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becca-alexa · 2 years

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Ride the Lightning

Chapter Four: Sanctuary

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01 ┋ 02 ┋ 03 ┋ 04 ┋ 05 ┋ 06 ┋ 07 ┋ 08 ┋ 09 ┋ 10 ┋ 11 ┋ 12 ┋ 13

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Original Female Character

Summary: The time for all things spooky and scary has befallen Hawkins, and Steve's throwing his annual Halloween Spooktacular - can Eddie convince Veronica to go?

Word Count: 4.5K

Content Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption, intoxication

Author's Note: how much candy does one get on Halloween, anyway??

and thank you thank you thank you @rollforhellfire for putting up with me by reading this you're literally the best 💗💗💗

For what, he swore, had to be the hundredth time, Steve tried to recall what in the Halloween-colored Hell had possessed him to let Eddie Munson - of all people - go grocery shopping with him.

The impeccably-organized aisles of the local Piggly Wiggly were, for the most part, vacant, mainly due to the time of day. Steve walked along at a snail’s pace, his attention split between keeping Eddie in his line of sight and actually finding the things he’d written on his list.

“Dude, you’re supposed to be helping me.” Steve said with a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose as Eddie stuffed yet another case of alcohol into his shopping cart, ignoring the disappointed glances passers-by were giving them, a cheshire-esque smile on his face all the while. Biting back a sigh, he added Eddie’s “helping” to the running total in his head.

“I am - you, Sir Harrington, have shit taste in beer.” the man replied, adding one final pack for good measure before clapping his hands together, pleased with his handiwork; he barked out a laugh as Steve rolled his eyes at him. With the cart piled high with more booze than a simple holiday party could ever warrant, the pair made their way further down the aisle - chips were on the list next, then soda and disposable cups.

“Remind me why I agreed to let you come?” In his hands, Steve held two bottles of soda, his attention occupied as he tried to pick between them; a mistake, he’d later discover, as Eddie had used the chance to sneak, among other things, two golden boxes of Honeycomb into the cart - one for him, and one to leave at Steve’s house for whenever he was there. Turning to Eddie, he frowned as he plucked them both from his hands, setting them in the cart, and he pulled several more bottles from the shelf before pushing the cart down the aisle.

“Uh… Because you love me?” Eddie replied, voice blunt as he dropped in a jumbo-pack of red Solo cups. Steve huffed out a laugh, shaking his head, stuffing his list into his back pocket as they turned another corner, his eyes scanning the shelves for napkins.

“Sure, Munson.”

And Eddie groaned aloud at his response, ringed hands dragging over his face. “God, you sound like Windsor.” He stopped in the middle of the aisle, nearly hitting an innocent elderly woman in the face as he waved his arms around, leaving Steve to sheepishly apologize as she scurried away. “Everyday, it’s ‘Munson’ this, ‘Munson’ that - ‘Munson, shut up’, ‘Munson, stop feasting on the souls of the innocent’.” He looked to Steve, his frustrations only barely placated by the way he saw his last remark fly over the jock’s head. “I swear - half the time, I wonder if she even knows my name.”

“So you’re still calling her Windsor because…?”

Steve couldn’t have anticipated the way his words would make Eddie jolt, his eyes wide with sudden realization, a vibrant flush working its way up from the collar of his sweater as he yanked the cart away from him, huffing as he moved into the next aisle, leaving Steve laughing by himself.

“...Shut up, Steven.”

Trailing behind him, the pair fell into a companionable silence as they finished the rest of their shopping - Steve, with his attention now turned to finding an open register, and Eddie playing Steve’s words on a constant, dizzying loop. In fact, he was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Steve was speaking to him.

“Hello? Eddie?” Steve asked, waving a roll of paper towels in front of his face as he set them on the register belt. “You still with me, man?”

The metalhead blinked, as though hearing him for the first time. “H-Huh…?”

Steve shook his head, moving to the end of the register to start returning the scanned packs of beer into the cart. “Y’think you could bring Veronica to the party for me?” he asked, oblivious to the horror flashing across Eddie’s face. “You see her more than I do.”

“What? No.” Eddie was quick to give a response, the underlying urgency in his voice forcing Steve’s head away from the register. “Why’re you inviting her?”

“Because she’s my friend…?” Steve said, counting out several twenty-dollar bills before passing them to the cashier.

“She probably won’t even want to go.” He kicked at the wobbly cart wheel, hands stuffed into the pockets of the jacket he’d borrowed from his uncle.

“Wouldn’t kill you to ask.” Steve accepted the change from the cashier and pushed the heavy cart toward the door, Eddie trudging a few paces behind him as the pair made their way to Eddie’s van - Steve’s suggestion, as they’d be needing the space.

“Still-”

“What’s the big deal, Eds?” Steve asked, trying his best not to snap as he nearly dropped a case of beer on his foot, waiting for Eddie to open the door so he could start unloading the cart. “Not like she bites. Do you not want her there or something?”

Eddie let out a groan, forehead connecting with the chilled side of the van as he fished through his pockets for his keys. “‘S not that, it’s just…” Whatever confusing slurry of emotions, whatever chaos the name Veronica Windsor wrought upon his mind, he knew he couldn’t tell Steve. Not yet - not when he wasn’t entirely sure of them himself. He was silent as he helped with moving their purchases into the back of the van; he even offered to return the cart to the corral, just for an extra moment to gather his thoughts. So, jumping into the driver’s seat, hands clenched nearly to the point of pain around the steering wheel, Eddie finally conceded, “I’ll talk to her.”

“Thank you.”

“You owe me a beer, Harrington.”

“Alright, Munson - spill it.”

Eddie sprang up, hair falling about his face, rose-colored cheeks betraying his desperate attempt at nonchalance as he looked at Veronica. He hadn’t realized he’d been bouncing his leg hard enough to shake the counter, or that he’d already chewed through three of his pencils - Veronica noticed it all, and she was familiar enough with him to know that he had something on his mind.

“W-What?”

“Out with it.” She leaned back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest. “Whatever you need to tell me, just say it.”

He rolled his eyes, his grin forced as he ran his hands over his thighs to keep her from seeing how badly they trembled. “Who says I-”

His voice faded at the sharp look she gave him, and he groaned, head falling into his upturned palms.

“Fine.” he mumbled, unable to bring himself to look at her. “Christ, I… A-Are you busy this Saturday?” He waited a moment, then another, her prolonged silence enough to force his head up. He tried his best not to wither under her searching gaze.

Slowly, she replied, “Depends.”

“Is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?” Eddie asked, his voice coming through louder than he’d meant it to.

“It’s a ‘maybe’.” She wouldn’t admit she enjoyed watching him squirm in his seat, but she had enough mercy to not prolong his suffering. “Why’d you ask?”

“Harrington’s having this Halloween Spooktacular thing or whatever.” he explained, gaze dropping to the pile of chewed pencils near his worksheet, hands moving as he spoke. “Dude throws this huge party every year. If you want to go, I… I wouldn’t mind giving you a ride.”

“Munson-”

“Forget it - it’s stupid anyway.” Eddie was quick to interject, shaking his head as he fumbled with the papers atop the counter. “I’ll tell him that-”

“No, hold on.” With just a hand laid atop his, she’d stilled his nervous jittering, forcing his eyes to hers. After a beat of silence, she continued, “I’m not busy Saturday.”

“You… You’d actually want to go?”

“Sure, it sounds like fun.” She pulled her hand away, elbows coming up to rest atop the counter, hands tucked beneath her chin as she turned toward him. “What? Don’t look so surprised - I have a life, y’know.”

“Do you?” Eddie said with a smile - a genuine one, his nerves finally beginning to settle. “I don’t think I’d recognize you without a textbook smushed against your face-”

“Ha ha, aren’t you just a gas.” she replied, rolling her eyes, turning her attention back to the assignment at hand. “Should I wear a costume?”

“If you want.” He leaned in toward her, pulling a fresh pencil from her Trapper Keeper and ignoring the annoyed swat on the arm she gave in return. “I’m taking the kids trick-or-treating before, so it’s your call.”

“Are you dressing up?”

“Curious, are we?” He gave her a devilish grin, waving the pencil in her face, poking the eraser to her nose. “Why d’ya want to know? You lookin’ to match with me? 'Cause I’ve really been digging the whole Ozzy and Sharon-”

“Shut up, Munson.”

Parking his van in front of Veronica’s manicured lawn, Eddie gave himself one final look in the foggy vanity mirror, adjusting his eye patch before shoving open the door.

“Hurry up!” Dustin said, leaning over the center console, with Mike, Lucas, Max, and the Byers brood all sharing the sentiment. “We gotta get there before all the good candy’s gone!”

“Patience, little sheep, for your master will return in but a moment’s time.” The flourish in his words made the curly-haired boy smile, meanwhile Max rolled her eyes, turning to look at him, hands still working to fix Lucas’s costume - they’d gone matching as Bonnie and Clyde.

“Just go, Munson.”

Eddie shut the door behind him, his radiating confidence dripping away as he approached her front steps, and he rubbed his hands along his tattered pants before ringing the doorbell, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he made out a sudden flurry of footsteps from inside the house. The door swung open, and he squinted at the sudden burst of light.

“You’re early.” Veronica huffed, tying off the end of her lengthy braid, pulling the thing over her shoulder. She stared at Eddie, eyes roaming his body, taking in the full… breadth of his pirate’s costume. He, too, stared at her, but he was alone in the way his body flushed with heat; he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his vest, struggling to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat.

Realizing he’d been standing there looking like a fool, he finally managed to say, “Hi.”

“Hey.”

“I… uh… What’s new, pussycat?” He could have punched himself at his choice of words - why the Hell was he quoting Tom Jones, of all things? Worst of all, his stomach sank at the way Veronica’s emerald eyes widened, her mouth dropping into a frown as she spun around for him.

“God, is it that bad?” she asked, speaking of her costume - she’d decided to go as a black cat, complete with matching ears and a fluffy tail sewn onto the back of her jumpsuit. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“No! No, it’s…” He couldn’t help giving her another once-over, trying to be as objectionable as he could. “You look cool. The legwarmers are a nice touch.”

“Eddie! C’mon, dude!” Dustin shouted at them, his body halfway out the driver’s side window. “We need to leave!”

Eddie shook his head, biting back a groan; Veronica couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up at his frustration. “I swear, these kids were raised by wolves.” he mumbled to her, turning around before shouting back, “We’re having a conversation here!”

“Well, have it over here! Candy waits for no man!”

He shook his head, looking back around, his hand extended in offering. “Shall we, kitty?”

With a roll of her eyes, she placed her hand in his, noting how their nail polish matched, and she bit the inside of her mouth to keep from smiling too widely as he led her toward the van.

Much to everyone’s relief, the streets of Loch Nora were still overflowing with candy by the time they’d arrived; led on by “Captain No-Beard” - as Eddie had dubbed himself - they picked at every house, filling their sacks and plastic grocery bags with only the crème de la crème of Halloween treasure.

Trailing behind the boys, Max and El stuck by Veronica, laughing at how excitable they were, watching as they raced up the driveway of a particular McMansion known for giving out full-size candy bars, shouting all the while.

“God, he’s so weird.” Max said with a shake of her head.

“Which one?” El replied, the two collapsing in a fit of giggles.

“Eddie! He’s just…” Max added, making a face that had the younger girl bending over in laughter.

“Honestly? He’s not that bad.” said Veronica, stunning both girls to silence; they shared a look between them before turning to stare at her like she’d grown a second head. “He’s starting to grow on me, I think.”

“Eddie?” Max asked, tossing her sack of sweets over her shoulder. “Eddie Munson is growing on you?”

Veronica shrugged. “I mean, yeah, kind of.” She looked between them, the pair sharing identical, disbelieving looks. “C’mon, guys, it’s not that weird.”

The girls gave her a look as if to say “Yes, it is”. “Are you friends now?” El asked, looping her arm through Veronica’s as they tried to keep pace with the rest of the group.

“We are.”

“Huh.” Max huffed.

“What?”

“You sound pretty happy about that.”

Veronica rolled her eyes and ruffled up the girl’s hair, pulling a giggled shriek of protest from her. “Maybe I am.”

Having left the kids at Mike’s for what was sure to be a night of sugar-fueled screaming, Eddie and Veronica made the drive to Steve’s for his Halloween party, a companionable silence settling between them. Finding an open spot among the cars littering the front yard, Eddie was quick to hop out of the driver’s seat, making his way around to open the door for her.

“Ready?” he asked, following her line of sight to the massive expanse that was the Harrington house.

She nodded, leading the way to the door. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

For the most part, things went well; Eddie had been right in forcing Steve’s hand into buying so much beer - the partygoers were burning through cases like they were cans of water. He mainly kept to his usual group of friends - Steve had invited all of Corroded Coffin, much to their surprise, and they spent most of the night together. Veronica stayed at the opposite end of the massive living room, her attention occupied by Nancy and Robin. But, every so often, one would be caught looking at the other, and they’d give a smile, a wave, a roll of the eyes as they made a funny face.

As the night dragged on - and the party only seemed to grow louder with each downed drink - Eddie spotted Veronica alone near the staircase. Cup in hand, he made his way through the writhing crowd; he had to lean in toward her to ask, “You alright?”

She nodded, but Eddie didn’t miss the way she shifted toward him. “I’m fine, it’s just… I’m kind of out of my element, y’know? This is a lot.”

“Too loud?” he shouted, relieved to have pulled a smile from her, small as it was.

“Something like that.”

And, after a moment, Eddie’s hand found its way to the small of her back, leading her up the staircase - and away from all the noise.

“Where are we-”

“Someplace quiet.” he answered, and the pair disappeared upstairs, not realizing they had more than a few pairs of eyes clocking their movements.

“Dude, are you seein’ what I’m seein’?” Jeff asked with a not-so-subtle nudge to Gareth’s arm as he nodded across the room.

“Dunno,” Gareth replied, downing the rest of his beer. “You seein’ Eddie sneak off with Veronica?”

“Yeah.”

Thomas chimed in, “You think they’re…?”

“Gross, dude.” Gareth answered, plucking Jeff’s cup from his hand and drinking what was left of it. “Him and…? Never.”

Upstairs, Eddie walked through the carpeted halls of the Harrington household with certainty, more familiar with the layout of the place than she was. And, stopping in front of a door at the end of the dim hallway, she could see the bright flash of his smile as he pushed them inside.

“Welcome to the Shire.” Eddie announced, arms wide as he spun around what Veronica was sure was the largest bedroom she’d ever seen - beyond the massive wall of windows overlooking the woods surrounding the house, the bed alone was nearly obscene in its size. Without a second thought, Eddie jumped onto it, bouncing as the mattress sank beneath him, his drink nearly spilling as he folded his arms behind his head.

“Should we really be in here…?”

“What, don’t want to be alone with the big bad pirate?” He sat up, crossed his legs, and tried for his best dastardly grin. “Are ye timbers shiverin’ yet?”

“Eddie…” she groaned, but sat along the edge of the bed opposite him, still looking around the room.

“Don’t get your whiskers in a twist, this is the guest room.” Setting his cup aside, he fell back onto the mound of pillows behind him and kicked off his boots. “So, you likin’ the party?” he asked, turning himself to face her, eyebrows drawn together in confusion as she… shrugged.

“I’ve never…” she began, struggling to put to words what she was feeling. “I don’t really go to parties.”

“Shocker.”

“Munson, come on-”

“Calm down, kitty - I’m joking.” he said; slowly, she relaxed onto the bed, only now realizing how tired she’d become. Were parties always this exhausting? “So, I’m guessing you’re not much of a drinker?” The shake of her head came as no surprise. “Smoker?”

At her sudden pause, Eddie perked up, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she nodded.

“Christ, you’ve been keeping secrets from me!” He scrambled to his knees, moving closer to her atop the bed, giving her his undivided attention. “What’s your poison? Tobacco? Weed?”

“Uh… T-The second one.”

And Eddie collapsed onto the bed, hands pressed over his face as he let out the most exasperated sound Veronica had ever heard him make. “You’re out here partaking in the Devil’s lettuce and you didn’t tell me?”

“I tried it once, okay?” she said with a chuckle, which turned into a laugh as she caught sight of his pout. “I have a cousin back home who’s like, really big on the stuff.” Eddie watched as she laid back against the headboard, making herself comfortable. Was she comfortable around him? God, he hoped so. Not wanting to prolong the silence any further, he racked his mind for something - anything - to say.

“You know what goes great with weed? Candy.” He pulled his hefty bag from a pocket inside of his vest, spilling its contents in front of him.

“What?”

“Let me see your stash.” Seeing how she was unconvinced, he continued, adding in a wag of his brows for good measure, “C’mon - show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

But, with their piles spread out before them, somewhere between shelling out for Skittles and counting out sticks of licorice, their light-hearted attempt at trading devolved into full-on bartering.

“Look, three mini Milky Ways for a Kit-Kat bar does not a fair trade make, sweetheart.” Eddie groaned, hands caught in his hair as he looked at the trio of chocolates in her palm. “You got anything better?”

“What about the Whatchamacallit?” she asked, pointing at the golden candy bar to his left. “I’ll trade you that for my M&Ms.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, arms crossing over his chest. “And the Snickers.”

“What? No way. How is that fair?” she asked, shaking her head, her fuzzy ears flopping around with the movement. “You can take the Junior Mints.”

“What, like I’m eighty?” he whined, throwing his hands up. “Which house gave you those, anyway?”

“Do you want ‘em or not, pirate boy?”

“...Fine.” he grumbled, snatching the candy from her pile, rolling his eyes as she caught the chocolate bar he’d tossed her way. “Just know this is highway robbery. And you still won’t let me have that Snickers?”

“Nope, that’s-”

“Steve!” A shrill cry came from outside the window; the pair looked at each other, a beat passing between them before they scrambled off the bed, running toward the window. “Oh, for the love of- Get down, now!”

Looking down onto the lawn, they could see Robin and Nancy waving to what they could only assume was Steve stumbling across the roof. Eddie shook his head, and calmly walked across the room for his boots before moving back to the window. Throwing it open, he’d managed to get one leg out before he felt Veronica pulling him back inside. “Hey-”

“What are you doing?”

“Stevie likes to climb stuff when he’s drunk.” he explained, voice flat. “Lucky for him, I can climb sober.”

“Munson-”

“Alright, sober-ish.”

Veronica tightened her grip on his arm, pulling him toward her. “You’re not going out there.”

“You worried about me, kitty? I’m touched.” He knew his smile would only infuriate her, but he couldn’t help himself. “I’ll be right back, okay? You won’t even notice I’m gone.”

From the look on her face, she didn’t believe him. “You’re sure?”

“Promise.” Eddie replied, and he hooked his pinkie with hers, shaking their hands to reassure her he’d be careful. Then, climbing out the window, his voice carried across the yard as he shouted, “Hey, handsome! Come here often?”

In the early hours of the morning, with the party having finally died down, Steve safe and secured in his bedroom, and the bulk of the mess cleaned and trash collected, Eddie and Veronica made the drive back to the humbler parts of Hawkins. She was quiet, unusually so, but Eddie chalked up her silence to exhaustion. He couldn’t blame her - he was tired, too. More than once, he’d caught his eyes falling shut whenever he stopped at the traffic lights. As the glow of her house came into view, he gave her a nudge, thinking she’d fallen asleep.

“Rise and shine, kitty.” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt, his motion stilling at the sound of… giggles? He turned to look at her, and found her face flushed, eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

“I had fun tonight.” she said, looking at him as though he’d hung the moon and stars. He returned her smile with a shy one of his own, a hand moving to rub at the back of his neck.

“So did I.” he admitted, falling back against his seat. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d want to go.”

She made a face at him, shaking her head. “What? And miss seeing you in your Sunday best?” she asked with a gasp, a hand pressed against her chest for emphasis. “Never.”

Eddie blinked at her, his mind wiped clean at her words. “Was that…? Was that a joke, Windsor?” he asked, disbelief clear in his voice, which only worsened when her giggles turned into full-bellied laughs. “You think you’re so funny, huh?”

“You think I’m funny…!” she said in-between breaths, leaning over the center console to poke at his cheek.

“I most certainly do not-”

“You do!” she exclaimed; Eddie made a quick grab at her hand before she’d managed to shove her fingers into his mouth. “You’re smiling! I can even see your teeth-”

Slowly, carefully, he set her hand down and closed the distance between them, taking in a deep breath, frowning when the acrid sting of alcohol reached his nose.

“Did you have something to drink?” he asked, his tone more serious than it’d ever been with her. Again, she giggled, pulling away, her hands moving to clamp over her mouth.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His voice began to rise - he knew that Veronica’d never had a sip of alcohol, her tolerance worse than non-existent. “Windsor, what did you have?”

She pouted at his words, thinking he was getting angry with her. “I got thirsty while you were rescuing Steve, so I may have finished off your punch-”

Eddie blinked at her, certain he'd left his cup nearly full. “Veronica, I laced that with vodka.”

“Really?” Her face contorted in disgust, the bridge of her nose wrinkling as she shook her head, stuck out her tongue. “No wonder it tasted gross. Y’like drinkin’ that stuff?”

With a groan, Eddie shoved open his door, and Veronica jumped when he suddenly appeared at her side, reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt. “C’mon, pussycat, out the van.” He reached for her waist, but she wriggled away from him, and he just barely caught her by the foot before she’d managed to crawl into the back.

“Unhand me, swashbuckler!” she shouted, frowning as he kicked the door shut with his foot, holding her by the elbow in his attempt to steer her toward the house.

“Yeah, and I’ll make you walk the plank if you don’t get moving!” he mumbled, trying not to focus on the way she’d all but melted against him. Making their way up her front steps, Veronica fumbled through her purse for her keys, back to Eddie’s front all the while. He bit back his smile at her elated laugh at finally having found the damn thing, buried deep beneath the pile of candy she’d managed to haggle from him. She unlocked the door, and he moved in close, holding her steady as he asked, “You think you’ll make it up the stairs, or do you need me to carry you?”

She leaned into him, head pressed to his shoulder, looking up at him as she smiled, “I’ll make it. Got nine lives, remember?” He lamented the loss of her warmth as she stepped inside, leaning against the doorframe to speak to him. “And I meant what I said - I did have fun tonight.”

“Then my work here is done.” Eddie replied, already taking a step back toward his van. “Promise you’ll call if you need anything?” he asked, watching as she nodded, her ears nearly slipping from her head.

“Sweet dreams, Captain No-Beard.” she hiccupped, her words beginning to slur together, her smile turning into something soft, gentle - and Eddie knew it had to be the alcohol, certain she’d never have graced him with such a look otherwise.

“Go to bed, Windsor.” he said, his voice tight, hands fisted in his pockets. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

And she rolled her eyes at him, telling him rather plainly, “Y’know, you’d be a lot more handsome if you weren’t such a big ol’ fuddy-duddy,” before shutting the door, leaving him alone on her front steps, wondering who in their right mind still said things like “fuddy-duddy”.

Only after he’d returned home, washed off his face paint, showered and gotten into bed did the first half of her sentence register with him, and the ensuing flush that’d swept across his body was so intense, he had to kick off his blanket to keep from overheating.

“She thinks I’m handsome…?”

#ride the lightning #becca.fic #you know i just had to do a halloween chapter #is this accurate???how to people celebrate halloween #anyway i can totally imagine eddie going as a pirate or something equally as ragamuffin #lucas and max in a couples' costume is everything to me #they absolutely would match and make their costumes more ridiculous every year #next year they'll go as ranch and celery or something #this took so long because the holidays wrecked me but it's here!!!!!

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