heard loud and clear on the muggy Thursday morning.

“Guys! C’mon, I forgot my room key!” The knocking continued, and a desperate Matt wailed on the other side while Jeff and Lemmy shuffled around in bed, Lemmy groaning from the rattling of the door. It felt like the whole damn room was shaking and they could already feel the headache growing. They stuffed themselves further into the crease of Jeff’s arm, gripping at the band of his basketball shorts, but their cuddles weren't convincing enough and Jeff clumsily slumped out of bed to throw the door open before jumping back in bed- coincidentally on Lemm.

“I’d really appreciate it if you guys didn't just sleep all morning. I want to introduce you to the new girl we're working with, Amy.” Matt looked down at the other two still rolling around in bed, Lemmy still halfway under Jeff and gripping onto him for dear life again. The room was actually freezing this time and they’d forgotten a sweatshirt.

Eventually, Matt forced them out of bed and down to breakfast with the rest of the superstars and a couple of families who looked very out of place. One of these superstars was Amy, who was super sweet and Lemmy’s new favorite person ever. Still half asleep, they ate fresh waffles with possibly stale syrup and many of those tiny paper cups full of orange juice. The Hardy’s and Amy were quick to get caught up in a conversation but Lemmy seemed out of it, too busy staring at someone behind Amy, who sat across from them.

“So, Lemmy, I’ve heard that you have a pretty similar wrestling style to Jeff and Matt, how come they didn’t pair you up with them instead?” Amy asked from across Lemmy, catching their attention.

“Oh! Uh, actually,” Their eyes lit up, replacing the glimmer of sleep that lay over top of them. “These guys started a wrestling company when we were younger, in high school, and someone in school told me about it when I moved to North Carolina. I tried out n’ got in, so I have the same upbringing as ‘em, which is why we wrestle so alike. We all loved creating characters and fighting against each other, but at one point me and Jeff had these two characters- Willow and Karma. They were pretty similar and were kind of a tag team, a lot of people really liked them and I really love being Karma, so I thought, might as well give a shot in the big leagues.” Lemmy’s passion for the subject was clear, the others at the small table smiling over at them at the memories it brought up.

“That’s so awesome! So how long have guys known each other?” Amy responded, curious about her new partners. The three went quiet, each searching for an answer in their minds, Matt eventually piping up.

“I think…uh, I had just graduated, so you guys were, what, 14 and 15?” Jeff nodded in Matt’s direction, but Lemmy was once again distracted and quickly excused themselves and jogged after someone making their way towards the elevator, too far into the hallway for the new, and very confused, teammates to see. Lemmy stumbled around the corner, calling out.

“‘Scuse me! Hey, um, excuse me, could I talk to you?” The two men turned around to find Lemmy running after them, a hopeful look and glimmering smile covering their face.

“Well, hello there Dallas! Wow, it’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?” One of them grinned as he spoke, black holes where teeth used to be.

“Yeah. Yeah, it has been, hasn’t it Mick? I really missed you guys, I wish we could’ve kept in contact.” Lemmy smiled back, revealing their own missing canine to two of the men they looked up to as mentors- Mick Foley and Al Snow. As weird as they are, Lemm found a huge sense of belonging and comfort in their company.

“Hey, speaking of that, do they…does anyone...” Al trailed off, his point was made obvious and Lemmy was shaking their head no before he could finish what he had started.

“Uh...no.” Lemmy looked down at their hands, guilt obvious in their slumped shoulders. The three went quiet for a while, Mick placing a comforting hand on Lemm’s shoulder and they looked up with a quick breath as if they hadn’t been breathing at all, as if there was too much on their mind that their body had stopped working.

“No one knows. I don’t know how long I’ll keep it that way, but I don’t know how to tell them. I’ve just…kept it a secret for so long, y’know?” The conversation paused for a section before Lemmy waved it away. “Um, anyways, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Ask away, kid!” Mick shot at them with a heartfelt grin, Al doing the same from next to him.

“Well...I just, I know that I was only a jobber and I wasn’t there for very long, at all, but it felt more like a home there than it does here. I felt more…appreciated. Even with my boys here. I’m just- I’m not being pushed, they only really put me on the card when someone else gets injured or something and I’m fed up with it! And I know it's because I’m on the women's roster, we maybe get a match every week if we beg them enough!” Lemmy’s voice rose with desperation and anger, Mick and Al trying to offer them consolidating smiles.

“I just...I just wanted to ask if you guys think that ECW would push me more than WWF does. Or maybe they would let me wrestle everyone, I've been trying to do that for a while. I think that…I think Karma and I would fit in a lot better over there.”

The arena was as crowded and compact as it always was. The card was packed full of superstars- still no one from the women’s roster with an actual match, but Amy was going out with Essa Rios for his match against the Hardyz, which would be the start of their way to working together. That was probably all the action their roster would get all week that was actually about wrestling- something Amy would get to interfere in a match.

Lemmy sat in catering with the Hardyz and Amy, who went by Lita in the ring, the group claiming one of the many bumpy, foldable tables as their own. Though all four of them were present and excited to finally be working together, Lemmy was back to staring into space. A bump to their shoulder brought them out of their confusion, finding Jeff sitting a little closer to them than he had been before with a concerned look on his face, eyebrows creased in the way they always seemed to be lately.

“You okay, Lemm? Been thinkin’ up there all day long.” A soft smile graced Lemm’s face at his concern, warmth creeping up their neck along with it. Their eyes glanced down at the table as Jeff softly brought his arm around them and pushed them into him, the concern never leaving his face but a smile adorning it as well.

“I’m all good, Jeffro. Just thinkin’ about a lot today, I guess.” Jeff hummed in response, clearly not believing them, but Lemm was quick to take the topic off his mind and moved away from his side to jokingly point a finger in his face. “Hey, don’t get all worried about me, you've gotta match! And an important one too. Speaking of which, I think you guys are on after this next one, so you should probably go get dressed and all that stuff.” Lemmy directed the last few sentences at the other two as well and watched them all get up from the table.

With a quick goodbye, Matt and Amy left to go get ready, but Jeff still stood in front of Lemmy.

“Whatever’s bothering you, you know that I’ll help you with it if you let me, right? And we’re talking about this after I get back, man.” Though Jeff towered above them from their steel, cold chair to have him there was still comforting, and so was the hand he laid on the back of their upper arm. Lemmy closed their eyes from both the comfort and how much they hated lying to him.

“I promise, I really am fine. Now go get ready, would you? I wanna watch your guys’ match.” Lemmy sent him a soft shove and a teasing grin, sending the boy on his way.

The match was amazing, as theirs always were. Amy delivered a great hurricanrana to Matt behind the ref's back and the crowd was always interactive with things like that. Lemmy loved to watch them perform, they had since their first audition into OMEGA when they watched Matt and Jeff jump around on that dumb, half-busted trampoline. But something about today- with everything that had been going on and the way the crowd cheered for Amy as they had done for their debut, Lemmy felt more anger than they had in a long time.

With watering eyes and taping feet, the feeling of deep-rooted, unwelcomed hatred sent them far back to memories of Texas. Where they had no one but grandparents with no understanding, a dad halfway across the world, and a mother who left a long, long, time ago. They weren’t good enough then, and now, after the years of work they’d put into their dreams, all of the life accomplishments, and school dances, and parties, and having an actual goddamned life, they’d skipped to be put right here in this damn company, they still weren’t good enough.

They jumped from their chair, sending it tumbling to the ground with a few clanks, and shoved their way through the cramped hallway, earning many confused stares. Billy Gunn called out for them, confused, from one of the other tables.

“Oh hey, Lemmy! How’ve you been…“ Adam, with a grinning Christian at his side, each in their silly pair of sunglasses, spoke with excitement at the sight of the duo’s very well-known friend, but his sentiments trailed off at Lemmy’s burning scowl. Lemmy continued down the hallway with no signs of stopping until they reached the end, where they grabbed ahold of the farthest door and swung it open, the sound of the metal knob hitting the concreted wall ricocheting violently. E&C glanced at each other in worry when they caught a glimpse at the door's name plate- Mr. McMahon.

Suddenly, the anger is gone and Lemmy stands in front of the desk, Mr.McMahon slowly looking up with the expression of disgust he always seems to have, and regrets their impulsive actions.

“May I help you?” The older man rasps out slowly, hand still holding a metal ballpoint pen waving out.

“I have- I need to talk to you.” They blurt out, arms crossing and posture straightening. “I don’t understand why I’m not getting on the card. The Hardys, they’re,” A scoffed laugh comes from them. “they’re out there every Smackdown and I’ve got the same skillset- we all know it. I deserve to be out there too.” It’s Vince’s turn to scoff. He leans back in the big, leather office chair.

“There are plenty of other people experiencing this, and they, Dallas, are grateful for what I give them. What makes you any better than them?”

“I may have signed a contract for you, but in case you can’t remember, I forced it down to a year. That year is comin’ around pretty damn quick, and I will happily take my unused talents somewhere I’ll be appreciated the second it's done.” They scowled, the feeling of Texas and its anger returning. Vince looks on at them silently, before placing his pen down and placing his elbows on the wooden desk, fingers locking together.

“Well, it seems nobody here is happy with this… arrangement. I see no reason why we shouldn’t just cut our business together now.” He shrugs with a smug look.

“I,” Lemmy takes a breath, tongue running over their teeth before clenching their jaw. “I think I’d have to agree with you. Why don’t you let me know when you have that paperwork done?” They send him a lasting, bitter smile, before turning around. Hand reaching for the door, they pause and turn their head. “Vince?”

He doesn’t respond.

“The next time you hear my name you're going to regret every decision you’ve ever made.”

With nowhere to go, Lemmy spends the rest of the night pacing between catering and the men’s locker room, waiting for the Hardys to show up. Matt liked to wander around the arena and socialize a bit, and Lemmy guessed Jeff had gone with him when they weren’t found in catering. Sometime in their nervous waiting, Billy Gunn had come up to them and asked, while very concerned, what was going on and if they were okay. Grateful for his attempt, Lemmy gave him the best smile they could conjure (which only made him more concerned, they looked on the verge of sobbing) and melted into his sweet hug.

As the night came to a close, Lemm watched everyone start to drag their belongings out of the arena, anxiety growing. Just as they are about to head to the locker room and grab their bags, Matt, Amy, and Jeff round the corner with matching smiles. Wasting no time, Lemmy starts walking towards them. Noticing them quickly, Jeff starts to reach out to put an arm around their shoulder to have them join the group, but his grin, along with the other two’s, quickly turns into a frown.

“Lemm, what's wrong?” Matt asks from the other side of Lita, Jeff grabbing them gently by the elbow.

“What’s goin’ on, man?” Their mouth gapes open as they look at Jeff, but they can't find the words and turn their head away. He pulls them in closer, his other hand meeting their upper arm. “Dal, sweetheart, tell me whats the matter,” He practically whispers, voice soft. “All I wanna do is help, yeah? Just let me help.”

Lemm fell against him instead of answering, eyes closing against his shoulder. His arms quickly surround them as he looks over at Matt and Amy in concern. The brothers weren’t sure if they’d even seen Lemmy like this.

“I gotta talk to you guys.” They finally mutter, barely audible. “Just…not here.”

Jeff nodded quickly, rubbing up and down their back, still looking over at Matt while he gestured towards the locker room.

“That's fine, we can go back to the hotel,” Matt assured, thankful they had decided to stay in the city for one more day. “You guys just head to the car, me and Lita will grab our stuff.” He hands the keys off to Jeff, and they’re quick to part ways. Separating from their long hug, Jeff and Lemm make their way to the car (Jeff still has a hand on their back, trying to offer some comfort.), where they sit in the backseat with Lemm's head lying on his shoulder, waiting for Matt and Amy to hop in the front seats. The drive to the hotel was quiet, the same with the walk to their room.

Amy decided to give the three some space and went to visit Trish a couple of floors down. Lemm sat on one of the beds, with Jeff beside them and Matt across from them in the one corner chair that's always in hotels, he’d pulled over.

“I got fired.”

Matt looked at them with wide, unexpected eyes and they looked down to avoid it. They refused to look at Jeff at all.

“I’m sorry?” The older brother asked.

“I, um,” A watery laugh broke from their throat as they rubbed at their forehead. “I got fired.”

“Wh-“ Jeff started. “H-Wh-I…What the hell happened, Dal?” Lemmy's shoulder shook with unwanted laughter. They looked (really) kinda fucking crazy. They managed to stop themselves after noticing the awkward silence that lingered outside of them.

“I was mad, at everything. Like I first was when I met y’all,” They shrugged. “Went into Vince’s office to have a word, and then it was all…everything was done. That's it.” Their hands motioned in front of them. “It’s done.”

“No, no, we just need to- to talk with him again, I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding-“ Matt tries, but Lemm only shakes their head.

“Nah. It’s gone. Here? M’ done. They don’t want nothin’ to do with me, nothin’ at all. Alls they wanna do is let me sit and waste, like the rest of the roster that gets nothing. Alls they ever do is pick and choose who's got it and let everyone else out to waste. Waste! This damn company didn’t want me in the first place, and I’m fuckin’ done with ‘em.” Neither of the brothers knows how to respond to their anger. Minutes pass in silence.

“Lemm, what the hell are you gonna do? What are we gonna do?” Jeff finally speaks up. Lemmy shakes their head, finally looking over to him. The look in his eyes was heartbreaking.

“You’re-you’re not gonna do nothing. Those people love you, and in a couple of weeks, you two’ve got the match of a damn lifetime. I could not be more proud of you, and I won’t let you pull yourself down for me. Neither of you.” A sense of grief rose in the room. Not once in their careers, or really, for the past half-decade, had they spent much more than a day apart. Alliances were hard to keep in this industry, let alone friendships, and now it felt a little bit like everything was washing down the drain.

“…What’re you gonna do, though?” Jeff repeated. A minute of silence washed back over.

“I…” They hesitated, wiping their hands back over their face. “When my dad left ECW, and WWF called him up, I…I, um,” They paused again, voice growing heavy and wet. “…You can’t be mad at me when I tell you this.” Lemm’s voice is muffled behind their hands as they look up to the sky. Jeff grabs their wrists, gently, and pulls them down.

“Dal, c’mon,” He rubs the soft underside of their arms. “You don’t have to carry this by yourself anymore. Whatever it is, I’ve got you. Just tell me. We won’t be mad.” Matt backs him up with his own assurance.

“…You know how much I loved ECW,” They started. “I mean- it was, it was so much more…brutal than when dad was in WCW before that. And I just…God, I wanted to be there so bad, and, y’know,” Another laugh escaped them, unable to stop the nervous habit before they let everything rush out. “He’d-he had just left n’ come here n’ you guys had summer jobs, there was…I heard they were looking for a couple people so I called the number in the Yellowbook- n’ it was stupid, but I just- everything was so- it was, it was everything I wanted from wrestling-“

“I’m kinda a little lost here, what?” Matt interrupted, shaking his head softly.

“…when I was 16 I told Paul Heyman, ECW’s creative director, that I was 19 so that I could job for a couple weekends. When I told y’all I was babysitting for Uncle Scott’s friend.” The room went silent, and Matt put his head in his hands.

“Oh, my, God, Lemmy.”

“Yeah, I know, it's bad.” They nodded franticly with closed eyes and another panicked laugh.

“I don’t… what's that gotta do with everything now?” Jeff asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“ECW…Paul liked me. I think he knew I was lying, half the damn roster was lying about something. I still have his number, I’m gonna call him. This sounds crazy, but everything- all of this, is happening for a reason. ECW is my destiny.”

AHHHHHHH

somebody yell at me. SOMEBODY YELL AT ME. i make u wait A YEAR AND TWO MONTHS for this pile of garbage im so sorry

anyways happy new year, figured id actually write in this one but i have no clue where to go after this so…if you have to wait another year i give my condolences. I did go back n make the rest of the series actually okay-ish before this which is half of what took me this long lol

i bought myself a 370 dollar lego set for christmas so ive def been keeping myself busy, and im never buying anything ever again!

[parmawiolets]

Fruit Salad

Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary: Eddie Munson's ex-not-quite-girlfriend Hannah Newby is pregnant. But it's not his. And she won't say whose it is. Very slow burn. Exes to friends to (eventual) lovers.

A/N: This is my first ever fic! Thank you so so so much to @shybunnie20 for being absolutely wonderful and helping me so much. Definitely go check out her work, she's amazing.

Contents: No upside down. Pregnancy. Reader is called Hannah because I didn't want to use Y/N but no physical description of reader (so maybe an OC? I don't know). Bob is her dad, because I love him. The Byers are still in Hawkins because I love them too.

Word count: 6.3K

Next chapter

Chapter 1: Apple

Eddie finds out Hannah is pregnant and decides he wants to help.

September 1st, 1985 - 15 weeks pregnant

—

"She's WHAT!?"

Eddie smacks the cafeteria table as his front chair legs hit the floor from where he's been rocking back on it, not paying any attention to his friends until he heard that.

"Pregnant," Gareth repeats. "Hannah Newby's pregnant."

"Hey, didn't you two-" Jeff is cut off by the screech of chair legs across the floor as Eddie scrambles away and out the door.

The boys left behind look at each other; wide eyed and grimacing.

—

Five minutes later, Eddie is sweet talking Mrs Jennings in the school office. He can be really charming if he wants to be. Sometimes.

His uncle Wayne has always told him that office administrators are the ones with the real power. They can be your best friend, or they can make your life incredibly difficult. Keep them on side.

It's the first day of the new school year - Eddie's third attempt at graduating. Eddie still knew Hannah's schedule from last year, but that didn't help him now. He didn’t even know where her locker would be.

"Now, you let me know if you want me to take another look at your car sometime. Can't have my favourite person at this school breaking down on the way here! This place would fall apart without you." Eddie leans on the desk with a winning, dimple-filled smile.

"Oh, you are still such a nice boy, Eddie Munson." Mrs Jennings reaches out and pinches his cheek.

"Psh," Eddie waves her off bashfully. "Only to you, Mrs Jennings."

She tuts playfully at him and slides some papers across the desk. "Here you go, but remember, don't go telling anyone where you got that."

Eddie grabs it and clutches it to his chest. "Our little secret." He whispers and gives her a wink before he saunters away.

As soon as he’s out of sight, Eddie frantically scans the paper, and rushes off down the hallway. He rounds a corner and bounces off Connor Cunningham amongst a gaggle of jocks, all dressed in their green-sleeved jackets.

“Woah there.” Connor catches Eddie before he topples backwards. He is by far the nicest of the basketball team; meaning he doesn’t contribute to any of the bullying, just watches it happen.

Jason steps up and grips Eddie by the collar, shoving him away. “Watch it, freak!”

Eddie stumbles around them and carries on running down the corridor.

—

"No way! I didn't think it was really true!"

"She doesn't look pregnant. Are you sure she didn't just put on weight?"

"Does anyone know whose it is yet?"

Jules stands like a guard dog next to Hannah digging through her locker. She glares at everyone walking past who is whispering and gawking. Jules isn’t naturally intimidating, but maybe it’s someone usually so relaxed seeming so hostile that sends people scurrying along. 

She takes a moment to survey her best friend. Jules wants to know how Hannah is feeling, but knows her well enough to know she won’t say if asked. Ten years of friendship means that Jules is generally pretty attuned to Hannah’s emotions even when she tries to mask them. But right now, she’s shoved them so far down, Jules can’t tell what’s going on in her head.

Just as Jules is about to ask, she sees Eddie Munson hurrying towards them over Hannah’s shoulder. She coughs, “Incoming.” Nodding towards him. “You gonna be ok?”

Hannah nods and flashes her a tight smile. 

Jules hesitates; she wants to comfort Hannah in some way, but knows that anything she tries right now will just overwhelm her. Instead, she attempts a smile in return and walks away in the opposite direction to Eddie. 

Hannah takes a steadying breath and closes her locker door just as Eddie comes up beside her, shoulders tense and eyes wide with panic.

"It's not yours, Eddie." She glances up at him. "You can unclench."

"Oh," he sags and leans back against the wall of lockers, then perks straight back up again. "Are you sure? How far along are you?"

"Nearly 4 months. Fifteen weeks. Doctor says it's the size of an apple.” Hannah shakes her head. “I was already pregnant when we started hooking up." She ducks her head and focuses on her fingers fidgeting with a battered book spine. "I didn't know. I'm sorry." 

Still refusing to look at him, Hannah walks around Eddie. He stares at the spot she was standing for a moment before moving in front of her again.

"Wait, is this why you dumped me?"

Hannah stares at him incredulously; "I didn't- We weren't-" She sighs. "Yes, Eddie. This is why I stopped hanging out with you."

Eddie looks at her, studying her face for a moment. Her figure and her face are maybe a little fuller, the only visual indication he can see of her pregnancy. He thinks she looks as beautiful as ever, but stressed and tired. The usual crinkle between her brows seems almost fixed in place.

"You've got history now, right?" Eddie swoops in and snatches the books from her arms, grinning at her. "Come on." He cocks his head down the hall and starts walking backwards away from her.

"Wha- what are you- Eddie, give me those!"

"Nuh-uh! You can't be carrying things when you're pregnant!" 

"HEAVY things Eddie! I'm sure I'm fine carrying two books!" 

"Best not to risk it. Come on!"

—

"How long do you think until she doesn’t even fit in the seat?"

"It's Munson's, right? It's got to be. They were all over each other at the end of last year."

"My mom warned me not to be friends with her."

Hannah sits through her history class staring straight ahead, determinedly ignoring her classmates and counting down the minutes to the end. The only saving grace is Mr Wilson. He has always been Hannah’s favourite teacher: stern, but kind, with a wicked sense of humour he'll share with you if he likes you. Mr Wilson seems to realise that Hannah isn’t entirely present, but thankfully decides to leave her be for now.

The lesson finally comes to a close, and the students start gathering their belongings and making their way to the door. Hannah takes her time as she has no desire to be engaged in conversation by any of her fellow classmates. And it’s not like she can outrun them.

“Miss Newby?” Mr Wilson peers over his glasses. “Can I keep you for a moment?”

Mr Wilson is a lanky man in his late 40s and has been teaching his whole adult life. He has seen everything. Not surprised anymore by anything students do. Just sometimes which student did it.

“So,” Mr Wilson starts once they are alone. “Are you ok?”

Hannah’s head shoots up from where she had been eyeballing the floor. “What?”

“I’m guessing this wasn’t what you had planned for your senior year and I know this can’t be easy. People can be shit.” Hannah’s eyebrows raise at her teacher’s profanity. “I just want you to know that you can come to me if you need anything. I mean it. Academic or otherwise. I will help you.”

Hannah blinks. "Thank you." 

"Go on." He nods towards the door with a friendly smile. "Get."

As Hannah leaves the classroom frowning at the floor, she sees a pair of familiar Reeboks approach. Her gaze follows as her books are lifted from her arms again and she's met with the dimples of a smiling Eddie Munson.

"Hi there sweetheart. How was history?"

"Are you seriously not going to let me carry any books the whole time I'm pregnant?" Hannah's frown deepens. Eddie's smile only grows.

"Nope." Popping the p. "Art next, yeah?" 

Hannah squints at him, but follows down the hallway with a huff. "What, have you been buttering up Mrs Jennings again?"

"Sorry, can't reveal my sources."

"Well that means yes."

"I am sworn to secrecy! You will never get it out of me!" 

Eddie looks over at Hannah with a dazzling grin. She's still frowning, but there's a little sparkle in her eyes. Eddie thinks he would do just about anything to see that sparkle. 

That's how it goes for the rest of the day. Hannah stoically ignores her fellow students during class, then Eddie meets her outside her classroom and carries her few books as he escorts her to the next one. 

When Hannah exits her penultimate lesson of the day and she is greeted yet again by Eddie Munson's doe eyes, she finally asks what's been bugging her all day: "How are you even doing this? How do you get to my classrooms so quickly from yours?"

Eddie leans in conspiratorially. "That's for me to know, and you to figure out, sweetheart."

She narrows her eyes and points a finger in his face, making him recoil slightly; bemused. "Give me time."

Eddie lets out a booming laugh at that, and follows Hannah to her locker.

Eddie leans against the locker next to Hannah's. "How do you know it's an apple?"

"Hm?” Hannah is struggling with a giant sketchbook.

"This morning you said the baby is the size of an apple. How do you know?" Eddie guides Hannah out of the way and pulls the sketchbook free.

"The doctor gave me this chart that tells you the size of the baby each week and it has comparative fruits on it. This week it's an apple." Hannah shrugs. "Next week it's an avocado."

"Is that a fruit?" Eddie scrunches his face, puzzled.

Hannah shrugs again and starts towards her classroom. Eddie bounds after her.

"Hey,” Eddie nudges her shoulder with his. “You'll never guess what Jeff did." 

"What?" Hannah is watching him out of the corner of her eye, careful to keep her expression blank at his antics.

"Don't ask why. Maybe he had an itch, maybe he was just curious, who knows. But he stuck the end of his pencil up his nose, and when he took it out, the eraser got left behind!"

"Ew." Hannah wrinkles her nose.

"I know! But it gets worse."

"How?!" Hannah finally turns to him as they come to a stop outside their destination.

"He sneezed and it shot out.” Eddie cackles. “Hit Carver in the back of the head!"

Hannah snorts, then smacks her hand over her mouth, mortified. She grabs her book out of Eddie's arms then flees through the classroom door, waving over her shoulder without looking back.

Eddie is thrilled. 

"See you after class!" he calls out to her retreating figure, chuckling fondly to himself.

But when Hannah exits her last lesson of the day, Eddie is nowhere to be seen.

Hannah looks up and down the corridor, but still no Eddie. She knows she shouldn’t be disappointed; she shouldn't expect this of him when he doesn’t owe her anything. So she makes her way to her locker and takes out her backpack. 

Just as she is closing the door, Eddie slams up against the lockers next to her, panting.

"Sorry." Deep breath. "Mrs O'Donnell." Wheeze. "She hates me."

"Still? You'd have thought she'd've gotten used to you by now." 

Eddie squints up at her from where he's hunched over. "Rude." 

He heaves himself upright with a groan and grabs the belongings from her hands. Eddie looks her over, and shakes his head. “You know this stuff is supposed to go on the paper, right?” He rubs at some charcoal on Hannah’s cheek with his thumb.

Hannah’s face flushes. “Shut up.” She swats his hand away and buffs her cheek with the heel of her hand.

Eddie grins. He’s delighted at affecting her, but takes pity on her and changes the subject. "Is your dad picking you up or is Jules giving you a ride home?"

"Jules is doing an art thing."

"Already? It's the first day of school, can't the girl take a break?"

Hannah shrugs and starts walking.

"So where are you meeting your dad?" Eddie follows.

"He's working."

"Joyce?"

"They broke up."

"Oh, that’s too bad - wait, I don't understand. How are you planning on getting home?"

"The bus."

Eddie stops. Holding his arm out in front of Hannah to halt her too. She scowls down at his arm in front of her then lifts her gaze to his.

Eddie splutters. "Are you kidding me?! Do you know how disgusting those things are? You're pregnant! Absolutely not. No. Not happening."

"Eddie-"

"No." He turns her to face him and holds her by the shoulders. "There is no way in hell I am letting you get on that germ infested tin can."

She squirms out of his grasp. "As opposed to your germ infested tin can."

"I'm giving you a ride, ok?"

"Eddie-"

"Ok?"

"Ed-"

"Please, Han?"

She looks at him for a moment. Then huffs, rolling her eyes. "Fine."

"Thank you."

—

They're at a stoplight and Eddie is rifling through the glovebox, leaning across the centre console and Hannah's knees with his tongue poking out in concentration. Hannah's gaze travels over his face, chewing her bottom lip as she studies him.

"Aha!" Eddie holds up a cassette tape in triumph, startling Hannah. "Sorry." Eddie immediately looks sheepish.

Hannah tries to get a look at the tape, but Eddie is waving it around too much before he puts it on to play. 

Twangy guitar and a slow, steady drum beat fill the van as Eddie drives away. Hannah's head whips around to stare at Eddie, eyebrows shooting up her forehead before furrowing.

"The Chain?"

"It's your favourite song." Eddie shrugs, stealing a glance at her. Hannah sharply turns back to the windshield, but not before Eddie sees her bite down on the twitching corners of her mouth. Eddie's cheeks hurt, he’s smiling so wide.

Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise

Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies

Eddie is slamming his palms on the wheel to the beat. He glances over and sees that Hannah's knee is bobbing along too. She doesn't even seem to be conscious of it. Eddie joins in with the next part of the song.

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

"Come on sweetheart, you know you want to!" 

But Hannah turns further away, leaning her elbow on the passenger side window and covering the lower part of her face with her hand. This only encourages Eddie. He belts it out even louder.

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

"You're a terrible singer, Eddie."

He cackles. "You're a terrible liar, Hannah."

"I think you're confused. It's humility that's a virtue; not wild unapologetic arrogance." She still hasn't turned away from the window.

"Good thing I have no interest in virtuosity." He keeps glancing at her.

"I don't think that's a word." 

"It's definitely a word, sweetheart." 

Eddie thinks Hannah is smiling behind her hand. He can hear it in her voice, even if she won't let him see it.

The chorus is coming up again.

"Come on," Eddie bumps Hannah's bicep gently with a closed fist. "Sing with me."

“Fuck off.”

Eddie runs his hand down her arm until he circles her wrist and tugs gently. He sings along softly this time, even as the music ramps up.

Hannah doesn't turn to face him, but peeks over out of the corner of her eye. She realises her mistake immediately when she sees his face. Those big brown eyes looking at her. Pleading with her.

She lets out a long, drawn out groan. The chorus is going round again. Hannah sings along too this time; much quieter than Eddie.

Eddie pulls up outside Hannah's house and throws the van into park, turning in his seat and pulling her to face him too. They're both shouting out the words this time, Eddie grinning wildly and Hannah's face scrunched.

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

They're both breathing heavily; faces close, looking at each other as the bass line stretches out and the music starts to build again.

Eddie glances down to her lips. Just for a split second. But Hannah sees, and snaps back; away from him, out of the moment. 

"Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah, of- of course."

"Bye, Eddie." She's already out of the van and closing the door, giving him a small wave.

"Bye." But the door is already shut. And Hannah is already halfway up the path. 

"Shit. Wait!" Eddie kills the ignition, cutting off the music. He fumbles with his door and practically falls out of his van, scrambling to get to her.

"Nice landing."

Eddie's head shoots up. Hannah is standing by her open front door, but she is waiting.

"It's all about the recovery, sweetheart." 

"And when does that happen?" 

"Oof! Hit me where it hurts, Han!" He clutches at his heart. She rolls her eyes. There's that sparkle again.

But it's gone in an instant. As if she's remembered a reason not to.

"You wanted something?"

"Yes. Yeah," he swipes his hands on his jeans. When did they get so sweaty?

"How are you getting to school tomorrow?"

"Jules said she'd pick me up."

"Ok. Good. Great. Just… Please promise me you won't get the bus? I will give you a ride any time. Really. No bus."

An eye roll. "Sure."

"Promise?"

A sigh. "Yes, Eddie. I promise. No bus."

"Thank you."

A pause. "Do you think you could drive me home again tomorrow? Jules said her art thing might be a few days this week."

"Yes! I can do that." Eddie grins at her, and turns back to the van.

"Eddie?" Quieter this time.

"Yeah?"

Hannah furrows her brow and fixates on her feet. "People are going to… think it's yours." She glances up at him. "Don't you mind?"

"Sweetheart, I couldn't give less of a shit what this town thinks of me. Especially if it means I get to spend time with you."

She wrinkles her nose at him. "Gross."

Eddie cackles. "See you tomorrow, sweetheart."

—

Eddie is early to school the next day. He can't remember when he was last on time, let alone early. He sits on top of one of the picnic tables between the parking lot and the front entrance; smoking, legs bouncing. Waiting for Hannah.

Eddie finishes his cigarette and is debating lighting up another one when he sees Jules' car pull into the lot.

"Jules, please just drop it." Hannah slams the car door after her and walks off, only to stop when she locks eyes with Eddie. He gives her a smile and a small wave as he jumps off the table.

"Han, come on. I'm not trying to upset you." Jules catches up to Hannah and grabs her arm to turn her around. "You know I'm just worried."

"Yeah, I get it. You just," Hannah looks around and lowers her voice. "You know you can't say anything."

Jules sighs. "I know." She pulls Hannah into a hug. "I don't like it, but I know."

Hannah melts into the hug for a moment, before wriggling out of it. "Get off me, you loser."

Jules snorts. "Right, sorry. I forgot. Can't have people thinking you're actually a giant teddy bear."

"Fuck off."

Jules laughs and they make their way towards the school. She spots Eddie and nudges Hannah with her shoulder. "Your boy's waiting." 

"Fuck. Off." Hannah scrunches her face and pushes Jules towards the main entrance, walking over to Eddie.

"Love you too, see you later!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Eddie is rocking on his heels with his hands in his pockets, looking bashful. "Hi."

"Hi." Hannah looks at him with a soft, curious expression. "You gonna be my errand boy again today?" 

"Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. Here, let me…" Eddie slides Hannah's bag off her shoulder and hoists it over his own.

"Thanks." 

Hannah seems softer today, like she used to be with him. He loved that about her. Around most people, she was spiky and hard to reach. She often didn't like too much affection; would feel like she was choking on it and push you away. But she appreciated the little things. He could build up to it, make her gooey and pliable. She would melt into him and he would be allowed to shower her with affection, and she would give it right back. 

Hannah is looking at his right hand holding her backpack strap. She reaches up and touches the lone ring there, a small smile flickering on her face.

He's probably pushing his luck, but he wants to try. With the arm hanging by his side, Eddie brushes his hand against hers, watching her face carefully. She doesn't recoil; her small smile solidifies. So Eddie momentarily links his pinky finger with hers and squeezes. 

Hannah squeezes back. 

—

Eddie is waiting opposite Hannah's 4th period biology class. The class is letting out, but he hasn't seen her yet.

"She's not here." 

Eddie startles at Connor Cunningham coming up and talking to him, from a glance he thought it was Jason Carver. It always unnerves Eddie how similar the two jocks look; only Connor’s hazel eyes and strawberry blond distinguishing him from Jason. Both of them the cookie-cutter American teen dream.

"What?"

"Hannah. She's not here. She left like halfway through class. I think she was trying to hide it but it looked like she was crying."

"Shit, really?" Eddie looks around frantically.

"Her stuff is still in there. She spoke to Ms Petrelli before she left, maybe she knows?"

"Yeah, thanks." Eddie calls out, already walking into the classroom. Ms Petrelli, an older woman, is tidying up around her desk when she sees Eddie.

"Mr Munson, can I help you?"

"Hannah. Do you know where she went? I can take her stuff to her." Already making his way to the only desk still with belongings.

"She rushed out of here earlier. Said she needed to go to the nurse. Usually, of course, I don't allow-"

Eddie stops listening. He gathers Hannah's things and races back out into the crowded hallway. Shouting a loud "thanks" back to the teacher.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Ugh, probably running to his baby mama."

"Freak."

"Didn't you hear? Apparently…"

Eddie isn't paying attention to who he bumps into, or what abuse they're hurling at him for doing so. He just needs to know Hannah is ok.

Finally, he stumbles into the nurse's office, chest heaving from his run.

Hannah looks up as the door slams open with wide, teary eyes. "Eddie?"

"Sweetheart," he puts Hannah's books down on a table and crouches down in front of her. "What happened?"

"Nothing, it's stupid." Hannah swipes at her cheeks.

"Hey, if it made you cry, it's not stupid." Eddie wraps a hand around her ankle and strokes his thumb along the bone.

"No, it's definitely stupid. And now I'm crying more because I cried over something stupid."

Eddie's eyes flit back and forth, trying to follow. He shakes his head. "Huh?"

"She's hormonal." The school nurse drones, walking in from an adjoining office, perusing some papers.

"I really hate that word." Hannah scowls at her.

"You're pregnant, and you cried over bunnies. What would you call that, dear?"

"You cried over bunnies?" Eddie's eyebrows are up in his bangs. 

Hannah's scowl turns to him. He holds his hands up in surrender.

“Let me know when you’re ready to go back to class.” The nurse doesn’t look up from her paperwork as she walks back into her office.

Hannah groans and buries her face in her palms. "We were learning about the food chain and Ms Petrelli was using foxes and rabbits as an example. There was a picture in the textbook. It upset me, ok? I'm hormonal, I get it!" Her words are muffled.

“Hey, come on.” Eddie coos, trying to suppress a giggle, he gently pulls at her wrists to claim her hands in his. “What can I do to make this better? What do you need?”

Hannah’s looks at Eddie with glassy eyes, her eyebrows pulled up in the middle as she stutters. “I don’t know.” Tears start to spill over her cheeks.

“Ok, sorry, how about some options?”

Hannah sniffs.

“Food? Sleep? Water? A hug?”

Hannah shifts in her seat, not looking Eddie in the eye. 

Eddie runs his thumbs over her knuckles. “Please tell me, Han.”

“Can you- Please don’t make a big deal of this.”

“Cross my heart.”

“Can you give me a hug?”

Eddie tries not to show how thrilled he is as he stands up, knees clicking. He pulls Hannah into his chest and wraps his arms tight around her.

The pair sway a little on the spot, Eddie laying his cheek on the top of Hannah's head. He smiles as he feels her slowly start to relax.

"Better?"

Hannah hums in response.

"You want to get some food? That's a pregnancy thing, right? Cravings?"

Hannah hums again, her face still buried in Eddie's chest.

"Ok, options… burger, fries, bacon, milkshake-" He feels Hannah perk up in his arms. "Alright then, milkshakes." He smiles down at her warmly.

Eddie reluctantly peels himself away from Hannah, his hands on her shoulders, ducks his head down to hers and grins eagerly. "Let's get out of here." 

Hannah takes a deep breath and smiles shyly in response. "Does Benny still do those Oreo milkshakes?" 

"I don't think they're on the menu anymore, but he likes you. More than he likes me anyway. So he might if you asked." They start walking.

Hannah rolls her eyes. "He likes me more than you because I don't have ketchup fights in his diner." 

"I think you'll find I was on team mustard." Eddie raises his chin haughtily. "And really, he should blame you for leaving us unsupervised."

Hannah gapes at him; indignant. "I was in the bathroom for five minutes! You are not pinning that on me." She gives his shoulder a shove and marches away.

Eddie stops for a moment in the middle of the hallway, watching after her with a dopey expression.

Hannah calls back over her shoulder, “Are you coming or what? You promised milkshakes.”

—

The ride to Benny’s is quiet, Fleetwood Mac playing softly through the speakers again. When they pull up to the diner, Eddie jumps out and rushes around the front of the van to open the passenger side door before Hannah has even gotten her seatbelt off. He holds out a hand for her to take and helps her jump down.

Hannah thanks him. “You know you can listen to your music, right? It’s your van.”

Eddie shrugs. “Babies can hear stuff from out here, can’t they? I figured you’d want to indoctrinate them to Stevie Nicks ASAP.”

Hannah touches her belly and looks down at it, frowning. “I think they might still be too young. I don’t know if they even have ears yet.” Hannah ponders. “But you’re right about starting their musical education early.” She tugs lightly at Eddie’s jacket sleeve. Eddie smiles to himself, he recognises one of her small affections.

They reach the door, and Eddie holds it open for Hannah, bowing deeply as she passes through. Hannah scoffs as she passes but thanks him.

“Hi Benny.”

The diner owner looks up from where he’s standing at the cash register. “Haven’t seen you two in a while. Figured you’d broken up.”

Hannah skids her shoes against the floor; Eddie scratches the back of his neck. The awkward silence stretches out painfully.

“Right…” Benny draws out the word and grins wickedly. He is basking in their discomfort. “What’ll it be?”

Eddie looks at Hannah pointedly. She narrows her eyes at him, but steps forward. “Any chance of two Oreo milkshakes?” She smiles in faux sweetness. 

“Those aren’t on the menu anymore.”

“I know, but they were just so good. The best milkshakes ever. Better than any milkshake anyone has ever-”

“Alright, alright. If that’s what it takes to shut you up.” Benny frowns at Hannah, but there’s warmth behind it. “Anything else?”

Hannah thinks for a moment, swaying her head from side to side. “Onion rings, please. Oh, and cheese fries. And some bacon. Please.” Hannah looks embarrassed as she looks to Eddie, but he winks at her; pleased that she’s letting go a little.

“Cheeseburger and fries please, Benny.”

Benny shoos them away to a booth where they sit opposite each other. Eddie splays his hands on the table between them and looks up at Hannah. “So I was doing some math earlier.”

Hannah is looking at Eddie’s ringed fingers, trying (and failing) to be discreet about it. One of her hands starts creeping across the table top. “In math class?”

Eddie is trying not to smile; trying not to show that he has noticed her movements. He doesn’t want to spook her. “Uh, no actually. In geography.”

“Oh?” Her hand reaches his and she starts pulling at his rings and twisting them around his fingers.

“You said 4 months, right?”

Hannah stops her fiddling and looks up at Eddie. He winces.

“Um, yeah. Nearly. Fifteen weeks.” She pulls back to her side of the table and tucks her hands under her thighs. 

Eddie curses himself and reaches after her. He didn’t mean to make her retreat again. “Han, I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about anything you’re not comfortable with. We can talk about something else.”

“No,” Hannah shakes her head. “I’m not uncomfortable. It’s just…” she exhales and grimaces. “I’m not exactly happy about this whole thing, you know.”

Eddie makes a sympathetic noise, then leans back in his seat as Benny arrives with a tray full of food and milkshakes. Hannah brightens up immediately; her eyes shining.

Benny distributes the food on the table with a grunt and walks back to his position in the kitchen.

Hannah springs forward the second he leaves and grabs her milkshake. Her eyes roll back as she slurps through the straw.

Eddie beams and grabs his own. Giving Benny a thumbs up as he drinks.

Hannah hums happily as she digs into her various plates; wiggling in her seat slightly. Eddie watches her fondly. He knows she doesn’t always like showing how she feels; being vulnerable. But he wants her to feel safe with him and open up, like she did before.

Hannah pauses her munching, her eyes flitting from fries to milkshake. She picks up a fry, dunks it in her milkshake, and quickly shoves it in her mouth. Eddie chokes on his own food as Hannah lets out a loud moan. 

“Oh my god, you have to try this.” She dunks another fry and holds it out for Eddie, waving it in his face when he doesn’t move.

“Uhh, I’m alright sweetheart. You have it.”

Hannah shrugs and pops it in her own mouth. “Your loss.”

“So have you had much of that? Weird food cravings?”

“I don’t think I’ve really had any.” Hannah picks up an onion ring this time, and gleefully dunks and eats it. “Mmpf. You sure you don’t want to try this?” 

“I’m sure, thanks though.” Eddie hides his smirk behind his burger.

Eddie takes a large bite, and talks through his chewing, “What about nausea? Morning sickness. That’s a thing, right?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, you pig.” Hannah throws a cheesy fry at him. Eddie jumps to try and catch it in his mouth, but misses. Hannah stifles a snort. "Yeah I had some morning sickness, but that stopped a few weeks ago thankfully. I had a lot of heartburn too, that's-"

"You're going to have a hairy baby." Eddie mumbles through his mouthful again.

Hannah stops. A milkshake coated onion ring halfway to her mouth. "Excuse me?"

Eddie swallows thickly. He doesn't know if the lump in his throat is from the burger or the way Hannah is looking at him like he's lost his mind. He rushes through his explanation: "You remember Nanny Pat? The nice old lady a few trailers down from me. Well, her daughter is pregnant too. Every time now, when I take over her weekly shop, she'll tell me all about how excited she is to be a real grandmother and tell me how the pregnancy is going. She said that her daughter had loads of heartburn, so that means her baby is going to have loads of hair!"

Hannah hasn't moved. Melted milkshake is running down her thumb. "You do her shopping every week?" 

Eddie flushes, bright pink. "No." He scoffs.

A blinding smile spreads across Hannah's face and a short laugh bursts free. Eddie is awestruck. 

Hannah scoops up the milkshake on her hand with her other index finger. She leans over the table and boops his nose, smearing it on the tip. "You big softie!" She stage-whispers, sitting back with a giggle. Eddie splutters and swipes at his nose with the back of his hand.

"Anyway," she guzzles her milkshake, trying to fight back her smile. "I don't think that's true. How would that work?" She mulls it over, finally putting the onion ring in her mouth. "I don't think those two bits of you are even connected." 

"I dunno. You're talking to Hawkins' resident super super senior, so…." He shrugs.

Hannah throws another fry at Eddie and it hits him in the face. He looks at her, affronted. She glares back. "You're not stupid, Eddie."

"Mrs O'Donnell would disagree with you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, well she's an asshole."

He snorts. "You're not wrong." 

Eddie stirs his milkshake with the straw; staring. Wondering how to ask his real questions. Whose baby is it? Why aren't they here looking after her? Will she let Eddie look after her? Or at least try?

He looks up at Hannah. She seems to be just as stuck in her own head, her gaze burning a hole in her cheese fries. She seems so totally lost in thought that Eddie is startled when she speaks softly.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Hannah sighs and fiddles with her plate, but still doesn't look up. "You don't… It's not yours. You don't owe me anything." 

"I'm here because I want to be."

"But, why?" She finally looks up at him. "Doesn't it bother you that I got knocked up by someone else? That I was pregnant the whole time we were together?"

Eddie considers his words and speaks carefully. "Han, the only thing that bothers me about all of this, is that whoever it was has left you to deal with it on your own."

Hannah is visibly upset and squirms in her seat. "That's not… That’s not true." She shakes her head. "I have my dad, and Jules."

Eddie's voice is still soft, "That's not what I mean, and you know it." 

"I can't-" Hannah takes a shuddering breath. "Fuck these hormones!" She hisses and presses the heels of her hands to her eyes. "I don't know what you want from me, Eddie."

"Just the pleasure of your company, sweetheart."

"This isn't a fucking joke!" Hannah slaps the table as her voice rings out in the diner, the other patrons give her disapproving looks. She looks sheepish, and continues in a whisper. "I'm scared, Eddie. I have no control over any of this and I don't know what I'm doing." Her eyes are glassy. "I can't- we can't…" 

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry." Eddie reaches out and places his hand on her side of the table. "It was a bad joke, but it's true, Han, I promise." He ducks his head to catch Hannah's eye. "I'm not here to try anything. I'm here because I like spending time with you, regardless of what we are to each other." Eddie smiles at her encouragingly. "I am more than happy to be your friend. And your errand boy." 

Hannah lets out a wet laugh and wipes her eyes. 

A mischievous look comes over Eddie’s face. He shuffles out of the booth and drops to his knees on the floor next to Hannah, holding his hands in a plea in front of him. “Please Han,” Eddie declares, loudly. “Please will you let me be your servant for the next 5 to 6 months?!”

“Oh my god you need to stop!” Hannah jerks away, clambering to the other end of the seat. Eddie crawls up onto the seat after her. “No! No no no! Get away!” She pushes him away with a hand to the face.

“Please? PLEASE, Hannah!” 

“Get the fuck away from me, asshole!”

Eddie throws his head back and cackles, still advancing.

“WHAT do you idiots think you’re doing?!”

Hannah and Eddie freeze at Benny’s booming voice. They scramble to sit on the bench properly; backs straight and eyes wide as they peer over at him as they both mumble, “Sorry Benny.”

Benny curses and slams back into the kitchen, grumbling about “stupid teenagers”.

Hannah stifles a snort and slides down in her seat. Eddie giggles and looks down at her with pure adoration. Hannah shifts slightly and nudges her head against his bicep. His heart leaps at the small show of intimacy. He decides right then: He can wait for her.

Next chapter

[scribbles97]

Do Better

Oh look... Scribbs is back and writing Thunderbirds again that isn't the mammoth Lucy fic as you may have seen I rewatched the '04 film last night and inspiration struck the muse and, well, this happened...

Read on Ao3

It shouldn’t have been a surprise when Alan had asked about his mother aboard Thunderbird Two, but in the moment it had caught Jeff off guard. Given everything that the Hood had put them through that day, all the snide comments and remarks he had made about their organisation, Jeff would have likely seen it coming eventually. He just would have liked to have recovered from their rough re-entry to earth and the damage caused to their home first.

Had he had the chance to mull over the day as a whole, he’d have likely seen the question coming, perhaps even been able to pre-empt it. Instead, it had been over a week and nothing more had been said in relation to Lucy.

He had asked John about it quietly, when the others had been away to their beds and he had bumped into the second eldest hunting down extra painkillers in the kitchen. A long overdue conversation had followed, how they all missed their mother but had been too fearful of hurting one another to ever say much about her. Alan had never really known her, and it had taken Jeff himself a long time to even look back at the photos that decorated his desk, the other four had marked the subject taboo and Jeff had never even noticed.

It was a testament to his and John’s relationship that he hadn’t blinked when Jeff had called him out on his comment about ‘doing a great job’ the night Alan had arrived home for spring break. Instead his fellow astronaut had laughed with a slight wince as his ribs had protested, before explaining that he had known what Jeff had needed to hear that night, and it hadn’t been criticism of his parenting style.

What it also hadn’t apparently been, was a lie, John had quickly assured.

“We should talk about her more.” Had been his closing comment when he had risen to his feet to head to his room, the hint too strong for Jeff to really ignore.

He hadn’t gone to bed that night, instead hunting through storage boxes that he had never been sure about opening back up.

It had taken him another week to find the right time, between repairing the damage caused by the Hood and filing reports to the appropriate authorities; the moment had never seemed right to bring up something that had laid dormant for so long.

The bruises were mostly healed though, and the house mostly back to normal, the parts for repairing the hangars and Thunderbird Five would take a few more weeks to arrive, but that was the least of Jeff’s worries given all they had been through. He had planned to bring it up after the barbeque, once they had all settled out on the pool deck with their newly fledged members.

As always though, the world had other ideas.

A request for aid after a space shuttle launch had gone awry had seen all the boys away from home late into the night, and all plenty exhausted by the time they had made it back home.

It hadn’t been until well into the next afternoon that he had bumped into Alan in the hallway between their rooms,

“Alan, you got a minute?”

His eyes immediately went wide as he gaped, “I didn’t—“

Jeff shook his head, holding up both hands, it was so like the kid to assume that something was wrong, that he had done something wrong. He knew it was down to how he had parented the kid over the last few years, sending him away to private school and ignoring the loud and clear cries for attention that Alan had so desperately needed.

“You did a great job out there yesterday,” He assured quickly, reaching out to catch the kid’s shoulder, “but that’s not what this is about.”

“It’s… not?”

Jeff paused, suddenly very aware of how badly he could read Alan’s expression, “Did something happen out there that wasn’t discussed at debrief?”

The kid gaped, eyes still panicked as he clearly tried to figure out just how to explain, “I-- it wasn’t--”

None of them had said anything in the early hours as they had quickly run through a debrief, Virgil had sung Alan’s praises in his co-piloting aboard Two with next to no snark aimed towards the youngest.

“I told Virgil his approach to the viewing platform was the wrong angle, he told me not to distract him when he was dealing with the cross-winds.”

Jeff paused for a moment, thinking through the implications and trying to figure out what Alan wasn’t telling him, “Did he listen to you?”

Alan shrugged, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does. You’re part of this team now kid, your opinion matters too and we all need to learn to respect that.” He reached out to clasp his other shoulder, “I’m sorry we’ve not been better at listening to you.”

Alan gaped again, words not forming for a long moment before he simply looked down to the floor.

Jeff swallowed and took his moment, “What I wanted to talk to you about was your Mom, you made me realise the other week that I’ve not shared her with you anywhere near enough.”

“I didn’t mean--” He looked up quickly, “Scott always said it hurt too much to talk about her.”

“It did.” He admitted softly, “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. I dug out some old photos and videos if you wanted to take a look?”

Alan’s smile was soft in a way that was all Lucy as he looked up to Jeff, “Can I?”

“I’ll even tell you some stories if you’d like?” He smiled back, “On one condition though?”

It hurt that his face fell so quickly back into fear.

“I want to know what’s been going on at school and why you’re so desperate to not go back.”

The hallway wasn’t really the place for such a conversation, not with how Alan was reacting to every question Jeff found himself asking. Jeff didn’t doubt that anyone passing through could easily break the moment and cause Alan to brush everything off as fine.

As far as Jeff was concerned, things hadn’t been fine for a long while.

“Nobody understands me there.” Alan mumbled, his eyes dropping to the carpet again, “Everyone there thinks I’m just a spoiled kid who’s billionaire family doesn’t have time for. They don’t know me, not really.”

There was fire in the end of his words, the way his fists clenched at his sides telling Jeff it was a long bore frustration that had simmered under the surface for long enough.

“Do you think there’s any truth in that?”

He almost feared the answer.

“I--” Alan looked up, anger flickering in his features that was as obvious as his mother’s always had been, before it faded, “You’re all so busy with the business and International Rescue, it’s okay, I get it.”

“But you’re my kid.” He found himself countering before he could really put any thought into it, “What’s going on in your life is always going to be important to me. Why do you think I came running when I heard about the fire at Dunbar?”

Alan shrugged, a heavy sigh pulling his shoulders further down as he looked around the hallway, anywhere but at Jeff.

“I thought you were mad.”

And he had been.

But he’d also been scared.

“I was.” He admitted, “But only once I knew you were safe.”

“I didn’t mean for it to explode.”

There was a wobble in the kid’s voice that Jeff hadn’t been privy to for years.

“I know you didn’t, kid.” He sighed, catching his chin, waiting for him to look back at him, “And I’m sorry I’ve not been better at talking to you.”

For letting every shrugged comment about school slide, for not listening when he was screaming for help, for not being there to talk when he should have been.

“Come here.” Jeff sighed, offering a hug that Alan gladly accepted.

He wasn’t sure when the youngest had gotten so tall or when his shoulders had filled out quite so much, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still hold onto him like the little boy he once had been.

“I’m going to do better, I promise you that Alan.”

Neither acknowledged as he clung on tighter to Jeff’s t-shirt, both just taking the moment for what it was and savouring it.

If Alan heard John slip out of his room, he didn’t acknowledge it, the second eldest only paused long enough to send a knowing look in Jeff’s direction like he had known all along that some bridges needed mending. Jeff didn’t put it past him, he’d always been intelligent like that.

“Can we go and look at those photos now?” Alan asked as he pulled back, swiping at his nose as he did.

Jeff smiled, “Absolutely.”

There would still be repairs to be made, branches to be offered across a chasm that had grown too wide, but it was a start. He knew he’d fail again, probably sooner than he would like to, but he was willing to learn and to do his best.

For himself, his boys, and his wife, Jeff Tracy would do better.

[cuntycassandra]

A Glance Through The Hourglass

Summary: Unbeknownst to everyone, Sebastian Smythe knew how it felt to look out into a colourful world and see nothing but grey. It wasn’t something he shared with most, something he hid through his promiscuous image, something he planned to take to his close-calling grave, but when his plans to rid himself of his burdens and inner aches failed, he was tossed back to Dalton’s walls with a new image and perception, one nobody, not even he, seemed to understand.

Kurt doesn’t know if he wants to understand, but after finding out he and Sebastian have a lot more in common than he thought, he may not have much of a choice.

'Hey Bas I'm meeting up with a friend to grab a coffee in J commons. You coming?’

Jeff's simple question seemed to knock his heart into an irregular rhythm, and a familiar tremble rupture it's way through his neck and wither through his sore muscles.

His doctors had said such occurrences were to be expected after quite a traumatic event; the panic, the need for constant clarification, and the lack of trust. His mind had only just adjusted to the nauseating fact that dozens of people were now aware of the internal pain the sixteen year old had been holding secretly so close to his heart for over six years, and especially within the last six months.

The shrink had said that a natural reaction to Sebastian's situation would be to consistently worry over control, and furthermore over the jurisdiction of the action itself, it was completely estranged to Sebastian, not only as somebody who had held onto composure like a lifeline his entire existence, but the professional terminology and long winded diagnoses the doctors had been using barely made any sense, leaving the teenager to scrounge for whatever scraps of information he could yank together.

His new therapist had also explained that although his mind would feel as though it were travelling through a ‘bustling metropolis of thoughts’, most bad but few good, his brain would pick an associative notion or memory to focus on specifically, due to the fact that the human brain wasn’t capable of doing much else, no matter how much Sebastian insisted it felt as if his mind were New York City central compartmentalised, pretty much all of the time.

Unfairly, after reassessing Jeff's friendly text message, Sebastian's busied brain had eventually settled upon the fresh image of his mother, waking him gently to take his painkillers and presenting him with a scarily similar question the morning before he had returned to school, a little over a week ago.

He couldn't quite remember exactly how she had articulated the phrase, but he knew she had been meeting with his Aunt Anneliese and very predominantly offered their company to him, insisting his father’s twin sister was desperate to see her 'favourite nephew', a similar joke to that of something Jeff would say.

It was a simple tease in an attempt to get a smile out of her 'sickly' son, especially considering Sebastian was his Aunt's only nephew, but instead of filling him with brief laughter, the joke had left him feeling as if he were suddenly surrounded by confusion and disassociation- his mother had never made such a jested comment before, she was a surgeon, usually so firm and serious to match her consequential occupation, simply not wired to crack jokes with her teenager.

He couldn't help but scoff as he recounted the thought, a pathetic teary scoff that held no merit of attitude, but instead of clear confusion in disguise. He knew he shouldn't be mulling over why both of his parents had suddenly changed in his presence, it was pitifully obvious. After his father had found his only son bleeding at the bottom of the large oak tree in their lavish backyard, and his mother had been pulled out of surgery to see her own son being rushed through the double doors at the end of the hallway, still scrubbed in and with no explanation as to what had happened since she’d left for work that evening, there was no reason to wonder as to why they were suddenly showering him in attention, they had almost lost him, and must've felt like it was all their fault.

It wasn't...it wasn't their fault at all, and the simple thought that his distracted yet loving parents were blaming themselves for Sebastian's attempt to take his own life had brought him to juvenilised sobbing throughout the first few nights of recovery. They were trying so hard, trying to fix something they played little to no part in destroying, and it stung to know they were changing for him when he didn't really deserve the efforts.

Continuation

[astranite]

Trick or Treat: The Fic!

Here are all of my tricks and treats from the Thunderfam Trick or Treat in their final form, all together as the whole fic!!!

Lucy takes her kids trick or treating! Shenanigans, cute costumes and too much sugar inbound! Much fluff!! Plus a bonus extra snippet!

----

Lucy pressed a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh. Scott looked so much like Jeff in his dad’s old airforce flight suit, complete with aviator sunnies and troublemaking grin. Apart from how the arms and legs had to be rolled up several times as Scott hadn’t yet hit his growth spurt, and were already coming down as Lucy attempted to pin them in place while the not quite teen bounced with excitement, candy bucket in hand. 

John adjusted his cat ears for the forth time in not as many minutes, fidgeting with the headband, a nervous frown crinkled between his eye brows. Lucy knew her second eldest wasn't much of a fan of noisy crowds of people or spooky surprises, when it came down to it neither was she, but John wanted to go, had picked out his costume of a black and ginger cat and even let a very careful Virgil draw whiskers and a nose on his face with Lucy’s eyeliner. A set of noise cancelling headphones in her bag and the promise that he could stick by Scott the whole time and go home with her if he needed to, had  a small smile once again on John’s lips, as he rocked on his heels in anticipation.

Virgil’s costume had been the easiest out of all of them, in terms of choice. Lucy thought it would be a phase but ever since the local fire engine and crew had come for a demonstration at the primary school several months ago, wanting to be a fire fighter had been all Virgil could talk about. Bundled up in yellow rain jacket far too large to go to Gordon, covered in reflective tape stripes because ‘That’s what the real one’s look like, mummy,’ Tracy spelt out across the back, the red plastic hat jammed on his curls, falling over eyes, Virgil was positively ecstatic. If only they could keep him from trying to practice with the garden hose turned full water pressure on their thankfully very much not on fire house. 

Kyrano’s kid staying with them, Tanusha or as the boys had started called her, Tin Tin, resolutely refused to dress up. Eventually, with much suspicious glancing around, she whispered in Lucy’s ear that she was already dressed up, because she was a spy and didn't need a costume. In the kid way like it was totally obvious and how didn't Lucy already know this, Tin Tin stated, “The only spies that look like spies are dead spies.” Lucy manage to keep a straight face through that rather threatening sentence delivered by a kid with pig tails, missing front teeth, and a expression she likely throught was intimidating with a wrinkled up nose and screwed up eyes, but to Lucy was adorable. 

Gordon had been utterly thrilled when Lucy had said, yes, he could go as both a pirate and a clownfish, if that’s what he wanted. The toddler hadn't taken off the patterned aquarium shirt or pirate hat since this morning, despite several narrow misses with the bath, the full kitchen sink and the garden hose. Orange, black and white paint, hastily applied as Lucy chased a laughing Gordon around the house, plus a rubber duck attached to his shoulder at Gordon’s insistence with some creative duct taping, completed the costume. 

Little Allie had the dubious honour of the astronaut baby costume Jeff and Lee had found online. Speaking of Jeff and Lee, Lucy followed the sound of cursing to the hallway where both astronauts were trying and failing to unfold the double stroller for Alan and an inevitably exhausted Gordy. Lucy instructed while laughing, ‘There’s a catch under there, somewhere,’ while she jiggled Allie on her hip as he tried to chew her hair.

Finally, they were all ready to go. Mini Maverick held hands with a ginger and black cat and a fire fighter, ready to surge ahead towards the streets and sweets being handed out. The undercover spy dodged from shadow to shadow, and Lucy made note to keep an extra eye out so she didn't disappear. A clownfish pirate or pirate clownfish, there was no consensus come to about that, was perched on Lee’s shoulders, the stroller predictably refused. The pint sized astronaut gnawed on a rocket shaped teether, in the pram pushed by full-sized astronaut two, or Jeff ‘We don't need costumes, we’re already famous,’ Tracy. Every year, he and Lee got a kick out of telling sceptical children that they really were the real deal. 

Lucy’s lab coat, her work one because she’d run out of time for a costume for herself, swished around her, covered in definitely artful and not because it had been a day, explosion marks. Well technically, it hadn't been an explosion-explosion, rather a spill and the chemicals were safe, but that was only for her to know and everyone else to worry about. With her mess of unbrushed red curls and ability to spout off physics and astronomy facts at a million miles a Cminute, she made quite the mad scientist, if she did say so herself. Especially as she dashed down the street after her eldest three, because they most definitely still needed supervision, after the sticky toffee, climbing tree, near miss with the emergency room trick of last year!

---Bonus!!!---

Virgil took his brand-shiny-new firefighters uniform from Chief McCready’s hands, grinning face splitting wide. His own uniform, because for the next few weeks he was a proper part of Blue Watch, and a firefighter! 

It had even been modified to incorporate his IR tech and most importantly his green baldric over the top because couldn't imagine feeling properly prepared for rescues without it. 

He tugged the new jacket on right away over his flannel, feeling like a kid on halloween. He gave it a spin, the coat flaring out around him. Heh, if little Virgie could see him now, a proper firefighter.

“Whatcha laughing at, Tracy?” Cass clapped him on the shoulder. 

As soon as Virgil explained what had been his halloween costume for every year of his childhood, he was surrounded by Blue Watch, good naturedly demanding that they had ‘got to see photographic evidence.’

Virgil rolled his eyes, but called up John, the keeper of all the family photos on Five’s massive storage banks.

John obliged, and firefighters crowded around the holos projected from his wrist comm.

“Aww, you were an adorable kid, Tracy!” 

“Cuuute!” 

“You sure did grow up, but I don’t think the expression has changed at all!”

Then a snickering John decided to chime in with the whole practicing fighting fires with the garden house incident, and the consequences to hanging laundry and open windows.

Cass, serious, no nonsense Chief McCready was giggling, tears streaming down her face, hanging onto his shoulder to stay upright. 

Virgil snorted, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing too.He was proud of his achievements to become a firefighter, they were all laughing with him, not at him, they were his team. He threw his arms around them, grinning along.

[lloyd283]

Here is a Lego dreamzzz fanfic overview.

It's been a few months since the events of (I'm thinking after this upcoming season 3) and everything's normal for once, until one night, logan notices an alive person inside the dream world before they pursued him until he woke up. This scares the dream bureau as it's not them and call in an expert. The next morning, Lloyd's outside the building telling them he's involved because the bureau is getting stretched thin with everything overnight. The same person chases them but drops a key card for a secret group, which want to weaponise dreams.

The rest of side A is about learning about the group, as they begin catching dreamers and physically too. Eventually, they learn of a meeting in the forest world, and they decide to crash it. However, it's a bait as everyone outside the place was captured and they've surrounded the meeting place to catch our heroes, when logan causes a dream awakening, being able to dreamcaft way more powerfully and for longer (I'm thinking massive animal that izzie names Jeff, suggest if you want an alternative name) and they escape. Lloyd's trying to triangulate the location, saying his old friend would've fount it by now. We also see the real world's storage of the caught dreamers as they wish to expand their rift inside.

Side B takes more of a fight after a joint invention by the bureau, and nova develop a small rift of their own to catch one of them and they do, getting the person to spill their base plan, but not the larger gate being built. Through side B, izzie, cooper, OZ and astrid gain the dream awakening power, and zoey questions the fact logan managed to, but not her yet. Eventually, the secret group decide to take the brooklynn school to finalise the rift. Therefore, mateo decides to enter the dream world with the device attached to him physically as the group arrive, trying to take them all. With such brutal efficiency, one has to adapt, so Lloyd pulls out nitro fists and breaks a wall for them to escape from as he's keeping one hallway in check. However, about nearly everyone is captured, save mateo, who's now physically in the dream world because of a failsafe in the device, zoey by a close shave and Lloyd, who's clearly showing off as he's sandiegoing out of there as his rift energy is still faulty due to the whole zero point petrification in chapter 4. Because nova put a tracker on her phone, they are able to locate the base and pull izzie out carefully. Zoey tries to save the others whilst Lloyd's searching for the gate, seeing it's completion and turn on as they explain they have gadgets to exist in both states at once, and that a caught zoey isn't going to power it, but rather be the first one through as without mateo or izzie, it's highly unstable. Yes, zoey is dropped into the gate before it begins to go haywire, and Lloyd's seeing someone he knows inside, so he makes himself known and collapses the walkway before dropping in himself, knowing they're going for mateo.

Going through has caused some problems, as they look like they survived an explosion with soot and the works, and Lloyd's paragliding unscathed for the reason of experiencing stuff like this before, so he adapted into his armor upon entry. Mateo's in a pickle to they assist him before he learns to dream awaken before the villains pull mateo through and strand the two in the dream world. Now the group can weaponise the joint dream, to force other places to surrender and power the dream further. Zoey is disheartened by being stranded and starting to feel the side effects of being physically inside the dream worlds that are now quiet. The night hunter decides to search the nightmare castle for something hidden as Lloyd's trying to help her, again proving his resistance to natural laws and effects. You see, through the season, he's trying to search for something he found whilst serving the nightmare king: teal dream sand. Rushing back, zoey's worse but believes that the sand has special powers but she's closing her eyes now and he's losing it, to which Lloyd asks how much she meant to him, in which he brings up how Hannah luckily had zoey thanks to a blood transfusion, weeks before birthing her. Lloyd now asks what blood type, to which he says gave Hannah at least 10 more years, which strikes Lloyd with a stark realisation: about not owning an hourglass, the last to awaken and being aware long before we've seen her first. He's able to pull the night hunter to the side as zoey begins to float and the team sand circle around her as she finally dream awakes with visible teal hair strands and some changes to her waking and dream warrior states. Yep. That blood transfusion had zero blood in it, and zoey's now activated, symbolised by her owl pendant glowing teal eyes itself. Zoey and the night hunter go to locate the dream world hold of the group whilst Lloyd works out a way back, in which the never witch has a spell for that. The pair manage to free the captives whilst Lloyd's keeping the waking side busy with the bureau. However, the secret group brought through their mecha weapon dream, holding the dream by sealing the sand in a piece of technology. Therefore, when crossing back over, zoey tries to dreamcraft in the waking world and does so with z blob to fight the mecha dream, with the team taking positions throughout the dreamcrafted build, which is like guardian 2.0. After a massive brawl, the heroes win, and everyone's reacting to zoey's awakening and dreamcrafting in the waking world. A massive team embrace as Lloyd takes the technology using it to study, revealing similar looks to another group elsewhere... He gets a call to break someone out in another reality and leaves with the tech left behind in the building, which zoey feels drawn to. And it tells her the gate must open when wrath arrives. (If you seriously want matey ship stuff, firstly, they're 11 and 14 respectively, so at least 7 years would have to pass, 5 in a really careful way. There would be logan and astrid content, maybe a cooper interest of someone else other than izzie [I know shippers go crazy like electric sparks])

(Have a tag suggestion? Leave it below)

[andvys]

This world is only gonna break your heart part one | E.M.

Warnings: 18+, angst, underaged drinking, mentions of drugs, eventual smut,

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary: Eddie is desperate to be close to you and uses every chance to become your friend... or more.

Teaser

-

It’s a Saturday night, the hideout is a little more crowded than usual. Eddie and his friends sit at their usual table– it became a regular hangout place for them all, even when they’re not here to play. 

Gareth makes a joke which makes everyone laugh, except for Eddie. His eyes are on you. Sitting in the little booth by the window, you smile at Robin who sits opposite of you and Steve. His arm is wrapped around you and he traces your bare arm, laughing at something you said to him and Robin. 

Eddie can’t help but feel jealous as he stares at Steve, why does he get to hold you like this? 

“You okay, man?” Jeff asks as he eyes his friend in concern. 

The anger is clear on his face and in his eyes. 

“Yeah,” he grumbles without looking away from you. He knows that you know that he’s staring at you but you ignore him and pretend not to notice. 

After what happened in the hallway at school a few backs up, your teasing only got worse and worse. You were driving him insane with your lingering gazes and touches, whenever he told you to stop teasing him, you would bat your lashes at him and look up at him with innocent eyes, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about, Eddie.’ Infuriating, you are an infuriating person but you're also the cutest one.

Gareth chuckles as he follows his vision, a smirk appears on his face, “you jealous, Eddie?” 

Eddie scoffs, tearing his gaze away from you, he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. 

Jeff and Gareth look at each other with smug looks on their faces. It’s not the first time they caught him staring at you. 

“Why would I be jealous?” Eddie scoffs, shaking his head. 

His fists are clenched and he feels the bitterness on his tongue from watching you and your golden boy. 

“Maybe because you have a little crush on y/n?” Jeff grins, wiggling his brows. 

Little crush? Yeah, it’s definitely more than just a little crush. 

“Right,” Eddie mumbles, reaching for the beer bottle, he tries to ignore the teasing looks of his friends. 

“You know, she’s not dating him or anything.” 

Eddie swallows the bitter liquid before he looks back at his friends, eying him in curiosity, “and how would you know that?” 

Gareth shrugs, “she told me that she doesn’t wanna date anyone or settle down or whatever,” he explains.

“Whoa, wait, how do you know that?” 

Gareth furrows his brows, “know what?” 

“That she doesn’t want to settle down?” 

“Oh,” Gareth chuckles, “we were partnered up for an art project, she’s pretty talkative when you get to know her.” 

“What?” Eddie gasps loudly, staring at his best friend with a shocked look on his face. It’s the first time Eddie hears about it, he never even knew that you talk to Gareth. 

Jeff laughs, nudging his shoulder, he tilts his head towards you. Eddie’s eyes widen as he finds you staring at him, his cheeks heat up as you smirk a little. Eddie watches you intently, he eyes the arm around your shoulder. You notice it, of course you do. Surprisingly, you move forward, leaning your elbows on the table, Steve’s hand slips from your shoulder. 

“Wait, what is she like?” Jeff asks. 

“She’s cool, definitely not how everyone says she is,” Gareth shrugs. 

Eddie tears his gaze away from you and stares back at his friend, as a new wave of jealousy runs through his veins, “w-what… so you’re friends now or something?” 

“I mean, I guess but we only talk in class,” he says, chuckling when he sees the jealous look on Eddie’s face, “don’t worry, Eddie. She is all yours.” 

Eddie rolls his eyes, “how did you even become friends with her? I can’t even have a normal conversation with this girl!” he exclaims in frustration. 

Jeff and Gareth glance at each other in amusement. Eddie is blind, very blind. 

“Maybe because you always try to flirt with her,” Jeff says, chuckling. 

“That’s..... that’s not true!” 

“Uh, yes it is! You tried to ask her out and failed, then you figured out that she is into assholes so you tried to be an asshole and failed…. horribly. Then you tried to flirt again and then made her think that you think she is a slut!” 

Eddie’s cheeks grew red as he listened to his friend’s words. He still feels awful for what he said to you in the hallways at school, a few weeks back. He didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. He never thought of you as a slut. 

“Maybe if you actually tried to be her friend without flirting with her or insulting her, then maybe she’d give you a chance, man.” 

Eddie runs a hand through his hair and sighs loudly as he looks down at his hands. 

“But, just so you know, I don’t think that she rejected you because she doesn’t like you.” 

Eddie raises his head, tilting his head in question, “w-what?” 

“You’re not an asshole– even when you tried to be,” he snorts, “I think she just doesn't want to hurt some good guy's feelings, that's why she probably only ever goes for douchebags, I mean just think about it. Billy Hargrove, Jason Carver and his friends, some of the other jocks.” 

“That one asshole who graduated the same year Harrington did,” Jeff points out, “what was his name again? Harvey… Hayden?” 

“Hayden, yeah… That guy was scary,” Gareth mumbles. 

“Wasn’t he her boyfriend or something?” 

“I’m not sure,” Eddie mumbles, "I don't think so. It was just a rumor."

Hayden Reed 

Eddie remembers him, he was in a few classes with him. The guy was popular but unlike the others, he never participated in the bullying, Eddie always had to endure. Still, there was always something unsettling about him. Eddie doesn’t know what it was but he always had that dark and void look in his eyes. He was one of his regulars, he wasn’t one to buy weed though, no, he wanted the heavier stuff. 

He has never seen you around him but rumors flew around that you dated him. The thought made him uncomfortable, Hayden was violent, he could tell by the bruised knuckles he constantly had. And it wasn’t just that, you were fifteen, a freshman. He was eighteen and about to go to college.

Your friendship or relationship or whatever it was between the two of you, didn’t last very long. Hayden went missing one night and he was never found again. 

–

“Can I ask you something?” 

You raise your head, meeting the hazel brown eyes of your best friend, “sure, what’s up?” 

"Why is Eddie Munson staring at you like that?"

You furrow your brows in confusion, not daring to look at him and those pretty eyes of his, “like what?” 

Steve chuckles, “like you broke his heart or something, he stares at you with those huge sad eyes.” 

Your heart softens and you hate it. Ever since Eddie has been trying to do everything to get your attention, you couldn’t help but find a liking towards him, more so than before. You continuously try to avoid him but it seems as though fate has different plans, everywhere you go, he is there, even tonight.

Shaking your head, you lean back in your seat, looking around the bar, your eyes search for Robin. She went to the bar to get more drinks with her fake ID but it seems like she found something or rather someone more interesting. Standing next to a pretty girl, you can tell that she is flirting with her, heavily. 

You make the mistake of looking at him.

Steve clears his throat, “I thought you didn’t go for nice people.” 

Sighing, you tear your eyes away from him and look back at Steve, “that’s why I rejected him.” 

He raises his brows, “oh, you rejected him?” 

You nod, “yeah, he uh– he asked me out on a date a few weeks back and then he tried to flirt with me and now everywhere I go, I see him,” you mumble, growing flustered under your best friend's gaze. 

“Did you want to go on a date with him?” 

You shrug, “I-I don’t do dates and relationships and stuff… you know that.” 

Steve’s gaze softens. 

“Y/n.. you don’t have to do this anymore, I think you proved that you’re a much better heartbreaker than I am,” he laughs as he thinks about the stupid bet you made a few years ago. 

Steve was your very first date, it was a summer night, he took you to a fair, you had an amazing time with him. You would be lying to yourself if you said that you didn’t have a huge crush on him back then but Steve was a heartbreaker and you knew it, even back then, you were a little naive but you weren’t blind. You knew that after you’d have sex with him, he would drop you off at home and the next day, he would act like he never even knew you and you didn’t want that. You kissed and did some other stuff but you never went past that, you teased him and he stayed around, hoping that you would finally let him have you but it never happened. You expected him to get mad and frustrated and just give up but instead you somehow grew closer and oddly enough, you became best friends. 

“You gotta stop doing this.”

“Why?” 

He shrugs, “because it’s pointless, you don’t even like going on dates with all these losers.” 

“Yeah but it’s fun how they all just trust me and tell me all their secrets, I mean, who would’ve thought that Jason snorts cocaine or that his best friend is actually gay.” 

He laughs, shaking his head, “but where does it get you? Does it make you happy–”

“It distracts me, Steve,” you mumble, looking down into your empty glass, you avoid looking into his worried eyes. 

He speaks your name softly, “I think, you would feel much better if you found a better distraction, if you let some feelings in, love, y/n.” 

You roll your eyes, “I don’t do that.” 

“It feels good though, loving someone is the best feeling in the world,” Steve says with a small smile on his face. 

You look up at him, shaking your head slowly, a frown appears on his face, “and where did that get you?” you ask with a sad tone in your voice as you think of the heartbreak he went through when Nancy hurt him and replaced him with Jonathan. 

He tilts his head, a sad smile tugging at his lips, “it was still nice while it lasted.” 

“While it lasted,” you nod, “yeah, it’s all nice in that moment but then they break your heart. They lie, they cheat and then they leave, I don’t want that,” you say coldly. 

His eyes soften, sadness flashing in his eyes. He knows that you are scared of getting hurt. All this attitude is nothing but an act to protect your feelings. 

“It doesn’t have to be like that for you, honey.” 

“You don’t know that.” 

He blinks, staring at you in silence for a moment, looking over your shoulder again, a teasing smile appears on his face, “you know, I’d say that Munson over there would die for a chance with you.” 

“And that is my cue,” you mumble, rolling your eyes as you grab your empty glass and get up, “you want another drink?” you ask, ignoring the smirk on his face, you reach for his glass as well before you walk off. 

Steve chuckles to himself when he sees Eddie scrambling to his feet and going after you. His friends laugh at him when he trips over nothing. He flips them off without looking back. 

You lean against the counter, waiting for the bartender to come over to you but he seems to be in a deep conversation with one of his regulars. Eddie takes a moment to stare at you. There’s something different about you today, not only did you ditch your tight tops and short skirts for jean shorts and an oversized shirt with a band logo on the front, you also wear your hair differently today. Soft waves fall down your back and the front pieces of your hair are braided, you look cute today. Not seductive, just cute. Although, no matter what, you are always hot and sexy to him. 

He clears his throat and runs his hand through his hair, ignoring the stares and giggles of his friends. 

Walking up to you, he tries to ignore his pounding heart and the shakiness in his hands. He is nervous, always is when he talks to you. It’s not like that with other girls, if anything, he feels smug and flirts like his life depends on it when he gets the chance to flirt with a girl– usually that only happens when Corroded Coffin gets a chance to have a gig out of town, where no one knows him. He fucked his fair share of groupies and he sure as hell never felt nervous about that but you? You drive him crazy, you make him weak, you make him nervous, you make his heart race like crazy, you make him stutter, you’re just something else. 

Still trying to get the bartender’s attention, you sigh and roll your eyes, giving up, you sit down on the barstool. Eddie chuckles to himself, walking closer to you, he turns to look at the bartender, “Theo,” he calls out to the older man, who turns to look at him right away, “this pretty girl here wants to order another drink.” 

You turn to look at Eddie, you blush at the nickname and at the smile he gives you. 

‘You’re ridiculous..’ you think to yourself. You’ve had men call you other things before and yet none of them actually ever made you feel as flustered as he does– not that you would ever tell him that. 

“I’m sorry, sweets, I didn’t see you there,” Theo says, giving you an apologetic smile. 

“It’s alright,” you smile and order your drinks for you and Steve. Turning towards Eddie, you give him a small smile, “thanks for that,” you mumble. 

“No problem,” he smiles. 

“You come here often?” you ask. 

Eddie raises his brows and chuckles, “is that a pick up line?” he smirks. 

A laugh falls from your lips, “you’re funny, Munson,” you chuckle, “but no, that was not a pick up line. I’m just asking because you know his name,” you say, pointing to the bartender. 

“Oh, well, that’s actually a friend of Jeff’s dad and our band plays here every week,” he explains. 

“Right,” you smile to yourself, “corroded coffin.” 

Eddie’s eyes light up, “y-you know about my band?” 

“Of course, you played at the talent show, right?” 

He blinks in surprise, “yeah!” he smiles, “and now we play here every Tuesday.” 

“That’s cool.”

“You should come watch us.” 

“Maybe I will.”

You stare at each other for a moment and you quickly get lost in his eyes. Eddie is cute and very pretty, probably the prettiest person you have ever seen. You always liked that he is different from everyone else, while other people think that he is mean and scary, you know that there’s not a single scary thing about this man. One look into his eyes is enough for you to know that he is a sweet person with a soft and gentle heart. 

Eddie might think that he was invisible to you all this time but it’s not true, at all.  Of course you have noticed him around school, even before he tried to ask you out on a date. How could you not? He left big impressions everywhere he went and maybe there was a time where you had a tiny crush on him, even with the buzzcut and all. 

“Listen, I uh–” Eddie starts, not knowing how to say it without saying the wrong thing again. The last time you had an actual conversation, he ended up insulting you, making you think that he thinks that you’re a slut. Eddie would never think that though, “I-I just wanted to apologize.” 

You raise your brows in surprise, tilting your head, “what for?” 

“I– well, I was an asshole to you that one day, I didn’t mean to make you think that you’re a.. that you–”

“That I’m a slut?” you chuckle, looking at him in amusement. His cheeks are flushed and he looks embarrassed. 

He closes his eyes, shaking his head, “d-don’t say that, I don’t think that you’re… that,” he mumbles, “and I didn’t want you to think that I think that.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I’d never think that of you.”

“Why not?” you ask, “everyone else thinks that of me.” 

“Well, I’m not everyone else.” 

Your gaze softens and your smirk falls, “no.. you’re not.” And that’s why you can’t be around him.

Eddie furrows his brows as he looks into your eyes. He expected you to tease him again or give him the cold shoulder. The usual coldness in your eyes is replaced by something else tonight. There is a sense of vulnerability lingering in your eyes. 

“Here you go,” Theo smiles, placing the drinks on the counter. 

You tear your eyes away from Eddie, thanking the bartender and placing the dollar bills on the counter, “you can keep the change,” you smile, grabbing the drinks, you’re about to go back to Steve but you halt in your tracks when you see another girl sitting in your spot, talking to your best friend. Great. 

Eddie turns around, glancing at what you’re frowning out, he finds Steve flirting with a brunette. Perfect. 

“Sweetheart, I think you got replaced,” he says, chuckling at your eyeroll. 

“Yeah, uh– not the first time tonight,” you mumble, pointing to Robin who is still talking to the same girl, “she found a.. new friend.” 

Eddie nods, staring at your friend before he turns back to you with a teasing smile on his face, “and you got two drinks now.” 

You know exactly what he is hinting at, smirking at him, “maybe I ordered them both for myself.” 

Raising his brows, “really? Two drinks just for you?” 

“Yeah,” you shrug. 

Shaking his head, he sits down next to you, “you could spend some time with me.” 

“What about your friends?” you ask, looking over his shoulder to find them staring at you with curious looks on their faces but they quickly look away after being caught, trying to act casual as they start talking to each other again. 

“Oh, they won’t miss me,” he grins. 

You squint your eyes, “did you make another one of those silly bets with them?” 

He blinks, scratching the back of his neck, he clears his throat, “listen, I didn’t ask you out for just that… I just wanted to ask you out in general.” 

You ignore the fluttering in your stomach. 

Sipping on your drink, you smile to yourself, “why?” you ask, pushing the other drinks towards him. 

His eyes light up and he accepts the drink with a smile. Finally, he gets to spend time with you. 

“Why did I ask you out?” 

You nod. 

“Well, I think you’re pretty cool,” he says, “considering you’re wearing a Metallica shirt,” he smiles, pointing to the shirt you’re wearing, “a-and you’re very pretty.” 

He raises the glass to his lips to take a sip. 

You move closer to him, your fingers brush against his, your bare knees bump against his as you lean in to whisper in his ear, “and I bet you wanna see me naked after our date, you wanna take me to your van and fuck me like I’m one of your filthy little groupies, huh?”

Eddie’s eyes widen and he almost spits out his drink as he starts choking. You giggle as you pull back to look at the shocked expression on his face. Those images invade his mind and he can’t help but feel his dick twitch in his pants. 

“Y/n!” he says through gritted teeth as he calms down again. 

“What?” you ask, still giggling. 

“Y-You can’t just do that!” 

“Why not?” you ask, batting your eyelashes at him. 

His eyes are wide, his cheeks are red and he gapes at you. 

“B-Because!” 

You roll your eyes, leaning back against the counter, “oh come on, Eddie. Don’t act all innocent. I know all about your groupies and dirty stories.” 

He looks taken aback and he stutters, a frown appearing on his face. Obviously, he didn’t want you to know about that, for some reason. 

“How do you know that?” 

You smirk at him, taking your time with the next sip before you place it back on the counter. You look around the bar before your eyes meet Gareth’s, you tilt your body to the side, waving at him with a smile on your face. 

Eddie furrows his brows and turns around to find Gareth waving back at you before a panicked look appears on his face when he sees the angry look on his best friend’s face. 

“Your friend has a big mouth, he told me a lot of things about your gigs. You are living the rockstar life already, huh?” you ask, “groupies, sex, alcohol. Are drugs a part of it yet?” 

Gareth, you asshole. 

He doesn’t know why he feels the need to explain himself but for some reason he feels embarrassed and bad about it. He hasn’t been with many girls, a few groupies here and there, it wasn’t even anything memorable. A blowjob or a quick fuck in some dirty bathroom wasn’t something special to remember and he quickly realized that it’s not something he wants to keep doing.

“Listen, it’s not like that. I’m not a–”

“Not a fuckboy?” you ask, chuckling, “don’t worry, I don’t judge. I get it, you’re attractive, girls throw themselves at you all the time, who would pass up on an opportunity like that?” 

His eyes widen, butterflies fluttering in his stomach, “you think I’m attractive?” 

Amusement flickers in your eyes and you smirk, “that’s all you heard?” 

He shrugs, smirking at you, “would you throw yourself at me if you didn’t know who I am? Would you be my groupie?” 

“If I didn’t know who you are?” you ask, ignoring the rest of the question. 

“Yeah, I mean that’s why you rejected me, right?” he asks, “because I’m a freak and you’d be embarrassed to be seen with me, people would talk.”

You frown at his words, that’s not it, that’s not it at all. 

“You’re not a freak,” you mumble, “and I don’t care about people or what they think.” 

“Then why did you reject me? I’m not mad or anything, just curious.” 

You avoid looking into his eyes, downing the rest of your drink before you place the empty glass back on the counter and get up. 

The disappointment is evident on his face but you can’t stay here any longer or else it will be harder to leave him later on. 

He still waits for an answer though, you sigh, a serious expression crosses your face, “because you’re not like the others,” you say as you look into his confused eyes. His lips part and he stares at you, not understanding what you mean by that. 

“I-In what way?” he asks. 

There was always something special about Eddie, being around him always felt so natural, there was a connection. Whenever one of you would walk into a room, your eyes would always find each other, it felt like there was a magnetic force between the two of you, it was difficult to stay away from him. No one has ever made you feel that way before and it scares you, knowing that he has the power to hurt you makes you wanna run away from him, you refuse to give him your heart, knowing that he will crush it eventually. 

“I’m just not interested in breaking your heart, Eddie.” 

He huffs, shaking his head, he grabs your hand before you can walk away. You tense up at the feeling of his touch. 

“Is that all you care about? Is that all you wanna do?” he asks, staring into your eyes, he tries to figure you out, “hurt people, break their hearts. Is that some kind of thing you get off to?” 

You’re taken aback by his words but you don’t show it, you don’t let him see the pain in your eyes or the shock. 

“Those people deserve it, don’t you think?” you snap.

What started off as a competition between you and Steve quickly turned into something bigger. The first heartbreak and the realization of what you had done and what you were able to do made you want to keep going. While Steve never cared what kind of girls he was hurting, you purposely only went for guys who were known to be heartbreakers and bullies. Not only did you manage to steal their hearts, you also gained their trust and they spilled all their secrets to you, especially when they were drunk. Their secrets were valuable, you used them all against them and they did everything you told them to do, even sparing a certain person from all their cruelty. 

Eddie frowns at your words. Yeah, maybe they do deserve it. You hurt people who hurt others, people like Billy and Jason but this can’t be your life forever. 

“Yeah but you deserve to be happy too, y/n.” 

You blink. 

Suddenly your heart feels heavy in your chest. Your dad, Steve and Robin all say the same thing to you and yet you can’t allow yourself to be happy, at least not in that way. 

“I am happy, Eddie.”

What a lie. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me–”

“No, please don’t go,” he pleads, not letting go of your hand just yet, “spend some time with me, please. I-I won’t flirt with you or anything, we can be friends, right?” he asks, staring at you with his beautiful eyes. 

You could never be just his friend but you can’t say no to him. Damn you, Eddie Munson and your stupid puppy eyes. 

You want to say yes, that you can be friends but in the end, you still end up shaking your head, “I-I gotta go…” you mumble. 

Eddie can tell that you don’t want to go, you want to stay and he wants you to stay too, so so bad but he lets you go nonetheless, he watches you walk away, he sighs, shoulders slumping in defeat.

“You trying to win that girl’s heart?” Theo chuckles as he takes in the lovestruck expression on Eddie’s face. 

Eddie blushes, shaking his head, “n-no… I’m not– that’s not what I’m trying to do..” 

The older man only laughs in response, shaking his head, “that’s exactly what you’re trying to do,” he grins.

“I– we barely know each other,” he lies. 

Eddie knows you, even if you aren’t close. He knows you. 

He knows that behind the walls you build up around you, is a girl that is too sweet and too good for this world, that’s why you put on this mean act, this heartless and cold girl. It’s to protect yourself from all this pain and destruction in this world. 

And there is more to it, so much more, he knows it, he can feel it and he can see it whenever he looks into your eyes. Others might not see it but Eddie does, he can see the pain in your eyes, you can’t hide it. Not from him. 

“And yet you look at her like she is your personal sun,” he chuckles. 

Eddie rolls his eyes, shaking his head, he tries to hide the blush on his face by looking down. 

“She looks at you the same way, boy,” he says before he walks off. 

Eddie’s eyes widen, “w-wait! What?”

-

The rest of the weekend goes by in a blur, probably because you spent all this time thinking about him. You hated it, hated the way he just took over your mind. Even now, when you are supposed to focus on class all you can do is think of him.

Feeling a pair of eyes on you, you turn to your right, sure enough, you find Eddie staring at you. His dark chocolate eyes bore into you, a shiver runs down your spine and you blush a little. 

His words echo in your mind, “we can be friends, right?” Maybe, you can be friends. Maybe. 

Eddie bounces his foot, playing with the rings on his fingers as he tears his eyes away from you. After he got the smallest taste of what it could be like to be your friend, it was even more difficult to stay away from you.

A crumpled piece of paper lands on his table and he furrows his brows in confusion, the two girls behind him immediately begin to whisper amongst each other, probably gossiping about him. Looking up, he finds you staring at him with a smug look on your face. 

Sighing, he looks down, folding the paper open, his eyes widen and his cheeks get even redder, heart fluttering in his chest– ‘You look so pretty today, Eddie. I love your shirt’

What? 

He blinks as he stares at the paper for what feels like forever. Blushing like crazy as he looks down at his old Def Leppard shirt.

He raises his head and turns to look at you, you flash him a sweet smile before you turn away from him. 

Your smile was enough to make his heart race in his chest. 

“What was that?” the girl behind him whispers. 

“Guess she’s going for the freaks now,” the other one giggles, “I mean, she must’ve gone through every popular guy at school.” 

“She’s just as much of a freak as he is, Sarah.” 

Eddie rolls his eyes at the girls behind him, drowning their voices out, he turns to take another glance at you. 

“You’ll be working in pairs for this project,” the teacher announces. Eddie raises his brows, head snapping towards the teacher. Project? What project? 

“You can choose your partner yourselves.” 

He looks at you, expecting you to get up to pick a partner but you don’t even bother, you just continue to draw something in your notebook. His heart starts racing as he thinks of asking you to be his partner, he should, right? Out of the corner of his eye, he notices someone getting up, Chase. Jason’s friend. He is looking right at you. ‘Yeah, not happening’ Eddie thinks to himself. Scrambling to his feet, he grabs his stuff and rushes towards you before Chase can, he looks at him with a smug face as he sits down next to you. 

Chase glares at him, clenching his jaw, he takes a look at you before he turns around to walk away. 

Eddie’s knee bumps against yours, he leans his elbow on the table, your eyes meet as you raise your head to look at him. A smirk tugs at your lips, “hi…. partner.” 

“H-Hi,” he stutters, “d-do you wanna be my partner?” 

You smile at his stuttering, “yeah, sure,” you chuckle, trying to act unfazed, like you aren't just as nervous as he is.

Eddie scratches the back of his neck and chuckles nervously, “u-uh, so.. what are we working on?” 

You snort, “you don’t listen to the teacher, do you?” 

He blushes, shaking his head, ‘I’m too busy staring at you,’ Eddie thinks to himself. 

“Me neither,” you giggle, “we can pick the topic ourselves though, we’ll figure something out.” 

He nods, trying not to stare too much. 

“Uh– so, should we meet up somewhere or..” he trails off, getting lost in your eyes. 

“Well, if you aren’t scared of my dad then you could come home with me after school.” 

He furrows his brows in confusion, “why should I be scared of your dad?” 

Your eyes flicker with amusement. Considering that your sister is dating one of his little sheep, you figured he knew who your dad is but it seems like he is clueless.

“Oh… no reason,” you chuckle as you picture the shocked look on his face when he sees you going to see your dad later. 

Eddie chuckles nervously, “you sure?” he asks. 

“Totally, I just don’t bring any guys home– well, except for Steve but he is just a friend.”

Eddie’s eyes widen, “and what am I.. to you?” he asks. 

A smile tugs at your lips as you notice the blush on his cheeks and the soft look in his eyes. You have to look away to stop your heart from fluttering, “you’re my cute project partner,” you giggle as you start gathering your stuff after the bell rings. 

Oh.

“Let’s go.” 

He snaps out of his thoughts, looking up, he notices you staring at him, waiting for him. 

He gulps nervously as he realizes that he is gonna be all alone with you. 

“Y-You know we could do this at my place,” he says, causing you to giggle. 

“Why, are you scared of being alone with me in my bedroom?” you smirk.  

Eddie’s blush deepens as one of the jocks who was just walking by, heard your words. Glaring at Eddie with a look on his face that he can just describe as jealousy. Suddenly, he feels smug, picking his stuff up, he grins at you, “let’s go.” 

As he walks through the hallways next to you, he notices all the stares, the odd and the jealous looks from the jocks. The angry glares from Jason’s friends. He knows he should probably feel nervous, knowing that they’ll only bully him even more out of jealousy but he can’t help but feel smug about it, smirking at them when you step even closer to him. 

“Did you drive to school?” he asks you. 

“No, Steve gave me and Robin a ride,” you say, glancing at him. 

The sunlight makes his eyes shine even brighter, butterflies swirl in your stomach as you look at each other. 

Oh no.

You tear your eyes away from him and look down at your shoes as you make your way towards his van. The sweet gentleman that he is, he opens the door for you, he smiles down at you, noticing the flustered look on your face.

He is surprised, after all the dates you have gone to, you must be used to this and yes, you are used to this. You are used to men pretending to be sweet and soft gentlemen but that’s all that it is; pretend. None of them are actually sweet, they just act like they are to get in your pants but it’s different with Eddie. 

“Thanks,” you say as you get into his van. Eddie smiles at you, closing the door, he walks around the van with an excited look on his face. You notice it and can’t help but smile. 

Disposable Heroes by Metallica is playing as you drive through the streets of Hawkins. Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, his other hand is resting close to your thigh and you can’t help but stare at the rings on his fingers. You can feel his eyes on you every once in a while, stealing glances whenever you are not looking. 

Eddie can’t believe that you are in his car. Even that always seemed like an unrealistic thing to even dream about but now you are here. Just a few days ago, he tried to make you stay, he tried to befriend you but you left, walked away from him the way you did before and now you’re here, with him, in his van.

Parking his van in your driveway, he notices another car standing there, it looks familiar but he can’t remember who it belongs to or who he had seen driving it. 

“Come on,” you say, smirking at him already. A look of mischief flickering in your eyes, he doesn’t know why but for some reason it makes him nervous, very nervous. 

“Don’t worry, daddy isn’t home,” you chuckle, “but my sister probably has friends over.” 

“You have a sister?” 

You hum, nodding your head. 

He grabs his backpack and follows you to your front door, allowing himself to stare at you and the way your skirt is hugging your ass so perfectly. 

You unlock the door and step inside, turning around, you welcome Eddie in with a smile on your face. 

He steps in and he is hit by the smell of chocolate chip cookies, the sound of chattering and pop music. He scrunches his face up at the sound of Madonna’s voice. 

Eddie looks around the hallway, pictures cover the wall, he recognizes the little girl in the picture, it’s you and a man he doesn’t recognize. 

“I’m home and I brought a guest!” you announce to whoever is in the kitchen. 

Eddie gulps, he doesn’t know why but his heart starts pounding in his chest as you take his hand in yours, leading him further into your house. He walks into the kitchen after you and his eyes widen when he finds  his neighbor sitting by the kitchen counter, flipping the page of a comic book and munching on a cookie. She raises her head as she notices two pairs of eyes on her, a smile appears on her face when she sees you before a frown settles on her face when she looks at Eddie. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks Eddie, causing you to chuckle. 

“Red is your sister?” Eddie asks surprised. 

You shake your head, “no–”

“I’m her sister.” 

Eddie turns to the girl who just walked into the kitchen from the living room, eyes widening even further. He stares at the brunette in shock, the look on his face is comical.

Mike’s girlfriend is your sister. 

He turns to look at you, you stare at him with an amused expression on your pretty face. 

Mike’s girlfriend is your sister. 

Jane Hopper. 

Jane Hopper is your sister, that means that Jim Hopper is your dad. 

“Oh, you little shit,” he mumbles under his breath as he grows even more nervous. 

He knows that you know that he was arrested a few weeks back. It was after a night out with the boys at the hideout. He was drunk and stumbled towards his van, he didn’t plan on actually driving, he just wanted to grab his keys for the trailer but Hopper caught him getting into the van, not believing Eddie when he told him that he didn’t want to drive. Eddie and his big mouth is what got him into trouble though, the chief got sick of him and arrested him but Eddie refused to spend one more time in a cop car or a cell, he managed to run off in handcuffs, which found home in his room now. 

Thanks to Wayne and his friendship with Jim, he got away with it and Eddie managed to avoid the chief but now here he is, standing in his house. 

“Hopper is your dad!?” he asks, squinting his eyes at you as they flicker with both anger and fear. 

Max giggles at the expression on his face. 

El looks at him in confusion and then turns to you, looking at you in question. 

You chuckle, “yeah, he’s my dad, don’t worry, he isn’t home.” 

Eddie sighs, “that doesn’t make me feel any better!” 

“What did you do this time, Eddie?” Max smirks. 

He sends her a glare. 

“Come on, you’re safe in my room,” you giggle, tugging at his hand.

“Are you sure you wanna be caught making out with Eddie?” Max giggles, looking at you smugly. 

El’s eyes widen, “you are dating him?” She asks you, “you finally have a boyfriend too?”

And suddenly, Eddie feels so much better when he sees the flustered look on your face, shaking your head, “no… no, he’s a… a.. friend.” 

Max snorts and looks back down at her comic, “right… friends always hold hands,” she mumbles. 

You quickly let go of his hand and he chuckles, “we’re not friends, I’m just your cute project partner, that’s what you said, right?” he smirks at you. 

You glare at him and Max and El giggle at the look on your face. Eddie looks smug as he stares into your eyes. 

You are blushing like crazy. 

‘Oh, this is going to be fun,’ Eddie thinks to himself. 

-

Taglist: @prettyboyeddiemunson @littledemondani @wroteclassicaly @corrodedcorpses @aftermidnightwriting @emma77645 @aysheashea @spookycreepycookie @vintagehellfire @lfaewrites @zoeymunson @tlclick73 @hanobe8

[e-munson666]

The DM's Girlfriend.

(Eddie learns that Mike Wheeler is crushing on his girlfriend)

No real warnings, just fluff and maybe language

🖤Lady hellfire🖤

You had been Eddies girlfriend for the past 2 weeks, and tonight was the first night he had invited you to sit in on Hellfire. You were a little nervous to hangout with all of his friends in a setting so intimate to them, but you eventually agreed after Eddie tortured you with puppy eyes for half of the school day.

"Please princess, I need my good luck charm next to me so I can defeat all those bastards" he chuckles, swinging your arm around as he held your hand.

"Okay okay Mr. Dungeon Master, I'll come to Hellfire" you giggle rolling your eyes.

He beamed down at you with joy, "Yes! Baby I'm so excited!"

"Just make sure Wheeler keeps it in is pants" you joke, causing Eddie to stop short in the hallway.

"Wait...what?" He asked, clearly annoyed.

"Its nothing Eds, I can just tell he has a little crush on me is all"

"He WHAT?!" Eddie repeats

"Eddie, are you seriously telling me you haven't noticed your little sheepy constantly staring at me or sitting super close to me on purpose?" You chuckle again as you watch your boyfriends face go from anger, to confusion, to.....amusement.

"Of course! It makes so much sense now......little shit is always asking if your gonna be around when the party hangs out" Eddie laughs kissing your cheek.

*

Hellfire was just about to get under way, the party members were all seated, waiting for their dungeon master to arrive.

Moments later Eddie came bursting through the doors, theatrically as ever, followed by you. You gave everyone a little wave as they all greater you cheerfully, all except Mike.

"What the hell Eddie, I thought hellfire was a girlfriend free zone" Mike complained as you took your seat next to Eddie.

"I never said that Wheeler.....besides......I thought you'd be thrilled to see her" Eddie teases, leaning forward to give Mike an intimidating glare.

"Wh....what? Why wou......I dont......I don't care that's shes here" Mike stutters, folding his arms.

Gareth and Jeff are snickering to each other at the other end of the table while Dustin and Lucas just sat looking mortified.

"Oh you don't care that she's here huh?" Eddie asked, intimidation in his voice

"No.....why....why would I care?" Mike replies, eyes darting between his friends and Eddie.

"Because you clearly have a crush on her" Dustin blurts out, slapping his hand over his mouth immediately after.

The room burst into laughter, watching Mike sink into his seat, cheeks burning red.

"Henderson is right Wheeler, you clearly have a crush on the Dungeon Masters girlfriend." Eddie teases again.

Mike shoots Dustin a deadly glare before turning his blushing face over to Eddie.

"I....I'm....I didnt.....I wasn't" Mike stutters

"Wheeler calm down before you blow a gasket, im just giving you shit" Eddie roars with laughter

"Just keep your fuckin hands to yourself and we won't have a problem, will we princess?" Eddie asks, turning the rooms attention on you.

"Its okay Mikey, I think your little crush is cute" you respond, sending Mike a little wink.

His eyes nearly budlge out of his head as you spoke, quickly glancing over at Eddie and then back at his friends.

"Oh man Mike, if you could see your face right now" Lucas says between laughs.

"Its not funny you assholes!" Mike spat

"Oh, but it is Wheeler, it really is" Gareth said, wiping his eye.

"Allright you fuckin idiots, let's get down to business shall we" Eddie interrupts, slamming his notebook on the table.

"Wheeler, why don't you go ahead and roll first, you have officially become tonight's target" Eddie quips, raising a brow at Mike as he tossed the freshmen a pair of dice.

Mike just nods slightly, and nervously tosses the dice on the table, all the while refusing to look at you, or Eddie......which meant tonight's game was going to be a lot more fun than you thought.

*

*

*

*

A/n: just something cute and silly to bring me back from my hiatus!

[angsty-twihardxx]

Heartbreak Led Me Back to You | E.M

Chapter 1 | A Call With Your Past 

Prologue | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary | You and Eddie were childhood friends, best friend even. When your life changes drastically you runaway from Hawkins, leaving Eddie and Wayne without a goodbye. But when things go wrong she has no choice but to go back, a second chance for the two to finally admit their feelings.

Warnings | (18+) Adult Themes that some may find upsetting, mentions of abuse, alcohol/drug abuse, slurs directed at reader(f), swearing, angst, sexual references and eventual smut. Pls let me know if I missed anything x

A/N | The first couple of chapters do go back and fourth in time for a bit, but I promise it wont last long. x

Hawkins Indiana - Hawkins High School - 1984

The halls of Hawkins High echoed with the sound of shoes hitting the linoleum floor, you were late, again.

Your pants filled the small classroom where everyone's eyes looked up at you, Mrs Brown glared at you. Your science teacher was not clearly impressed–and not surprised with your tardiness. “Miss Y/N, how kind of you to join us. I'm assuming you didn’t use your time to retrieve your science textbook from your locker?” She stared unamused daggers at you. “You would be correct ma’am.” She sighed at your response, sitting down to indicate for you to go find your seat. Which was being used as a footrest for a particular brunette, your best  friend and pain in the ass, Eddie Munson. “Hey you.” His grin reached his ears which made his dimples show, you returned his smile willingly. You kicked his feet off of your chair which was to his right, he reached his hands to his ankles, pretending to be in agonising pain. “Serves you right, who knows where your feet have been.” 

“Hey I was just keeping it warm for you sweetheart.” You ignored the way the pet name he called you made your cheeks heat up, at least this morning you could blame it on having to run twenty minutes to get to school. “If you two are done, I’d like to continue my lesson.” Mrs Brown looked at the two of you with a stiff arm on her hip. Making the two of you share a tight lipped smile as Eddie handed over the science textbook and held it so the both of you could keep up.

“Hey, if you didn’t have a ride you could’ve called me.” Eddie nudged you playfully as the two of you pushed past other students in the hallway. “You want to be my knight in shining armour? Arriving at my castle on your noble steed.” You sang, pressing the back of your hand to your head, pretending to pass out, making Eddie shake his head at your joking nature.

I’ll always take care of you sweetheart. Those were the words he told you when you both started high school, and he kept his word. “I would’ve but my father ‘assured’ me that he would be conscious this morning. Serves me right for believing him I guess, but it’s fine. I could use the exercise.” You shrugged, catching his concerned eyes gazing into the side of your head.

Eddie cared about you so much that it scared him sometimes. Especially times like today when you were late to class, even though they happened frequently, he still found himself nervously playing with his ring clad fingers. He knew you didn’t like to talk about your parents much, the same way he didn’t like talking about his, a mutual understanding. 

But you were an optimist, you always believed that one day you would wake up and you didn’t live in a trailer park and your parents had office jobs that would go out together on the weekends.

A normal life. 

He didn’t pester you anymore, deciding against pissing you off. The two of you found your spots at the table that was declared to the ‘freaks’ where Jeff and Gareth had been waiting. “Hey Eddie, anymore on our shirt designs?” Jeff spoke as he shovelled the cafeteria ‘lasagna’ into his mouth, making you wince in disgust.

Maybe if these boys weren’t complete animals, they wouldn’t be such outcasts. Especially Eddie, you had told him off numerous times, telling him it wouldn’t kill him to stop carrying his lunchbox with drugs in it. 

You rolled your eyes, remembering the torture Eddie had put you through over the weekend going on about their new club. “Oh god please do not get him started! I swear this boy has never used an iron before in his life. Now all of a sudden I’m working my ass off getting all of these shirts pressed.”

“Oh please, the most you had to do was walk to old lady Drewett’s trailer and ask her to iron them for you.” Eddie exasperated at your dramatics, besides she wouldn’t iron them if he showed up at her doorstep. “It’s not my fault I’m so down with the grandparents.” You shrugged as you reached down to your backpack that you carried with you to the cafeteria, reaching in and handing the boys their personal ‘Hellfire Club’ shirts. “Here we go gentlemen.” You bowed your head, always being one for mock dramatics, you held the shirts out for the boys.

All their mouths fell open as they gushed over them, Eddie clearly admiring his work. “Now we just need to recruit a few others, and then we can start our first campaign as Hellfire!” Eddie exclaimed happily, making you smile.

You felt some sort of pride, seeing him light about the DnD club that he was creating, he was gleaming with pride. Eddie hated school, if it weren’t for you being so adamant on the two of you graduating together he probably would drop out.

You loved how excited it made him, when Eddie was in his element, he glowed, his beautiful aura that made him different from all the other boys. It made him Eddie.The two of you had been friends since you were kids, you honestly don’t remember a part of your life without him.

It all started with you finding him at the lake behind the trailer park where the two of you lived. Your parents told you to go outside and play while they had a visit from some ‘unsavoury’ guests, so you wandered to the lake just behind the trailer park, it was the only quiet place around. His hair was shorter then, his shoulders shook as you approached him. You walked up to him and sat down beside him, you dipped your bare feet into the water, looking at the boy with understanding eyes. You were only a kid but you knew what the shouting coming from his trailer meant, you knew all too well. Without a word you split the muffin you held in your hand that you were going to eat on your own, but sweets always made you feel better so maybe it would make him stop crying. He took it gingerly from your small hand, not used to someone so close in age treating him with such kindness.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 1988

You stood inside the dingy ‘Highway 70 Hotel’, pacing in circles as your fingers anxiously fiddled with the coiled phone cord. Your eyes were glued on your son Christopher who was on the ground in front of the TV, watching the morning cartoons with his bowl of cereal, totally oblivious to the nervous breakdown you were about to have. 

You dialled the familiar number that you had memorised since you were fourteen, your fingers shook as you held the receiver to your ear. The few seconds that it rang felt like hours were ticking away. “Wayne speaking.” His voice was gruff, making your breath hitch as you heard the familiar voice. “Wayne? It’s uh, it’s Y/N.” 

His side of the line was silent for a moment, you could only imagine him running his hand through his buzz cut hair. “Geez kiddo, it’s been a long time. How ya been?” You tried not to scoff at the irony of his question.

Fucken great Wayne, my ex-husband that you didn’t even know I had, kicked me out and I’ve been in and out of hotels. Oh! And I also had a kid.

But you could never lie to Wayne. You let out a pained sob, you haven’t had anyone to talk to for over a week except the local weirdos that sat around the hotel room you were staying in. “Not good Wayne, I uh- god everything is just shit. I know I don't deserve your help, but I don’t have anyone else to ask for help and I–”

“Slow down would ya? Look, I told you that you would always be family, that hasn’t changed. You know I’ll always be here if you need me, now what do you need?” 

. . . 

That conversation with Wayne was just over three weeks ago, a week after your husband Michael had basically kicked you out, along with your son Christopher. Now you were in your car that was packed to the brim of all your belongings, well at least the most important ones. Your eyes watered at the sight, trying to fit you and Christopher's life into the backseat of your car, going back to the only place you could. Hawkins. 

You sigh into the steering wheel, mixture of anxiety and a night without sleep pouring out of you, the hotel bed you slept on last night felt like cardboard. Your fingers clutched the steering wheel tightly, as your knuckles turned white, your wedding band glistened as the sun shone onto it, your brain reminding you of the last time you spoke with Michael. 

“Why are you getting mad at me Y/N? You wanted this, not me!” Your eyes glared at the back of his head as he turned to walk away to the kitchen. He had been out with his friends after work, a ritual that he had been doing frequently as of late. Leaving you and Christopher alone in your home. He was an awful drunk, he spat venom where he would usually say the most loving words to you. It put up with this from your own parents growing up, you had no intention of doing it now. “Are you fucking kidding me?” You whisper yelled at him, making sure to not wake up your son, you thought of how sweet and kind he was when you told him you were pregnant, how he was always going to take care of you. Back when he was kinder. Even though you were at least a head shorter than him you stomped towards him your lack of height was made up by your anger. “You should’ve thought about that before you decided ‘last minute’ to not bother wearing a condom!” 

“Oh, here we go! So it’s my fault!”

“It’s no one's fault! This was both of us, it takes two people to make a baby Michael! But you are deciding now, about three years too late, that you don’t want to do this anymore!”

“You're right, I don't want to do this! What do you want me to do, pretend we are in love. Raise a kid who probably isn't even mine.” His last comment made you stop in your tracks, he actually had the nerve to say that Christopher wasn’t his. “How. Dare. You.” You hissed, raising your finger accusingly. Every time he drank like this he would accuse you of infidelity, even though he knew very well you hadn’t been with anyone but him. “What? You know that’s what everyone said in highschool, that you're a whore that couldn’t keep her legs closed. Especially for that freak Munson–” His slurred accusations were cut short as your palm struck his cheek, you flinched at the sight of his eyes glaring down at you with his drunken stupor. “You know I haven’t slept with anyone else, so don’t. You. Dare! Accuse me of cheating when you are in no position to talk!” You poked his chest as you spoke, only angering him more. You were expecting him to put his hands on you, to scream at you even. 

Instead he stood up straight and glared at you taking large steps towards you, all fury in you dissipated as you backed into the wall behind you. His breath reeked of alcohol as he leaned forward, his mouth just centimetres from your ear. “I want you gone tomorrow. You do not want to be here when I get back.” He spoke slowly, dark– it sent shivers down your spine. It was rare that you were truly scared of him. He grabbed his keys from beside you and slammed the door shut behind him.

. . . 

You didn’t have anywhere else to go, both of your parents were deadbeats, you hadn’t seen them since you were a teenager. Hell, you didn’t even know if they were alive, being told that one day your parents just up and left, and no one had seen them since. 

The only person you had that was close to a parental figure was dear old Wayne Munson. Basically taking you in when your parents neglected you, would he be disappointed in you when you saw him? You were a cocaine addiction away to turning out just like her, already ticking teenage pregnancy off the list. 

What would it be like going back home? You knew there would be the nosy, judgemental stares from everyone that resided in that god forsaken town. Hawkins was no exception to the small town traditions, you knew people talk. Maybe Michaels mother has already been spewing her son's bullshit around town, that you were a whore, and that Christopher wasn’t even his. 

You wondered if Wayne told Eddie. God, what were you going to say to him? Did he hate you for leaving all those years ago? It’s not like you would blame him if you did. 

‘Hey sorry I got knocked up and left town without telling you. Sorry we didn’t leave for California together like we planned, I lost my virginity to an asshole– want to meet my son?’

A loud groan emitted from deep in your chest, you let your head hit the top of the steering wheel in your hands. Just wishing you didn’t have to confront everyone from your past. A soft giddy giggle made you raise your head, tucking your chin into your shoulder, smiling at Christopher who sat in his car seat behind you His wide smile grew even bigger as he noticed you turning your attention to him, the few teeth that had grown in stook out. Making you return the giggle as you pinched his chubby cheeks. “You ready buddy?” 

[spiderking-of-queens]

Chapter Twenty-Three: Just Friends

Summary: You and Eddie go on a “definitely not a date” date and learn a little bit more about each other, including how you both actually feel for one another. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, 13k words)

Warnings: Language, mentions of abuse and violence, eating (Eddie puts peanut butter on his burger bc he’s weird), reader loves Stevie Nicks? This is just pure flirtation, gentle Eddie fluff, and some more angst at the end of course sorry I love drama lol.

A/N: This one’s a DOOZY lol sorry I did not mean for this to be so long. Got a little carried away! Also, once again, I have an album for you! Look up the lyrics to Leather and Lace and think about Eddie or The Highwayman and think about Steve if you wanna cry 🙃

Tags: @princesseddie​  @dessxoxsworld​  @blackbirddaredevil23​

Series Masterlist

September 20th, 1985

As soon as you got home from your little adventure at the Hideout the week prior, your parents were waiting up for you, ready to scream at you for being out so late. As long as you were still stuck under their roof, you would still have to live by their rules. Their cold-shoulder silent treatment from your decision not to go to college was officially over. You had reawakened the sleeping dragon. Now the little freedom you had gained from their passive-aggressive distance was gone, and there was no way they would let you anywhere near their car again. But that Friday night you had made a promise to see Eddie again and return his jacket to him, and you at least owed him that after the mess you made the week before. So you decided to rebel one last time, and drove to the school to meet him after Hellfire.

You would have joined in, but you felt like you owed him some space, too. So you sat on the floor in the hallway instead and read your book to try to slow your thoughts as you prepared to face him. 

Eventually, you heard chatter and laughter as the door opened. You looked up as the boys filed out of the room. Eddie was teasing Dustin, pushing his baseball cap over his eyes. Then he saw you, and his smile dropped. 

“Hey, Y/N. I didn’t think you were gonna show up,” Dustin said. “Are you good to drive us home?”

“Yeah. Sorry, just felt like reading today,” You replied, holding up your book. It was kind of true, just not the whole truth. 

“The Hobbit,” Eddie mumbled. “Is this your first time reading it?”

“Oh, no. I’ve read it a billion times, I just… like to reread it when I need a good escape.”

He nodded solemnly and you lowered your eyes in embarrassment. The other boys looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable from the obvious tension in the air. 

“Okay… well, we’ll be in the car, then…” Lucas grumbled and started to walk away. When Dustin and Mike didn’t get the hint, he walked back towards them and pulled them away by the collar of their shirts. Gareth, Jeff, and Freak mumbled their goodbyes to Eddie and awkwardly shuffled away as well. 

The two of you stared at each other in uncomfortable silence before you cleared your throat and stood up from the floor, tugging on your shirt anxiously. Then you remembered his jacket. You bent down to pick it up off of the floor and brushed it off, feeling bad that it looked like you weren’t taking proper care of it.

“I, uh, brought you your jacket,” You said wiping it once more for good measure. “Sorry.”

He chuckled.

“No problem. Thanks for bringing it back.”

He put it on and melodramatically fluffed his hair out.

“How’s it look?”

“Great. As always.”

You smiled shyly at each other, then both tried to speak at the same time.

“You go ahead,” You offered.

“I just wanted to say, I’m really sorry about last weekend,” He said earnestly. You couldn’t stop yourself from snorting at him.

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry! I was such a mess. I can’t believe I got drunk. And puked. Oh god, I’m so humiliated. I completely ruined your night.”

You covered your face with your book in shame as the events of the night came back to you. Eddie took a step forward and pushed it down so he could look at you. 

“It’s really okay. You didn’t. I’ve just been worried about you, that’s all.”

“That’s really sweet, but despite the embarrassment, I’m fine. I promise.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He could definitely tell that you were lying, but he didn’t press you. 

“Okay. Well… I’ll see you next week then?”

“About that…” You winced, clenching your teeth. “My parents weren’t exactly thrilled that I left their car at a bar all night. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to drive the boys anymore. Or… anywhere, ever again, for that matter. I had to sneak out just to drive here tonight. So… no more Hellfire. At least for a while, until I can get them to forget that I exist again.” 

His shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his hands to play with his rings. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. It’s my fault. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“But… you wouldn’t have even been there if it wasn’t for me.”

“Yeah, maybe, but I wanted to go. And I chose to get drunk. Listen, even though I was a complete disaster, I still would have chosen to go - exactly as it played out - over staying home. It was fun watching you guys play. I’m glad I went. Really.”

“I’m glad you went, too. I wish it would have gone better.”

“Me too,” You sighed.

You stared at each other for a moment before you took a step away from him towards the school’s exit.

“Okay. Well… I guess I’ll see you around?” You said tentatively. 

“Sure. See you around.”

You nodded, giving him a sad smile before you walked away. You made it halfway to the door before he called your name, making you spin back around.

“Yeah?” 

He hesitated, punching the palm of his other hand anxiously before he walked towards you, avoiding your gaze.

“Alright, fuck it,” He eventually said with a nervous laugh, forcing himself to look at you. “Lemme just ask you before I lose my nerve again. What are you doing tonight?”

Your eyes widened at him and you looked around like you were being pranked, then you turned your head back to him. His gaze was unwavering. 

“Nothing?”

“Good. I mean… okay. Would you wanna… can I take you out to get something to eat? Just to hang out. Nothing weird, I swear. Just a redo.”

You stared at him, stunned. Was this actually happening? He still wanted to spend time with you, even after everything that went down the week before?

He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head when you stayed silent for a little too long. 

“Again, you can always tell me to fuck off at any time,” He said with a small laugh and smile that immediately disappeared when he realized there was a chance you might actually take him up on that. But you didn’t. 

“Okay,” You said simply instead, unable to fight off a little smirk. He grinned back at you. 

“Cool.” 

“Cool,” You agreed.

He nodded, then stopped suddenly, his smile fading once again. 

“Sorry, that was a solid yes, right? Just wanna make sure I’m not an asshole who can’t take a hint.”

You grinned at him. 

“Yes. It was a yes.”

“Good.”

He inched ever so slightly closer to you and you felt a sudden pang of panic. Was this a date? You took a step back, brushing your hair behind your ear anxiously. 

“Wait, we are just hanging out, right? As… friends?” 

He snorted, subtly leaning away from you with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Uh, of course. Yeah. Absolutely. That is what I said. Right.” 

He was trying a little too hard to prove to you that this was obvious information.

“Okay…” You paused, narrowing your eyes at him skeptically, then relaxed when he didn’t budge. “I’m paying, by the way. I owe you for last week.”

“You know I’m not gonna let you do that, right?”

You rolled your eyes at him.

“We’ll see about that. So, would you mind picking me up at my place? I can write down the address for you.”

“Of course. No problem."

You rummaged in your bag for a marker, then when you found one and pulled it out, Eddie stuck out his hand before you could rip a piece of paper out of your sketchbook. You eyed him quizzically, and he laughed when he recognized your confusion.

“Just write it on my hand. I won’t lose it that way.”

You raised an eyebrow, but didn’t fight him on it. You bit the marker cap off and held it between your teeth, then took his hand and wrote your address on the back of it. When you dropped it and returned the marker to your bag, he brought his hand up to his face so he could read it. His eyes widened.

“Shit. Nice neighborhood.”

“Yeah… For all intents and purposes, I suppose it is,” You snorted.

“Might get a few disgruntled neighbors. My van can be kinda loud.”

“Good. There’s quite a few people I wouldn’t mind pissing off.”

You hated every single person that lived on your street. It was mostly stuck-up old couples that pretended to be nice to your face but complained about the stupidest little things, or families like yours that hated each other behind closed doors. Families just like the Hagans, and the Perkinses, and the Harringtons. 

You were teasing, but Eddie actually seemed kind of nervous about it. 

“It’ll be fine,” You reassured him. “I won’t make you wait. I promise. But if you’re really worried, I can totally meet you somewhere. I wouldn’t mind.”

“No, no. It’s cool. I’m not worried if you’re not.”

“Alright. Thanks. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. So… I’ll pick you up in an hour? Or is that too soon?”

“No, that’s perfect. The sooner the better.”

He smirked at you, and you scratched your eyebrow with uneasiness, letting out an anxious chuckle. That sounded a little too eager. 

“I meant, because I probably shouldn’t stay out super late after last weekend,” You added, trying to take him down a peg. 

“Right. That’s what I thought you meant,” He nodded, but that stupid smirk was still on his face, making you blush. 

“Alright, Munson,” You teased, stepping away from him. “I know you’re always fashionably late, but try your best not to keep me waiting.”

“I won’t. Promise,” He called after you, waving the hand you had written your address on. 

“And don’t wash that off!” You added with a giggle, opening the door with your back before turning to walk off to your car.

You tried your best not to wait too eagerly after you got home and changed your clothes, but you couldn’t help pacing around your room, checking your watch. On top of being nervous as hell, you were slightly concerned that your parents would have something to say about a noisy van parked in front of their house. You had a plan to get them off of your back, and you wanted to be ready to go as soon as he pulled up, just as you had promised. 

Then at ten on the dot, you heard the sound of Eddie’s van’s engine coming down the road. You were pleasantly surprised that he actually was on time. 

You immediately put your plan into motion, opening your window and climbing down carefully onto your porch awning, sliding smoothly to the ground. Then you ran over to Eddie’s van and hopped in, trying to hide the fact that you were out of breath.

“Hi,” You said as you panted. He just stared at you.

“Uh… what was that?” He asked with a chuckle. 

“What?” 

“The acrobatics?”

“Oh. Uh… I thought I’d try something new. My parents can’t get pissed at me if they don’t notice I’m gone, right?”

“Mhm. Right,” He said with a smirk, and pulled away from the curb. He kept looking you up and down out of the corner of his eyes. You clicked your tongue at him.

“What?” You asked again more impatiently.

“You changed,” He pointed out with a smirk, nodding at your fresh top.

“Yeah… so?” You mumbled, looking down at it. “I was in my work shirt when I saw you at the school.”

“Okay. Just saying. It’s a pretty nice top to wear for hanging out with a friend.”

“Well… I didn’t know where you were planning on taking me. Figured I’d dress to be ready for anything.”

“It won’t be anywhere fancy,” He snorted. “Hope that’s okay.”

“Where are we going?”

He squirmed in his seat nervously, leaning forward over the steering wheel.

“Okay, so I have this place in mind, but it’s outside of town a little bit. Is that okay? I kinda want it to be a surprise, but I just don’t want you to think that I’m, like, about to drive you out into a field to murder you or something.”

“Well… I wasn’t thinking that before. But now I’m slightly concerned.”

“I promise I will not murder you,” He laughed. “I sort of like you too much.”

“That’s… good to hear? I guess?”

He paused to look at you before turning back to the road. 

“That’s where you’re supposed to say that you like me, too. You know, or whatever.” “Okay… Eddie, I like you too much to murder you, too.”

“Aw,” He cooed, putting a hand on his heart. “You’re sweet.”

Eventually, he pulled off of the road several miles outside of Hawkins into the parking lot of a retro diner. 

“Is this the place?” You asked him with a grin.

“Yep. This is it. What do you think?”

“I think… I’m dying for a strawberry milkshake right about now.”

“Then let’s get you a strawberry milkshake,” He said with a nod, unbuckling his seatbelt. You followed suit, and before you could get out of his van, Eddie had already raced around to extend a hand to help you out. You raised an eyebrow at him but took it anyways as you hopped down. He shrugged, picking up on what you were thinking.

“I’m always chivalrous. Doesn’t mean anything,” He argued, dropping your hand.

“Mhm. Right.”

If he could tease you about changing before seeing him, you could tease him about getting the door for you. It was fun pushing each other’s buttons like this, flirting innocently. When you got to the front door of the diner, you made it a point to hold it open for him, which amused him immensely. 

As soon as he walked in, an older woman smiled at him from behind the front counter. 

“Well if it isn’t little Eddie Munson,” She called, stopping him in his tracks. You froze beside him and looked between the two of them in confusion. 

“Hey, Deb. How have you been?” He asked her. 

“Same ol’, same ol'. How are you? How’s Wayne? Still at the plant?”

“Yes ma’am, he is. We’re both great, thanks.”

“Glad to hear it. Your usual booth is open if you wanna make your way over, I’ll be there in just a second.”

Eddie nodded and instinctively put his hand over the small of your back to guide you towards the back of the diner, but corrected himself quickly by shoving it into his jeans pocket instead. When you both slid into your seats across from each other, Deb met you over by the table and smiled down at you before glancing back at Eddie.

“Well, who’s this? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” She said kindly, and reached out her hand to shake yours. “How do you know our Eddie?”

“I’m Y/N,” You answered shyly as you shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I, uh… went to school with him.”

You fought back the urge to ask her how the hell she knew Eddie. 

“Well, any friend of his is a friend of mine,” She said, patting his shoulder before turning back to you. “So, what can I get you?”

“Could I please get a hamburger and fries…”

“And a strawberry milkshake,” Eddie interrupted with a smirk.

“Yes, thank you, Eddie. And a strawberry milkshake, please.”

“Of course,” Deb said, writing on her notepad. Then she looked up and pointed her pen at Eddie. “The usual for you, dear?”

He tilted his head at her with a wide smile.

“You know me so well, Deb.”

“Well, I suppose I should after all these years of you ordering the same thing,” She teased him, smacking him gently on the shoulder with her notepad. Of course, Eddie couldn’t resist melodramatically pretending that it had wounded him. “I’ll be right back with your food. You kids have fun."

“Thank you,” Eddie turned to call after her, and then smiled back at you.

“Come here often?” You asked him with a smirk. 

“Yeah,” He chuckled bashfully. “My uncle’s been bringing me here ever since I moved in with him as a kid, and Deb’s worked here for forever.”

“And what’s this mysterious order you’ve been getting for the past, what, ten years?”

“A Dr. Pepper and a hamburger, well-done. Extra pickles. With a side of… peanut butter.”

“I’m sorry… did you say peanut butter? For what?”

His eyebrows raised so high in surprise that they disappeared behind his bangs.

“You don’t know about peanut butter burgers?”

“Peanut butter what?”

“Peanut butter on hamburgers. It’s amazing.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” You grimaced.

“I’ve never been more serious in my life. You’ve heard of peanut butter and pickles, right? It’s pretty much the same thing. It’s an acquired taste.”

“I’m not sure if my tastebuds are… sophisticated enough for that yet.”

“Oh, you’re gonna try it.”

“I will not.”

“You will,” He shrugged.

“Eddie.”

“Y/N.”

He was grinning at the horrified look on your face. You could tell he wasn’t going to let it go.

“One bite,” You finally said after he successfully stared you down. 

“Deal,” He agreed, sticking out his hand to shake on it. You shook your head at him, but stuck your hand out to grip his anyways. He held onto it for a little too long afterwards, looking you straight in the eye before you tried to turn your face away to hide your blush. You pulled your hand back and immediately turned your attention to the little jukebox that was sitting on the booth tabletop.

“This is cute. I’ve never seen one of these before. How does it work?”

“Yeah. That’s half of the appeal of this place. You can pick a song from any table, and eventually it’ll play over the speakers. My little ten-year-old brain almost exploded with excitement the first time my uncle gave me a nickel to pick out a song. Now every time we come here, we always have to pick something.”

You could picture Eddie as a little kid clear as day, easily excitable, and it made you smile. 

“Your uncle, his name is Wayne, right?” You asked.

“Yup. Good ol’ Wayne Munson.”

“So you guys are pretty close, huh?”

“Yeah. He’s more my dad than my actual dad, so.”

“He seems like a really good man.”

“He is.”

Eddie became uncharacteristically quiet then, seemingly humbled by this vulnerable admission. You tilted your head at him curiously, but he avoided your gaze and began to fish for change in his pocket, then reached out to try to hand it to you. 

“Here. Pick something out. It’s too quiet in here.”

“No, you should do it. It’s your tradition.”

“Well, now it can be yours, too,” He objected, reaching out with his other hand to peel yours off of the table, then pressed the coin into it and closed your fingers around it. “Pick a good one.”

Your face flushed as he released you and you opened your fist to look down at the coin in your hand.

“No pressure,” You mumbled to yourself with a laugh.

“What, do you think I’m a music snob or something?”

“Oh, I know you are,” You teased. “In fact, maybe I’ll try my best to pick something you’ll absolutely hate.”

“Now, hold on a minute,” He scoffed. “What did I do to deserve that?”

“Nothing. I’m just not ready to show you my hand yet. I’ve gotta figure out what your limits are first.”

“My limits? Jesus, what kind of music do you listen to?”

“Nothing weird! Just… definitely not what you’re used to.”

He cocked his head at you and raised an eyebrow. 

“I think you’re underestimating me.”

“Well, guess we’ll find out then, won’t we?”

You smirked at him deviously as you made your selection, and he sat back and crossed his arms in waiting, equally amused by your game. When it began to play, you sat back, too, staring him down, willing him to react. It took a minute for him to recognize the song, but when he did, he scrunched his eyes shut and let out a chuckle, then opened one of them to look at you. 

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun? Seriously? That cannot be one of your all-time favorite songs.”

“No, you’re right. It’s not. That was a test, and you failed,” You laughed.

“Oh, come on. That’s so not fair. How else was I supposed to react to that?!”

“Alright, alright. Fine. I’ll choose a better one for the next song. On my nickel, don’t even try to give me any more change. Got it?”

He put his hands up in defeat.

“Got it. You’re making the rules now.”

“Damn straight.”

He bit his lip, then leaned forward towards you with his hands clasped over the table as if he was prepared to make you some kind of dubious offer. 

“I have a game for you, too, though.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. I challenge you… to draw me.”

“What?”

“Draw me,” He shrugged. “What? You don’t think I could be a good model?”

He daintily pushed his hair over his shoulder and fluttered his eyelashes at you to showcase his beauty, making you laugh. 

“I’m sure you’d be a great model. I just don’t think I’m a good enough artist to capture…” You paused to wave a hand at him in a circular motion. “All that.”

He laughed back at your teasing. 

“Are you forgetting that I’ve seen your art? I know what you’re capable of.”

“You seriously want me to draw you? For what?”

“So I can hang it on my wall to remind myself how pretty I am, obviously.”

“Right. Obviously,” You snorted. He stared you down, tapping his finger on the table. 

“I am serious, though. Draw me.”

“I… with what? I don’t even have a pencil.”

He smirked at you and turned to flag down Deb, then asked her for a pencil. She took one she had been keeping behind her ear and handed it to him, and he thanked her before holding it out to you. You took it from him reluctantly, glancing between the two of them anxiously. Eddie noticed and looked back at Deb, then explained, “She’s an artist. She’s gonna draw me,” With a pleased grin.

Deb smiled back at him, eyeing you knowingly before shaking her head fondly and walking off. You raised an eyebrow at Eddie as he stared at you expectantly. 

“Alright,” You sighed, “I have a better idea. I’ll draw you somebody in this restaurant right now - anybody you choose - and if you like it, then I promise I will draw you.”

He tilted his head at you impatiently, but nodded.

“Fine. You’ve got yourself another deal. You do make the rules, after all.”

“That’s correct. So who do you pick? Choose wisely.”

He draped an arm over the back of the booth and turned his body around to look at the other people in the room, not even bothering to be covert about it. There weren’t too many to choose from. He eventually turned back around and leaned over the table to whisper to you.

“See the guy at the counter? Ten o’clock?”

You leaned a little to the left so you could look over his shoulder. 

“The one in head-to-toe camouflage?”

“That’s the one. I pick him.”

“Okay. Challenge accepted. Easy.”

He smiled at your confidence, then grabbed a napkin from the holder beside him to pass it off to you. You snorted and took it from him. It wasn’t the ideal material to draw on, but it would have to do. 

“So, what music do you usually pick out when you come here?” You asked as you began your drawing. “The selections aren’t very… metal.”

He chuckled to himself.

“Uh… well, see, that’s an interesting story. It’s actually kind of part of the tradition for me to pick a Woody Guthrie song.”

“What? Like, the guy who wrote This Land Is Your Land?”

“That’s the one,” He admitted with pursed lips and a shrug.

“Very interesting. Where did that come from?”

“Wayne introduced me to him as a kid, and I thought he was a cool dude. I had a little bit of an obsession. Read all these books about him. He’s actually the one that made me wanna play guitar.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I know. It’s shocking, right? I started with acoustic, and then when I discovered AC/DC, that was the end of that story. Wayne saved up for a year to get me my first electric guitar, and, hence, my first foray into the world of rock and roll began.”

“Ah. See, now that makes more sense to me.”

“Right. But they were just a stepping stone, obviously. The music I like now is a little more…”

“Loud?” You interrupted him with a smirk, still focused on your drawing.

“Yes, exactly. Heavier.”

“So who do you listen to now then? Anybody I would know?”

“I don’t know. Iron Maiden? W.A.S.P.? Dio? Metallica? Black Sabbath?”

“Oh, sure. Ozzy Osbourne. The guy that decapitated a bat live on stage. Love that guy,” You teased sarcastically, glancing up at his face to see his reaction. He was smiling sheepishly at you, and it was so cute that it made you want to cry. “I’m teasing. I don’t really know any of those bands, but I’m willing to be educated. You did promise me you would lend me some tapes, remember?”

His face lit up again, and his smile became wider. 

“Oh, trust me. I remember.”

“Good.”

You smiled back at him, then returned to your masterpiece before Eddie cleared his throat and tapped a finger against the mini jukebox selector. 

“Did you forget something? I shared my favorites, now it’s your turn. Pick something out that you actually like.”

You sighed and set down the napkin you were sketching on in your lap.

“For the record, I do actually like Cyndi Lauper. She’s just not in my top ten.”

“Well, of course you do. It’s criminal not to at least like her a little bit. I’m not a total freak.”

You rolled your eyes at him and crossed your arms discontentedly. 

“You’re making fun of me.”

“No, I’m not,” He raised his voice indignantly. “I’m serious. Her shit is catchy.”

“Stop it. Do you want me to finish this drawing or not?”

You set the napkin back on the table and continued, trying your best to ignore Eddie as he leaned forward towards you. Then when he realized he couldn’t get to you, he slumped back into his seat like a pouting child. Just when you thought you had won, he began to hum, and you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing up at him. Then he began to sing quietly when he realized that he had finally caught your attention. 

“I come home… in the mornin’ light… my MOther says, ‘Whatcha gonna do with your life?’”

“What are you doing?” You tried to ask him, but he ignored you and began to sing louder, drumming his fingers on the table. 

“Oh momma dear, we’re not the fortunate ones. And girls, they wanna have FU-un!”

You shushed him, eyeing the people around you, but it only spurred him on more. 

“THAT’S ALL THEY REALLY WAAAANT,” He sang as loudly and passionately as possible, closing his eyes and scrunching up his face. You straightened up in your seat in shock, then reached out to clamp a hand over his mouth without thinking.

“Stop!” You hissed, fighting back a grin so he wouldn’t be tempted to keep it up. 

“I’m not gonna stop until you agree to pick out another song,” He mumbled into your hand, tickling your palm. Then he pulled away from it and screeched, “SOME FUUUUUN!” to prove his point.

“Okay, okay!” You yelled, waving your hands at him emphatically to get him to stop before reaching into your bag for change. When you found a nickel, you held it up to him in desperation to prove that you were willing to comply, then kept your eyes locked on his as you put it into the jukebox. “Happy now?”

“Yes,” He said with a shit-eating grin. You rolled your eyes at him, then couldn’t resist looking around at the other people in the diner who were still staring at the two of you. 

This is exactly what Robin meant when she said that Eddie would be good at getting you out of your shell. Everybody was looking at you, which normally would have made you shut down, but you couldn’t help smiling. It didn’t feel so threatening when Eddie’s goofiness was the cause of it. It was actually kind of fun. 

“You’re a child, you know that?” You grumbled playfully as you turned your attention back to the jukebox to pick out a song. 

“I know,” He agreed, resting back into his seat triumphantly. You shook your head at him again.

“I can’t believe you actually know the words to Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

“I told you,” He shrugged. “Catchy.”

Your eyes flicked up at him briefly as you were making your song selection, catching his gaze. You knew exactly what he was doing by playing these games with you. He was softening you up so you would open up to him. Worming his way into your brain, trying to figure you out. Trying to get you to share your favorite things with him. You would have been mad, but recognizing the twinkle in his eyes made it impossible. All he wanted was to get to know you better. How could you be angry about that?  

You decided to play nicely and actually picked one of your favorite songs despite the fear that he would judge you for it. After selecting it, you quickly went back to drawing, doing your best to appear nonchalant even though your heart was racing. When the song started playing and you heard a contented sigh from Eddie, you looked up at him again in shock.

“Landslide. Heavy. And not in the way I’m used to,” He joked. “Sad, heavy. But it’s really good.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, hell yeah. Fleetwood Mac was actually… one of my mom’s favorites."

You stopped drawing suddenly and stared up at him, unsure how to react to that bit of information. Judging by the serious look on his face, he wasn’t sure either. But this only lasted for a second before he had his typical, beaming, Eddie smile back, and he quickly cleared his throat and tried to move the topic away from his mom again. 

“Stevie Nicks is a total badass. Although, she wasn’t always in the band, right? It’s hard to keep all that straight. They went through a lot of personnel changes over the years, didn’t they?” 

“Yeah,” You smiled kindly, trying to ignore the pregnant pause in your conversation. “Although, I really don’t have any interest in them pre-Stevie Nicks. She’s definitely a top ten artist. Top five, even.”

“Understandable. Edge of Seventeen? Great song.”

“Are you kidding?” You scoffed ecstatically. “When that album came out, I listened to it on repeat so much that my record was completely scratched by the end of the summer. I was absolutely obsessed. I probably wouldn’t have survived the start of my freshman year without it.”

He nodded, grinning at you, basking in your joy. He’d gotten you truly excited about something for the first time that night, and he knew it. He was successfully figuring you out. Your cheeks burned red from his gaze. You shook your head and looked back down at your work, trying to pretend that it hadn’t happened. 

“You know… you can keep telling me things like that,” He said as gently as possible. “Personal things. I’m not gonna, like, use them against you, or anything. Or make fun of you. Right?”

You weren’t expecting him to say this, and it flustered you.

“I… I know,” You stammered. “I mean… I’m trying.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. I just want to make sure you know that. You always seem…embarrassed. I don’t want you to be.”

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s not you. That’s just… my own shit.”

“I get it. Trust me.”

It hadn’t really occurred to you that he would understand. He was so good at pretending like he didn’t care about anything, at being his carefree, happy self, that you almost forgot he had dealt with his fair share of bullshit in his life. 

“You can always tell me things, too. I hope you know that,” You added, just in case he didn’t.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” 

“Speaking of…” You were about to ask him more about his mom, but Deb came over and set your plates down in front of you, interrupting you before you could. Maybe it was for the best. You didn’t want to pry too soon. You both said your polite thank you’s to her, and after she walked away, Eddie looked down at the little bowl of peanut butter on his plate, then back up at you. You groaned.

“You’re really gonna make me try that monstrosity?”

“Monstrosity? How dare you. More like masterpiece.”

“Alright, whatever. Let’s just get it over with,” You grumbled, setting your drawing aside to pick up a knife and spread a tiny amount of it onto your burger. You picked it up and stared at it, then glanced up at Eddie for a moment to see him leaning in eagerly, his chin resting on top of his intertwined hands. There was no backing out. You took a hesitant bite and put your hand over your mouth as you chewed, analyzing its bizarre taste profile. After a few moments, you let yourself swallow it and your eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“Surprisingly not horrible,” You admitted.

“You love it.”

“Let’s not get too carried away. It’s… it’s good. Okay?”

He clapped his hands together excitedly, rocking back in his seat.

“I knew it! I knew you’d like it!” He exclaimed loudly and pointed a finger at you, once again drawing attention to himself.

You laughed and shushed him.

“Okay, okay. You were right. Are you happy?”

“You have no idea,” He grinned. 

You watched him take the top bun off of his burger and dump the entire bowl of peanut butter on the patty as you took a sip of your milkshake. The boy was weird, and you were enjoying every moment of watching him be himself. 

He took a large bite of the burger after reassembling it and then tried to talk to you with his mouth full without thinking. 

“What was that?” You chuckled, then took a bite of one of your fries. 

He covered his mouth with his fist and swallowed, then smiled at you sheepishly. 

“Sorry. I said, are you done with that drawing yet?”

“Oh!” You brushed your hands together to wipe off the crumbs and took the drawing off of the seat beside you to study it. Then you held up a finger and picked up your pencil again. “Just a second, it needs one last touch.” 

You scribbled one last detail then held it up, eyeing Eddie as he sat in waiting behind it. 

“Okay. I think it’s done.”

He sat up straight in his seat and wiped off his hands with his napkin, then held them out to you in preparation to receive it. You waved it at him then snatched it away playfully, and he reached out and grabbed it from you with a laugh before you could take it away again. It took him a brief moment to analyze it before his face lit up in pure delight. 

It was a drawing of the lonely camouflaged man, as requested, but slightly more caricatured with the addition of a little caption that read, “Sometimes I feel like everybody looks right through me.”

“Holy shit,” He said with a boisterous laugh. “That’s fucking amazing.”

He held it up to you to show it off as if you hadn’t just finished drawing it right in front of him less than a minute before. You chuckled at his show of pride in you. 

“Why, thank you. Glad you like it.”

“Like it? I’m framing this shit.”

“Alright. Calm down, Munson. It’s just a stupid little joke drawing.”

“No, it’s my stupid little joke drawing and I will cherish it forever,” He argued, clutching it fondly to his chest. “Thank you. I can’t believe you cranked that out so fast. This really is your thing, isn’t it?”

You remembered your conversation at The Hideout about each of your respective talents. His music, your art. Your heart dropped. Seeing the joy your drawing had brought him helped a little, but you still felt like you had all but completely lost that side of yourself. 

“Well, about that… I’m not so sure that’s true,” You admitted. “I don’t really know what my thing is anymore.”

“What? Why would you say that?”

“Because I haven’t really been able to make anything new since I graduated. It’s like I’m all dried up. Barely nineteen and I’m already having a mid-life crisis.”

“Dried up?” He scoffed. “Look at what you just did. And what about leaving Hawkins? What happened to your plans?”

He seemed genuinely concerned by your change of heart, and you didn’t really know what to say to him to make him understand what caused it. 

“I… don’t know. I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me anymore, you know? Reality kind of whacked me over the head a little bit.”

That was an understatement. And also pretty literal, considering the bruises you received from the battle at Starcourt. 

“Maybe it’ll still happen someday, but just… not anytime soon,” You added to ease his worry, even though you didn’t really believe it. He nodded and seemed to relax slightly. 

“Well, if you really are going to be sticking around for a while, we could always use your help designing band posters and stuff. Maybe even some new shirts for the Hellfire Club?” 

You blinked at him, surprised by this kind offer. He tapped his rings against the table to fill the uncomfortable silence. 

“If you’re up for it, I mean. No pressure. We probably couldn’t pay you much, but…”

“I’d love to,” You interrupted him. “Free of charge. Anytime.”

“No, you’ve gotta let me pay you something.”

“Okay, you can take me out to eat again.”

Now it was his turn to be stunned speechless. For some reason, it was a surprise to him that you considered spending time with him valuable. 

“That’s all you’ll accept?”

“Yup,” You nodded matter-of-factly.

“Sounds like that’s a bigger payoff for me, but alright.”

You smirked at him, shaking your head. That wasn’t even remotely true. 

“I believe you also owe me a portrait of yours truly,” He added. “Don’t forget.”

“Okay, fine. But it’ll cost you an extra meal.”

“I think I can live with that.”

You tried to hide your giddy smile by taking another bite of your burger, and he eyed you over the rim of his soda as he took a sip. Then he set it down quickly and swallowed as he recalled something. 

“Oh, I almost forgot. What were you gonna say before our food got here? Something personal, or whatever?”

Shit. He had heard you. You tried to think of something else you could ask him that would be much lighter than the topic of his absent parents. 

“Oh… um… I do have a question I’ve been wanting to ask you, actually. Speaking of leaving Hawkins… I’m curious to know what’s in the cards for you when you finish school. Do you have any plans? Or… dreams?”

He raised his eyebrows at you, then reached over to steal a fry from your plate. You glared at him playfully, but didn’t say anything. 

“Do I have any plans? Uh… maybe the first two times I was supposed to graduate. But the third? Nah. The plan is just to get the hell out of that school.”

“Okay… Then can I ask you something else?”

He wiped his hands with his napkin again and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. 

“Okay. Shoot.”

“You’re…smart…”

When you paused to think about how best to continue your question, he snorted.

“Is that your question?”

“No, I’m trying to say… you’re really smart, and certainly smart enough to graduate. So how have you been held back so many times?”

He sighed loudly, and blew a puff of air out of his lips. 

“Takes a certain special talent, I guess. It was actually sort of hard to do. No, actually, the answer depends on who you ask. If you ask my teachers, they would say it’s because I have an inability to focus in class. If you ask principal Higgins, he would say that I’m a degenerate who cares more about getting into trouble than succeeding in anything. And if you ask the guidance counselor, she would tell you that my unwillingness to move forward in life is due to a ‘fear of the unknown,’ and a direct result of my ‘rocky upbringing.’”

“And if I were to ask you?” You asked, cocking your head. 

He took a pause to think about it, sipping his soda again. When the answer came to him, he traced a finger over the tabletop’s pattern absentmindedly.

“I would tell you that it’s because I can’t force myself to give a shit. About any of it.”

He looked sad as he continued to stare down at the table, and you wanted nothing more than to make him smile again.

“Would it be awful for me to say that I’m glad you flunked?” You teased, leaning forward to catch his attention. “Because we probably wouldn’t be here right now if you graduated when you were supposed to. Or last year, either, actually.”

He looked up at you, the first signs of a smile appearing on his face.

“What, do you think I would have actually gone anywhere if I had graduated?”

“Absolutely. Are you kidding?”

“I think the guidance counselor would disagree with you.”

“Well, the guidance counselor can kiss my ass. You are way too good for this town, Eddie Munson. And you are going to graduate this year. I know you will.” 

You could tell he wanted to object, but the look on your face was warning him not to. He chuckled with a little shake of his head.

“Alright, how about we make one more deal then? I work hard and actually graduate, and you get the hell out of this town like you planned. Sound fair?”

“Fine. I guess that is fair,” You reluctantly agreed. “But only if you agree to get out of this town, too.”

He nodded and looked down at his hands that were resting flat on the table, then reached to twist the rings on his left hand nervously. You could tell there was something else on his mind.

“Okay. Now can I…ask you something now? Something personal?”

Uh oh.

“Sure?” You agreed tentatively. 

“You said something at The Hideout last weekend… while you were…”

“Drunk?” You interrupted him, squeezing your eyes shut in humiliation. 

“Yeah. So I don’t know if you really meant it or not, but… you said something about…how you’re a ‘ticking time bomb,’ I believe were the exact words you used? And that I…deserved somebody… ‘good, like me?’”

“Shit,” You muttered, reaching up to rub at your eyebrow. “Yeah, I remember. I wish I could lie and say I don’t, but I wasn’t that drunk. Unfortunately…”

“Right. So my question is… what the fuck was that about?” He paused to raise an eyebrow at you, then added pointedly, “Friend?”

It took everything in you not to slide down in the booth onto the floor and crawl outside, straight into traffic. 

“Fuck… I’m so sorry. I was hoping you didn’t hear that part of my rambling…”

“Yeah, sorry,” He scoffed. “Not a chance.”

“I’m so embarrassed… Look, clearly, I… I was having some… confusing thoughts. About… well, I saw you with… with Jo. And I think it just made me feel kinda lonely.”

“Jo? Oh shit… I forgot you met her.”

He forgot? You spent all summer thinking about the two of them together, and he forgot?

“Well… I did,” You said a little too aggressively. “At the movies. In June. Your date with her?”

“No, yeah… I remember,” He said, fighting back a smile at your frustration with him. “But it wasn’t really… a date, date. I don’t think.”

“Oh? Really? Then what was all that then, at The Hideout?”

“What?” He laughed, unable to fight it back any longer. You snorted at him. 

“‘Oh, Eddie,’” You mocked her, reaching out to grab his arm while pretending to fawn over him. “‘You looked so hot up there with your guitar. Marry me?’”

He laughed at you openly this time, clearly enjoying how worked up you had gotten. He’d never actually seen you act like this around him. You’d teased him before, but not like this. Not in a way that almost matched his own special brand of charisma. 

“Was that supposed to be Jo or you?” He countered.

“Her, obviously!”

“So you didn’t think I was hot?”

You rolled your eyes at him. 

“Don’t change the subject, Munson. What’s going on between the two of you?”

“Alright, alright. She came to see my band at the start of the summer, and she was nice and asked me to… hang out a… a couple times. Just casually. And I… I’m sorry, are these still friendly questions? Because I feel like I’m being interrogated a little bit.”

You didn’t like how he was anxiously dancing around the subject. Clearly, there was something about the two of them that he didn’t want you to know. 

“I’m not interrogating you,” You argued. “I think I’m asking valid questions. You never mentioned her before.”

“Well, then, can I ask you about Steve?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, annoyed by his quick deflection. 

“What about Steve?”

“Is that why you called him to come get you? Because seeing me with Jo made you feel…” He trailed off, then held up air quotes with his fingers. “‘Lonely?’”

“What? No. I… I called Steve, because nobody else would have been able to come get me. He was my only option.”

“Right. Besides… me,” He said indignantly, pointing a thumb to himself. “Who was already there, and completely ready and willing to drive you.”

“Please. That would have been… humiliating.”

“More humiliating than Steve “The Hair” Harrington threatening to kick my ass outside of a bar?”

You covered your eyes in shame. You had almost forgotten that part.

“Fuck… I am so sorry about that. If it helps at all, we fought over it.”

He eased up a bit when he saw how mortified you truly were over your decision to call Steve, relaxing back into his seat with a sigh. 

“So what’s really going on there? Honestly?” He asked. “Because I’ve gotta say, the way he tried to defend your honor like that… didn’t seem very friend-like.”

You leaned forward, pushing your plate out of the way so you could cross your arms over the table, readying yourself for a vulnerable admission. It was the first time you would be speaking about what happened between you and Steve with somebody other than him, and it felt strange. It made it feel more real. Especially since it was Eddie.

“Okay…” You began, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what you were thinking last year with all of the rumors about us, but… I swear we were just friends. Things didn’t become more… complicated… until recently. Over the summer.”

“Oh. The summer. Right.”

You could tell what he was thinking. He knew something changed in you that summer, and he was making an assumption that Steve was the cause of it. You wanted to tell him he was wrong, that it was so much more than that, but you knew you couldn’t. You sighed, and decided to at least give him the full, honest truth about one thing. 

“We… we kissed. Once. At the end of August. And it kind of messed everything up. That’s all. I don’t even know if we’re friends anymore because we haven’t really talked since…but that’s what happened.”

“So… you guys aren’t, like… seeing each other causally or anything like that?”

“Like you and Jo, you mean?” You scoffed.

By now, you had pieced together what he meant by “casual,” and it didn’t exactly align with what you considered it to be. It was obvious that he had more romantic experience than you. 

“Yeah… I guess,” He shrugged.

“No. We are definitely not.”

He seemed to perk up slightly at this revelation, but didn’t say anything. He just nodded and went back to fidgeting with his hands. You sighed loudly. 

“Are you still seeing Jo?” You asked, then added, “Casually?” With an eye roll.

“No. It was just a fun, summer thing. We both knew it wasn’t going anywhere. We’re just friends.”

“Are you sure she knows that? Because she seemed very into you last weekend.”

“She’s just… flirtatious like that. It didn’t mean anything.”

He tilted his head to study you as you nodded slowly with your lips pursed together and stirred your milkshake with your straw.

“Are you pissed at me?” He asked you, his voice pitching up slightly in confusion.

“No. Of course not. Why would I be pissed?”

“I don’t know. Why would you be?”

“Well, I don’t know. Because I’m not pissed.”

Your eyebrows were raised as you took a drink of your milkshake and stared at him the whole time, and he scoffed at you in frustration. You set your glass down and began ripping up your straw wrapper anxiously as an awkward silence filled the air around you, and you couldn’t resist prodding him further to ease the burden of it. 

“How many… how many people… have you been with? Casually or… otherwise?”

“Is that a question friends ask each other?”

You glared up at him.

“…Yes. You don’t have to answer it. I was just curious.”

“Not many,” He shrugged. “Two. Three, actually, I guess.”

You sat quietly for a minute to let that sink in. It wasn’t outrageous, but not really what you wanted to hear.

“Can I ask you the same question?” He asked. 

You felt your cheeks turn red. Did Steve count as one? Or was he asking about how many you’d slept with? Wait, was three his number for people he’d slept with, or just done… other stuff with? Your head was starting to hurt and you regretted asking him the question in the first place. You looked up at him pleadingly, and he shook his head.

“Never mind, I don’t want to know,” He said with a chuckle, and you sighed gratefully, going back to ripping up the wrapper until it was nothing more than little white paper flakes. 

“So… have you ever brought her here?” You asked quietly, staring at the shredded remains of your wrapper. You hadn’t learned your lesson from your previous question. You were dying to know.

“Who, Jo? No. I’ve never been here with anybody before, besides Wayne. It’s kind of, like… my little secret.”

“Then why did you bring me?”

“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “I just thought… maybe you’d appreciate it.”

He’d never brought anybody else there before. Maybe he had been with other girls, but at least there were some things he hadn’t done with them before that he wanted to do with you. It made you feel special. Not that you had a right to feel that way, since it wasn’t a real date, after all. 

“I do appreciate it,” You said, barely above a whisper. “Thank you for bringing me.”

You smiled softly at each other, then your eyes drifted to Eddie’s digital watch.

“Oh, shit!” You yelled and reached out to grab his wrist to make sure you were reading the time correctly. He jumped slightly, his eyes widening in shock at your sudden outburst. It was almost midnight. “Is that the time? I should probably go… just in case my secret agent plan didn’t work on my parents.”

He studied your face, tapping his fingers on the table, and let out a disappointed sigh.

“Alright,” He agreed, then paused to take one last bite of his burger. “Let’s get you home, then. Wouldn’t want you turning into a pumpkin or something."

After the two of you went back and forth on who would pay and eventually agreed on just paying for your own meals, Eddie drove you home. You asked him to park down the street just in case your parents really had realized you were gone. 

“Thanks again. For driving me,” You said with a contented sigh after he switched off his ignition and turned to you. 

“Anytime.”

You knew you should have gotten out and left then, but you didn’t want the night to end yet. Instead, you turned back to him and asked, “Do you have a long drive home?”

“Not too long. I live out at… Forest Hills,” He admitted reluctantly. “You know it?”

“No shit! That’s where I’m helping my friend Max move in next weekend.”

He was taken aback by your excitement, and chuckled a little bit.

“Oh, yeah. Sinclair’s girlfriend. I’ve heard all about her, trust me. She was also… Billy Hargrove’s sister, right?” 

It sent a jolt through you, hearing his name. You’d almost forgotten about him for the first time in months that night.

“Stepsister. Yeah,” You corrected him, looking down at your lap. “His asshole dad just ran out on her mom, left them with nothing. Max doesn’t really talk to me about it, but I know she’s struggling.”

You fell silent and he seemed to pick up on your distress instantly. 

“I can help keep an eye out for her if you want, if you’re worried about her,” He offered quickly.

You turned your head against the headrest of your seat to look at him. He had a kind, warm smile that made you feel like melting into your seat. 

“That would be amazing. Thank you, Eddie.”

He nodded and then rested his head against the back of his seat, too, that smile still on his face as he watched you. He was so kind. So good. Your heart ached. 

“Can I ask you something before I go?” You said quietly. He nodded again, his eyes still fixated on you.

“What’s inside of you that compels you to do that? To help people like that?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, his brows furrowed. 

“You let the boys sit with you on their first day of school because they had nowhere else to sit. You’re offering to help Max, who you’ve never even met. And… you helped me. Last year. When Carol and Tommy were being assholes in the hallway. You almost got into a fight for me. What drives you to do those things?”

“I… I don’t know. Well, first of all, I helped you with Carol and Tommy because I owed you for the cigarettes, remember?” He chuckled. You weren’t amused.

“Eddie. We both know that’s bullshit. You just can’t help yourself, can you? No matter who it is, whether you know them or not, you just can’t help being the protector. Throwing yourself over the grenade. I need to know what it is that compels you to do that. I have to know where that comes from.”

He blinked at you in the dark blue midnight light, confused by your urgency, unsure how to respond. Then after a few moments, he took a deep breath and began to speak so uncharacteristically quietly that you had to lean in closer to hear. 

“Maybe it’s just because… I know what it’s like. I’m sure it’s hard to imagine now, but I was a scared kid once, too. I got beaten up all the time before I met Jeff and the others. And after, too, a little bit, but not as bad. Then when I got to high school and we found Hellfire, it became a little easier to be my loud, obnoxious self once I found other people that liked the same weird shit as me. And I felt some power in that. But I also drew some negative attention from it, obviously.”

He trailed off and looked at you, and you nodded, willing him to say what he was holding back. He bit his lip anxiously, but took a deep breath and continued anyways. 

“It did a pretty good job keeping me out of trouble for a while, but when I was 14, I kinda snapped and lost it on this kid who just would not let up. It was terrifying. It was like, I didn’t even have control over myself. I pretty much beat him within an inch of his life before my friends could pull me off of him.”

He stopped to look over at you, and seemed to clock the horror on your face that you were failing to conceal. 

“Did you know about that?” He asked, grimacing. 

You shook your head no. 

“I thought maybe you did. I mean, everybody and their mother heard about it. That’s pretty much when I became the town pariah. The “Freak." I assumed that was why you tried to stay away from me for so long.”

“No. I… I had no idea.”

“Well, the cops got involved, but thanks to my uncle, they didn’t press charges. I don’t know what he did, but I know he saved me. And after, he sat me down, and he told me that I had to make a choice. I had to decide if I wanted to hold onto all the anger and implode like everybody else in my family had, or I could just… let it go. The idea of being anything like my old man really did the trick. So I let it go. I chose to start laughing at all the bullshit instead of getting mad over it. And it wasn’t easy at first, pretending not to care. But eventually I got used to it, and people stopped messing with me. Mostly because they were scared of me, but also because they realized they couldn’t get to me anymore. It just makes life a whole lot easier when you don’t take it seriously. A lot less painful. And after a while I started trying really hard to use that superpower for good, you know?” He paused, laughing at himself a little. “I figured, if people are gonna be scared of me, I may as well use that to help out people like me. Protect the people who need it. People who… who don’t have anybody to sit with at lunch. Like you and me. I don’t know. It’s the least I could do.”

You found yourself suddenly struggling to hold back tears. You knew he hadn’t had an easy life, but hearing these details struck you deeply. He was absolutely remarkable, and much stronger than you could have ever imagined. For him to make it through that and still be the soft, gentle, goofy person he was? He had to be a real-life fucking superhero. He was incredible. And you didn’t even know his full story yet. 

“But, how do you keep that up?” You asked, your voice cracking. “I mean, don’t you get tired of pretending not to care? Don’t you ever feeling like exploding?”

“Yeah. All the time. But, you know, I have my outlets. Weed helps. Weed helps a lot. And other… nondescript drugs.”

“Eddie, I’m serious.”

“So am I. Drugs. And music. My band, my friends, my uncle, Hellfire. And… talking to you tonight. That helped… quite a bit.”

You looked away from him and sniffled, trying to pretend like it wasn’t taking everything in you to hold it together. 

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” You said, your voice raspy.

He didn’t respond. His glassy eyes just searched you in the dark.

“I really like hanging out with you,” He said instead.

“I do, too.”

“I mean, I really like hanging out with you.”

“Eddie…” You said pleadingly, still looking down at your hands.

“What?”

“We’re… we’re just friends. Remember?”

“Right. Yeah. Friends. Because friends get jealous about the people their friends have dated.”

You turned your head back to him to glare at him.

“What?”

“I didn’t like hearing about Harrington kissing you, Y/N. And I know you didn’t like seeing me with Jo last weekend.”

Your mouth fell open, and you scoffed at him reproachfully. 

“I… Why would you even be interested in me Eddie?” You deflected, because you knew you couldn’t argue with the fact that you were jealous of Jo. “After everything? After all the shit I’ve put you through?”

“Are you serious? You mean besides the fact that we had a great night and you’re insanely pretty?”

“Eddie… don’t. I mean… why did tonight even happen? Why do you keep… trying? I really don’t know if I’m worth all of this.”

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that. That’s not true.”

“It is true. I’m a fucking mess, Eddie. And you’re… you. I may have been drunk when I said what I said last weekend, but I still meant it. You’re good, and you deserve somebody good and easy that sees the world like you do…”

“You wanna know what I see in you? What I’ve always seen in you?” He interrupted you quickly. “I remember you from middle school. You know that?”

You blinked at him, your mouth hanging open.

“You do?”

“Yeah. You were… so cool. So tough. Even though you were younger than me, you used to scare the shit out of me, honestly. You had me shaking in my little Reeboks. But I was also completely entranced by you. You just had this… I don’t know what to call it. Light? Just absolutely fucking radiating from you all the time, blinding me. And I noticed when… when things changed in you. Like, something was fighting inside of you to snuff it out. When Harrington and the others dropped you and you started sitting alone at lunch. And I wanted to go sit by you so badly. Just to talk to you, just to see that light in you again. But for some reason, I kept talking myself out of it. I think I was just scared, you know? That you would tell me to fuck off, or you would hate me. And that honestly probably would have killed me. So I just stayed away. And then when you got to high school… I almost went up to you. I should have. But every time I tried to talk to you I couldn’t tell if you wanted me to or not. So I tried to give you your space. But I couldn’t stop wondering… if maybe that light was still there. And each time I talked to you again I kept getting little glimpses of it, and I wanted more. So I kept trying, year after year, rejection after rejection. And then tonight… fuck. Now I know it’s still there. It’s still fighting to get out, despite all the shit you’ve gone through. I just had to earn it. And I gotta say, it’s definitely worth all the effort. Because, I swear… you’re fucking magic, Y/N. There’s nobody like you.”

You couldn’t fight the tears back anymore. It was too much. He was too perfect, too kind. Nobody had ever, ever said anything remotely like that about you before. He had noticed you the whole time, before you even noticed him. He called you magic. Him. 

You tried and failed to hide your emotions from him, and as soon as he noticed, he immediately turned his whole body towards you in preparation to comfort you. 

“I’m sorry, did I say something to upset you? Did I freak you out?”

“No, it’s nothing,” You said quickly, waving a hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Obviously it’s not nothing. If I scared you away… I understand. I know I’m a lot, trust me.”

You shook your head as you tried to stop your tears.

“No, no. Definitely not. I just can’t believe… I think you’re just a really amazing person, Eddie. Maybe even the best I’ve ever met,” You admitted quietly. “And I wish I’d gotten to know you better so much sooner.”

His face changed from concern to shock, then to something that looked a whole lot like longing, all in one split second.

“Me too. The second you got to high school and you pierced me with those eyes of yours from across the cafeteria while I was acting like an idiot… I wish I’d walked over and asked you out right then and there. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“It’s my fault,” You sniffled, shaking your head. “I’m always running away. I wish I could stop running away.”

He reached out to wipe one of your tears away, and you shamelessly kept your eyes locked on him the entire time. He let his ring-clad fingers linger on your cheek, and your eyelids fluttered from the shock of the cool sensation of metal against your skin. 

“I wanna kiss you,” He said plainly. You were taken aback by his honesty. Nobody had ever said that to you so plainly before. 

“You do?”

He nodded, his thumb still brushing your cheek as his eyes darted around your face. If he could be honest, you could, too. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted that,” You whispered. 

He leaned forward towards you, and you stayed completely still as you watched and waited for him, wanting to take in every single moment. Then his lips were finally against yours, pulling you into a kiss so soft and gentle that it made you want to cry all over again. 

The only comparison you had was your kiss with Steve, but you instantly knew that this was what it was really supposed to feel like. It wasn’t fumbling, or rushed, or too heavy. It was perfect. It felt like a thousand tiny little shockwaves being sent through your body. 

You recognized the feeling immediately. Electricity. And not just that, but something else, too. Something purer. It was laced with complete adoration and trust. He had been nothing but gentle and honest with you the entire time he’d known you, from the very first time you spoke with him. But this also made you realize that you hadn’t been so truthful. There was a large part of your life that you had been keeping from him. You suddenly felt like a fraud. That you weren’t actually the person he thought you were. 

And if you were honest with him, what would happen then? Would he believe you? Would he think you were insane? If he did believe you, would that mean that he would be in danger the next time something inevitably happened? What if something bad happened to him? The intrusive image of Max sobbing over Billy’s body reentered your brain, and you pulled away from him quickly, turning your head. He backed away slightly in surprise, but kept his hand on your cheek as concern reappeared on his face. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked with furrowed brows, trying to get you to look at him. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I can’t… we can’t… do this.”

When you said this, he immediately removed his hand from you and sat back in his seat, trying to hide the look of dejection on his face. You watched him as he turned his head away from you to look out the window, clamping a hand to his mouth. It pained you seeing him so shut down.

“Eddie… I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, then turned back to face out the windshield, still trying his hardest to avoid eye contact with you. 

“I can’t figure you out, Y/N. You gotta help me out here. Because I’ve been bending over backwards trying to figure out what you want from me for far too long. I’m trying really hard to be patient, because I understand. I really do. And I know I’m not… the best option for you. So if you really want me to leave you alone, it’s fine, but you’ve gotta tell me now. Once and for all. Because I can’t keep doing this.”

“Eddie, it’s not that. I swear to you, it has nothing to do with you. You’re… perfect. I just have… a lot of shit I need to work out. Trust me, I’m the problem here. Can’t we just… can’t we just be friends? Like we agreed?”

He cocked his head at you impatiently.

“You know I don’t want that, right? You’ve gotta know that. I want more than that. I want to spend time with you exactly like this, exactly like tonight, but I want to be able to call it a date, and I want to be able to kiss you again. I don’t want to have to hold back with this. I want to be with you.”

It still shocked you how straightforward he was being, despite the fact that he’d never been anything other than that. It felt strange to have someone fight for you like this.

“I’m sorry. I want all that, too…”

“Then what is it? I don’t understand.”

You leaned forward in your seat to put your head in your hands. You didn’t even know where to begin. He waited for an answer as long as he could before he let out a deep breath.

“Is this about whatever’s keeping you stuck in this town?” He asked, then after another breath, he added more quietly, “Whoever keeps bruising up your face?”

“What?” You gasped in shock, straightening yourself up to look at him again.  

“I went by the general store while you were working back in July, and I saw the bruises on your face. I would have walked in right then and there and tried to find out whoever did it, I wanted to more than anything, but I… didn’t think I had the right to. If that person is still in your life now, though, if you need help, I’ll do anything. I swear. I’ll kill them myself…”

“Eddie!” You interrupted him, gripping his arm tightly. “Slow down, it’s not… it’s not like that, I promise! I’m fine now. I’m okay. That person’s not…” you trailed off, thinking about Billy’s lifeless, blood-covered face on the floor of the mall once again, and removed your hand from him quickly. “That person can’t hurt me anymore,” You concluded weakly. Eddie could tell right away from your voice that there was more to the story, though.

“Look, I know you told me nothing is going on between you and Steve anymore, but if he was hurting you…”

“It really wasn’t Steve. Okay? I know he was an asshole once - and you probably still think that he is - but even back then, he never would have done that to me. Ever. Please believe me.”

“Then… please, can you just… can you just tell me what’s really going on?” He begged you wearily. You swallowed, trying to come to terms with some portion of the truth that you could share with him. 

“In July… it was… I was there. At the mall, on The Fourth. During the…fire.” It physically pained you to lie to him like that, but that was as close to honest as you could get. 

His face softened as he studied the tortured look on your face. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“I know. It’s fine,” You said quickly, trying to brush it off. He fell quiet, and then after a moment, he couldn’t resist pressing you further. 

“Is that what you’re trying to save me from? From whatever happened at the mall?”

“Eddie, please,” You groaned, squeezing your eyes shut in exasperation. 

“Listen, I’m sorry, but I know there’s more to the story there. And if it’s something you know about, something I can help you with… I want to help.”

When he said this, your fear intensified. He was closer to figuring out the truth than you realized, and if he did figure it out, he would most likely do everything in his power to protect you. Even if it meant putting himself in harm’s way. He could never resist throwing himself on a grenade, after all. 

Eddie was amazing. He said all the right things, and he made you laugh, and he made you feel safe and comfortable in your skin. It had been an amazing night. But it was selfish of you to bring him into your messy life. You had roped him in when he had no idea how high the stakes really were.

You couldn’t let him end up like Billy. Or Bob. Or Barbara. Or Hopper. Each person you had to watch your friends lose was a lesson, and it would be thoughtless to ignore it. 

He could never really know about what you’d been through. You wouldn’t have it. You wouldn’t take his freedom away from him. His future. It wasn’t right. He’d been through so much already. You couldn’t let him get involved. 

You knew instantly what you had to do. You had to push him away one last time. 

“You’ve just been dying to save me from myself this whole time, haven’t you?” You snapped. “To rescue me, just like you try to rescue everybody else.”

“What? No. I want to help you, but it’s not like that. It’s… I don’t know. Maybe I thought…”

“Thought what?”

“That… you could save me, too. That we could save each other.”

When he said this, it felt like a punch in the gut. Little did he know that this was your chance to be selfless, like him. Pushing him away was saving him, even if it hurt him. Even though you wanted nothing more than to be the one he could always confide in. 

“Eddie… I can’t save you, and you can’t save me. This isn’t some… fantasy novel or D&D. This is real life shit, and it’s… look, if you don’t want to stay friends, then I think we need to move on. This is me officially asking you to leave me alone. Okay? Thank you for tonight. I’m… I’m sorry.”

He didn’t argue. He just frowned at you, his face screwed up tightly as if he was in physical pain. You’d never seen him look so sad or confused in your entire life. It took everything in you to turn away from him, to fight more tears back as you unbuckled your seatbelt and got out of his van. You walked briskly away and didn’t stop until you made it up to your room and shut the door quietly, falling face down on your bed. After several minutes of a decent, self-pitying cry, you got the urge to pull out your Walkman and listen to something that might soothe you. When you shuffled through your tapes, you paused when you got to Bella Donna - the album you had talked to Eddie about at the diner - and decided to play it for old-time’s sake. You collapsed back onto your bed and shut your eyes, letting Stevie Nicks take you back to where it all started. You began to feel a little better until Leather and Lace started to play, and the lyrics were like a knife to the heart. You had listened to it a million times before, but now it suddenly felt like it was written for you and Eddie. You began to bawl all over again.

He was the strong, outgoing one who had the ability to bring you to life, and you wanted nothing more than to let him open up to you again the way he had before you’d gotten spooked. 

Maybe now it was your involvement with the supernatural keeping the two of you apart, but this wasn’t a new feeling. There was something there already, all this time, keeping you from him. Something that Eddie had clearly noticed as well. Otherwise, you would have gone to see Corroded Coffin the very first time he asked when you were seventeen. You probably would have already been a couple. Maybe you wouldn’t have even wound up in that junkyard last November. But something had always been in the way, keeping him at a distance, and now it was too late.

The problem was that your heart had been broken long before you met him. You didn’t even realize it until then, but listening to the record again as it stirred up old emotions in you, it was apparent that it hadn’t actually ever healed. You remembered how you used to sob every time the final track of the album played. “The Highwayman.” You, in your infinite pre-teen wisdom, believed Steve to be your highwayman. The one who valued glory over your love for him when he suddenly stopped speaking to you and became the most popular boy in school. 

“And still, they try again.”

Maybe that’s why you were so mad at Steve about your kiss. Maybe it brought up all of those repressed memories of betrayal the same way your record was now. Maybe you were actually still angry about what you thought had happened between the two of you in middle school, even though you believed you were past it after finding out the truth. You had never been fully honest with him about how much it had shattered you. You assumed it didn’t matter anymore, but if it really didn’t, then you probably would have told him about it. You were still clearly wounded, left with the lingering bitterness of unworthiness and shame. And you really only had yourself to blame. 

Sure, Carol and Tommy had done their fair share of filling your head with insecurities, but it was you who believed them and held onto every word. You were still holding on. The lovelorn, anxiety-rattled thirteen-year-old in you was still there, still unsure of how to mend what had never actually been broken by somebody else. Because Steve had never really broken your heart. He never even knew how you felt about him. You broke it all on your own, and you had to figure out how to heal it on your own, too. 

You just really, really had to get your shit together. 

How was it even possible that in less than a year, you had discovered another dimension beneath Hawkins and kissed two different boys that you had only ever dreamed about getting close to? No wonder you were so messed up.

You started the tape over again and got under your covers with your clothes still on, eventually crying yourself to sleep.

[sad-brunnettee]

Yelan personality

Eddie Munson x reader

Billy Hargrove x reader

A/n: this was requested by 🇵🇱 anon who wanted a Billy/Eddie x reader who has a Yelan personality. I hope this is close to what you asked for.

Masterlist | Rules (requests currently closed)

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You work alongside Hopper in the station, there are a few other colleagues who have no idea about your existence. Hopper, Callahan and Powell seem to be the only ones who know who you are. Although sometimes forget what you look like. They are only aware of your presence when you catch someone who they’ve tried to get for months. They question where you get your ability from but nonetheless are happy to have you by their side. There are a few times that you make it look so easy that they just have to interrogate the now prisoners. They always say the same thing, you use psychological tactics. This makes Callahan and Powell fear you while Hopper on the other hand, is proud.

Eddie first noticed you when you passed by him in the schools hallway. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you. Your clothes are what mainly caught his attention. It was different yet it suited you. When he was busted for selling drugs and then eventually taken to the station, it was when he officially met you. He was surprised to see you there seeing how you seemed too young to be working there. It was then that officer Callahan revealed that you were 17. He’s not sure what you said or did but after a few minutes he was set free. He spoke to the party about you but since nobody knew who you were. It made them worry, they thought Eddie had officially lost it. While Dustin was the only one who believed him, although, he thought you were some creature from the upside down. They were all proven wrong when they eventually met you, it turned out that you were very polite as well as pleasant. Some still had their doubts about you but after a while they all welcomed you. Eddie then learned that you were just as secretive and cunning when playing D&D. It was the only time Gareth and Jeff saw you since you miss a lot of school days. Yet you’re top of your classes. When you aren’t in school, you were out on missions to help the police, or so they thought.

Billy would be hard to deal with since he gets jealous easily and needs constant reassurance (thanks to his family issues). Even if he is secretive like you and also hides his true identity. It takes him some time to get used to you. He doesn’t know everything about you but based from what he does know. It’s enough to have him stick around. What first caught his attention was your clothing aside from it being dark you still managed to stand out. It’s true that in the beginning of your relationship he had his doubts. Especially when he found out that you weren’t always present at work. Yet you somehow managed to catch the bad guys. He likes to think that you are some sort of ninja and he always feels proud when you caught someone who the police has been searching for with no luck. There are times that he isn’t sure who he’s dating or if the two of you are in fact together. Yet when you’re around, he’s reminded why. Your calm and carefree personality makes him feel like home. He always looks forward to the naps the two of you take. It somehow makes him feel closer to you. Not just that, but your ability to adjust your schedule to his makes him feel like he truly matters and that you care about him. He hopes one day, you’ll tell him about your whereabouts.

Eddie 🏷️ : @hellomyweirdos @lubsana @satsuri3su @kenzi-woycehoski @yookayur @wittleespur

Billy 🏷️ : @jadesbrain @mama-miya @kawaiibear0704