#eddie munson takes NYC

[carolmunson]

starting from zero, got nothing to lose (V)

part i part ii part iii part iv part v

two new bombshells have entered the villa. (jk, but we do get a brief appearance of dusty and steve and it’s cute.)

tony and eddie have a chat about the fight, dose makes eddie embarrassed, steve isn’t having luck with the ladies, and eddie and ron hash it out in a diner.

(i wanted to make eddie awkward but also he sort of ended up really hot in this?)

i don’t think there’s any CW’s here, it’s a pretty fluffy chapter all around. they do smoke cigarettes at one point, and there are some bodily threats that don’t go anywhere.

A few nights had gone by since Eddie's fight with Rhonda and he honestly could not stop thinking about it. He replayed it in his head over and over, heat and anger bubbling in his chest every time he recalled her saying ‘Betty ‘Apple Pie’ Cunningham’ with her stupid smug face. It helped whenever he’d practice with the punching bags at Gleason’s before or after his shifts, numbing that ache in his chest with every hit. Deep down, he knew leaving her there alone was bothering him the most – She deserved it , he would justify, she was being a bitch . 

She doesn’t know about Chrissy, she doesn’t know about Vecna, you have to cut her some slack – she just doesn’t know , the rational part of his brain would argue. The internal struggle of hating her but trying to see it from her point of view was frustrating. Eddie hated maturing, it made him less right all the time. 

He gathered up his stuff in the men’s locker room to leave after another tiring mid-day shift. His balled up his coverall fell haphazardly out of his leather satchel while closing it up. 

“Munson,” he heard a familiar gruff voice call to him, “Haven’t seen you in a few days, you been hidin’ out on me?” 

Eddie blew his bangs out of his eyes, “Hey Tone, long time no see.” 

“Where’ve you been, dude? Haven’t seen you here or at Skid since Saturday,” he said, “Ron scare you off?” 

“No, man,” Eddie said, fatigue tugging at his eyes, “Just two ships passing in the night, I guess.” 

“Look, Ron told me what happened, she’s been feelin’ real bad about it,” Tony said in a low, apologetic tone, “Don’t tell her I told you that, I’ll never hear the end of it. You told her, her music sucks, huh?” 

“Let me guess,” Eddie said, rubbing the back of his neck, “That’s the worst thing I could’ve done?” 

“Oh no, the worst thing you could’ve done was leave her in the bar by herself at night,” his face was smiling, but his eyes were dark. 

“Tony, things were getting heated, I would never do that–” 

“I don’t need to hear it man, I promise,” he said, “I’m not mad at you, I totally get it. Rhonda makes guys wanna rip their hair out all the time. But I’ll promise you this…” Tony got quiet and close to Eddie’s face, he could see a smattering of gray in his stubble and smell the Listerine on his breath. Tony’s dark blue eyes flashed a bit, keeping steady contact with Eddie so intently, he almost wanted to look away. 

“If I ever find out that you left Ron alone, or in a position where she could get hurt, I will kill you,” his voice was grisly, “Capiche?” 

Eddie nodded, a shiver ran up his chest into his throat, his brown eyes like saucers, “Yeah, c-capiche man. Won’t happen again.” 

Tony’s smile broke across his face again, showing off his straight white teeth, “Don’t mean to freak you out dude, but I told you – that’s my Ronnie.” 

“She told me you dated,” Eddie said, putting his bag on one of the benches and adjusting the buckles at the bottom. 

“So then you’ll believe me when I tell you that it’s like pullin’ teeth to get her to apologize for something,” Tone explained, “And she wants to.” 

Eddie looked up at him, surprised, “Wants to?” 

“I don’t know what magic you have trapped in that fuckin’ mullet of yours kid, but suddenly she’s feelin’ all bad. Waiting for you to come in the door like a kicked puppy so she can say sorry – I wish it were me! She’s still on my last nerve,” he was exasperated, almost annoyed. 

“So I’ll level with ya, make this easier for both of you. You work tomorrow? Got any plans?” he asked. Eddie shook his head no.

“That’s what I like to hear. She’s up at Roosevelt hospital on Thursdays, all morning into the afternoon. She gets out around three through the front lobby, you should go meet her when she gets out tomorrow,” Tony took a seat on the bench, unlacing his Doc Martins to switch into his sneakers. 

“What’s in it for you?” Eddie asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder again. 

“I don’t have to deal with that little sad sack moping around my bar,” he said, “You know she’s already got a bad attitude, imagine her when she’s a little bummed out? The worst. Again, please do not tell her I said this, I will not hear the end of it. She’s everywhere, she haunts me.”

“Cross my heart,” Eddie smiled, “Yeah, I can make it to Roosevelt tomorrow.” 

“Ugh, brother, you are saving my life,” Tony said, grabbing his ringed hand. 

Eddie laughed, shaking his hand free and clapping him on the shoulder the way Tony always did to him. As he got to the door of the locker room he heard Tony's soft singing to himself echo off the tiled walls.

“ Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch…” 

— “I promise you Dose, it’s not a date.” 

“Even if it’s not Edward, you can not wear that you look so…you look like you don’t care about impressing her,” Dosia complained from the couch.

Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose, but couldn’t help but smile through his sigh at her, “I am never asking you if I look okay again, if this is how you’re gonna react.” 

“It’s just…can’t you wear a little less black? Something more cheery? It’s a date right? To impress her? You told me you hurt her feelings,” she asked. 

“Yes, I’m going to apologize to her, no it’s not a date,” he said, “I’m meeting her at a hospital.” 

“Well, the shoe fits then,” she said, gesturing towards his outfit, “You look like you’re going to a funeral, anyway.” 

Eddie laughed, “You’re still so sharp, you know that?” 

Dosia crossed her legs and huffed, smoothing the muted pink velvet blanket over her. Her frosty white nails skated over the green and white striped couch, “Do not ask for my advice if you’re not going to take it, kochanie . Oh by the way, your friend, the little one, he called.” 

“Dustin?” Eddie asked, his chest bubbling with excitement. 

“You should call him back, he said it was important,” Dosia held her hand to her forehead dramatically, “Go, go, I cannot bear to look at you anymore, it’s making me depressed.” 

Eddie shook his head at her, walking into his room to pick up the landline on his bedside table. He looked at the clock while he dialed the number and thought it was weird that he’d call while he was at school.

“Eddie?” he heard on the other end of the line. 

“Hey Henderson,” Eddie said, a smile plastered onto his face at the sound of his friend’s voice, “How’s it going, shouldn’t you be in like, fourth period right now?” 

“I skipped,” Dustin said, matter of factly. 

“Ooooh, not cool man, c’mon, don’t be like me,” Eddie said, untangling the coiled cord on the phone so he could give himself a once over in the mirror. 

“It’s just one day, I’m trying to get my character sheet ready for tomorrow,” he said, “I wanted your help.” 

“Erica’s on your ass, huh?” Eddie chuckled, “That’s my girl. Knew I left Hellfire in the right hands. I wish I could help you more dude, but I kind of have to get going. Dose said it was important, is everything okay?” 

“I always say it’s important so you’ll call me back,” he said. 

“It doesn’t have to be important for me to call back, Henderson, just call,” Eddie told him. He held up the orange sweater Dosia got him for Christmas to his chest, balancing the receiver between his cheek and his shoulder. 

“Where do you have to be? Hot date or something?” Dustin teased, a chuckle reverberating through the earphone. 

“Uhhh, sorta,” Eddie responded, a little distracted, tossing the sweater on his bed.

“Wait, really?” he asked, his interest perking up, “You have a date tonight? Steve hasn’t even talked to a girl since last year. ” 

“Last year was a week ago, man.” Eddie could hear Dustin laughing on the other end of the phone, talking to someone else in the room, “Eddie’s already getting more action than you .” 

“Henderson, are you kidding me right now? Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson has a date tonight and I’m here with you twerps?” Eddie could clock that bored, annoyed voice anywhere. 

“Is that Harrington?” Eddie asked, he heard the clatter of another line picking up. 

“Yeah, it’s me, don’t lose your shit,” Steve’s voice was much clearer now. Eddie could still hear Dustin laughing behind him. 

“Having some trouble finding love in the ‘90s, Steve-o?” Eddie asked, checking himself out at every angle in the mirror, still, “Need some advice?” 

“Yeah, ha, ha, I get it, it’s very funny – look, I don’t need dating advice from someone who still plays Dungeons and Dragons, but I do have a favor to ask,” Steve said shortly. 

“Ask away, big boy.” 

“Are you gonna be around, we uh,” Steve’s voice hushed a little, “We gotta get Robin the hell outta dodge.” 

“Oh shit,” he said, grabbing the phone with his hand and switching ears, “Is everything good?” “As good as it can be, but I think her folks are starting to catch on man,” Steve said, “I was gonna drive with her over to you. We were gonna see if we could find her a place. You gonna be free at all, soon?” 

“I mean yeah, but – my roommate–” 

“The old Polish lady? Yeah, Dustin told me about that, that’s weird man–” 

“Sh-shut up, Harrington. Dosia’s going to visit her son in Jersey for a week really soon, you can come around then. Do you have that much time?” 

There was a brief silence, “Uh yeah, yeah. Just keep me posted so we can ask for some time off work.” 

“Make him go to class, dude,” Eddie pleaded, “I gotta go.” He hung up and took a deep breath. He missed his friends, even if they were stupid kids.

He checked his watch and cursed a little, heart thumping in his chest. He had to go before he’d miss her leaving the hospital. He shrugged on his leather jacket, expertly sliding his vest over it, and double checked his pockets for his wallet and keys. Both were secure on the chain dangling down his thigh. 

“Good luck, przystojny!” Dosia called out while the door shut behind him, "Go fetch me another daughter-in-law!"

— Right on time. 

From the base of the steps, he saw her struggle to push open the door, he tried not to laugh at her. 

“Hey!” he called out, waving her over to him. She stopped in her tracks, peering down at him from the door. 

“Munson?!” she called back. 

“Yeah! It’s me! I came to say sorry!” Oh my God, Munson, why did you just yell that?  She pattered down the steps, making quick work of getting over to him. 

“Hi,” she said, hoisting her back pack high on her shoulder. 

“Oh,” he said, looking her over, “You look different.” Her hair was up in a claw clip, just her permed bangs and some fallen hair framing her cheeks fell out of it. Eyeshadow replaced by a swipe of mascara, the bite of the cold as her blush. The only thing that he recognized was the scent of chapstick on her lips. He could see a smattering of freckles across her face. She looked younger, but more lived in. 

“I mean I don’t wear makeup to the hospital, it’s not that kind of gig,” she confessed, looking down at her winter boots. She rubbed her knees together nervously, the light wash denim swishing together.

“I don’t mean that you look bad!” Eddie backtracked, “You just look different. You still look, you know, you still look like you. You still look pretty.” He felt his stomach turn, hoping desperately that the next thing out of his mouth sounded cool. 

“Thanks,” Rhonda said, not meeting his eyes, focused on a loose string on her jacket. 

“Um, uh, have you eaten? Can I get you some lunch or coffee or something?” he asked, “There’s a diner like, a block away.” 

“Kind of late for lunch, don’t you think?” she asked, finally looking up at him. She put her hands in her pockets, rocking on her heels.

He shrugged, “Late lunch, then?” 

“I guess,” she smiled at him. Eddie's heart jumped to his throat as he walked with her away from Roosevelt.

‘Every SINGLE time she comes in from that clinic she spends the first hour of her shift going “I’m hungry, I’m hungry.” And I tell her every time, eat some fuckin’ LUNCH, Rhonda. You never even eat breakfast, no wonder she’s always in a bad mood. She lives off spite and Marlboros, I swear t'God.’ A rant of Tony’s from a week ago played back in Eddie’s mind. Tony owed him, now she’d be fed and feel better about their fight. It’ll be the best shift of his life. 

They slid into a booth, Eddie nervously drumming his fingers on the table and smiling up at the waitress who poured them each a cup of coffee, “Thanks.” 

“Don’t mention it,” she drawled. He watched Rhonda reach for the little creamers and three packs of sugar. She slapped the packs on her hand, ripping off the top of two, pouring them into the cup, and then only adding a quarter of the other in. 

“Two and a quarter?” he asked. 

She smiled while pouring one of the mini creamers in, “I’m sure it doesn’t make a difference but I’ve always done it like that. My dad was the same. Medium, hot, cream, two-ish sugars, whatever ‘ish’ means. He’d have me go in the morning and get it for him–” 

“Y’know, until I started stealing the change,” she tapped the spoon off the edge of the mug after stirring and put it on the napkin next to her. Rhonda held her coffee with both hands, resting her elbows on the table and looking at Eddie through the steam. 

“Tony told you to come here, didn’t he?” she asked. He choked on his own coffee. 

“Uh, no, no,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Don’t lie, Munson, how else would you know when I got off?” she asked. 

“So he might’ve told me to come meet you, is that a crime?” he asked. 

“Not in the same way that Motörhead shirt is,” she said, smirking into a sip from her mug.

“You know,” he said, leaning on his forearm and elbow, gesturing to her, “In fifth grade, my teacher used to tell me that if girls were mean to me it meant they had a crush on me.” 

“Oh honey,” she cooed, putting her hand down on the table, “He was lying. They were mean to you because you’re weird.” 

Honey. Honey. Honey. He wanted to reach down and grab her hand, feel how warm it was, see what it would be like to lace her fingers with his — ‘Betty ‘Apple Pie’ Cunningham’. His nostrils flared.

“So, I came here to apologize to you for leaving you at Skid,” Eddie started, a small jolt of anger flashing in his chest, “But I feel like you need to apologize to me first. You said some really awful shit.” 

She was quiet for a minute and put her coffee down on the table, skating her hand back to rest on her forearms.

“I did,” she said, “And I felt really bad about it after, but I also was mad that you left me at the bar, that wasn’t cool. I thought you’d at least come by and fix the gate Saturday so we could talk about it.” 

“I’m sorry I left you at Skid,” he said sincerely, “I’m really sorry. I was just feeling like — I wouldn’t have left if you hadn’t made up that name.” 

“What name?” she asked, cocking her head.

“Oh!” she remembered, surprised at that being the reason, “The Betty Cunningham thing?” 

He sighed, quickly trying to come up with a watered down version of the truth, “So, like you so poignantly pointed out, I did have a crush on the head cheerleader in high school. I liked her for like…ever, since I was in middle school.” 

“And one day during my uh, my third , senior year, she asked if she could buy some weed off me which like, wow, y’know. Hawkins’s little princess asking me, Eddie The Freak Munson who she hasn’t spoken to since like, 8th grade, for drugs was pretty wild. So we met up in the woods and like, she was just so nice? We had such a good time talking to each other and I gave her a ride to my place to sell her some shit. And I thought for a little you know, ‘Hey, maybe this could be something,’”  his voice fell to something a sullen, “‘Cause I was feeling some kind of connection…I don’t know, maybe I made it up. But it didn’t really matter cause um…”

Eddie bit his lip, his chest still getting tight at the memory. He laced his fingers at the center of the table. 

“She passed away,” he said looking down at the table. He heard Rhonda let out a soft gasp, “Her name was Chrissy. Chrissy Cunningham. So, yeah…now you know.”

“Ed I’m — I’m so sorry,” she said, placing her hand over his fingers, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” 

“I know you didn’t, and it’s okay, I just wanted you to know why I left. It doesn’t excuse anything or whatever, it just really hurt my feelings,” he confessed, his cheeks burning at the feeling of her hand on his. Her dark red manicured nails were shining in the harsh light of the diner, her thumb slid back and forth on the back of his hand. Eddie's heart thrummed in his chest again.

“What can I get you folks?” The waitress asked while walking up to the table, order pad in hand.

“Can I just get the house burger and fries, please? Medium rare.” Ed asked, “And a coke.” 

“And you, sweetheart?” she asked.

“Uh, I think I’m good—“

“Order some fuckin’ lunch, Rhonda,” Eddie muttered, his cadence sounding a lot like—

“Oh, I didn’t know Tony was here,” she murmured sarcastically, turning her attention to the waitress, “I’ll have the same.” 

“How do you think I know you never eat lunch after a stint at the hospital, and then complain for your whole entire shift about how hungry you are?” Ed asked while the waitress walked away scribbling down their orders. 

She held her mouth open in fake shock, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips, “Stop, he didn’t say that.” 

“All he does at Gleason’s is complain about you, can’t imagine why. You’re not stubborn, or mean, or impatient, or scathing at all,” he said, unlacing his fingers to lace her hand into his own, “Don’t know where he gets those ideas.” 

She blushed, “Shut up, Munson.” She gently pulled her hand away, her fingertips lingered on his for a moment before grabbing her coffee again. His hands felt clumsy and empty when he wasn't holding hers anymore.

“Oh, I talked to Spike,” she said, quickly swallowing a sip, “About your weird game. Dragons and Draping, or whatever.” 

“Dungeons and Dragons, Ron,” he said, “It’s Dungeons. And. Dragons. D, and, D.” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, one of their guys just got put in Rikers so, they are looking for someone to do the um..the…story! To tell the story? I don’t know what the fuck it is,” she said.

“He needs a new DM for their campaign?” he asked.

“YES! That,” she pointed at him, “That, whatever that means. He’ll be at Skid tonight cause Deb’s working and he has a big fat crush on her, you should come by.” 

“I was gonna offer to take you to work anyway, I took my car up here,” he said, drumming his fingers again, “If you want.” 

“Oh, I’m not supposed to get in the car with strangers, sorry,” she said, “Better luck next time.” 

“If I leave you up here to take the train when Tone knows I could’ve driven you, he’s gonna kick my ass.” 

“Yeah, that’s—that’s funny to me. That’s the point.” 

“Ron, I’m not asking. I’m telling you I’m driving you to Skid,” he said, “I’ll forgive you quicker if you let me ride you—um—I mean, drive you–Jesus. Christ.” He hid his face in his hands, his face red with embarrassment. 

“I mean you got something right, Munson. A lot of people have forgiven me quicker after I let them ride me,” she laughed. 

“Oh god,” he said, rubbing his eyes, laughing too, “Pretend you didn’t hear that.” 

They had to eat quickly, her shift at Skid was at 5 and she had to put her face on in the diner. With traffic, Eddie didn’t know how long it would be to get back downtown. When the check came, they stared at each other, daring the other to try and reach for it. 

“I’m paying, Munson, it’s my apology lunch,” she argued while pulling her wallet out of her backpack. 

“Rhonda Jean Riccio, if you don’t put that wallet away–” he warned, tossing a twenty on the table from a wad of bills in his hand. He slid the roll of twenties back in his pocket as discreetly as possible. 

“My full name?” she ‘tsk’d, “Are you and Tony giggling about me at sleepovers or somethin’?”

“Oh no, just complaining about you,” he said, sliding out of the booth. He straightened out his jacket while Rhonda put her coat back on. Red lipped and pretty, like the day he first met her. They walked outside in the cold air, the wind sending their hair spiraling. Eddie hunched into his leather jacket. 

“Wait inside, I have to go grab the van from a little down the street. I’ll swing around and get you,” he said, jamming his hands in his pockets. 

“You need a winter coat, Ed,” she said, adjusting her scarf. 

“M’alright,” he said, “Just wait inside while I get the car.” 

“You’re gonna freeze to death,” she laughed, stepping closer to him, “On second thought, don’t get a winter coat. You should freeze to death.” 

He nudged her with his shoulder and she nudged him back. Back and forth until they were both giggling.

"I have to get the car, Ron, c'mon," Eddie pleaded.

“Thanks for um, getting me lunch,” she said a little breathily. The tips of their feet were touching. He looked down at her, her eyes glinted in the light of the setting sun. Her lips were pouty and parted – he went numb. Eddie's bangs brushed her forehead while their eyes locked, noses brushing. Rhonda blushed while she looked up at him, his eyes serious but caring. Eddie swallowed hard, his heart hammered in his chest. He ran his tongue over his lips to wet them, cursing himself for not putting on chapstick. For eating something with onions on it. Rhonda could feel his breath on her cheek while he leaned in, sme–

“Oh! Shit, I forgot my lipstick in the booth. Let me go get it and I’ll meet you in the car,” she squeaked, “I’ll be right out.” He watched her spin and hop back into the diner, scurrying over to the booth. Eddie took a deep breath, watching the exhale smoke around him. 

“Get it together, Munson,” he muttered to himself, “It’s not a fuckin’ date.” 

He hustled to the van, feeling lucky he got it detailed just last week so she wouldn’t be sitting on cigarette ash and the back wouldn’t be filled with empty beer cans. He turned the ignition and cranked the heat so she wouldn’t be too shivery when she got in – uh – wait, no, it was so the van would be warm for him, it’s not about Rhonda. It wasn't a date.

He drove around the block to pull back up to the diner, seeing her in the doorway. Eddie beeped twice, tapping two cigarettes out and putting one in his mouth, lighting it with his zippo that made it out of the Upside Down with him. Rhonda hopped in, bouncing a bit on the seat. 

“Here,” he offered, passing her the cigarette between his fingers. 

“Oh thanks, um,” she put it in her mouth, “I don’t have a light on me, I left it at Skid.” 

He beckoned her forward, “I got it.” 

She leaned in while he put the tip of his cigarette to hers, blowing while she inhaled enough to light her own. She took a long drag, rolled the window down a crack, and let the smoke drift out of her mouth. 

“Whew!” she said, “Something about that lunch really made me crave a cigarette. Probably those fries, they were like, better than sex, right?” 

He changed gears, pulling out from in front of the diner and turning onto the road. He smirked, the cigarette still dangling out of his mouth as he did. Confidence swelled in his chest while putting one arm out behind her headrest and letting the other one lazily man the wheel. Metallica blared through the speakers, covering up the thrumming of his heart against his ribcage. 

“Yeah,” he smiled, “Better than sex, Ron.” 

‘I promise you, Dose, it’s not a date.‘  

[tinytalkingtina]

Tater tot

Written for the @steddiemicrofic bonus challenge prompt "birthday". Happy birthday @steddieas-shegoes, hope you have a lovely day :)

290 words | rating: G

Tags: Parents Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson, fluff, parenthood

Ao3 link

Steve stared through the window at the tiny bundle wrapped up in front of them, tearing up only a little at the sound of another lullaby wafting through the hospital intercom. Robert Wayne Munson remained oblivious to anything in the bassinet. The tiny blue hat perched on his head almost completely covered his even tinier eyes. His nose is so small, can he even breathe okay through those mini nostrils? “He looks like a potato.” Startled out of his spiraling thoughts, Steve snorted a watery laugh and punched Eddie lightly in the shoulder. “Only 3 hours old and already facing the peanut gallery. Don’t be mean to our son on his birthday.” Eddie looked around before he briefly squeezed his hand, stroking his thumb over the band from their illegal backyard wedding five years ago. “I never said he was an ugly potato. But he’s an oval swaddled lump, they’ve spudified him! Our-” Eddie stopped for a moment, his eyes widening before choking out “Our son. Steve, oh my G-d, we’re parents now.” Steve had been a blubbering mess alongside Robin during the entire ride to the hospital and delivery, but Eddie had managed to keep it together. Now, it was as if the floodgates opened. By the time the nurses brought their infant — their son! — back into Robin’s room, Wayne had arrived and Eddie pulled himself together enough to take the baby into only slightly shaking hands. “Hey there, happy birthday little guy, I hope you know how much you’re going to be loved, always” he whispered softly as he ducked his head down to place a soft kiss on his son’s forehead. Steve stepped in to place a kiss in the same spot, his heart bursting.

[discoscoob]

People started shipping Klaus and Eddie (I love this) two characters from completely different shows, which shows us that characters don’t even have to interact, meet or even be in the same show for people to ship them.

That’s while I’ll never understand people responding with “they only interacted once” “they shared 5 minutes on screen together” when they see people shipping two characters.

Even if I don’t understand the appeal of a ship why should I expect others to not ship it because I don’t see the appeal?

Anyway, Eddie becomes Kas the vampire and he and Klaus are already boyfriends and Klaus was obviously devastated when yet another one of his boyfriends died and he’s even more upset when he can’t even manifest his ghost. Then he realises that he can’t manifest his ghost because Eddie is not actually dead. So he goes looking for him and when he finds him he discovers he is a vampire and Klaus lets Eddie drink his blood because it doesn’t matter how much he takes Klaus is immortal so he just keeps coming back. And since vampires can’t die, unless they get a stake through the heart, Eddie is technically immoral too, so Klaus will never have to worry about outliving him and they’ll just be immortal together and live happily ever after.

[artiststarme]

Let's Get Out Of Here

Aha, the writer’s block is gone! I’m not sure what this is but I hope you guys like it! Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

~*~*~*~

Eddie had wanted to leave since he stepped foot into the god-forsaken town. As soon as he’d passed the town’s border in the backseat of the social worker’s sedan, he knew he didn’t belong there. Hawkins was everything he despised about society; white picket fences for the rich, small town boys who thought they were better than everyone else, and snobby adults that turned their nose up if he so much as looked at them.

So yes, he’d been imagining a way out since he got in. He’d imagined Corroded Coffin making it big and getting to leave Hawkins together, best friends living the best life on stage while sharing their music with the masses. They wouldn’t be the outcasts that people treated like shit beneath their boots anymore, they would be something important. Unfortunately, that dream was squashed by his experiences over Spring Break. His old friends wouldn’t so much as glance at him much less leave town to hit the road with him.

Gone were the friends that would listen to him narrate a campaign for hours on end. Gone were the the friends that would drop everything to practice one of Eddie’s spur of the moment song ideas. After Spring Break of his third senior year, Eddie was alone.

He managed to avoid criminal charges by the skin of his teeth with a bogus alibi fabricated by the surprisingly-still-alive-Chief Hopper. He was finally able to graduate from high school and get a full time job to raise some money. But everything else was ruined. The friends he’d had since sophomore year were gone, the trailer he’d called his home was savaged, and his body was marred with gruesome scars that still wrought pain on the worst days.

On the bad days when the pain kept him in bed, he’d fantasize about leaving Hawkins. New, more achievable dreams centered around moving someplace new with Wayne. They’d pack everything up in the van and truck and just take off. They’d leave the tragic Midwest behind and head somewhere bigger like LA or NYC to take the world at storm, Munsons against the world as it had always been. Unfortunately though, they just didn’t have the funds to do that. Wayne couldn’t leave the plant when he had no savings to his name. And Eddie didn’t have anywhere near enough saved from working at Thatcher Tire to support them both.

He still had nothing going for him in Hawkins though. The harsh glares and pointed insults had only worsened since Chrissy’s death. He had to leave. But, he’d always been a coward at heart and he wasn’t brave enough to leave on his own. He would be trapped in the town that hated him until he died or something happened to force him out.

The one thing he had still was his family. It had lost several members but it had gained even more. The Party had managed to creep passed his defenses to find a place in his broken heart. Steve and Robin in particular grew close to him, assigning themselves best friends of Eddie Munson 1 and 2, respectively. They would hang out around Wayne’s new trailer, bother him at work, and he’d bother them at theirs.

It was on one of these impromptu hang-out sessions that a spark of hope developed in his chest. He’d been mourning his cowardice and inability to leave in silence until Steve started complaining about feeling trapped in his empty home. It was then that Eddie saw an opportunity.

“I don’t know, man. I know it sounds stupid, how can I feel trapped in a big house? But there’s just nothing there! And it’s, it’s suffocating, man. I don’t know how much longer I can stay there.”

Steve murmured his words against the end of a cigarette, his body leaning against the side of the car that Eddie was pretending to work on. But how was he supposed to focus on changing a timing belt when the object of his affections was expressing a will to leave?

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Eddie nearly fell over as he rushed to reassure him. “Hell, I’ve felt suffocated since I got here.”

Steve hummed softly and took a puff of his cigarette.

Eddie smirked sardonically and chuckled to himself. “Maybe we should leave together. You could stop being a ghost in your parents house and I could stop being the murderer that killed his classmates. We could get a place together and decorate it half jock, half metal. That’d be a sight.”

Steve looked over at him with squinted eyes. “Really? You’d want to leave with me?”

“Why not? You’re one of my best friends, Stevie. I’d love to leave with you.”

The suspicion melted from Steve’s expression and a genuine smile took its place. He dropped the cigarette to the gravel ground, pulled the tool from Eddie’s hand and pulled him into an all-encompassing hug.

“Let’s do it! You and me. And Robin, I don’t think she’d let me move without her. We’re a package deal, if that’s okay.”

Eddie laughed and it’s him, high in the moment despite it all being a joke. “Of course! You can bring your emotional support lesbian and I’ll bring my Sweetheart. Then we’ll take the world by storm.”

Steve held onto him for another few moments before pulling away. “Okay, when do you want to leave?”

The smile fell from Eddie’s face. “Wha- seriously? You actually want to leave with me?”

“Um, yes? I feel like I made that pretty obvious.”

Eddie blinked. “Um, okay. How about the end of the summer. Then we’ll have enough time to find a place and raise some cash.”

Steve grinned. “Sounds good! I’ll tell Robin. See you later, Eds!”

Eddie could only watch him skip to his car in shock. Steve continued to surprise the hell out of him. He’d shocked him in the Upside Down by being a genuinely good guy. Again when he’d fought the entire basketball team two weeks afterward to protect Eddie’s honor. And now with plans to rescue him from the stifling hatred of Hawkins.

When he pulls him into a gentle kiss as soon as they step into the apartment with Robin behind them griping about carrying all the bags, that’s a nice surprise too.

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[thikkiesixx]

Steddie Fic Rec pt. 2

More Steddie fic recs, most, if not all, of these will be smut. Enjoy hehe.

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monsoon season: summary- beloved children's author Eddie Munson, meet notoriously petty smut writer Steve Harrington. sorta enemies to lovers. 6k words. written by wynnfryd.

TITS magazine: summary- Eddie finds a magazine, then he finds a man. 12k words. written by wynnfryd.

my way, your way (anything goes): summary- Rockstar!Eddie Munson au set in the summer of 1988 where Corroded Coffin opens for Guns N’ Roses after Eddie ran away from Hawkins. Steve sees him for the first time in over a year and old feelings resurface. 25k words. written by rogersharringtons.

im liquid smooth, come touch me too: summary- massage therapist Steve and rockstar Eddie meet after a mixup and things get heated. 7.5k words. written by poopypantsbennett.

caught (on tape): summary- Eddie is someone people know. Someone people would never associate with the likes of Steve Harrington. And, fuck. He loves that. He gets off on that. To know that people steer clear of Eddie and his boys at events, to know that they all see him as some terrifying, larger-than-life persona, a force not to be reckoned with. It makes Steve’s head spin. It scratches an itch deep inside his brain, something he could never reach by himself. Because, at the end of the day, it’s him who gets to bring Eddie to this point. 4.5k words. written by ssoftcell.

the bartender was a trap: summary- Steve rails Eddie while talking about D&D. personally one of my faves rn. 3k words. written by mixaddams.

uneducated guesses: summary- "Steve." He pointed at the name tag on his chest. Eddie hadn't even noticed, too distracted by that face. "What's your usual scene, Eddie?" 21k words. written by eddywow.

my boyfriends in a band (he play guitar while i sing lou reed): summary- Eddie and Steve move to NYC together and when Eddie starts hooking up with guys Steve feels weird about it. It takes some revelations and even more phone calls with Robin to understand it’s jealousy. 13k words. written by unkreativstermensch.

the pre-show ritual: summary- What surprised Steve about tonight was that he wasn't sticking his dick through the hole. Instead, he found himself sitting on his heels in front of it, hands wringing anxiously in his lap as he licked his lips and waited for someone to shuffle into the other stall. 12k words. written by helix_stomper.

reach out: summary- “I didn’t know how much I’d miss you until you were gone. Right before you left, I kinda… figured some things out about myself, but I didn’t know if you’d… but I missed my chance to find out.” Without knowing he intended to speak, Eddie opened his mouth, vaguely surprised at the dusty rasp of his voice. “You didn’t know if I’d what?” “Y’know.” His face flushing even more deeply red, Steve smiled awkwardly. “Be interested.” 5k words. written by venusdoom3

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PLS, if you have any of ur own recs DO NOT HESITATE TO SHARE!!! im always looking for good fics!!

[sataniquepanique]

New York, I Love You.

Summary: Eddie plans a trip to NYC for your anniversary, but becomes distant once you land in the city that never sleeps. You know he's hiding something, but you're not sure what.

Genre: fluff, angst, older!Eddie

Warnings: mention of depression/intrusive thoughts

A/N: I'm getting married in 2 weeks (fucking yikes), so I wrote something based on my fiancé's actual proposal to take my mind off of planning shit for two fucking seconds.

“Have you heard about the theory that Van Gogh didn’t actually kill himself?” You chime, looking over the museum map, eagerly tracing an invisible tour path through the winding galleries.

“You’ve only told me about it a million times over the past seven years,” Eddie chuckles as he stares down the entranceway of the Museum of Modern Art. The two of you look incredibly out of place; stark white walls, juxtaposed with tattoos and leather. The soft squeak of your Docs reverberate through the winding hallway, adding to the anxiety that’s been building since stepping foot in New York City two days ago. Something was off with Eddie, but you couldn’t put a finger on it. It started at the airport, he had stopped talking after getting to the gate; chalking it up to nerves about flying, you ignored it. The first day in the city was the same, barely any conversation unless you initiated it, and even less physical affection on his part. Maybe he was still tired from the trip, or maybe he just hated the city? A third reason rears its ugly head and starts to burrow deep inside your conscious; maybe he was getting tired of you. After seven years of being together, of cohabitating in a small apartment outside of Hawkins, of two cats and a dog later, maybe the love of your life was pushing away. 

A hand on the small of your back snaps your attention back to the map. The 1880-1940’s collection is on the 5th floor, allowing you to traverse through the rest of the museum before seeing the one piece this entire trip was centered around.

———

New York City was actually Eddie’s idea, though it doesn’t seem so from his current disconnected behavior. A few months prior he had bounded into the living room, smiling like he had just won the lottery.

“Baby,” he sang in his best, most innocent voice, “how would you feel about going to New York City in July?” 

Your head slowly rose from the book you were buried in. His particular tone was usually only reserved for when he was already in trouble, or plotting something mischievous. 

“What’s your angle, Munson?” Shifting forward on the couch, your eyes narrow in suspicion.

Hand over heart, he looks at you with faux offense, “How dare you think so little of me. I just think we should do something cool for our anniversary this year.”

All your wariness fades to glowing endearment.

“Oh Eds, that’d be amazing! Of course I’d love to go to New York!” 

His face relaxes as he huffs out a relieved breath, “Oh thank god, ‘cause I already bought plane tickets—“

You smile at him, impressed that he had actually planned something ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute like usual. You’ve been together almost 7 years, and as time went on celebrating your anniversary became less and less theatrical, now consisting of take-out from your favorite Chinese place and a movie of unanimous choosing. Low-key, comfortable, but still full of love, just like you and Eddie.

“—and I also reserved two tickets for the Museum of Modern Art.”

Your eyes almost pop out of your head, “That’s where—“

“—Starry Night is. I know, that’s why I’m taking you there.” He flops down onto the couch, throwing a casual arm around your shoulders as you melt into him.

For your entire life, or at least as long as you can remember, Van Gogh has been your favorite artist. Doing master-copies of his paintings in high school, trying to hard to get his technique just right, obsessing over his use of color to convey emotion. In college you majored in Art History, specializing in Post-Impressionism, spending long nights pouring over books about Vincent’s life and background. As much as you love his work, his story made him that much more intriguing. How a man struggled with such a tragic life and still managed to see the beauty in the world was nothing less than astounding. 

You’ve seen a few of Van Gogh’s pieces in person at museums in the tri-state area, but you haven’t traveled much further. Money’s been tight ever since you and Eddie moved in together a few years ago, but you’ve always had the bug, itching to go far away and see the world with all it has to offer. Eddie shares the same desire, always talking about dream trips and planning fake vacations, waiting for the day you can make them a reality. 

“Eddie, where did you get the money for this?” The thought of possibly spending rent money on plane tickets makes you panic, but he’s is quick to shrug it away.

“I picked up some extra shifts at the shop, we’re fine don’t worry.”

———

Eddie is usually very physically affectionate, constantly having a hold somewhere on your body; but through 4 floors of galleries he hasn’t so much as touched your hand. The lack of contact is all you can think about, barely able to take in any of the artwork you’ve traveled all this way to see. As you make your way to the 5th floor, Eddie trudges behind silently. The awkward tension is killing you, and you’re not sure how much more you can take.

Turning into the 1880s gallery, a small crowd of people gather around the far corner. A glimpse of familiar cerulean and marigold swirls, the same brushstrokes you’ve studied for years, peaks over the top of their heads. You swiftly push to the front, and all of the air is crushed from your lungs. 

It’s other-worldly. 

Every photo you’ve ever seen of The Starry Night doesn’t do it justice, not even remotely. The peaks of paint that dot the surface of the canvas, the brightness of each color, none of it can be properly depicted on the pages of a textbook. After so many years of studying this painting, seeing it in the flesh is almost like seeing an old friend. There’s a calmness in it, admiration mixed with giddiness.

You’re close to tears as you feel Eddie’s presence beside you.

“It’s amazing…” his voice is low, partly because of the subdued setting, but also in awe.

All you can muster is a nod as your eyes drag over every inch of the painting, committing it to memory. 

You have to practically rip yourself away, buzzing from the entire experience. 

Eddie waits by the entranceway with his hands in his front pockets, “Do you wanna go get dinner? I’m starving.”

“Sure,” still unnerved by his demeanor, your tone is stoic and emotionless, “Where do you wanna go?”

He scratches the back of his neck, something only done when he’s uncomfortable, “Uh, there’s this pub across 52nd if that’s cool?”

An audible stomach growl answers for you.

Eddie keeps a few feet of distance between your bodies, weaving through groups of people on the crowded sidewalk. You’ve never seen this many people in your life, even at college in Indianapolis. Growing up in Indiana, your hometown was so small that everyone knew each other, same with Eddie’s upbringing in Hawkins. City life always intrigued you, and up until this moment you had thought of Indianapolis as a “big city”; but it was nothing compared to New York. After high school you moved away to college to study art, choosing Indiana University for its busier atmosphere. 

A month after graduating with your BFA, you met Eddie by accident. Moving back home to live with your parents was the last thing you wanted, but finding a good paying job was proving to be more difficult than anticipated. 

Depression started to sink it’s disgusting claws into your psyche; you felt like a failure. 

One night, in a valiant attempt to bring some joy back into your life, your best friend dragged you to a bar in the next town over; the promise of live music and alcohol extremely enticing. Hawkins wasn’t known for much, except for the weird rumors about mysterious disappearances over the years, so you weren’t expecting much from this hole-in-the-wall bar. The Hideout was kind of gross, but in an almost endearing way. The floors were sticky and the air almost unbreathable, but the staff was kind, despite their rough appearances. The bartender chatted the two of you up for while, making jokes and letting you sample whatever beer you wanted to try, all while some metal band played on the rickety stage in the back. 

A little before midnight, the band had packed up and the crowd inside thinned out to just regulars and a few drunk stragglers. As you sat at the bar and waited for your friend to get back from the bathroom, a stranger sat next to you and ordered a beer, greeting the bartender like an old friend. After exchanging a few light-hearted jabs, the stranger smiled and looked over at you. 

“Cheers—“ he holds out the neck of the bottle towards you.

Taken aback by his boldness, you return a small grin, “Cheers to what?” 

He shrugs, sucking his teeth in thought for a second, “To metal? To surviving another gig? I dunno.”

The guitar pick around his neck catches your eye, “Was that your band playing earlier?”

He gives a shy nod, smile stretching wider and accentuating a dimple on his left cheek.

“You guys sounded really good,” You hold out your own bottle towards him.

“I’ll cheers to that,” he taps against yours, a small clink echoing in the almost empty bar. 

“I’m Eddie, by the way.”

“Y/n. It’s nice to meet you, Eddie.” Normally, you would rather die than talk to a random person at a bar, but there was something about this boy that drew you in. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was how ethereal he looked under the neon bar signs, either way you were captivated.

You stayed at the Hideout longer than intended, long after your friend had decided to go home. Eddie made you laugh with stupid jokes and weird stories, sharing your mutual love of horror movies and fantasy books. You were so enthralled that you hadn’t even noticed it was closing time. Apologizing to the bartender, you asked to use their phone to call a cab. Eddie immediately offered to drive you home, promising he wasn’t a serial killer when you profusely questioned him. 

The drive was filled with loud music and scream-singing on both of your parts, Eddie drumming on the steering wheel to the beat as you headbanged beside him. When he pulled up at your parents house, you quickly pulled a pen out of your bag, scribbling your phone number onto his forearm. He winked before driving away, having stayed a few extra minutes to make sure you got inside safely. Every thought for the rest of the night was consumed by Eddie; something was tying you to him, and you wanted to follow that invisible tether all the way to the end.

———

The 52nd Street pub was empty, something that was shocking upon entry, but you were nonetheless a little grateful for it. The quiet was a welcome change from the overwhelming sounds of New York, a small corner of solitude in the center of the city that never sleeps. Welcome almost as much, are the beers that you and Eddie down immediately. 

Though he normally cannot stop talking, Eddie is being uncharacteristically mute. You have to practically drag out any bit of conversation, forcing small talk until the food arrives and you can focus on that instead. 

After a silent meal, the portly older waiter drops off your check and strikes up a conversation with Eddie about your trip and why you were visiting. Eddie put on his polite voice, smiling and laughing along with man’s questions. This stranger was receiving more from him than you had in days. 

The nagging voice in your head struck up again: he’s tired of you.

You stopped paying attention to Eddie’s side-conversation as annoyance consumed you. There was an emerging throb in your head, the physical pain matching the emotional hurt of Eddie’s complete disdain towards you. At this point, all you wanted was to go home.

The sun was setting as you walk out onto the corner of 52nd, and you squint down the street searching for a cab. 

“Hey—“ Eddie smiled at you for what seems like the first time all day, “—wanna go to Central Park?” He points down the street, and you can make out the tops of the trees seven blocks away. 

You shake your head, “I’m really tired, and my head is killing me. I’d rather just go back to the hotel honestly.” 

Eddie’s face falls a little, and you feel slightly guilty, but then remember how uninterested he was all day. 

Again, he glances towards the park, “Are you sure? It’s just a few blocks away—“

“No, Eddie. I just want to go back to the room.” Your voice was stern, annoyed that he only now wanted to spend time with you. A yellow cab crested over the next block, and you raise a hand to get the drivers attention.

“I would rather share one lifetime with you—“ Eddie mumbles behind you. Only half listening, you swear he’s grumbling about not being able to go to the park, and it sets off a rage flare.

“—What?” You snap your head around to face him, eyes narrow and angry, bracing yourself for an argument.

He’s standing a few feet away, one hand in his pocket, the other holding up a diamond ring. Your lungs constrict, an audible gasp escaping as you stare at him wide-eyed. He grins sheepishly as you freeze in place.

“Eddie…what?” 

“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone,” He repeats, returning your stare with his soft brown eyes. 

“…are you seriously quoting Lord of the Rings to me right now?” You laugh, all tension leaving your body. 

“Did you expect anything less from me?” His deep eyes search yours, silencing the menacing voice in your head, “Marry me, Y/n. I love you more than anything—“

“—more than Gollum loves his precious?”

Eddie rolls his eyes and snorts, “Obviously, you fucking nerd.” 

Scoffing dramatically, you smile and take the ring from his outstretched hand, sliding it onto your finger. 

“Of course I’ll marry you, Eddie Munson. I thought you’d never ask.” 

Finally, after days of anxiety and frustration, he kisses you, smiling the entire time. You can almost physically feel the stress leave his body as you hold onto him.

Pulling back you grab his hand, interlocking your fingers, “Is this why you’ve been acting weird?”

He chuckles, “Yeah, I was super nervous. I honestly planned on doing it in front of The Starry Night, but I freaked out when I saw how many people were around.”

Your heart soars at the sentiment, and you look down at your hand in his, the little diamond sparkling in the fading sunlight. 

[seidenbros]

Should I Stay or Should I Go

Requests are open | prompt lists for inspiration | Stranger Things Masterlist

Summary: You grew up with Eddie Munson, you were best friends, had even become a couple at 15 years, when you had to move away from Hawkins with your family. Eddie had given you a promise with a ring, that you'd one day marry. Only that after you'd left the next day, neither of you had been able to reach out to the other one - his number had changed, but you'd left him a letter with your address. Nothing ever came in the mail. Still, now five years later, you come back to Hawkins to see him again, find out what happened and more than anything: Make your best friend a part of your life again. But does he even want that?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Word count: 5k something

Warning/Tags: fluff and angst (honestly this got angstier than I initially wanted to), reunion, D&D references, Wayne Munson being the best person on this planet, hurt/comfort (a little at least), soft and hurt Eddie (let me know if I missed anything)

Author's note: This is a follow up to Promises (I named that series Promises now as well, not very creative I know), but I don't think you need to have read that to understand this part. Everything you need to know is either in the summar or explained in the text (but if you want to read teenage/kid Eddie, that's what's described in Promises). This takes place shortly before season 4 starts and all hell breaks loose.

On AO3

Part 1: Promises | Part 2: Should I Stay or Should I Go | Part 3: Rainbow in the Dark | Part 4: Holy Diver | Part 5: Bat out of Hell | Don't You (Forget About Me)

‘86 Baby!

Setting foot into Hawkins felt… strange. In a good way. You’d missed this town, had missed everything you’d experienced here, the people you’d called your friends, your old house, just everything. But you’d built a life for yourself in NYC, not that you’d really had a different choice in the beginning. You could have left after your graduation, but you hadn’t. All these years you hadn’t heard a word from Eddie, and yes, you’d held out hope that he might eventually reach out - and you would have welcomed him back into your life straight away. But he’d never done that.

Your parents had brought up Juilliard again after your graduation and to shut them up, you’d even applied, sure that you wouldn’t get a spot, but you did. Your guitar-playing was great, but they were more impressed with your voice, and especially the kind of music you were singing. It wasn’t often that they got someone in front of them who was singing rock music instead of something more… classic.

It was a big surprise for you, and your parents were overjoyed.They didn’t need to worry about your sister, your brother had been drafted by the New York Rangers and was getting his hockey career under way, while you could make music. Only that it was bittersweet for you. While you still enjoyed listening to and making music, because you couldn’t live without it, you always connected it with Eddie. All the songs you wrote were songs that you wanted him to hear, wanted his opinion on, because you worked best together.

Nothing you’d written alone felt like anything you’d done together. It wasn’t complete. Nobody really understood what you were saying, because your songs were good, brilliant even, but you didn’t think so. Sure, you were your own biggest critic on the one hand, but music simply wasn’t the same without him, without the boy who’d once promised to marry you one day.

You still wore the ring on your hand, twisted and turned it around your finger, because you were nervous. You’d told your parents that you needed a break, that you had to get out, because you didn’t know if Juilliard really was the right thing for you. It was like you’d lost a part of yourself and you needed to find that again.

“In Hawkins?” your father had said, incredulous about your decision. But your mother had understood you. She knew what or rather who you were missing, and more than Eddie as a boyfriend, you missed him as your best friend, because in NYC you’d never opened up to anyone as much as you’d opened up to him, had kept your heart behind bars. Maybe because you were scared to be hurt and left alone again, maybe because you simply didn’t want anyone else to replace Eddie - not that that could ever happen.

You still had family in Hawkins, your great aunt for example, who’d prepared the guest house for you. That way you still had your privacy and could even play guitar without disturbing anyone. It was good to see her again, to catch up, but after the long ride, you were tired and needed some sleep. Only that you couldn’t really fall asleep, because you were thinking about so much all at once.

For a while, you paced around the living room, before you made yourself another cup of tea and sat by the window looking out over the streets illuminated by the streetlights. You knew exactly why you weren’t able to sleep, your thoughts centering around Eddie. Hell, you didn’t even know if he was still here, if he still lived in Hawkins or had left to go to university, maybe even make music somewhere with his band.

There was only one way to find out for you.

_______

The next morning, you took a long hot shower before you got dressed. You told your great-aunt Tess where you were going just so that she wouldn’t worry. Even if Eddie didn’t live here anymore, you were pretty sure that Wayne would still be living in his trailer. He’d always loved it out there, because it was his trailer. He’d made a home out of it, and you’d always felt at home there as well, welcome.

If he was still working the night shifts at the plant, he would be coming home in about half an hour, so you got in your old Camaro and drove out to the trailer park. It still looked pretty much the same - at least Wayne’s trailer did, so you got a sudden feeling of nostalgia that hit you right in the chest as you got out of your car.

Slowly, you walked up to the door. There was still that wood sign Eddie and you had made when you were eleven years old. It happened under Wayne’s supervision, because you were carving the name Munson into the wood. Beneath that were Wayne’s and Eddie’s names as well as your initials. The memory made you smile. God, that was nearly ten years ago… So much time had passed.

“Can I help you?” you heard a low voice behind you, making you turn on your heels. He hadn’t changed. Wayne still looked the same like he’d done five years ago, only a little… more worn out, tired, which was probably not surprising considering that he’d just gotten home from work.

“Yeah,” you said with a smile walking up to Wayne, whose brows were knit together, trying to figure out if he knew you or not. “I was wondering if you could teach me how to fish again. I think I’ve gotten a little rusty in the last five years.” Wayne had taken the two of you out on a fishing trip, neither of you really excited in the beginning, but you’d soon learned that it was a lot of fun to just be out there with him and listen to his stories while you tried to catch some fish.

“Y/N?” He dropped his bag and immediately wrapped you up in his arms, making you giggle.

He’d always liked you, especially since you’d taken such good care of Eddie when he’d needed it the most. He hugged you a little too tight, but you didn’t complain, because it felt good, like home. When he finally let go of you, he held you at arm’s length and studied you.

“The hair is different,” he said with a laugh. It wasn’t just the hair, but so much had changed in five years, and you both knew it.

“So is yours!”

“Yeah… Getting old does that to you. Raising a kid as well.” A laugh escaped his lips before he shook his head. “I never thought I’d see you here again.”

The mood suddenly changed. It had been so lighthearted before, but now, it became a little deeper.

“Hawkins is home…” You swallowed the lump in your throat, because you didn’t want to start crying right in front of him. Of course you would have come back sooner, would have visited, but the lack of communication had kept you away, because you had been pretty sure that Eddie hadn't wanted to see you. “I always wanted to come back, it was just…” You licked your lips, trying to find the right words but couldn’t

“Eddie’s at school,” Wayne suddenly said, figuring that you wouldn’t be able to finish your sentence. You didn’t need to, didn’t have to explain it to him.

“School?” Now, that was rather surprising. Sure, you’d taken into consideration that he might still live in Hawkins - actually, you’d hoped that he’d still be here - but that Wayne brought up school was a little surprising. “So he stayed here?”

Wayne hesitated for a moment, scratched the back of his neck before he answered. “He’s having a meeting with his Hellfire Club as far as I know.”

“He’s still running that?” A smile spread across your lips, because he’d always loved planning his campaigns, playing D&D with his friends. You’d never really played yourself, but you’d helped Eddie with his campaigns, had been the one to bounce ideas off, if there had been too much going on in his head.

“Yeah, still loves it.” The rest was up to Eddie. He’d have to tell you what he’d been up to the last couple of years. “You’ll catch him in the usual room after school.”

“Thanks, Wayne. Now, get some sleep.”

“Will do, Ma’am,” he said with a laugh, but pulled you close once more to tell you: “Glad you’re back.”

_________

You still had some time before school was finished, and since Wayne hadn’t told you where you could find Eddie before that, you went into town to get some shopping done. Right now, you didn’t know how long you’d be staying, if it was just for a couple of days or maybe even… forever. All that depended a little on your interaction with Eddie. Still, you wanted to make the guest house a little more… your own and bought a couple of things as well as groceries to stack the fridge. When it was time, you drove to the school and parked in the parking lot. A couple of people were already filing out, while you got out of the car to enter the building.

The closer you got to the door, the more nauseous you felt, excitement mixed with worry putting you on edge. Five years and you hadn’t heard a single word from him, but now, you’d finally see him again. You were a little worried how he’d react, if he’d even recognise you, but you had to try, right? After all, he was the main reason why you were here.

The people running through the halls weren’t familiar, but your surroundings were. You could already see that the door was wide open, which made you slow your steps. You didn’t know whether he was already there or not, but you had to mentally prepare yourself for finally seeing him again, talking to him. Telling yourself that you could do that, you took a deep breath and walked up to the room. There was no backing out anymore, you just wished right now, you would have come here sooner, wouldn’t have let five years pass.

Quietly, you slipped inside the room, pretty sure that whoever was here would hear your heart beating out of your chest. There was only one person, and while the long hair confused you for a moment, you knew that it was Eddie. The same posture, the rings on his hands, the clothes… and especially those deep brown eyes that suddenly looked up at you and made it hard for you to breathe.

For a moment, you both simply looked at each other, taking the other one in. You were still standing by the door, while Eddie’s movement had stopped completely, the table in front of him not completely set up for their meeting.

“Y/N?” he eventually choked out, life returning to his limbs. He dropped what he’d still been holding on the table and took a tentative step towards you. Was he dreaming? Or were you really standing there? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time - not the last as well - that you appeared in his dreams, haunting him and showing him just what he was missing in his life.

“Eddie…” You took a step towards him as well. It was a miracle that you were still standing, because you were quite sure that your heart had given in. The tension in the air was almost palpable, keeping you rooted in place, because you were still not sure whether he even wanted to see you or not.

“Fuck it,” was all you heard from him, though, before he closed the distance and engulfed you in his arms. One arm wrapped around your middle, the other hand at the back of your neck, fingers already tangling in your hair to hold you as close to his body as possible, as if he might lose you again if he didn’t hold on.

Your eyes closed on their own accord and for the second time today, you had to swallow the big lump in your throat to keep yourself from crying. You knew that you wouldn’t be alone for long, and there would be questions about you one way or another, so you wanted to dodge the questions about why you were crying.

Inhaling his scent that was different now, but still in a way the same, you felt at home. For the first time in… you didn’t know how long, you felt at home, because home had always been with him, more than it was Hawkins itself.

Eddie could feel your heart beating rapidly against your chest. His heart was doing the same. He still couldn’t believe that you were really here. After years of not hearing from you, not reading even one word, he’d pretty much given up on ever seeing you again. But here you were, melting into his arms, and his emotions were all over the place. There was pain, a bit of anger, but those were currently overpowered by joy. He was sure that they would bubble up again at a later date, but for now, he was just happy to see you again.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” he whispered into your hair, not ready to let go of you right now. He needed to memorise this moment. His fingertips brushed the back of your neck, down your spine until they landed at the small of your back. He inhaled your scent once more, before he slowly pulled back. The smile on his lips mirrored your own, because you still couldn’t quite believe it, that you were really here, in front of him, in his arms.

“Had to make sure you haven’t married anyone else yet,” you said with a laugh, feeling more at ease right now that he’d pulled you into his arms instead of pushing you away like you’d feared he might do.

“I’d never do that.” He slowly took a step back, but let his hands run along your arms so that he could take your hands in his. “You know that my heart belongs to you, you even got that on paper.” Eddie grinned at you, expertly hiding the pain that was coursing through his heart at mentioning this. Yes, he’d given you his heart, but you’d moved on not even a year after you'd left Hawkins, hadn’t you? At least that had been his impression.

You still had your piece of paper, tucked away in your edition of Tolkien’s The Hobbit, because it was a book you’d read over and over. Eddie mentioning this made your stomach flip, which made it hard for you to fight the urge to wrap your arms around his neck and just pull him in for a kiss. Something told you, though, that this wasn’t the right time or the right moment - and a tiny voice told you that it might never happen again. So much time had passed, and you had no idea what he was doing with his life. Did he have someone he loved, and had just said these words only because you wanted to hear them? You’d been kids, so it was understandable if he’d moved on, wasn’t holding your promise as dear to his heart as you were.

“We interrupting something?”

A strangely familiar voice made you turn around and face the guys that had appeared in the doorway. For a moment you stared at them, before you realised who they were - or at least two of them.

“Gareth? Jeff?” you asked with a laugh. They were two years younger than Eddie and you, but he’d been playing in a band with them even before you’d left. It wasn’t easy to find someone in Hawkins who played the same music as Eddie (and you), so these guys had found each other. It delighted you that they were still playing D&D together, and hopefully making music as well.

“No way!” Jeff exclaimed, immediately recognising you. Eddie stepped back to let the other two hug you, your own reunion interrupted right now. There was so much to say, so much to ask, and for the first time, Eddie was really reluctant to hold that Hellfire Club meeting. He’d much rather spend his time with you and catch up.

There were three other guys still looking from you to Eddie and back, clearly curious about who you were and why you’d been so close with their Dungeon Master.

“Care to fill us in?” One of them said, crossing his arms over his chest, dark waves of hair framing his face. Two of them were wearing their club shirts, the other looked like he’d just gotten here from basketball practice.

“This is y/n!” It was Gareth who filled them in, before Eddie even had a chance to open his mouth. You saw the three guys exchange glances, before they looked back at you.

“And these are Dustin, Mike and Lucas,” Eddie introduced them now as well. “Three little lost sheep that found their place in our little group.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said with a big grin on your lips, happy that Eddie was still enjoying the things he’d already enjoyed before you’d left. D&D had always been such a big hobby next to playing the guitar, though you knew better than to call it a hobby in his presence.

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you! We’ve heard so much about you.” Dustin took a step forward, as if he needed to take a closer look to make sure that you were real. “We were always curious about the girl who bro-”

“Shut it, Henderson!” Eddie admonished, a glint in his eye that Dustin rarely saw. Now, Eddie really didn’t want them to tell you that you’d broken his heart, that he’d never really opened it for anyone else, except these friends he’d made. He’d told them stories about you, about your friendship, how you’d pretty much saved him when he’d been so afraid in his own home, but also about the time you’d moved away and despite the promises had never given him your new address or gotten in touch with him. He’d even told them about the time he’d skipped school to travel to NYC to find you, to talk to you. Memories that weighed heavy on his heart, but that he pushed aside right now, because he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“So…” Eddie spoke up again, scratching the back of his neck as he felt all eyes on him again. “I’d love to catch up, but this is kind of an important meeting.”

“When is it not?” you asked with a soft smile, because you knew. You knew him, you knew his passion for the game, and you were glad that nothing had changed. “I don’t want to interrupt or anything.”

“Why don’t you sit in and watch? It’s not like you don’t have a clue about what’s happening.” The look on Eddie’s face softened. While he’d rather have you all to himself - and his friends not asking any questions about you or telling you things that he didn’t want you to hear - he didn’t want to let you go right now, afraid that you’d just vanish on him again.

“If that’s alright with you?” The others nodded, excited to have someone new around, even though you weren’t playing. But Eddie had told them that you’d helped him back in the day, and he still held some of your ideas close to his heart, made them part of the game here and there.

You’d done that years ago as well, just this once, but it had been so much fun to watch them, to see their excitement, and today was no different. You pulled up a chair at the end of the table where you weren’t in the way but could see everything.

Seeing Eddie on that throne was something new, but it suited him. Like it had been made for him, and nobody else dared to touch it. Eddie was completely in his element, telling his story, wrapping the other around his finger.

It was better than watching a movie for you, because their mutual excitement even got you to pay close attention, your fingers itching to be a part of all of this. For now, you were watching, and you enjoyed every second of it.

Once they were done, you got to talk to the guys for a moment, who wanted to hear what you thought about today, whether you were playing yourself by now, which you had to deny. You could have picked it up, but it was something you’d always connect with Eddie, and if anyone were to teach you, it should probably be him. Instead of telling them that, though, you said that you hadn’t really gotten the chance in NYC. Nor did you have the time after school, because… well, Juilliard was very time-consuming.

“Will you join us again?” Dustin asked, obviously excited about you being here, which was just adorable. You could see why Eddie liked hanging out with these guys.

“Maybe. If your Dungeon Master allows me to join again?” Your eyes found Eddie’s, and you couldn’t deny the fact that your heart started racing again when you saw the corners of his lips twitch up just a tiny bit.

“I would never deny a fair maiden entry to our club.” Eddie made a grant gesture with his hands to which you chuckled.

“Great! We’ll be here next week on Monday.” Dustin nodded at you, the happiness pretty much radiating off of him, before he waved and left the room along with the others.

Now, it was just Eddie and you again, and the air in the room shifted immediately. It was one thing to be with him among the others, but a completely different one now that you were alone again.

“It’s great to see you still play with so much enthusiasm, so much joy. I didn’t think you’d continue after you graduated.” You walked up to him, your eyes fixed on the table. You were glad that he hadn’t given up on the club, because he’d always enjoyed it so much.

“Yeah, I thought so, too. Still do if I’m being honest.” Eddie was seated on the armchair of his throne, feet planted on the seat. His eyes never left you, even though right now, he’d much rather run away than tell you why he was really still here, still running the club.

“What do you mean?” You drew your brows together in confusion, not really following what he was saying. Your fingers grazed the table when you came to a halt next to his throne.

“Technically… I haven’t graduated yet.”

That made your head snap up, your eyes on him now. Was he being serious?

“What?”

“You heard me. I haven’t graduated yet. But this year… this is gonna be my year. I can feel it.” The determination in his voice made you believe him, but it still begged the question why he hadn’t been able to graduate sooner. He was a clever guy, he just had trouble focusing now and then.

“How? What happened?” You reached out your hand for him, but he got up and started pacing around, arms crossed over his chest now, making sure that you didn’t come too close right now.

His emotions were all over the place again once you were alone. Fuck, he wanted to hug you, but at the same time, he wanted to ask you so many things, wanted to hurt you just as much as you’d hurt him without really realising it. Eddie uncrossed his arms again, started fiddling with the band of his watch, before his fingers moved to the one ring he’d never taken off. The simple silver ring that had your name engraved on the inside. He’d swapped a lot of his rings now and then, even changed them up daily, but that one… that one was always on his finger, even when he went to bed.

“You left,” he eventually said, not able to look at you. It wasn’t fair to blame you, and he hadn’t really wanted to say it like that, but right now, he was just so overwhelmed with this situation, with you, that he spoke without thinking things through. 

You were at a loss for words, felt like he’d put a dagger right in your heart. He sounded more defeated than angry, but it still made you take a step back.

“I didn’t have a choice, Eddie,” you managed to say. You’d left, alright, but he couldn’t really blame that on you, could he.

“I know… But you could have come back. Guess your new guy kept you from thinking about me.” There it was, the anger that his previous words had lacked. He pretty much spat them at you, finally able to look you in the eye again. Oh, you’d seen him angry, you’d seen him sad, and this was a mixture between these two emotions. Still, you had no idea what he was talking about.

“What guy are you talking about?” This was ridiculous, there hadn’t been any guy in your life up until you’d graduated, and by then you’d been pretty sure that Eddie would never get in touch with you (except for that tiny part that had still held out hope).

“Forget it, y/n!” No, he really didn’t want to talk about it, admit to you that he’d come after you only to see you in the arms of some other guy who’d made you laugh the way he’d used to do. That deep belly laugh that not everybody got to hear. 

“Jesus Christ, I have no idea what you mean! You were the one who never sent me a letter!”

“Oh, but you wrote me one?” You were both getting louder by now, staring at each other. This was not what you’d planned, not what you wanted. You had to admit that he did kind of have a point there, but you’d been too proud to do that after not hearing anything from him. You’d written everything down, all your emotions, how much you loved him in that goddamn letter that you’d placed in front of his door, and he’d never reacted to that.

“Thought so…” he said, turning around, so that you couldn’t see the hurt in his eyes.

“Did you even read the letter I left you?” you asked his back, the pain in your heart nearly unbearable.

“What?” What were you talking about? What letter? All of that didn’t make sense to him. He’d never gotten a letter from you. The last time he’d seen or heard from you had been the night before you’d left Hawkins.

“Nothing,” you said with a sigh, figuring that he hadn’t understood what you’d said at all, because you’d been too quiet. Your reunion had started out so well, and now it was turning to complete and utter shit.

“Do you understand that I came back here because of you?” You couldn’t keep that in, though you had an inkling that he already knew that. Why else would you have come back when most of your family wasn’t living here?

“Bit late for that.” He looked down at his own hands, at the ring that connected you. Had you kept yours? Maybe, but he couldn’t imagine that you were still wearing it. Sure, he’d seen a ring on your hand, but he hadn’t paid close enough attention to figure out what kind of ring it was. “You moved on, I get it.” That realisation made him think of his time as a kid, before you’d gotten him out of his parents’ house, where he’d just been… there, where nobody had really taken care of him. Memories he always tried to push away, but that crept up on him when he least expected or needed it.

“Fine… there’s no sense in staying then.” An exasperated sigh escaped your lips as you turned around. You focused on your anger right now, because you knew that you’d start crying otherwise. You’d come back for him, to check up on him, hopefully become a part of your best friend’s life again and he was pushing you away.

“You’re staying?” He suddenly turned around to look at you, realising that he’d gone a little overboard with his reaction. Yes, he was hurt, but he’d missed you so much that he couldn’t let you go again. Not yet at least.

“That depends on you.” You stopped, crossed your arms beneath your breasts and turned to look at him once more. “Should I stay or should I go, Munson?”

The song reference made him smile to himself. There had been days where you’d thrown song titles at each other in a conversation, because they’d fit so well. Seeing you do that now made all those memories bubble up.

“Stay.” Eddie took a deep breath.

You left him hanging there for a moment, showed no emotion, no reaction at all, but then you caved and nodded.

“Alright… I’m staying at my great aunt Tess’ for now... in her guest house.”

“Okay.” Eddie raised his right hand, picked at the skin on his bottom lip, before he managed a tiny smile. “Maybe we can… grab a bite to eat and talk.”

“Sure…” You turned around again to leave, making Eddie move and catch up with you.

“Where ya going?”

“Home?” Well, as much as the guest house was your home. In reality, being close to him, being at his and Wayne’s trailer had given you a feeling of home, but right now, you needed to be alone, collect your thoughts. “I think we both could use some fresh air.” Your argument had gotten way more heated than you could have expected, leaving you raw and in need of a good cry before you were able to talk to him again.

“You got a point there.” He knew that he shouldn’t have reacted the way he had, but there was not going back and changing that now.

“You know where to find me, Eddie.” You tried to smile, but your heart was still beating painfully in your chest, making it a little harder to breathe. You needed some time alone, some time to think. After all, you’d made the first step now, had come all the way from NYC. Now, it was really up to him…

Tag list: @violetpenguinkris @tellhound @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @spideyanakin-interacts @hardysbitch @angelzone @neverending-dreamm @bellamy-barnes @mygreygreenery @hanahisawizard

Let me know if you want to be tagged for this series, or Eddie stuff in general 💚

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

my boyfriend’s in a band (he plays guitar while i sing lou reed)

by unkreativstermensch

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Character: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Wayne Munson, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers Additional Tags: Gay Eddie Munson, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Friends to Lovers, Steve and Eddie in nyc, Robin is the best, i don’t make the rules, she just is, max is basically a therapist, Mutual Pining, steve is so in love with Eddie it hurts, eddie loves him back of course, But Steve Doesn’t Know That, steve thinks he’s homophobic but he’s just jealous, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Platonic Soulmates Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Sharing an apartment, i love steddie so much it hurts, Post-Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2, but everyone survived Words: 13,385 Chapters: 1/1

Summary

"Steve", she says and it sounds almost shockingly similar to when she said his name after he had said "but Tammy Thompson's a girl". Like she's almost begging him to use his brain. And Steve is. Using his brain. He's just scared. So goddamn scared. "It's not Eddie you're jealous of", she says and there is it, that's it, that's the truth. The scary but undeniable truth. Of course it's not Eddie he's jealous of. Or: Eddie and Steve move to NYC together and when Eddie starts hooking up with guys Steve feels weird about it. It takes some revelations and even more phone calls with Robin to understand it’s jealousy

[rogue-durin-16]

BUT YEARS PASS AND I LOVE YOU THE SAME (part I/II)

Summary: Back in 1986, Y/n broke Eddie's trust and heart. He's on top of the world now, his dreams are coming true, and yet he can't help but wish things had been slightly different. A letter serves him as an excuse to aim for a second chance.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Genre: mostly angst

Tags:

Requested by: @attinaadellaalana @eddiemunsonsluvrrr

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @comfort-reads

Warnings: language, alcohol, let me know if i miss anything

A/N: indulging y'all AND myself so I can write Rockstar!Eddie bc that's what he deserves. Part 2 to the awfully angsty fic I wrote because my best friend made me fix it. Lots of pov jumps but it's necessary bc you need to see BOTH SIDES. Next part will be *spicy* so beware. Okay that's all, enjoy <3

Prequel: Liar. Traitor. Backstabber.

Sequel: but years pass and I love you the same (II/II)

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

October 10, 1990, NYC

Knockknockknockknockknock!

Ding-dong!

"Oh, Jesus Christ—" a gutural, tortured groan escaped my lungs at the piercing sound of someone knocking on the hotel suite's door, both my hands instinctively pressing the pillow to my ears in an attempt to muffle the piercing noise. "Gareth, get the fucking door!"

"You get the fucking door!" The drummer snapped back from somewhere on the bathroom floor.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

"I'm coming! Hold up! Goddamnit..." After untangling myself from both ridiculously expensive bedsheets and the limbs of some random groupie that ended up joining us after our last show, I made my way to the entrance.

The corridor's light was too bright for my hungover state, I thought after opening the door, shielding my eyes with my forearm.

"Mr. Munson—"

"Shit no, nonono." I waved a hand at our manager's assistant at the sight of an envelope. "No fan mail the morning after the concert, man. Can't think straight, let alone read."

"It's not fan mail, it's— it's from Hawkins, Indiana." It took my lethargic brain a moment too long to process the words. "Marla said you'd like to—"

Sobered up in a matter of seconds, I snatched the letter away from the assistant's unsure hands. My feet carried my tuned out self back into the suite while I ripped it open, my palm searching in the dark behind me to switch on the lights —to everyone's dismay— so I could read it.

I felt my heart sinking with discontent once my eyes skimmed the text.

'Dear Edward Munson,

Congratulations on your first World Tour. I write to you in hopes that you and your band may be able to revisit your hometown and play at Hawkins High School's football field on the 27th of October. All the money will be donated to blah blah blah...'

It was hilarious. Hawkins's mayor asking us to come back and help that damn town. A part of me wanted to go for shits and giggles. Definitely not because I missed the girl that ruined me.

Yeah, shits and giggles. That's what pushed me to postpone the last two concerts of the tour.

October 20, 1990, Hawkins

READER'S P. O. V.

"Soooo did you hear?"

I sighed, not bothering to peel off my furrowed gaze from the filing cabinet full of students' records I had just finished reorganizing to stare at the hyperenergized Robin that had just burst into my office.

'Did you hear?'; if only I had a penny for every time I had, in fact, heard that week...

"I don't know, Robin. Probably just like ten fucking times today." I retorted with venomous sarcasm as I spun around to grab my bag from my chair.

"Way to talk to the woman who's kindly driving you home." She quipped, toying with her car keys while we exited the room.

"Sorry, okay? I just..." I pursed my lips, taking a moment while I locked the office to think. "I'm glad he's back. I'm glad you guys get to see him. I just don't wanna hear anything about it." I adjusted the strap of my back on my shoulder, following Robin's lead to the parking lot. "It's bad enough having to partake in the welcoming committee bullshit."

"What exactly happened between you two anyway?" She questioned, electric blue eyes squinted at me. "Like, was it thaaat bad? It's been four years and you're still pressed."

"Told you it was a bad break up— Listen," I halted my steps to turn to Robin with pleading eyes. "can we not talk about it?" After a moment of hesitation, she gave me a quick nod. "With any luck, I'll just meet him before the concert and then we'll part ways again."

With any luck. Ha. As if a part of me didn't ache to see him again, to talk to him, to touch him, to feel him; as if my heart hadn't momentarily stopped beating when Hawkins High staff was informed that they would have to be preparing the football field for a Corroded Coffin fundraising show.

October 26, 1990, Hawkins

EDDIE'S P. O. V.

"Okay— Y'know what? Just fucking drop me here." I scowled, flinging the van's door open before our chauffeur got the chance to pump the breaks.

"Eddie, c'mon! Really?" Jeff called in disbelief, though he didn't bother on trying to stop me when I jumped off the vehicle and shut its door.

The road to our hometown hadn't been the best time for the band; constant arguing and clapbacks were commonplace since our plane had landed in Indianapolis. The closer we were to Hawkins, the worse it got.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

I lit myself a cigarette while my feet carried me through the forest, shortening the route to Hawkins.

First thing I passed by was the cemetery.

Before boarding the plane, I made a mental note of the people I wanted to visit after the show —given that we would stay three days—, but I was already there. I found myself walking to Chrissy's grave even before I fully decided on it.

Seeing the sweet cheerleader's headstone was what it took for me to realize how much of a mistake coming back had been.

Fuck this town, they don't deserve you.

It almost sounded like Y/n. Almost, because it had been a bit too long since I heard her voice.

As soon as I had walked into the graveyard, I was out, absentmindedly resuming my walk to the trailer park —except, I didn't really go to the trailer park. No, I took the long way, which forced me to cross a thankfully not very crowded Hawkins High parking lot. Due to the time of the day, only the staff's cars remained parked, and even them were beginning to drive away.

I wasn't ready to see her —not yet—, but the universe had always had a funny way of twisting my wishes, so there she was, crossing the highschool doorway with a ginger I recognized as Robin's girl.

God, I hated her. I hated the way my heart raced at the mere sight of her. I hated how she made my breath hitch and my feet freeze because she looked as breathtaking as ever, even when her small smile was feigned and her shoulders were slightly slumped.

She was sad. Good.

And then she bid the redhead goodbye to join a slim man with a sunny disposition, and her fake smile grew into more of a content beam while the two walked to a shared car, laughing. He placed his hand on the small of her back and I felt the urge to look away.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned heel and left. A part of me expected her to... What? Wait for me? but why? I had been the one to cut contact for good, I had been the one to leave her —us— behind, and yet I had hoped for Y/n to welcome me with open arms. I had always been fucking stupid when it came to her.

Naturally, after leaving the parking lot, I came across Motel 6. The memories I had there didn't help the ache of my still broken heart.

Why did I have to miss her so much?

Tears prickled my eyes at the memory of our last night together, leaning in silence on that rusty railing while we prorogued our final goodbye.

The chilly Autumn Sun had set behind Hawkins' treetops by the time I arrived at the trailer park. It felt odd to be back.

It felt even odder when my uncle, who I anticipated to be working at the plant on a Friday evening, opened the our trailer's door and engulfed me in a hug.

The little 'Welcome home, Eddie' he whispered into the embrace was what pushed me over the edge; without warning, I was crying on his shoulder, cradling his flannel shirt like I was a lost twelve year old kid all over again.

October 27, 1990, Hawkins

READER'S P. O. V.

Friday had been torture. Saturday was a blur —at least until the principal walked the empty highschool halls with mayor Phillips, a brunette woman in her early forties, a couple of bodyguards, and the members of the band.

Although years hadn't changed them, they seemed different; stylish, successful, important. Eddie led the group, chitchatting with both their manager and the mayor, one of his hands gesticulating animatedly while the other remained on the guitar strap crossing his chest.

Fuck, he looked good. He looked so good.

"—And this is the kind personnel that will show you around." The principal's voice mentioning our names to the band brought me back to reality. "This is Marla Hammerstein, Corroded Coffin's manager."

There was a round of polite 'nice to meet you's while Marla shook everyone's hands that didn't quite reach my ears, and those big brown eyes were to blame —those deep dark irises, flooded with sadness and something more, that found my own like magnets.

Soon enough, the band members were being led to the football field, as if they hadn't spent their school years wandering those same halls.

"—Yup, right there," Vikkie animatedly bobbed her head at Marla, pointing at the bathroom we had set for the performers before making us all come to a stop in front of what was the drama club, unlatching the door to show our guests the inside. "and we improvised a little greenroom in here because—"

"Wait, here?" My breath got caught up in my throat when I felt Eddie's chest against my back, his ring clad hand coming to rest at the doorframe, right by my face. "Huh."

"Yup, why?"

I felt his ribs thrum with an amused laugh, as he subtly bent forward into me. "Nothing, I just think everything 'bout this is fucking hilarious. Right, Ms. Y/l/n?" I gulped at his bitter inquiry, muttering a quiet 'right' as a reply. "Alright, let's get this over with, shall we?" He breathed out near my ear, pushing himself back with the help of his supporting palm, triggering an involuntary whine out of me at the lost of touch.

Something told me Eddie was purposefully torturing me —that something being how he stayed glued to my back, constantly hovering over my form while spitting scathing remarks that could be easily masked as dry humor. It was as if he himself didn't know how to feel about having me around again.

A part of me was genuinely happy when the show began, because that meant I was allowed to leave.

Had things been slightly different, I would be standing in the front row, headbanging to Corroded Coffin's agressive music led by Eddie's beautiful voice, but that's just not how it was, so instead of screaming the lyrics in the crowd, I found myself driving home. Then, maybe, I would walk to a bar in hopes of drinking my pain away.

For better or for worse, I didn't give much thought to which would be the bar in particular.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDDIE'S P. O. V.

Saying I was sharp-tempered after the show would be an understatement. I myself could barely put up with my behavior, so hanging out with the band would have been selfish at the very least.

That's why, for the first time in forever, I didn't stick with them after a gig, choosing to fly on my own and search for a quiet place to have a drink.

And what could be quieter and more fitting for my visit than the least frequented bar in Hawkins —the same bar where we had started playing?

The Hideout wasn't what it used to be. It was surprisingly crowded, and had a refreshed, more expensive vibe to it; Guns N' Roses was playing in the background while people danced in the middle of the establishment. As I got closer to the bar counter, I saw a framed picture of us hanging on the wall with a little inscription below; 'where Corroded Coffin was born'.

"Pffft." I snorted, propping my forearms on the wooden surface. "That's cute. Hey Al!" I called for the bartender with a cheeky grin, enjoying his shock at the sight of me. "Would you be so kind to get me a good ol' beer?"

"Anything for you, Eddie."

"Put it on my tab, Al." My blood ran cold at Y/n's listless voice coming from my left.

After a very much needed minute to compose myself and not look like a fucking deer caught in headlights, I turned my head to the girl, who gave me a small, almost timid wave. I nodded in her direction as a response before returning my attention to the bartender, who was currently serving me the drink.

"How was the show?"

"You didn't stay?" I tried not to sound upset about it, but given Y/n's sorry eyes, I didn't do a very good job.

"Thought you wouldn't want me there." She was half lying, I could see it in the way she averted her eyes from me to stare at her glass, almost empty, sitting in front of her.

"It was okay, I think." I chose to respond to her question, rather than delve into her last sentence. "Very surreal, though. You know, playing in Hawkins, it's just- it's just awkward? I mean,"

Oh no. I felt something coming that hadn't happened to me in years; anxiety fueled word vomit.

"Half of them were chasing me with pitchforks and torches just a couple of years ago. You know Andy? Andy from basketball team? Andy the fucking asshole who tried to beat me up with a crowbar? He came after the show to tell me our songs rocked." I breathed out a nervous laugh, riping a half smile from Y/n, one that my eyes could barely catch due to her temple resting on her right knuckles.

"That's one bizarre experience." She commented, twirling her drink.

"Speaking of bizarre," I scooted to the left, telling myself it was to avoid nosey ears and not to be closer to her. "how's... work?"

Y/n clicked her tongue. "Can't tell you."

"So you're still active." The girl subtly nodded, finally dropping her right hand and allowing me to see her gaze, mildly illuminated by the neon lights in the establishment. "I see you kept your job at the counseling department."

"Ms Kelley was transferred, so I actually got promoted." She clarified, taking a sip of her drink.

"That's great." I stated, searching for a topic to hold onto. Counseling. Highschool. Highschoolers. Got it. "I saw, uhh, Max Mayfield yesterday. She's so grown, what the fuck."

Y/n snorted. "Have you seen Dustin and the others?"

"Not yet."

"They're like... Little men. Not so little." Y/n scrunched her nose, gaze fixed on the bottles displayed before us while she probably pictured the party. "They make me feel old."

I couldn't help but snicker at the dramatism of the statement. "They make you feel old, at the blooming age of 24—"

"25." She corrected me, finally meeting my eyes with a tight-lipped smile.

I stayed silent for a hot second, time hitting me like a heavy rock. "25. Forgot your birthday was last week."

"I wasn't expecting you to remember." Although she tried to mask it as a joke, I caught on the sincerity of her words. "Rockstar duties and all, must be hard to keep track of mundane things."

"Nothing 'bout you is mundane." I blurted out before my mind could stop my mouth. Catching her gaze was a losing game, I found out, so I moved a bit closer until our thighs were brushing and nudged her. "Except your taste in music."

"Ouch! That's a low blow." She complained, taking a hand to her chest before looking up at me once more. "You love Blondie thanks to me."

"I never said I loved Blondie."

"Yes you did!"

"Well I only said I loved Blondie 'cause I lov—"

Stop. The open smile that had so beautifully graced her face for a few seconds was substituted by the same scared expression that twisted mine.

I gulped, choosing to look away and take a long swig of my beer.

"Are you seeing someone?" I couldn't find it in me to meet her furrowed visage after asking the question. "I'm just asking 'cause yesterday I spotted you at the parking lot. Kinda wanted to go say hi but, uhm, you weren't alone."

"Meh." Y/n, whose upper body had leant over the counter in hopes to face me, retreated to her original position. "His name's Carl."

"Okay." Okay. I lost my chance. Great.

"He's from work."

"From which work?"

"The boring one." She joked, trying to defuse the renewed tension among us. "He's a stand-in science teacher in middle school."

"So he's just a boooring nerd." I let waved my fingers before our eyes, trying and failing to make my comment sound funny and not resentful.

"Not everyone can date a rockstar." She chuckled, and for some reason that fueled my rancour.

"You could've, but you had to fuck it up."

Silence. She stared at me for a long second with unreadable eyes that made me internally squirm.

"Okay. I'm just..." Gonna go. Instead of completing the sentence, she grabbed her wallet and slid a couple of bills to Al before standing up.

"Wait!" Spinning around fast enough to give myself whiplash, I took a hold of the hem of Y/n's jacket. "Wait. I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I just—" I huffed, letting go of her bomber to run my fingers through my locks. "It's a lot."

"What's a lot?"

"You. This. I don't know!" My voice turned high pitched, hands raised in surrender.

There was a silence between us, filled with the sound of intoxicated people laughing and some Iron Maiden song.

"You shouldn't have come back, Eddie. You seem lost here." There was pain in her voice and a sad gloss on her eyes. "I'm going home now."

My fingers immediately wrapped around her wrist, not quite enclosing it. "Let me drive you?" She pondered her options with pursed lips, averting her gaze when I took a step closer and leaned on. "Please."

Her palm came up to rest on my chest and by God I died. "I don't wanna ruin your night."

"Yeah, cause I was having a blast until now." I managed to joke, trying my best keep at bay the need to kiss her. "I'll just drop you off and leave."

"Alright." A sigh of defeat escaped her parted lips, eyes fixed on her fingers, toying with a loose thread belonging to my vest. "C'mon, rockstar." She whispered, dragging her digits down my chest to my upper abdomen to interlace them with my own, her eyes flickering at my face through her lashes before leading me out.

READER'S P. O. V.

The ride was quiet, yes, but not at all comfortable. I was constantly shifting on the passenger's seat, doing anything and everything to avoid looking at Eddie, who gripped the steering wheel in an attempt to ground himself.

"Here." I broke the stifling silence when we were about to drive past my house, just in time for Eddie to pull up right before it.

"So you're a true Hawkins citizen now." Eddie commented at the sight of my new home. "Suburban house and all."

"Gotta play and look the part."

"Right. Uhm—"

"Thanks for the ride." I cursed myself for cutting him off, but there was little I could do to stop my mouth from running loose out of anxiety.

"Yeah, no worries."

Just get out of the car, I ordered myself. Don't look at him, just get out.

But I looked at him. I looked at the way his body fell on the backrest, eyes fixed on the boring road and tongue trapped between his lips; one of his hands still held onto the steering wheel for dear life while the other's fingertips drummed on his thigh, shaky due to the anxious tapping of his foot.

The scene looked very reminiscing of that first night he had driven me to the motel, back in December of '86. We had stayed still in his beat up van for what felt like an eternity, waiting in an anticipating silence begging to be broken until I had invited him into the room.

That moment was all too familiar —too tempting. And he looked way too beautiful after way too much time apart from each other. Seeing him in TV shredding his guitar, shouting the lyrics of his songs, had nothing on sitting by his side again.

His cautious eyes hesitated for a split second before daring to meet mine. I knew then that Eddie wouldn't be driving off, not that night.

"Wanna..." I cleared my throat, pointing at the front door of my new house. "Wanna come in?"

[carolmunson]

startin' from zero, got nothing to lose (II)

part i part ii

we start meeting the bar gang, eddie makes plays and likes boobies.

cw/tw: drinking, drug dealing, drug mention, alcohol mention. friends to lovers, bitchy mutual pining. original female character, the sweetest eddie munson i've ever written. eddie munson takes on nyc.

“Rhonda. Darling . Light. Of. My. LIFE!” Tony walked towards them from the back, letting a word out with each step. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him, “Please don’t bully the new hookup, you’re being a huge buzzkill.” 

Disgust contorted her face and she looked over at Eddie, “This clown?” 

Disgust contorted her face and she looked over at Eddie, “This clown?” 

“Yeah, that clown – Look, can you just, I don’t know, chill out? Can you just try to be a nice person?” he asked. He took the shot still in her hand and immediately downed it, “Thanks!” 

“That wasn’t for…Whatever, I’m gonna go have a cigarette,” Rhonda said, trying to collect herself. She maneuvered past Tony and around the bar, shaking a cigarette out of the box that was in her back pocket. Eddie watched her pat at her pockets, looking for her lighter, he instinctively reached for his own banged up Zippo. 

“Here,” he handed it out to her. She took it apprehensively, lit up and passed it back to him.

“I’m Eddie, Eddie Munson,” he put the lighter back in his pocket. Rhonda looked at him pitifully and let out a cloud of smoke in his direction. 

“I don’t care,” she said, and walked down the bar to the exit. He kept his eyes on her for a moment. Tony wasn’t wrong, she probably could deck him pretty hard. She was shorter than him, but broad shouldered with big hips and thighs, he’d describe her as sturdy. In his experience, sturdy people threw a mean punch. 

“Ah, that Ron – ain’t she somethin’?” Tony said while Eddie took a seat back on the bar stool, “Kind of a bitch but -- charming as hell.” 

“She’s… something ,” he said, a confused look on his face, “Charming? Eh. Terrifying, maybe.” 

“Hey, I told ya not to let her catch you,” Tony explained, “Not my fault you got caught.”

“I thought Ron was a guy!” he justified, "You never said to look out for a walking Frazetta girl."

“Welp, you shoulda thought outside the box, Munson,” Tony shook his head, “But yeah, that’s my Ronnie.” 

“Is she like that to everyone?” he asked. 

“Oh yeah, she’s the meanest person I know,” he nodded, crossing his arms, “Just at the bar though. Little bleeding heart everywhere else.” 

“Hm,” Eddie replied, reaching for his bag, “Well I can stay or head out, definitely already made out with enough of a cut for you and my guy so, just say the word.” 

“No, no,” Tony said, coming around the bar and clapping a big hand on Eddie’s shoulder, “Stick around, kid. Have a drink, when Ron comes back I’ll just tell her to keep whatever you need comin’.” 

Eddie gave Tony an apprehensive squint, “Okay, you’re right. Hey, Deb?!” He called down the bar. 

A small bleach blonde on the other end turned her head, “Yeah, Tone! Whaddaya want?!” 

“Keep sending beers to my guy at the end over here!” 

Tone took the vacant stool next to him and Deb walked over with two PBRs, “Can’t you have Ron do it?” she asked, cracking the cans open for them.  “Hi, I’m Debbie, nice ta meet’chya,” she put out her hand and flashed Eddie a smile. Her teeth were bright white against her blood red lipstick. Eddie took her hand and kissed it, little blonde Elvira type. Just a little spooky, he liked that. 

“Eddie,” he said. She winked at him, his mouth went dry again. He took a sip of the beer after she placed it in front of him. ‘ How does he work like this? ’ he thought, he could barely mop a floor at Gleason’s when the women were training, how did Tony run a business with babes everywhere?

“Well Ed, welcome 'ta Skid,” her voice was nasally, but endearing, “Tony, I’m making big tips over there why can’t Ron stay on this side?” 

“Rhonda’s in a bad mood with me,” Tone confessed with a dramatic pout, “C’mon, just be a doll and stay.”

Debbie rolled her eyes, a smirk on her lips, “When is Ronnie in a good mood with you?” Tony shrugged, and Deb surveyed her new section of the bar, good enough , she guessed. 

“Awl- right , I’ll stick around over here, you’re lucky this new guy is cute,” she said, nodding her head over to Eddie. He nervously played with his rings, a smile breaking out over his face. Rhonda bustled back past them, cold air and the scent of tobacco rushing past with her. 

Debbie popped her gum, “We’re switchin’.” Ron scoffed and looked at Tony and he waved her further down the bar.

“You’re kidding,” she was smiling, but it was clear she was annoyed, “‘Cause I was mean to your buddy?” 

“We got a full bar Rhonda, just do your fuckin’ job,” he was exasperated. 

“You got it, boss,” she said, putting her hands up to show she was done with the argument. Eddie looked her over again, the opening chords of ‘Shout at the Devil ’ started on the stage. She didn’t turn to look back at him and he didn’t know why he expected her to, but it hurt him that she didn’t. 

“So Eddie, where ya from?” Debbie asked, leaning on the bar so her chest was on full display. 

“H-hawkins,” he stuttered out, his gaze quickly snapping to her face, “Indiana. Been here for a year.” 

“Never made it to Skid, huh?” she asked and popped her gum again, a mischievous look in her eye, “What, did the other guys tell you it was a shitty Led bar?” He snorted and shook his head. 

“They did! I told ya Tony, people were talkin’ shit!” Debbie slapped the bar with both hands, “I knew it.” 

“And now they’re not talkin’ shit, it’s a better bar. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, bless my uncle’s soul, but maybe Skid needed him to die, y’know?” Tony chugged his beer and got up off the stool, “Alright, Ed, I’m heading back to my office but I’ll be out in a little and we can uh..you know, make an exchange.”

Eddie nodded, shaken by the second clap to the shoulder he got today. He double checked inside the bag, money still wadded up at the bottom, still some party favors left to pass out. The yellow light of the back flashed in his eyes as Tony disappeared behind the door. 

“So, Hawkins,” Debbie started, “Wasn’t there some like…freak earthquake there or somethin’? In like ‘86?” 

“Somethin’ like that, yeah,” he said, taking a big swig of his beer. 

“Were you there for that?” she asked, her eyes big and glassy, hungry for the story. 

“Can I get something stronger?” his brow furrowed, desperate to avoid the question. 

“Oh, sure honey, just a second!” Debbie turned to put something together for him, but got a couple more shouts for beer from other guys and girls at the bar. He took a deep breath to compose himself, his eyes darting down at Rhonda again who was mouthing along with the lyrics. Debbie put a glass down in front of him quickly, hustling over to start pouring beers and drinks. The bar had definitely picked up since he got there and the corner he was in before was vacant. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, he picked up the glass and grabbed his bag, shuffling through people to get back to his old table. 

He took a sip of the Debbie Special and immediately clocked it as simply...alcohol, no mixer. He welcomed the sting though, talking about Hawkins made him tense. Talking about ‘86 made him tenser. It wasn’t long before the soft lull of a buzz clouded his vision and he was able to settle back into the flow of making plays. He propped one leg up on the bench he was sitting on, resting an arm on his knee, pressing his back up against the wall.

After the last of his product was gone, he looked back up at the bar. Debbie serving and smiling, taking bills in her cleavage like a champ. Rhonda was shaking two shakers and pouring two drinks at a time. He watched her delicately place the beverages in front of two ladies at the bar, their men standing and chatting behind them. Despite how dark the room was, she caught his stare from across it. 

His cheeks burned, and even if she couldn’t see it, he smiled at her and nervously toyed with his rings again. The yellow flash from the back room peeled through the people on the floor, all thrashing to the music from the band on the stage. Rhonda nodded over to him in the corner, likely to Tony who had probably just left his office. 

His eyes met hers again, and in the glow of the backroom door closing, he saw her pour a beer, smiling too. 

[indulgnces]

☆ –– (caitlin stasey, she/her, cis woman) who is james grey anyways? ew. you don’t know about her, we’ll bet you want to. they’re feeling 30 and crocheting feels like a perfect night to them. rumor has it they’re selfish and fickle because they care, but they’re also passionate and authentic in the best way. she works to make a little money as a(n) radio host they’ve rented on a place on cornelia street in the form of an apartment. august & cardigan is the song they could dance to the beat of forevermore. –– pinterest.

name: james grey

age: 30

birthplace: brooklyn, new york

current residence: cornelia street, nyc

gender: cis woman (she/her)

sexuality: bisexual (w/a preference for women)

occupation: radio host

face: caitlin stasey

positives: authentic, passionate, easygoing, confident, observant

negatives: selfish, fickle, aimless, cynical, irresponsible

character inspo: eddie munson (stranger things), robin buckley (stranger things), hope (booksmart), graham eaton (but I'm a cheerleader), donna pinciotti (that 70s show), steven hyde (that 70s show).

backstory

had a relatively normal childhood. grew up in new york as the only child to a seemingly loving couple. but, like most marriages, theirs ended up dissolving around the time james was ten. big bummer.

her time was split between her parents places after her mother ended up moving, generally living with her mother during the school years and with her father during the summers

loves her mother, truly, but she always tended to favor and take after her father

showed great potential in school, but was largely academically unmotivated. think the smartest kid in your on level classes who refused to go up into honors/ap level classes. classes bored her because they were easy, but she had absolutely no motivation to go to the classes that "challenged" her like her teachers recommended, so she just skipped classes lol

the most notable revelations that came out of grade school to james was that she liked girls, and she was capable of being much crueler than she thought (see: folklore love triangle)

also, that she had no idea what the hell she wanted to do in life

went to college because it was the Next Step to do, but ended up dropping out after two years when she still didn't know what to major in

after dropping out, she moved back in with her father in nyc and started a chain of aimless jobs. some of those jobs: barista, receptionist, model, podcaster, etc.

somehow ended up as a radio host for a small satellite radio station, and has been doing this for the last year, and she honestly likes it more than she thought she would.

her father owns a bar in greenwich, and over the years she's also liked playing bartender there from time to time.

she's honestly just trying her best to get by.

headcanons.

jack of all trades, master of none type.

has picked up and dropped hobbies as easily as she does jobs. some past hobbies: skateboarding (in high school, still does it when she's particularly stressed), drumming (had a small stint with a band in college), baking (gave up when she kept burning/undercooking all her treats). she's currently into crochet, and likes to do it when she's on the air or when she's watching movies at home.

thrifts most of her clothes. style leans vintage, fringe, leather, flare/ripped jeans, converse, but with a touch of femininity with flower prints and hair ribbons. (x)

has always found it easy to talk to people, has always been super laid-back and easygoing, but was never the popular type. can't stand crowds or fake people. charismatic loner burnout vibes.

420 friendly baby!!!!

when she was in high school, she got her hands on a tattoo gun kit and did shitty little basic tattoos on her friends and herself. the ones she has have mostly faded, but consist of small little figures/symbols on the insides of her fingers.

bi bi bi! strong preference for women. BIG flirt. lots of rizz. she's giving this tiktok. big top energy.

best gives love through physical touch and quality time. best receives love through words of affirmation.

established connections.

omar ruiz-osman - the mark to her callie

daisy st. james - ex-girlfriend, daisy's gay awakening

charley zhao - queer/musical friends

caroline davis - flirtationship/one night stand

elody maverick - rival

theodore clarke - frequent coworker

lucas duchannes - flirtationship

oliver langham - regular annoyance/friend

juliet eisley - crush

adira ruiz-osman - friendly exes

wanted connections. (page!)

james was born and raised in nyc until she was 10, and then at least spent nearly every summer in the state up until she moved back permanently at 20.

on the main: her best friend & her crush connections (bff pinterest & crush pinterest)

the mark to her callie (vibes): very similar to steve/robin, except sex is in the equation! perhaps they first met as friends and then added fwb into the equation, or maybe they started as a fuck buddy that evolved into a genuine friendship entirely by accident. either way, this calls for a genuine friendship connection where sex is/was a key component of the relationship at one point or another. would be up for this dynamic to be something that is already settled in game (they already Know the ins/outs of their dynamic well), or as something brand new that they're navigating and we write out from the beginning!

relationship inspired by this gifset: a flirtationship, basically! james likes to flirt with your muse, who either plays oblivious or is actually oblivious. james keeps it up to see how long it'll take for your muse to either catch the hint or make a move. (w)

your friendly neighborhood bartender: her father owns a popular dive bar in the area, and over the years, james has taken shifts at the place, playing bartender whenever she is out of a job/needs money/is bored. your muse is one of james' regulars.

friends. very general. james is super chill. she can be a sarcastic ass sometimes, but it’s all in good fun. overall a very easygoing, laidback individual.so she’s bound to have a good group of friends in the city. people she smokes with. queer friends. neighbors at her apartment complex. people she goes bar hopping with to pick up girls. people she thrifts with.

past work connections. between the ages of 20-28, james worked a series of different jobs as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. and it was through these jobs that she met your muse! maybe they were coworkers, or maybe they were a regular at james work. anything works! the following is an incomplete list of her past jobs (more can be added to fit!): barista (she did this for like two years purely for the vibes), receptionist, model (small stint, usually for her photography friends), nursery home caretaker (liked this more than she thought she would bc old ppl are batshit crazy), podcaster (I like to think she didn’t run her own show, but rather was a super frequent guest host on her friend’s show).

hobby buddies. like jobs, james has cycled through a number of hobbies as well. she tends to hyperfixate on one hobby for a period of time before moving onto something else. maybe your muse was someone she met through these hobbies! here is another incomplete list of her past hobbies: skateboarding (primarily in high school, but when she’s stressed, she takes to skateboarding around the city or central park), drumming (led to her being the drummer with a small garage band in college. nothing serious, very amateur, and dropped it after dropping out, but showed off at house parties over the years if she was drunk/trying to impress a girl), baking (massive fail, if any of her friends tried her creations, they regretted it), bingo (got really into it while working at a nursery home, still goes to a game at least once a month), crocheting (current fixation, really into crocheting clothes right now and small plush).

exes. while james isn't opposed to love, she generally is far too fickle to stay in a relationship for long. while she hasn't been actively looking for anything serious. I'm sure one or two relationship developed into something serious despite her best efforts, but she's single now so it must have ended for some reason or another.

situationships. subsect of the above, because I feel like this is actually more where most of james past romantic/sexual connections lie. lots of flirting, dates, hook ups with absolutely none of the relationship defining! james wasn't stressed about it, but maybe your muse was. the undefined nature of it all could have led to some potentially messy situations. or maybe your muse was just as down for it, and their situationship faded naturally without any hard feelings.

I really want anything and everything in between! these are just general ideas, I'm open to all sorts of plots! &lt;; 3

[a-strange-inkling]

Something random that popped in my head but would the Munson family ever go to any of the Disney parks? And would they be able to afford it on top of that? And also what would be their favorite rides if they were able to go to any of the parks?

Oh yeah, they’d have to take Livvy and Maggie, I mean c’mon! They could afford it, especially after a few years in NYC when Chrissy and Eddie are both working. Hmmm… I’d say they visited both parks, with Argyle and Eden in California, I could see them hitting Disney Land, but Disney World is their favorite.

(Please note that I’ve never been to any of the parks 😭, so my knowledge is limited to my Disney history obsession, stories, and bucket lists)

Eddie would be a Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean fan 💯 also Tower of Terror

Chrissy loves Mad Tea Party and Jungle Cruise

Maggie is all about Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror

Livvy always enjoys the various carousels and Peter Pan’s Flight.

[indouloureux]

𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐊𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄

"my elegies eulogize me"

- back to main masterlist

༻✦༺ . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ 

↠ a series of one-shots based on the songs from folklore.

↳ stuck in a forlorn hoax, i exile myself from dynasties full of deplorable vices. i let my tears ricochet on the wooden table my elegy rests upon, let them glisten brightly like a mirrorball. in august's dwindling weather, i wrap a cardigan around my mending soul; like a mad woman, my mind vies calamitous epiphanies as i sit in peace beside the lakes and wrap the invisible string of love around my finger from an illicit affair at seven in the evening.

༻✦༺ . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . ༻✧༺

• the lakes

↠ the lakes (where all the poets went to die), tom holland

↳ Life in front of obnoxiously flashing cameras isn't as pleasant as everyone believes. For Tom, it’s too constant that it’s suffocating him. When he decides to run away and give himself some fresh air, he meets you, writing poetry beside the lake with a cigarette between your lips and a masterpiece inside your head.

↠ the lakes, eddie munson

↳ eddie only wanted to smoke and maybe to find solace in the lakes' gentle swish. maybe he could include your babbles of curiosity and pretty smiles, too

the 1 (cardigan pt 2) - tom returns from press tour after breaking your heart, and he watches you grow from afar as he tries to take you back.

cardigan - with stars on your scars, and dust on your cardigan, tom puts you on like you're his favorite, all while giving you his weekends.

exile, mcu!peter- instead of forgetting him, peter leaves nyc to protect the people he loves. and he comes back years later trying to fix everything, including your heart

my tears ricochet, tasm!peter - peter mourns your death

mirrorball, mcu!peter - peter watches you flourish beneath the mirrorball during prom night and falls in love

august, steve harrington - falling in love with the boy from the cursed town didn't seem so bad. but the thing is, he was never yours to love in the first place

this is me trying, mcu!peter - peter starts a new life after losing the people he loves, and you come to comfort him after a breakdown

illicit affairs, eddie munson - you’re one of the audience, and he's one of the freaks. unspoken rules render your hearts hidden beneath the forests of hawkins, but sometimes being a secret can become too painful

invisible string, tasm!peter - in the world full of soulmates, there’s an invisible thread of gold that links you to your soulmate. you wrap both the strings (and peter) around your finger

peace, steve harrington - times where you've been with steve since the beginning; killing demogorgons, and whatnot. you both know you'd never find peace in this wretched town, but having each other was the only peace you need

mad woman - tba

betty - tba

hoax - tba

last great american dynasty - tba

(struggling to look for ideas for the last four. send suggestions if you want!)

༻✦༺ . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . ༻✧༺

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[r-anela]

My Masterlist

Hello lovelies, here is my Masterlist.

I try to update this list as often as possible. (Last Update: March 15 2023)

My ask Box is open, if you have a request feel free to reach out.

Here you can find which characters i write for and what my rules for requests are.

My promt list is there to help you out.

^_^ Eddie Munson (Kinda from old to new)

Roadtrip with Eddie Munson !? (My first Eddie Munson fic, platonic pairing of Eddie and reader)

Eddie saves you from a spider (you are afraid of spiders and eddie eliminates one for you)

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!- YOU SMOKE?" ( Eddie Muson finds out you smoke and isn't really impressed)

Eddie comforts you after a stressful day (this is a little scenario of how Eddie's reaction would be after you had a long, hard day at work. Inspired by the post from @ghosttownwherenoonegoes)

Eddie finds you drunk, sitting on the sidewalk (Eddie finds you drunk on the curb and takes care of you)

The smell of campfire smoke in the air (A short story about reader and Eddie having a bonfire with the whole squad)

Trailer Next Door (This is the first part of a series I have started to write, but currently have no motivation to continue, if you have ideas or suggestions please comment)

The first frost of the season (Reader is smoking outside of Eddies Trailer in the morning)

Making your favorite apple-based dessert (the squad has arranged to bake Apple Pie and apple rolls and it ends up with a date with Eddie)

Raking up leaves and jumping into them (You rake up the leaves and it turns into a lot of fun)

The chilly bite in the morning air (Eddie being a cat person and taking care of the stray cats)

Decorating the front door with autumn wreaths (You craft door wreaths and autumn decorations together)

Old Picture of us (This is the series, why there is überhaut this blog, but at the moment I have not written further, if someone is interested in it I make evtl further. But the story would be a long one and not a love story.)

Way of Eternity (A little story about Rockstar Eddie Munson, inspired by @enam3l)

Gothic Girl _ E.M. ( With the boys coming home from college for the summer, a DnD session needs to happen. But Eddie's apartment is too small, so they all go to his best friend's house, however the boys did not expect such a home)

Falling in the dumpster_E.M. (My little take on one part of THIS amazing take on getting married to Eddie from @pullhisteeth)

A Ring for happiness and eternity

(>'-'<) Robin Buckley

Drowning in oversized sweaters ( You and Robin are dating, you bought each other sweaters)

“Everything is better when you are here” trip to NYC

(★‿★) Steve + Eddie (Steddie)

Be my Valentine?! (your at Steve's House, ready for a movie night and want Eddie and Steve to confess that they are dating)

-Headcanons-

Eddie Munson

When Eddie finds you sleeping on the sofa

Back Scratches

Eddie’s Love language

Steve Harrington

Steve's love language

[slutforstabbings-archive]

okay, Eddie Munson so has, or would have, a party leg.

what is a party leg, you may ask? a party leg is the leg that you let your friends tattoo when you're both way too intoxicated for you to really be getting tattooed right now. It's like a drunken yearbook page on your skin.

we already know even Eddie's good tattoos were not done in a shop, tattooing probably isn't even legal in Hawkins/Roane County in 1986 lol (it wasn't legal in NYC until 1997!) so he goes to his buddy in the trailer park's place and he gets a decent tattoo but then the guy's friends start coming over and everyone gets hammered and the tattoo machine is back out and here come fresh needles and the black ink and Eddie takes his pants off and the party leg is born.

He definitely winds up with a giant veiny dick as a party leg tattoo, and of course it doesn't fall out and fade like all the others, there's the poorly drawn skulls and even more poorly drawn dragon (and that does fall out more than Eddie wants cause when he saw it the morning after he fell in love instead of regret), GARETH WUZ HERE or something similar, etc...

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

Wayward Gift

by CrossedQuills

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Character: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson Additional Tags: Modern AU, Gay Eddie Munson, Neighbors AU, smell kink, Masturbation, audio voeurism, crippling embarrassment, Sex Toys, Dildos, no beta we die like papa, holiday fic, Size Difference, manhandling kink, Steve is strong AF, Artist/Bartender Eddie, Pansexual Steve Harrington, Dirty Talk, Power Play, thigh fucking, wall fucking, Suspended congress, Multiple Orgasms, Save a Horse, ride a Harrington, Fluff, After care, Open Relationships, Merry Christmas ya filthy animal Words: 12,859 Chapters: 3/3

Summary

Eddie Munson is living in NYC and a new -painfully hot- neighbor, Steve Harrington, moves in. They see each other often and are friendly, but one night Eddie overhears Steve having a good time with a date and he decides if he's going to have a hot neighbor and thin walls, he needs to get something to take the edge off. OR A lesson in reviewing shipping info before completing your order!