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liuvli · 5 months

Text

Critical Darling

pairing: eddie munson x fem!goth!reader

summary: It's your senior year. You're a "goth freak" and you definitely stand out, but it doesn't bother you. You're proud of who you are, and nobody is going to change that. Not even the person that motivated you to be so proud in the first place. Eddie "The Freak" Munson.

warnings: she/her pronouns, slow burn, cursing, alcohol, smoking, eventual smut, minor use of y/n, slightly bitchy reader, work in progress

tags: first meetings, pov second person, s4 doesn’t happen, goth!reader, tradgoth!reader, fluff, angst, eddie & chrissy friendship, reader is a little fruity

all fic chapters & ao3 link

chapter wc: 9k

Chapter Five: Halloween in Heaven

For the rest of that Tuesday night, Eddie and you spent not much longer sitting beside the lake, talking about small details in each other's lives. You were indeed having a party next Thursday, and he was indeed coming. He absolutely did not steal your pen on purpose, and you absolutely did not believe him. You were both completely freezing your asses off by that lake, and you both decided it was a good time to head home.

As Eddie’s van pulled up in front of your yard, you turned to open the door but as you did, you felt something make contact with your shoulder briefly, pausing for a moment before turning your body to face Eddie. His hand was lingering just above your shoulder and his mouth was agape as he tried to stutter out what he wanted to say.

“Sorry, I didn’t- never mind. I wanted to say thank you.” You settled back into your seat as Eddie finally withdrew his hand, resting it on the back of your seat.

“For what?”

“For earlier. Talking to me. I’m glad we could clear things up a bit. Not that there was anything to really ‘clear up’, I just mean-” Notice his arising panic, you instinctively lifted your arm to gently place your hand on his, the one resting on the seat behind you.

“It’s okay, Eddie, I know. Thank you for talking to me, too. And thanks for the ride.” Due to the silence in the car and it being the dead of night, it wasn’t difficult for you to pick up on the sound of Eddie taking in a sharp breath, his face showing obvious surprise as you spoke. Trying to ease the awkwardness in the moment, you smiled at him, ever so slightly giving his hand a gentle squeeze to try and reassure him.

You weren’t always a comforting person. You didn’t grow up being taught how to comfort another person, in any type of situation, and your time in high school hadn’t really given you any reason to actually be vulnerable with people. But after spending so much time with Kace, the light of your life, and your sister, the one person you could (almost) always depend on, comforting someone was something you had learned. Not as a natural instinct, but knowing how to sense someone feeling a certain way and knowing how to comfort them in the exact way they needed in the moment. It wasn’t exactly empathetic, it was more cognitive, so you told yourself.

Eddie grinned as he dipped his head, keeping his hand where it was as your own felt comfortably cold against the back of it. Suddenly, noticing how intimate the position the two of you were in felt, you whipped your hand away from where it was resting on Eddie’s, immediately settling it on the door handle, turning to look out the window as you spoke.

“Again, thanks. Tonight was nice.” You heard Eddie mutter a quiet “Yeah” as you opened the door and climbed out, looking back once to smile at the boy.

“Get home safe, Munson.” Eddie lifted his head, giving a half-smile as he placed a hand on the steering wheel.

“Will do, ma’am.” You rolled your eyes at the comment, hearing him snicker to himself as you shut the van door, walking around the vehicle as you made your way to the front door of the house.

Opening the door and stepping inside, you resisted the urge you had to look over your shoulder once more as you hadn’t heard Eddie drive off yet. However, as the door shut behind you, exhaustion washing over you, you couldn't stop yourself from looking through the peephole, seeing Eddie only just starting up his van and driving off into the night.

You locked the door, slipping off your boots next to April’s shoes in the hallway, before swiftly making your way up to your room. It seemed as if April was already in her room, hopefully asleep, the door shut and no sound being heard through the walls. Too tired to shower, and not wanting to somehow disturb your sister, you made your way to the bathroom, rubbing your makeup off with just soap and water.

Now with a bare face and somewhat detangled hair, you made your way into your room, and for once, you found yourself actually shutting your bedroom door. Doing that was another reminder of the jacket which was still hanging on the back, but now, you didn’t find yourself hating the sight of it. Yeah, it was still weird that you even had it, but it didn’t bother you. Alas, you turned away as you began changing for bed.

And with that, your day was over. Exhausted and cold, you let yourself slip into slumber, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of your chest.

The rest of the week had gone exactly how you expected; fast. With the leadup to the party and Kace being your walking, talking reminder of it, the days flew by as if they weren’t even happening. Same old shit, except with the new addition of your interactions with Eddie. Both of you still enjoyed having your little squabbles, and you even sat with him some days when Kace asked to so he could talk about Hellfire with the rest of the group, but it didn't feel as if there were any issues between the two of you. Yeah, his obnoxious school persona still got on your nerves and you made sure to make your own little digs at him for it, but it wasn’t something that made you feel the same as it had done in the past. It was almost as if you now knew it was just a persona, not how Eddie actually was. Be it a short conversation, the talk you had with Eddie on Tuesday really stayed repeating itself on the sideline of all your other usual thoughts.

Almost as if Kace had been religiously and routinely praying to whatever god for it, the second week flew by just the same. Come Thursday, you didn’t hear the end of it from him.

“So, the plan is: I come to yours after school, let you get ready, and help with decorating and party prep, right?” As the boy tapped the end of his plastic fork against the cafeteria table, you scratched at the rings on your fingers, trying to think of how to make sure the night went well.

April still needed to confirm whether or not her friend’s parents were okay with her staying the night, a few people still hadn’t gotten back to you on whether they were coming or not, so you were unsure about certain things you needed to sort out, and it didn’t help that your first-period teacher had given you negative feedback on an assignment you had completed in the previous week, something that had really gotten you down.

“-ove. Love?” You snapped back to reality as you realized Kace was trying to get your attention, placing your palms flat on the table as you turned your body to directly face him.

“Hm? Sorry, ‘was thinking. What was it you were saying?” As he stabbed at his pile of sweetcorn, failing to impale any with the shitty plastic cutlery, Kace laughed.

“It’s all good. As I was saying, is everything sorted for tonight? I just wanna make sure.” You were about to open your mouth to offer an unsure reply when Eddie cut into the conversation from just a couple of seats down.

“Talking about the party again? Man, it seems like all you talk about these days.” Kace’s attention was instantly redirected as he swiveled in his chair to face the brunette, waving his hands around defensively.

“Uh, duh? First freak party of the season at MY best friend’s house? It’ll be the party of the century, I’ll have you know. And you’re invited, remember? Don’t make me revoke that invitation, man.” Eddie held his hands up in surrender, leaning back in his seat at Kace’s rebuttal.

“Alright, alright, I get the point. Thank you ever so much, sir. I will treasure your verbal invitation to the official party of the century. My deepest apologies.” As Kace laughed at the response he was given, you found yourself looking over at Eddie, who was chuckling to himself, relaxing back into his seat. Just as you did, his eyes landed on yours, making you feel seen. Obviously, he was seeing you, and you weren’t not seen by anyone else, but it felt like an acknowledgment rather than just some simple eye contact between two people. Weird.

As the rest of the day passed fairly slowly, the end of the school day eventually came, and Kace was rushing to get you to his car, obviously wanting to start preparing for the party as soon as possible.

“Love, I care about you, but seatbelts can wait. We need to go or everything will turn to SHAMBLES!” Pausing what you were doing, you made a point out of making eye contact with the dramatic boy in the driver’s seat, forcing a moment of silent reflection onto him.

“No, no, you’re right. I’m the responsible one. But still, let's GO already.” You groaned as your seatbelt clicked in, and Kace had driven out of the parking lot before you had even finished settling down, Depeche Mode blasting through the speakers the moment the engine had started up.

The moment the two of you arrived at yours, Kace instantly started unpacking all of the decorations he had bought from the backseat of his car, already muttering to himself his ideas on where to put everything. Not knowing what you needed to do, Kace took notice of this and looked up at you as you stood aimlessly on the other side of the kitchen island.

“Go get ready, love. Shower, redo your hair and makeup, do whatever you need. I’ll get started with the decorations. Don’t worry.” His reassurance made you feel somewhat less stressed about the night, and you offered him a smile before making your way upstairs and switching the shower on as you got ready to hop in.

After your shower, you got ready again: redoing your hair and makeup (perhaps a little bit more dramatic than usual due to the whole theme of the party). You pulled one of your more expensive dresses out of your closet, throwing it on the bed along with a pair of ripped tights you had customized yourself, a leather corset Kace had found for you during a vacation with his family, and a few accessories you had collected over the years. With yourself put back together, and nerves stemming from hosting your own party, amongst other shit, somewhat momentarily lulled, you headed back downstairs to help Kace with the decorating if he hadn’t already completed the task by himself.

As you reached the bottom of the stairs, you could hear the low mumbling of a few early arrivers to the party, along with Kace’s footsteps shuffling out of the kitchen with a pile of bat-shaped banners dangling and overflowing from his arms. Before you could get a word out, the plastic bats had been passed into your own arms.

“Could you hang those above the front door, love? I’ve already put the ladder there for you, but I need to set up the drinks on the kitchen island before even more people arrive, seeing as we’ve already got these guys who decided on time is late!” The boy raised his voice as he spoke the last few words, gaining the attention of a group of people standing at the end of the hallway, whom you recognized as being Kace’s buddies from school. One of them lifted a red solo cup in the air, acknowledging Kace’s dig towards them, before happily continuing on with his conversation.

“That alright with you?” he asked, which you thought meant he wanted a response along the lines of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but before you could give an answer, he had already disappeared from your line of sight.

“Yep, all good,” you answered, nonetheless.

With your arms full of tangled, stringed-together bats, using the ladder to reach the space above the door deemed a difficult challenge, but achievable with careful footwork. Eventually reaching the height you needed to be at, you fumbled with the bats in your arms, trying the find one that was only connected to one other, so you could begin with your task, and after a few more seconds of untangling the bundle, you had found what you needed. Just as you were about to bring the first bat up to the wall, the entire pile slipped from your arms, and you threw your head back in exasperation. Just as you were starting to think you should probably try to retrieve them from the floor, you heard them rustle below you before the weight on the ladder slightly adjusted with a metallic creak, the heat of someone else creeping up behind you. One arm appeared at the side of your vision, gently grabbing the roll of tape from your left hand, and another arm extended from the right to lift a bat to the wall in front of you. From just the sleeves that were on both sides of your head like a pair of abnormally long earmuffs, you knew who was currently invading every inch of your personal space, and the smell of cheap cologne only gave it away more.

“I can do this myself, Munson.” A snort, just a few inches away from your ear.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Little miss independent, aren’t you, doll? But from the pile of plastic bats that landed at my feet the second I stepped into the house, I'm willing to disagree.” For reasons unknown, your sigh of defeat was the signal for him to continue with what he was doing, the sound of teeth ripping tape right behind your head bringing your attention to the situation you had managed to find yourself in.

Leather-clad arms, warmth from Eddie’s torso on your lower back, flicks of brown curly hair appearing in the corner of your eye each time he lifted his arm to place another bat on the wall. In the past week and a bit, you had gotten used to being near Eddie, of course, but not close to him. Apart from the few short moments of contact you had last week at the lake, it’s not like you were really wanting to be put into this position, and as you dwelled on it more and more, the more suffocating the proximity felt.

“Just saying, by the way, you could’ve just let me get down from the ladder first before stealing my job. That way I wouldn't be stuck up here doing nothing whilst you breathe down my neck,” you suggested, trying to fill the silence between you two as Eddie was still sticking bats to the wall, one by one. But, as expected, no reply.

“So… are you letting me down?” Another piece of tape being ripped.

“I could.” You finally managed to earn some sort of response, but that was it. Just ‘I could’. Really? Is that it??

Slightly twisting your body, careful not to topple the ladder over with both of you on it, you attempted to face Eddie, only getting halfway before realizing turning any more would put you in an even worse position. You opened your mouth to finally put him in his place, but he had already started stepping down the ladder.

“Alright, come on down. I need to shift the ladder a bit to the right.” Oh. Alright then.

With your body now fully turned around, you quickly glanced around, searching for something to-

“Here, let me help.” Eddie was reaching his hands out to you, tapping his fingers against his palms like how you would to an infant taking it’s first steps. Not liking how the small gesture made you seem, you began to step down the ladder without any support, nearly shitting a brick when the ladder wobbled to the side ever so slightly. Another glance down at Eddie.

“Okay, yeah.” You hesitantly let your hands find their way into Eddie’s, his fingers closing around yours tight enough so you felt secure, but not to the point where you felt like he was scared of you falling too. Just the right amount of security.

Your boots thudded against the wooden floorboards as you reached the bottom of the ladder, miraculously, without a scrape, and before he could do it himself, you did the honors of letting go of Eddie’s hands, brushing down your dress to make sure it sat how it was supposed to. Or maybe it was to wipe down your slightly damp palms. Whatever.

With a quick look around the area, subconsciously checking that nobody was paying attention to the interaction between you and Eddie, you proceeded to look back up at him, trying to figure out what would be the best thing to say to him at that moment, but as always, he beat you to it.

“I’ll hang these banners. You go make sure everything else looks alright, seeing as more people should be arriving soon enough.” He gave you a soft smile, gesturing towards the living room and kitchen, and you sighed, grateful that you didn’t get given the chance to say anything to make the situation feel weird.

“Right, okay, perfect. Thanks, Munson.” With one last nod of acceptance, you rushed off into the kitchen.

Grabbing at the telephone hanging on the wall, you dialed a number and listened as it rang. When it felt like a century had gone by, and your panic levels had only increased by the dozen, someone finally picked up on the other end, a familiar voice speaking down the phone.

“...Hi?” April’s friend.

“Hey, this is April’s sister, is she there?” A few seconds of unanswered silence.

“Uhh… yeah. Why?”

“Can I speak to her, please?” …

“I guess so.” … A long pause, with a quiet mumble in the background.

“Hello?” Finally, April.

“April, it’s me. I was just calling to check that you’re for sure gonna be able to stay at your friend’s house tonight. I know you said you were sure, but I just want to check.” The constant silence on the other end was really getting annoying at this point.

“Uh, yeah, I think so. I’m not sure, you know how Edith’s mom can be.” You stood confused for a second.

“I- I don’t know, actually… Anyway, just call me if you need anything. I’ll drop everything and everyone to come and get you if need be. Keep me updated, okay, Apricot?” A groan on the other end made you chuckle.

“Yep, will do. Bye.” Before you could say ‘bye’ too, the call ended, and you put the telephone back on the wall.

A short forty minutes after you got off the phone with April, the house was almost at maximum capacity. So many people had arrived since you first came downstairs, Kace and Eddie had finished decorating with cheap fake spiderwebs, a cauldron-shaped punch bowl, green fairy lights strung about multiple rooms and locations, and music was vibrating throughout the house. You had been walking from room to room, socializing with a few people you knew from school, and meeting a few people Kace had wanted you to meet for the longest time, such as people from other cliques and nearby schools. There had been a few mishaps of people spilling drinks and nearly breaking vases that you forgot to hide away, but things had been mostly good, other than that.

Around 2 more hours passed, and a few drinks down, you found yourself sitting on a garden chair in the backyard with a beer in hand, talking to one of the boys from your group at school about how Robert Smith seemed like the type of person to insist he wasn’t ‘one of you’. You hadn’t seen much of Kace all night, only a few glimpses when he would be standing somewhere flirting with a semi-attractive male, and you didn’t have many other people you really knew to hang with for most of the night. Just as things seemed like they were getting dull for you, the sound of something slamming inside the house caught your attention. Giving a quick apology to the guy you were talking to, and leaving the rest of your beer for him on the table, you tried your best to make it back into the house from the end of the garden as fast as possible without having to squeeze in between too many drunken patrons.

The second you stepped through the open back door and heard a voice shouting from the front of the house, you knew who was causing such a racket. And you had a small suspicion about why this was happening. Shoving past a few more groups of oblivious party-goers, you made it into the hallway, where a small crowd had gathered around two people. You shivered as the cold air from outside seeped its way into the house, only annoying you due to the fact that whoever was causing such a disturbance didn’t have the decency to shut the door behind them when coming in.

“You’re fucking dead, Munson. You hear me? I’ll fucking kill you.” Wedging yourself between two people and finally being able to see what was going on, you let out a deep sigh as you were faced with a pissed-off Jason Carver. Scratch that, extremely pissed-off Jason Carver.

“Man, I don’t know what you want me to say. I didn’t give her anything, and I don’t know why you’re so convinced that I did.” Eddie was standing just in front of you, and Kace was trying to somewhat block the open doorway, setting some distance between Jason and the metalhead. You took a step forward, placing yourself at Eddie’s side, who didn’t take long to notice you and widen his eyes in… surprise? Embarrassment?

“Anyone care to tell me what this dickbag is doing in my front doorway?” Eddie turned his body to fully face you, most likely readying to explain himself, instantly recognizing the fact that he had somehow brought trouble to your home, but Jason beat him to it.

“Yeah, I care to tell. This fucking freak, right here, has been selling weed to my girlfriend. You know, Chrissy?” You nodded slowly, trying to listen to what he had to say over the loud party speakers that were still blasting, their noise leaking out into the street now that the front door was STILL wide open.

“Uh-huh. Munson, your side of things?” The blonde tried to cut him off, but Kace didn’t hesitate to slap a hand over his mouth, the riled-up teen struggling in his hold.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to tell you, doll. I know Chrissy, obviously, but I wouldn’t sell to her. Wouldn’t want this asshole giving her any trouble if he found out. But alas, can’t stop an asshole from shitting, so here we are.” This response clearly didn’t do anything to cheer the pleasant Jason Carver up, and this was shown by the fact that he was basically clawing at Kace’s gloved hands, trying to speak his piece again, which you really couldn’t be bothered for at the moment. You didn’t ask for Jason ‘Asshole’ Carver to turn up to the party you were the host of, you didn’t ask for Eddie’s side hustle to bring trouble to your (parents’) house, and the front door was still fucking open.

You had heard enough.

“Okay, Carver. He didn’t sell to Cunningham. Don’t know what else to tell you, man. Now leave.” Unfortunately, the boy had managed to wiggle his way out of Kace’s grasp, taking a step toward you, which most people noticed, as indicated by the way both Eddie and Kace reacted. Your best friend grabbed the back of Jason’s arm, gripping until the blonde was wincing at pressure, and Eddie lifted an arm in front of you, just enough so that he could push you out of the way if Jason tried to make another move.

You see, you weren’t new to confrontation. Arguments with teachers at school about anything and everything, shouting matches with parents who insisted you were the most badly-behaved kid to walk the Earth, etcetera. You weren’t about to tolerate someone trying to intimidate you and the people you knew in your own home. And for the last time, the front fucking door was still not closed.

“Jason, get the fuck off of my property before I grab the closest glass bottle and hurt you with it,” you warned, a girl standing beside you clutching her beer between her two hands. Finally noticing the ratio at which he was outnumbered in this scenario, Jason took a step back, appearing as if he was going to leave. But of course, this was Jason Carver, so it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Sure, but only if he leaves too.” He nodded his head forward, gesturing towards Eddie who was now rolling his neck and looking up at the ceiling.

“Why is that exactly?” Pulling his usual smug little face and doing his weird tippy-tappy foot movements, he answered.

“It’s a party, man! You know what goes on in places like these? Drug deals. But that can’t happen if the junkie drug dealer is taken out of the equation. Right?” Eddie’s eyes flicked down to you, and so did Kace’s, almost as if they were expecting you to make some sort of decision. You knew what Jason was like; if you said no, he’d most likely call the cops or something, just to be a dick, and you didn’t want the party to be ruined, so you were kind of in a stump. Kick Eddie out, and feel bad despite not knowing why, or ignore Jason’s demands, and have the Halloween party of the year ruined.

“What’s it gonna be, doll?” The sound of Jason’s voice saying that word made your skin crawl, and if it wasn’t for the fact that you had already drunk half a dozen beers and were worried you’d fuck it up and miss, you would’ve punched him square in the face. And apparently, you weren’t the only one who felt that way.

“Don’t bother, I’ll see myself out. It’s better that way because if I dont leave now, I’ll end the night in ‘cuffs.” The mood shifted slightly as you felt guilty for leaving it to Eddie to make the decision for himself, and again, he noticed this, attempting to lighten up the situation, if only slightly.

“Or maybe I wouldn’t mind that so much,” he mumbled under his breath, looking over his shoulder at you, his eyes flicking down your face for just a second. Did he just…?

Leaving no time for questions, Eddie slightly nudged you with his elbow, before tipping his head at Kace and barging past Jason, making his way outside. With only Jason now standing at the door, still, you crossed your arms expectantly, and thankfully, message received.

“...Alright, yeah. That’s what I thought.” One last glance up at the lanky guard dog staring down at him, and Jason had made himself sparse.

Finally, the situation seemed like it had cooled down, and you had just started resigning yourself back to drinking and mingling. But just your luck, there was no rest for the wicked. You felt a hand feebly tap you on the shoulder, and you turned around to see a girl with big doe eyes looking at you. Too tired to make an effort to verbally reply, you just shifted your weight onto one leg and crossed your arms again, waiting. Getting the hint, the girl quietly spoke up.

“...kitchen. The house phone rang and I think it’s for you. I think. You’re the lady of the house, right?” With a raised brow, and a head fuzzy from alcohol, it took you a few long seconds to realize who might’ve been on the phone. Trying to make your way through groups of people crowding the very narrow hallway, and having to barge past a couple in the midst of an argument, you finally stepped into the kitchen, blurry vision getting in the way of your mission.

Just as you finally pulled yourself together and turned to face the wall where the house phone usually was, you were almost knocked over by some guy shoving past you, walking towards the kitchen counter. But just as he did, the dangling house phone caught on his leg, and before you could prevent anything, he had ripped the cord out of the box, dropping the telephone on the floor. You rushed towards the fallen object, picking it up and holding it towards the guy who did the damage, now pouring himself a drink.

“What the fuck, dude?! Was there really any need?!” The guy shrugged, scowling at you as he took a sip from a red solo cup.

“Get over it, this isn’t even your house. Not our problem.” You felt your jaw instinctively clench, and it took every fiber in your body to not launch the plastic receiver at the guy’s head. Instead, you shoved it in a drawer, and slammed it shut.

“Actually, it is my house, and it is my problem. I’m gonna go upstairs right now, and if you’re not out of here by the time I come back down, I’ll strangle you with the phone cord. You copy?” Despite his previous attitude, the boy slowly nodded, quietly sipping on his drink as he avoided eye contact with you. With a quiet ‘okay’ muttered, you took yourself upstairs, stepping over people who decided to make the stairs their hangout area.

You entered your room, which you had made sure to lock before the majority of guests had arrived, and grabbed the first item of clothing you could reach off the back of your door, not caring enough to pay attention to what you were putting on. Only a few seconds later, you were just reaching the bottom of the stairs, and the guy from before was already escorting himself out, a sight that somewhat relieved you. Reaching the last step, Kace appeared in front of you, holding his hands up to stop you in your tracks.

“Woah woah woah, where you going, love? The party’s not over yet, and I know about your habit of running off mid-party. Not this time, love, because the party’s at your house.” You kissed your teeth, making an attempt to walk past your friend without a word, who wasn’t letting that slide, pulling you in front of him again.

“Love? What's up? If you need air, just go out the back. Plenty of air out back, just the same as out the front.” He chuckled, finding himself way too funny for your liking.

“Kace, I love you, but I need to go. I think April called the house but some douche broke the phone. I need to go find a public phone and call to make sure she’s okay. Now move, please.” Kace’s arms dropped slightly, as he was always understanding when it came to April, thankfully.

You began looking for some change in the set of drawers next to the stairs, and Kace just leaned over you, watching.

“But what about the house? You want me to come with you, or am I staying here to make sure nobody fucks anything up?” Getting frustrated by the fact that you couldn't find anything, when there was usually change lying all over the place, you slammed shut the drawer you were looking through.

“I don’t know, do whatever. I need to-” Just as you spoke, a heavy gust of wind traveled under your clothing, prickling every inch of skin on your body. Hoping it wasn't what you thought it was, you slowly turned to face the front door, only to be faced with the one thing you really didn’t want to see.

“Why is the front door open… again?” Kace turned the look in the same direction as you, confused by your question.

“Oh, I'm not sure.” It was becoming all a little bit too much for you now, and you could feel yourself losing the plot with every second that passed.

“All fucking night, the front door has been opened and then left open. If I have to see that front door left open one more time tonight, I’ll go fucking insane.” A snort managed to steal your attention away from the problem at hand, and you side-eyed the boy next to you, covering his mouth to stifle a laugh.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I've just never seen anyone so mad over an open door. I’m sorry, it's just so funny.” Not saying anything to start off with, you just blankly stared down at the floor. Jason Carver invited himself to your home, Eddie Munson brought trouble to your party with his stupid drug business, the front door opening and closing every fucking second, and for all you know, something could’ve been seriously wrong with April. But how could you know? Because some ignorant asshole ripped the fucking house phone off the wall.

“Yeah, no. I'm not doing this. Fuck this party, fuck you, fuck everyone here. I'm going to see April. I’m pretty sure I know where her friend lives, maybe, but I’ll figure it out on the way.” Eventually realizing that it wasn't the best time for jokes, Kace tried to grab your arm, but you pulled it away, turning to face him slightly as you walked toward the front door.

“I'm not sure if I'm coming back, just make sure nothing else gets broken. I'm not doing this shit tonight.” Not allowing the concerned boy to get a word in, you stepped out into the freezing October night and made sure to pull the door closed behind you, the sound of the music inside muffled behind hardwood.

With your hands shoved into your jacket pockets, and skin littered with goosebumps, you began walking down the street in the direction you thought April’s friend lived. You weren’t quite sure of the location, but with minimal help from your fuzzy mind, you could somewhat remember April telling you at some point. You were just hoping she was okay, or didn’t need urgent picking-up.

Maybe hosting a party wasn't the best idea. You had too much stress with school grades as it was, seeing as it was your senior year, and being a full-time babysitter for your younger sister because of your asshole parents didn’t make it any easier. Despite what your previous words and actions might tell any onlooker, you didn’t enjoy getting upset with Kace, because you knew he was only ever trying to help, but with so many things to stress about, and all of that mixed with beer, it didn’t make for a good combo. Hopefully, though, the cold air would somewhat sober you up, if you were to go and check on April.

You were lost in your own thoughts, until two bright rays of light flicked on in front of you, causing you to freeze like a drunken deer in headlights, straining your eyes to keep them open. There wasn’t much to see until you heard a familiar voice call out to you, stepping to the side to try and see who it was.

“Oh shit, it is you. What are you doing out here?” Finally, out of the stream of light, you could see Eddie hanging out the window of his van, which was parked on the curb just a few houses down from your own.

“What are you still doing here? Didn’t you leave, like, a while ago?” Walking up to the side of the van where the boy was leaning out to speak to you, Eddie smiled down at you with an arm hanging out the door.

“I left, like, ten minutes ago. I was just rolling a few joints and listening to some music. Now, my turn. Answer my question.” Taking a few seconds to remember what his question was, you crossed your arms tightly over your chest.

“I think April called the house phone but some dick ripped it off the wall. I was gonna go and see her.” The brunette nodded, the end of his tongue poking through his lips as he licked the paper between his fingers, folding it over to seal his handiwork.

“Seems simple enough. Want me to take you there?” Your head slowly nodded, but Eddie could sense the uncertainty radiating off of you. By now, it almost seemed like telepathically figuring you out was a skill of his.

“You know where she is?” Ashamed that you hadn't listened properly when April initially told you, you gently shook your head. Looking up at him through wispy bangs, you could see Eddie roll his jaw as he tried to figure something out. Placing the freshly rolled joint in the compartment between the two front seats, his other arm patted the side of the van.

“Get in. I'll let you use the phone at mine to contact her, and then I’ll drive you home.” You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol in your system, the need to make sure your sister was okay, or that weird interaction you two had earlier, but for once, you wanted to be in that van with Eddie Munson. And so, that’s what you did.

It didn’t take long for Eddie to get the two of you all the way across town from yours to his, because the roads were mostly empty and he knew how much you could worry about your sister sometimes. He was also aware of how stressed out yet tired you seemed, and he didn’t want to keep you for long, thinking keeping you for longer than needed would make you start wanting to claw your own skin off in front of him.

And with that, Eddie’s van pulled up in front of his trailer, parking next to another car that looked like it had seen better days. Before you could even try to let yourself out of the car, because how dare you, Eddie had rushed out of the van and over to the passenger side, opening the door for you as if you were some sort of royalty. As if it wasn’t already too much, the gentleman before you held out his hand for you to use for stability when stepping out of the vehicle. You thought the gesture was… unusual, but you still played along, placing your hand atop his gently, and pulling your skirt up slightly so that it wouldn’t trip you up and make for an even worse night.

“M’lady,” Eddie mocked, giving you a boyish smirk as he looked up at you through his bangs, his head dipped in respect. You snorted and covered your nose with the back of your hand, finding this whole performance weirdly charming. In a weird way. Kind of. Nevermind.

Eddie led you to the front door of his trailer, opening it for you and letting you enter first, stepping into warmth as he stepped in behind you and closing the door behind himself. The first thing you noticed was beer cans left on a coffee table next to the couch, and Eddie must have noticed where your attention was, as he stepped to your side and offered a short explanation.

“My uncle Wayne’s, he forgets to clean up after himself sometimes.” You nodded, muttering a small ‘oh’ before turning to look around some more.

The trailer was small and cozy for sure. Definitely seemed like the type of place where two men lived. Not dirty, to say, but definitely in need of some TLC. You felt Eddie’s hand hovering over the small of your back, earning your attention as he pointed towards the phone on the wall next to the door, and you offered him a quick smile before rushing towards it and dialing in the number that you did remember April telling you.

The phone rang a few times, before being picked up, and because of the worry you had been feeling for the past 25 minutes or so, you didn’t wait to hear who was there before speaking.

“Apricot, you there? Are you okay? Do you need me to come and get you? I can if you need-”

“I’m all good. I was just calling to try and tell you that I’ll be heading to school from Edith’s tomorrow. You told me to keep you updated.” Not only did hearing April’s voice make you feel tons better, but the fact that she remembered what you had said made you feel so grateful to have a sister like her in moments like this. You let out a huge sigh of relief and turned around, holding up a thumb to Eddie to let him know everything was okay, earning a smile in return from the boy.

“Okay, God. I’m glad. Thanks for letting me know, Apricot. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“...Alright. You’re so weird. G’night.” And with that, the call ended, and you placed the phone back on the wall, leaning against the backside of the kitchen countertop for stability.

“I'm glad she’s okay. Wait, she is okay, right? I didn’t misinterpret the-” You laughed as you let your head fall back, hair falling to the side too to reveal more of your face Eddie had seen, like, ever.

“Yeah, she’s all good, Munson. Thanks for caring.” The two of you just looked at each other for a few beats, almost as if the relief of knowing April was okay was washing over the both of you.

But despite being slightly intoxicated, you always knew when things were starting to feel awkward. To you, maybe. You weren’t sure if everyone else always felt the same awkwardness you did during long silences.

“Is it alright if I… use your bathroom?” Eddie waved his hands around a bit as if he had forgotten where his own bathroom was, before pointing down to his left and taking a step back to let you through.

“Yes, sure, of course. The first door on the left. Try to not get lost, this place is like a maze.” God, your cheeks were starting to hurt. It was definitely the alcohol that was making you feel this way because you had never found yourself smiling at Eddie Munson so much in the space of just a few hours.

Making your escape, you rushed off to the bathroom. Truth is, you didn't really need to ‘go’ to the bathroom, you just didn’t really know what else to do, and standing in a room alone with Eddie felt weird. Like, really weird. You were standing alone in a room with Eddie Munson. You were in Eddie Munson’s house. Home. Trailer home? You were in Eddie Munson’s residence.

…

You really didn’t predict your night going this way.

You looked in the mirror, trying to wipe off a few black smudges on your makeup, and flushed the toilet, also trying to make it seem like you had an actual reason to run off so suddenly to his bathroom. You washed your hands, waving them about to dry them off, before exiting into the main living area again, stepping out to see Eddie with his back to you, doing something on the kitchen countertop.

When you stepped close enough, he whipped around to face you, holding a glass of water in his hand and leaning back on the counter with his other. You looked down, confused, and back up at him.

“I figured you’d need a drink of something that wasn’t, you know, booze. You’re acting way too nice to me tonight so I’d take a guess that you drank quite a bit earlier.” Without feeling the need to question that line of logic, you took the glass from his hand, tips of your fingers brushing against his knuckles and wasting no time to take the biggest swig of water in your life. And you know what? It tasted like heaven. It was just regular, unfiltered tap water, but compared to the night you had, it was like a gift from the big man up there himself.

“Mm, ‘preciate it, sweetheart.” You placed the almost empty glass down on the countertop, wiping the water away from the sides of your mouth with your thumb, looking up at Eddie with half-lidded eyes. For whatever reason, his eyes were wide, like, seen-a-ghost wide, and before you knew it, he was spinning on his heels to place the glass in the sink. Until you grabbed his arm, pulling his attention back to you, glass still in hand. “Could you, actually, keep that glass out?” Despite the brown bangs that covered them, you could still see Eddie’s brows scrunch together in confusion. Not knowing what was going to come out of your mouth next, you lifted your hands and placed them on his chest, looking up at him like you had been doing all night, thanks to the size difference between the two of you.

“Can I stay the night?”

Taken by surprise, Eddie’s mouth popped open, trying to analyze everything about you, wondering if it was some sort of trick you were pulling on him.

“I mean, I just- I don’t really want to go home right now. The party is probably still happening, but Kace is there, and he’s responsible. He also has a spare key, so I know he’ll make sure to lock everything up. We also… I got mad at him, and I’m not sure what to say to him yet. I don’t know, I’m sor-” Without you taking notice during your miniature rant, Eddie had placed the glass down on the counter, and had now brought his hands up to engulf yours on his chest, tucking his fingers under your palms.

“Yeah, of course. Whatever you need, angel.” It was weird. You were looking up at him in a way you knew you shouldn't be, but you couldn't stop yourself. Beer and freak reputation be damned, Eddie Munson could be genuinely lovely if he tried hard enough. However, you only had the realization that you should probably move away when you noticed your eyes drifting down his face, and your mind drifting to other… places.

You slipped your hands out from underneath his and turned your back to him. Thank fuck you had a knack for getting your white foundation to be full coverage. With your back still turned to him, you released yourself from the jacket you slipped on before leaving and-

…

It’s been that jacket this entire time? And no one said a word about it? Kace, Eddie? Surely one of them noticed. Eddie most definitely would’ve. Fuck. Maybe if I just throw it in the corner, he won’t-

“That’s a nice jacket, by the way. Where’d you get it?” Your head snapped around to face him, leather scrunching in your fists.

“Shut the fuck up, Munson.” Eddie snorted, walking toward you and taking the jacket from your hands, hanging it up on a peg next to the door.

“Glad to know the normal you is still in there.” You rolled your eyes, but only so you didn’t have to admit that you honestly enjoyed this sort of energy between you and Eddie.

“D’you want something to sleep in? Because I doubt that dress is gonna be comfortable.” You looked down at what you were wearing, and groaned, realizing wearing something of Eddie’s was the only option, really, as this dress was too expensive to risk damaging in your sleep. As always, the boy took notice of your body language, and gave a thumbs-up, disappearing into a doorway before coming back out moments later with two items of clothing. He placed them in your arms, and you just looked down at the two pieces of fabric, another harsh realization washing over you. You were gonna need to remove your makeup. The over-the-top makeup you did for the party, the makeup you wore every time you were leaving the house and knew you would be seeing people you knew. Sure, it's not like you looked naked without your makeup, you just felt it, is all, which was so much worse. With one long inhale, and a long exhale, you looked up at the metalhead.

“Got something I can wash… this off with?” You gestured to your face, looking defeated as you did so. It looked as if Eddie had the same realization as you at that moment because he stuttered his words as he told you there would be some new soap and a clean washcloth in the bathroom cabinet above the sink. You nodded, grateful for him, at least, before making your way back into the bathroom you had just previously hidden in a few minutes before.

After a few minutes of scrubbing your face, and making sure there was nothing left over, changing into the Metallica t-shirt Eddie had given you, and then covering your bottom half with a pair of sweatpants that looked like they belonged to a younger version of the boy, you emerged from the bathroom.

You looked down the hall to where you assumed Eddie’s bedroom was, and all of the lights in the trailer had now been turned off. The only reason you could see anything was because of the light of the moon shining through the windows at the front of the place, and you used the minimal amount of light you were given to creep down to the ajar door at the end of the hall, stepping through with your clothes in your arms.

There was only one light on in Eddie’s room, and it was a warm-toned, dimly lit lamp in the corner, just enough illumination so you could see what Eddie had set up for the two of you. Whilst his bed was made and tidy, he had collected a few blankets, a pillow, and an extra duvet, creating a makeshift bed on the floor. You stepped over to it, making a point to not really face Eddie, as you placed your clothes down on the floor above the pillow.

“You didn’t have to do this,” you finally spoke, gaining Eddie’s attention.

“Do what?”

“Make this for me on the floor. I could’ve slept on the couch.” Without warning, Eddie stood up from where he was crouched down, towering over you again and looking directly at you. He paused for a second, just looking at your face as if he hadn't seen it before. Technically, he hadn’t, but still. Staring is rude. He coughed into his fist after a few seconds, and continued to speak.

“This isn't for you, it's for me. You're having the bed.”

You abandoned your mission of making minimal eye contact with Eddie whilst you had no makeup on to look directly up at him.

“What? No, I can’t do that. That’s your bed. Besides, it’s probably gross anyway. Because you’re… you. That’s weird.” Eddie rolled his eyes and smoothed out the duvet on the bed.

“Okay, one, my bed’s not gross. I literally washed my sheets yesterday. Two, I won’t hear it. I’m not letting you sleep on the couch, let alone the floor.” You opened your mouth to give some sort of rebuttal, but Eddie's hands coming up to hold the back of your head and cover your mouth had already silenced you.

“I said I won’t hear it.” Okay, he won't hear it.

Without even questioning the situation, something you found yourself doing a lot that night, you just nodded, allowing Eddie to drop his hands from where they resided on you and make space for you to get into the bed, whilst he lowered himself down to the floor.

You climbed in, surprised by how comfy the bed was for something that looked like it had come straight out of a prison cell, and the smell of Eddie and the detergent he used was… weird. Just weird. That’s all everything is. ‘Weird’. Nothing else.

By now, Eddie had turned off the lamp, and again, the only source of light in the room was the moon shining through the gaps in the blinds, creating a striped white pattern on Eddie’s bedroom wall.

“Thanks for this, Munson. I really do appreciate it.” You could hear Eddie turn over on the floor under his duvet.

“I know. No worries, angel.”

Five minutes passed, and you were already almost gone, the late hour of the night and the exhaustion finally having an effect on you, and though not aware of it, your breathing slowed significantly. You assumed that Eddie, like most guys you knew, was the type to pass out the second his head hit the pillow, so you didn’t bother saying much else to him the moment you heard him settle down. Due to the position you were sleeping in, you let your arm fall off the bed, dangling down the side, your nails just ever so slightly tapping against the floor.

A few more minutes, and you were on the very verge of unconsciousness when you felt something touch your dangling hand. Being too tired to react in any sort of frightened way, you just let out a low hum. A pause.

“...These your real nails?” A voice emerged softly in the dark. You hummed again, stuffing the side of your face deeper into the pillow.

“M’yeah, all-natural length. I just paint ‘em. You like?” This time, Eddie hummed.

“Yeah, I do.” A second had passed, and Eddie left his fingers gently wrapped around the tips of your own, the silence finally allowing you to drift off.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x fem!reader #stranger things #st4 #goth!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female character #eddie brain rot #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fanfic

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liuvli · 1 month

Text

Critical Darling

pairing: eddie munson x fem!goth!reader

warnings: she/her pronouns, slow burn, cursing, alcohol, smoking, eventual smut, minor use of y/n, slightly bitchy reader, work in progress

tags: first meetings, pov second person, s4 doesn’t happen, goth!reader, tradgoth!reader, fluff, angst, eddie & chrissy friendship, reader is a little fruity

all fic chapters & a03 link

chapter wc: 8.3k

Chapter Seven: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Although the two of you had made plans to meet up and spend time together before Christmas, you didn’t end up seeing Kace over the weekend, all thanks to one person and one person only; your mother. She had spent the weekend doing nothing but complaining at you for the posters stuck onto the walls of your room, sending you on endless errands that she was more than capable of running herself, critiquing the way you and April decorated the house, being on your back constantly about grades and homework, insisting you had to set a good example for April, who already had A’s in most classes as a Freshman. Truthfully, you knew you had started to reach your limit with it all.

Christmas Eve had finally arrived, and almost as if it had become a daily task for her, your mom was sitting on the couch filing her nails as she complained about the decorating again. To be more specific, she didn’t like the “hue of the lights” (lights which she had bought a few years back), the color of the tinsel (a color she was obsessed with the last time you heard her express any kind of interest in anything), and the tree looked “anemic”. What did she mean by that? Nobody was to know. Truly one of life’s biggest mysteries.

She kissed her teeth as she didn’t bother to lift her head to look up at you from where she sat on her armchair, thick lashes casting a dark shadow on her eyes. You switched which leg was crossed over which, readjusting yourself on the couch next to April, TV remote in hand.

“With all due respect, Mom, you leave April and me home alone for months on end for ‘work’. We keep the place tidy, and we put the decorations up without you having to ask. You could decorate the house yourself if you were here all the time, but you’re not. So, really, what gives you the right to complain?” That ‘tch’ sound again, switching to another nail and filing the edges again.

“...Tidy apart from the housephone. Remind me, how did that end up broken?” Letting out a huff, you uncrossed your legs, leaning forward as you looked over to her.

“I told you, I tripped over it. Must’ve slipped off the wall and I ended up catching it around my leg when getting a glass of water one night.” Silence, before just two words.

“Likely story.” That was it. Your last nerve, gone. Evaporated. Vanished. Missing person case reported.

Standing from the couch and instantly turning to walk away, you let out a quiet sigh, holding back from the things you really wanted to say.

“Okay, I’m going out. I’ll be at Kace’s.” Blowing some dust off of her nail, your mom still didn’t manage to even look up as she spoke.

“Mhm, do what you want. Just be back in time for dinner tomorrow. No later than 2 pm.” How predictable. It’s Christmas Eve, you said you’re leaving, and she couldn’t give less of a fuck. Love you too, Mom.

Stepping out of the house with just the clothes on your back, a simple pair of boots, and the leather jacket, you walked to Kace’s, which had thankfully never been too long of a journey. When you turned up at his front door after a short 10-minute trek, the sound of numerous voices inside brought back a memory from last Friday. You had been made aware that the group was having a Hellfire session at Kace’s house on X-mas Eve, but with all the shit your Mom had given you for the past three days, it had slipped your mind. Contemplating whether or not you should just go back home instead, spending the night with your family like most people did, you figured intruding on a Hellfire session would be preferable in comparison to the other option.

Not bothering to knock on the door, as you had grown used to being told to just let yourself in, you made your way into the living room, finding the boys all sat around Kace’s dinner table, shouting amongst themselves as Eddie chuckled devilishly. The first of the boys to notice you was Dustin Henderson, as he was standing from his chair and facing your direction, just raising a finger to point at you, the others instantly looking over as they all noticed one by one. Coincidentally, Kace was the last to notice as his back was fully turned to you, swiveling in his seat as he finally looked up to notice Dustin’s pointing. When he turned to face you, he lit up, making you remember that he had once said that he was always happy to see you, even if you broke into his house one day and came to brutally murder him in his sleep. His words.

Rushing over to you and squeezing his arms around you for a hug, he leaned back, his hands still placed on your shoulders.

“I’m so happy to see you, love. As always. What brings you here?” For a brief moment, your eyes flicked over to the rest of the group still seated around the table, and thankfully, Kace understood the awkward glance, shuffling the two of you into the hallway.

“Argument with my Mom, obviously. I did tell you they were home, didn’t I?” Kace snorted, dropping his hands and taking a step back.

“Yes, during the brief phone conversation that we had on Saturday before she got back from the store.” You hummed, remembering it now.

“By the way, how are your parents okay with this? Hellfire having their meeting here, I mean.” The tall boy leaned against the door frame, smirking to himself.

“Eh, they don’t know. They’ve gone out for the night and just told me to meet them at my Aunt’s tomorrow for the family dinner. They’ll be spending the night at hers. Hellfire at my place, woop woop!” Laughing at the cheesy display, you nodded, understandingly.

Hearing a loud holler from the other room as Eddie called after Kace, hoping to continue with the session, you took it as a prompt to make yourself sparse.

“...I’m gonna go up to your room and chill for a bit. That okay? I just need some space.” Kace nodded, giving you a warm smile.

“Of course, you don’t even need to ask. We’ll be done soon, anyway, because the freshmen need to be home early-ish.” With one last tap on the side of your arm, the boy returned to the room next door as you made your way up to his bedroom, immediately bee-lining towards his bed.

Spending the next hour reading magazines that Kace proudly collected, listening to music, and letting his TV play quietly in the background, you eventually found yourself mostly forgetting about the shit you had been putting up with for the past few days, finally taking a moment to relax. Kace had popped his head through the door briefly to say that he and Eddie were driving the group home and that he’d return soon, so you found yourself anxiously waiting for that time to come, just wanting to spend some time with your friend before having to make your way home.

When he did finally return, however, he had Eddie lurking behind him in the doorway, his stature slightly smaller than the boy’s in front of him. The two of them stumbled to explain that Eddie had revealed he’d be spending the night alone due to his uncle working again, as usual, and that Kace had so kindly invited him to come back to the house with him, betting on the chance that’d you’d tolerate him just for the reason they had explained. Not wanting any sort of fight, you allowed it, Kace perking up as he ushered the three of you downstairs, beers in hand that he had been hiding in his room for the longest time, waiting for the best opportunity to finally drink them with someone.

As the three of you idly chatted about anything and everything, it felt like there was one topic that both you and Eddie had the urge to bring up, exchanging knowing glances every time Kace would be taking his turn to speak, and finally, you decided to pop that bubble of brewing tension.

“Who was that guy you spoke to when we went out for food a while back? You know, the one you keep letting your eyes follow when we see him in public.” As the question finally came out, Kace froze, the bottle pressed up against his lips tilted mid-air, his eyes widening before quickly placing it down on the coffee table, wiping anything away from his mouth.

“Oh, that one. Uh… steveharrington.” You and Eddie gave each other a mutually confused look as neither of you was able to catch what the last word he said was.

“Sorry, what was that?” Eddie contributed, also curious for an answer, despite already having his suspicions. The boy sitting across from you groaned, letting his head fall back and his eyes land on the ceiling.

“...Steve Harring-”

“STEVE ‘THE HAIR’ HARRINGTON? I fucking knew it.” The speed at which he raised his voice had taken you aback, as you held your hands up in surprise.

“...I still don’t know who this guy is or why it’s such a big deal.” This time, all eyes were on you, and you suddenly felt like you had been living under a rock all this time. Eddie shifted his body to face you, clasping his hands together in front of him.

“Harrington’s this douche that used to go to Hawkins. Would try and hit on any girl that would give him the time of day, after he and his girlfriend split, of course. Thinks he’s all high and mighty.” Eddie tried his best to enlighten you, but with your expression of ‘so?’, he felt the need to add one more piece of information.

“Definitely not the type of guy that would associate with anyone like me or you guys.” With this new understanding, you nodded, taking a sip of beer as Eddie redirected his attention back to Kace, who seemed thankful for a brief moment that he wasn’t being interrogated.

“You. How did the two of you even end up talking? What the fuck would you and Steve Harrington have in common?” Kace let the tips of his nails gently tap against the wood of the coffee table.

“Well… Tears For Fears was playing over the speakers and I overheard him muttering along to it, so I-” This time, it was your turn to cut him off.

“Hold on just a fucking minute, you like those guys? Our many years of friendship, and you’ve never told me that.” Kace just shrugged, averting his gaze, his fingers still idly tapping.

“I know, not my usual thing. But anyway, I asked him the same thing, not knowing it would be the type of music he was into either, and we just ended up… talking.” In the corner of your eye, you could see Eddie, slack-jaw, blinking in bewilderment.

“...Really didn’t take you for a Harrington kind of guy. Truly.” This earned a shrug from the suddenly quiet boy. Noticing Kace’s unusual demeanor, not his usual confident self, you tried to throw in your two cents.

“Personally, I can see it. I don’t know much about this Harrington guy, but doesn’t sound… too bad. Go for it, love.” His attention caught by the nickname you sparingly used for him, Kace finally lifted his head, giving you a sincerely thankful smile, to which you returned one. Eddie opened his mouth to speak again, which worried you, hoping he wouldn’t say anything to put your friend down again.

“You got a thing for this guy then, huh… Well, Chrissy’s holding a New Year’s party, if you two feel like coming. Pretty sure her Mom is going away with her new boyfriend to start the new year off and Jason somehow convinced the poor girl to take the chance to host a party. Most likely because hosting it himself would do wonders for the good-boy reputation he works so hard to maintain.” Both you and Kace looked over at the brunette, unsure how this was related to the previous topic you were all on.

“What I’m saying is that seeing as it’s a party with mostly… normal people, who knows, Harrington might end up showing his face. Hot girls and beer? What guy would miss out on that?” You let out a fake gag as you rolled your eyes, but this piece of information had Kace perking up instantly, leaning over the table with a hopeful expression.

After each of you had gotten through a few more drinks, and you got the chance to briefly discuss the issue with your Mom, something you tried not to dwell on, it was time you called it a night. Of course, Kace wasn’t going to let you make your way home whilst drunk, and he wasn’t going to risk his license driving you home, of course, equally drunk. You had somehow found yourself cuddled up next to Kace on the couch, your head resting on his slumped shoulder, with Eddie sitting across from the two of you on the armchair, his shoes kicked off and his legs tucked under him. The shape of his brown, frizzy mane was just barely distinguishable as your eyes struggled to remain open, just barely paying attention to the words he was quietly speaking to Kace.

“Man. It’s weird, don’t you think?” The boy next to you gave a questioning hum, his body subtly vibrating as he did so, Eddie continuing.

“Just a couple of years ago…” Again, Kace hummed, this time with a gentle nod, as if he knew what Eddie was trying to say. He took one last swig of beer before placing the empty bottle on the floor beside the couch, leaning back against the cushions.

“I get you. She’s changed a lot since then. Who knows, maybe subconsciously due to your influence?” Eddie laughed, unsure.

“Right. Sure.”

With the sun shining directly into your eyes from the gap in the curtain, you woke up and are immediately aching, sleeping on the couch always working wonders for your body in the long term. At this rate, you’d be needing a cane by the age of 25. However, the second thing you noticed was just how claustrophobic your legs felt, slightly wiggling them around and feeling restricted. Shifting out of the way of the beam of light blinding you, you forced your eyes open, the sight of Eddie still asleep on the other end of the couch taking you aback. What.

Finding the clock on the wall, it read 12:05 pm. Briefly looking around the room, you searched for Kace, but weirdly, no sight of him. As you slumped back down onto the couch, you looked forward, being met by the sight of Eddie with his eyes now slightly cracked open. His arms were crossed over his abdomen, and his hair was unstyled, draping down the back of the couch.

“...Good morning, Munson.”

“Merry X-mas, doll.” You scoffed, being saved as the sound of Kace stepping down the stairs captured your attention, the boy appearing at the bottom step wearing a long nightgown over a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt you were 90% sure was from summer camp in 7th grade.

“Dude, did you sleep upstairs? In the bed?” With the biggest case of bedhead you had ever seen, Kace trudged over to the kitchen, pouring a cup of black coffee, and shrugging.

“Well, duh. If the option to sleep in a nice, warm bed is available, I’m taking it. Besides, you seemed… comfortable on the couch.” He snorted as you let out a loud groan, untangling your legs from Eddie’s and throwing the blanket that was draped over the two of you into his lap. You looked down.

“Did you really sleep in jeans?” The still sleepy-eyed brunette looked up at you, stretching his arms above his head.

“...Would you of preferred it if I didn’t?” Holding your hands up to block the view of his face, you began walking away.

“Ew, no. Nevermind.”

Walking into the kitchen, Kace slid a mug over to you, and you graciously expected without a second thought.

“You good to drive me home before heading to your Aunt’s?” He sipped his coffee, wrapping both hands around the warm mug.

“Yup. But don’t count on me to come get you if shit bombs at home. You know I’d usually drop everything to come save you when you need it but… my family, you know how they can be.” You nodded, not having to ask further because you indeed did know what his family was like.

Finishing your coffee, you offered to help Kace tidy the place up before heading home, and despite his insisting that you didn’t have to, you ended up doing so anyway. Once the living room was returned to its former glory, all three of you piled outside, saying your goodbyes to Eddie. You rested your arms atop the roof of the car as Kace turned to speak to the boy.

“You doing anything nice today?” The metalhead shrugged, letting his keys dangle between his fingers.

“Nah. Wayne’ll be home later tonight and we’ll probably order takeout but you know what work’s like.” Kace sucked in air through his teeth, giving you an awkward side glance, and you chewed the inside of your mouth, not knowing whether you should say something or not. With just a single wave, the two of you piled into his car as Eddie got into the van, driving down the street as you and Kace sat, awkwardly.

“Why do I feel bad for him?” You questioned, not realizing you had said it out loud. Kace looked over at you, turning the engine on.

“I do, too, love. If there was something I could do, I would. But again-”

“Yep, know what your family is like.”

As you arrived home and said goodbye to Kace, dinner was just being plated as you made your way into the house. Mom standing in the kitchen, her back turned to you and not a single ounce of acknowledgment, Dad sitting at the table already, reading the newspaper, and April practically leaping over to you, hugging you as if it had been years since you had left.

“Thank God you’re back. That woman is a pain to be around without you here.” You snorted, hushing her as you made your way over to sit down at the table next to your Dad.

“Sorry for leaving, by the way… but we both know it was smarter for me to leave rather than stay.” She nodded, twirling the end of her knife against the tablecloth.

“Well, true. Can’t blame you for that.”

Despite the awkward silence, only being broken when your Dad had something to say about what he had read in the morning paper, dinner was… nice? If there was one thing your Mom was good at, which obviously wasn’t her warm parenting skills, it was cooking. On the rare occasion she was home and would cook a meal for everyone, it never failed to give you a bittersweet feeling; remembering what it was like when you were younger, when she felt like an actual Mom, the kind other people had. But these meals always left a sour taste in your mouth afterward, metaphorically speaking, as it was a stark reminder of what things were like now.

When everyone had finished eating, April had taken notice, quietly placing her cutlery down as she prepared to ask a question.

“...Can I go see Edith?” What the fuck? What kind of question is that?

“It’s Christmas day, April. Why on Earth would you need to go and see one of your friends right now?” The girl dropped her head, fidgeting with her hands, nails clicking against each other.

“Well- I got a gift for her, and I just thought since she got to go out last night-” You leaned forward, waving your hands out in front of you.

“Woah, woah. I went out last night because… I needed air. It’s not the same.” As if you had committed some sort of grave betrayal, the younger girl gave you a look, her eyes flicking over to your mom expectantly.

“It’s kind of the same. You went out to get away from Mom, I want to go out to see a friend. I think my reason is way more valid.” Noticing the head tilt your Dad made as April spoke, your Mom huffed, the legs of her chair screeching against the flooring as she stood up. Getting more desperate, April revealed another trick she had hidden up her sleeve.

“I’ve been doing my homework! And my room’s tidy, you can check!” You groaned as you leaned back in your chair, crossing your arms.

“Oh, now you’re sucking up to her. Only when it benefits you, right? Screw our sisterly bond-” Silenced by the sound of her hands clapping together, the two of you finally remembered your Mom’s presence less than a meter away. “April, go see your friend. Don’t be home late.” Without a second thought, or a moment to let your Mom change her mind, April stood up from the table and rushed up to her room to get ready to leave, your mom collecting the empty plates and dishes. You followed her over to the kitchen, frustrated by the situation.

“You would’ve NEVER let me go out on Christmas to see friends when I was her age.” The older woman turned to face you, one hand resting against the edge of the sink.

“You didn’t have friends at her age. Besides, if it gets her out of my hair and stops you two from bickering…” You took a step back.

“Right. Merry Christmas.” Dad gave you an understanding look as you walked back into the living room, giving you the go-ahead to slip the first pair of boots on that you grabbed and wrap yourself up in the only jacket you had hanging up in the hallway.

Stepping out of the house, not caring that the door accidentally slammed behind you, you let your head fall back as you looked up, the sky a solid white. You blinked a few times, letting out a deep sigh, and as you looked down again, ready to start walking to a park, or something, you were greeted with a sight. A very familiar one, by now. The van. As you walked over, Eddie rolled the window down, leaning out slightly with a grin.

“Need something?” His eyes flicked over to the house briefly.

“Figured from what Kace was saying earlier that you’d need saving. You getting in?” Contemplating your choices, you looked back at the house, watching as April stepped out and made her way over to where you were standing, looking up at Eddie in the van.

“Who are you?” Before you could answer, giving her an equally vague response as you did before, Eddie had taken it upon himself to do so, letting more of his body hang out of the window as he stretched his arm out to shake April’s hand, which she did hesitantly.

“Your sister’s new best friend. You the infamous Apricot?” She scowled.

“Ew. Yes.” The girl glanced between you and the boy, before landing her gaze on the van.

“Can you drive me to my friend’s house?” You turned to face her again.

“April, you can’t just ask strangers to drive you places.” A moment of silence before she replied, clearly finding herself hilarious.

“He’s not a stranger. He’s your new best friend.” Dumbfounded, and the metalhead laughing his ass off next to us, April began walking around to the opposite side of the vehicle, not waiting for an answer. Eddie looked down at you, wiping a tear from his eye.

“She’s funny.” You squint.

“You’re a dick.”

Accepting your fate, you followed April to the passenger’s side, sliding into the middle seat before letting the girl slide in after you, closing the door behind herself. After telling Eddie the address of her friend, he was already somewhat familiar.

“Got a friend who lives nearby. Gotcha.” As he began driving, playing his music on a lower volume than he usually did, April nudged you with her elbow, tilting her head toward you.

“Is he your new boyfriend?” You couldn’t help letting out a laugh, muffling the sound with the back of your hand before taking in a deep breath and regaining your posture.

“Who’s asking?” She pulled a face.

“Ew.” You also pulled a face.

“Ew, you.”

The van finally parked up outside of a house, and April climbed out the second the vehicle stopped moving, making her way around to the driver’s window, Eddie rolling it down.

“Get a new air freshener for your van. It smells weird.” Before Eddie could reply, she walked away and up to Edith’s house, the boy rolling the window up and pulling away from the curb.

“Nice kid. She get it from you?” You just hummed, muttering your next words.

“She thinks you’re my boyfriend.” This short sentence had Eddie choking on air as you fought a smile, taking notice of the way his fingers began nervously tapping the steering wheel.

“We should act like I am to prank her.” You kissed your teeth, shaking your head.

“What’s wrong with you?” The boy shrugged, briefly glancing over at you.

“Your loss. I’d make a great fake-boyfriend.”

“Uh-huh…”

Not thinking to ask where you were even going, you were surprised when the van pulled into the parking lot of Family Video, the movie rental store halfway across town. Eddie had stopped the engine and stepped out without saying anything, and you watched as he walked around the front of the van to reach the passenger door, opening it for you.

“My angel.” He held a hand out for you, and you scrunched your brows together, a smile on your lips.

“‘Great fake-boyfriend’ my ass. I just puked in my mouth a lil’ bit.” Grabbing his hand as you stepped down, you looked over to the Family Video building, trying to think of any reason as to why you’d be there on Christmas day.

“Enough about your ass, we going with the fake boyfriend thing or…?” Confused by what he was saying, you looked down, instantly recoiling as you pulled your hand out of his.

The two of you made your way into the store, and you looked around, feeling slightly lost.

“Look for a movie you wanna watch, I’ve got something I need to do.” With a shrug, you watched as he walked over to the counter, starting a conversation with the girl standing behind it, a girl with short, brassy hair. Five minutes later, Eddie was signaling you to come over to him, a VHS tape in your hand. The girl behind the counter looked down as you placed it in front of her, reading the name on her badge.

“Gremlins? Good choice.” Eddie laughed, realizing what you had chosen.

“Really? That’s what you went for? Out of literally everything here.” You shrugged, and he laughed again, shaking his head.

Just a few more minutes later and the tape was in your hands again. The two of you began to leave as Robin said one last thing to Eddie.

“I’ll talk to him for you. Merry Christmas, guys.” The boy smiled and nodded, before leading you out of the store.

“What was that about?” You asked as you walked over to the van again, Eddie opening the door before you had the chance to.

“Oh, nothing. Just me being the best wingman there ever was.”

The rest of your day was spent on Eddie’s couch, watching the movie you had chosen and eating chips with dips that the boy had picked up for the two of you. You didn’t speak much, as you were still feeling tired from last night at Kace’s, and from the previous week you had been dealing with your mom and thankfully, Eddie had sensed this. He only really spoke when commenting on something happening in the movie or when you spoke first, plus occasionally asking if you needed a refill of soda. Putting personal opinion on Eddie aside, it was one of the most enjoyable Christmases you had ever had.

At the end of the day, Eddie drove you home just as it was approaching 8 pm. The van arrived outside your house, and you waited a second before turning to leave. Eddie cleared his throat, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel again.

“So… you coming to Chrissy’s party?” You took a moment to think about it, unsure.

“Mm, yeah. May as well, seeing as I don’t have any other plans for New Years, and my parents head out again the morning after.” The boy nodded, his posture weirdly stiff.

“Cool, cool…” There was silence for a second as you twisted some of the rings around your fingers. The brunette opened his mouth to speak again, but you got to it first.

“Thanks for saving me. Earlier, I mean. I know I haven’t been super talkative today but… thanks. It was nice.” Finally looking over to him, Eddie was staring at you like a deer in headlights, and you couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the sight.

“What?” He shook his head as he tilted it to an angle, rubbing the side of his neck.

“Nothing, nothing. You just sounded very… sincere.”It made you scoff, but lightheartedly.

“That’s because I am being sincere.” You watched as he pressed his lips together in a tight smile.

“Right. Gotcha. Well…” Eddie’s breath hitched, almost as if he still had something he needed to say.

“Goodnight, Eddie.” Letting out a shaky breath, he smiled, studying your movements as you grabbed his hand and planted a kiss onto the back of it, black lipstick being left behind.

As he stared down at the mark left on his skin, you took it as your chance to climb out of the van, Eddie’s hand still raised in the position you had left it in. Forcing yourself to walk into the house without looking back, not wanting to see Eddie giving you some sort of weird face, you couldn’t help but use the peephole as the door shut quietly behind you. Eddie was still sitting in the van outside your house, looking towards the building before turning to face forward, his hair blocking your view of his features. After a few long seconds, he lifted his head before finally driving away.

The days leading up to the party were the mostly same as the days previous to Christmas had been, with your parents also being out of the house most of the time running errands, preparing to go away again. April was spending most of her time in her room unless your mom was in the house, or she was out with friends, and you had also made your bedroom the place where you spent most of your time, trying your best to avoid having to speak to your Mom.

New Year's Eve had arrived, April was spending the night at a friend’s house for a sleepover with multiple classmates, and your parents were packing to leave the next day.

At some point, before you were supposed to be leaving for the party, your Dad had come into your room, letting you know that he had left cash in an envelope next to the coffee pot, and to call him if you needed absolutely anything. He had never stuck up for you when your Mom was giving you grief, but you still appreciated what he did for you any other time. The excuse you had given him for going out that night was that you were spending the night at Kace’s house, celebrating with his family, which your Dad was understanding of, only advising you to avoid your Mom as you left for the night. Obviously, he didn’t have to tell you twice.

Kace had picked you up and driven the two of you to the party, so you both arrived at the same time and were both feeling awkward as fuck, at the same time. Seeing as it was mostly cheerleaders, people from the basketball team, and their associated groups, potential people for you and Kace to speak to were… practically non-existent.The only reason Eddie was there was because he was Chrissy’s weed dealer, and the only reason the two of you were there was because of, well, Eddie (and Chrissy, because she had taken a liking to you apparently). Kace was somehow able to interact with all sorts of people, proved by his conversation with that Harrington guy all those weeks ago. Speak of the Devil, that’s exactly who he somehow sniffed out and had begun talking to, cutting into a conversation Harrington was having with some girl on the cheer squad.

Trying to find some sort of way to make the party enjoyable without Kace by your side, you had found the first guy who didn’t immediately appear completely repulsed by the sight of you, judging the way you dressed and struck up a conversation with him. Yes, he was asking about the clothes and makeup, but not in a mocking or judge-y way, just out of genuine curiosity, from what you could tell. He was asking things like “Why do you dress like that? Do you like scaring people? Is that part intentional? Are you really that pale?”, so honestly, you were humored.

That was until a girl approached the two of you, seeming to be another one of Chrissy’s friends on the team. Immediately, she threw a nasty look your way but offered you a drink, and stupidly, because of the alcohol you had already consumed up until that point, you accepted the red solo cup without another thought, chugging it in hopes of making the party somewhat more enjoyable in a short amount of time. As you swallowed the last sip, it finally occurred to you how disgusting it tasted. Some alcohol really did taste like this, but this was on a whole new level. You couldn’t imagine anyone enjoying it. Was it some shit like absinthe, or something?

Placing the cup down on a table next to you, you began stumbling away, your head almost instantly feeling the effects of whatever concoction you had just consumed. Thankfully, you ended up bumping into Chrissy, who took immediate notice of your state, her eyes instantly flicking towards the girl standing a few meters behind you.

“Oh my gosh, did she give you something? I swear-” The blinde cut herself off as she marched towards the girl, chewing her out as you started walking again, turning the corner to make your way up the stairs, hopefully running into a bathroom at some point on your journey.

Instead, you ended up tripping over some guy sitting on the stairs, the poor dude miserably failing to flirt with a girl who was clearly just sticking around because she thought it was funny. As you fell, however, your hands landing on the boy’s shoulder, he had redirected his attention to you, the girl slipping away and down the stairs, laughing with a group of people as she reached the bottom. You lifted your head, trying to get a good look at the guy as he stood up to support you, recognizing him as the tall guy lurking behind Robin at Family Video last week.

At some point, you had made your way upstairs, sliding into the first open door you could see and keeling over as you began emptying your gut into a trashcan beside a dresser, wiping the edge of your mouth after a few seconds, and floating over toward the bed, planting yourself down with a big huff. Without realizing what you were doing, you had begun mumbling nonsense about your Mom.

“She’s such an ass… I don’t know what my Dad sees in her, really. I don’t know why he puts up with her shit. It’s so-” You trailed off as you noticed a pressure on your thigh, looking down to see the boy’s hand gripping you.

“The fuck?” Before you’re able to instantly recoil, your hand is in his other, slowly being pulled toward his lap. You were drunk, yes, but not drunk enough to be completely unaware of what the guy was trying to do. After noticing the way his belt and zipper were already undone, you wasted no time yanking your hand away, stumbling as you stood up from the bed and continued to stumble your way out of the dark room, hearing the guy scoff as you left.

You re-entered the busy hallway, your head starting to pound again as the music became louder, partly shutting the door behind you as you tried to forget what had just happened. Somehow, you hadn’t noticed Eddie appear directly in front of you, almost bumping into him like what you did with Chrissy earlier. You made a fuzzy mental note to practice spatial awareness at some later date.

The metalhead was already checking you over before you could say anything.

“Chrissy said you looked in bad shape but…” His voice hushed as he leaned forward slightly to look through the crack of the door next to you, watching as the guy from before stood from the bed, zipping his fly up. As you rested your head against the doorframe, Eddie directed his attention back to you, his eyes wide as he looked down, gently holding your arm.

“Did that guy try something with you?” Not quite grasping the severity of Eddie’s concerns, you rolled your eyes, your head rolling to one side and resting on your shoulder.

“Nooo. I mean, he tried. But I hopped up out of there because grossss.” The brunette didn’t say a word before pushing the door open, careful to not knock into you as he walked past and into the room.

The guy looked up at Eddie as he began to buckle his belt up, being interrupted as Eddie snatched his hand away by the wrist, holding it up into the air.

“Did you touch her?” With a scoff, his trademark by now, the boy began trying to wriggle his hand out of the brunette’s, nervously laughing.

“Pfft, what does it matter to you? She yours or something?” You stepped back into the room, slumping against a dresser next to the doorway, struggling to stay upright as you observed the scene unfolding in front of you. Eddie immediately snapped back.

“What if she is? Really, what if?” This confused the boy, a snort coming from him as he decided to test his luck again.

“But, is she-” And again, Eddie cut him, his tone flatter this time.

“She might be.” The lack of an immediate response from the boy gave Eddie a chance to let his eyes flick over to you, his gaze softening as he appeared to be having some sort of internal conversation with himself, his grip tightening around the boy’s wrist.

He finally let himself look back at the boy.

“If I ever see you approach any woman other than your own mother again, I will cut this hand off and keep it pickled in a jar like a trophy. Do you understand what I’m saying?” The guy began stuttering his words, head trying to recoil away from Eddie, who had his face positioned just inches away.

“-Okay, man. Yeah. I got it.” Finally, Eddie released his grip on the wrist, and the boy slid out of the room within just a few seconds, his head dipping to avoid making any sort of eye contact with you.

Gently ushering you out of the room with him, you and Eddie were face to face with Chrissy back in the hallway, the girl stepping out of the bathroom across from you, tightening to ribbon around her ponytail as she gave the two of you a warm smile.

“Oh, hey, guys! You two good?” Eddie stepped in front of you slightly, leaning toward the blonde and lowering his voice.

“Not doing great. You got somewhere she can stay for the night?” Chrissy was confused, her eyes flitting between you and the boy, so he continued.

“I’ve drunk tonight, and I was just planning on walking back to mine, so I don’t even have my van with me. And… things aren’t great with her parents right now, so I don’t think her going back is a good idea anyway.” The blonde began waving her hands in front of the both of you.

“Say no more. Of course, Eddie. She can have my bed seeing as I’ll probably end up passing out elsewhere in the house later when everyone is gone.” The brunette placed his hands on Chrissy’s shoulders as he thanked her, the girl giving him a big grin.

As she slowly guided you into her room just slightly down the hall, she started speaking as you failed to remain standing still in one spot.

“Extra blankets in that closet. If she needs pajamas, there’s some in that drawer over there, and bathroom is through that door. I’ll go tell her friend about what’s happening, but I’ll probably head back to the party after that. Unless you want me to look after her, which I’m more than happy to do. You know, so you can enjoy the rest of your night.” Eddie looked around the room, shaking his head.

“No need, I can stay up here.” Chrissy gave him one last nod before heading back downstairs to find Kace.

You were gently pushed into the bathroom with a set of pajamas that Eddie had quickly grabbed, and you continued to mumble nonsense as you the door was closed behind you. Through the wood, you could hear Kace enter the room, muffled slightly, as he spoke to Eddie.

“Is she okay? What the hell happened?” A sigh.

“Some fucking guy- I don’t know, she must’ve drunk something and a guy must’ve noticed how much of a mess she was. Decided it was his time to shine, I guess.” You can hear the sound of your friend stomping around angrily, almost being able to see the image of him running his hands through his hair due to stress.

“If I see that man, he’s getting castrated. Hold me to my word.”

A few minutes later, you finally emerged from the bathroom, the door swinging open as you held onto the side of it for dear life. Kace immediately captured you in a tight hug, instinctively letting your head nestle into the crook of his neck, not being able to lift your arms to give him a proper embrace in return. Once released, you trudged over to Chrissy’s bed, falling back onto it and sinking into the mattress, mumbling about how comfortable it was, your head sinking further into the numerous pillows the girl had stacked up. You weren’t awake for long as Kace and Eddie just spoke amongst themselves, their two faces out of sight as they towered above you, their torsos being the last thing you could see before passing out.

Only a few hours later, you were awake. The first thing you did was read the clock on the bedside table, the time reading 04:37. The second thing you did was take notice of the way your head throbbed, the dimly lit room probably being the only reason it wasn’t somehow much worse. You leaned forward and noticed the small night light plugged into the wall, and looked up to notice Eddie asleep on the armchair across from you, his jacket draped across him like a makeshift blanket, his feet crossed over one another on the floor, and his head dipped down, his face not visible. If you listened closely, you could hear his slow, deep breathing, watching the way his shoulders and chest moved in time with the sound.

Sitting up slightly, you tapped the edge of the mattress with two fingers, attempting to make some noise, but not too much that would startle a person.

“Psst, Munson. Hey-” He lifted his head suddenly, eyes squinting in the darkness, confused. He rubbed his hand down his face as the jacket slid down and into his lap and as he looked at you, he was more awake, his eyes wide as he leaned forward.

“Oh, hey, you good? You- You’re awake, are you okay?” You lifted an arm and rubbed the side of your head.

“Uh, yeah… I think I’m good. It’s so late, why are we still here?” Eddie straightened his posture as if it was a bad thing to ask.

“I’ll explain when you’re more awake and sobered up in the morning, but Chrissy offered you her room for the night. She’s in her Mom’s room next door, so don’t worry about her.” You nodded, trying to make some sort of sense of the situation with the small amount of information you had before he spoke again.

“Why don’t you head back to sleep? You’ve only been out for… five-ish hours.” Grimacing as your head throbbed again, you were given your answer.

“I have this huge headache, could you see if Chrissy has something I could take for it?” Without any sort of hesitation, Eddie stood up, walked into Chrissy’s bathroom, and slightly closed the door behind him to prevent too much light from seeping into the room. He returned a few seconds later with two Advil and a glass of water, which you graciously accepted.

Placing the glass on the table beside the bed, you looked up at the boy.

“Why are you even in here? Did you miss the party to stay up here?” As you asked, Eddie brought a tuft of hair from the side of his head to hide the lower section of his face as he looked away, eyes drifting around the room.

“Well, yeah. Didn’t feel right leaving you all alone, and I thought Kace would appreciate having more time to speak to Harrington tonight, so I said I’d keep watch, or whatever.” You gave him a simple nod, a weird feeling thrumming in your chest. Probably just a precursor of tomorrow’s hangover.

“Well, why are you sleeping on that chair?” The question made Eddie laugh as if it was ridiculous for you to even ask.

“I’m not just gonna climb into bed with a sleeping girl, am I? I’m not that much of a degenerate. It’d feel so wrong.” Chewing the inside of your lip, you sat up even more.

“...That chair can’t be comfortable.” Eddie was clearly confused, nervously laughing as he struggled to remain still, his feet shuffling around in one area.

“Well, what can I do? Not many other options, you know?”

Without another word, you began taking some of the pillows from Chrissy’s abundant collection and started to construct a wall of them down the middle of the bed, feeling Eddie’s eyes watching closely as you did so. He walked around to the other side of the bed, giving you a look that said ‘Really?’ to which you returned with one saying ‘Really.’ You jerked your head slightly, gesturing for him to get onto the bed. It earned a sigh from him, but he still kicked off his shoes before climbing into the bed, his body rigid in its position.

You laid back down, but facing him still, just being able to see most of his face, just barely being able to make out his open eyes staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. The pile of pillows wasn’t too tall, but just about thick enough to qualify as a suitable partition between two people, so it was easy for you to slide your arm over it, letting your hand fall onto Eddie’s chest, your fingers slowly rubbing against the fabric of his shirt. He didn’t say anything to the gesture, but you took deliberate notice of the way he tensed up as you first made contact, before relaxing into your touch.

You decided it was time to break the silence, but just barely, as you whispered, your voice muffled by exhaustion.

“Thanks for staying with me.” You had begun to worry that you were crossing a boundary for a second as you didn’t get an immediate reply until you felt Eddie’s hand gently slip over your own, his fingers tucking under your palm, thumb gently caressing the skin on your knuckles.

“Any time, angel. I would’ve been the world’s biggest douche if I had left you up here alone.” Letting your nail tap against the metal of the chain on Eddie’s chest, you smiled to yourself.

“Whatever your motivations were, I appreciate you being here for me, even if it did mean you missed most of the party.” The boy quietly chuckled, your hand moving as his chest shook.

“Worth it, for you.”

It was the last thing you heard before falling back to sleep, and when you woke up only a few hours later again at 7 am, it would’ve felt like a dream if it wasn’t for the fact that the first thing you saw upon cracking your eyes open was Eddie’s sleeping face. His bangs messy, the pillow wall you had constructed between the two of you being mostly broken down or flattened.

The room was still somewhat dark, as it was the middle of Winter, but the morning allowed for a muted blue shade to be cast across the room, letting shadows fall on Eddie’s face almost too perfectly. Your leg was raised, lying across the wall of pillows, and one of Eddie’s hands was tousled in your hair spread across the pillow, the boy using the crook of his arm as a headrest. Despite being hungover, exhausted, and still delirious, due to having only been awake for, at most, a minute or two, you let out a quiet, shaky breath.

“Fuck, man.”

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