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6452291-1 · 2 years

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The Sacrifice (Eddie Munson x Jennifer's Body reader) Chapter 1

Summary: Eddie Munson X Reader (Jennifer’s Body reader) You’re Hawkins High it girl, along with your best friend, Chrissy Cunningham. However, after a fateful bar fire, you find you have changed for the worse. Your hunger for flesh can’t be quenched until you decide to hook up with Eddie Munson, your long-time crush. (starts in the fall of 85)

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of Violence, mentions of r@pe/non con, major character death, blood, gore, cannibalism, human consumption. bullying, smut, basically you’re a hot mean girl turned into succubus who’s had a raging crush on Eddie Munson.

A/N: This story follows what happened in the movie and continues to season 4. This is a multiple chapter fanfic. If you’re from tiktok you found me!

You were the girl Eddie Munson had been dreaming of ever since he was a little boy. You were Hawkins High’s “it girl.” Everyone either wanted you or wanted to be you. You were the star cheerleader along with your best friend, Chrissy Cunningham. He never really knew why you two had been friends. Chrissy was the school’s sweetheart and even talked to him occasionally despite her social status. You, on the other hand, were the school’s mean girl. You didn’t say anything directly mean, but you would make jokes and give an attitude to people with a lower social status. Eddie watched you from the bleachers as you were launched into the air and easily caught. You were a flyer and a damn good one at that.

“Eddie!”

Turning, he saw Dustin, Mike, Lucas Jeff, and Gareth push through the crowd and sit next to him. Dustin gave him a surprised look, “I thought you didn’t come to pep rally’s?”

Eddie was about to open his mouth and explain himself until Gareth interrupted him.

“Eddie is here for Y/N. He’s liked her since middle school.” He explained to the freshmen.

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin burst out laughing at him. “She’s a cheerleader, dude. You have no chance.” Mike snorted.

Eddie glared at the two, “I’m not here for Y/N. I’m just here to make fun of the jocks and preps.” He turned back to you as you shook your Pom poms.

Once the pep rally had ended, you and Chrissy went to the locker room to get changed.

“I thought you didn’t like bars?” Chrissy questioned you as you fixed your already flawless hair. She honestly thought you didn’t need to be retouching your makeup and hair all the time. You were already so pretty in everyone’s eyes.

You glanced at her through the mirror of your locker, “Yeah, but these guys have been opening for The Cure. They can be my ticket to meeting them.”

Chrissy looked at you uncertain, “You said bars were full of losers and middle-aged pedophiles.”

You finished grooming yourself and closed your locker, turning to her, “If you don’t wanna go, you don’t have to.” You meant it sincerely. You didn’t want to pressure Chrissy.

“I-I didn’t say I didn’t want to go Y/N. It’s just that it’s dangerous, and if Jason knew I’d be there, he’d be worried.” Chrissy stressed.

You sighed, “Okay, well, we will only be there a couple of minutes. I just want to talk to these guys and see if they’re buddy buddy with them. After that, we’ll leave.” You smiled at her.

Chrissy gave it some thought and decided to go against her better judgment. “Okay, I think I can do that.”

You smiled at her, “I’ll pick you up at 7. Wear something cute.”

You couldn’t focus in O'Donnell’s class. The only thing on your mind was your plans tonight. If all went well, you would meet the cure, and everything else would fall into place.

“I want everyone to switch papers, and we’ll grade them from there.”

You sighed as you had to switch papers with no other than Eddie Munson. You knew he had a ragging crush on you since middle school. He would constantly stare at you in class or on days when your skirt was a little too short or when your blouse was a little too low. You had liked him too, despite him not fitting into the type you were supposed to be attracted to. He was all metal and shit with his tattoos. You could never act on your feelings because it would destroy your social status. You could, however, flirt with him until he got flustered.

You turned to him and handed him your paper. Leaning over just far enough to show your breast to him. He quickly glanced at them and flickered his eyes back to you as he grabbed the paper from your hand. He had to summon all his willpower to not sneak a peak at them again. He swallowed thickly, “Here’s mine.” He passed his paper to you.

You slowly took it from him and faced forward again. Eddie didn’t know what to think of the interaction. You were constantly playing mind games with him. Some days you would ignore him completely; others, you were flirting with him. His brain tried to decipher what you were up to, if it was a way to make fun of him or if you were actually into him. He always came to the conclusion you didn’t. Maybe you liked to fuck with his mind. Perhaps you liked the way he would want you but never have you. It seemed like a cruel thing you would love to do.

Eddie tore his eyes away from you and looked over your answers. He knew you were insanely smart, and judging by what answers he circled; he knew he got them all wrong. The school year had just begun, and he was already set on failing and embarrassing himself in front of Hawkins’s hottest girl.

Once grading was done, he handed you back your paper. You hummed in delight as you saw the big 96 circled at the top of your paper. You turned to Eddie and gave him a flirtatious smirk, handing him his paper back. “You did good.” You cooed to him and faced the front of the classroom. Eddie felt his brain short-circuiting as you praised him. He had to catch his breath and slowly turn his head away from you to keep his cool. He looked down at his work and scrunched his face in confusion. Every question he circled had been erased and replaced with the correct answer. On top of the paper was a 100 circled in red ink.

He glanced at you again, not believing his luck, but you didn’t meet his gaze. You were too busy placing lip gloss on your lips for the next period.

The school day had flown by, and you had found yourself and Chrissy inside the bar. As soon as you got there, you took notice of some of the burnouts at your school. It seemed pretty packed, especially since these guys had opened for The Cure. Maybe other people knew them too. You continued scanning the crowd as you looked for more familiar faces when Chrissy spoke up, “Look, it’s Eddie!” She waved over to him, and his eyes met yours. You sighed and turned to your friend. You honestly hated that Chrissy and him would talk; solely because you liked him. “Stop waving to the freak.” You whispered at her.

“He’s not a freak Y/N. Besides, I have a feeling you like him.” She smirked at you playfully. She had begun to catch on to you as your gaze became more directed to him these days. She would see how you stole glances at him in the halls and how you had a faint blush on your cheeks whenever he spoke to you. She knew your mean girl front was a way to shoo him away.”

You blushed, “Shut up. He’s coming.” You giggled.

“Hey Chrissy, hey Y/N. I didn’t think this was your type of crowd.” He gestured around him. He was bewildered why two cheerleaders were there in the first place. You turned to him and smirked, “How do you know my crowd. Maybe I’m into all this shit.”

Eddie grinned as he soon caught you flirting with him again. You were always hot and cold towards him; today, you seemed hot. “Thanks for changing my answers on the test today.” He blushed.

Chrissy looked between the two of you and smirked as she saw her best friend flirt with Eddie. You never told her directly that you had a crush on him, but she always teased you about it, and you never denied or confirmed it.

“No problem, so what are you doing here?” You asked him.

“Uh, I’m thinking about having my band perform here.” He admitted awkwardly. This had to have been the longest conversation the two of them held.

“Corroded Coffin?” You questioned.

Eddie was taken a bit back that you had remembered. “Yeah yeah! You remember!”

You gave him that look again that made his stomach twist and his dick twitch. “How could I forget?” You reached out and ran a hand down his chest.

Eddie felt himself tense up at the unexpected contact. He swore his heart felt as if it were about to explode. The mere touch of your hand against his chest made him nervous. “Uh- I- uh,” he stuttered as he watched your hand retract from him.

His eyes met yours again, but you didn’t meet his gaze. Something behind you caught your eye.

“They’re coming out,” you gasped and grabbed Chrissy’s hand, pushing past him. He watched as you maneuvered into the crowd and saw you beeline towards the band. Maybe he read you wrong because suddenly you were chatting it up with the guitarist.

He sighed and knew it was stupid for him to have even thought you liked him. It was another mind game to you.

“Hi. Um, we really wanted to meet you. I’m Y/N Y/L/N, and this is Chrissy Cunningham.” You gestured to Chrissy.

“I’m Nikolai wolf, and this is my band.” The guitarist smiled down at you both. Suddenly as if Chrissy had food poisoning, her stomach began to twist in knots. This man was bad news. She didn’t like how he smiled at Y/N, nor did she like the vibe he gave off.

“Yeah, Low Shoulder, right?! I heard you guys are super good at playing your instruments.” You blushed nervously.

“I hope we can live up to such high praise.”

Chrissy eyed him suspiciously, “Hey if you don’t mind me asking, why’d you want to play all the way out here? You open for the cure, right?” She found it odd that a band who opened for The Cure would come all the way out here and play in small town Hawkins.

“I think it’s so important to connect to our fans in the rural areas. Plus, the audience in small towns really appreciates us.” He grinned at Chrissy.

“Can I buy you a drink?” You asked nervously, “They have these really cool 4th of July shooters that are red, white, and blue, but you have to drink them really fast, or they turn brownish.” You gushed.

Nikolai grimaced but nodded, “Guess we’ll have to drink them fast.”

Chrissy saw you scurry off to the bar. She moved away from the stage, not wanting to continue this conversation with them further. She moved to a corner in the bar and began eyeing the juice box taking note of all the 1970s songs.

“Dirk, what about her?” She heard Nikolai speak up.

“Which one?”

“The hot one. The one who just walked away to get us drinks. She’s it, man. She’s exactly what we’re looking for.” He stressed.

Chrissy grew concerned and continued to listen to their conversation about Y/N.

“You sure she’s..” He trailed off.

“She’s a kid. We’re in God’s country, man. Everyone out here is a bible banger. Of course, she’s a virgin.”

“Dirk, we didn’t haul our asses to this shit hole for nothing.”

Chrissy became alarmed at how the band spoke of you and rushed towards the bar. You were balancing the two 4th of July shooters in your hands as you made your way to the stage. “Y/N wait. I think we should go.” She pleaded with you.

You watched her concerned face and glanced back at them, “I don’t know. I think the guitarist likes me. Maybe I can go on tour with them or meet The Cure.” You giggled.

“They think you’re a virgin. I heard them talking Y/N. It was bad.”

You snorted at her, “Yeah, right! I lost it two years ago.”

Chrissy seemed perplexed, “I thought you were! Why didn’t you tell me?” She giggled a bit.

“Because it’s embarrassing!” You sighed and looked over at the corner in Eddie’s direction. He seemed to have been talking to the bar owner about having his band play here.

Chrissy followed your line of sight, “you wish it were Eddie?” She questioned.

You flickered your gaze to her, “Yeah, sure.” You rolled your eyes.

Chrissy sighed, “Stop acting like you don’t like him.” She teased.

You both giggled, and soon, you heard the mic screech signaling the band was about to play. You quickly set the drinks down and pulled Chrissy to the front. Once the band began to play, no one heard or saw the short circuit of the wire catch a drape on fire; only Chrissy did. She watched in horror as it caught the roof on fire, causing a piece of board to fall on the floor. Chrissy pulled you towards the bathroom, and the two of you climbed out of the window.

You ran a few feet away from the bar and were still in shock. Everything happened so fast. Where was Eddie? Suddenly everything became blurry as you began to hyperventilate. Chrissy saw your glazed-over eyes and heaving chest. “Where’s Eddie?” You began to sob a bit.

Chrissy looked around her, trying to find him but to no avail. “It’s so hot, Chrissy. I think I’m on fire.” You panicked more as your eyes looked around frantically. Chrissy kneeled before you and cupped your face, “Y/N, it’s okay. You got burned worse when you wore that bikini with no sunscreen.”

Suddenly a hand clamped onto your shoulder, causing the both of you to jump. It was the lead guitarist, Nikolai, his forehead was creased in fake concern, “Are you girls alright?”

Chrissy glared up at him as his hand were still placed on your shoulder. “We’re fine maybe you should find your band?”

“Those guys?” He raised his eyebrows, “They were the first ones out. Ran out to the van like crazy. “

Chrissy continued to glare up at him and turned her attention back to you. You both heard the screams of people burning inside. You covered your ears as sweat rolled off your forehead. She needed to get you out of here. She slowly helped you stand up as you held on to her for support. She could hear you begin to cry now.

“Oh, she’s in shock let’s get her to my van. I can drive her to a hospital.” He urged and grabbed you from Chrissy’s arms. “No, she’s not going with you!” Chrissy shouted, making a scene. You struggled against him but were soon restrained and dragged to the van. You began crying and pleading to be let go. You heard Chrissy fall to the ground as another band member shoved her, keeping her from following you. You were thrown inside, and as the van door slid closed, you could see Chrissy struggle and yell for you. That was the last thing you remember.

Next chapter

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6452291-1 · 2 years

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I kind of want to write about Eddie x Ballerina Reader where it’s an enemies to lovers type situation, but I don’t know. Here is a snippet of my idea for reference:

You had been having a really hard time relaxing. Your parents are constantly bickering late at night when all you want to do is sleep off your overwhelming thoughts. It’s hard taking advanced classes 8 hours a day, and then spending 4 more hours of the day at Hawkins Ballet Studio just to come home to parents who can’t seem to get along. You talked to your best friend Chrissy about it, and though you weren’t exactly jumping up and down about her suggestion, you figured it wouldn’t hurt. And that’s how you ended up here in the woods sitting at a picnic table behind Hawkins High, waiting for the one and only Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson, aka your arch nemesis. No, you didn’t despise Eddie because you thought he was a cult leader like Chrissy’s boyfriend Jason. You had a much more deeper reason for staying as far away from Eddie Munson as possible.

**flashback to the 6th grade**

“I’m so nervous. I don’t think I can do this!” You were pacing back and forth behind the curtain at the spring talent show for Hawkins Middle School. “Y/N, it’s going to be okay. You’re a wonderful dancer! Everyone is going to love you” Chrissy tried to reassure you. You had been been taking ballet lessons for years, and performed in front of plenty of audiences at the studio, but you’ve never danced in front of your entire school.

“Okay, Y/N. You’re on in 2 minutes” your teacher announced. You could have thrown up right then and there. Your stomach was turning and you could feel your heart pounding against your chest. “Chrissy, what if everyone makes fun of me or what if I mess up!?”

“I promise, nobody is going to make fun of you. I’m going to go take my seat in the front. Just look at me the whole time and pretend it’s just us.” Chrissy always knew exactly what to say. You wiped your palms on your leotard and took a deep breath. You could hear your music starting to play.. here goes nothing.

You walked onto the stage and spotted Chrissy in the front row right where she said she would be. You began moving your body to the music, making your turns. The melody of the song took control of your body, and even with everyone’s eyes focused in on you.. you felt so alive. It was time to pirouette when suddenly your music cut out. You faltered your step and fell flat on your face. Before you could even look up, all you could hear was an electric guitar blasting through the speakers. You turned to your right, and there was Eddie Munson - the 8th grader you had a crush on strumming away on his guitar. The crowd bursted into laughter. They were laughing at you. You had fallen on your face in front of the whole entire school, and it was all because of Eddie Munson. You shot up as fast as you could and sprinted off stage.

**end flashback**

You hadn’t performed in front of anyone since that day. It may seem stupid to some, but they weren’t the ones on stage getting laughed at by hundreds of their peers. You never wanted to feel that way again, so the best way to prevent it from happening was to avoid performing in front of an audience at all costs.

Coming out of your thoughts, you noticed it was starting to get dark out. Where the hell was Eddie?? You decided he had stood you up and began to stand up. It’s way too creepy out here to be alone in the dark. You turned around and your face ran into a hard chest. You jumped back and gasped.

“Woah, you okay Y/N?” You looked up to see Eddie staring down at you with that stupid smirk on his face. You backed up until your legs hit the bench of the picnic table and couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Yep. Perfectly okay, Munson. you got what I need?” he looked you up and down like he was trying to remember every single part of you. “I believe I do, sweet heart.” He walked around to the other side of the table and sat down. You huffed and took a seat.

He opened up his lunch box and grabbed a gab. “I can do a half ounce for a 20, should last you a while. It’s a good deal” You didn’t want to make this transaction any longer than it had to be so you pulled out your wallet and handed him your $20 without saying a word. He looked at your hand and began reaching for the cash, but he stopped and looked up at your face with that stupid smirk once again. “you’re not even going to try to flatter me to see if I’ll make it cheaper?” You audibly scoffed at his remark, and furrowed your eyebrows together. “Flatter you? I don’t have anything nice to say about you.” The look on his face was mixed with surprised, but maybe a little what you said had actually hurt his feelings.

“Oh, I see it now, L/N. You’re just like the rest of the dark side. I’m surprised you even came out here alone if you’re so scared of the freak.” he harshly said. You cant help but laugh out loud out. “I’m not scared of you, Munson. I simply despise you.” He looks so confused, like he doesn’t know what he did to you. You’re getting fed up and begin trying to leave once again, but what he says next makes you stop in your tracks.

“Despise me? What have I ever done to you, miss goody two shoes?” all the memories from that very day he broke your heart are now flying through your head again you want to just walk away and forget this ever happened, but your mouth betrays you. “Are you seriously acting like you don’t know what you did?” Eddie looks at your face and sees that you are far from joking. He puts his hands on his thighs and rubs them back and forth before he speaks up. “No, Y/N. Enlighten me because I have no idea what’s got you so worked up. I’m used to your conformist friends thinking i’m a freak, but you’ve lost me on this one.” You ball your hands into fists and close your eyes picturing all those kids laughing at you, you feel like you’re about to cry because you’re so angry that a day that ruined your life is one he can’t even recall.

“I was twelve years old, Eddie! I was twelve for fucks sake.” you whimpered out. Eddie rose to his feet and began walking towards you. “Y/N, what are you talking about you?” You let out a breath and began again - “Spring talent show 1980. I had been perfecting my ballet routine for weeks because I wanted it to be perfect. I was so afraid people were going to make fun of me on that stage. I almost chickened out and didn’t do it, but Chrissy promised me no one would laugh. a-and they didn’t laugh. I was so surprised.. b-b-but you stole my moment playing your stupid guitar and I fell on my face in front of everyone! e-everyone I knew!” you choked out, now sobbing like you did on that very day all those years ago. Eddie looked to the ground almost like he was deep in thought, and when he looked back at you he looked at you with this guilty face, almost as if he felt sorry, but you couldn’t believe it even if you wanted to.

“Y/N, I-I’m really sorry. I was a dumb kid, and I was just playing arou-“ before he could finish you cut him off. “So no, I don’t hate you b-because you like to play DND and because you aren’t into playing sports or parting, Eddie! I hate you because I haven’t been able to perform in front of anyone at all since that day. I-I hate you because every time I’m alone dancing all I can see is everyone laughing at me and seeing your stupid grin so proud of yourself f-for what?! watching me fall?!” you turn around and start running to the parking lot, leaving Eddie there alone in the woods with his mind and heart racing.

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6452291-1 · 2 years

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this is steve

steve loves his personal space.

this is eddie

eddie also loves steve's personal space.

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6452291-1 · 2 years

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magnetic repulsion part 2

summary: you and eddie munson hate each other, constantly taking jibes at one another and glaring at each other. his friends decide to concoct a plan to get you two to talk it out; will it work? or will you hate each other even more at the end?

warnings: enemies to lovers, cursing,

(not my gif. credits to @ drogonstone)

"absolutely not," steve answered, carrying the video tapes over to place them on the counter, as groans emerged from his answer. "steve please hear us out," dustin pleaded, as mike stood next to him, looking at steve eagerly. "i would not be worried about eddie. he's all bark and no bite. but y/n will kill you, believe me. i pranked her for april fools day last year and it did not end well. like at. all," steve explained with wide eyes, emphasizing how much shit dustin and mike would be in if they even attempted this plan,

dustin gave him an imploring look, begging. steve suddenly got the message that the boys not only wanted them to approve their plan, but assist in it too. steve backed away, crossing his arms in an 'x' position over his chest, shaking his head vigorously. "nope," steve replied fearfully, already anticipating your reaction like a volcano erupting and spewing red hot lava. "steve come on," "what please" dustin and mike followed him, urging him to say change his answer,

steve moved behind the counter, as robin emerged from the stock room to join him, leaning on the surface, tuning into the conversation at hand. "what are you dweebs talking about?" she asked, laughing at them running around after steve as he repeatedly yelled 'no.' dustin explained his plan as robin opened her mouth wide at the idea, like everyone else, knowing eddie and y/n's evergrowing hatred for each other. robin laughed at the end, but instead of discouraging them, she nodded her head in admiration of their bravery to try something like that on 2 of the people with the worst tempers in hawkins, even more temperamental when they're around one another,

robin glanced over at steve, giving him a look that asked him to help them. he opened his mouth to protest, but the 3 pleading faces was too much and he closed his mouth, letting out a sigh. "alright fine, i'll help you with your plans you dorks. but if y/n goes crazy on you, i'm leaving you to deal with it," steve urged, making his stance on how crazy of a plan it was extremely clear. the boys cheered, finally getting their plan underway, with their new recruits,

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mike ran into the school, holding a letter in one hand and the walkie in the other. he tiptoed sneakily towards the dnd room, opening the door as quietly as possible. he moved quickly to the table in the middle of the room, placing the sheet on eddie's throne. "dustin do you copy?" mike spoke into the walkie talkie, tapping his foot eagerly. "i copy, over," dustin said, his voice muffled through the speaker. "the letter is on the throne," mike stated, looking around and listening out for any signs of footsteps, but there were none. hellfire wasn't starting for another 30 minutes anyway, not that it mattered, as dustin and mike had enlisted steve's help, and his car, to visit every hellfire member and tell them hellfire was postponed until next week,

"okay, now get out of there," dustin pressed, as mike headed the demand, walking out of the room, into the hallway. suddenly, he heard footsteps as he gazed around, having nowhere to make a quick escape. he only walked quickly towards the exit, as he turned around as he walked, trying to see who was coming around the corner as he prayed it wasn't eddie. the janitor appeared into view as he looked at mike confused. "what are you doing here kid?" the janitor asked suspiciously. "i just uh, i forgot my walkie at school and um the door was open so i thought i'd come in and get it. but i've got it now so, i'll be off," mike explained speedily, as he turned on his heel to run away from the confused janitor who merely scoffed and continued his tasks,

mike hopped into the car, high-fiving both dustin and steve as steve turned the car back on. "next stop, steve," dustin said ardently as steve nodded and drove off in the direction of the next destination on their journey

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you sat in your bedroom, leaned over your desk that was traipsed with books. you had just gotten home from school and sat down to do your homework. your hand rested on the side of your head as you twiddled the pencil in your hand, trying to figure out how to solve the maths problem. you could vaguely hear the birds outside as you hummed to yourself. you looked out the window, feeling the light breeze hitting your forearm from the open window and the light shining through. your parents were away on a city break for the night and had left earlier this morning, meaning it was a cosy night in and a microwave meal for one,

suddenly, the doorbell rang and you leapt into the air, heart beating quickly. 'who the hell is here?' you thoughts, not expecting anyone. 'maybe it's chrissy,' you thought to yourself, as you jogged down the stairs, swinging the door open to see.. no one? you looked around and down to see a letter lying on the welcome mat in front of you. you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, picking it up to tear it open. you read it to yourself. 'dear y/n, meet me at the dnd room in school in 20 minutes. i need to talk to you, eddie,'

you scoffed at his non-verbal invitation to you, but you sighed, some part of you being extremely curious to hear what he had to say. "this better be worth it," you mumbled to yourself, pulling your jacket on and making your way out the door. little did you know, dustin, mike and steve sat in the car on the opposite side of the street, dustin watching you through his binoculars as you got your bike from the beside your house, pulling yourself on and cycling off in the direction of the school. dustin high-fived mike, cheering. "told you she would go. they like each other i'm telling you," dustin insisted, looking at steve with a proud smile on his face. "yeah well you know who she's NOT going to like after all this? us," steve argued, still protesting against the plan,

mike rolled his eyes, watching your car disappear into the distance. "come on, we need to stay on her trail," mike urged, pointing to where you sat on your bike, cycling speedily. steve hit the accelerator, driving after you, but keeping a safe distance so that you wouldn't see them. they followed you to the school, parking further away and ducking down as they watched you walk into the school

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meanwhile...

"hello?" eddie spoke into the darkness of the room, with caution. he dropped the dnd game box onto the table as he walked up the wall, turning the lights on. he held a confused expression as he looked around. "hey guys? where are yous?" he asked angrily, with his hands on his hips, annoyed at their tardiness. "i told them to be on time damnit," eddie muttered sharply, moving to the door to go look for them and wait on them in the parking lot. just as he went to walk out the door, he saw a piece of paper folded in half, lying on the seat of his throne. he picked it up, opening it aggressively, half expecting it to be an apology letter from the hellfire club for the sore punctuality,

he read it to himself, his rough fingers hovering over the sheet. 'dear eddie, stay in this room. i need to talk to you about something, y/n.' eddie sneered at your poor handwriting for starters, and the fact that you wanted to see him. but for some reason, instead of continuing his quest to find his club members, he found himself glued in place, waiting for your arrival. why he didn't want to leave and tell you to shove off was beyond him. he sighed loudly, plopping himself down on his throne as he rested his feet on the table, tapping the arm of the chair as he waited, his metal rings making a clinking sound as he moved them,

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finally, you found yourself standing outside the room, taking a deep breath to prepare yourself for what could either be a prank or total carnage, as you swung the door open confidently to see him sitting there, as cocky as ever. his head shot up to look at you, smirking as he stood up quickly, taking long, stalking paces towards you. "so, here we are," eddie said in a snarky tone, gesturing towards the room dramatically. 'how cute, he's beating around the bush. what a loser,' you thought to yourself. "looks like it genius," you retorted, rolling your eyes,

"so what brings you to my kingdom pom-poms?" eddie questions, putting his arms behind his back to rock back and forth with an expectant smirk on his face. "look, if your ego is that big that you can't just say why you wanted me here, then i'll just leave," you snapped, getting sick of his avoiding remarks. you had homework to do, a microwave meal to eat and a subpar movie to watch, you weren't about to waste your time. he laughed loudly as you waited for him to finish, crossing your arms over your chest impatiently,

"you're really that stubborn huh?" he quipped, smirking. neither of you were picking up on what had obviously occurred, too blind-sided by your dislike for one another. "i really don't have time for your games, munson," you scolded, prodding your index finger into his chest to emphasize your point as he stared at you, watching as you went on your tirade, "unless you have a reason for why you've dragged me out here up your ass, i'll just leave. or maybe you can only fit your own head up there. but if you're going to leave me a letter and just avoid-" he silenced your rant, placing a finger to your lips,

you stopped talking from the shock of his gesture, quickly coming back to reality as you swatted his hand away harshly. "don't lay a finger on me or i'll-" eddie rolled his eyes, wishing you'd shut up. "yeah, yeah pocket rocket. i'm sure you'd do some real damage," he sneered sarcastically, taking in your angry state. "what the hell are you even talking about? you left ME a letter," eddie replied, dropping his confident facade for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. you looked just as confused as you spoke. "i did not send you a letter. why would i voluntarily be in your presence," you jeered,

"well you still came, didn't you princess?" eddie grinned, taunting you. you rolled your eyes, growing more annoyed at both his arrogant tone and his nicknames. "yeah so did you. i only came because i thought maybe you'd want to talk and be serious for once. no chance of that happening anyway," you asserted, waving your arms around in frustration. his face turned into one of aggravation as his cheeky smile dropped. "oh as if you're serious, flouncing around in that little cheer skirt," he jeered in a mocking voice, shaking his head around,

"oh yeah?" you asked in disbelief, outraged. "yeah," he yelled, rolling his hands into fists. "well, you know what i think? i think that you're a-" amongst your arguing with one another, you hadn't noticed dustin sneaking up behind the pair of you. just as he came into view, you felt a cold feeling on your arm and looked down as you heard a second audible click. you and eddie had stopped your quarrel to gaze down, perplexed at what was happening. you saw a metal link enclosed around your wrist, and the same around eddie's, as you both turned to look at dustin, who gave a nervous giggle,

you pulled your hand away, letting out a gasp as you felt it tug on something. you saw that the handcuff on your wrist, was in fact attached to eddie's by a chain. "dustin. what is this?" you queried calmly, gritting your teeth, as your calmness was quite clearly being forced to hide your fury. dustin sent you a nervous smile before glancing at eddie, wishing he hadn't now. eddie's expression could probably cut dustin in half, as his usual playful, funny expression was gone, replaced with an icy cold stare as he fumed at dustin,

before either of you could say anything, dustin made a run for the door. "get back here you little shit," eddie yelled, chasing after him, forgetting he was attached to you. you were surprised by the sudden move as you tripped from the fierce tug, falling into his back. "hey watch it," you shouted at eddie who only rolled his eyes. "he's getting away," eddie rebutted bitterly as the two of you moved to run together down the hall after dustin. eddie pushed open the front of the school, seeing dustin yanking on the door handle as it wouldn't open,

he turned to see the two faces sprinting towards him fiercely, as he squealed, voting now to jump in through the window, shimmying as mike grabbed his arms, pulling him through the window frame as he landed on his butt on the seat. "we'll give you the key once you sort out your differences!" mike shouted, as steve sped off, leaving the two of you stranded. "sort out our differences?" eddie said with a chuckly, ridiculing even the idea of that. "screw you!" you yelled at the car, flipping them off,

you took deep breaths from frustration and also from dashing through the school. you caught your breath, looking at eddie with a bitter stare as he only returned it, just as annoyed as you were, this being the first thing you had both ever agreed on; the displeasure of the idea of reconciling,

what the hell were the two of you supposed to do now?

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6452291-1 · 2 years

Text

Unconventional

Chapter 3: An Unwanted Encounter

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Eddie Munson x F!Reader

Rated: T for Teens

Word Count: 10K

Please see Chapter 1 for warnings, plus: fear of heights, mentions of sympathy for Jason Carver (it won't last long).

Chapter 2 here.

Divider by: @natasharomanovf

Jason Carver is talking to Tommy O. when you pass by his locker Wednesday morning.

Jason's blond hair is disheveled, his eyes burning red, and there's a taste of insomnia in the air around him. He doesn't give you a second glance.

Tommy, however, turns at the exact moment you walk by and sees you. A smile breaks across his features and he steps away from Jason. "Hey," exclaims the swimmer. His eagerness surprises you.

You press down on the outrage that had been roiling in your belly at the sight of Jason Carver and force a smile. "Hey Tommy."

"You disappeared from gym class yesterday. Everything okay?" There's polite concern in his voice.

It sets your nerves on fire. "O-Oh, yeah. I'm okay. I was just a little tired- went to lay down in the nurse's office for a bit." The lie comes too easy and you hate yourself for it, the guilt chewing at your insides.

An image of Eddie Munson leaning towards you, hand drawing his shirt collar down, grin as wild as his dark hair, fills your mind.

He nods. "Alright, well… We still on for Saturday?"

You feel Jason's eyes train on you. You ignore him and instead smile at Tommy. "Yeah, of course. I can't wait."

The bell rings and the rushing of students to class increases. Tommy looks back at his locker, sees Jason staring at you. "Ah, I guess I better hurry to class."

You start to back away. "Same here. See you soon!"

He waves, and it's sort of… cute.

Maybe you are kind of excited to go on the date with him.

Your interactions with him are always short (nevermind that you've never spent more than two minutes at a time speaking to the man), but when they're over, you feel light and airy. You think that's a good sign; it means you're eager to go out with him.

Right?

You feel confident in that decision until you're sitting in the back of Mrs. O'Donnell's and Eddie saunters in. He spots you immediately, the plush of his lips pulling up to show his teeth in a pleased smile. He's holding a cassette tape up as he approaches you. He sits in the seat next to you just as the bell rings, rolling his head to gaze at you. He waves the tape between you two. "Fooor you. A collection of only the most metal songs known to man."

Excitement flutters in you. "Eddie!" You whisper to him as Mrs. O'Donnell begins speaking. "Thank you!"

You take the tape, fingers brushing his. It occurs to you then that he must have stayed up after you left last night to make it- there's no way he just had a mix tape laying around, right? The realization has your heart pounding harder. "I hope you didn't go to any trouble…" You murmur.

He smiles easily, eyes dark and mischievous. "Always so worried," he whispers, head ticking in time with his words. "No need- I'm charging you a buck fifty for that masterpiece. I'll add it to the 50 you owe me."

You snort.

Mrs. O'Donnell sends a look your way and you shrink in your seat. "Sorry," you mutter.

Eddie turns his head, keeps a hand over his mouth so you won't see him laughing.

Mrs. O'Donnell raises a trim brow, then turns her attention back to class.

Eddie snickers silently and you kick your leg out when the teacher is turned, foot colliding with his. He returns the kick, leaving you two battling in the back of the room.

. . .

You turn with the lunch tray in your hand, feet already taking you along the familiar trail to your table at the edge of the cafeteria.

There's laughing from the Hellfire table and when you look you see that Eddie seems to be monologuing a passage from The Two Towers in his most impressive, deep voice; the entire table is cackling in delight.

You smile at the sight, wave at Frankie when he happens to catch a glimpse of you. He gives an unsure wave in return.

To your left, Tommy O. is hanging out with the jocks, laughing with his friends; his eyes do not drift over to you, he does not seek you out.

You walk by without incident, sit at your table at the very end and eat your lunch while you read your novella, the cassette tape that Eddie made you tucked in the corner of your tray. You get five minutes of peace before-

"The maid does it." The timbre of Eddie's voice does not startle you as it would have two days ago.

You fight a smile. "There's no maid in this."

"Theeeeen the butler."

You look up at him, laughing. He's got one hand on the back of your chair, the other braced against the table. He grins down at you, the necklace of his guitar pick swinging forward as he rocks gently on his feet. "Soooo how does this work?"

You blink at him. "How does what work?"

He pushes off suddenly, twirls down into the chair next to you. "Are you allowed to be seen with me oooorrrr…?"

You chew on your lip, setting your book down. Your gaze flits over to Tommy's table.

He isn't looking your way.

Once again, you're left wondering how interested he really is. Your own vision seems to zero in on him every chance it can, when you know you'll see him, in the halls or in class. Tommy, however, seems to be content with never stealing glances of you.

Unlike Eddie.

You find yourself hunting for his familiar jean vest-leather jacket combo just as often as you search for Tommy's dirty-blond curls throughout the day. And Eddie, likewise, seems to be drawn to you more and more as the week progresses. Your gazes are like magnets, consistently pulling to the other's no matter where you're at.

But more than that, in class, the hall, lunch- Eddie's eyes swivel to your form whether you catch him looking or not.

It's a feeling; you know when he's staring because there's a comfortable weight on you, like a heated blanket, and a contrasting tingle of electricity that sets your nerves buzzing lightning fast across your skin.

Something uncomfortable and obvious knocks at your mind, but you gently pull the shades on it for fear of looking too closely at your own feelings.

The entire reason you started this is for Tommy.

You smile at Eddie, your features slightly strained. "I don't see why not," you confess. "But… well, we should probably refrain from any…" You lean closer and whisper nervously, "any practicing at school."

"Soooo, no making out in the janitor's closet?"

You bark out a laugh, clapping a hand over your mouth. "Eddie! God-"

"Hey!"

The two of you turn to see Allison, a fellow senior, standing obnoxiously close to your table. She smiles sweetly. "Am I interrupting anything?"

You frown at the cloying words. "Um… no, you're not." The confusion is evident in your voice.

Allison smiles wider, her brown eyes flickering with something gut-churning as she considers Eddie. When she doesn't say anything, you prompt, "Did you need something?"

She shrugs. "I heard you're good at English and I need help with my paper. I was gonna see if you could take a look."

You raise your eyebrows in surprise. Eddie glances at you; your suspicion is mirrored in his gaze. "Uh…" You don't understand the discomfort hollowing out your chest, can't place why this bothers you. "Y-Yeah, I can take a look. When-"

"Great! Come with me." Sharp baby blue nails dig into your arm, pulling insistently until you're standing.

"Oh," you breathe out in surprise. "Wait, my stuff-"

"Won't be long," she chirps happily, guiding you towards the table with the cheerleaders.

You glance back at Eddie.

He sits at your table, arms crossed over the Black Sabbath shirt he's wearing, a frown on his features.

Your stomach sinks when Allison leads you to the cheerleading table, directly next to Tommy's. He still doesn't see you. Allison shoves you non-too gracefully in an empty chair.

You feel dizzy with worry. "What's going on?" Clearly there is no English paper to be looked over.

The table full of cheerleaders all seem to lean forward at once. One of them directly across from you, the former co-captain to Chrissy Cunningham, fixes you with a pointed look. "You're hanging out with Eddie Munson?"

You startle at her words, mouth falling open at the venom in her voice. Your heart pounds uncomfortably loud. "I-I… we're friends." It comes out breathless, weak under their collective scrutiny. Your palms become clammy with sweat.

"Listen, you probably don't know any better," she says in a firm voice, and the sympathy there sets your teeth on edge. "But you should really stay away from him."

You reel back, a huff of indignation leaving you. "Excuse me?"

"You do know what he's done," she says, eyes wide with disbelief. "Right?"

You look around the table. Every cheerleader is waiting for your response. You consider that, maybe, there's the slightest chance that they aren't talking about what happened over Spring Break.

Yeah, right.

You swallow, taking in each hungry face that's surrounding you. Vultures. "Do you mean the charges he was cleared of last month?"

Your boldness surprises even you.

The co-captain's eyes narrow and she leans back. Allison shifts next to you, the rest of the group murmurs amongst themselves. At the next table, Jason stands and circles around.

You wait for a response, a snide retort, but no one says anything to you.

Anger washes over you at their behavior. You move to stand but there's a sudden presence behind you and a large hand comes down on your shoulder.

Fear prickles at your spine when your gaze trails up the familiar letter jacket sleeve and you twist to see Jason Carver leaning down to you.

"In case you didn't know, sweetheart- he's a Satanic freak. A murderer," he grits out. You flinch at the words, each cutting a slice into the image of Eddie in your head. "He killed Chris. He killed Patrick. And I have no doubt he killed that kid Fred Bensen, too."

The hand on your shoulder tightens to the point of pain. You struggle against his grip, flustered.

You really don't like to be touched.

Jason leans next to your ear and you struggle to repress a shudder. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from him." The threat is muttered between clenched teeth. Hot breath stinking of the cafeteria food and self-righteousness wafts over you.

Trembling, you turn your head to face Jason. His eyes are dull embers of blue, the sclera flooded in red.

Madness seeps from him.

You hold your breath, afraid you'll inhale it, afraid it will taint you.

He's crazy, you think. He's gone crazy with grief.

You chew your words thoughtfully, the pity in you overwhelming the rage and panic, then say in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry… about Chrissy and Patrick." And you truly are. "But Eddie Munson did not kill them."

The sudden pain in your shoulder has you gasping.

It stops almost as soon as it begins and the cheerleaders around the table are gasping, squealing, backing away; piglets that have spotted a wolf in the pen.

Jason's hand is ripped from your shoulder, his nails catching and scraping despite the fabric of your shirt.

You whirl around, pushing out of the chair simultaneously, tripping over your own feet and nearly falling backwards.

Eddie's got his hand fisted in the green of Jason's letter jacket.

You look wildly between the two. Your heart is pounding so hard you think it's going to b-bmp, b-bmp, b-bmp right out of your throat.

The cafeteria goes silent in the surrounding area of the table, though the distant sounds of lunch and laughter still filter through the rush of blood in your ears.

The two men are clutching at each others' jackets, their faces pulled into identical masks of suppressed rage. Eddie's nostrils are flared, his breathing heavy, sharp. Jason's jaw juts out as he clenches his teeth.

Eddie's lips are pressed thin, his eyes wild, bright.

"What are you gonna do, freak?" Jason exhales around puffing breaths. Eddie's fists tighten, his rings squeaking against the leather of Jason's sleeves.

You feel inexplicably afraid. It's only a school fight, but the foreboding that seeps around Jason has you wondering if the young man is capable of more.

The image of Jason holding a crowbar over his head flashes in your mind and your stomach tightens with worry.

Eddie's gaze darts to you. There's a strand of wavy hair stuck to the plane of his cheek; the end of it moves in time with his heavy breaths.

Don't, you think. Don't hurt Jason. It will make everything worse!

Eddie sees the plea on your stricken face.

He releases Jason slowly, body tense, prepared to dodge any sucker punch the jock may throw. But he doesn't.

A demented grin crosses Jason's features, the strands of oily hair falling over his forehead shattering the image of the cleancut star player.

"Watch your back, freak." Jason shoves Eddie as he releases him, then turns to face you. "And you…" He steps toward you and Eddie moves with him, ready to intervene.

Jason stops in front of you, leans forward. "It would be in your best interest to keep your distance from Eddie Munson." He leans closer and you fight to keep from pulling back. His breath fans your face as he whispers, "He's a soldier for the dark forces. He made a deal… with the devil." The urgency in his voice, the absolute resolution of his words, sends an unwanted spike of fear through you and for a brief moment, a small part of you believes Jason.

Your gaze finds Eddie.

He's seething, dark eyes trained on Jason. There's a tension in his stance that seems odd on his usually fluid body.

He's not worried about whatever psycho-religious babble Jason Carver is feeding you, you realize.

He's worried you'll get hurt.

Jason is wrong, you resolve. Eddie could never.

You look Jason in the eye, ready to tell him to back off-

And stop.

The crazed pleading in his bulging eyes stirs something in you, something pitiful and morbid.

He really is going mad.

"Okay," you whisper. "Okay, Jason."

Soothed by your words, the basketball star backs away.

Behind you, Tommy O. watches nervously. The rest of the cheerleaders and basketball team are silent. Behind Eddie, the members of Hellfire are at the ready; a tall black freshman, Lucas Sinclair, fixes the team behind you with a stare that could kill. There's even a girl you recognize from Hawkins High band edging closer, alongside Nancy Wheeler of all people.

Jason moves past you and the cone of silence is broken.

Murmuring rises, then talking, then nervous giggles, and then the cafeteria is just as loud and obnoxious as it had been 10 minutes ago.

Eddie stares at you, his chest heaving.

Aware of the pointed gaze still on your back, you move silently past him and head for your table.

. . .

Eddie is not in Study Hall that afternoon.

. . .

Work drags on at a snail's pace. For 6 hours, you flit from guilt to panic to full blown melancholy as you consider how you handled the situation at lunch.

You had tamped down your instinct to reassure Eddie in order to preserve Jason's thin grasp on sanity. And in doing so you hurt your newfound friend.

You had written a note explaining your actions, hoping to slip it to him when you saw him again, but Eddie seemed to have disappeared after lunch.

You finger the note in your hand, ignoring the customers deciding what snacks they want in favor of wallowing.

You don't like this.

You don't like that you upset Eddie, because that's clearly what happened. Right?

The cassette tape is a subtle weight in your pocket. You've kept it hidden and close since you dumped your tray at lunch.

Tommy actually found you at your lockers when class let out. You thought perhaps he was coming to see if you were alright, concerned for your well-being, and he did- sort of. Mostly he just asked what happened, why Jason was so upset, why Eddie looked like he was about to punch him.

"I really don't know, Tommy," you tell the boy dully.

Had he not seen the way Jason had grabbed you?

"Well, I hope this doesn't make you think I'm the type of guy that gets into fights." And his eyes are bright and concerned.

You repress a sigh and instead smile at Tommy. "Of course not, Tommy. What kind of person would I be if I judged who you are based on who you hang out with?"

He looks relieved as he smiles. "Exactly."

Now you frown at the folded note, tapping the corner of it on the counter before a customer asks for a large popcorn. You slip it back into your pocket, put on your best customer service smile, and grab the concessions for the guest.

Working at The Hawk is usually something you enjoy, but tonight is one of the nights that your shift drags on forever. The customers aren't particularly annoying, but they come in droves for Police Academy 3 and it tires you out by the time 9 PM rolls around.

You're still undecided on what to do when you wave goodbye to the closing manager, Stan.

Do you go to Eddie's?

Is the plan still to study and practice, as though the confrontation at lunch never happened?

Is everything different now?

If Eddie had simply stayed and you had a chance to explain… But you really couldn't blame him for skipping after that. Jason had it out for the guy, and for him to then zero in on Eddie's budding friendship with you?

You feel exhausted.

You sit in the cab of your truck as you consider your plan of action. The sun has already set, but the street lamps shine through the passenger window.

The stifling silence makes the creak of plastic from your pocket as you shift sound like thunder in your ears. You frown, shift, pull the tape from your back pocket.

The cover is the plain white stock that accompanies all blank tapes. You start your truck, get the heater blowing to dispel the coolness of the April night air. Carefully, you turn the tape over in your hands.

How could you have been so cruel to Eddie?

You should have at least motioned for him to follow you, or maybe you could have spoken to Frankie in art class that afternoon, and asked him about Eddie.

Scowling at yourself, you pop open the cassette case.

And promptly burst into a fit of giggles.

While Eddie had left the outside of the case blank, the inside is decorated with a cartoonish version of the two of you. Eddie's pen-stroked waves of hair make distinguishing between the two of you easy. That and the fact that he seems to have graciously given your cartoon self an exaggerated abundance of curves.

He's holding a hastily drawn guitar while you've been given heart eyes next to him. There's a simplistic castle scribbled in the background with a cluster of bats hovering over your heads.

In the corner:

"Welcome to the dark side." 😈

You beam as you slip the tape from the case and press it into the player attached to your radio.

The opening dialogue for The Number of the Beast fills your truck.

Feeling both giddy and increasingly nauseous with regret as you listen to the track, you switch your truck into reverse and back out of the parking spot in front of the theatre.

You've decided to go bother Eddie after all.

. . .

You can hear the muffled blaring of metal beyond the front door. Something skunky wafts from the trailer, makes you scrunch your nose and hesitate.

Is it a good idea to interrupt him..?

You turn on the porch, pause.

Eddie's van with its shattered windshield is parked off to the side.

You turn back to the door, raise your fist to knock.

Then your nerves get the better of you and you moan with worry. Maybe you should leave him alone-

Before you have a chance to decide, the door flies open. You're dunked in the throes of Metallica and the scent of marijuana.

Eddie blinks, mouth parted. His eyes are bloodshot as he takes in your form, the surprise evident in his features.

You give a panicked, strained smile and raise your hand timidly in a wave. "Hi." It's difficult to speak loud enough to be heard over the music.

His gaze roves over your form, taking in the standard red vest and black bow tie uniform for the theatre. "Uh… hi?" His voice is slightly raised.

You open your mouth to speak, then close it, unsure of what to say.

Eddie senses your struggle and decides to spare you further discomfort by opening the door wide and stepping back. "Wanna come in?"

You sigh out in relief, nodding quickly. "Yes, please."

He fights a smile at your polite tone. You walk in, wait for him to shut the door. He does so, then shoves his hands in his back pockets nervously. "I, uh, wasn't expecting you to show."

You duck your head, looking miserable. "I'm sorry."

He leans closer. "What?"

"I said that I'm sorry!" You shout over the music.

He holds up a finger, crooks it at you to follow him to his room.

You do so without question, watching as he moves around the room spastically, turning down his music, tucking the bong away inside the chaos of his closet, throwing the bundle of covers over his mattress to shield the questionable stains from view. When he finally turns to face you, his shoulders are tense. "I wasn't expecting you," he says again.

You fidget with your hands. "I can leave, if you want?"

"No," he says quickly. "That's not- I wasn't saying I want you to leave."

Jesus, all he's wanted since lunch is to see you.

Eddie picks at the corner of the record sleeve hanging over the edge of his night stand. He doesn't want to talk first, but he thinks you're about to cry based on the way your eyes are shining, so he does. "You weren't… like, followed or anything, were you? Because I wouldn't put it past Carver to keep tabs on you." Eddie moves to his window, peeks past the blinds at the top half of his only window.

He only sees your truck parked in front.

"Do you… really think he would?" You sound like you may faint.

Eddie frowns at you, lets the blinds snap back into place. "I don't know," he admits. "He did pretty fucking well in tracking me down."

You tilt your head confused.

"When I was… when Chrissy was…" Eddie chokes off and you tense with understanding.

"When you were… on the run," you confirm.

He nods, jaw clenched as he avoids looking at you.

The same surge of protectiveness fills you again, making you frown angrily. "Jason's such a little skeez. I can't believe he's getting away with this." You begin to pace, agitated. Eddie's room is so small though, that you only manage two steps in one direction before you turn the other way. Still, moving helps and you find the dam that has been containing your disdain for the man has broken. "Just because he's some star jock doesn't mean he can get away with treating you like this- with treating anyone like this! Oooh, you'd better believe if that man touches me again, I will press charges. He thinks he's so great; thinks he's untouchable. Well, I'll show him. The next time he tries anything with you, Eddie, I'll show him -"

Eddie watches you with dark eyes. There's a smile spreading across his features. "You'll show him, huh?"

You pause, looking at him in surprise. "You're laughing at me!"

"I'm not!" But there's a grin on his face, so wide that the dimple in his chin is appearing.

"You are!" You insist, but the matching smile on your face lessens the indignation behind it.

He shrugs. "Alright, yeah. I am."

That makes you duck your head and laugh.

The spell of tension and hesitancy seems to have lifted.

Eddie eyes you blearily, his mind working to catch up with whatever buzzing feeling at your rant and laugh and smile that leaves him warm .

God, he's so baked right now.

"It's hard to take you seriously in the…" Eddie gestures to his own neck, indicating the silky black bow tie adorning yours.

You blink. "Oh! I forgot I was wearing it." You tug at it, suddenly self-conscious. "It's so lame…"

"It's cute."

Who said that? Did Eddie say that? Shit.

That unreadable, careful look is on your face again. "Eddie..?" You say softly.

He swallows, the sound loud in his ears. "Yeah?"

"I… I'm really sorry for what happened at lunch." The guilt that permeates your voice makes his shoulders slouch and he knows without really knowing that you've been beating yourself up over it.

"You don't… have to be sorry for anything," he assures you, slightly surprised. "I get it-"

You're shaking your head. "No, that's not- I mean, I wasn't…" You let out a half-sigh, half-groan. "I don't want you to think that Jason scared me into ignoring you or something."

Eddie eyes you carefully. "Okaaay."

"What I mean is- I don't think he's… okay. I mean, he lost his girlfriend and one of his best friends in the span of a few days. He's clearly not right in the head. And the things he said to me…" You look almost… sad for him.

Eddie's not sure how he feels about that. "What did he say to you?"

You look up at him, eyes swirling with grief that isn't yours. "He really believes that you… did it. Not only that you did it, but that you're somehow a… oh, what did he say? A 'soldier of darkness' or something along those lines."

Eddie can't help but snort at that.

You're not smiling. "I was afraid that if I kept denying it, that he'd… I don't know, have some sort of mental breakdown? He's not okay, Eddie. And so I figured if I just agreed, maybe his head wouldn't explode." You're not looking at him, too ashamed. "I really wasn't trying to play into his… his delusions. I just didn't want the fighting to continue. And I know it was wrong of me-"

"It's okay-"

"But I think he needs help-"

"It's really okay-"

"And I never meant to treat you like that- like you're something I'm ashamed of because I'm not-"

"I get it-"

"I only wanted to preserve what little sanity he has left-"

"Stop talking."

You clamp down on your lip, white teeth sinking into the flesh there. "Sorry."

Eddie rubs at his eyes, the rings on his fingers clinking together. Not ashamed, not ashamed, not ashamed- the words pulse in time with his heart.

You're not ashamed of him?

Why are there tears pricking his eyes?

Jesus, one little murder accusation and brush with death, and he's turned into a crying mess with a string of kind words from a pretty girl.

Not ashamed-

Eddie sniffs, lowers his hands. Seeing you standing there in the satin red vest and black bow tie, fiddling with your hands and worrying your lip between your teeth as you await his verdict-does he forgive you or not?- makes him smile.

You really are cute.

"We're good," he says.

You look like you want to melt into the floor; your entire body relaxes, your face breaks into the widest smile he's seen from you yet. "Yeah?"

He snorts, "Yeah."

"So, we're still on for studying?"

Eddie rolls his eyes. "If you insist."

"Oh, I do. I absolutely do."

. . .

"... said it'll be on the final, so focus on limits."

"Uuuuhhh… limits. Right. Got it."

"Do you have notes..?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah- I got 'em… right… here." Eddie shuffles through a pile of loose sheets of paper. He spots one with hastily drawn graphs and holds it out to you, proud.

You take it and raise an eyebrow. "This is over vectors."

"Shit."

You can't help but laugh. "It's fine, Eddie. Let me grab my notes from my truck." You stand from where you'd been sitting beside him at the foot of his bed and stretch, stifling a yawn.

Eddie glances at his watch. "It's getting late," he says pointedly. "Maybe we should-"

You wave your hand. "No, no. I'm fine." You give him an assured smile. "Really, I can keep going. Unless you want to stop..?"

"Nope," he says, his lips smacking on the 'p'. "I can go alllll niiiight long." His grin is nothing but salacious. Now that his high is wearing off, Eddie is feeling particularly ornery. Add in the fact that he had fully intended to spend some time with himself and his favorite nudie magazine before you stopped by, and he's becoming understandably fired back up.

He doesn't know what it is about that goddamned bow tie and vest, but it's really doing it for him.

You fight an embarrassed, pleased smile and step over his outstretched legs on the floor. "I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," he says suddenly. Eddie stands, twists at the waist to pop his back. His Iron Maiden t-shirt lifts slightly with the motion. He pretends not to notice the way your gaze darts to the peeking happy trail from the waistband of his pants.

He's not imagining this, right?

He's not still stoned?

No, Eddie can taste it in the air. You're just as attracted to him as he is to you.

Well, shit.

He motions you to follow, his smile playful. Eddie exits the trailer through the door closest to his room and there's barely even a suffocating memory of slamming it shut behind Dustin, protecting them from the screeching onslaught of demobats beating against the cage outside.

"Most. Metal. EVER!"

"... you coming out here for?"

Eddie glances at you while he holds the door open. "Huh?"

You walk by him, your arm brushing against his stomach. "I asked what you were coming out here for?"

He blinks, frowns. The door slams closed behind him and he follows you across the porch, past the old couch that sits between the doors. "Uuuuhhhh…"

"Earlier? When I came over? I was about to knock when you opened the door. You looked like you were coming outside for something..?" Now you sound as confused as he feels.

"Oh, right. I waaaas… gonna grab something out of my van." Specifically, he was gonna grab the last bit of pot hidden in a sandwich baggy tucked under his seat, but he doesn't want to tell you that.

You don't question him, simply nod and veer off towards your truck. Eddie is about to pass your truck as he heads for his van, but then eases back to watch as you open the driver's side door and bend across the seat to grab your book bag.

He lets out a grunting sigh, then hurries towards his van when you straighten.

You watch beneath your lashes as Eddie bends over the driver's seat of his van, digging for something underneath. His black jeans hug his backside nicely and you find yourself wondering how toned he is beneath them before you dissolve into a flustered and mortified bundle of nerves, peeling your gaze away and fidgeting with the strap of your bag.

He straightens, tucks something hastily into his back pocket.

A cool breeze drifts through the air, making you shiver.

"Wanna take a break?" Eddie's voice startles you from your thoughts.

"Um…" You're getting sleepy, and you're worried stopping now will spell doom for your plans to study.

Before you can answer, Eddie smiles, "Just a few minutes. Then I promise we'll get right back to it."

It's the way his eyes twinkle in the night that has you agreeing before you realize.

"Great. Come here." He motions you to his van, then opens the back doors.

You hesitate. "Um, Eddie..?"

Is this supposed to be part of the practice? Your stomach flips at the thought of crawling into the back of the van with him. The image that comes to mind is entirely debauched, filled with hazy smoke and slick, pink lips drifting along the skin of your neck.

But then he's climbing up, using the inside as a way to push off while he hoists himself up until he's wiggling onto the roof of his van. You gape at him.

"I am not climbing up there!" You laugh in disbelief.

You hear the tell-tale sign of weight shifting on top of the vehicle, then see Eddie's head pop over the edge, his hair hanging in a dark curtain around his face. "I'll help you," he says, grinning wide.

You look up at him, worried. "Really Eddie, I do not have the upper body strength to climb up there."

"I know. I saw you in gym class."

The insulted gasp that escapes you is nullified by the choked laugh. He's still grinning and in the gleam of the porch light, you think that he really is attractive, which only makes your stomach cramp in distress.

He reaches a hand down, wiggles his fingers. "Come on."

You shift nervously from foot to foot, then move towards him with a moan of distress cracking in your throat. "Will it hold both of us?"

"Should."

"But what if-?"

"You worry too much."

"Maybe you don't worry enough, Eddie. Ever think of that?" Your grumbled words only make him laugh.

Carefully, you pass him your bag, which he tosses behind him; you hear it thump somewhere above the driver's seat. You pull yourself upright in the back of the van, grabbing the top edge with clammy fingers and balancing with the kiss of open air at your back. It's only a few feet off the ground, but already knowing that if you careen backwards there will be nothing but air and then ground, has you sweating. "Oooh," you whimper. "Eddie, please don't let me fall."

His hand is on yours. You peek up at him.

Light gleans off the side of his face where the porch light reaches, but the rest of him is haloed by an array of stars hovering in the cloudless sky.

He says nothing with his voice, but his eyes assure you- he won't let you fall. He's sitting up on his knees now, both hands encircling your wrists.

Eddie pulls and you use all of your strength to heave yourself up, using the inside handle of the wide-open door as a sort of foothold. There's an awkward moment where your top half is pressed against his thighs, the edge of the roof cutting into your gut, and your legs are kicking in thin air as you squeal and struggle to claw your way further up; his hands are still clamped tightly around you, leaving you with nothing to grab onto. Suddenly he's leaning backwards, using his weight to pull you further up. The two of your are snickering between huffing breaths, giggles sifting through cool night air alongside the c-lump, c-lump of your collective weights shifting the metal of the van's roof.

Your feet finally clear the edge of the frame and you collapse with an "oof" on top of Eddie, your forehead knocking into his chin. " Oh! Sorry!"

The two of you shift at the same time, his legs spreading beneath you just as you shimmy yours between his; his thighs squeeze you, his hands coming to rest at the small of your back. The van seems to wobble beneath you when you try to sit up, the vertigo of being up so high making you groan and collapse back down on top of him.

"I can't look," you tell him, voice muffled from where your face is pressed into his shirt. You can feel the outline of his guitar pick against your nose. "I feel like I'm falling."

Eddie pats your hair awkwardly, pretends not to notice the way you flinch. "Here, roll onto your back when I move." He shifts to his right and you obediently roll onto your left, your backside sweeping over the meat of his thigh. You scooch closer to him until you're comfortable enough to lay flat on your back.

Stars twinkle down on you.

The absence of anything solid is whispering against the side of your left hand where it lays on the curved edge of the rooftop, so you pull it to your chest with a nervous swallow.

Your right hand can feel the outline of something in Eddie's pocket- a lighter, you think.

He's so warm.

"Better?" He asks, turning his head to look at you.

He is startled at how close you are; he can see the pores on your face. You're staring anxiously up at the sky. "I can see it turning," you moan. Eddie tries not to laugh, because you do look a little sick. "I can feel the world moving."

"Are you stoned?" It's mostly a joke.

"No," you mutter. "Can't you see it? The way the sky moves when you stare too long?"

Eddie glances back up, concentrates. "Whoa."

"Yeah."

"Would be cooler if we were stoned," he mutters.

That makes you snort, mostly because you're certain Eddie is still high.

He looks at you from the corner of his eye, notes the way you close your eyes and let out a shaky breath; he looks away when you peek at the sky again. "Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for rescuing me." Whispered, embarrassed.

He thinks you mean what happened at lunch and that same sticky affection saturates him again, makes him wonder what's wrong with him. "Anytime," he mutters back.

He feels rather than sees you turn to look at him, so he risks turning to look at you too.

When he catches you staring, you give him a nervous smile. He returns it with a slow spread of his lips, the laugh lines etched in his features growing more pronounced.

In the cool darkness of the evening, under the stars, so close to the warmth of your body, smelling your shampoo and the staleness of popcorn from your shift at The Hawk, Eddie is overcome with the realization that he wants to kiss you.

Not under any guise of practice.

He doesn't want you to go out with Tommy Olsen.

He wants to hold your hand and get you used to touching and show you how to kiss, and it's because he wants to be yours.

He likes you.

He thinks you like him too.

But you're unsure, and so he won't press it.

Instead, Eddie says, "I've never actually… been in a fight before. That was… alllllll new to me." He feels embarrassed to admit it. For years Eddie has been viewed as the freak, the outcast; every negative connotation of the label has been a sort of shield for him- you don't mess with the freak, because the freak will mess you up.

Eddie's never been particularly violent. The only fight he ever had in him was in a fantasy game, and later in the Upside Down where it had nearly cost him his life. He is not a fighter.

That core character trait had up and vanished the moment he saw Jason Carver touch you.

Every muscle in him had tensed, the roar of blood pounding in his ears. Eddie had stood and weaved over to the table quickly enough to catch the attention of his friends. Dustin was the first to notice, the little twerp. He'd rallied the crew immediately with Lucas leading the way over. Nancy had spotted Mike at once, and Robin, who has been sitting with Nancy ever since their adventure in that reverse shit-Hawkins, had likewise noticed the commotion.

They stood at his back, silently, save for Dustin's frantically whispered, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit-".

Eddie wasn't thinking.

He saw the whites of Jason's knuckles as he gripped your shoulder and then he… lost it.

You don't like being touched.

And Jason needed to respect that.

"I'm glad it didn't wind up worse," you mutter. Your voice is laced with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Eddie."

He waves his hand dismissively. "He had it coming."

You bite your lip. "Still… I don't want to cause you any trouble."

Eddie glances at you, his heart pounding inexplicably hard. It almost sounds as though you… want to call everything off.

The thought makes his chest feel hollow.

"Honestly?" He says softly. He makes sure you're facing him before he says, "This is the most fun I've had in a loooong time." Eddie smiles as he says it, breathing out a laugh from behind closed lips.

The answering smile from you gives him hope. "Me too," you admit. "I think… asking for your help was the best thing I've ever done." The sincerity behind your words has Eddie floating.

He might still be high.

The two of you fall into a comfortable silence. Crickets chirp below. The dog across from Eddie's trailer howls pitifully in its outside cage.

A door slams and you lift your head to see Max Mayfield make her way down the steps in front of her trailer. She's holding a bit of bologna in her left hand; her right arm is wrapped from shoulder to wrist in a cast. She bends in front of the fence enclosing the dog, slips the meat in between the diamonds of wrought metal. Her voice carries in the night.

"I know, I know. I'll bring more tomorrow." The affection there is surprising; you've only ever heard biting sarcasm from the redhead in the moments you've been near her. She seems to hold a particular disdain for Mike Wheeler, but then, she seems to dislike everyone, so maybe you're misjudging that.

You lower your head when she moves to go back to her trailer, the crash of the door in the frame when it slams behind her echoing in your ears.

Eddie is breathing steadily next to you, staring up at the sky.

He's sort of… pretty, you think. And that reminds you of your bit with him, of complimenting everything about the dark man, dubbing it as "pretty ". You smile.

"I never saw your other tattoo." The statement takes Eddie by surprise and he lifts his head to look at you.

"You… wanna see it?" Eddie thinks you mean the one on his chest, the one you shied away from yesterday during gym class.

Jesus, was it only yesterday?

"I… Y-Yeah. If that's okay?" You sound unsure.

Eddie sits up beside you, pressing down a smile. "Hey, I don't mind showing you whatever you ask for." His tone is a deep rolling of flirtation.

You sit up beside him, leaning subconsciously close. He thinks it's more to avoid the sensation of almost falling when you're so close to the edge than it is for any romantic reasons, but he'll take it. Your gaze flits nervously down, eyes darting around, as though you're trying to reassure yourself you're sitting on something solid.

Eddie slips his arms around your waist automatically, a steady weight of reassurance that you won't suddenly topple over the side of the van.

You turn to stone beside him.

He tries not to take it personally. "I won't let you fall," he promises.

You nod jerkily. "Thank you."

He grins. Being so close to you, having you pressed into his side, is doing things to him. He feels like his skin is being electrocuted.

Eddie grabs at the collar of his shirt with his free hand. He pulls it down, leaning close, the flyaway hairs on each of your heads mingling.

Your breath smells like popcorn; he wonders if you steal bites of it while you're working.

Your gaze roves down. You squint. "It's a … skull?"

Eddie chuckles. "It is a skull."

"Over your heart."

"Because I'm dead inside."

You puff out a giggle, hand landing on his thigh in a light smack. "Eddie." The affectionate admonishing tone sets his heart beating pleasantly faster.

He moves to release the shirt.

Suddenly your fingers are there, pulling it back down. "I'm not done looking!"

Eddie raises his eyebrows, lets you tug the shirt as far down as it will go.

After a moment, he asks, voice thick, "So what's the verdict?"

You swallow and when he feels the icy cold touch of your finger tracing the ink, he nearly loses his mind. "I think," you say softly, "that it's just as pretty as the other ones."

It shouldn't make his stomach twist in pleasure. "Yeah?"

"Mmhm." You release the shirt, let your hand fall to your lap.

"I have another one, you know."

You smile at him. "Of course you do."

"Wanna see?"

You peer at him from beneath your lashes, gaze unreadable. "... Yes." The whispered admission has his insides turning to mush.

Eddie releases his hold on you to lift the sleeve of his shirt. He twists his arm and you lean closer to see.

"Eddie?"

"Yeah?" He expects the cooing, affectionate word to fall from your lips. It's just as pretty as the rest, he's sure.

"What… what are these scars from?"

Eddie is doused in icy reality.

"... What?"

"The… the little scars. I saw them on your chest and now I can see them here too." You sound horrified, as though you already know the tale behind his scars is the stuff of nightmares.

His heart is pounding in his ears, mutating until it sounds like the demonic screeching of other worldly bats. He doesn't answer, doesn't know how. He thinks the long tails of the creatures are wrapped around his neck again, choking him.

"They look like bites," you prompt; you sound breathless, worried.

Eddie doesn't know what to say. He's swiftly overwhelmed by the memories, and soon he can smell the blood soaking into the gravel beneath him, can feel the rawness of his throat where he'd screamed, taunted, bellowed until the beasts were swirling around him, keeping Dustin from harm, buying time for the others. He swears he can feel the life seeping from him, and suddenly can't move his limbs; they're too heavy and he can feel the bubble of blood clogging his esophagus.

Darkness dots the edge of his vision.

You watch in panic as Eddie's eyes glaze over. He's not staring at you, but rather through you, at something only he can see. The mischief is gone from his features, his mouth pressed tight, his chin jutting as he begins to breathe heavily through his nose.

"Eddie?" You try weakly.

He blinks, swallows thickly. His eyes dart to yours, then back down, ashamed. "I…" He trails off.

Your hands flutter up to his cheeks and the frozen pads of your fingers skim over the stumble dotting his jaw. He squeezes his eyes shut.

"You won't believe me," he moans out. His hands grip yours, not to pull away, but to anchor him. Each of his rings dig into your flesh, bruising.

He's not being bitten to death, he's not bleeding out.

He's here, with you, under the stars. He's still a little high, though that's quickly fading to a hungry buzz, and his uncle will be home at 6 AM. There's no spot on the ceiling of the trailer, no hint that Chrissy was ever pinned there, crushed to death by Vecna's curse.

It's over.

It's done.

You are here.

Eddie fixes his gaze to yours, searches your eyes hungrily while he claws his way back to reality. You have pretty eyes. He can tell, even in the dark.

"Tell me," you whisper urgently. "I don't care how crazy it sounds. I've seen things no one would believe, too." You don't even hesitate in saying it, which surprises you. You're so concerned with comforting him that any possibility of scaring him off flops to the back of your mind.

You've never told anyone what you saw two years ago, never spoke of the random chills you get when something terrible happens in Hawkins. But you want to tell Eddie. Even if he thinks you're crazy, you want to tell him just for the chance of making him feel better.

Eddie gulps down the cool air, broad lips trembling as he does so.

His lips are nice, you think. Not at all like your own, but you think they'll fit against yours perfectly all the same.

You blink yourself out of the thought, surprised.

Eddie's voice pulls you back to the moment and his words send a shiver down your spine.

"Chrissy… was murdered… by a monster. I mean, a literal, Freddy-Krueger-looking, spell-casting, piece of shit from an alternate dimension monster."

You search his eyes, your heart pounding so furiously you think he can hear it.

"And I was…" His voice is shaking and you wish you could quell it for him. "I was caught up in this shit. On the run from the cops and Carver, and… and then I got pulled into this place that's like Hawkins, but not. It's some twisted alternate dimension frozen in time or some shit." He's talking lowly, a gruff whisper that saws against your mind like a serrated knife. There are goosebumps on your arms.

"It's dark. It stinks. There are these little… these particles that float in the air and you can't help but breathe them in because they're everywhere." He closes his eyes, breathing heavily. "It's always storming. There are monsters and nasty shit everywhere . And everything is covered in these vines-"

Your heart stutters to a halt before picking up quickly. "Vines?" You whisper. "Vines that… move?"

Eddie opens his eyes to fix you with a stare. "... How do you know?"

You shake your head, a silent indication for him to continue. You tell yours, then I'll tell mine.

Above, dark clouds drift lazily over the stars, snuffing out their light momentarily.

Around you, the sounds of nature softens and all you can hear is the commingling breaths from you and Eddie.

There's dread in the air, a fear you can taste as Eddie continues. "I was with… with Dustin. And Steve and Nancy and Robin-"

Steve… Harrington? That is the oddest thing he's told you so far.

"We were going after Vecna. Er, Henry. Whatever the hell he calls himself. He's the one… He's the one that murdered Chrissy. And Fred Bensen. And Patrick McKinney."

You swallow nervously. You think Vecna or Henry, whatever his name is, is actually Peter Ballard.

"He almost got the redhead over there," Eddie ticks his chin towards the trailer across the way, where you had seen Max Mayfield. "She was supposed to be the fourth. He almost fucking got her." He says it between clenched teeth, enraged. "Henderson and I were the distraction. He had these fucking bat minions, I mean hundreds, that tried to keep them away from Vecna. Bats. But not like…" He releases your hand, shows his arm where the tattooed bats forever take flight on his skin. "These were… worse . I had to lead them away, had to buy them time." His eyes go foggy with the memory. You don't press him to explain the parts you don't understand. "As soon as Dustin was safe, I… I led them away."

You know what's coming before he says it. "They attacked you." There are inexplicable tears in your eyes.

He nods, closes his shining eyes. He sniffs once and when he speaks again, his voice is thick. "I thought I was gonna die."

Your heart cracks in time with his voice. "Eddie…" You aren't sure what to say.

So you lean forward, tuck your head under his chin and move your arms around his back.

The hug is awkward.

But appreciated.

It takes a few seconds for Eddie's brain to kick back into gear. He pulls you into him suddenly, one arm squeezing around the curve of your waist, pressing you closer, and the other coming around your shoulders. You shift, curling into him as best you can while sitting directly next to him.

The two of you stay like that for a long while- long enough for your back to begin aching and for you to start drifting off to sleep.

Eddie is warm, and he reeks of pot and deodorant, and his neck is a pale trunk of sinew and meat. His Adam's apple bobs against your slack cheek when he says, "Tell me about the vines."

You startle awake, your mind having drifted briefly to a dreamland where you were kissing a trail up his neck. You sit up, wipe subtly at the side of your mouth, and blink the sleep rapidly from your eyes. "Vines," you mumble. "Yeah, the vines…"

He waits, lets his arms fall from you.

You shift next to him, uncomfortable under his expectant gaze. "It's… I don't even know where to begin." Your tone is apologetic.

"That's okay," he assures softly, voice deep. "Take your time."

Affection washes over you, and once again you're overcome with how much you truly like Eddie. He is nothing like you expected him to be, but also… is.

You take a steadying breath. "It was a couple years ago, around Halloween. I went to the pumpkin patch at the Wright's farm one night after work. I was looking for a pumpkin to carve, but they were all… sort of mushy. They didn't look rotten or anything, just a little soft. I told Merrill I thought something was wrong with his patch, but he insisted they were good. So I kept walking the field, trying to find one that didn't stink. God, the smell of them… It was awful.

"I got close to the edge of the woods trying to find one. By that time, it was pretty dark. Merrill was off on the other side of the field with the flashlight; he finally realized what I was saying was true- there was something wrong with his pumpkins. Anyways, I kept looking, got closer to the trees. And then…" You gulp at the memory. "Then I saw something moving in the grass. It was so hard to see- I thought maybe it was a snake or something. Whatever it was, it kept slithering closer and closer.

I started to back away real slow like you're supposed to when there's a snake, but… well, it didn't matter. It got me."

Eddie stares intently at you, mouth pulled into a frown.

You continue, "It was a vine. A moving vine. It was covered in something slimy and cold; it wrapped around my ankle before I could even comprehend what was happening. It pulled me; yanked me so hard I fell onto my back. And then it dragged me. Eddie, it dragged me into the woods so fast I couldn't even scream for help."

You put a shaking hand to your forehead, squeeze your eyes shut. "God, I thought it was going to…"

Eddie finds your hand, pulls it from your face. You avoid looking at him, embarrassed by the tears pooling in your eyes. He keeps hold of you, his thumb stroking the back of your hand. You take a breath and continue.

"There was this huge fallen tree trunk that it dragged me right towards. I was able to stick my leg out and catch myself on it. God, it kept pulling. I was afraid it would rip my leg off."

"How the hell did you get away?" Eddie whispers.

You snort, finally turn your gaze to him. "I poked it with a stick."

He raises his eyebrows.

"I grabbed the biggest stick I could find and started stabbing it. Jabbed myself a few times." You bend your knee, bring your foot closer, and raise the leg of your pants. There are 3 gnarly scars marring the skin of your ankle, like the deepest cigarette burns known to man.

"Oh shit."

"It wasn't so bad. Eventually, I guess I stabbed it enough to hurt it- it finally let me go. I swear it was screaming. I know that's impossible, it was a freaking vine. But… it screamed. Like its entire tendril-y body was vibrating with it. I-I can't describe it." You apologize in a whisper. "I ran after that. Merrill was already back inside his house- I could hear him yelling on the phone about how someone poisoned his patch. So I just… left. I ran away. I never told anyone."

"It's the same thing," Eddie whispers. "The same fucking thing in shit-Hawkins. Those vines were everywhere, covered everything. Nancy said it's all connected- that they're part of a hive mind." He fixes you with a heated look. "You did hear it screaming. It was alive."

You shudder at his words. "God… I should have told someone." Your voice cracks and the guilt you've held inside since October 1984 seeps through. "The police or Merrill, someone . What if those vines got someone else? What if they killed because I was too scared? Because I ran away-"

"There is nooo shame in running." Eddie interrupts firmly. "Shit, all I did during Spring Break was run. And when I didn't?" He clenches his jaw. "When I finally stopped running, I almost died."

You cast your eyes down sadly. You know that he means to assure that, running or telling or fighting- those vines, that Vecna creep, they all would have killed somehow, some way.

Eddie is still gripping your hand. You turn your palm against his, curl your fingers around his own and squeeze.

After a moment, Eddie says, "Wanna go back inside?"

"Yes, please."

He climbs down first, landing on the gravel easily. You hand him your bag, which he drops onto the ground next to his feet. You scowl, "Come on, man…"

He grins, cocks his head. "Waiting on you, sweetheart."

The affectionate nickname sets your head buzzing pleasantly and you fight a smile. It sounds so different coming from his mouth than it did Jason's.

It takes you longer to get down; you ease your feet onto the floor of the van carefully, feeling mortified at the knowledge that your backside is right at face-level for him. Eddie, however, keeps his hands hovering at your waist respectfully, ready to catch you if you slip.

You make it down with a puffing breath and turn to face him.

The smile on his face is tender, soft. Like you two didn't just exchange horror stories in the middle of the night after being acquainted for only 3 days.

He picks up your bag, slings it over his shoulder. Then he holds his arm out for you. You chew your lip, fighting a smile.

You slip your hand over the inside of his elbow, stepping closer. "You're pretty sweet, Eddie. Anyone ever tell you that?"

Eddie kicks his leg out around you, uses his foot to slam the doors to his van shut without letting go of you, then leads the way to his trailer.

"All the time."

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6452291-1 · 2 years

Text

So Much, I Think I Love You

I am so down bad for Eddie Munson. Sorry if it sucks, but I think it turned out really cute.

~~~

Y/N collected her tray from the end of the lunch line, handed the lunch lady money for her food, and turned toward the cafeteria scanning the room for her friends. Instead her eyes met with his, a giant grin covering his face as she gave him a small wave.

He had just given one of his dramatic speeches to the room and plopped back down in his chair; finally looking away when one of the freshmen at his table spoke up.

She continued her search for her friends and found them a few tables away from him. Liz looked shocked and her face studied Y/N’s. Diane was confused when their conversation became one-sided as she slowly stopped trying to talk to Liz. Both girls directed their attention to Y/N as she sat her tray down and pulled out her chair.

“What was that Y/N?”

She smiled but feigned confusion at Liz’s question, “what was what?”

“You know damn well what I'm talking about Missy, don't play coy”, Liz motioned for her to spill.

“I still don't know what the what is that you're both whating about '', Diane raised her eyebrows st Y/N “hello spill what are you guys not telling me”.

Liz gave Y/N a pointed look, as if saying ‘go on, tell us exactly what it is I just saw’. But as soon as Y/N opened her mouth to explain Liz cut her off making her roll her eyes at her friends impatience. "Our dear friend, Y/N, was just making eyes at the satanic drug dealer, Eddie Munson. And he was making them back”.

Y/N rolled her eyes again. “First of all drug dealer yes, satanic no. and second we weren't making eyes he's just…” she mumbled the last part, her cheeks flushing red.

“I'm sorry” Diane prodded “what was that” she was smiling trying not to laugh.

Y/N smiled shyly “well as you know, I’ve been seeing someone the past few weeks. and as much as you pried the first time, I told you I wouldn't tell you ‘cause he wasn't ready for people to know, just in case things didn't work out''.

Liz's eyes couldn't get bigger or they might have popped out of her head “WHAT!”

Y/N and Diane giggled “well it's him I'm sort of…”

Liz cut her off again “sort of sneaking around and canoodling with Eddie Munson, Eddie the freak Munson, and you didn't spill the beans immediately to your two closest friends. Notice I didn't say best, ‘cause if we were your best friends, you would have told us the second you even thought about how cute he is” her rant finally came to an end.

“Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you immediately, but we met at a party and he asked me out. There was no build up. Just we weren't and then we were. I told you about the date right after he asked, just not who with”. Y/N and Diane were still trying not to laugh even harder at Liz’s antics.

“Well, I need every single detail right now. Is he a good kisser, is he a gentleman, how much do you like him, is his hair soft? I need some damn answers. I mean they call him a freak for a reason and you're making eyes at him from across the lunch room.”

“Liz calm down, give the girl a chance to speak”.

The laughter died down and Y/N grabbed Liz’s hand, trying to keep her stable while she answered the girl's questions. “He's an amazing kisser. He always holds my neck, and rubs his thumb under my ear. It never fails to make me melt. He is such a gentleman. He's goofy about it, but he’ll hold doors open and pull my chair out. I've started leaving my jacket at home, just ‘cause when I'm cold he’ll wrap his jacket around my shoulders and pull me in for a kiss. I like him a lot. I like him so much I think I love him. His hair is very soft, even though it's always tangled, and my fingers get caught”.

Y/N looked back at her friends, realizing she had started to wander off into her mind. They were both pouting, ‘awe’ written all over their faces.

She grabbed each girl's hand and pulled them in closer. now speaking in a whisper, and looking around to make sure no one was listening. “He's definitely a freak, but they call him that for all the wrong reasons”.

“What are you girls giggling about?”

It was Eddie who had come over and rested his hands on Y/N's shoulders.

The girls looked at him, then back at each other, bursting into laughter at his question.

Y/N stood up and turned to him. His hands came up and rested on the sides of her neck, as his thumbs rubbed circles in the skin under her ears.

Something Liz and Diane didn't fail to notice.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before whispering in her ear “so much, I think I love you too” she smiled shivers cascading down her back.

I had to write this down before I forget but i cant get this idea out of my head of Eddie hearing you tell your friends that youre dating him and a conversation along the lines of woah really youre dating the schools freak and hes a freak alright but not in the way people say he is and then lots of giggling.

#eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson oneshot #blurb week #imagine

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SOUR CANDY

part ii: the princess and the dunce

E. munson x fem!reader

Synopsis: back in Hawkins for spring break, the reader is back from college. She gets sucked into the madness again for the fourth time with her best friend and younger friends. Plus an unexpected and unwelcome face.

Type: fixit fic, angst/comfort, enemies to lovers trope

Warnings: cursing, pining, the kids being little shits, girl gang vs. steve, lots of sarcasm, probably not proofread v well

Authors note: hi, this chapter is a filler with harrington storytelling, little interaction between reader and Eddie, and some back story. If you’d like to be on the tag list please reply and I hope you like it! 🥲

The group gave you a more detailed rundown, what they brainstormed so far, and quite honestly you almost felt useless with everything they told you. Nancy and Robin had an appointment with the director of Pennhurst Asylum, and their fake portfolios were already made to play the part. The kids had already stole Ms. Kelley’s office keys and broke into the school for student files to get more information on the victims. You had to give Steve a not so gentle whop on the back of the head for that one and an angry, “you’ve turned my kids into little felons, Harrington!”

“You act like they were any better under your watch, Y/l/n!”

“Oh shut up!”

And they tried to breeze through the Eddie bits, but you had already bounced back from your prior shock and anxiety. Your usual sarcasm and witty remarks whenever Eddie was mentioned or in the picture equally as fierce as if you weren’t deep down a nervous wreck.

“Boy if he wasn’t wanted for murder and Hawkins wasn’t in danger this would be his absolute wet dream.” You nonchalantly threw in in the middle of the recap.

“God Y/n gross!” Dustin groaned. “Leave the man alone, he's not even in the room!”

You shrugged, “even better.” The young adults rolled their eyes besides Robin. She was amused by all your antics.

“Hm, you still need her help now?” Steve retorted to the younger curly head boy.

The lanky blond raised her hand, “I need her for her emotional support if this is what she has to bring to the table.” This caused Nancy to look down, biting her lip trying to remain stoic. Robin never got to really hang out with you before you went to college and she was highly disappointed Steve never made it happen sooner and when you did it seemed only when your lives were in peril.

“No, Robin, no!” Steve protested. “She’s supposed to be the big brain with her big girl pants on. I didn’t realize her common sense went out the window in college.” He then clicked his tongue directing his puppy dog glare to Nancy. “Oh wait I did!”

You and the other older girls looked amongst each other, feeling like scolded children. You all covered your mouths and bit your knuckles trying to remain serious, before you all busted out into giggles.

“My common sense isn’t out the window,” you clarified, calming down. “I’m still the big brain with the big girl pants on. Also I 100% believe Eddie didn’t commit the murders, but unlike this close minded town that believe what the little birdies tell them, I have a genuine dislike for him for genuine reasons.”

“You would like him if you gave it another chance!” Lucas piped up, Dustin agreed nodding.

Steve shook his head, “no no no no, Sinclair you sure did it!” He was pacing the floor like crazy with his hands on his hips.

You could only offer a bitter smile at their naivety. You never offered any insight about the ringleader when the boys called you at college telling you about the Hellfire Club they joined because you didn’t want to burst their bubble. Even if he treated you, the preppy kids, and the jocks like dirt, he still had a heart of gold towards the outcasts or ‘his sheep’. You had even considered yourself one of his sheeps long ago.

“I did give it a chance, so you can ask Munson next time you see him, get his hot take on the topic.”

You finally had enough of the grill session of your personal history with the dark curly haired man that still seemed to plague your life even after you graduated. You wanted to stop talking about him all in general for the rest of the night. “So he’s just laying low at the boathouse while you figure the nitty gritty out?” You hummed curiously.

“Pretty much,” Dustin said. You nodded, getting up, walking over to Mike’s dusty bookshelf. You grabbed a stack of the D&D guidelines and the boys old campaign books heading to the stairs. “Wait where are you going?” He asked.

“Quite honestly, at the moment it seems everything is sorted. There’s no play where my piece comes into the plan for now. I’m home two days earlier than expected, and if my mom sees my car in the Wheeler Driveway she’ll have an actual aneurysm if I didn’t stop home first. So how about I get settled, take some of these D&D books home and do my own research. I still have my walkie so call me when you need me, yeah?”

“You’re not going to help me watch the kids while those two play break in?” Steve said incredulously.

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh I thought you were babysitter of the year?” You ruffled his hair endearingly.

He swatted your hands away, “stop I already know your grubby fingers are covered in sour candy powder. It's the equivalent to an old man chain smoking cigarettes all day for you.” You teasingly wiggled your fingers towards him giggling.

“Steve she is right though,” Nancy spoke up. “She can help us later, right now we have the plans in order.”

You gave him a knowing look, “See there are other young ladies here with a big brain and big girl pants on. I’ll check in when I get home and let me know when to come back!” You left the residence before any more protests came from anyone.

Your house was empty when you arrived, which was perfect because you didn’t want to be smothered by your parents at the moment. With Eddie on the loose, they probably would try to keep you locked in the house for the break. You couldn’t have that happen so you had to plan now. You ran up the stairs leaving your luggage by the front door going straight to your room. You pulled a box from the bottom of your closet underneath hidden by other boxes so if your mom tried to snoop she couldn’t find it.

Walkie talkie-check, old copies from all the research you’ve done over the years-check, a small array of weapons like a handgun you nicked from your dad’s office and hunting knives-check, a flask of some unknown alcohol to calm the nerves-double check.

You clicked the walkie talkie on, making sure it was signaled into the channel you all agreed on.

“Does anyone copy?” You asked.

“Yes Y/n, we copy.” Steve huffed and annoyed you left him on a goose chase with the kids. Max threatened to bring lawyers into this if he didn’t do as she said. So here he was driving them all around.

“Well, well, well,” another voice cut in through the speaker. Your throat ran dry, and your skin felt like pins and needles, and you could feel your chest get warm, and a blush crept up your neck. It’s been almost a year since you heard it. “Princess of Hawkins not the voice I’d thought I’d hear over the walkie but not the most unpleasant thing to happen to me the past few days.” Eddie’s voice was hoarse and husky as if he just woke up but still oozed a venomous bite.

You gulped, feeling the hair on your arms stick up so much for not talking about him for the rest of the night.

“The dunce of Hawkins? Oh golly, congrats! I didn’t have high standards for you, but here you are setting the bar lower than I ever anticipated: Hawkins most wanted.” Your tone faux sweet like honey.

You heard the walkie click and unclick a couple times as he went to respond, oh you got him good. You just had a feeling.

“If I knew you were coming home I would’ve robbed a bank too just to impress you, sweetheart.” You could hear the slight falter crack in his voice, but you knew a sarcastic toothy grin smile was on his face by the end. His dimples imprinted in your mind. You knew that smile too well.

“Mm, I’m not the one you need to impress, but a penny for your thoughts Munson?” You cooed fakely.

“Pray tell, Y/l/n?” He sneered.

“When we get this fucking mess over with and you’re cleared, you’ll have to impress the hoarde of sheep listening to the news mumbo jumbo.”

“Good to know,” was all he said. You smirked to yourself satisfied leaving the conversation at that as you went to retrieve your things.

In Steve’s BMW, they all heard the exchange between the two. He rolled his eyes, he could cut the tension between you two with the knife. It was almost comical that everything he was worried about was coming true.

“What’s with the fifth degree between them besides him breaking her heart?” Lucas asked.

“It’s not my place to tell-“ Steve started to say, but Max cut them off.

“Dodo brains, you really can’t tell or pick up on any of the hints? She is obviously still in love with him! Even after he broke her heart!” She acted like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“That might be a little far fetched and exaggerated, Max.” Steve made a face. Love, that was too strong of a word to describe how he at least knew how his best friend felt back then. Maybe a crush, then he would say she finally wised up and realized how much of bozo Munson was.

“Then what is it Steve?” Max pried.

“Yeah I would like to know more about the Princess and the Dunce.” Lucas added, quoting the two.

“Sounds like it’s a canned script for a John Hughes movie.” Dustin egged Steve on.

“I-I don’t know,” he laughed nervously, gripping his steering wheel harder.

The kids could see he was hesitating, so close to telling everything.

“If you don’t spill the beans, I’ll get the lawyer involved.” Max glared at him through the rear view mirror.

“Max what the hell!” Dustin looked at her, she just innocently shrugged. She had no problem blackmailing Harrington if it’s one of her final days. He knew he would forgive her later.

He took a deep breath sighing, “fine but if any of this is known to Y/n, you did not hear it from me!” The kids cheered. “Y/n saw what you all see in him. Whatever that may be.” He mumbled the last part under his breath.

“If you could believe it, they used to be pretty close in middle school. Even convinced the brat to ditch me and get her to play Dungeon and Dragons with him.”

“Y/n played?! That’s sick!” Dustin exclaimed excitedly.

Steve smiled thoughtfully, “yeah I would say so.” Even though he didn’t mean sick the way Dustin meant it. “Anyway, as you guys know she was always a sweet and kind girl. Most people called her a goody two shoes, but Y/n had some tricks up her sleeves.”

Lucas cleared his throat, “what kinda tricks? Magic?” Dustin snorted at that.

“She loved comics as much as you guys do, and had a sweet spot for metal music. That’s what the princess and the dunce bonded about. She hated every class but Art. She was wicked good at it too.”

“Wow Y/n sounded so cool, how is she even friends yet alone best friends with you?” Max asked in awe.

“Ha ha ha, we’ve been best friends since diapers if that helps you comprehend.” Steve started to get annoyed with the mocking and comments. “If she and I met in high school pre eddie we wouldn’t have been friends. Now post eddie is a different story.” Lucas went to interject, but was stopped. “I’m getting to the point, Sinclair.”

“Y/n and I got to high school, Eddie was a junior. Girl didn’t care about reputations. Boy she got ragged on for talking to him and hanging around him. That’s when I think she really started to like him too. He didn’t have that uneven buzz cut anymore, embraced his quirks more, he had that whole Motley Crue look going on, really grew into himself. Let’s face it though my hair is still better, I wasn’t graced with Harrington as my last name for nothing.” He fixed his hair subconsciously.

“Yeah we know too much about you, more about Y/n.” Max interrupted.

“Rude,” he rolled his eyes. “So it was the end of the school year and we had the End of School dance coming up. Y/n was excited and talked about potentially asking Eddie to it. Mind you this is when we started to hang out with some older kids in our classes. They teased her a lot about it. That even if he was ‘freak’, and to have been so lucky to have been asked by a sweet goody two shoes like her; she was a pipsqueak freshman asking a junior out to a dumb dance that only freshmen really went to anyway. It was gym class and she finally had the courage to ask him. She was nervous, the upperclassmen were teasing her, but she didn’t care. She approached him and asked, he just looked wary. He stared at the group of us not too far away from her and him. He seemed to connect his own dots, accusing us of putting her up to it by asking him. He insisted it was a prank or initiation the upperclassmen made her do to get into the crew. The upperclassmen were laughing hysterically about the ordeal in general, but the fact she got rejected because he genuinely didn’t believe her that she wanted to go to a dance with him.”

“That’s awful,” Max shook her head. She felt bad for both you and Eddie. She admired you, she watched you stick up to Billy for her. She never had anyone do that outside her family, not even Billy’s girlfriends treated her so kindly like you did. She thought you deserved nothing but good things in this already messed up world. That went for Eddie as well watching him accept her three friends into Hellfire with open arms he even tried to get her, but she politely told him she doesn’t play.

“Yeah and the thing with Y/n is, she bottles most of her feelings besides happiness and anger in. She doesn’t get upset, she gets even. The summer before sophomore year was the worst because she just changed. Stopped being as free spirited and careless in the ways that made her great, and became careless and reckless in other ways. She started hanging around the douchebags I hung around more often, even tried to join the cheerleading squad.”

“I remember that! She was the worst cheerleader!” Lucas chuckled.

“When the other would go right and she would go left!” Dustin hollered. Max flicked both of them in the ears.

“What happened to her and Eddie though?” She asked impatiently.

“What you just heard a few moments ago, Eddie became the match or lighter to Y/n’s Molotov cocktail. Did you think there was something else Mayfield?”

Max shook her head, “that’s not fair.”

Steve just shot her a tight lipped smile, “that’s what happens though. Life doesn’t treat you fairly as we all know by now.”

“Do you think they would ever make up?” Dustin asked.

“$10 bucks if they do.” Lucas quipped, sticking his hand out.

“$15 if Eddie makes the first move!” Max shook his hand.

“Whoa whoa whoa, you do realize these are the two most stubborn human beings you’ll ever meet?”

“I’m going to put $10 on Y/n, she mildly scares me.” Dustin spit on his hand and held it out. The three others scoffed in disgust.

The younger teenagers looked at Steve expectedly. “No, you three aren’t roping me into a bet about my best friend and her love life!”

“If she’s your best friend, she’s so stubborn, and you know her so well this should be the easiest bet of your life Harrington.” Dustin grinned.

“Oh god I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he stuck his hand out. “Use your other han- oh gross c’mon Henderson! I have to put this hand back on my steering wheel!”

taglist: @sunfairyy @eddiemunson4ever @babygirlwilly

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