#new pov unlocked: gareth !

[sam-loves-seb]

summer of '95 [20/x] - gareth joins in on the behind the scenes photos of tour life (after the band's manager tells him to start posting more than his usual once-a-year instagram post)

[dreamwatch]

I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks

Written for the @corrodedcoffinfest April warm-up round.

Prompt: Taxed | Word Count: 996 | Rating: T | CW: Language, description of injury, hospitals | POV: Steve | Pairing: Steddie | Tags: Exhaustion, Eddie Munson needs a hug, arguments, but it all works out, workaholic Eddie Munson

(So... I forgot to get something written before today, so this is a bit of a speed write and I hope I got as many typos and redundancies as possible. For anyone interested, the idea came from another fic I wrote a while ago, where you can see Wayne's POV.)

****

Kangaroos. That was the reason Steve had picked Australia to join the tour. Eddie called from every continent, trying to tempt him with far-flung locations, but in the end it was the kangaroos that got him. And thank god, because if he’d got the call that Eddie had collapsed on stage, or worse, saw it on the news, he’d be losing his mind right about now. So yeah, thank fuck for kangaroos. 

They’re holed up in a hospital in Sydney, trying to keep the press away from Eddie. Jeff and Ben hover near Eddie’s bed, Gareth standing as close to the door as he can, arms crossed and eyes firmly fixed on the floor. The atmosphere is uncomfortably tense.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay then. I mean, as long as you’re sorry—”

“Gareth,” Jeff interrupts. Always the peacemaker.

“Don’t ‘Gareth’ me, man. I’ve been saying for months, for fucking years, we need to slow down before one of us gets hurt. And here we are. But hey, I’m just the drummer, no one fucking listens to me. Or any of us for that matter. Just him.” He gesticulates at Eddie. 

Steve feels like an interloper and it’s a little uncomfortable; he’s got no desire to be the Yoko Ono in this situation but he’s not leaving until Eddie tells him to. His eyes drift back to Eddie who’s staring out into the Sydney skyline. The fierce bruise on the left side of his face has come out in anger now, gauze and tape covering stitches. It makes his heart fucking ache.

Steve had been there at the edge of the stage watching the show when Eddie wobbled and went loose-limbed, watched him just drop, the sickening snap back of his head as he hit the drum riser. Ben had got to him first, Jeff signalling for help, while Gareth stood behind the drums, frozen. He had looked terrified. Steve stood there watching helplessly, heart in his throat the whole time. 

Eddie’s eyes go wide with panic. “Shit. Wayne.”

“Taken care of,” Steve tells him. “Called him a few hours ago. He’s fine. Getting your room ready as we speak.”

“Press too,” Jeff chips in. “You don’t need to worry about anything, it’s all taken care of man.”

“Shouldn’t need to be,” mutters Gareth.

Jeff sighs, “Jesus Christ, man, will you quit it?” 

Gareth finally looks up, first at Jeff, and finally at Eddie. But there’s no anger there. Steve can see the worry in his eyes and he gets it. He’s spent years of his life worrying about bad things happening to his friends and being powerless to do anything about it. It fucking sucks. 

Ben puts his arm around Gareth, leading him outside. “Let’s go rustle up snacks, dude, I’m fucking starving.” 

Eddie picks at the edge of the tape holding the IV in the back of his hand. “Well, that went well.” 

“Hey,” says Jeff, shaking Eddie’s ankle to get his attention. “He’s not angry, okay? He’s just scared. We all were, but… you know what he’s like. He’s our sensitive little flower.”

A little ghost of a smile settles on Eddie’s lips and it unlocks something in Steve, eases the worry just a tiny bit. 

“Yeah, I know. I am sorry, you know? I didn’t want this to happen, man. I just… I just thought it was the right thing to do for us. The tour. All of it.”

Jeff sighs. “Listen, when we get back, a few things need to change. Firstly, we’re taking a fucking break. A long one. We’re all burned out.”

Eddie nods softly. “Of course.”

“And we are never doing a tour this long again. Non-negotiable. Strict date limits going forward.”

“Absolutely.”

“And one last thing.” Jeff shifts uncomfortably. “He didn’t say it the right way but… Gareth wasn’t wrong. About no one listening to us. To Phil, specifically, not listening to us.”

Steve knows Eddie has a near-pathological fear of losing everything, but he’s since learned that their manager, Phil, has preyed upon it, tapping into the fear, pushing for more albums, more interviews and appearances, and longer tours. And Eddie just can’t say no. “You never know when it will stop,” he told him once. 

Steve would love to get his fucking hands on Phil right about now. 

“He’s got to go.”

And Eddie agrees, just like that, because it’s Jeff. To the public, it’s Eddie’s band, but to everyone who truly knows them, it’s Jeff who keeps them together. It makes Steve smile to think about the nerdy kid from high school, comparing him to this man who stands at Eddie’s side in front of thousands, night after night, confidence oozing from him.

The door clicks open, and Ben wanders in with a Coke, Gareth slinking in behind him. Gareth shuffles forward and Eddie reaches up with his free hand, and Steve finds himself letting out a huge breath when Gareth takes it. 

“You scared the shit out of me,” Gareth says, softly.

“I know. I know man. I was an idiot.”

“Yeah.”

Steve is expecting a snappy comeback, but Eddie’s starting to wilt, and he’s struggling to keep his eyes open.

“I think we should let Eddie get some rest,” he says. “Long flight tomorrow.”

The boys say their goodbyes, and Steve pulls his chair as close to the side of the bed as he can manage. Eddie smiles at him, their fingers entwined.

“Close enough there?” Eddie says, smiling fondly.

“No,” he replies, smiling back. He never wants to let Eddie out of his sight again. “How you doing?”

Eddie drops his head back onto his pillow. “I feel like shit.”

“Maybe I’ll need to move to LA to keep an eye on you.”

A soft blush blooms across Eddie’s cheeks. “Maybe you do,” he says shyly.

“Go to sleep then. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

As Eddie drifts off, Steve thinks about how to tell Robin he’s moving to LA.

[bcrichsweetheart]

Don't Stand So Close To Me Chapter 2 - Devils Child

Summary: Eddie POV chapter where he's finally managed to make progress in his mission to get Lyra under the protection of Hellfire.

Word Count 2.8K

Warnings: Swearing, smoking, drinking

Part 1 | Part 3 | Chapter list | Eddie Munson Fanfiction Masterlist

Just as Eddie turns the corner that loses the Chrysler in his rearview mirror, the opening riff of Judas Priest's Devil's Child kicks in. He lights up a smoke and sings out loud whilst hitting the steering wheel to the beat.

After nearly six months, he'd finally done it. He'd finally cracked the Lyra code. He wasn't exactly sure how, but he was sure as hell gonna analyse the whole day to figure it out later.

"Feast your eyes on, feast your eyes on, a whole lotta sin", he sings aloud and winks at himself in the mirror in congratulations and laughs heartily.

The thing about Lyra was she was just so god damn intriguing to him, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

Hawkins High had beauties of all varieties, and Eddie wasn't shy about sampling any of them, though, for the most part, it had always been done in secret or a one-off. He didn't care all that much. Generally speaking, he hadn't really gotten to know most of them that well in the first place. That's not to say he hadn't had his heart broken a few times, but often, in hindsight, the adoration between Eddie and the object of his affection had been imbalanced.

Lyra, the first day she walked in, Eddie had obviously clocked her as fresh meat, but as horrible as it sounded, she wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, she didn't have a killer figure, her clothes were not alternative, and chances are, if she hadn't been at Eddie's old locker, he might not have noticed her at all. She was almost painfully ordinary.

Maybe from his mother's love of folklore tales or his love of fantasy in general, but Eddie believed in signs, and it had started with the locker. Ok, someone eventually had to get that locker, so he had initially brushed that off.

She had struggled to unlock it the same way he had years before and then, just like Eddie hadn't run for help or to complain, and instead found her own way in.

Eddie had watched her struggle for a while and even thought she might need a bit of help at Hawkins. He should probably invite her to join Hellfire Club because this place could be ruthless.

He saw some cheerleaders walk past and whisper to one another, looking her up and down as they did so, but Lyra seemed utterly oblivious. He looked her over. There was something familiar about her outfit. He couldn't see anything wrong with it. Maybe it was a girl thing? But there was something off about it. He just couldn't place it.

Later in gym was the first time he'd heard the rumours, the names they'd called her, that she'd been expelled, came from a private school and how the jocks had joked amongst themselves about who should "welcome" such easy pickings to Hawkins first.

Eddie was not above listening out for who might be more amenable to advances than others, but he'd never talk about anyone like that.

She'd obviously made a mistake at her old school, but now she wasn't even allowed a clean slate at a new place? That just pushed Eddie's buttons in all the wrong ways.

It was then he decided he'd ask her to join Hellfire the next day. She'd be safe with them. The jocks wouldn't be caught dead sniffing around a member of a D&D club.

As the next day rolled around, she stabbed the side of her locker with a pen and wrestled it into submission. Eddie smiled to himself. He was gonna make her day, Show her how to work that locker and take her under his wing. He looked her over again. What was so familiar about her outfits?

Before he could step across the hallway, he was interrupted by a playful commotion of Clara complaining, trying to grab something from Jeff, who was holding something out of her reach that he and Gareth were giggling at.

Eddie snatches the book from his hand, "What are you plaguing Clara with today, punks?" He says with a laugh, turning the book in his hand. It was just a clothing catalogue. He was pretty sure he had one at home. He flicked through it with his thumb and realised something. He hands the catalogue back to Clara, "Here you go, don't mind these perverts, man. They probably can't turn the pages of their own home copy anymore."

"Ew!" Clara exclaims, looking disgusted at Gareth and Jeff, taking back her catalogue from Eddie, "Thanks, Eddie!"

As he'd flicked through the catalogue, it had become evident why her outfits were so familiar. It's because they were precisely the ones in the catalogue.  She was dressed exactly like a model on one of the pages, like the entire outfit, and yesterday's must have been the same.

Eddie thought two things, she must have a lot of money and minimal personal identity. Still a candidate for Hellfire, he thought to himself. Differences should be embraced, not held in contempt.

As he'd gone to step across the way again, the bell rang, and it was too late. He'd see her later. He didn't feel in any sort of rush about asking her.

As usual, he'd gone to class and sat in his seat at the back. To his surprise, Lyra was also in this class, she'd looked around for a chair, but they continually got filled. In that shitty way, assholes did. Lyra would approach a seat, and someone would rush to sit in it or put their bag in it, claiming it was saved until the only one left was the back corner, the desk next to Eddie.

A few things happened next. Eddie pretended to pay attention to the doodles he was creating on his notepad, but instead, he watched Lyra set out her stationary on her desk. Everything had a place, everything adjusted at perfect angles to one another. Eddie had basically trained himself out of this in class because, previously, classmates had made his life hell about it, and it didn't fit his image, but it was still a habit of his behind his dungeon master's screen or at home.

Then as she pulled a final item from her backpack, just emerging from her bag was a copy of Stephen King's Pet Semetary, which he had finished reading not a month ago.

All these little things were starting to add up, and Eddie couldn't help but wonder if the Universe was trying to tell him he was on the right track. This little lost sheep needed his help. He was almost sure of it now.

Then the thing happened that made him really sit up and pay attention.

It was in this class the infamous satanism debate took place. Firstly, Lyra didn't sit silent when the subject was brought up. Not only did she challenge it, but she also remained calm throughout and absolutely scared the holy ghost out of Carver at least.

He'd seen her again at lunch, tagging on to an end of a table, her head buried in her book, crunching on an apple. Eddie had asked the rest of Hellfire if they knew her and what they thought about her joining. Most were indifferent, but Clara had been ecstatic. "She'd be such a good fit, Eddie. In her intro speech in form, she said she worked in costume and loved drama. Also, it would be great to have another girl join. Please, Eddie!"

After lunch, Eddie saw her fighting with her locker again and had offered her some help. He remembered her eyes almost scanning him. He knew what she was doing, the same thing Eddie did. She was gathering information, every patch, every pin, the markings on his hands, the rings on his fingers, guessing at his self-care routine by examining his hair and nails, clothes, and stance.

"Thanks, but I'm ok. I'll figure it out," Lyra said pleasantly enough the first time, and he'd shrugged and left it at that. However, Eddie could be persistent when he wanted to be, and his mere presence around her had quietened most of the jocks down in the locker room he'd noticed. So despite it not going to the plan he'd wanted, it was still working.

Sure he could have explained why he annoyed her every day, but he just didn't have the heart to be the one to tell her she hadn't escaped her past and also, in some ways, on the days she wasn't wholly vile to him, Eddie almost enjoyed it. It was like a little project. He would help her with this locker and then ask her to join Hellfire just as soon as she'd let him.

That was all Eddie had wanted until today. Something changed today, like a shift in their dynamic, and it ended on actual friendly terms.

Eddie's hand absently mindedly rubs over his sternum as he thinks about it, and he recalls that's where she'd pushed him away, ever so softly and playfully, how he'd wanted to linger against her fingertips a little longer, just to have her touching him.

It wasn't the only time today something had felt weird. At the copier, when Eddie took over, she was silent. That feeling in his stomach when she genuinely laughed at his antics backstage. The way she'd looked at him a few times had almost made him nervous, and then lastly, the relief when Phil showed up not as a boyfriend but as a driver. Sure it was a surprise she had a fucking driver, but it wasn't a challenger.

A challenger? Shit. Eddie frowns to himself and tries to figure out what he's feeling. Had his campaign to befriend Lyra inadvertently turned into something much more profound or was it merely competition for her friendship that had disappointed Eddie when he thought there was a partner. After all, he'd worked so hard and had finally made some steps today.

Now there was a whole new layer of stuff about her to unpack, but for now, he knew he had his foot in the door and couldn't slip up.

Eddie pulled into the trailer park and into his driveway. Delighted to see his Uncle's car still there, too, he runs to the door at top speed and slams the door open like a looney toon entering a scene in a cartoon before a big musical number.

"I did it, Uncle Wayne. Today I finally did it!" Eddie's radiant grin beams around the living room until it finds his Uncle on the couch.

"Whilst I appreciate the excited greeting, mind the door, boy." Uncle Wayne winces at the clatter of the trailer door as he lights up a cigarette, bracing for the impact of an exuberant Eddie.

Eddie runs to the kitchen, grabs two cans of beer out of the refrigerator, and cracks them open as he sits down with his Uncle, "Eddie! Really? You haven't even started your homework" Uncle Wayne tries to frown at him, but Eddie is just emitting pure positive energy right now, which is way too infectious. Eddie hands his Uncle the other open can.

"Look, I know, but it's a cause for celebration. I finally did it today. I cracked the girl code. Now I'm not sure how I did it, but I still got it done!" Eddie says with a look of happiness and half disbelief himself.

Uncle Wayne tilts his head at him as he cracks open his beer, "What do you mean, son? Did you ask out that Cheerleader?"

"No, no. Don't hold your breath on that one old-timer," Eddie laughs.

"The spooky-looking girl? Or the girl from last weekend?" Wayne tries to guess at the Rolodex of girls Eddie has previously mentioned. Wayne is glad that it had been established this was a girl at the beginning of this conversation. Otherwise, he might be guessing all night.

Eddie shakes his head, "No. Lyra, the snappy one."

"Now, Eddie. I told you before, stop plaguing that girl. She told you she's not interested." Wayne gently warns Eddie.

"Incorrect! She told me she didn't want my help with her locker, but today she let me help her more than once, and she didn't get all angry at me, well, not as much anyway. Sometimes she says things, but that's not what she means, you know?" Eddie says enthusiastically.

Wayne studies his nephew for a few moments, "Now, did she agree to your help, or did you just Eddie your way into helping her?" Wayne asks curiously with a smirk on his face.

Wayne is more than familiar with he's nephews persistent ways. Eddie didn't do it to be an asshole, he did it because he thought it was the right thing to do, but Wayne knew one of these days his impulsiveness was gonna land him in trouble, so he made sure to always use these as teachable moments with Eddie.

"Well, I didn't ask, buuuuut once she'd seen I was helpful, she wasn't all angry about it, she like, I dunno chilled out. Her voice wasn't all snippy. It was like gentle." Eddie says thoughtfully, taking a sip of his beer and paces around the living room.

Wayne's eyebrows raise in surprise at Eddie, "This girl, this Lyra. This is the one you wanted to join your Hellfire club, right, because she was a bit of a loner and needed a friend. Is that the right girl I'm thinking of?"

Eddie nods but then rushes to sit back down opposite his Uncle, "Yeah, that's her, but then I don't know if maybe..." Eddie rubs his chest again, where her fingertips had been, "I don't know Unc, I just feel something different, a bit confused."

"Hey, whoa! Slow down there, son." Wayne chuckles, pointing at where Eddie's hand is, "She got you that good, huh?"

Eddie looks down at his hand like he hadn't realised it was there and pulls it away from himself sharply. "No! She just...I was...dunno...maybe something. Maybe nothing. She pushed me away there." Eddie raises his hands quickly at his Uncle's newly etched frown. "No, not the way you're thinking! Like this." Eddie reenacts it on Wayne.

"Hmmm," Wayne says thoughtfully, "and how did you leave it?"

"I said Tomorrow, Then? And she said she wouldn't dream of missing school, but I think that was a bit coded because Phil was there by then." Eddie replies.

"Phil?! Who is that, now?!" Wayne asks, nearly choking on his beer, fearing the worst.

"Oh no. I thought that too, but it turns out he's just her driver," Eddie adds quickly.

"Her driver????" Wayne adds in alarm, "She has a driver?"

Eddie shrugs, "Maybe they all do at the fancy private school?"

"Wait, I thought she went to Hawkins?" Wayne asks.

"Oh yeah, she does now. She got expelled from the private school," Eddie explains.

"EXPELLED??!!" Wayne is out of his seat now, "Eddie, I want you to listen to me real good right now. You have so much stacked against you out there in the world. You don't need more than what you have to deal with, ok?" Wayne looks into Eddie's eyes for understanding, but all he receives back is a small wounded look, which makes him immediately sit back down and put his hand on Eddie's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I'm not against you, ok? I am team Eddie. Always have been, always will be. But I need to use them smarts in all areas of your life, right? You understand me, boy? Affairs of the heart and well, hormones are always complicated. So at least find out more about this girl before you...um...befriend her. Can you do that for me at least, Eddie?"

Eddie feels and sees the worry emitting from his Uncle and nods enthusiastically, "Yeah, of course!"

"My last piece of advice, Eddie, is this, even if you don't think what she is saying is what she means, take it as what she means. Until they figure out a different way to communicate, like telepathy or something, you take her words as they are, right?" Wayne adds seriously.

A light bulb goes off in Eddie's head, and he stands up enthusiastically, saying, "Yes. Absolutely. I will heed her words to the letter. I promise."

Eddie hugs his Uncle for sound advice, grabs his beer and hurries into his room, leaving Wayne confused and sitting at the table alone.

Uncle Wayne was officially a genius. Another way to communicate, of course!! Eddie had outright asked her about the difference between her words and actions, and she fumbled over her response. He knew he was right about that, but he also knew his Uncle was right. Eddie did not want to come across as one of those jerks who didn't listen, didn't know when to quit, and made people uncomfortable.

When Eddie struggled to communicate, he had to use different methods, and his favourite was music. So maybe it could be her's too?