#rip eddie you try to tell a guy you're in love with him and you accidentally friendzone him even more

[unfinishedslurs]

fwb to lovers (steddie)

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve says. “I can do casual sex. I’m great at casual sex. Friends with benefits will be a breeze.”

“You’re full of shit,” Robin says flatly. 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You can’t do friends with benefits, Steve,” Eddie cringes from his hiding spot behind a shelf, like a criminal who’s been doing friends with benefits with Steve. “You fall in love with every age-appropriate friend you have. Add chemistry and compatibility to that mix, and you’re toast. Might as well slather you in butter and jam, that’s how toasted you are.”

“I don’t fall in love with all my friends,” Steve protests weakly.

Robin holds up a finger. “Nancy,” she starts.

“That doesn’t count! We weren’t friends until after we dated.”

She ignores him, putting up another finger. “Jonathan.”

Eddie frowns at that, mentally going back and pulling up every memory he has of Jonathan and Steve interacting. The jokes that Steve threw his head back to laugh at, the flush on his cheeks. It makes sense, and Eddie doesn’t like it. 

Then he realizes how ridiculous that is. He’s the one sleeping with Steve, a feat he’s fairly sure Jonathan hasn’t accomplished. Jonathan doesn’t know the sounds Steve makes when he comes, or how amazing Steve looks on his knees. Eddie smugly puts his jealousy to the side in favor of listening in. 

Steve has turned a bright red. “You can’t—”

“Me.”

He gives up trying to stop her, putting his head on the counter in shame.

“Plus Eddie,” she finishes, raising a fourth finger and waving it at him. Eddie nearly falls over with surprise. Sure, the whole conversation had been gearing up to it, but he wasn’t expecting an actual confirmation. Steve doesn’t even argue. “Four for four, Steve. Not including Tommy, Carol, the Tommy and Carol incident, or the time you made out with Argyle, which actually makes seven. Do I need to keep going?”

Woah, woah, woah, what? Here he is being jealous of Jonathan when fucking Argyle is the one he needs to watch out for. Eddie briefly wonders if he can get away with putting hair remover in his shampoo or some shit. Weed out the competition. 

No, that’s too far. 

He also wants to hear more about this Tommy and Carol incident. 

Robin is still waiting for a reply, eyebrow raised. 

“No,” Steve mutters into the counter.

“That’s what I thought.” She hops up on the counter, lightly tugging his hair to get him to look at her. “I just listed all your friends who aren’t toddlers, so which of them is it? Fair warning, if it’s Jonathan I’ll just kill you to put you out of your misery.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with Jonathan?” Steve asks, afronted. Maybe Eddie should be jealous.

“Nothing! Except the part where he’s your ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. Even if they are in the middle of the world’s most awkward slow-burn breakup, that’s not the Dingus I know.”

“Are they really?” Steve asks, apparently oblivious to something even Eddie could see from outer space. “Doesn’t matter, it’s not Jonathan. It’s…it’s Eddie.”

“Eddie,” she echoes, entirely unsurprised. “Steve, you know I hate to be the voice of reason, but that is a remarkably bad idea. Like, Jesus, that’s rough.”

Ouch. He thought Robin liked him. 

Steve smirks. “So is he.”

“Ew.” Robin throws a VHS case at him. 

“Ow! Hey!”

“Dingus! Why is your brain so nasty all the time?”

“Oh, like yours is so pure. I can see your rent history, Buckley. How many times have you watched Fast Times this week?”

They’re off, bickering like the world's worst comedy duo, and Eddie has to stifle his laughter into his hand. Jesus, but they could go on television with this shit. Buckley is a master at coming up with insults. 

Finally, they wind down, and Robin leans against Steve. “You know this is gonna break your heart, right?” She asks quietly, sadly. Eddie busies himself with studying the back of whatever movie is in front of him, pretending he’s not straining to catch every second of this conversation. 

“I know,” Steve answers. Eddie’s heart skips a beat. “Worth it, though.”

“Is it?”

His laugh is hollow. “I guess we’ll see.”

The thing is, Eddie doesn’t want to break Steve’s heart. He wants to hold it in his hands, feel along the steadily-beating shape of it, learn all the things that make it tick. Wrap it in bubble wrap, store it away in his own chest so that no one else can get to it. Keep it safe. 

There’s just one problem with that. 

Eddie’s never been on a date in his life. 

Everyone knows Steve is a romantic. He’s the kind of guy who’ll buy flowers for a date, chocolates for Valentine’s Day, take you to the movie theater and make out in the back. All the classics. Eddie’s version of romance so far has been sacrificing himself to the wet spot so Steve wouldn’t have to deal with it. 

If he’s going to date Steve, he wants to do it properly. Which, okay, they can’t really risk necking in a theater, and they’d have to be careful at a diner, and Lover’s Lake is out for obvious reasons, and—

Jesus, dating as a queer is fucking hard. He hasn’t even been on one yet, and he’s exhausted thinking about all the hoops they’ll have to jump through. Maybe they could just get takeout and a movie, like they always do.  

No. No. He just said he was going to be romantic, dammit!

What is romance, anyway? Really it’s just a false sense of meaning attributed to certain gestures instead of others. In a different universe, ding-dong ditching burning dog shit on someone’s porch is probably a declaration of intent. 

Hmm. 

No! 

Okay, romance. He can do romance. After all, he wrote the greatest love story of all time. Between Sir Severus the knight and the great bard Edith the Magnificent. 

He’s never claimed to be subtle. 

He stares down at his notebook, page empty and mocking. He’s going to need some help. 

With a huff and a dirty look at the notebook, he heaves himself out of bed. Stalks through the hallway so he can punch a number in the phone with more than a little vehemence. 

“Wheeler? Yeah, it’s Eddie. Can you put your sister on?”

“Romance,” Nancy repeats, brow furrowed. “You’ve been sleeping with Steve, and now you want to romance him.”

“Yep.”

“And you came to me and not Robin because…”

“She can’t keep a secret from Steve. C’mon, Wheeler, you know this.”

She purses her lips in a way that he knows means she agrees with him. “You know,” she says, “As someone who did date Steve, I think he would just be happy to be with you. You could be doing anything, and it would be amazing to him because you were there.”

Eddie stares at her. “That’s such a cop out.” 

Her face instantly goes from sweet to annoyed beyond comprehension. It’s his favorite expression of hers. He makes sure to bring it out often. 

Eddie puts a single rose on Steve’s nightstand. Yellow, like his favorite color. There, he thinks proudly, declaration of intent. 

Nancy is less than impressed when he tells her. 

“What’s the problem?” He asks, affronted. “It’s a fucking rose! In his favorite color! There’s no way to misinterpret that!”

“Did you even read the pages I copied for you?”

“I started to, but then I remembered that yellow roses exist. He looks really good in yellow, and it’s his favorite color, so he’d probably appreciate a yellow rose. See? Romantic.”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before pulling the book off her nightstand and flipping through the pages. He doesn’t get what the big deal is, he thinks his idea was pretty fucking swell, actually. He tells her so. 

The answering look she gives him could level a city. 

“It’s a nice idea,” she tells him. “The sentiment is right. It would be perfect if his favorite color was anything else.”

“What’s wrong with yellow?”

She purses her mouth and shows him the book, open to roses and their color meanings. 

“Son of a bitch!”

Friendship roses. Fucking friendship roses. Most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard.

[steddieas-shegoes]

it's not ever what it looks like

for @steddielovemonth prompt 'love is saying you're sorry'

rated m | 3,299 words | cw: language, implied sexual content | tags: angst with a happy ending, arguing, established relationship, hurt/comfort, rock star eddie munson, teacher steve harrington, modern au, steve thinks eddie is cheating on him but HE ISN'T I PROMISE, marriage proposal

💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

It wasn't the first time Steve woke up to pictures and articles about Eddie being seen with some model or actor, but it was the first time he'd actually been worried.

Eddie had been distant lately. Usually, when he was on tour, he'd call Steve on his lunch break and text him when he got off of work, and he'd try to Facetime him after his show if it wasn't in a different time zone.

But for the past week or so, he had excuses. They sounded legitimate until one of the afternoons he said the band was caught up in an interview so he couldn't call and Jeff called him ten minutes later to ask where Eddie was. Even with that, Steve hadn't assumed he was cheating.

Steve figured maybe Eddie was just tired or his social battery had run out. Those kinds of things happened before occasionally.

But not daily for over a week.

He was barely even responding to texts, and the ones he did respond to were hours later and hardly adding to any conversation.

And now this article.

There was a picture of Eddie standing with his arm around some guy who was taller than him, both of them laughing, looking at each other like...well. Steve knew that look because it'd only ever been pointed at him, but now he was seeing it pointed at just some guy.

The headline read EDDIE MUNSON GIVING UP HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART FOR SUPERMODEL SUPERSTAR?

Steve decided the only way through this was to read the entire article. At least then he could probably convince himself they were wrong.

Except the article went on to explain how Eddie hadn't brough Steve to any shows yet this tour, and how he'd been flirting more with the crowd after the show instead of just during it, how he was seen at two bars over the last week when he usually doesn't go out after shows.

It went on to say that these pictures were taken shortly after they'd been seen sneaking away from a group of people they'd been hanging out with and that they seemed very close for the entire night. The article said the guy was a male lingerie model who made it big posing for Gucci last year. He'd just landed his first film role as a supporting actor and was looking to land a lead role soon.

Steve hated him. And he was getting a terrible feeling in his gut about what was going on.

He had 26 unread texts, most of them from Robin, Dustin, and Gareth.

All of them had said mostly the same things:

I can't get ahold of Eddie.

He wouldn't do this.

Something else is going on.

Call me when you can.

The last one was Gareth, and it's not that he and Gareth weren't close, but they never talked on the phone.

He tried not to think about he didn't have a single message or missed call from Eddie.

Steve called Gareth.

"Steve. Shit, I'm glad you called."

"What's going on?"

Gareth sighed. "Ed's kinda losing it. But before you call him-"

"Why would I call him? Shouldn't he be the one to call me? If he wants to be with some supermodel, he should probably be the one to break up with me, right?" Steve could feel tears gathering in his eyes, stinging the back of his throat. "I'm not sure why I have to be the one to hurt and do the breaking up."

"Steve-"

"Is there something you needed Gareth? Or were you just trying to defend your friend?"

"There's nothing to defend! I swear-"

"Yeah. Well. Tell him to call me if he wants to explain anything, I guess."

Steve hung up just before a sob ripped from his throat.

He never had to worry about Eddie being a famous rock star, spending 6-7 months of the year gone, meeting all kinds of flashy celebrities. Eddie loved him so much, he never had any doubt that he'd always be his first choice.

Until now.

It was a shitty feeling and he had to be at work in less than an hour.

No time to wallow.

He sent a quick text to Robin to let her know he was okay, but needed to focus on getting through work, then shut off his phone.

"Is everything okay?" the art teacher, Mrs. Phineas, asked him on their lunch break. "You seem out of it today."

"Just a migraine," Steve gave a half-smile, hoped it was enough to convince her to leave him alone. He still hadn't turned on his phone, and at this point, he didn't really want to.

She tilted her head to the side. "When are you off to see your man?"

"Don't know," he shrugged, ignoring the tug in his stomach, the sudden weight in his chest.

"Ah," she said, turning back to her soup. "Something happened."

"Nothing happened!"

"You look two seconds away from crying," she gave him a deadpan look. "Did he hurt you?"

Mrs. Phineas was a little older than Wayne, close to retirement, and had been his closest friend from the moment he started teaching at this school nearly six years ago. He'd told her everything about Eddie, their relationship, his hopes of Eddie taking a longer break after this tour so they could have some time just the two of them, maybe make a real plan for their future.

Steve nodded once.

Her hand covered his and she squeezed his fingers in her own. "I may not know him half as well as I know you, but I know that boy loves you. You two will get through this, whatever it is."

"I dunno if we will," Steve whispered, scared to speak louder and risk the tears falling. He'd been doing so well today.

She patted his hand and went back to eating, saying nothing else about it.

His students had caught on early that he wasn't quite his usual self, and the group of second graders had been on their best behavior because of it. As the dismissal bell rang and he started calling for bus riders to line up, someone walked through his door.

Eddie walked through his door.

He bit back the anger, knowing his students loved Eddie and wouldn't know he was here for any reason other than to say hello.

"Mr. Munson!" A few of them yelled as most of them ran up to him instead of getting in the line Steve asked them to.

"Hi kiddos!" Eddie was faking it, but luckily the students couldn't tell. "Sorry, but you guys have to listen to Mr. H right now. I promise I will come say hi again tomorrow."

The students grumbled about it and Steve took in his appearance.

He had dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't slept the night before, his hair was in a messy bun instead of perfectly arranged to fall on his shoulders, and he was wearing Steve's hoodie that had suspiciously gone missing the last time he'd been home.

The fact that Steve's first thought was how badly he wanted to pull him into a hug was not a good sign.

He checked names off the list as they filtered out the door and then called the car riders to line up. He went through the list and made sure everyone made it into the hall where they'd be called when their parent pulled up before turning back to Eddie.

He closed his door and made his way to his desk, ignoring the way Eddie awkwardly stood by one of the student desks in the front.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked, signing off of his work email and organizing tomorrow's lesson plan.

"I needed to explain-"

"Right."

"That article wasn't supposed to come out yet."

Steve's jaw dropped. So he wasn't going to deny it, he was just gonna act like it was the media's fault for releasing it before he could talk to Steve.

"Yeah. So you decided to come break up with me in person because you got caught cheating instead of doing it over the phone right before the article hit online. Got it."

Steve was not going to cry about this. Not in front of Eddie.

He was going to go home, shower, try to eat something, and then he was going to cry for the next 10 hours.

"No, Steve, you don't understand."

"You're right, I don't. I don't understand how you could throw away a 10 year relationship for a model who doesn't even know your middle name. I don't understand how you can fly all the way here and interrupt my day at my job to try to explain to me why you were so cozy with a guy who doesn't even know that you like your hot chocolate with Bailey's instead of regular milk. I really don't understand how you couldn't even bother to text or call me one single time since the article to even try to explain anything." Steve wiped his eyes furiously, angry that his tears were betraying him. "I don't understand why you would expect me to care for reasons."

Eddie wordlessly picked Steve's phone up off the desk and powered it on. He set it down in front of Steve and waited.

Texts and calls and emails came through all at once, hundreds of notifications lighting up his screen.

Many of them from Eddie himself.

"Go ahead. Open them," Eddie didn't sound mad, he just sounded resigned.

So Steve read through the texts, many of them different renditions of 'please Steve, call me' and 'I love you sweetheart I'm sorry.' Not promising.

But then he started playing the voicemails.

"Stevie, it's really not what it looks like. It's never what it looks like. You know that. Please call me as soon as you can. I love you."

"I can explain everything if you call me back. I promise you it isn't anything more than a business thing. Everyone in the band can tell you. I swear. Just. Please."

"I'm getting on a flight to you now. I'm gonna keep trying to call you even when I land. I need you to know what's going on."

"Just landed. I'm on my way to you. The guys are a little pissed, but you're more important than the show tonight. I'm not doing my own thing until I know you understand."

Steve looked up at him, tears still falling down his face.

"Well?" He asked, broken.

"His name is Wyatt. He's trying to make it in the acting world and he was pretty much told he was the top choice for playing lead in a movie that's in early stages of development," Eddie spoke quickly.

"Great for him."

"It's actually great for all of us. The movie is a biopic of Corroded Coffin. He's expected to play me."

At any other time, Steve would be proud, he'd be jumping up and down at this chance for them, and he'd be kissing Eddie without a care in the world.

But he still saw that picture and that article, and no matter how much "business" was going on, it was pretty clear that wasn't all that was going on.

"So you thought sleeping with him would help him get into the role? Or did you just wanna get into him?" Steve bit back.

"The article was wrong! The picture was just really conveniently timed! You know the media are vultures, Stevie. How many times have they written about us breaking up? How many times have they said Gareth and I have secretly been married for the last two years? How many times have they tried to post shitty things about your relationship before me to prove that you can't possibly be queer?" Eddie pulled Steve to his feet and cupped his face in his hands. "I've been spending the last two weeks talking with him and the producer and the guys to see what might work best for production. They want us involved in as much of the writing and filming part as possible. And he had time in his schedule to come to a show last night, so we all took him out after so he could get a taste of what it's like for us. He's really excited for the role and all of us are really excited for the movie."

Steve felt stupid. Well, maybe not stupid. His feelings were valid and he wasn't dramatic about what he'd seen.

But he did feel a little shitty about doubting Eddie.

Eddie, who had literally flown across the country to explain in person so that there was no way Steve could misunderstand him. Eddie, who once Doordashed him soup from his favorite restaurant when he was sick even though he was in Europe. Eddie, who sent letters to the kids in his class once a month to talk about how important music is and following your dreams. Eddie, who loved him for ten years and wouldn't have let anyone get in the way of what they'd built.

Steve fell against Eddie, buried his face in his neck and his hands in his shirt. Eddie's arms wrapped around him, his voice saying something against his shoulder. Steve couldn’t hear him, but he didn’t think he needed to.

He just needed to feel him.

“I’m sorry,” Steve said against his neck. Tears soaked the hoodie under him, and Steve could feel tears against his own button down. “I shouldn’t have- I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Eddie shook his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone until the article hit, but I was still gonna call you and warn you but I didn’t and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. This is part of the whole lifestyle. I should be used to it,” Steve shuddered as Eddie’s hand scratched at his scalp. “I should’ve reacted better.”

“We both didn’t treat this the way we should’ve.”

Steve snorted, nodded as he found the spot Eddie had tattooed on his neck a couple years earlier. He pressed his lips over the tattoo of his lip print.

“You flew across the country over this,” Steve pulled away and looked at Eddie, vision blurred from crying. “Just to make things okay.”

“I needed you to know. I needed to hold you. I needed to have you in front of me. And I wanted to celebrate the fact that we’re getting a movie about our lives,” Eddie smirked. “I wonder who will play you. Someone with a nice ass is a must. Their hair will have to defy gravity. Don’t know if they’ll find anyone with that smile, though.”

“Me? Why would they need anyone to play me?” Steve played with the string of the hoodie. “That might be kinda boring.”

“How would they make a movie about me and not include you? You’re the reason I ever made it past Hawkins, sweet thing,” Eddie leaned in to kiss his bottom lip. “Maybe they’ll just cast you. No one else could pull it off.”

“Eds-“ Steve blushed. “Wait. Okay, I trust you, but what were you doing in the picture?”

Eddie laughed. “He had just finished telling me about his boyfriend who lives in Italy. He’s apparently just a regular guy in finance who has no interest in the whole fame thing. Sound familiar?”

“Sounds like you two have a lot in common.”

“The picture was me asking if we could crash at their home in Italy next summer on our honeymoon,” Eddie said casually.

Steve froze. “Honeymoon?”

“I’m open to other places, but you still haven’t been to Italy and I know how much you wanted to see Rome and Florence,” Eddie was smirking.

That bastard.

“You are ridiculous, you know that? I’m over here planning how I’ll survive a breakup with you and you fly across the country to propose with a honeymoon planned before I’ve even said yes! You know how crazy that sounds, right?” Steve shook his head. “You’re lucky I love you. You’re lucky I’m not interested in big romantic gestures.”

“Damn. Hold on, let me make a call,” Eddie reached into his pocket for his phone.

“What?”

“I gotta cancel the big romantic gesture,” Eddie explained as he typed furiously on his phone.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It was a whole thing. Robin was involved. There may have been 500 flowers ordered. I think it’s too late to cancel the singing telegram though.”

“I genuinely can’t tell if you’re being serious,” Steve wouldn’t be surprised if at least some of that was true.

“Oh, I’m serious. The ring was being set on the bed in the middle of a heart made of rose petals. I didn’t half-ass a fucking thing, angel.”

Steve pulled his phone out of his hands and set it on his desk. “Don’t cancel anything. I changed my mind. I am very much into big romantic gestures when it’s you doing them.”

“It was a team effort. I mean, I had to move it all up unexpectedly, but this was all gonna happen next month when I came home." Eddie pulled Steve into a long kiss, tongue tracing his lips. He pulled away to rest their foreheads together. "I'm not doing this just because of what happened, but I need you to know you're it for me. You've stuck by me through failing senior year, through being broke trying to book gigs all over the midwest, through the stress of our first album being released and the unexpected overnight fame, every album and tour since then, every time I've had to miss things that matter to you because of the band, all of it. You love me anyway. I don't always deserve it, but I'm grateful."

Steve's lips pressed against Eddie's again. "I love the life we have. I love you."

"I'm not asking you without the ring. I made so many plans. Robin will murder me in my sleep if I don't go through with them," Eddie laughed. "So can we get out of your classroom before I do something inappropriate and get you fired?"

"I mean," Steve glanced at the clock. "Technically all the students should be gone. We could lock the door..."

"Steven Harrington! How dare you suggest I fuck you over your desk in a school! I can't believe you would tell me to unbutton your jeans," he said as he unbuttoned his jeans. "And get on my knees." He got on his knees. "And suck you until you can't stand anymore."

"Eddie!" Steve chuckled, shoving his hand in Eddie's hair. "We should at least lock the door."

"So you're not saying no?"

"Why would I say no?"

"That's what I'm saying!" Eddie got back up and ran to the door, flipping the lock and turning back to Steve with flushed cheeks. "This is like, maybe three of my biggest fantasies in one, so I may actually come in my pants."

"You're ridiculous."

"Baby boy, my hand is my only friend on tour, you know that. How can I possibly hold myself back when I've got your dick in my mouth?" Eddie dropped to his knees again, looking up at Steve with something close to reverence.

"It's not in your mouth yet," Steve smirked as he tugged his waistband down enough to free his cock.

"Oh, I missed you," Eddie said directly to Steve's hard cock. "Steve, I want you to fuck my mouth until I pass out."

"I'm not doing that."

"Okay, well I'll settle for until I have to tap out."

"Fine. But it's not gonna be long for me," Steve shook his head. "Missed you, too."

"The sooner the better, sweetheart."

[apomaro-mellow]

Hospitals still weren't Eddie most favorite place to be, even though they had technically saved his life once. He didn't give doctors the credit though. No, he reserved that praise for his husband who had literally carried him through hell, holding his guts together.

But alas, he was still only human. And thus prone to human ailments. Which was why he was currently in a hospital bed, preparing for a tonsillectomy.

"Steve, my love, my muse", Eddie took his hand and kissed it. "Should I not return from this-"

"Oh shut up. It's a routine operation." Steve could tell he was being dramatic to cover up the fact that he was actually scared. "You'll be fine. In fact, I'm going down to the cafeteria right now. You're not getting just any ice cream. I'm gonna bring you back a whole sundae."

Steve looked to the rest of the band, who had come for moral support. "Watch him please. And don't let him fall to hysterics." He left out, really hoping he wouldn't come back to an Eddie in tears.

"Sooo", Grant started. "If you don't make it, who gets your house?"

Eddie's brow furrowed. "Uh, my husband, duh?"

"Okay, who gets your husband?", Gareth asked.

Eddie saw the cavalry arrive in the form of Steve's true soulmate. "Robiiiiin", he whined. "You have to protect Steve from these vultures", he hissed the last word.

"We're just trying to hash out who has dibs on Eddie's hot husband", Jeff said.

Robin pointed to herself. "I made it clear to Eddie when he proposed that should the marriage end, either naturally or by divorce, custody of Steve would revert back to me."

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for Bucks, but as long as you keep Steve out of another man's clutches, I won't haunt you from the grave."

"Actually, I plan on setting him up with the first wealthy guy he meets", Robin said. "Thanks to your fame, I've become accustomed to a certain lifestyle. And also, Steve doesn't know how to be single."

The other CC boys nodded sagely.

"All the more reason one of us should get him. We can take care of him", Grant said.

"I can't believe this. This is a goddamn coup!", Eddie shouted.

Steve returned, none the wiser to their conversation. "You won't believe this. The cafeteria has chocolate syrup AND nuts? Isn't that wild? You're gonna have the best sundae of your life, babe."

He took his seat right next to Eddie's bedside and kissed his forehead.

"Angel, we're surrounded by snakes and thieves", Eddie said deliriously.

"What are you talking about?", Steve asked.

Having only Eddie in his line of sight, he couldn't see the others behind him. So he didn't see Jeff making kissy faces, Gareth making a circle with his hand and sticking a finger through it repeatedly, or Grant making a V with his fingers and flapping his tongue between them.

"Those traitorous lechers covet what is mine. And not even Robin seeks to protect your virtue!", Eddie said, desperately reaching out for Steve.

Steve kept his voice even and calm, trying to soothe his husband from whatever delusion he was having when the doctor came in. This guy looked like he played a doctor on tv. Chiseled jaw with perfectly manicured facial hair.

"Good evening", he greeted.

"Hi", Steve said, voice a little breathy.

"Oh he's perfect", Robin said, reading her friend perfectly.

"I'm Dr. Morip, I'll be performing your operation today."

"Morip?", Eddie tilted his head.

"Yes, as in 'more ripped than you'." Then he flexed and busted out of his scrubs and swept Steve off his feet, ignoring the cries of the invalid on the bed.

Eddie was tossing and turning even as Steve shook his shoulders to wake him up.

"You were having a nightmare", Steve spoke softly in the dim lamp light of the hospital room. "Was it 86 again?"

"Steve!", Eddie clung to him as best as he could. "You didn't leave me for Dr. Morip!"

"Dr. Morip? Eddie, her name is Dr. Hudson. And she's married and in her sixties."

Everything caught up with Eddie as his brain became more lucid. He'd already had the operation. That had all been a dream. The tension released instantly as he realized he wasn't about to die on the table and Steve would be scooped up by opportunistic friends.

"You're mine, you know that?"

"Really? Is that why I'm hand-feeding you ice cream?", Steve teased, holding up a spoonful to Eddie's lips.

"I love you", Eddie said, voice muffled from the food and a little watery too.

"I know, you dope. Love you too."

[penny00dreadful]

And They Were Roommates! - Part 2

Part 1 Part 3 AO3

Eddie had called out of work the next day. Steve could hear him making his apologies to Mrs. Henderson who'd taken over the running of the shop when her husband passed.

Steve knew she'd probably tell him to stay home for the rest of the week, probably longer if she could get away with it, but Eddie loved every second he spent working there. Adored Dustin. Adored the other kids, Steve's kids, who used the back room for their dice game after closing on Thursday evenings.

Eddie would have to be beaten away from the premises with a bat. A bat with nails.

Steve might just have to give it a try if the idiot refused to rest properly.

He wasn't mothering him.

He was like… distant cousining him.

When he heard Eddie retreat back to his room after the call and when a light rumbling of snores came through the wall maybe a half an hour later, Steve finally made his exit from his room.

He hadn’t wanted Eddie to think he needed to put on a brave face or act like he was okay if Steve was out in the public spaces while he made the call. 

Not because he cared.

Just so Eddie wouldn’t have to pretend.

And so he himself didn’t have to deal with the tension.

Yeah, right.

Also, it was the least he could do to complete Eddie's designated chores off the whiteboard that there had been war over. 

Robin and Eddie’s friend Chrissy had been forced to come in and mediate the whiteboard before one of them set the other's hair on fire. Though by the end of the day the two best friends had been too busy making eyes at each other to be of any help.

Steve was taking a risk; messing with the delicate whiteboard balance that stayed the same, week in, week out, lest another war start. But if Eddie wasn’t up for going to work, he certainly wouldn’t be up for sweeping, mopping, countertops and garbage.

And like, Steve could hardly blame him, he’d been through a lot yesterday, he’d been betrayed by the guy he’d cared most about. He was attacked and had his heart broken all in one night.

So it was whatever.

Just a few chores. 

Whatever.

At least he didn’t have to worry about keeping the noise down. Eddie could sleep through the apartment being ripped up by a cyclone then dropped into Oz.

He’d probably sleep through any and all musical numbers to follow, too.

Though he’d be bummed about missing them.

A few hours had passed by that point and Steve was just about to sit his lovely bottom on the couch to enjoy some good old fashioned thoughtless tv when there was a knock at the door.

He half expected Mrs. Henderson to be on the other side with half a hospital in tow behind her as well as, like, fifteen gallons of her famous chicken noodle soup. Which Steve would not turn down for love nor money and would steal a minimum 50% share.

As was his right.

But it wasn’t Claudia.

It was some guy. 

Some guy who had a bandage over his nose, a harsh purple colour blooming underneath, sitting a little off as though broken. Some guy who had cuts and scratch marks all over his face and neck.

Some guy who seemed to be affronted at the very sight of him.

But as he stood there Steve could see the clogged up gears working in his brain before the guy opened his mouth and said "You're Steve, the roommate."

Steve pursed his lips. 

Well, this interaction was off to a great start. 

Though if this was who Steve thought he was, he couldn’t give less of a fuck.

"I'm Steve. Eddie's the roommate.” He said with a raised eyebrow. “What was with the look?"

The guy blinked at him. "What look?"

"The look you gave me, when I opened the door. Like I'd shit on your shoe." He answered with a cocked eyebrow and a cocked hip.

"Oh, uh… I just thought Eddie had shacked up with someone already.” The guy laughed. “Bit soon.” He shrugged and smiled at Steve as though looking for some kind of commiseration for a good joke, two men giving each other nudges about how silly their wives were or whatever other shit straight people did.

But Steve had no commiseration to give.

So this was definitely the shithead, then. Rick.

Steve leaned against the doorframe, practically acting like a barricade, blocking off access to the apartment with his arms crossed. "Don’t like the idea of him having someone at home?” He asked in a light tone. “Bit hypocritical if you ask me.”

Rick’s face immediately soured. "That wasn't his business to tell."

“I think you lose the privilege to that kind of privacy when you fuck around on people you’re supposed to love.” Steve shrugged. “Or just people in general.”

“Who the hell are you to judge me?” Rick puffed his chest out. “You don’t know me.”

“And thank god for that. I don’t need to know you. I know you’re a cheater, that’s enough.”

Rick scoffed. “Whatever, man. I’m not here to debate morality or some shit with you. I’m here to see Eddie.”

“No.” Steve answered as simply as he could. 

The guy seemed to need things to be concise.

Rick looked bewildered. “Ex- excuse me?”

“You got cotton in your ears or something? I said no.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are? His keeper? You know he hates you right?”

Steve pulled his mouth down into a mocking pout. “Oh no.” He sighed, deadpan. “I’m so heartbroken.”

“Listen, I’m not getting into it with you right now, man. So call Eddie out or move.”

“Or what?” Steve leaned forward a little, feeling his blood light on fire. 

There would be nothing more he’d love at this moment than Rick trying to square up to fight. 

The guy was a little taller than him, but Steve was much broader, much stronger and though it wasn’t something he liked to do, he knew he could throw a decent punch if it was for someone else.

That much was obvious. 

Thinking back on the things Eddie had said last night, the things Rick had tried, the way he’d cried into Steve’s shoulder, Steve would break Rick’s nose all over again if given half a chance.

“Steve.”

Eddie appeared next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him away from the door.

Rick looked between the two of them before his eyes landed back on Steve, snapping at him “You can fuck off now.”

Steve raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘oh, can I?’, but even so, he looked at Eddie, waiting for some sign of what he wanted, whether he wanted him to stay or go.

But Eddie gave no indication of what he wanted, wedging himself in between the two and pulling the door tighter to himself, his expression thunderous through the blooming bruises and angry cuts.

“The fuck are you doing here?”

Steve took that as his cue to go. Even through all the bluster and posturing and how much the two of them still didn’t like each other-

We barely tolerate each other, Steve insisted to himself, we don’t like each other. I don’t like him.

-he wasn’t going to force himself into this drama and if Eddie needed to tear this guy to shreds on his own, Steve would let him.

But he had barely taken a step back before Eddie’s hand shot out, grasping at what he could until he had a fistful of Steve’s shirt, white knuckling it and stopping him in his tracks.

The movement was hidden by the door, Rick wouldn’t have been able to see it and Eddie didn’t acknowledge that he’d done anything, still staring his ex down.

Steve stopped dead where he was and when Eddie seemed to realise that he wouldn’t be moving, his hand loosened, coming back up to rest against the door.

“I’m here to sort things out between us. Try to fix it.” Rick said, his voice going soft.

Eddie exhaled a derisive laugh through his nose. “Why don’t you go and ‘fix’ your wife?”

Steve crossed his arms, standing guard in the back but still mostly out of sight.

“C’mon babe…” Rick reached out, attempting to grasp at Eddie’s fingers but Eddie snatched his hand back. “I think you’re just… making a big deal out of this when you don’t need to.”

“A big deal?” Eddie snapped, leaning forward. “Not only have you been cheating on your wife but you’ve been cheating on me too.”

“You?” Rick sputtered, incredulous.

He exhaled with an eye roll and only then noticed that Steve was still standing there.

“Are you serious?” Rick almost shrieked. “What the hell are you still here for? Show’s over, normie!” He waved his hand in Steve’s direction as though dismissing him.

Steve raised his eyebrows and smiled back, not moving an inch.

Rick looked back to Eddie. “Are you not going to do anything about him? We’re in the middle-”

“Oh my god.” Steve injected as much sarcasm as he could. “Is this a private conversation? I had no idea.”

Rick’s face was turning red with frustration. “You got a real attitude problem, man.”

Steve turned his mouth down in a pout. “Oh no.”

“That’s it.” Rick slammed against the door all of a sudden, wrenching it from Eddie’s grip and almost blowing it open if it wasn’t for Steve’s hands stopping it in its tracks.

The sudden stop jostled Rick, sending him slightly off balance and Eddie took the opportunity to kick out hard, swinging his leg up until it landed in between Rick’s legs. 

Eddie retracted his foot for just a second as Rick crumpled with a scream of pain before kicking out again, catching him in the hip and shoving him back into the hallway, sending him sprawling.

“Lose my fucking number, asshole.” 

Eddie spat down at Rick before turning back inside and slamming the door behind him.

His eyes were still narrowed and furious as he glared at Steve who could do nothing but stand there.

The sound of Rick’s groans were still echoing beyond the door as the two of them looked at each other.

The silence stretched on as Eddie heaved heavy breaths in and out and Steve stared dumbfounded.

There was a glossy sheen to Eddie’s eyes by the time Steve opened his mouth, not sure of what he was going to say.

But it didn’t matter.

Eddie stormed past him without a backwards glance, his hair just disappearing behind the door before he slammed it closed and the wailing of a guitar and the crashing of drums started to scream out of the speakers in his room.

He didn’t see Eddie for the rest of the day. Didn’t knock on his door to try to pull him out and didn’t try to get him to talk.

Steve was only just waking up the day after when he heard Eddie’s bedroom door open and shuffling coming down the hall towards the phone.

He twiddled his thumbs, waiting in his room while he heard Eddie’s muttered conversation. 

He didn’t want to interrupt, didn’t want to have to force his presence on Eddie before it was necessary but he really had to pee and he’d have to walk past the phone to get to the bathroom.

Thankfully the conversation didn’t last long but then Eddie shuffled away from his own room towards the bathroom and Steve had to take some very deep breaths.

He couldn’t really be mad at him for it, the guy hadn’t come out of his room at all yesterday after the confrontation, he deserved to pee but Steve felt like his kidneys were gonna start failing at any second.

When he heard Eddie shuffle back into his room Steve nearly cracked the wall with how hard he threw the door open, rushing down the hallway and into the bathroom before he exploded.

Eddie hadn’t made another appearance by the time Steve was grabbing his keys for work and as much as it irritated him, he was feeling a little wary about leaving him all alone for most of the day.

Turned out he didn’t really need to worry about it.

Just as he had turned back towards Eddie’s room, there was a knock on the front door.

He swung it open to find bouncing blonde curls and a bright perky smile.

“Hi Steve.”

“Oh, hey Chrissy.” He stepped aside, allowing her to sweep inside. Her sweater was very unusual. Dark blue and baggy and tucked into her light wash jeans. Steve could have sworn he’d seen it before. There was a large plastic bag in her hand that a glance inside told him was filled with every tooth rottingly sweet thing she could have scooped off the shelves at their local store.

She placed the bag on the kitchen counter with a light clink of glass against glass coming from inside.

Maybe it was also a day-drunk type of visit.

“How is he?” Chrissy asked, blinking up at him with her big earnest eyes.

“I’m… not sure?” Steve shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck a little embarrassed. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”

She nodded. “Okay. That’s okay.”

“I think I’m probably going to call over to Robin’s after work.” He muttered, trying to keep his burning blush down. “Hang out for a little bit.”

He didn’t think he needed to say he was doing it to give Chrissy and Eddie their space, to do their ice-cream and chocolate and alcohol and talk about how terrible men were without him hovering. But thankfully she got it, smiling at him so bright it almost hurt to look at.

“Could you…?” She hesitated, pulling the sleeves of her sweater over her fingers. “Could you ask Robin- never mind.”

Steve opened his mouth to assure her it was okay to continue but she barrelled on.

“The boys are coming over later too. Is that okay?”

“The boys?” Did she mean the kids?

“From the band.”

“Oh! Yeah I mean why wouldn’t that be okay? Eddie lives here too.”

“Yeah. I just wanted to check in case-”

“In case I complained about it later?” He tried to ask in his kindest tone. Maybe he’d been guilty of bitching about them in the past but he would never deny Eddie his support system, not at s time like this.

Even if he did… dislike him?

Did he still dislike him?

What was he talking about, of course he did.

“I’m sorry.” Chrissy looked incredibly guilty and Steve couldn’t stand it.

“No, you were right to ask. I haven’t- I’ve been a bit rude in the past.”

She looked like she wanted to apologise again so he shot her a warm smile and patted her on the shoulder. “I have to get to work, but take care of him, yeah?”

She gave him a curious look but nodded, sending him out the door with a wave of her hand, her sleeve following loosely where it was still pulled over her fingers.

Steve was halfway through his shift by the time Robin came in. She worked shorter hours ever since she’d taken that part time internship as a translator.

They’d just gotten past their mid-day coffee rush by the time they had a chance to talk.

“Are you doing anything after this?” He asked her, leaning back against the counter.

“Is this your way of asking me out?” Robin was rifling through the under counter refrigerator next to him, throwing out any old stock that had gone out of date.

“Yes.” Steve nodded. “I’ve been hopelessly in love with you for years and I thought now was the best time to confess.”

“You could have picked a more romantic location.” She sniffed at a container of strawberries, considering before shaking her head and dumping them.

“But my heart told me it had to be now, Birdie.”

Robin just rolled her eyes at him.

“So?” He nudged her with his foot, very nearly sending her off balance. “You, me, two of the best subs this city has and your couch. It’s my best offer.”

She shut the refrigerator door, pushing herself to stand, using the counter for balance. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Steve absentmindedly snapped his fingers at her, remembering.

“Oh! You have a date tonight, right?” 

“I did have a date tonight but sh- he cancelled.”

“He cancelled, did he?” Steve smirked, trying not to enjoy the poorly masked revulsion on Robin’s face at having to pretend to be dating a man.

“Yes. He did. Rain check for another time.”

“Bummer.” 

Robin hadn’t told him much about the girl she was seeing and Steve hadn’t pushed for any more information than she was willing to give. When she wanted him to know, he’d know.

“But-” he continued “-that leaves your schedule wide open for a date with me.” He spread his arms wide open and smiled at her.

“Well, aren't I just the luckiest girl in the world?” She batted her eyelashes at him.

“The luckiest. Any reason for the rain check?”

Robin nodded. “Friend emergency.”

“Oh. That’s sweet.”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “He’s a very sweet…” her nose scrunched up, “boy.”

“Very sweet boy.” He repeated with a smile. “So can I steal your keys? Have everything all spread out for you when you get home?” He dragged his hand down his chest, wiggling his hips.

“God, Steven.” Robin shuddered. “You’re repulsive.”

“Wrong. I am a dish.”

“Ugh. Gag.”

Steve pouted at her. “I’ll get you a milkshake too, how about that?”

She crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. “Fine.”

She could only hold for so long before she started to break, cracking a smile.

“If you two don’t mind,” a voice next to them said and they both jumped, seeing Mark their manager standing there, “could you stop flirting and get back to work?”

Neither of them even bothered arguing that they were not flirting anymore. They both knew the rest of the staff had a betting pool going on when they would get together.

They would be waiting a very long time.

By the time Robin got home, Steve had himself swaddled in her blankets and had stolen her best hot water bottle.

Why did she live somewhere so cold?

His toasty warmth didn’t last very long, however. 

She wrestled the hot water bottle from his grip by resorting to dirty tactics, pulling at his hair until he let it go. 

“How many times have I told you the hair is off limits?” He hissed at her, trying to fix it. His hair was his fucking signature, how could she be so rude?

“That is exactly why I go for it every time. It’s your weak spot.” She grinned, smug in her win and attempting to pull the throw off of him as well.

“Go get one of my sweaters if you’re gonna be such a big bitch baby about it. I just got off work.” She pouted, batting her eyelashes at him. “I’m tired.”

“I brought you subs and milkshakes!”

Robin heaved out a heavy, put upon sigh. “Fine.” She heaved herself up from the couch, still clutching at the hot water bottle and disappeared inside her room.

Steve took the opportunity to swaddle himself again, just getting cosy when he heard Robin call out, “Evie, did you steal my sweater?”

“Which one?” He shouted back. He probably had five or more of hers at home and he wasn’t even sure if all of those had started out as hers or his.

“The blue one!”

“Which blue one?”

“The new blue one!”

“What does it look like?”

“What do you think it looks like, it’s fucking blue!”

Steve rolled his eyes and tried to remember any blue sweaters that existed within his own apartment. 

“I’m pretty sure I don’t have it. I don’t even remember you getting a new blue sweater.”

“Well where the hell is it then?”

“How am I supposed to know? I didn’t even know it existed!”

“You’re supposed to know these things!”

“Maybe the sweater fairy stole it.” He snickered to himself until a dark red sweater that had definitely belonged to him first hit him in the face.

“You are the sweater fairy.” She pouted, sitting back down and stealing the throw from his lap.

“Don’t hate crime me. It’s rude.” He tugged the throw back over his legs, leaving her enough slack to cover herself as well.

Robin reached over to snatch her sub from the coffee table. “So.”

“So.”

“Something’s going on with Eddie.”

“What?” Steve ran through the entire day in his head. He didn’t think he’d mentioned Eddie once. “When did I say there was something going on with Eddie?”

“You didn’t.” Robin’s mouth went slack in the way it usually did whenever she was hiding something but she covered it up with a large bite, speaking through a full mouth. “But you’re here and not at home so…”

“That’s not that unusual.”

“No, but what is unusual is that you asked if you could steal my keys instead of just taking them.”

“Oh.” Yeah. That was not the norm. “Um, well it’s not really my place to say-”

“Who am I going to tell?”

“That’s besides the point.”

“Tell me.” She jabbed him with a sharp elbow.

“I don’t know if I can.” He said, running his hand through his hair.

“I mean, nothing too personal, if you don’t wanna.” She backtracked with a shrug.

“Doesn’t matter what I want. The thing is it’s not my business, it’s Eddie’s.” He shrugged. “But there was some… relationship drama the other night.”

“Ooh. Juicy drama?”

Steve winced. “Not exactly. More like… red flag drama.”

“Oh shit. Chr- I didn’t know that.”

Steve looked at her, bewildered. “I wouldn’t expect you to, how would you know?”

Robin just shrugged, shoving another large bite into her mouth. 

“I don’t really… I’m not comfortable talking about the things Eddie and I talked about but I do need you to help me… figure myself out.”

“Okay, that I can do. I’m an expert at it. I helped you find your sexuality.”

“Find it? It wasn’t fucking lost Birdie.”

“Yeah, but I brought it out into the sunlight.”

“Jesus, you’re acting like you released it from captivity. I knew. I’ve always known. Just because you didn’t know that I know, doesn’t mean I didn’t know.”

She shoved his arm. “I unlocked it.”

He shoved her back. “You didn’t unlock shit.”

She shoved him again. “I unlocked it. You’re welcome.” 

He gave her a final shove with a huff to go right along with it. “Whatever.”

“Okay, no more side tracking. Tell me your scrambly brain thoughts.”

“Alright. Um. Okay. So.” Shit. How much could he tell her without either breaking Eddie’s trust or revealing too much. “So there was drama the other night, between Eddie and the boyfriend, you know that much. I won’t say what happened but he didn’t get home until like four in the morning and he called out of work yesterday and today-”

“He called out?!” Robin shrieked, open mouthed. She’d lived with Eddie long enough and been through enough of Steve’s bitching to know just how much Eddie loved that job.

Steve nodded. “Yeah. It was… it wasn’t good, Birdie, what happened. It was actually really fucking fucked up.”

She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“So then yesterday he’s trying to sleep it off pretty much and there’s a knock at the door.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah and I go get it because I had assumed it would be Mrs. Henderson with some chicken noodle soup and you know I’d kill my own mother for some of that soup-”

“-I’d kill your mother for some too, yes.”

“-yeah. But it wasn’t Mrs. Henderson, it was Rick, the boyfriend. Or ex-boyfriend, I don’t know and he was trying to like, bully his way into the apartment to see Eddie and I don’t know what happened with me but-”

“-you went full guard dog protector mode didn’t you?”

“I…” Steve sighed, looking down at his hands. “Yeah, I did. Why did I do that? It’s none of my business. I don’t even like the guy. Why would I care?”

“Because you always care, Evie. You saw someone who needed help and you helped, it’s what you do.”

Steve scoffed. “Hardly. It’s not like I’m some fucking selfless hero for doing it.”

“Nah, you kinda are.”

“It was just some guy!”

“And you’re just some guy too!”

Steve glared at her, offended. “You take that back.”

Robin looked at him for a moment. “Okay, fair, retracted.”

He gave her a small grin and dragged the sleeves of the sweater over his fingers.

“Hey! Stop, you’ll stretch it!”

“What does it matter if I stretch it, it’s mine.”

“It is not.”

“It is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!” He jabbed her in the side, knowing full well that if they continued the way they were this could go on all night. It had gone on all night more than once.

Robin squawked and immediately lunged, her hands grabbing at the top of his head. 

“No, no! I told you not the hair!”

“And I told you it’s your weakness.” She hissed, her eyes flashing as he scrambled at her wrists before she could get her fingers buried deep enough.

“Boobies!” He shouted, as loud as possible. The effect was immediate, Robin tried to cringe away from him with a look of disgust. “Boobies, boobies, boobies!”

“Oh my god are you five fucking years old? Can you not say tits or breasts or fucking mammary glands or something like a damn adult?” She wrenched her wrists away from him. “I’m so embarrassed for you.”

“I’m embarrassed of your face.”

“I’m embarrassed of your weird man hair.” She scowled, patting at his chest. 

“You shouldn’t be. Everyone loves the chest hair. Even the lesbians. It’s like a respect thing.”

Robin rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Steve pouted to himself.

He just wanted to help. He wanted to make sure Eddie was okay, that he would continue to be okay and there was this horrible little part in the back of his head that also wanted to make sure that no one would put their hands on Eddie ever like that again.

It was weird and possessive in a way he really shouldn’t have been feeling about his irritating as shit roommate who didn’t even have the courtesy to play guitar with headphones on half the time.

No matter how good his playing was.

“I can smell your hair burning.”

“What do I do now, Birdie?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… I want to help, I guess. But I don’t know how. We don’t even like each other, why would he accept my help?”

“Well… how did he react when you did what you did?”

“He… I guess he… I was going to leave when Rick came to the door and he stopped me. He didn’t say anything to me, he didn’t even look at me but he grabbed onto me and… I think he was scared, Rob. I’ve never seen him scared.”

“Well Steve, I think you’re gonna do what you always do. Help. Whether you know you’re doing it or not, whether you even really mean to, you always help.”

"You're making me out to be some sort of saint."

“I’m really not.” She shook her head. “You’re just… you.”

“Wow, incredible observation there, Birdie.”

“Oh, fuck off and finish this for me.” She shoved the rest of her sub into his hands.

Part 1 Part 3 AO3

@augustjustice @geekymagicalpotato @wormdebut @eddielives1986 @releasethexbarakat @a-little-unsteddie @steddietogo @steddiehyperfixation

Big thanks as always to @hbyrde36 for her magnificent beta work and to the @strangerthingswritersguild for their motivation.

Divider by firefly-graphics

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Eddie has strong feelings for Steve. Feelings he thought he had gotten rid of once Steve rescued him from hell. His hatred of him didn't even make sense, even before all of this. So, because he's a jock he has to be a jerk like all the rest? Eddie had made an assumption about him and Lucas just like they made about him. He hated that he had done that. It hadn't been his proudest moment. Now, those frustrating feelings are resurfacing, which is ridiculous because not only is he a good guy, but he is also a complete dork as well and he's so fucking great with the kids. He should be happy that he's friends with him, so why does his stomach feel like there's a bird trying to get out of its cage when he looks at Steve?

"Eddie, man, why are you scowling at me?" Steve asked.

He was hanging out with Steve, Robin, and Robin's girlfriend, Vickie. It was supposed to be a nice, casual get-together. Of course, Eddie had to ruin it.

"I hate you!" Eddie burst out.

There was silence in the living room as everyone stared at him. Steve looked hurt. Robin looked angry, and if Vickie wasn't holding her back, Eddie was sure she would rip out his throat with her bare hands.

"What?" Steve asked.

"It doesn't make any sense why I do, though!" Eddie burst out. "Because you're a great guy! Fantastic even! When I look at you, I get these feelings in my chest that annoy the fucking shit out of me. Everything about you is so fucking perfect like a goddamn prince out of a storybook! With your perfect hair, your perfect eyes, and your perfect teeth. My God, you're even great with the kids! When you talk about going out on dates, I hate that, too! I know you're just trying to do that to get over Nancy. Speaking of Nancy, I like her and all, but when I think about you two together, it makes my fucking skin scrawl! What the fuck is that? I mean, I like Nancy, but fuck, the idea of you two together makes me want to rip off my own eyebrows and eat them! Jesus H Christ! There's no reason for me to hate you, and yet somehow . . . Wait, why are you guys laughing?"

Vickie was giggling into Robin's shoulder while Robin laughed into a pillow. Steve was laughing with his hands over his eyes.

"He's so cute!" Vickie laughed.

"Why are you guys laughing at me?" Eddie asked. "Stop it!"

"You poor Dingus!" Robin laughed.

"What?!" Eddie asked.

"You like me, Eddie," Steve said.

"Yeah, I like you, but I also seem to hate you," he sighed.

"No, I mean, you like me," Steve said, standing up.

"You said that already," Eddie replied.

"Alright, can I do something so I can get my point across?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, do whatever you want to me, man," Eddie said and Steve grinned widely.

"Within reason, Steven!" Robin exclaimed.

Steve cupped his face and kissed him. Eddie gasped, a jolt of what felt like electricity shot through him. He liked it. The kiss was short and to the point. Steve pulled away.

"Oh, I like you! Oh, thank God! I thought I hated you! Wait, am I gay? No, I still like like girls. . .hold on, give me a minute," Eddie said, raising his finger to do invisible math in the air.

"You like this man, Steve?" Robin asked as they watched Eddie erase something.

"Oh, yeah," Steve replied.

"I've never actually seen someone figure out their sexuality before," Vickie said.

"Oh, I had a chance to do that with Steve. It was a wonderful experience. Definitely a lot less stupid than this," Robin said.

"I like both!" Eddie exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "And I like you!"

"I like both too, Eddie, and I like you too," Steve laughed. "I'm bisexual."

"Bi - sex - u - al," Eddie said like, drawing out the words, and he shook his head from side to side as if rolling the word around in his head. "Yes! Me too! Bisexual! Does this mean this is a double date now?"

Steve grinned, sat down on the love seat, and pulled him into his lap.

"Definitely," Steve said.

"Let me tell you, I feel this huge relief now that I know I like you," Eddie said. "I can't believe I thought I hated you!"

"Dingus!" Robin giggled.

"How long are you guys going to laugh at me about this?" Eddie pouted as Steve shook with laughter beneath him.

"Forever!"

Eddie buried his head into Steve’s neck as he laughed with them, sighing in contentment when Steve kissed his forehead.

[luveline]

eddie idea for shy friday! reader who is into the same music as eddie & has a similar aesthetic but not the confidence that is associated with it, and maybe eddie takes the initiative to interact with her because she’s nervous to do so? :)

thank you for your request! eddie x shy!fem!reader ♡

Some metalheads are super loud and some aren't. Eddie knows guys who've been in the scene longer than he's been alive who barely talk about it. He doesn't really need you to be loud about what you love to get the message. 

For starters, you look fucking sick. Your hair, the makeup, toned down but undeniably influenced by all the greats, Joan and Chrissie and Kim Gordon. You dress in simple stuff like he does, though you usually swap dark jeans for skirts with pretty, shiny studs and tights with ladders climbing your thighs. He's been meaning to try his luck with you for ages, but he hadn't wanted to do it while you were working —he has a funny feeling that behind the bar is the last place you want to be asked out. 

It's his good fortune that he finds you in a record store in Indianapolis. He does a double take, thinking he's seeing some other pretty girl in black. It wouldn't be uncommon here. 

But there you are, sorting through classic rock records with a darling mildness about you. Unhurried, always so quiet. He kind of really loves that about you, the delicate way you move and the unassuming curve of your lips. 

He decides to just go for it. In and out. 

"Hey," he says, trying to be a normal guy. It comes out a teeny tiny bit too loud. "Fancy seeing you here. Are you looking for something?" 

Eddie's no master in girls but he understands body language pretty well, and feels guilty at the shift of your legs, one thigh pressed to another as you lean back. 

"Hey," you say, "um, no, I'm just looking around." 

"That's a good one," he says, nodding at the vinyl between your fingers, Sad Wings of Destiny. "I love Judas Priest." 

You put the record down, and he worries for a split second that you're gonna bolt out the door, and he's acting like a creep, but you grab the zip on your jacket and pull it down to your navel. 

You're wearing a Judas Priest t-shirt with a rip just under the soft valley of your chest. "Me too… You're Eddie." 

"I am," he says, a little surprised that you know him, but trying to be suave. "I guess I'm at The Hideout too much if you know me before I've introduced myself." 

"I–" You clasp your hands together against your stomach. "I've wanted to talk to you, tell you that I like the band… you remind me of Judas Priest, actually. You know, 'cause you and your second guitarist, you're a twin assault." 

His jaw drops dramatically. "Are you flirting with me?" 

It's the worst thing he could've said. You swallow, and he's about to take it back, make a joke about his huge mouth, but you smile gently. 

"Maybe," you say. "Is that… okay?" 

"Girl like you?" Eddie gives you his smoothest smile, his eyes half-lidded as he looks down at you. "Beautiful, it's more than okay."

You bite your lip, turning your smile back to the bin of vinyls.

"Are you busy? Maybe you could help me find something specific?" he furthers. 

You don't look at him, but you nod. It's a great start. 

Eddie doesn't have a record in mind, so he names the most obscure one he can think of and feels it like a punch when your eyes light up in recognition. You find it quicker than he thinks you will, you know exactly where it'll be, and he scrambles to drag it out. He hasn't even started on what he wants to ask you, what you like doing outside of work, if you did your hair yourself, if you're free Friday night. 

"Uh," he says eloquently, "are you busy? You're a mastermind, and there's a couple of other LPs I wanna check out that I'm too dumb to find myself." 

And that's how Eddie spends 137 dollars in forty-five minutes. He learns your details through stacks and shelves, revelling in your shy answers, and how hard you laugh at his cheesy jokes. 

You wince as they ring him up in sympathy. He starts to regret his decisions, but you slow in front of the door and look at him through your lashes. 

"Did you wanna get coffee?" you ask. 

"Yes," he says immediately, his jaw aching in the effort it takes not to grin like a fool, until he remembers himself. "Or, I would. I don't think I can afford it." 

You smile gently. "My treat." 

He's so entranced, he forgets he's broke. 

[familyvideostevie]

october twenty-ninth

day twenty-nine: eddie munson a stranger gives you his jacket | rockstar!eddie, flirting, fluff | 1k

God, it's cold. But you can breathe a little better outside the bar than inside, pressed in on all side by fans of the music lineup tonight. Out here it's just you and the wind.

The main band hasn't even gone on yet but it's packed in there, your friends waiting for you to return near the front of the stage. You're not looking forward to wading back to them. Would it make you a bad friend if you just went home right now? They'd understand, right?

“Fuck me,” you mutter. A shiver snakes its way through you.

You've never even heard of the main act. You really need to decide now — you left your coat at coat check and you're getting colder by the second. You creep around the side of the building so you're in the alley, which is a bit more protected by the wind than the front.

The side door of the bar opens and a guy practically spills out onto the pavement next to you.

He doesn't seem to see you. How could he, through that cloud of hair? At least he's in a leather jacket. Damn, it looks warm. He shoves some hair from his face and you see that he's got eyeliner on.

Oh. Was he in one of the bands that already played? He looks the type. All black, ripped jeans, heavy boots. His fingers sport heavy looking silver rings. You weren't paying much attention before this, but you don't think you've seen him before. You'd remember.

He pulls out a cigarette from behind his ear and goes to light it when he finally spots you.

“Oh, sorry,” he says. “Didn't know the alley was, uh, occupied.”

You wave your hand nervously. Nervous? Why are you nervous all of a sudden? Must be the cold. “No, no, it's fine. I'm probably not supposed to be here.”

“Well, I won't tell. Do you mind?” He holds up his cigarette.

“Go ahead.”

He flicks his lighter along his thigh, lights the cig, and takes a long drag, blowing away from you.

“You okay?”

You blink. He's asking you?

“I'm fine.” It comes out wobbly and the guy must think so too, because his brow furrows and he looks back towards the door he came from.

“You sure? Nothing happened? I can get someone, if you want, or call someone if you need help —”

His worry makes you feel a little guilty. You really should just go back inside.

“I just needed some air,” you say, interrupting him. He looks a little skeptical, but hums as if in understanding and takes another drag.

“It can be a lot, huh?”

Somehow you feel like this guy doesn't think it's a lot. He's just being nice.

“Yeah,” you agree. “The music is good, though. I just…I'm not great with crowds.”

“Understandable. The assholes here can get kind of rowdy.” He chews on his lip. “I'm Eddie, by the way.” You tell him your name. He really is handsome. Like the kind of guy you don't want to fuck with but also the kind of guy who smiles at dogs and babies. Weird.

“I might bail, actually,” you say. “My friends really love the main act but I don't know them.”

He perks up at that. “They're okay,” he says, smirking. “You might like them.”

That makes you laugh, for some reason.

“Want some gum?” Eddie asks.

“What?”

“Chewing gum makes me less nervous sometimes,” he says. “Takes my mind off of what I'm nervous about.”

“Oh,” you say. “Sure.”

He pulls out a small pack from his jacket pocket and hands you one. Just then a gust of wind rips through the alley and you shiver.

“Holy shit,” he says. “I didn't even realize how cold you must be. Fuck, here —”

He shucks off his leather jacket and you try to refuse.

“No, Eddie, I'm fine, really —”

“Seriously, sweetheart,” he says. “You freezing would really undermine my whole strategy to make you feel better.”

It's the pet name that sells you. You slide into the jacket. It really is warm and smells like tobacco and cologne.

“Thank you,” you say. He shrugs like it's nothing, but now he's the one shivering. He's in a shirt with cut off sleeves and you can see his muscles, see the tattoos scattered over his bare skin. “Oh, shit, now you'll be cold —”

He waves you off. “Don't worry about me.”

“Okay. I won't.”

He laughs, really laughs, head thrown back and howling.

The door he came out of opens and someone calls his name. “Eddie, come on!”

“Shit,” he mutters. He drops his cigarette and stamps it out with his boot. “You gonna go home?”

You blink. “I might stay.” You tug his jacket tighter around you. “Should I? Do you think the band is worth it?”

His eyes sparkle and you feel like you're missing something.

“They have some good songs,” he says. “They're decent. I'd give them a chance, yeah?”

“Okay,” you say. “I trust you. Here, your jacket —”

He heads for the door without it. “Nah,” he says. “Keep it. Means I might see you again.”

You probably resemble a goldfish when he winks and slips back into the bar through the side door.

Yeah, you aren't going home. Maybe you can find him inside once the music is over.

Eddie's flirting and his jacket fuel you as you head back into the bar and push through the crowds to find your friends right at the front.

“There you are!” one cries. “You almost missed it. They're going to start soon!”

“You're going to love the lead singer, he's so handsome. He plays guitar and —”

“Wait, where did you get that jacket?”

The lights in the bar dim before you can answer and people start cheering. The band walks onstage, just dark blurs until the lights go back up and —

Oh my god. It's the guy from the alley. It's Eddie. He's the lead singer. They're okay your ass.

His black-lined eyes scan the crowd until he finds you and winks again.

Your friends lose their minds.

“Helllllllo,” Eddie shouts. “We are Corroded Coffin!” The bar erupts into screams. “This first one goes out to the jacket stealers of the world.” The drummer counts down and the music starts.

Oh, you will certainly be seeing him again.

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, general masterlist here! promptober masterlist, find all fics under #fvspromptober23

[paranormalactivity5]

you were right in front of me.

༺♡༻

Bestfriend!Eddie Munson x fem!reader      

Notes: looked it up and apparently there is a member of hellfire named doug so he’s in this, y/n has an aunt. The confession is based of a tiktok i saw. As always constructive criticism and feedback is welcomed!

Summary: Eddie realizes hes in love with his best trend and a freudian slip occurs.

WC: 1.2k

Everyone was sitting at the Hawkins High lunch table in their assigned but, not assigned seats chatting along as usual, but when Eddie sat down he immediately noticed something was wrong. “Wheres y/n?” “oh she's helping her aunt move today, she didn't tell you?” Steve said confused, the two told each other everything. “No….” he replied confused himself, they did tell each other everything; why didn't she tell him? And this was such a small thing, why was it bothering him?

Gareth arrived at the table, sitting down making an upset “oomph” sound when he hit the chair “What up with you?” Robin asked “Bethany totally shot him down when he tried to ask her out.'' Jeff remarked “Yup, I saw it, he barely got past one word, crashed and burned” Doug said making a fake missile fall and explode with his hand for extra salt in the wound. “You love this too much! I mean you're basking in my humiliation!”. Everyone laughed  and then Robin interjected “Hey don't laugh at him, I'm just as bad, I mean Vicky doesn't know I like her and I can barely get a word in.” She continues to pick at the carrots on her plate. Everyone continues ranting about their relationships or, lack thereof when Dustin butts in “you know you've been awfully quiet over there Eddie?”

“What?” he asks confused “surprised he havent started wailing on about y/n.” Gareth says with a chuckle but quickly shuts up when eddie gives him a glare “Seriously what the hell are you guys talking about?” “how you’re so hopelessly in love with her but she dosent seen to notice?” robin states like its obvious, he dosent notice the smirk on her face when she says the last part. the whole table nods “she's so pretty, her style is so cool!” Jeff remarks quoting eddie “she's so smart!” lucas adds, this continues on until eddie relalizes, holy shit are they right? Is he in denial? I mean yeah he’ll admit that what he feels for her is a bit more then friendship but, is he in love?

Youve been helping your aunt move all day and were exhausted but now it was time to get ready for your weekly hangout with eddie and knowing you were going to see him gave you just enough energy to get there, eat some pizza, and watch a movie. As you were getting ready you were overthinking as you always did before you saw him; Should you wear a skirt? Or would that make it to obvious you were trying to impress him? You landed on just some black ripped jean shorts, some spiderweb tights and a metallica shirt with some combat boots. A simple outfit, a little over the top for movie and pizza but, maybe just enough for eddie to finally get the hint

When you arrived at eddies you hugged him like you usually do but he seemed stiff, which was odd because he would always welcome you into a big bear hug, sometimes even picking you up off the ground! He seemed so uncomfortable throughout all of “little shop of horrors” until you finally made the suggestion that you should smoke a joint and order pizza, maybe it would loosen him up and he would say what was so obviously bothering him

He began to rifle through the drawer next to his bed where he kept his own personal stash and pulled out all the things needed and began to grind up a small nug. Most of this happened silently, whatever was bothering him must be really bad, usually he would be talking up a storm.

He was feaking out, the second he saw her smile and felt him hug her he knew he was screwed. Hes definetly in love. As he was preparing the joint he decided he cant keep acting all weird she might catch on. Hopefully a joint can helf him lossen up.

About 10 minutes of smoking later and Eddie and defineitly chilled out some. Just as you were about to ask him what had him so worked up in the first Place the doorbell rang, Eddie got up to get it quite quickly, “That must be the pizza, ill go get it.” guess he was still a little nervous. In Eddie's head he was once again freaking out. Your eyes were heavy, your voice and body relaxed, you looked so pretty…..you always did, but since the realization he loved you it became increasingly hard to not throw himself into you, hopefully you didnt notice.

By the time he had paid the guy, gotten you both a slice and some beer you had picked up and began flipping through it. “You ever think about your wedding?” you asked “sometimes, why?” “there were some wedding dresses in this magazine…..i bet yours would be like, lord of the rings themed or something.” you snarked while chuckling “i meannnn…” he looks at you with a knowing look in his eye. “No you’re right that would be cool as fuck” you admit “expensive as hell tho.” you nod in agreement. “Well who would i be like your best- maid of- best woman..is that a thing?” or i could be the bride, you think to yourself. “Yeah i think thats a thing”

“Shit I mean you could be the bride who knows” he says laughing. Holy shit holy shit does he even realize what he just said? It seems he does when he looks up and you're staring at him “What?”  “you know like.. it's a possibility…like with all the roles you could possibly take its…in the realm. Not like I want you to be the bride” he lets out a small laugh. He's messing with his hands and touching his hair, which he always does when he lies. Hes lying. “You’re lying” you blurt out before you can stop yourself. “Huh?” “you’re playing with your hands and your hair while looking down, you always do that when you're lying….You like me?”  “I love yo-” he begins to admit nervously, but before he can get another word out your lips are on his, youre not sure what caused such confidence to come over you, maybe years of pinning. You could tell he wasn't expecting it but he soon melted into the kiss, years of what was thought to be unrequited love being poured in from both sides. 

Once you pulled apart you spent a moment just staring into each other's eyes. You're the first to speak “Why didn't you tell me?” the answer would've made you fall to your knees if you weren't already half straddling him “Baby I can barely hear my own thoughts when I'm with you.” you smile and giggle, hiding your face in the crook of his neck, he does the same. “Robins gunna freak.” you point out with a laugh and his head slightly turns to look at you quizzically. “She's been trying to set us up forever” you state. He thinks back to the conversation from later today…. he's going to have to thank her.

[matchingbatbites]

fireworks | 1.4k

@steddie-week Day 3: First Kiss Steddie first meeting/kiss with some minor Buckingham. Fun fact: this was a Valentine's ficlet that I forgot to post. :) Enjoy.

For someone who claims to be Steve’s wingman, Robin is doing a great fucking job of keeping guys away from him. The guy Steve has been chatting with for the last few minutes gives him a strained smile before slipping off, and Steve turns to look at Robin, who has basically plastered herself to his side. 

“Robin, what the fuck? That’s like the third guy you’ve run off!”

“I know, I know, but he wasn’t right for you! Waaay too douchey and uptight.”

Steve rolls his eyes and takes a sip from his drink. “I’m after a kiss, not a boyfriend, Robbie. Maybe a blowjob in the back if I’m lucky. I’m not exactly looking for a sparkling personality here.”

“I know, but-” She pauses, knocks back the rest of her own drink before turning to face the dance floor. “I just don’t want you to regret your first guy-kiss. I’m not saying it has to be like, fireworks and shit, but you should enjoy it.” 

“Honestly, at this point I think I’d rather just get it over with, if it will get you to chill out a little.”

“I’m just trying to help, Steve!” Robin says, and Steve rolls his eyes. She opens her mouth to say something else but stops when a girl walks up to them, her blonde ponytail swishing gently behind her, and Steve bites back a smile when she steps into Robin’s space. 

“Hi there,” she says, and Robin’s face instantly flushes with color. “Oh, uh, hi.” 

“I’m Chrissy, and you’re like, super pretty,” the girl, Chrissy says, and Steve can practically see the gears in Robin’s brain grinding to a halt as she bats her eyelashes at his best friend. He bites into his lip as Chrissy reaches up and slips a finger under one of Robin’s suspender straps, giving it a gentle tug. “Do you maybe wanna dance with me?”

Robin’s eyes snap to Steve and he gives her an encouraging thumbs up, and after a quick, eager nod, Chrissy is giggling and pulling her off to the dance floor. Steve chuckles and shakes his head before he downs the rest of his drink. He sets the empty glass on the bar top just as he feels someone moving in next to him. 

“Your friend is awfully protective of you, isn’t she? I’m not surprised, considering how gorgeous you are.”

Steve turns to face the new voice, and his stomach flips. The guy is stunning, with a riot of curls and brown eyes that look almost black in the dim lighting. He’s wearing a leather jacket over some band t-shirt, paired with ripped black jeans and scuffed black boots. Steve is definitely interested, and he leans in a little as he smiles.

“Mm, she’s supposed to be my wingman, but she’s being a picky little shit.”

The guy grins and Steve’s blood rushes at the bit of silver that flashes behind white teeth. “Yeah, I noticed. I had to get my friend to distract her so she wouldn’t be able to run me off too.”

Steve can’t stop the laugh that escapes him as he beams at the guy. “Chrissy was your idea? Holy fuck, thank you for that. I love Robin, but she’s kind of been suuuuper extra tonight.”

“Well, I’m glad I could give you a break. To be honest, though, Chrissy was already kind of eyeing her before I asked her to step in.” He glances out to the dance floor and Steve follows his gaze, sees Chrissy with her arms wrapped around Robin’s neck, the two pressed close as they dance together.

“Chrissy is gonna eat her alive," Steve says, and the guys laughs. 

"Too fucking true," he replies, and turns back to Steve. He holds out a hand. "I'm Eddie, by the way."

Steve takes Eddie’s hand and glances down, takes in chunky rings and nice fingers that have heat swirling in his stomach. "Steve."

Eddie’s thumb swipes over Steve’s knuckles, showing no sign of releasing his hand as he asks "Well, Steve, can I ask what you're looking for on this fine evening?"

Steve hums in consideration before saying "I'll tell you, but you can't make fun of me, okay?" and Eddie makes an 'x' over his heart in a silent promise.

"So, I'm bi, but I just figured it out recently. I've never kissed a guy before, and Robin brought me out here to hopefully get me at least that much, but as you've seen, she's been pretty picky about it. I’m honestly just ready to get it over with at this point."

Eddie’s eyes go hungry and he tugs on Steve’s hand a bit, pulling them even closer together. “Well, if you’re interested, I’d be more than happy to help you accomplish that, baby.”

Steve feels a bit weak in the knees as he nods, and Eddie gives him a lopsided grin before he pulls Steve away from the bar, back into a little hallway that leads to the back door.

The lights are even more dim back here, but the glow from the exit sign feels bright as it reflects off Eddie’s rings, as it bathes the apples of his cheeks in red. It feels like they’re in their own little world now that they’re away from the crowd, and Steve is grateful for the little bit of privacy and quiet.

Hands move to hold Steve’s waist and Eddie guides him where he wants him, moving Steve so his back is pressed against the wall, and he finds that he definitely doesn’t mind Eddie taking the lead like this. Eddie leans in close and Steve can’t resist sliding his hands up into that gorgeous hair, gets briefly distracted when he uncovers Eddie’s ears and sees the jewelry littering them. 

“See something pretty, sweetheart?” he asks, amused, and hazel eyes snap back to chocolate brown. 

“I like your jewelry.”

“Well, thank you.” Eddie smiles and his grip tightens. “I’m gonna kiss you now, okay?”

Steve nods, says “Please, Eddie,” and the man is closing the gap, leaning in until their mouths are slotted together and Steve melts. Eddie tastes like tequila and lime, and he kisses Steve like he means it, like Steve is something he’s been waiting for. It’s addicting, especially when Eddie’s tongue finds its way into Steve’s mouth and he gets to lick the unforgiving metal of the piercing that runs through it. 

Everything feels sparkly and explosive in the best way possible - Robin said something about not needing fireworks, but Steve thinks he's found them anyway, thinks Eddie might feel them too.

Steve quickly loses track of time as Eddie kisses him within an inch of his life. He wasn’t prepared for this, for Eddie, but he knows now that he’s had a taste, it’s going to be hard to just walk away from the other man.

It’s far too soon when Eddie pulls back, pressing a final peck to Steve’s mouth.

“How’s that, sweetheart?” he asks softly, and Steve gives him a dopey grin as he twirls one of those curls around his finger.

“Pretty good, but I think you should do it again, juuust so I can be sure.”

Eddie chuckles and kisses him again, chaste and far too brief, before muttering against his lips. “Why don’t we get out of here? I’ll kiss you as many times as you need, all night if I have to.”

With a grin and a nod, they head back out into the main area. They split up briefly, Steve making his way over to Robin who is still wrapped around Chrissy, and he taps her on the shoulder. When she turns to face him he jabs his thumb towards the door.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I’m heading out.”

Her face drops and she grabs his arm. “But we haven’t gotten you a kiss yet! I’m sure we can find someone to-”

“Robs, you already missed it.” 

“What?!”

Steve rolls his eyes and grabs her before pointing at Eddie who is currently paying his tab at the bar. He hears Chrissy laugh and he turns to give her a big smile and a smacking kiss on the cheek. 

“Thanks for your help distracting Robin, Chrissy.” 

“No problem. You two have fun,” she says with a giggle and a wink, and Steve looks at Robin. 

“You should keep this one,” he says, only giving her a second to sputter in indignation before he’s walking off. He throws a “Don’t wait up for me!” over his shoulder, and grins as he heads back to where Eddie is waiting, eager to taste the fireworks again.

[munsonsreputation]

I Wish You Would

eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: [2.7K] I did my best to proof read

warnings: warnings: no use of y/n, miscommunication, reader and eddie have been broken up, missing each other, stupid teenagers too scared to act upon their emotions, a lot of remembering, mirrored emotions, fluff at end. REBLOGS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED &lt;3

summary: when you're back in your hometown for winter break, you anticipated crossing paths with your ex-boyfriend eddie, but you just never expected it to be from seeing his headlights in your window and him seeing your bedroom lights on. there was so many things you and eddie wished you'd done differently...so now here you two were at 2am...would stop wishing and finally do it?

_

He drove through this neighborhood on a daily basis, frequently to pick up and drop off the little twerps of Hellfire that lived on this street and other times to do deals with Steve, who lived on the next street over. But Eddie used to drive down here for another reason…

The girl who he had fallen for living just a few houses down from Dustin Henderson. Her bedroom window facing the street where she’d always be on the lookout waiting for her favorite metal head to come skirting down the street and parking in the driveway before making his dramatic entrance by climbing up the roof like her real life Romeo and laying a tender kiss on her lips. 

But that was the past. The last time he had been down this side of town to see you was last summer before you headed off to college, and that was before he lost you. Now the only thing that connected Eddie and you were the roads traveled, but paths never crossed again. 

Tonight, however, was the first time in the last year that the light in your bedroom had been on. He had driven down this street countless amount of times since the two of you had broken up, but that light always stayed off because of your absence due to school. Still, he always turned his head as he passed by, just to check if you’d be there. 

Half of your body out of the widow, arm waving excitedly, shouting his name like it was the first time all over again. 

But you weren’t. 

He knew you were back home for winter break not only because Nancy and Jonathan were back in town also, but because Dustin and Lucas had told him the second they let themselves into Eddie’s trailer. The kids were always rooting for the two of you to get back together, but Eddie knew better. 

You hated him. Or at least that what he would feel if he were in your shoes. 

It was a stupid argument over the phone that caused it all. He was trying to rip the bandaid off before you had the chance to, knowing it would probably add to your stress of traveling to a new state, leaving behind your family, friends, and especially him. Eddie just didn’t want to be a burden to you. The last thing he wanted was for you to worry about him while you two were in different time zones with only a call connecting keeping you together. Maybe he could’ve gone about it differently, like talking in person instead of resorting to a five-minute phone call that ended a year's relationship. 

However, a good chunk of him couldn’t bear saying it to your face because, in reality, he didn’t want you and him to go your separate ways at all. It was the absolute last thing that he wanted. The love he had for you was out of this world and if anything, he pictured you two together against the universe, leaving Hawkins in the rearview and starting a life of your own together somewhere in the city like you guys always wanted. 

The broken cries that echoed through his receiver was the tune that replayed in his mind over and over again. You were puzzled, trying to piece together what Eddie was saying, let alone thinking. He tried telling you, explaining to you his stupid selfish reasons, but you kept sobbing the same phrases that had his heart ripped up into little pieces.

“What are you saying?”, “Do you not love me anymore?”, “I don’t understand.” 

Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. It was far too late to change what happened a year ago, so he drove past your house, with his window down, trying to shake the memories that were starting to play in his head. His knuckles were stiffening against the steering wheel and he clenched his jaw, keeping his sights set ahead where he would ride off into the night alone. A part of him wishing you were in his passenger seat or him in your bedroom. 

But most of all, wishing he never made that call. 

Being back in your childhood bedroom shouldn’t have felt so strange. After all, you grew up here and created a good deal of memories within these four walls. There was something in the air this time of year that made it feel lonelier—it was too quiet and the full-sized bed felt smaller than usual. The holidays should’ve made you feel a sort of nostalgia that had you yearning to be home with your family and friends, yet you felt like a never ending pit of hopelessness.

You had tried to distract yourself from this overwhelming feeling, going through your closet to get rid of old things, but that only seemed to make you feel worse than before.

Old band tees, oversized pullovers, and club t-shirts that didn’t belong to you filled a corner of your wardrobe, the same pile which you used to find yourself grabbing from on a daily basis. Now they all just sat untouched, with the memories embedded in every fiber and thread as its rightful owner and favorite borrower lived different lives now. 

For the last three nights since you’ve been home, you’d slept in the living room, falling asleep to reruns of sitcoms until your mother would wake you, offering help to walk you up to your room. You just couldn’t handle the loneliness in there, surrounding you like some sort of punishment, but it was about time you faced reality and gave your parents their couch back. 

You laid awake on your side, watching the curtain pull in and out with the wind while the moon played peek-a-boo. At this hour, you should’ve been hopping out of bed, flinging your curtains wide open and staring down at the metal head parking in the driveway and make his way up the side of your house and clumsily into your bedroom without trying to cause a ruckus but failing miserably. 

But that was the past. There were no more comical Romeo and Juliet reenactments in the middle of the night, just you halfway across the states with your nose buried in a textbook and the memories of Eddie buried in the back of your mind. 

However, tonight, the familiar yellow glow of brightness that cascaded your room through the thin drapes passed by for the first time since your return. You knew who it was driving that beat-up van at a speed that should’ve gotten him pulled over, but never did. No matter how much time you had spent away from your hometown, you’d always recognize his lights and the way he drove. So you waited, watching to see if he’d turn in with those high beams before finally shutting them off. 

The jingle of his keys and chains hanging from his jeans while he shut the car door, cursing at himself for wearing the wrong shoes to get up the siding, and taking an overdramatic deep breath once he finally made his way up to his Juliet like the first time. 

But he didn’t. 

You imagined that you’d run into Eddie, eventually. After all, you two did share the same small town, but you didn’t expect it to be from the confines of your home without even seeing his face or hearing his voice. Maybe you had expected to see him at Steve’s annual Christmas party or maybe at the Wheelers for New Year’s Eve, but even then you wouldn’t know what to say or even how to feel. 

You didn’t hate him. You never could. 

There were so many things left unsaid between the both of you, which always led you to wonder what would’ve happened if either of you picked back up the phone that day and called one another back. But Eddie’s actions came out of nowhere, just days before you were leaving for college and you were in a complete state of shock. There were so many thoughts running through your mind once you realized what Eddie was trying to say without actually saying it.

You didn’t understand where all of this was coming from because in your mind, you and Eddie were happily in love and he was accepting of the fact that you would be away from home a couple of months out of the year. He even made proposals to take his first plane ride ever just to come spend a week or two out of the semester at your dorm and explore the city. 

Clearly, Eddie was having a challenging time over the phone, trying to piece together his words in a way that didn’t seem too harsh or sad, because this never was supposed to end like this. If anything, it was more like a suggestion to you, asking if you were going to be ok while in school and dorming. That he didn’t want to invade this new chapter in your life and that he would understand if you wanted to branch out and saw what was out there. 

“I know you’ll probably be busy—studying and making new friends are gonna take up a lot of your time. I just…I don’t want you to feel like I’m holding you back or feel like you need to miss out on opportunities for me. I—I understand if you want to end things.” 

You were a mess, utterly beside yourself as you sobbed into the phone, asking him why this was happening and if you had done something wrong for him to say something like this. This wasn’t the turn you were expecting to face right before your first day of college, and if anything he was the person you wanted to call the morning of initial instruction, to give you the encouraging words you needed to get through the day. And tonight a part of you wished he was climbing through your bedroom window and filling the empty space beside you. 

But most of all, wishing you never hung up the phone like you did.

Eddie didn’t know why he was stalling at the stop sign when he should’ve been turning right, exiting the neighborhood, and making his way back to his trailer. But his eyes were glued to his side mirror, the window to your room just a few houses behind with that annoying flickering light from your ceiling fan pushing past the cream draperies that he always wanted you to replace because they were so thin. 

He should’ve just hightailed it out of there without giving it a second thought, but he just took a deep breath, drawing a moment to shut his eyes tightly in an attempt to shake the everlasting image of that familiar bedroom window where his favorite girl would be waiting. 

It was a crooked love now—simply winding in two different directions. 

How you found yourself up out of bed and standing directly in front of the window was beyond your every thought. You don’t know why you were here, pushing aside the flimsy curtain and sticking your head out to the other side of the street where his van was stopped longer than legally required. Eddie had a thing for driving off, but not when it came to parting ways with you. Every time he had to leave your parents’ house, he’d stall at this stop sign, turning his head back with a whistle as he hollered an “I love you!” before finally driving off because the car behind him honked noisily. 

Your feet should’ve been taking you back to bed where you’d find solace under the covers and pretend none of this was even happening, but yet you lingered in place. Imagining the scenario in your head, as you shouted back out an, “I love you, too!” with one hand clasping over your butterfly swarmed heart and the other hysterically waving see you later, while you watched him drive off with his left arm flipping off the impatient car behind him. 

But the love was never broken—there was still a straight line down from here. 

When Eddie opened his eyes, fully prepared to run and hide without a second thought, his breath caught in his throat as if he was winded. His insides felt like they were tangling themselves together. And his heartbeat felt like it was echoing in his ears. The loud “thudthudthudthud” getting stronger with every second he spent gawking at your figure watching his car. 

Your legs were trembling beneath you as a bated breath left your mouth in urgency. His eyes were set on you now, and you could feel them practically boring into you, the same way you were doing it to him. The sweat began beading across your forehead and forming among the palms of your hands while the antagonizing seconds ticked by like torture. 

He wanted to turn right back around. 

His fingers convulsed violently as they maneuvered themselves over and under the wheel, turning it like it was the last thing he’d ever do while his foot pushed the gas, thinking he’d be too late. 

You wanted him to hear what you never said. 

Your fingers abandoned the drape, feet thudding vociferously against the floorboards as soon as you pulled your bedroom door open and sprinted down the stairs like he’d get away. 

Both of you wanted to remember what you were fighting for. 

He was hyperventilating, trying to stabilize his breath when he shoved the car in park, grasping that he had found his way to the acquainted driveway in a sudden blur. 

Both of you missed each other too much to be mad anymore. 

You were trying to hold back tears, with your jaw wobbling uncontrollably, hands just barely twisting the knob of the front door. 

There he was. 

The man who gave you everything. All the love you could’ve asked for and the whole world if he could give it to you. Then again, he was the same man who gave you nothing…no phone call back, no further explanation, no communication. 

There you were. 

The girl who gave him everything. Every ounce of your love and all the dreams that he never would’ve imagined for himself. But you were the same girl who gave him nothing…no phone call back, no further explanation, no communication. 

Each of you knowing how to push each other’s buttons, but that time the wrong ones. 

There was a reason why you two stood where you were right now, because at the end of the day, there was more to you and Eddie. It wasn’t about who was right or wrong anymore. There were no such things as sides in this situation because it was nothing but a losing game when the two of you were apart. This love was rushing with electricity too strong for any of you to fight and history too rich for you to forget. 

You saw his face before you heard his voice.

The head of unruly hair still bouncing from his footsteps and his chest rising up and down rapidly. He still wore the leather jacket you gifted him for his birthday. The patch of your initials in an arrow heart remained stitched across the chest. And the shiny silver ring that was a promise still adorned on his finger. 

“H-hi…”

He heard your voice for the first time in a year, staying still in the dark.

“Hey…” 

Tears swelled down your cheeks the second you two made eye contact and whimpers left your lips. You were wearing his favorite band tee, the one he had bought at his first metal concert and forever let you keep the first time you stayed overnight at his trailer. And the matching silver ring dangled down your chest with his red guitar pick strung onto the beaded chain.

Right now everything was all good…no other words needed to be spoken in this moment where the both of you just stared. Taking in the sight of one another after being deprived of stolen glances and adorning eyes for way too long. That is before you and Eddie walked into each other’s arms, holding each other with a touch and feeling that neither of you would be able to forget, as long as you lived.  

The both of you wished you could back in time to change the past, but there was no more room for blame, just promising that you and Eddie would do it differently now. 

A/N: I had this idea come to me in the middle of the night while listening to 1989…. I think this song beautifully encapsulates what it would feel like if Eddie and the reader went through something like this. There’s the painstakingly obvious idea that they should’ve communicated better before reader went off to college, but we can all admit that sometimes in the heat of the moment there are things we regret saying and regrets of things left unsaid. I wanted this little fic to focus on the idea that Eddie and reader still love and care for each other despite their time away, but neither of them had the guts to make that phone call back because they were both terrified of what was going to happen. Each of them feeling different yet similar emotions to one another until finally something just as simple as seeing his headlights through your window pane and him driving past your street and seeing your bedroom light on sets something off in the both of you. Now there’s no more wishing, just doing things the way you always wanted to.

I HOPE YOU LIKED MY INTERPRETATION OF THIS SONG AND ALL CREDITS TO TAYLOR SWIFT FOR BEING THE ABSOLUTE SONGWRITING AND MUSICAL GENIUS THAT SHE IS!!!!

[meet-me-backstage]

🜸

𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 🎸 Virgin!Eddie Munson x Fem!reader

𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 🎸 You play at the Hideout with your band, Stake For My Valentine, every night - you're considered the metal queen of the bar and your band are the rulers of the roost, famously loved by the Hideout's local drunks. However, when a band named Corroded Coffin land their first gig there, the sparse crowd warm quickly to the unique and awkward charm of the leading metal head, Eddie Munson.

However, you don't warm to him so easily - in fact, you don't warm to him at all. Eddie, on the other hand, worships the ground you walk on and doesn't hesitate to make it known, leading to a cold rejection from you.

Band rivalry occurs - you vs. Eddie, Stake For My Valentine vs Corroded Coffin.

You hate each other... but one night everything changes when a plan is created and executed by yours and Eddie's bandmates with the intention of bringing you two together and harmony between the bands.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊-𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕, 𝒔𝒎𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈!

𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 🎸 bad language, angst, mention and consumption of drugs, mention and consumption of alcohol, sexual innuendos, mention of blood, Eddie wearing eyeliner bcuz damn😍, some typical bar fight drunkard violence and SMUT so you must be 18+ to read‼️

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 🎸 10K words.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 🎸 bad language, angst, mention of smut, blood, mention and consumption of drugs and alcohol.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐱, 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 ‘𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧’ 𝐨𝐫 ‘𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬’ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!)… 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭!

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 - 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠!

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 <𝟑

⇜ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 • 𝟑𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 • 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓

'He's just a loser with a guitar.'

'You're a dick but I think I've fallen in love with you.'

'I fucking hate you Eddie Munson.'

'No I don't.'

You stare down at your lyric book with tired eyes, trying to decipher the scribbles of words that you'd crossed out and areas where you'd pressed the pen so hard against the paper that you ripped away some of it. They were all lines that you'd written over the weekend, ever since you'd gotten home from almost fucking Eddie Munson outside the Hideout, from realising that he had been the most beautiful guy you'd ever met and from crying so hard about him that you thought your eyes may fall out due to being so exhausted.

Elektra, Alyssa and Cherie are sat in the back room that had once been only yours, you can't help but think about how much the dynamic had changed since Corroded Coffin had stumbled through the doors behind you - you'd been so occupied with them that you realised that you hadn't even spoken to your band since last Friday...

Since I fucked it all up... I used to tell them everything... they're my best friends, my only friends - well, maybe not anymore since I've kept secrets and treated them like complete garbage... but we were always there for each other at school - always, surely they'll forgive me? I don't know, maybe Saturday night was the last straw, maybe I've fucked up one too many times.

You hear Cherie's voice through the door, it's muffled, but loud and it snaps you away from your thoughts.

You quickly slam your lyric book shut in your hand and take a deep breath that lasts for about five seconds before exhaling...

I've got nothing to lose now... I just hope Alyssa kept her word about not telling Elektra and Cherie what happened between me and Eddie.

With a determined stare, you head straight for the door like a missile to it's target, your worn and cracked black leather boots, as usual, thudding on the old floorboards of the Hideout. They can hear your footsteps because as soon as you start walking their voices go quiet, immediately knowing that it is you who had just entered the bar rather than a drunk that has nothing to do apart from sit at the bar and drink all day on a Monday.

You knock on the door, your knuckles brushing against the red tape that label the initials of yours and Eddie's bands on it.

Elektra clears her throat, you assume it's her because a few seconds later she calls out to you, "Come on in!" She didn't sound like her usual self who would crack a joke or dirty innuendo whenever you would walk into the room, starting band practice with a bellow of laughter from all four of you.

You grip onto the handle of the door, your forehead almost touching the wood before you slowly push it open, revealing your bandmates one by one.

Alyssa is sat on the manky rug in the middle of the room, tapping away at it with her drumsticks loosely gripped by her hands. Elektra is stood by Alyssa wielding her black and purple Jackson Dinky electric guitar, she's staring down at it so you can't see her face because her black hair, identical to Alyssa's, which is styled into a shorter mullet than her younger sister's, is falling in front of her green eyes, also identical to Alyssa's. Then, lastly, you see Cherie, with her bleach blonde hair as bright as ever, she is sat on the couch with her black Danelecto 58 Longhorn bass guitar nestled in the space beside her.

"Hi," you sigh, stepping into the room and gently setting your guitar case down beside you before turning around and shutting the door. The creak of the door being closed completely grabs all three of your bandmate's attention. They all look disappointed, confused, disheartened and it's all so quiet suddenly, Alyssa's drum beat couldn't be heard, Elektra is holding tightly to the neck of her guitar and Cherie has her mouth tightly shut. "Sorry I'm late," you mumble.

"Again," Elektra adds, rolling her eyes after.

You blow a puff of air out of your mouth, glancing down at your boots, briefly thinking about the words you'd rehearsed for them all day yesterday. "I - er I know - I'm sorry - I'm letting you guys down. I've been a real selfish bitch the last few weeks-," you sigh out with a nervous chuckle before your eyes flicker between all three of your friends, "I'm completely aware of that now and I'm sorry - so fuckin' sorry. I've not listened to you, I've been slacking at band practice, I've kept you in the dark, I've not been a good friend and I almost got us kicked out of here by Keith... I know now that it's all my fault - not Corroded fuckin' Coffin's... I - I guess I just didn't want to admit that I'm not as good as I thought."

"But you are, V," Cherie, who is, as usual, your number one fan even after letting her down.

Both Alyssa and Elektra nod in agreement with Cherie. "Exactly - that's why we're all so confused," Elektra, confesses. "You've never ever let us down in all the years that we've played together - so why are you now?" She pleads for an answer, accentuating her words by pointing the neck of her guitar at you.

You fiddle with your fingers, picking at the already chipped black nail varnish on your left index finger because you hadn't exactly prepared to answer that exact question. "I dunno - but I promise I won't fuck up any more than I already have, okay?" You look at each of your bandmates earnestly.

Elektra shakes her head while looking you dead in the eye, "Why're you avoiding the question?"

"I'm not!" You retort defensively.

"Vamp," Elektra states sternly, raising her thin dark eyebrows at you.

You realise again that you're acting the exact opposite way that you'd promised not to act, "Sorry - sorry - I er - I guess it's the... the competition." You bring a hand up to your forehead and shake your head at yourself, "It got to my head because - we've always been the band of weirdos who play metal music here every night without fail - and then suddenly these even weirder weirdos come into the picture and-," you let your hand fall from your forehead back down to your side, "We're not the only ones anymore and I felt - threatened by 'em because it was always just us... but I should've known that it wouldn't stay that way forever."

Elektra and Cherie nod in unison, but Alyssa stays completely still and silent which attracts your attention.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Al?" You take a step towards her while pointing your thumb over your shoulder towards the door behind you.

Alyssa looks at you, still hurt by what she'd seen you doing with Eddie on Saturday as her eyes are sunken in from not sleeping and her lips are pointing downwards at both corners of her mouth. She shakes her head, "Whatever you've got to say, you can say it here because we're a team - that's what a band is, right?"

You exhale through your nose, nodding at the same time, "Right," you mumble under your breath and fiddle with your fingers, still picking away at the black nail varnish on your nails. "I-."

Am I really going to tell them about what happened between me and Eddie?

Should I?

Yes... no... yes, no more lies, Vamp... no - I can't do it... I have to, to prove to Alyssa that I'm still as serious as I was when we first formed our alliance in school... besides, what happened between me and Eddie - it was nothing, it meant nothing... but if it meant nothing, why would I tell them? As far as Eddie is concerned, it never happened and we're never gonna kiss again, he sure seemed determined about that... I should forget about it all too, and I should definitely forget about how good it felt to kiss his lips...

You realise that your silence is raising suspicion from Elektra and Cherie, who are examining you wearily with crossed arms and expectant looks on their faces now, while Alyssa is nodding for you to just spit your words out... probably urging you to blurt out your undying love for Eddie Munson, to admit that your judgment of him and his band had been entirely wrong - therefore ending the little feud between Stake For My Valentine and Corroded Coffin that you'd caused so that she and Gareth could run into the sunset together finally.

I admit that I'd been wrong to try and stop Alyssa from having feelings for him... even though I still don't understand why of all the weirdos and freaks she fell for Gareth - I mean, I guess he is kinda cute and can play the drums like a champ... plus he's totally her number one fan - I'm sure if I asked him, Alyssa would be his favorite drummer of all time... so who am I to deny a friend her happiness for the sake of Eddie fuckin' Munson?

You look at Alyssa with big, apologetic eyes. She is still silently pleading with you, holding her drumsticks in a vice-like grip while she waits for your words. "I just wanted to-," you shake your head, closing your eyes for a moment before staring at Alyssa again, "I owe you an extra apology, Al - I'm - so - sorry about what happened the other night-."

"Wait - what happened the other night exactly?" Elektra asks with a quizzical look on her face, her petite nose scrunching up slightly as she stares down at Alyssa.

Alyssa sheepishly looks between you and her big sister, clearly feeling guilty for keeping what she had seen occur between you and Eddie a secret from her own flesh and blood... "Al did nothing wrong, El - I'm not gonna let her take the flack when it was all me." Elektra drags her eyes away from Alyssa to you, still with her arms crossed. Her pale face with dark eyeliner around her piercingly light green eyes intimidate you, making you break eye contact and instead you focus on your fingers still chipping away at your nail varnish, "I - I did something really - really - really fuckin' stupid."

Cherie furrows her fair brows, looking at Elektra, who looks back at her, confirming that they are just as confused as the other person.

"What did you do, V?" Cherie asks, tearing her longing eyes away from Elektra to look at you again.

You don't have to lift your head up to know that all six of your bandmate's eyes combined are staring into your soul right now... I need to just spit it out right now. You gulp, struggling to speak because you're too busy trying to relax your heartbeat and choking on your spit that had gathered in your mouth from trying to process words that just refused to leave your mouth, "I - I-."

"Vamp," Elektra interrupts before uncrossing her arms lazily, "If we don't have trust anymore we've got nothing left - so we may as well call it quits-."

Your neck snaps up so quickly to meet eyes with your bandmates that you almost get whiplash from the desperation because you are not ready to give up on this band yet, and definitely not because of a reason that doesn't even exist anymore - I mean nothing to Eddie and he means nothing to me... and Stake For My Valentine mean everything to me. "I-made-out-with-Eddie-after-his-gig-on-saturday-because-he-wrote-the-most-beautiful-song-for-me-and-also-Rodrick-was-making-out-with-some-girl-he-met-that-night-I-think-and-Alyssa-saw-the-entire-thing-oh-and-I-made-our-fifteen-fans-hate-us-because-Rodrick-got-me-drunk-the-night-before-and-I-called-them-all-assholes-for-going-to-Corroded-Coffin's-first-gig-here-."

All three of your bandmates look entirely bewildered by your rambling, with wide eyes and their mouths hung open in shock that your mouth could move so fast.

Cherie's back has thrusted forward away from the couch, leaning closer to you as if it can help her try to understand what you are saying, but she realises that she can't because she uses her hands to motion you to calm down and stop talking, "Woah woah woah, slow down, V!”

Elektra nods in agreement with Cherie. "I think I can vouch for us all by saying that we got none of that," Elektra gestures to Cherie and Alyssa, who nod in agreement, "Could you start again and maybe - step on the break a little for us?"

You nod, staggered breaths leaving your mouth while trying to catch as much air as possible because your rambling has left you pretty light-headed, "Okay - okay." Deep breaths, Vamp - here goes nothing... you bring one of your hands up to scratch the back of your neck, "I sorta made out with Eddie after his gig on Saturday-."

"You sorta what?!" Elektra blurts out before covering her mouth with one of her hands, her silver bangles around her wrist clashing loudly against each other from the speed.

You nervously glance at Cherie, who had loudly gasped at your confession, before acknowledging Alyssa, who also looked shocked that you'd actually told them. You give Alyssa a small nod before audibly inhaling another long breath, "Yeah er - I came onto him after he er - I mean - after I saw Rodrick with another girl-."

"But - I thought you hated Eddie?" Cherie asks, completely gobsmacked.

"So did I," Elektra adds while Alyssa mumbles a sorrowful 'me too' in sync with her sister.

"I do," you gulp, fleetingly looking down at the stained rug underneath your feet, "I do hate him," you repeat with much more assurance, though your face doesn't show it. You blink... if I just keep talking about how much I hate him they've gotta believe me eventually... "I hate him so much, he's so - he's so - ugh, everything he does just infuriates me so much that I just wanna-," kiss him so hard that it bruises his lips? Slap his cute face silly while I give him the ride of his life? Suck his soul out through his dick? Sit on his face? "Die? Yeah - he makes me wanna - die."

Huh - that has an interesting ring to it. I should write it down in my lyric book.

Elektra, Cherie and Alyssa all exchange bewildered looks. Cherie then mouths a shocked 'wow' at Elektra while Alyssa looks up at you, even more confused than she appeared to be before you’d opened your mouth about Eddie.

"I thought-," Alyssa speaks, but before she can reveal that Eddie had written a song about you, or the way that you looked at him like you look at your electric guitar... which is totally not true because I could never spare a spot alongside my Pink Special or Eddie Van Halen in my heart - there is no space for Eddie Munson in there and there never will be... you shake your head frantically.

"I - I did it to get back at Rodrick," you interrupt Alyssa boldly, defensively, lying through your teeth while trying to maintain confident eye contact with her.

"But-."

"There's no other reason, Al," You declare before chuckling nervously, "C'mon - why else would I kiss Eddie Munson?"

Alyssa's face drops a little, her eyes, rather than being wide, they are now sad again, reminding you of the disappointed look that she sent you when she left you alone with Eddie on Saturday, "Cause you like him like I like Gareth?" She suggests with a small, hopeful tone of voice.

You hear Elektra and Cherie giggling to themselves, they fill in the silence after Alyssa's suspicion towards your denial for having feelings for Eddie.

Your head continues to shake frantically in complete denial, "No - no, not like you and Gareth," you tell her with another nervous laugh after, "You and Gareth - you're perfect for each other, I understand that now and I shouldn't have gotten in the way of the two of you just because he's the drummer in a band we're in fierce competition with... but there is no me and Eddie and that's all there is to it."

You spot the glint of happiness in Alyssa's dark green eyes, but it leaves as quickly as it comes when you continue to deny anything more than indifference for Corroded Coffin and hate for Eddie Munson. It frustrates her because she saw how you danced to their music, how you gave the lead singer heart eyes throughout their entire gig and how you genuinely enjoyed yourself in the presence of Corroded Coffin despite the battle between them and Stake For My Valentine to claim the Halloween gig. She thought that you felt it too, a connection between the bands that overpowered the competition... but perhaps you weren't quite as on the same page as she thought you had been.

"So - what about Eddie?" Alyssa asks, her voice almost sounds afraid.

Your head tilts to the side and you shrug your shoulders, trying to act as casually as you can, as if you hadn't been able to get Eddie off of your mind since you cleared the air between your mouth and his… and failed, "What about 'im?"

"How does he feel about what happened?" She asks matter of factly, one of her dark brows raising at you.

It feels like your heart is sinking down your body at the reminder of how yours and Eddie's last bicker battle...

'Don't you dare follow me this time, Munson - because I won't be kissing you again!'

'Good!'

'Fantastic!'

A drawn out, quiet sigh leaves your lips, "Nothing," your shoulders hunch over slightly after you shrug them, "He hates me as much as I hate him-," you take in each of your bandmate's facial expressions and they all look completely unconvinced by your answer, "but we're both on the same page - we're here for the music. We're all here for the music, aren't we?" You question them as a way to divert their attention from you and Eddie.

All three of your bandmates hum in unison, looking amongst each other and you nod in response to their agreement.

"So we're all in this battle to win the Halloween gig back, right?" You speak entirely with confidence now, ignoring the joy that you felt when you were at Corroded Coffin's gig and completely thinking about the joy you'll feel when your fans vote Stake For My Valentine as the winners of the Battle of the Bands... if I win their loyalty back tonight.

"Right," Elektra, Cherie and Alyssa all respond in sync, nodding at the same time.

You nod slowly with a hopeful smile on your face and determination in your eyes, "Exactly, so we've gotta blow our crowd's minds tonight with epic solos and new material," you keep nodding, looking between your bandmates, who are staring at you with intense excitement in their eyes, their postures are gradually lifting from being slouched before, "We can't waste a second today so what'd ya say?" A cheeky grin spreads across your lips.

Cherie mirrors your cheeky grin before nodding eagerly, "Let's fuckin' do this," she jumps off of the couch and hops towards you while lifting her arm up, waiting for everyone else to do the band chant that the four of you usually do before a practice or gig.

Elektra steps forward and stands directly in front of you, a smile spreading across her lips too as she lifts her hand. You give her a small nod before looking down at Alyssa, who looks up at you wearily for a few moments before deciding to join the triangle that you, Elektra and Cherie had made. You all stand in a circle now with your arms lifted, your firsts balled as if you are holding wooden stakes and are about to drive them through a kneeling vampire in the middle of your circle.

"Three - two - one... watch it!" In unison, you all clench your fists, "Look behind you - beside you - inside you - don't underestimate a Vamp's power - it hides in plain sight - it hides before your eyes!" You all move your heads in the directions that you chant before dramatically tearing your eyes away from each other and looking down at the space in front of you within the circle. "Drive a stake through the heart and knock 'em dead!" You throw your arms down together as if you are going in for the killing of an imaginary vampire, a ritual that you'd all created and participated in for good luck since your very first gig at the Hideout.

The four of you cheer as if there hadn't been any tension between them and you, they're all driven by the adrenaline that the chant always gives you that would usually last until the end of a practice or a show, but this time the energy is very short-lived as your cheers fade quickly into an awkward silence.

Elektra clears her throat as realisation spreads across her features, "We don't have any new material."

"Ah ah ah - that's where you're wrong," you bring your hand that's still holding your lyric book up to your face, waving it beside your head while you smile devilishly, "I've got the perfect song for us to play tonight right here."

Elektra wraps her arms around her black and white striped t-shirt, hugging herself and pressing her fingertips into the back hem of her black leather pants, "I'm a little scared," she says with a chuckle.

"You should be," you tell her with a giggle.

⎈ 🎸 ⎈

By the time you're ready to go on stage you're high and drunk, which isn't usually a problem when you haven't been an emotional mess for days. It was what the four of you usually did during practices and before gigs just to take the edge off, to get rid of nerves and any stress or pressure. However, tonight you feel it all and with each pint of beer that you downed and each drag that you took of weed, your emotions seemed to heighten rather than lessen.

With each hour that passed during your practice, you noticed Rodrick's absence from it - he'd usually join your practice by sitting on the couch ogling you or maybe take over on the drums briefly while Alyssa took a small break. There was no sign of him today, but you were sure that he was just hiding away up in his room all day.

The four of you now are sat on the couch, squished together like a bunch of fish in a fishbowl, sharing one last joint before going on stage.

Each time you pass the joint to each other in a line that's going back and forth, you sink more into the couch with your limbs intertwined with Alyssa's and Cherie's, who are sat on either side of you.

Elektra is sat on the other side of Cherie, and has her arm flirtatiously wrapped around her... you'd have been a fool not to notice the massive crush that they had on each other since high school, fleeting looks, touches and blushes at your table in the cafeteria, so you and Alyssa weren't surprised when they announced their 'on the low' relationship when you all left school... they'd blossomed just as you had when the four of you found the Hideout because not only could they play the music they loved, the pair could also love each other and not be afraid of what anybody thought of them in a place where they could be free - you could all be free.

You can hear the bar starting to get rowdy on the other side of the door, muffled chattering, glasses clinking and music playing from the stereo... another ordinary night at the Hideout, you think with a dreamy smile, resting the back of your head on the couch... little do they know, we're about to play the goddamn bar right down.

A small knock interrupts your daydreaming and all four of you sit up in sync, staring at the door like deer in headlights.

When you see Rodrick's face peeking his head through the door and frame you feel the same boiling in your blood that you felt on Saturday when you saw him kissing someone else.

I wonder if she's here tonight?

His brown hair is more wild than usual, he's gelled it into more of a spiky texture, and is wearing what he usually wears, his old 'Löded Dyper' shirt that you woke up in on Saturday afternoon last week, a pair of ripped black jeans and his dirty black converse.

His tired, dull brown eyes flicker at you for not even a second before focusing on your bandmates, "The - stage is ready for you," he mumbles half-heartedly, refusing to even acknowledge your presence in the room before quickly shutting the door and leaving the four of you alone again.

You close your eyes and sink back into the couch while Elektra, Cherie and Alyssa exchange looks between each other, you and the door that Rodrick had disappeared behind.

Don't you dare even think about that asshole - get the fuck up off of this couch and get on that stage.

You monitor your breathing for a moment because seeing Rodrick had instantly brought that night back to you - your heated moment with Eddie. It makes your breath hitch before you take another deep breath, trying desperately to forget the existence of a certain long-haired, doe-eyed, adorable metal head...

I'll show him... I'll show them all.

"Let's fuckin' show them all what we're made of," you state before suddenly springing up off of the couch, almost tripping over the rug and falling face first onto the floor, though you manage to find your balance by taking a few quick steps towards the door.

You throw your arms out towards the door to halt yourself from head butting the wall or floor and close your eyes to brace yourself from the inevitability of falling down, but instead you find yourself hearing the door creak, opening again, and being caught in a pair of arms, "Rodrick I swear to the metal gods above I will swing my fist at your stupid face and shove my guitar up your ass," you ramble angrily, hitting your fists into his chest while your face is also nuzzled into him.

"Woah - Jesus H. - Christ - will you stop - hitting me when - I'm trying to - save you?!" You hear Eddie's voice in between your hits on his chest, but they gradually stop when you realise that it had been him who had caught you before you could fall onto the floor in front of the crowd waiting for you to take the stage.

You relax, hiding against his frame while nuzzling your nose against his chest, now realising that the texture of the shirt he's wearing is completely different to the one Rodrick is wearing... the smell is also different, while Rodrick's smells of weed and cigarettes, Eddie's also smells of weed and cigarettes - but with an added scent of musk that you could easily get used to.

"What are you doing here?" You grumble, gathering the courage to finally look up at him. To your annoyance, he looks as beautiful as ever and it takes everything in you not to wrap your arms around his neck to be even closer to him... but I know I can't... he doesn't want me anymore.

Eddie chuckles, which makes his chest sort of vibrate against your upper half, causing warmth to spread all through you, "I might not want to uh - kiss you - again... but I wasn't gonna miss your show - 'm still Stake's uh - biggest fan y'know," he looks down, huffing a small chuckle whilst blinking his eyes closed so he can avoid eye contact with you.

He can't even look at me now... which feels like a stab to your heart because you realise just now that looking into his pretty brown eyes is a privilege that you took for granted until you no longer had his eyes only on you.

You nod a little, focusing on the silver pendant sat neatly beside his red guitar pick attached to a silver chain around his neck, "No I - I meant - what are you doing here?"

"Oh uh-," his eyes trail from your boots, to your fishnet tights, to your oversized white t-shirt, to your neck, to your eyes, but you could've sworn that for a millisecond he looked at your lips, "I - uh - I wanted to uh - uh-," it's like your eyes have him under a spell because he can't look away now, it takes a massively deep breath for him to get his words out, "'S stupid - but I uh - came to say good luck - so uh - good luck."

"Thank you - I guess?" You mumble nervously, on the brink of crumbling in his arms and telling him that you do, in fact, want to kiss him again.

Eddie hums, tearing his eyes away from you at the same time you awkwardly look away from him, "I should - uh - I should go um - back to - Gareth." He looks over your head, being a head taller than you now means that it doesn't take much effort for him to look behind you, seeing your bandmates watching you both, in shock and holding onto each other for dear life.

You have to stand on your tiptoes to look over his shoulder to see that you have gained some attention from a few familiar faces that you'd see in your usual crowd from the stage - Joan looked shocked, Troy looked a tad more shocked and Victoria looked even more shocked than them combined, probably because you were in talking distance, let alone being enveloped in the arms of your competition... and on top of that, you weren't fighting to get away.

Your bottom lip falls slightly, but you have no words to say as you feel numb... the weed is definitely not helping me right now - I can't move...

Eddie watches you, appearing completely uncomfortable in his arms, horrified by his touch and the audience that you were getting from being close to him. He clears his throat, "Sorry - I uh - I didn't want an - audience either," he sighs, slowly unwrapping his arms from your waist and suddenly you feel so cold... he can't even stand to be seen near me... another stabbing sensation to your heart, you visibly shiver and falter slightly from no longer having him to lean on, which he notices, "you okay?"

So now he cares…

You give him a hard stare while the rest of your body feels numb and warm from the weed and alcohol, "Mhm fine - I'm fine," you slur unconvincingly, causing Eddie to furrow his brows at you and take a step closer only for you to step away, "Go a-away," your voice cracks and you shake your head. Eddie continues to stare at you, his facial features no longer hard or distant, now they are sad and he looks like a lost puppy that has no idea what to do or where to go, whether to help you and stay or do what you say and go... you can see the battle he's fighting in his head so you take a shaky breath, your stare at him turning into a glare, "Go."

Eddie falters, the battle in his head coming to an end as he reaches a decision, he nods and looks down at his fidgeting hands before silently turning himself around and walking away... like I told him to.

You take a harsh breath in through your nose, ignoring the tears that are threatening to spill from your eyes... no no no, Vamp - you said you weren't gonna cry over Eddie Munson again... you exhale as steadily as you can, successfully stopping a single tear from running down your cheeks, "May the best band win, Munson!" You shout to him as he walks through the small crowd that are now only staring at you. You fight the urge to say something like 'what are you looking at?' to the entire group of onlookers that had just witnessed everything including the scene you created after Stake For My Valentine's gig last Friday...

They must think I've really gone off the rails - I've gotta prove them wrong right now...

You look over your shoulder at your bandmates, who are still sunken into the couch watching your every move, before motioning with your hand for them to join you by the door leading into the bar area. "Let's knock 'em dead," you state, referring to your chant with a forced smile, after picking up your guitar and swinging the strap over your shoulder until your Pink Special hits your lower stomach.

Elektra and Cherie walk together with their instruments in one hand and reaching for each other's spare hands, squeezing tightly while they walk and nod your way. They give each other a kiss before running up the three steps onto the platform side by side, being careful not to hit their instruments against the wall because the steps are pretty narrow for two people to be on them at the same time.

Alyssa walks your way alone, wielding her drum sticks tightly in her left hand, but before she passes you at the door she stops walking and leans her mouth close to your ear, "It's for Eddie, isn't it? Not Rodrick," she whispers before pulling away and searching your eyes for the truth.

Your eyes flicker between hers before your guard breaks at the mention of the 'new material' you'd practiced all day long, a song of the lyrics you hadn't stopped writing since the early hours of Sunday morning, "It's for Eddie," you admit under your breath, but loud enough for Alyssa to hear, with a hasty nod.

Alyssa nods with you before giving you a satisfied, closed mouthed smile, “Knew it.” She brings her right hand up to squeeze your shoulder and tips her cowboy hat to you with her left hand while holding the drumsticks, almost dropping them while doing so, making the two of you giggle together.

"Let's - knock 'em - dead," Alyssa repeats your words from before with an amused grin on her face and small giggles in between them. She then grabs your left hand with her right one, pulling you towards the stage and up the small staircase.

You grasp onto your Pink Special with your right hand, clutching the back of it's body to your hip tightly as you run up the stairs with Alyssa. You can hear claps, cheers, but they're not as loud as they had been before the battle of the bands competition had been thought up by Rodrick.

You're facing your band as you take your pink guitar pick from behind your ear and hold it between your teeth, watching your bandmates as they adjust themselves - you wait for their approval to start the first song.

You bounce on your feet, psyching yourself up physically and mentally for the next hour and fifteen minutes because you know that to gain your great, hard-working, dedicated lead singer and guitarist reputation back… I need to put everything into this.

When all three of your bandmates nod you drop your pick from your teeth and let it land in your hand before spinning on your heel to face the crowd... and it's way bigger than you thought it would be - you've got a crowd bigger than when Stake For My Valentine were the only band playing at the Hideout... granted, it is about ten more people than usual, but that makes ten more than the familiar fifteen faces that you usually see towards the front.

A dreamy smile spreads across your mouth when you strum the first chord of Light Me Up, one of the first songs that you wrote when you were a junior at Hawkins High, before you'd even met your bandmates in Stake For My Valentine... it's a fan favorite that you typically play at the end of your gig, but earlier the four of you, with some convincing on your part, decided to move to the very beginning of the setlist.

So when the fifteen familiar faces hear the A chord that sets a moody, but lively atmosphere which sends everybody into a wild frenzy, you notice them all reliving every moment that they jumped and danced to this very song with you for the last two years.

You take a quick step towards the microphone, your lips brush against it, “Hey lovers,” you mumble with a cheeky grin on your face, sending a wink to one of your most loyal fans, Joan, who is now looking at you in awe rather than in shock, “Did ya miss us?”

‘Fuck yeahs’ and ‘we missed yous’ echo throughout the room, causing you to giggle into the mic, but then you hear a ‘did you miss us?’

“Sure I did - you guys are family,” you answer, flashing Lisa, another familiar face, a toothy grin before focusing on your guitar and the instruments being played behind you, signalling you to start singing. “Does what I’m wearing seem to shock you?” You sing into the mic, widening your eyes and looking down at your outfit as if you can’t believe what you’re wearing.

Your eyes scan the crowd towards the back as you sing, but you’re very quickly distracted with the sight of Stake For My Valentine’s booth being occupied by none other than Rodrick, who isn’t alone… you assume that it’s the same girl that he was kissing before, but as you look closer, you can see that it’s not now because she has much longer black hair, while the girl from before had mid-length chestnut brown hair…

so I really was just another name on his list of sex conquests?

That thought alone makes you stutter your lyrics, which diverts Rodrick’s attention from the girl sat opposite him to you. He’s leaning over the table, his face just inches away from her’s, but he continues to stare at you with a devious grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I’ve got it on my mind to change my ways,” you sing as your stare on Rodrick hardens. You suck in the anger that you feel, expressing it through your strong voice, “But I don’t think I can be anything other than me - No I don’t think I can be anything other than me.”

Rodrick glares back at you, but is forced to drag his eyes away from you because the girl he’s with grabs his shirt by the neckline and pulls him in for a messy kiss… though his eyes are open and looking at you the entire time his tongue is in her mouth.

“Do you think it’s right - when you knock me to the ground,” your eyelids flutter shut and you turn your face away from Rodrick, instead, putting all of your focus into the dancing crowd directly in front of you, “Well - light me up when I’m down!”

A bunch of your dedicated fans and your bandmates start to sing the chorus with you, “Light me up when I’m down!” An unconscious grin forms on your lips while you sing the line, you bob your head which makes your hair fly crazily in every direction possible.

You’re having the time of your life with your bandmates and your fans, all dancing wildly together and you feel as though, through your music, you’ve made up with them all… like everything you ever did to let them down had been erased by how metal your performance was. Like you’d promised yourself earlier today, you put every fibre of your being into throwing yourself around the stage, your singing and guitar solos… so by the time you’ve reached the end of the second to last song on your setlist, sweat is dripping from your forehead, all four of your limbs are numb and you’re completely exhausted.

You breathe heavily before laughing breathlessly into the microphone because as you stagger towards it you almost fall, but catch yourself by grabbing onto the microphone stand, “Woah - that was close, huh?”

The small crowd cheers in agreement, laughing with you.

“Okay,” you sigh, taking another few desperate breaths to try and calm your frantic heartbeat, “We’ve got one last song for you tonight!”

Another loud cheer in response to you.

You grin mischievously, wrapping your left hand, which is clammy with sweat, around the neck of your guitar while your right one keeps a grip on the microphone stand to keep you stable, “Do you dare to hear it?”

A few screams can be heard from the front, while everyone else cheers again (apart from Rodrick and his most recent fuck buddy, but you don’t give a shit about either of them).

“Well you better because it’s a new little treat-,” you state in a playfully stern tone, scanning the many faces in the crowd, but your eyes unexpectedly land on Eddie’s starstruck one towards the back of the cluster of people before you, “From me to you,” you maintain eye contact with Eddie, the adrenaline buzzing through your body stopping you from being too nervous to admit it. Your fans express their excitement through more cheers, but Eddie’s jaw drops a little and is frozen, just like you had been when he sang his song for you, “Here goes - you make me wanna die.”

You look over your shoulder at Alyssa and nod your head before she hits her drumsticks together, “three - two - one!”

You and Alyssa begin the song together, she starts with a steady beat on the bass drum that accompanies your guitar, you strum a strong, quick and melodious chord pattern that you repeat twice, all while banging your head and stomping your boots down onto the platform in time with Alyssa’s beat, before Elektra and Cherie join you and Alyssa’s playing.

“Take me, I’m alive - never was a girl with a wicked mind - but everything looks better when the sun goes down-,” you continue nodding your head in time to Alyssa’s beat while you sing with your eyes shut, “I had everything - opportunities for eternity - and I could belong to niiiiight!” You end the line with a gradual pitch change in your voice that sounds as smooth as velvet. “Then your eyes, your eyes-,” you sing alone during the bridge of the song, grasping the strings of your Pink Special tightly so they don’t make any sound. Your eyes open and you flutter your eyelashes, swiftly accustoming to the dim spotlight facing the stage, “I can see in your eyes, your eyes,” you find yourself singing softly into the microphone while staring into the pair of brown doe eyes that inspired this song, “everything in your eyes, your eyes-.” Eddie’s lips tug upward now while he looks at you like you’re some kind of angel, it causes a cheeky smile to appear on your lips during the pause between your lines because he was looking at you the same exact way when he first saw you on this stage, “You make me wanna die,” the words come out of you dramatically as you continue to cheekily smile at Eddie, who looks completely gobsmacked now.

Now he knows how I felt when he sang about how much he fuckin’ hated me… and called me a bitch.

“I’ll never be good enough - you make me wanna die - and everything you love will burn up in the light - and every time I look inside your eyes-,” you sing as you throw yourself around with your guitar, swinging your head uncontrollably before freezing in front of the microphone with your hair all over your face and noticing Eddie and Gareth jumping wildly and bobbing their heads to your music, “you make me wanna die!”

You go back to stomping your feet, strumming quick chords on your Pink Special while Alyssa goes back to just using the bass drum to create the same steady beat and melody you played for the intro.

You stare intensely at Eddie which immediately grabs his attention as if you’ve put him in a trance-like state, he stops dancing with Gareth and turns his entire body to face you again, “Taste me, drink my soul-,” Eddie’s mouth parts at your words, making you giggle a little while you sing them, “Show me all the things that I shouldn’t know - when there’s a blue moon on the riiiiise!”

You spin yourself around with your guitar in hand before repeating the bridge of your new song and going into the chorus again, just focusing on the singing and screaming coming from in front of you… you’re sure that no other song of yours has gotten this much of a reaction from the crowd - it almost feels like your second big break, the first being getting your first gig at the Hideout.

After that it’s time for your final guitar solo tonight, which you completely make up as you go along by just closing your eyes, feeling the heat of the room and the vibrations of all the instruments playing behind you… the pitched blackness of closing your eyes allows you to completely concentrate on the music, it’s almost as if it’s only you and your Pink Special in the room. Your nimble fingers slide up and down the neck of your guitar with ease and without you having to even peek an eye open at what you’re doing before ending the solo by shrieking out a high note and using the whammy bar to bend the sound, letting it fade with a light vibration that tingles up your hands and arms.

You can’t feel a thing in your body apart from the tingling sensation from your guitar after that… maybe it’s the weed, the beer, or the metal solo that just flew out of me… your hair is wet and sticking to your forehead and you start to feel dizzy from the fire that is burning your insides. You lazily try to shake your head out of this sudden wooziness, which is spreading to each of your limbs, making your sweat fly off of you…

I’ve gotta get through this - just nine more lines - I can do it!

“I - would die for you, my love - my love,” you sing in a slurred way because even your mouth is exhausted. Your voice that is usually strong, but angelic and smooth, is now weak, “I would - lie for you, my love - my - my-,” you blink profusely, suddenly unable to get your words out that you so desperately wanted to say because your heart is pounding and your brain is fuzzy.

All you can remember in that moment is your song coming to a messy stop.

Alyssa, Cherie and Elektra stop playing their instruments and all that can be heard are gasps and static coming from the amps at the back of the stage.

Then Rodrick, he’s suddenly at the side of the stage pulling out each of your bandmate’s instrument cables from their amps… then lastly he pulls your Pink Special’s cable out of your amp while shouting out for everyone to hear, “Stake For My Valentine are disqualified!”

Your face turns from shock, to horror, then to fury at Rodrick, “I’m - gonna fuck-ing get you - asshole!” You stammer weakly before using the last of your energy to stride towards him, ready to punch his lights out, but on your way you trip over the loose cable that’s still connected to your guitar. It all happens so quickly and you’re completely blind with rage that you don’t notice the dark wire as your right foot catches it, making you stumble forward and hit your knee against the corner of one of the amps by the stairs.

Rodrick, whose eyes are wide from the sight before him, still has that evil glint in them that makes you want to hit him even more.

Though your knee is starting to bleed, the pain hasn’t quite made itself known yet… you’re so numb and tired in your body that you can’t even feel it. However, you can feel yourself falling towards Rodrick after ricocheting off of the amps, and your first thought is of your guitar, so you grasp onto it as tightly as you can, hoping that Rodrick would save you, or at least cushion the fall… but he doesn’t, he moves out of the way.

You fall on your own, determined to keep a tight grasp on your beloved Pink Special while you dart past the steps and collide with the wooden floor below. You can hear muffled calls of your name, footsteps running around you. You can’t bring yourself to move from being so tired and every bone in your body is aching from being so active on stage.

“Vamp?!” You hear Eddie’s voice, which sounds like a plea as he kneels beside you and grasps onto your shoulders, he shakes them frantically but very quickly realises that it’s not helping you in the slightest.

He leans further down, placing the side of his face against the floor so that he’s face to face with you. Your eyelids are fluttering and you can just about see him, but even your vision is blurred and your eyes are fatigued so he looks like a wobbly blob with curly brown hair at the moment.

You feel Eddie’s rough fingertips touch your cheekbone and temple, soothingly rubbing your skin, but he pauses his movements when Rodrick speaks, “She’s cool, man - just give her a minute.”

You hear Eddie mumble angrily under his breath before he straightens his back and turns his upper half in the direction of Rodrick, “Does she look like she’s cool to you?!” He shrieks sarcastically.

Rodrick shrugs, awkwardly scratching the top of his head, “I dunno - but I’m not havin’ her in my bed, it’s reserved for - Maisy here,” he admits while gesturing towards his fuck-buddy for the night.

“It’s Daisy!” The girl sassily corrects him, crossing her arms before muttering ‘fuck this’ under her breath and leaving the circle of your friends, fans and Rodrick around you.

“Looks like she just cancelled her reservation for tonight,” Elektra jokingly states, though there is an undertone of hate in her voice.

“Stillllll, it’s a no,” Rodrick responds with a pop of his lips.

“Well she can’t just stay here on the floor all night, Rodrick!” Cherie, who is sat on the floor behind you, shouts worriedly up at Rodrick.

Rodrick shrugs, “I don’t have the time for this, my dad is back in the mornin’ for the gig tomorrow and everything has gotta be in order so I’ve gotta tidy shit up… just - get ‘er outta here,” he speaks like you laying on the floor after everything he’d done to you is not his problem, before turning away from you and proceeding to casually clear some glasses that had been left on the bar.

Despite how exhausted you are, you can just about see all the glares that Rodrick is being given by everyone around you… it is silent, nobody knows how to respond to his cruelty and lack of care towards you.

Eddie’s fingertips feel even hotter against your face from the anger and frustration that is radiating off of him. Your eyes flicker up at his larger frame that’s towering over you comfortingly, but no matter how comforted you are by his touch, or how tired you are, a tear falls from your eye and touches Eddie’s thumb on your cheekbone, which he immediately notices and unclenches his other hand that is balled into a fist and ready to punch Rodrick in the face. His facial features go from being hard with anger at the way that Rodrick had just spoken about you, to going soft at the sight of you so exhausted and hurt below him.

“E-ddie - I - I wanna go - home - please,” you manage to mumble before your glossy eyes slowly close and everything goes quiet, sending you into a deep sleep while you’re in the exact same position that you fell, on top of your Pink Special in the middle of the Hideout.

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

⎈ 🎸 ⎈

The sound of an engine soothes you in your sleep, along with the small bumps that are being driven over that rock you gently… that is until there’s a sudden bump that causes your upper half jolt forward slightly before falling back against the car seat.

“Shit,” you hear Eddie mumble under his breath.

You start to stir in your sleep and your eyelids slowly flutter open.

Your head is bowed down to your left, facing the driver’s seat, where Eddie is sat. He looks extremely concentrated, like he is trying desperately not to wake you by doing something stupid like driving too recklessly… which is entirely not in his nature because it is famously known around the town that he is a dangerous driver and has been issued with many warnings by Hawkins Police since he first got his licence.

The windows had been rolled open to let as much air in as possible, which has calmed your temperature down by a lot and is blowing your now dry hair away from your face. You slowly bring your hand up to your forehead, rubbing it while you watch Eddie drive.

He notices your movement and looks away from a familiar dark lane he’s driving down to get a small glimpse of you, “You had me - us worried y’know?”

You blink your eyes open wider, though they’re still half-closed, “Where - are we going?” You ask in a strained voice, furrowing your brows.

“‘M taking you home,” he answers, looking back at the road, “You fell off the stage, y’remember that right?”

Realisation spreads across your features as you recall your gig, playing your song for Eddie, Rodrick disqualifying Stake For My Valentine, falling off of the stage and asking Eddie to take you home. “Yeah - yeah, I remember,” you sigh, looking directly ahead of you at the road, recognising shops like Family Video and the community pool that you live nearby. He turns his van to the left into the block that you live in, which causes you to look at him quizzically.

Eddie chuckles, knowing exactly what you’re thinking, “Alyssa told me where you live - don’t worry, I’ve not been stalking you or anything.”

You hum in response… that makes sense.

While Eddie drives somewhat carefully, you take the time to look at your surroundings. You notice empty bags pretzels on the floor, tapes scattered everywhere around the van and a picture stuck to the rear view mirror of a pretty woman with dark curly hair just like Eddie’s, she’s holding a little boy in her arms on her lap… it must be an old photo of him and his mom - cute.

Eddie hits another bump accidentally which makes your knee that hit the amp move slightly, nudging it against the van door and making you wince quietly… now I can feel it - the pain.

“Shit shit shit,” Eddie curses at himself, hitting the steering wheel before glancing at your fishnets which are now ripped at your knee, “Sorry about that.”

You let out a strained huffing noise before examining your knee and the dried blood surrounding the wound right in the middle of your kneecap. You lazily slide your hand down your thigh, unknowing of Eddie’s eyes following it’s every move, to the open gash you’d gained from your fall.

“Don’t touch it!” Eddie squawks suddenly, taking a hand off of the steering wheel and swatting your hand away.

“Jeez,” you giggle uneasily before leaning back into your seat and focusing on Eddie driving again, “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you cared about me or somethin’,” you mumble softly, referring to his words from the other night with a small smug smile.

He looks at you knowingly as he brings his hand back to the steering wheel before shaking his head, exhaling and looking ahead of him, “I do actually - ‘s kinda annoying how much,” he mumbles under his breath.

“What did you say?” You ask, dumbfounded, because you were still slow and tired from the eventful night you’d had.

“Oh - nothin’,” he answers quickly, he takes another glance at your knee and gestures with his thumb over his seat to the back of his van, “I’ve got a first aid kit handy at the back we can use to clear your knee up when we get to your place so - just leave it alone for now, m’kay?”

You nod a little, “Okay,” you answer softly.

Watching Eddie drive, to your surprise, is so calming. You admire the way that his tongue is peeking past his lips in concentration, the way his hair blows in the wind and how he grips onto the steering wheel, his fingers overlapping his thumb because his hands are pretty big… they’d also look pretty nice wrapped around my ne- you notice him smiling at you finally answering him without you backchatting or making a sarcastic comment.

He senses your eyes on him, which makes his heart pound, so he takes a deep breath and is in the midst of turning his head to take another glance at the beautiful sight of you in his van again, causing you to quickly look away from him. Your sudden movement scares him and instinctively he looks back at the road, settling to just enjoying the feeling of you being beside him and maybe stealing a couple of glances at you as you continue to look around his van curiously.

He tries not to hyperventilate about the fact that you are beside him… in his van - alone. He’d not stopped thinking about you or your hands touching him since the moment you left him alone outside the Hideout… you’d been the one in his head, in his thoughts, in his dreams whenever he slept, ate, walked, worked - all the damn time. It was worse enough before he’d found out how it felt to kiss you, but now that he knew he was going crazy, so crazy that he found himself wrapping his hand around his cock every night to the thought of you… even thinking about what it would be like if you would just let him love you.

His thoughts are interrupted when he notices you turning your upper half to take a peek at the back of his van, which causes his eyes to widen, “Wait - wait, Vamp - I wouldn’t look back there if I were you-.”

You furrow your brows at him, looking at him being so incredibly suspicious right now, sweat is practically forming under his eyebrows, “Why not? You got a secret porn stash back there or somethin’?”

“No - j-just - don’t move your head too much, you’ll hurt it,” he stutters nervously.

“My head is already hurt,” you remind him with a hint of sass in your voice.

“Right,” Eddie sighs at himself before looking around the front of his van for anything to distract you with, “Oh - hey, I’ve got these cool stickers over here,” he points at his dashboard, where he’s messily stuck them by his radio, “The bat sticker is lucky,” he emphasises excitedly before his face falls when he notices you giving him a deadpan look. “Totally not interesting - uh - oh - what about some radio?”

“I’m looking, Eddie,” you state with a determined expression on your face.

Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down, coming to the realisation that you are not going to be distracted, “Okay, okay - just - don’t freak out.”

You smile at him, amused, as he focuses back on the road, staying awfully silent and keeping his mouth tightly shut… surely it can’t be that bad- you think as you turn your head, ignoring the pain that it causes you. Your eyes widen as you see it as clear as day, suddenly your knee and head is no longer the source of your hurt… it’s your Pink Special, placed gently on the navy backseat of Eddie’s van. It’s neck has been snapped away from it’s body and two of the strings are curled, no longer attached to their tuning pegs… your jaw falls open at the murder scene before you, “She’s- she’s-.”

“She’ll be fine,” Eddie interrupts you reassuringly, concern clear in his eyes - it’s such a genuine reaction that you believe that he understands your heartbreak for your guitar.

“Fine?” You retort, sarcasm oozing from your voice, “She’s been snapped in half!”

Eddie keeps his eyes on the road, turning right onto the road you live on which is just opposite of Lover’s Lake. “Yeah, you kinda - fell on her,” he informs you.

Your heart sinks, thinking about how you’d tried so hard to save her from the fall which makes tears start to well up in your eyes again, “Y-you mean - I - killed - her?” You tear your glassy eyes away from your guitar to look at Eddie…

How the hell is she gonna be fixed?

How the hell am I gonna play without her?

What the hell am I gonna do without her?

I can’t be a lead guitarist without a guitar.

Eddie gives you a reassuring smile, “Your Pink Special is gonna be rockin’ out with you again soon - trust me,” he tells you confidently, giving you eye contact that makes you want to take him for his word instantly.

You blink at him, your face blank with tears running down it and dropping onto your oversized t-shirt that’s now stained with your makeup mixed with your tear drops.

“You do trust me, right?” He asks, curiosity laced within his words.

You continue to blink at him as he drives around to your side of Lover’s Lake, near the woods. He doesn’t look at you so that he can concentrate on finding your home, and so that he can hide the disappointment in his face if you say no, “Yes - I think I do.”

After the shock of initially getting over the fact that you admitted that you do in fact trust him, a chuckle leaves his lips and he grins smugly at the road, “So close your eyes and trust me to get you home safe. Does that sounds good?”

Sounds perfect.

Without saying a word, you answer his question by shutting your eyes and relaxing into your seat by pressing your back right against it and nuzzling the side of your face against the fabric of the top of it.

After a few minutes pass, Eddie takes a sneaky glimpse of you, so relaxed that you’ve almost melted into the seat, a little smile spreads across his features, but he finds himself shaking his head, trying not to think about other circumstances where you could be sat beside him like this right now… like driving you home after a romantic diner and cinema date which would be topped off with a quickie at the back of his van… or taking you on a permanent roadtrip outta Hawkins and never looking back… just you, him and your guitars.

He takes a deep, sharp breath while forcing himself to drag his eyes away from you, which you can hear clearly - you steal a glimpse of him too with a timid smile on your lips before scrunching your eyes shut again.

“Home sweet home, sweetheart.”

That’s the second time he’s called me sweetheart… and I’ve not stopped him.

⇝ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐱

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆!!!!! 𝐈𝐭'𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 <𝟑

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 '𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒' 𝐨𝐫 '𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧' 𝐭𝐚𝐠-𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰!

𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 👌👌

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 ↯

𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑺

@big-ope-vibes @majesticjellyfishzombie @b-ritney @joyfulcandyrunaway @sidthedollface2 @sillypurplemurple @aysheashea @spookycreepycookie @bookobsessedfreak @lefdepard @rottinglexi @aol19 @loki-loves-cats @eddieslooneymoonie @hllfrclb @weirdkidfromtheupsidedown @bonehead-playz @euphoric-rush

𝑬𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝑴𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏

@introvertedmouse @munsonology @fastnights @kathieycarrerarosshley @marjoriea13 @goldengunspinkrosses-blog @lolalanaie @neteyamsluvts @sadbitchfangirl @emma77645 @seatbacksandtraytables

🜸

[headkiss]

Hello I hope you're doing well! I was wondering if you could maybe do an eddie x reader where reader doesn't want kids n thinks eddie does but eddie comforts and reassures her n stuff? Thank you so so much!! 🖤🖤🖤

hiii tysm for requesting! | 0.6k fluff and sort of hurt/comfort

You’re at the grocery store with Eddie. A mundane activity made ten times better because you get to be with your boyfriend. Something about grocery shopping with a partner is almost romantic. Personal.

Eddie’s debating between pasta shapes while you guard the cart, elbows bent and resting on the handle. His hair is frizzy from the wind, his shirt a bit wrinkly. He looks perfect.

You’re brought out of your boyfriend-admiring haze by a tug on your pant leg. A little girl stares up at you when you look down.

“Are you lost?”

She nods, her eyes watery. You loosely take her hand, reassuring her that you’ll find her family easily. It’s a small grocery store, so it’s hard to miss a nervous mother yelling for her child.

It’s a quick and easy reunion, a thank you from her mother and you’re turning away.

Eddie was at the end of the pasta aisle, not too far from your cart but positioned so he could see you. Your kindness is something he admires, and that’s no different here. He loves everything you do, but seeing you be such a good person never fails to make his heart squeeze.

When you return to him, he says, “you’re good with kids.”

“Really?” You don’t hide your surprise very well.

“Yeah, really. Got that parental instinct, maybe.”

Though he says it lightly, an offhand comment, it’s enough to get you thinking. You’ve talked about almost everything with Eddie. One thing you haven’t discussed is kids. You’re still young, you have time for that, but he’s your forever and you’re starting to worry you can’t give him the life he wants.

You don’t want kids, not now, and most likely not ever. What happens if he does?

You’re quiet for the rest of the shopping trip, short replies and a dimmed smile. Eddie notices and he wonders what could've brought you down so quickly. Usually, you love grocery shopping.

He doesn’t bring it up at first. No, he wants to give it time, to see if you might just have gotten tired or in a bad mood. Nothing’s wrong with that, so he pushes it off and hopes you’ll talk to him if you need to.

He doesn’t bring it up until that night, in his bed, backs against his headboard, your head on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” He asks.

“What? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been quiet since the grocery store. Just wanted to know if something happened.”

You know you need to talk about it sooner or later, and he’s giving you an opening, one you know is safe. You trust him, you’re just terrified you’ll lose him after this.

“Well, I guess there’s something I should tell you.”

“You can say anything to me,” he reaches for your hand, intertwines your fingers.

“I don’t want to have kids.”

You say it as quickly as possible. Ripping of the bandaid.

“What was that, honey?”

“I- uh. I don’t want to have kids.”

This time, he understands.

“That’s why you’ve been down?”

“I just don’t want you to be stuck with me if you want them.”

Eddie’s heart pinches. Stuck with you? If anything, you’re the one stuck with him. He hates that you’d ever think a life with you wouldn't be enough for him. It’s more than that, it’s everything.

“Honey. Any future with you is the one I want, okay?” He squeezes your hand, shifts so that you can see each other while he talks. “That’s your choice, and I’m the luckiest guy alive to have you in the first place.”

Eddie Munson. The perfect juxtaposition. All dark, ripped denim and chains on the outside, the brightest, sweetest boy on the inside.

You wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him close, blankets tangled between you. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life than I am about you, got it?”

You squeeze him tighter, trying not to cry over how good he is.

[oneforthemunny]

the modern!eddie blurb. contains: drug use, language, mature themes, 18+

eddie sat on the leather couch of steve harrington's mcmansion, bass booming from the bluetooth speakers, blunt hanging loosely out of his mouth. his eyes were half lidded, drooping with every inhale of the weed, inked fingers wrapping around the rolled blunt, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke in front of him.

eddie had been selling in hawkins since he was fifteen. since rick approached him in the park, and offered to help him make some money of his own, selling to some high school kids. he'd get in a lot less trouble if he got caught than rick, plus with the cut he was getting he couldn't turn it down. plus, it was easy. eddie would post a snapchat, a bag of weed and some rolled joints, and his phone would blow up, everyone begging to buy some from him. he'd always charge the rich assholes, like jason carver, more and they were too stupid to know they were being ripped off. most high schoolers were, honestly. he used to overcharge steve too until they became friends, then he sold it to him at regular price, telling him he gave him a 'discount' and steve thought he was the greatest.

eddie had stuck around high school, purposely flunking twice his senior year to keep up his clientele. eddie genuinely believed dab pens were the greatest invention on earth since pornhub. he sold carts left and right, all over hawkins and beyond, making enough money to set him up and keep him rolling steady. once rick started dealing in with some heavier shit, eddie's bank account just kept climbing, venmo balance always full.

that's why he was here tonight. surrounded by a bunch of his 'friends' and people he didn't know or care about. they wanted drugs, and that he had. weed, molly, oxy, adderall- whatever, he had it.

he felt the couch move, a figure moving out of the corner of his eye. he turned his head slowly, exhaling his blunt, eyes trained in a daze on her. he didn't know her, had never seen her before- which was weird for hawkins. she was pouting, nose scrunched in displeasure, furiously typing on her phone, acrylics clacking against the dim screen.

"hey," eddie called. she ignored him. he groaned slowly, scooting down the couch, towards the opposite end where she sat. "hey." he repeated.

"what?" she snapped, eyes narrowed and furious with irritation.

eddie grinned, lazy. "what's the matter, huh?" he asked, throwing his hands out. "you look upset. are you upset?"

she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "do I know you?"

eddie let his eyes roll over her frame, slowly, taking in her features. her little black dress that rode up her thighs. he shook his head, curls bouncing. "nah, I don't think so. do I know you?"

she snarled, looking back down at her phone. eddie smirked. she was mean. god, he loved it. "you're not from here, are you?" he asked.

"obviously not." she huffed, not looking up from her phone.

"where you from?" eddie asked, inhaling his blunt slowly. he offered it to her.

she blinked up at him, unimpressed. "not from here." she scoffed, looking around.

eddie grinned. "yeah, I can tell." he muttered slowly. "you don't look like you're from here." she ignored him. "but you look familiar. like I've seen you before."

she rolled her eyes. "look, I'm just trying to find my friend, alright?" she huffed, looking around. "she's giving me a ride home."

"who's your friend?" eddie asked, inching closer and closer.

she eyed him carefully. "shina." she snapped.

eddie grinned. "I know shina." he smirked. "I know shina real well. went to high school with her."

"yeah, so did everyone else here apparently." she scoffed. "god, is this all you guys do? just hang out with the same people all the time?"

eddie shook his head slowly. "nah. not always. I'm hanging out with you tonight. you're new."

her lips twitched, pressing them together in a tight line. "we are not hanging out."

eddie held his hands out. "I think we are." he grinned.

she snuffed, turning away with a little huff but she didn't get up, din't walk away. eddie grinned, he knew he had a chance. chad walked up before he could continue, wad of bills extended towards him, begging for a cart.

"this is a good strand?" chad asked, slurring slightly.

eddie nodded slow. cool. "yeah. fresh one. new from out in oregon. gotta lot of good feedback. shit's strong tho. cost a little extra tho."

chad shook his head, fisting out more bills. "that's fine. I-I just need something. thanks." he grabbed the pin, hurrying away as eddie pocketed the bills, sliding them in easily into his pocket.

he could feel her eyes on him, trying not to make it obvious that she was watching him. he turned back to her, small grin on his face. she looked over at him, meeting his eyes for the first time of the night. "so you're the drug dealer around here, huh?"

eddie shrugged. "gotta make a livin' somehow baby. only fans wasn't cutting it, had to go to this."

she snorted, a small smile pulling on the edge of her lips. "I'd say so." she bit, but her eyes trailed down his physique, grazing a bit longer than she should.

eddie bit back a smirk, arms spreading on the back of the couch, hand near her shoulder. "so what do you do, huh?" he asked sweetly. "what brings you here?"

she rolled her eyes heavy, grunting. "I work at the mac store in starcourt." she grumbled.

eddie's brows lifted slowly. "the makeup store?" he asked. she nodded. "that's cool. went in there once to get eyeliner."

she lifted a brow, curious and eddie felt himself blush. "I-I mean not that I wear makeup all the time, obviously." her brow lifted even further, accusation. eddie grimaced, straightening his posture. "wait, not that there's anything wrong with guys that do. I- fuck, I'm in a bad and I needed it for my band."

"a band, huh?" she asked, tongue rolling on the inside of her cheek. "eyeliner wearing drug dealer in a... my chemical romance cover band?"

eddie laughed loudly, head tipping back onto the couch. he could see her grin through his lidded eyes, trying to bite back her own smile to keep up her tough, mean appearance.

"shit, that's funny. you're funny." eddie pointed at her playfully with a lopsided smile. "nah, it's called corroded coffin. we play like every once in a while for shits and gigs, honestly. nothing serious just for fun, but... we are on soundcloud so." he shrugged playfully.

she sputtered out a laugh, mean girlish and nasally. he'd gladly be the butt of the joke if it meant she'd stay talking to him. that's why he loved the mean girls, because once you got them laughing they were always so sweet.

"oh god, not soundcloud." she cringed.

eddie smirked, tongue rolling in his mouth. "so, you're a makeup person?" he asked, she nodded. "I can tell. your face looks real pretty." he bit back a smile when she blushed, pretending to look at someone behind her to hide it. "your eyeliner looks a hell of a lot better than mine. I watched a million fucking videos on youtube, and I don't know how they do it. I always stab myself in the eye or my eyes water the whole time after." he was talking exaggeratedly, bubbly and funny in a way that had her smiling, reluctant and a little guarded but genuine.

she was relaxing a little more, moving closer so he could hear her better. "you gotta pinch your nose and sniff." she said simply, tilting her head to the side. "stops the eyes from running."

eddie's brows furrowed, plugging his nose with his fingers. "like this?" he asked, voice nasally and a little high pitched from pinching his airway shut.

she laughed, shaking her head. eddie grinned, dropping his hand. "no, dumbass, you have to... here," she took her manicured nails, reaching over and pinching the bridge of his nose, right on the bone, she squeezed lightly as eddie didn't take his eyes off her, trained on her concentrated gaze. "then you sniff." she said, applying a little bit of pressure.

eddie sniffed hard, making her laugh. "wow, you really are a pro." he grinned. his face was close to her, her full lips nearly touching his.

she shrugged, eyes darting from his lips back to his eyes. "I guess."

eddie could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket, knowing it was probably max asking him where he was- she probably sold out of her supply already-but he ignored it. "you want me to give you a ride home?" eddie suggested.

she scoffed, pulling back. "no thanks. I'll uber."

eddie laughed loudly. "jesus, you really aren't from here are you?" she furrowed her brows. "baby, there is one uber driver in this whole fucking place and he," eddie pointed a long, tattooed finger towards the man, propped against steve's wall, struggling to stand while his friends filmed him. "is right there."

she pouted, hesitating for a moment. eddie stood. "c'mon, I'll give you a ride. pretty sure shina left an hour ago anyways."

she looked at him carefully. "you don't need to stay here? do more business?"

eddie shook his head. "they can come to me if they need it that bad, but I'm straight for the night." he stood slowly, reaching out his hand to her.

she looked at it, unmoving. "I don't even know your name."

eddie grinned. "I'm eddie. what's your name, angel?" her movements stuttered for a moment before she reluctantly told him. "pleasure to meet you. now, you gonna let me give you a ride home?"

she narrowed her eyes at him, glaring before reluctantly taking his hand. "I have my location on, just so you know." she snarled. eddie laughed, leading her through the crowds. "and I'm texting my group chat right now. if I go missing, I'll make sure they go on all the true crime podcasts and make the world hate you."

eddie laughed. "alright. fair enough. you want me to text shina for you? would that make yo feel better?"

her eyes squinted, lips rolling slightly. "maybe." she admitted.

eddie grinned, pulling her out towards his mustang, all black down to the rims and seats. he'd given the van for max when she started working with him, he knew she'd earn herself up to a spot like he did, the way she was raking in cash right now, he was sure she'd pass him.

eddie opened her door, watching her slowly climb in. his phone plugged into the aux, ozzy osbourne's war pigs screaming through the speaker. she lifted a brow again. "wow, I'm shocked."

eddie mimicked her reaction. "yeah? what'd you think I'd listen to?"

she scoffed. "I thought you'd play drake for sure." her eyes rolled over his frame again, legs pressing together at his arm, inked up and flexing against the wheel. "you give kanye vibes honestly."

eddie winced exaggeratedly. "ouch. that's a low blow, baby." he grumbled. she grinned wide. she liked that response. "is it at least old kanye?"

she grinned. "sure."

"graduation?" eddie asked hopefully.

she snorted. "you wish. 808, maybe, that's being generous."

he smirked, looking over at her. she looked back at him, her eyes were softer now, sweeter. they were pretty, lashes framing them through heavy eyeliner. "am I taking a left or a right?" eddie asked at the stop sign.

she shook her head slightly, blinking a few time before turning forward. "right." she pointed.

eddie turned the wheel slow, engine purring when he pulled out. she pursed her lips, studying him for a moment. "you do this a lot, huh?" she asked. he looked at her. "you usually pick up girls at parties, or are you more of a tinder guy?"

eddie barked out a laugh. "baby, I'm only a tinder to sell molly to the sorority chicks before formal and spring break." he purred easily. his eyes met hers, she wasn't convinced. "seriously. I-I don't do this, really."

she hummed, unconvinced. eddie shrugged. "I don't. I don't even let anyone in my car." his eyes cut to hers. "you should consider yourself lucky."

she nodded slowly, contemplating. "I ask shina, is she gonna tell me the same thing?" she challenged.

eddie snorted. "ask your whole little group chat, they'll tell you the same thing." he said.

she scoffed. "what's that?"

"that they buy weed from me. I'm nice, not scary or creepy. I'm sure you'll ask them if I fuck around or if I've ever hit on them, and they'll say no. you'll ask if I have a girlfriend or some other girl, and they'll say no. you'll try to stalk me on instagram or get one of them to send you my shit, because I'm private, and then you'll still be unconvinced." eddie rambled, head rolling to look over at her. "left or right?"

"right." she said, tone back with an edge. he could see her blush in the dim street lights, even through the tinted windows. "so you are a psycho killer then?" she asked, but her tone was playful, teasing. eddie looked at her curiously. "private accounts? what kind of psycho is private on insta?"

"the kind of psycho who doesn't want people in his shit." eddie grinned.

she smirked back. "so if I requested to follow you, would you accept my request?"

eddie snorted. "how do I know you're not the psycho?" he teased.

"because my insta isn't private." she laughed.

eddie smiled. "yeah, I'd let you follow me." he nodded, hands gripping the wheel tight, he felt his heart race. "I'd even follow you back."

"how sweet." she cooed playfully, pointing towards her apartments.

eddie pulled into the spot in front of the building, putting the car in park. she hesitated for a moment, looking down at her hands. she didn't want to leave, he could tell. it made his heart leap a little, he didn't want her to leave either.

"thanks for taking me." she said, eyes meeting his with a softness he was surprised to see. "thanks for not killing me too."

eddie grinned. "you're welcome." he tilted his head to the side. "you need a cart, a blunt, anything before you go? last chance before me and my goodies are gone for the night."

she smiled. "would you roll it for me if I got a blunt?"

eddie swallowed hard. her voice changed into something sweet, intoxicating. her eyes rounded, batting when they met his. he was sure she was trying to get something for free, that's what the rational side of him screamed, but his heart was hammering.

"I'll roll it for ya, yeah." eddie nodded.

she giggled, looking up at the apartments. "you wanna come up with me? we can share it if you want." she offered. eddie froze. "if you don't have other girls or drug lord things to get to, I just..." she sighed heavily. "I like talking to you. you're like the first guy I've met here who isn't a total gross loser fuckboy." she snarled her nose.

eddie smirked. "that's high praise coming from you." she giggled again, and eddie's stomach turned. "I like talkin' to you too." he admitted, head tilting to the side sweetly. he could see her blush.

eddie pushed out of the car, quicker and more eager than he meant to, waiting for her to get out before he locked the door, following her up the creaking wooden steps.

they sat on her couch that night, he rolled the blunt and she opened the windows, passing it back and forth slowly, exchanging little stories and details about each other between them. she put on rick and morty, and eddie was sure she was his soul mate.

when he kissed her that night, slow and sweet on her couch, the glow of the sunrise peeking in through her shades, he was sure she was his soul mate. his twin flame or whatever weird shit machine gun kelly said; he kinda got it now. she fucked him nice and slow, riding him on her couch before she brought him to her room, letting him sleep there for the night, their shared blunt dwindling down in the living room, her back on his chest in her small bed.

[peaceteaa11]

He Only Likes Her Cause She's Pretty

Oneshot - Eddie Munson

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader (Y/N)

Ratings: fluff fluff fluff... but also... angst angst angst.

Warnings: Lying? Cursing. Sadness due to unrequited love.

Summary: Simple pining after Eddie and him definitely secretly pining after you. Both too afraid to admit it. Will you guys confess your love for one another before someone else steps in between you?

A/N: This is not my best work. Ngl. Like is there a plot or was this just an idea in my head that I wanted to get out? We may never know. If you don't like it, don't tell me... I'm sensitive. If you're new... I only proofread once, so mistakes are bound to be in there. You can still read it tho, I promise x

Word Count: 3715

***Go check out my other Eddie fics! Eddie Munson Masterlist***

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

“He only likes her cause she’s pretty.” You huff as you shovel more fries into your mouth. You lean onto your elbows so harshly you worry they may bruise from the hard tabletop.

“Uh… yea. That’s usually why someone likes someone else, idiot.” Steve laughs causing you to send him a wicked glare. His chuckles fade quickly as he throws his hand up in surrender and stares at you in amused confusion.

“No. No, cause I like him for more than that!" You whine with another handful of fries in your tightening fist. "I like how when he laughs his eyes glisten like a hundred strings of Christmas lights. And how when he smiles he tucks his chin into his chest like he’s shy, hiding away his beautiful grin. And how when he puts his hair up in a bun his arms and back flex like-"

“Stop it or I’m gonna hurl all over your burger.” Robin groans and puts her head in her hands. She grips her hair and runs her fingers through her short locks. "Seriously. Are you trying to make me lose my lunch? I haven't even finished eating yet."

“It’s just not fair. I’ve liked Eddie for years! And he’s never noticed! No matter what I do! But Chrissy smiles at him ONCE. ONE GODDAMN TIME! And he’s wrapped around her finger.” You push your tray away from you and slide down into your seat. Suddenly your burger and fries were no longer appealing.

“I know how you feel. Believe me.” Steve sighs as he drops a fry back onto his plate. Seemingly not hungry anymore either.

“Yea… it’s the worst feeling. Like ever.” Robin leans forward onto her elbows, pushing her tray towards you across the table.

“Well. Look at us. Just three single sappy losers pining after people who will never look our way.” Steve groans and rubs his hands over his face.

“Honestly. It hurts more when he looks at me. Gives me false hope. Curse him and his stupid beautiful face. I’d rather he never look at me again.” You say just as Eddie Munson strolls into the cafeteria with a dopey grin on his face. His hands shoved into his pockets as he heads for the Hellfire table where your little brother sits. Honestly, Eddie probably only sees you as a sister because he only sees Dustin as a little brother. 'What a nightmare' you think to yourself.

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

“Ow! You’re pulling! It hurts!” Steve whines as you and Robin style his hair in all sorts of funky ways. Braids and pigtails sticking out at all angles.

“Stop moving!” Robin groans and smacks the top of Steve's head.

“I wouldn’t be moving if you weren’t trying to viciously rip out all the hairs from my head!” Steve shouts and tugs away from Robin. You laugh as you take a chunk of his hair and tie it up with one of your scrunches.

“I can’t believe I let you guys talk me into cutting class for this.” Steve says continuing to tug away from both you and Robin.

“What can I say? We’re persuasive.” You giggle and pat his head gently.

"And very very sad, Steve. You wouldn't want us to be sad. You are helping us." Robin says in a teaching tone that she often uses when trying to convince Steve that her way is the right way. It often works.

“Whatever. Why exactly are we hiding in the woods?” Steve asks for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. Both you are Robing groan at having to ask this question again.

“Once again. It was either this or all of us cramming into your beat-up sad excuse for a car, Harrington.” Robin growls as she purposefully pulls on his hair. His head falls back from the force of the tug and you see his brows scrunch together.

“Ow!” He whines and Robin bursts into a fit of laughter.

“Wow. I can’t believe you guys didn’t invite me to girl time.” All three of you turn to face the new voice. Eddie. Your heart swells at the sight of him. God, you’ve never seen anyone as perfect as him. He flashes a big smile.

“Go have girl time with your cheer squad friends.” Robin sneers obviously being very protective over your feelings. You quickly elbow Robin for being so obvious. She looks at you and blushes. "Sorry." She whispers.

“Woah. Where did that come from?” Eddie chuckles. He saunters toward the table.

“So you gonna date her or what?” Steve glares at Eddie. Both of your friends are clearly agitated for you. All you feel is sorrow but that's seemingly okay because the two of them have enough anger for all three of you.

“Okay let’s calm down.” You say softly, sending glares to your best friends.

“Date who?” Eddie chuckles and raised his brows in confusion.

“Chrissy.” Robin huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “She seem awfully fond of you Munson.”

Eddie smiles. You feel your heart slow. He likes her. That stupid goofy grin. He totally likes her.

“She’s nice yeah. But I don’t know." Eddie chuckles as he takes a seat across from Steve. "I'm not really sure if we'd fit well together. If that makes sense." He hums and leans forward to rest his head on his hand. He looks up at you and smiles causing you to look down into Steve's hair and continue to fuss it up.

"Ow. Seriously stop pulling. That's it. Get off! Get your grubby hands out of my gorgeous locks." Steve huffs swiping your hands out of his hair. You roll your eyes and Eddie laughs. It is truly the most warming sound you've ever heard in your life. Steve huffs as he starts to undo the braids and pigtails. He tosses your scrunchie onto the table and starts at a few knot-like braids Robin weaved into his hair.

"Here. You guys can play with mine. I trust ya." Eddie smirks at you. "Just don't make me look bad. I have a reputation. This hair is everything. Harrington knows what I mean, don’t cha?" He smirks lightly.

"I'm good." Robin sighs and sits next to Steve who smiles sarcastically at Eddie.

"Yea... I think I'm okay-" You start to answer but Eddie cuts you off.

"Awe come on, love. Please?" He whines, leaning forward onto his elbows. He is obviously trying his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. "You got me all excited for head scratches now. Come on, I wanna look as pretty as Harrington." He chuckles while battling his eyelashes. You roll your eyes and walk around to his side of the table. Once you are behind him you hesitate a moment before putting your hands into his hair.

It's so soft you are sure it's silk but it definitely never gets brushed. You run into a few knots but Eddie doesn't complain as you run your hands through his hair. You grab your scrunchie off the table where Steve threw it down and tie Eddie's hair up into a loose bun. Once the bun is done Eddie leans his head back into your stomach and smiles up at you.

"How do I look?" He smiles up at you and your body shivers. His head leaning against your stomach for support causing every part of your body to become hyperaware. He chuckles as you tilt your head examining him. His big brown eyes stare up at you wide and beautiful.

"Mmm. Hold on." You whisper trying to find words again. You move from behind him, rounding the bench a bit to get to the side of him. His gaze follows you and you lean down looking at his face. He smirks and you try to hold it together, keep on a poker face. You grab the sides of his face and pull a few loose hairs down to make the bun seem more casual. You can feel his eyes glued to your face and you just pray to all the gods above that he can't see how flustered you are. You pull away and drop your hands to your side and grin softly.

"Okay. Now you're... you look good." You say as you examine the loose hairs framing his face. He chuckles and nods.

"Just now? I'm hurt. I thought I look good all the time." He tilts his head obviously teasing you but it makes you feel like you may faint.

"Oh. Uh. No. You do. You-"

"I'm joking. Breathe." He laughs and you nod, embarrassed as you take a seat next to him and look at Robin and Steve.

"How come he gets an actual hairstyle and all I got was borderline torture?" Steve scoffs.

"Because Eddie cooperated." Robin glares at Steve who rolls his eyes.

"So, why exactly are you guys skipping? Ya know, this is my spot when I skip and I don't often see you guys out here." Eddie hums curiously.

"Bad day." Steve huffs.

"Yea no kidding." You laugh as Steve and you share a sad smile.

"What happened?" Eddie asks. "What's got the three losers down?" He jokes but his face stays serious as he glances at you. You are about to answer with something stupid like a test but Robin decides to Robin, forgetting who is present.

"Oh ya know, we're all hopelessly in love with people who will never love us back." She sighs casually as she drops her head to the table.

"Robin!" Steve shouts.

"What it's true and you-" Robin makes eye contact with Eddie and you can see it click in her mind. "I- nevermind." Robin shoots you an apologetic glance and you simply smile in return.

"All of you?" Eddie chuckles.

All of you nod slowly trying to gauge one another's feelings towards admitting this. Mostly the other two look to you to make sure you are okay. And you are. It's not like Eddie knows it's him you're in love with.

"Oh. Wow. Well, who?" Eddie glances at all of you waiting for answers.

Well shit.

"Uh-" Steve mumbles to himself.

"Classified." You hum and pat Eddie's hand that's outstretched on the table. He looks at you with puppy dog eyes once again.

"Come onnnnn. I won't tell a soul." He hums and grabs your hand off of his. He pulls your hand into his chest and makes you cross his heart. "Cross my heart." He smirks and lets your hand go.

"Sorry. Can't do that." Robin cuts in catching Eddie's attention.

"Why?" He questions.

"If one of us tells, all of us will have to, and we don't wanna." Robin laughs like it is obvious.

"Fine. Fine. I'll get it out of you guys at some point." Eddie laughs causing your heart to flutter and stomach to twist in affection.

"Good luck with that." Steve hums happily.

---------------------------------------------------

"Have you talked to Vickie yet?" You ask Robin quietly as you sit at the lunch table the next day waiting for Steve to show.

"About?" Robin feigns stupidity.

"Robin." You grumble.

"No. Have you talked to Eddie?" She smirks at you as a blush rushes across your cheeks. "Didn't think so. And we both know Steve hasn't talked to Nancy." You both giggle when Steve slams down into his seat just as Robin finishes her sentence.

"God this day could not go any fucking slower." He sighs and begins shoving food into his face.

"Well-" A familiar laugh stops you from speaking. Eddie. You look up and find him chatting with Chrissy Cunningham. Your face falls and you feel like you might be sick.

"Well?" Steve asks before following your gaze, Robin does the same and rubs your back as Chrissy places a small peck on Eddie's cheek.

"I'm sorry, babe," Robin whispers.

“Well. That settles it then, hmmm?” You push an airy chuckle from your lungs. “I’m gonna go drown myself in lovers lake now.” You laugh trying to fight back the tears.

“Don’t say that.” Steve huffs pushing his hair away from his face. “Killing yourself is never the answer.”

“Unless you’ve been bitten by zombies and you could turn and kill all your loved ones. OR if you-“ Robin starts but Steve waves his hands at her.

“Shut it.” He growls and she rolls her eyes.

“I was joking, Harrington. You know what those are right?” Robin widens her eyes at him and laughs.

“You making light of Y/N's fragile state of mind.” Steve waves around a fry in his hand as if it solidifies his point.

“Uh. My state of mind is not fragile.” You interject but Steve quickly shushes you and continues to argue with Robin.

It was a lie, obviously. Your mental state was beyond fragile. You feel as if at any moment you will break into a fit of tears and strangling sobs. You look down at your food when suddenly you hear the empty chair next to you pull out. You snap your head up and look over to find Eddie with his head propped up on his hand looking over at you with a heartbreaking smirk.

“Hello, love.” He chuckles.

“Uh. H-Hi?” You choke out staring into his eyes. This is the worst possible moment he could have sat down with you guys. Why today of all days does he choose to sit with you guys instead of Hellfire? You hear Robin and Steve stop bickering and you can tell they are watching your interaction with Eddie.

Nosy bitches.

“What are you doing tonight?” He asks casually as he steals a fry off your plate. He pops it into his mouth and smiles.

“Um… nothing?” You glance to Steve and Robin and they both shake their heads.

“Nope. Yea. We’re not doing anything. She’s free.” Robin quickly answers. You look back to Eddie with a slight blush.

“Mmm. Perfect. I need your help with something.” He hums softly. “Chrissy Cunningham has just asked me to hang out with her tonight and I need you.” He pokes your nose with a chuckle. “My little helper. To assist me in finding an outfit and planning something fun. Also if you could do my hair up in the bun…” he quickly shows his wrist that still has your hair tie wrapped around it. “...again pleaseeeee. Because Chrissy really liked it.” He smirks. His eyes twinkling.

Your heart is beating so fast you think it could actually be the beginning of a heart attack. Your entire body is shaking. You stare at Eddie with tears forming in your eyes. Quickly you blink them back and try to think of what to say in response.

“Actually.” Steve cuts in. “We are doing something tonight. Actually. I totally forgot. Robin you must’ve forgot too!”

“Ohhhhhh yeaaaaa. The thing!” Robin nods quickly.

“Yup the thing.” Steve nods, both of them looking like panicked bobbleheads, and looks to Eddie who tilts his head in disbelief.

“Mmm. The thing?” He grins. “You guys are bad liars.” He chuckles. “So. Will you help me please?” Eddie turns his attention back to you. “Hmm?” He hums.

“I… yea okay.” You say softly and you can hear Steve sigh sadly from across the table.

“Cool. I’ll meet you by my van after classes.” He quickly pats your hand and hops up heading back to the hellfire table.

Silence falls over the three of you after Eddie leaves. You all look at each other until Robin breaks.

“That was stupid.” She points to you with her fork.

“Yes I know.” You hum pushing your hands through your hair nervously.

“Really stupid.” Steve says.

“Yes! I know! Thank you guys.” You huff and let your head fall down to the table next to your food and you let a few tears fall. “Can I drown myself yet Steve?” You sigh and Robin giggles.

“… that was pretty bad. I’ll consider it.” He hums thoughtfully.

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

Waiting by Eddie’s van you see Chrissy walk out with her friends. She giggles and whispers to them. They glance over to you and Chrissy smiles and waves. She really is just perfect.

“Look at me. I’m so pretty and nice and everybody likes me.” You gag to yourself. “I hope you choke.” You roll your eyes as you watch her walk to her car.

“You hope who chokes?” Eddie chuckles appearing next to you. You jump and shove Eddie away from you in your startled state. “Woah. You’re alright. What’s got you so jumpy?” He laughs.

“Jesus! You scared me!”

“I’m no lord and savior, but you can still worship me if you’d like.” He smirks at he and opens the passenger door for you to hop in. “You can be my devoted subject.” He hums happily as he slam the door. You stare straight ahead truly embarrassed. Your cheeks turning redder by the second.

Eddie hops into the van and starts it up quickly. He glances over to you once more and smirks. “Ready my beautiful subject?” He laughs and takes off turning up the music.

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

“Do you think she would like me better as chill rocker or like full on metalhead?” Eddie chuckles looking through his closet. “Which would you like better?” Eddie glances over his shoulder at you sitting on his bed.

“I’d like Eddie Munson.” You smile sweetly. Trying to hold it together. You tuck your hair behind your ears and sigh.

Eddie turns around to face you with a Metallica band t in his hands.

“You’d like just regular old me?!” He says sarcastically and you roll your eyes.

“I do.” I giggle.

“You do?” He smirks as he raises his brows.

“I mean… I would. I would if you were going on a date with me. I mean. Not that you would. We would? I'm sorry. I just meant she should like you for you, Eddie, that's all." You sigh as you shake your head trying to hide your face from his view.

“Can I tell you something?” Eddie smiles. You look up from your lap and nod.

“Hm?” You ask your cheeks pink from your fluster.

“I’m not going to see Chrissy tonight.” His cheek begin to tint pink and he looks away from you. Your silence causes him to look back to you and frown. "I uh... I lied."

"What?" You feel your stomach drop. "What do you mean?"

"I... god. This is going to sound so stupid but uh, I wanted to see how you would react. I was kind of hoping that maybe..." His eyes meet yours and he chuckles. "I was hoping you would get a little... jealous. And I figured Chrissy would be perfect since we've been getting so close. Actually, it was kind of Chrissy's idea. When I told her I liked you she wanted to help cause she thought you liked me too, but then you didn't really react. You actually seemed kinda happy for me and... and then I panicked and had to let you come over but like." He sighs and sits down next to you on his bed. He rubs his ring-clad hands over his face. "I just. If... If I'm wrong about this tell me, but..." He looks over to you and meets your eyes and looks intensely at you. "Sometimes, when you look at me, like you just did, when you said you do like little ol' me," He chuckles, "I just... sometimes, I get the feeling that maybe you might, maybe, feel that same way that I -mmm." His words are muffled by your lips crashing down onto his. He groans and pulls you into his lap. You smile against his lips and he pulls away. "So... I was right."

"Don't let it go to your head, Munson." You roll your eyes as his hands cup your face.

"So... you were jealous?" He questions and leans closer to you.

"Eddie..."

"Don't whine, my love. Just tell me." He hums and rubs your cheeks. "Tell me." He tilts his head teasingly.

"Yes." You whisper.

"Louder. Use your words." He chuckles as he stares into your eyes.

"Yes, Eddie. I-I was jealous of Chrissy. I thought you liked her. I thought. Well, she's so pretty he must like her and-"

"And then you wished she would choke?" He teases and you blush deeply. "Well, if it makes you feel better I'm not really into looks." He smiles. You look up to him and frown.

"Are you saying I'm ugly?" You tease him but his eyes fly wide open from their relaxed happy position.

"What?! No! I just- I meant that I- No! You're literally the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life. Your gorgeous I-"

"Eddie... I was teasing you." You hum and he sighs in relief.

"God."

"Mmm. Not quite but I'm the next best thing," You giggle and his eyes light up.

"All I meant was that I am into you for much more than just your looks. Chrissy is great and I'm sure many people think she is pretty but I think you are... you're just so wonderful." He smiles and shakes his head, looking down into his lap. "I can't really put it into words how I feel."

Your body begins to buzz like a swarm of bees in a frenzy. "Eddie..." You whisper and he looks over at you with curiosity filling his big brown eyes. "When uh... when Chrissy kissed your cheek today..."

"She was wishing me good luck on my plan. She's kind of our biggest fan. When I told her she nearly combusted." He laughs to himself and looks down at you cradled in his lap. You start to push yourself up toward his face and quickly his hands find your back to lift you up. Your lips meet his once again and he smiles against you. "You're so perfect." He hums as he moves his lips to your neck. "Wanna lay down for a bit?" He hums against your neck. You giggle in response and he quickly maneuvers you both. He tosses you towards his pillows and crawls toward you with a hungry smirk. "I love you." He grins as he places himself above you. Hovering over you he smirks. "Ready to be my devoted subject?" He chuckles.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

Okay, not my best work but it is what it is. I also am going to create a taglist for my Eddie Munson fanfics soon. That will probably be out soon after this. Peace and Love, Babes.

@iwillbiteabitch not sure if you wanna be tagged in all my Eddie Munson stuff so here just in case you do. Don't wanna disappoint :)

[lemon-boy-stan]

“RIPTIDE”

pairing: steve harrington x reader. genre: angst, fluff. summary: yn follows steve into lover’s lake. steve gets angry at her and loses his shit. warnings: st s4 v1 spoilers. swearing. reader kind of hates nancy. a/n: the reader may hate nancy but pls i love her so much i wanna marry her!!

Eddie's boat shook violently on Lover's Lake, but you didn't care. You saw the look on Steve's face, and panic began to settle in your mind.

"Don't be a fucking idiot," the words left your throat before you could filter them. "You're not going down there, you dumb fuck. Nope. Nope. No. No. Nope." and you shook your head.

Steve ignored you. "Okay. I'm gonna go down there, unless any of you guys were on the swim team or did lifeguard training. No arguing." Steve didn't even look at you before diving.

At first, all you did was stare: at the rippling water, the rippling water that was rippling because your best friend had dived in, making the water ripple. 

And then you thought, that was a lot of rippling. 

And then, fuck. He’s in there. How long’s it been? How long had it been until the water stopped rippling, until the water un-rippled, until it stilled? He was still in there, fuck. Steve was still in the water. He was still in the water! Fuck, fuck, fuck.

And you were positive that your friends thought that too. Eddie, because he looked nervous, or maybe because he was nervous about everything else. Robin, who turned to Nancy frantically, “hey, Nance. How long has he been in the water?” speaking your mind for you. 

Nancy looked down at her watch, and although you didn’t like her, you thanked god that she had a watch. “Around a minute,” said Nancy calmly, "he’s only been in the water for a minute. He’ll be okay.” it sounded like she was trying to assure herself, and you remembered that you hated her.

You didn’t believe her, either. You didn’t believe her at all. Not just because you hated her. But because you knew Steve, and you knew how stupid he was. Hell, he was the dumbest fuck you’d met in your life. He couldn’t tell his ass from his head. There was a very, very high chance that Steve swam too low, went under for too long -

“Hey guys.” the water rippled again, louder than ever. The four of you in the boat jumped. Robin and Eddie swore loudly. But you didn’t say anything, running over towards the edge of the boat. If you said anything, you were afraid you might cry in front of stupid Nancy Drew.

Steve grinned, “I found the portal.” but it wasn’t like his words were announcing anything good. His words didn’t comfort you like they usually did. Now, they brought tears to your eyes, like they rarely did.

“Steve,” you put your hand on the edge of the boat to balance yourself, but Steve took your hand in his. For a while, it stopped shaking, and it was only the water that was rippling. Steve smiled gently, “hey. Hey, I’m okay. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine. Just stay here, okay? Stay here. I’ve found the portal, and now -”

But before he could finish, Steve fell. Something pulled him down, under the current, tearing him away from your grasp, tearing a scream from your mouth. It was like the horror and fear of loosing your best friend was prying your eyes open, filling them with tears as you stared at the again-rippling water.

Someone grabbed your shoulders. You screamed again, whipping your head around. "Let me go! Let me go!", but they Wouldn't let go. They only let go once you started breathing properly, once you realised who had grabbed your shoulders.

Nancy watched the water fervently. Fuck you, Nancy Wheeler, fuck you! "Y/N, we can't go in yet," said Robin, her voice only a little shaky, "We need to come up with a plan."

"Okay," you nodded slowly, "okay." you backed away, closer to the edge of the boat. "Alright, we'll come up with a plan." and you span, the fastest you'd ever spun on your heel, ripping off Steve's warm, denim jumper, ignoring the rest of your friends' cries, diving down into Lover's Lake.

It was dark and murky in the lake, though you weren't sure if it was the light or your eyes. You kicked hard against the water, pushing through the tide. You weren't going to let your clothes weigh you down, not if you were going to find Steve. You couldn't.

And that's when you saw it, beneath a bone pile of coral. A flashing red light, glowing blue at the edges. The portal.

You knew it was humanly impossible, but you swam harder, forcing your breath back inside your lungs. You kicked and kicked, like there was something chasing you, because, let's face it, there probably was.

But then your body began to give out. You could already feel the colour draining from your face. You weren't trained like Steve. There was no way you were going to make it. You were probably going to die in here.

And then you fell.

You fell down, or at least you thought you were falling down. You tumbled upwards, away from Lover's Lake, away from Eddie and Nancy and Robin and Steve, into... oh, fuck.

It was oblivion. Dark blue and blood red oblivion, lonely, silent, screaming Hawkins. And you were lost. Alone in it, the oblivion.

And that's when you heard it. His voice, confused, troubled, angry? "Y/N." your breath hitched in your throat. You turned around and ran over, but Steve didn't hug you. He didn't even smile. Instead, he threw his arms up in the air frustratedly....

"I told you to stay there!" the rage was laced into every syllable of every word. He flung his arms back down. "Dammit, Y/N!" his voice roared throughout the cavern. "Can't you just goddamn listen for once! Look, I get that you want to be feministic or whatever and I'm all for that, but this is LIFE OR DEATH!"

You whispered his name in an utmost level of quiet, "Steve." worried about the gashing cut on his chest. "Steve, you -" but he wasn't having it. He threw his arms up again, "Y/N, I don't care! I don't care that you wanted to be the hero, okay? Because what if -" and he drew a harsh, shaky breath, "what if you played the hero and you got yourself killed? What are you gonna say when you're dead and I don't have you anymore, when it's practically my fault that I don't have you anymore, because you were a dumb fuck and went and got yourself killed before I could ever say -"

But you didn't let him finish. As the invisible, normal, nonupsidedownian Hawkins water rippled around you, you knew you weren't ever going to let him finish, because you'd always know what he was going to say a million times before he said it. And you knew, right then and there, exactly what he was going to say in the heated anger of the moment. And you knew he would always and forever be yours.

Yours. Not Nancy's, not Robin's before he knew, not Katy's or Izzie's or Rebecca's or Olive's. He was yours now. Forever and always yours, as you knew you were his, and as he kissed you and then pulled away and said, "I love you," as he leaned forward again and kissed you a second time and when he pulled away again and said, "I'm sorry," the first time, you knew he was yours, even as Robin threw her arms up in the air.

"This is really great that you're finally together, but can we get going before we all end up dead?" and you still knew, as Steve pulled you close to him, placing a kiss softly on the top of your head. "Yeah," he gave a small nod, "come on. Let's go." you knew you would follow him anywhere, anywhere the tide brought you.

stranger things masterlist (thinking about reopening requests pending)

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Summer Of '87

Part 2

Okay i don't know if this will be more than a OS but i had this idea, and if it turns into a series I thought it would be cute to stay with my "seasons" theme.

First off no it does lookn't have anything to do with SB 86, new story.

You go to a CC show with your friends, but run into Eddie in a bathroom. But it's not your typical "meet in the bathroom and fuck" kind of meeting.

What kind is it? You'll have to see!

I'm gonna go ahead and import my tag list from SB 86 in case they wanna read it. If you want to be removed let me know.

Andddd if you haven't read my other Eddie x Reader saga, here it is.

Tag list

@neenieweenie 

@loliakeoghan23

@rexorangecouny

@sugabops

@llanababy

@broccolisoepj

@nostandards94

@adrienette715

@uglynuggy45

@nightless

@bilbobag9ins

@hellfire-club

@buckys2thicc

@iluminsz

@10blurredsmoke10

@wallylays

@cathybara

@fancytragedything

@westyywifee

@stitchattacks

@tubble-wubble

@ohashley101

@ellis04

@girl-in-green

@takemetoneverland420

@karisssssssss

----------------------

It was a hot summer night in Chicago, Illinois and you were at a sold out Corroded Coffin show at The Chicago Theater. It was amazing. Better than you expected,, if you were being honest. You had gone with three of your friends who were rabid CC fans, you were just the designated driver. 

After the show of course your girls wanted to try and get pictures with the band, especially the lead guitarist Eddie Munson. But he was notoriously anti stage door for some reason. Many speculations were that he was a snob, others were that he liked to be mysterious. You thought maybe he just didn’t like people, which you could totally relate to. It wasn’t that you were anti-social, you were just very particular with people you chose to tolerate and spend time with.

So at the present time, your friends were making a game plan in the lobby to ambush the band. They had seen the bus parked in an alleyway nearby, and there were only so many ways to reach it from the theater. 

While they were plotting you decided to go to the restroom. They were extremely drunk and on a mission, god knows how long it would take before you saw another opportunity to pee. 

You finished up and walked out the door only to bump into someone. You fell to the ground, cursing out loud.

“Shit!” You cried, quickly standing hoping no one but this stranger noticed you fall on your ass. “Watch where you're--”

Suddenly you realized you were face to face with Eddie Munson. 

“Please don’t--” he started to ask you to remain calm, which was fine with you. Unfortunately for him though, the commotion had alerted your friends. They immediately started shrieking and ran over to the two of you.

“OHMYGOD EDDIE MUNSON I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!”

“HAVE MY BABIES EDDIE!!!!!”

“GOD YOU’RE SEXIER IN PERSON!!!!”

They all screeched over each other as you pulled yourself away from the three way death grip they had on him now. You just stood for a moment and laughed at your friends’ idiocy, until you saw something you didn’t expect in a million years.

Eddie was scared. 

Of course none of your drunk companions could tell while they fangirled all over him, but you saw the look in his eyes as they basically ripped him to shreds. 

“HEY!!!!” Suddenly a voice boomed out of nowhere. You all turned to see the other members of CC stomping over, shooing them away.

“Why won’t he talk!?” your friend asked obnoxiously.

“We just wanted a picture!” another one cried as she held out her camera.

“Get outta here, no pictures!” The drummer barked at them as the other members hurried Eddie away.

“You guys are DICKS!!!!” Your final friend screamed angrily. “You can’t take four seconds to talk to your fans?! You know we drove all the way from Toledo for this!!!!” 

“Right, great, That’s awesome.” another band member rolled their eyes. “That doesn’t mean he owes you anything. Thank you for coming to the show. Now LEAVE,”

Your three friends made sounds of horror and offense as they stomped off to God knows where, but for some reason you stayed where you were. The band members didn’t notice you since they hadn’t seen the bumping and only rolled up on the girls accosting him.

“Hey man, it’s Gareth.” one man said softly to a now trembling Eddie. “They’re gone now, we gotta get you out of here.”

Eddie stayed crouched, whimpering and making other distressed noises while still trembling.

“Just grab him and go man,  we don’t have time for this!” another member said rather rudely. 

“You know we can’t move him when he gets like this man!” Gareth said equally annoyed back. “We just have to wait it out.”

“Gar we don’t have TIME!!!” Another member spoke up. “The longer we stand here, the longer we risk more chicks coming and losing their minds!” 

“Uh-- excuse me--” You piped up as you took a step forward. All the men stopped arguing and stared at you, minus Eddie who was focused on the floor.

“SEE?!” the same member exclaimed angrily. “It’s already happening!!!” 

“Look lady, Eddie can’t--” one guy started.

“I think i can help,” you interrupted him while the rest of the group stared at you in confusion.

“Help?” one band member laughed condescendingly. “How are you gonna--”

“Shut up man!” Gareth hit him. “If she wants to help, let her.”

“FIne,” he rolled his eyes. 

You took this as approval to approach Eddie. You got down on his level while being careful not to touch him.

“Eddie? I’m Y/N, I--” you started introducing yourself but disapproving huffs and stares from the bandmates made you pause. Right, no need for introductions right now. 

“Hey, can you look at me? Please?” you said softly. 

To everyone’s shock and awe, Eddie obeyed you. His whimpers died to little sounds as he looked up at you HIs dark chocolate brown eyes were bloodshot from crying, his hair was a mess, So different from the bad ass you had seen on stage just minutes ago. 

“Okay, see my hand?” You held your hand up with five fingers facing him. “I want you to pretend each of my fingers is a birthday candle, and blow each of them out, slowly.”

“This is so stupid--” the ornery band member scoffed but the other band mates quickly hit and shushed him while Eddie did what you said. 

As he blew each “candle” out, his breath became more steady and his whimpers subsided. After the last blow, his was completely calm, leaving the band members stunned. 

“How….how did you…?”

“I get panic attacks too,” you answered before he finished asking. 

“Panic attacks?” one man asked. “What are those?”

“Obviously what just happened, idiot!” another guy smacked his head. 

“Can you come with us?” Gareth suddenly asked you as the others helped Eddie stand up and shake himself off. 

“.....Excuse me?” you laughed with disbelief and amusement.

“EXCUSE ME?” they all exclaimed.

“Just to the next show!” He clarified. “We’re heading to Toledo before our last stop back in our hometown. We could just drop you off, and you can tell us how to deal with---these things,” 

“Oh I’m not from Toledo--” you started to explain. 

“Really? So you weren’t with those banshees?” a band member snickered.

“I mean, yeah technically but I’m only their DD--” you started to explain.

“Oh that’s why she’s so calm, she doesn’t even like us!” another chimed in.

“I like you!” You tried to defend yourself. “Just--- not enough to pay to see you,” 

“Right,” one chuckled. “Much better--”

“Man shut up,” Gareth scolded him. “At least that means she’s not crazy.”

“So you’re not from Toledo?” one asked.

“No, I just went to college there,” you stated. “And then I came here for graduate school, and--” you paused. Why were you telling them your life story?

“Look it’s summer, they came here to go to this show and i was going to drop them off on my way home back to my hometown. Which i’m pretty sure you’re going NOWHERE near. 

“Why’s that?” 

“It’s a small town in indiana,” you replied.

The band members looked at each other, Eddie included. The chances of you being from their hometown were slim to none. But, it wasn’t like you’d know where they were from since you weren’t really a “Fan”. So you wouldn’t lie about it just so they would take you where they lived. 

“Hawkins?” 

“What?” You took a step back. “How do you know--”

“That’s where we’re from.” Eddie finally spoke. “How do you not know that?”

“She doesn’t really like you man--” one band member started to tell him.

“Hey!!” you cried defensively yet again. “Don’t tell him that. If there’s anything I like about the band, it’s him.” 

Wait, should you have admitted that? You couldn’t lie, CC music was just too “metal” for you. But Eddie Munson, he was a gorgeous man. In fact you started to ask yourself his question. How was it possible you didn’t know of them?

“So you will come with us then, for Eddie?” Gareth grinned.

“What, just because I find him attractive doesn’t mean I'll just hop on your--”

“You think I'm attractive?” Eddie’s eyes briefly lit up.

Shit. You always got too blunt when you were emotional, and for some reason knowing Eddie was there this whole time was making you strangely emotional. 

“I have to take my friends home,” you ignored his question.

“What if we paid for them to get home, and you came with us?” Gareth asked.

“That makes zero sense--”

“Well there’s no chance in hell they’re getting on our bus, so that’s all I'm offering.” he folded his arms. 

“Okay well thanks for the ‘generous’ offer there bud, but i think I’ll just--”

“Please?” Eddie asked with a puppy dog pout. 

Fuck. He was adorable. Fuccccckkkkk…..

“Fine,” you said without hesitation, causing snickers from the group. They stopped abruptly when Eddie promptly glared at them. 

“Great!” Gareth smiled as he pulled out a big wad of cash and handed it to you. “Give this to the hounds, and we’ll meet you at the bus in an hour.”

“You want me to just give them money? To do what, exactly?” You stared at him but the band was already walking away.

“There’s a train that goes through Ohio,” Eddie answered you. “Just tell them that.”

“,,,,Right….” you said skeptically.

“I’ll see you soon,” he smiled that panty melting smile at you. 

And with that, he was gone.