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becca-alexa · 1 year

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Ride the Lightning

Chapter Six: Too Fast for Love

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

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Original Female Character

Summary: Eddie can't keep his thoughts straight from his feelings, and he goes to Steve for advice. What will he say?

Word Count: 2.6K

Content Warnings: [N/A]

Author's Note: shorter chapter this time! we're getting a look into Eddie's side of things -- promise we'll get Veronica's side somewhere!!

and THANK YOU to @rollforhellfire for reading this -- i literally do now know what i would be doing without you at this point your comments are everything and i wish you every happiness this universe can give <3333

Eddie thrust himself upright, chest heaving, searing, his body all but dripping in perspiration as a wrenching scream died somewhere within the cotton-dry tightness of his throat. He’d tried to swallow, nearly choked for air, swearing his heart was moments away from tearing its way through his chest. He dragged both hands through his sleep-tangled hair, trembling as they settled at the back of his head, squeezing, pinching in their effort to settle him, ground him from whatever utter freefall he’d awoken from.

He felt as though he’d been burned, suffocated, electrified, reduced to ashes and blown away with the passing breeze. He could feel his skin crawl, a shiver raking its way up his spine, settling in the fine hairs at the nape of his neck before working its way back down his body.

His gaze darted to the door, and he fell back onto his aging mattress with a sigh of pure relief - he’d remembered to close it.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he tore the blanket away, kicking it aside as he jumped to his feet, still shaking as he gathered whatever clothes were within arm’s reach before tearing his way toward the bathroom. Was his uncle awake? Could he have heard something? God, he hoped not. The suffocating haze of Eddie’s thoughts slowly began to clear, leaving in its wake an even more agonizing slew of questions. Desperate to clear his mind - to forget, to return to the normalcy he’d had mere hours before - he pulled away his clothes, stepping into the cascading stream to take the most frigid shower of his life, welcoming the shivers over the suffocating heat steaming over his skin.

And, barely an hour afterward, Eddie had driven himself to Steve Harrington’s house with the speed and havoc-induced mayhem of a man nearing insanity, and he pounded his fist against the door, the thought of simply ringing the doorbell lost on him.

“Munson? What the Hell, man?” Steve threw open his front door with enough force to rattle the frame, his voice clipped and quiet - but, before he could continue his flurry of complaints, Eddie had pushed himself into his home, pacing around the living room, hands wild as he spoke, Steve left scrambling to make sense of his verbal vomit.

“Eddie-”

“I swear to God, Steve - I’m losing it…!” Eddie shouted; whether he was aware - or even cared - that it was 7:15 in the morning remained to be seen.

Steve felt himself getting lightheaded as he tried to follow the man’s movements through his living room, rapid and crazed - it was way too early for this. “Dude, calm down-”

Eddie froze, his steps jarring to a halt, turning himself bodily to stare at Steve, jaw slack and hanging. “Calm… down?” His voice was low, strained, nearly painful in its control before devolving into a panic. “Calm down? Harrington, I am having a crisis of Biblical proportions and you’re telling me to calm down?”

Somewhere between Eddie dragging his hands over his face and pulling at the ends of his hair for what Steve swore had to be the umpteenth time, Dustin trudged his way down the staircase, rubbing the lingering traces of sleep from his eyes as he moved to stand beside Steve, the pair still struggling to follow Eddie’s erratic behavior.

“What’s going on?” the younger boy asked, his question trailing off into a yawn. Steve shrugged his shoulders, arms crossing atop his chest.

“I don’t know, he’s freakin’ out about the Bible or something-”

At his voice, Eddie’s head snapped toward them; a raving, desperate type of smile stretching across his face, as though he’d been walking aimlessly through a desert and Dustin had led him to an oasis. “Henderson!” he shouted, nearly falling to his knees in sheer relief. “Finally, someone with experience…!”

Despite still being in the dark, Steve couldn’t help but feel offended. “Hey, what’s that supposed to-”

Eddie ignored him. “I get dizzy when she talks, and… and I can’t stop thinking about her…!” He tried to keep his breathing even, steady, his last remaining bit of rationale preventing him from hyperventilating altogether. “I can barely keep it together when she’s around, and I’m miserable when she’s not…!

Steve leaned in close to Dustin, whispering through Eddie’s prattling, “Who’re we talking about?”

And Dustin whispered in response, “I think it’s about Veronica.”, snorting back a laugh as Steve’s eyes went wide, mouth hung open, his eyes moving back to the man of the hour.

“Oh.”

Eddie continued on. “The inside of my van smells like her perfume.” he said, voice accusatory, quaking as though the thought of having the vehicle in question smell of anything other than weed and cheap cologne was an affront to God. “I’ve called her so many times, I could dial her number in my sleep. I bought new sheets for my bed because she sat there to do homework. Once. And now I’m having dreams-” He stopped, visibly shuddering at something none of them completely understood. “What the Hell’s wrong with me?”

Steve could only stare, struggling to process what he’d just heard.

With a shriek, Eddie exclaimed, “Steve…!”

“Alright, Munson! Cool it!” Steve shouted back, voice booming, somehow settling Eddie down enough to quit his infernal pacing; he bit at his fingernail, his patience worn thin, and he could barely keep himself from drowning in his fluttering anxiety as he awaited Steve’s answer. “So, you think about her all the time?”

Eddie nodded furiously, his hair swaying about his shoulders. “I can’t not think about her. It’s like she’s burrowed into my brain or something.”

Steve made a face of disgust. “I don’t need the visuals, man.” he said with a groan, shaking off the mental image of wriggling vines before continuing, “And you miss her when she’s not around?”

“Yep.” Again, Eddie nodded. “I… I get all itchy, y’know? Like, my skin starts to crawl and I just need to see her.”

“You miss her right now?”

It felt as though the very air had been torn from his lungs, his mind wiped clean of any coherent thought aside from the glaringly obvious. Once, twice, three times he’d tried to speak, but his mouth only opened and closed in silence. He cleared his throat, pushing out his voice past chapped lips. “Yeah, I… I do.”

Steve nodded his head, as though finally understanding where Eddie’s desperation was coming from. “And her voice…?”

“It makes him dizzy, dude.” Dustin chimed in, giving the older man a nudge with his elbow. “He said that part first.”

“Dizzy, how?”

Eddie swallowed. “As if I can’t focus on anything but her.” As he spoke, he pulled at the tips of his fingers, desperate to distract himself. “I-It makes my head spin and my stomach gets all weird.” His worried gaze darted between the two of them, his words heavy and lingering, and he couldn't help but assume the worst at their shared silence. “Am I gettin' sick or something?”

“Uh-huh.” tutted Steve, shifting himself onto his leg, arms crossed, his brow raised in keen understanding. “Interesting.”

The older man bristled at the goad, his eyes narrowing, jaw tensing as he clenched his fists at his sides, knuckles white, skin paling. “This is no time to be cryptic, Harrington.” Eddie hissed, his words forced through clenched teeth, hollow and blunt. “What do you mean?”

Steve turned and gave Dustin a look, and bit back his grin as the realization dawned over him, the boy’s face stretching into a smile so broad and beaming, it bordered on painful.

“You have a crush.” His voice, hushed with amazement, quickly collapsed into a shout. “Dude, you totally have a crush on Veronica…!”

Eddie halted, his whirlwind of emotions suddenly calming, doe eyes wide as his gaze fell onto nothing in particular, unfocused and distant as Dustin's words echoed through his mind. He shook his head, and his voice came out softer, weaker than any of them could have anticipated. “No, I… I don't.”

But Dustin was insistent. “You do! You're crazy about her!” he shrieked, bouncing atop the balls of his feet. “I knew you liked her - I knew it!”

Eddie kept shaking his head, hands beginning to tremble as he shoved them deep into the pockets of his jacket. “I don’t…!” he exclaimed, his words louder, tinged with panic and disbelief. “I don't like her!” He’d reached for Dustin - purely to make the kid shut up - but he’d missed, sending him into a fit of giggles as he continued on with his taunting.

“You like her, you like her! You like Veronica!”

And Steve watched on, relishing the tomato-red flush of Eddie’s face before grabbing the younger boy by the collar of his shirt, pulling him back to his side.

“Y’know what, Munson? You're right.” Clear as day, his voice broke through Dustin’s revelry; he took a step toward Eddie, eyes affixed to his face, arms still loosely crossed over his chest. “You don't like her.”

“Thank y-”

“You love her.”

Eddie felt his pulse drop, felt the color drain from his face as the room began to tilt, his legs gelatin as he locked his knees to keep himself standing. Love? Why was he talking about love? As the word - that damned word - carved itself into his mind, settled, took root and blossomed, Eddie realized he couldn’t deny it.

He could deny liking her with every fiber of his being - the word felt intrusive, the sentiment wrong. Sure, there were things he liked about her - several things, innumerable things, things he’d often catch himself daydreaming and losing himself in his thoughts about - yet none reflected the meaning Dustin insisted on.

But he couldn’t deny loving her, whatever that meant.

“I’m not… I-I don’t-” Eddie stammered, his mouth refusing to cooperate, his voice unconvincing and hollow; he took a step back, moving further into the house, his breathing labored as he tried to think, to work through the blaring sirens in his head. Eventually, he’d broken himself away from them, and before they could think to stop him, he’d retreated out the back door, his mumbled excuse of “I need a smoke” doing little to convince them that he was alright. Giving the boy a sharp look, Steve followed him out.

“Eddie?” Steve called after him, finding him leaning against the side of his home, hands shaking as he searched his pockets for a pack of cigarettes. “You good, man?”

“M’fine.” He didn’t look at him as he spoke, didn’t lift his head from where he’d tucked it into his chest, hand cupped over his mouth as he struggled to get his lighter to work against the chilling wind.

For a while, things were quiet; neither spoke - neither wanted to speak - but Steve knew better than to let things settle as they were.

“You worried she won’t like you back?”

Eddie shook his head. “‘S not that, it’s…” He kicked at his feet, cigarette hanging between his lips as he let out a heavy, tired breath. “I’m not like you, Steve. Chicks haven’t exactly been flocking under my open wings, y’know?”

“C’mon, Munson, it’s not like that-”

“It is, though.” His words were rushed, nervous, eyes wide and searching as he turned to look at Steve, shoulders hunched against the cold. “You’ve never had a problem getting dates. Hell, girls want to go out with you - the only time I can get a girl near me is if she’s lookin’ to buy.”

“Eddie…”

“Veronica’s not… She’s different. She’s nice a-and funny and she smiles when she talks to me, and…” His breathing was uneven, and he shook his head again, nearly crushing his cigarette between tight fingers as he pulled it out of his mouth. “Hard to believe, but that doesn’t happen much.” After a breath, he added in a quiet voice, “Doesn’t happen at all.”

“So, you don’t-”

“It’s not that I don’t, it’s…” He dragged a hand through his hair, rough as it snagged in a tangle, and he pressed the warmth of his palm into the back of his neck. “How’m I supposed to know I’m in love if I’ve never felt it before?”

The words hung between them, latent and strong, and it took Steve longer than he’d care to admit to gather his thoughts.

“Ever had a girlfriend?” he asked, despite already knowing the answer; Eddie gave a noncommittal look, shrugging as he turned back against the side of the house. “So you’re still…?”

“Christ, Steve, really?” Eddie exploded, face sweltering with embarrassment as he pelted what was left of his cigarette to the ground, snubbing it out with his foot. “I’m two steps away from havin’ a Goddamn panic attack and that’s what you want to know?” He shoved his hands back into his pockets, and bit at the inside of his mouth, a sour frown on his face as he mumbled, “Don’t make it sound gross, dude.”

“I’m not, it’s just…” Steve scrambled to explain himself, tripping over his words. “I’m surprised.”

“What, that I’m a freak and a virgin?”

He bristled at the insinuation. “I never said that.”

And Eddie spat back, “Didn’t have to.”

Another silence, another cold breeze, another rustling of graying trees against a gray sky. “Look, if you want my advice - and I mean real advice, not whatever crap the kids’ll tell you - take it slow.” Eddie turned back toward his friend, his curiosity besting him; Steve kept his eyes glued to the ground - it wasn’t easy, whatever he was trying to say. He rolled his shoulders, kicked at a stone, took in a breath before continuing. “When I was with Nance, I… I took things too fast. Too hard, y’know?” His eyes looked sad, gleaming at a memory long since passed. “It wasn’t good for either of us. In the end… I drove her away.”

“Pushed her to Byers?” Eddie asked, having only heard bits and pieces from the others about the breakup.

Steve turned to look at him, replying in a wistful tone of voice, “Yeah, exactly.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, distantly regretting not having grabbed his coat before chasing after Eddie. “I wasn’t thinking about her. Hell, I wasn’t thinking at all.” And, with a hand clamped to the man’s shoulder, he continued, “Take it from me, man - decide what you want before you start making moves. If you want to just be friends, cool - but if you want something more, figure it out for yourself before you drag her into it.” He nodded, hand falling back to his side, arms crossing over his chest. “Save you both the heartache.”

“Steve-”

“And if Dustin tries giving you pointers, ignore him.” he added quickly, pointing a finger at the man’s face. “I swear to God, if I have to listen to one more story about some phone call he had with Suzie, I’ll go bananas.”

“Steve!” Speaking of the Devil, Dustin shouted for him, half-draped over the open glass door, phone held out in his hand, the coiled cord stretched nearly to tearing. “Call for you!” With a nod, he turned to go back inside, but was stopped by a hand pulling at his wrist.

“Hey… uh… How will I know I’m… y’know?” Eddie asked, face still tinged pink - whether from the cold or from their conversation, he couldn’t tell. Steve bit back a smile, and shook his head.

“You just will, man.” he said smoothly - because of course he would. “It’ll all just fall into place, and… and loving her will just make sense.”

“Steve!”

“Gimme a minute, Henderson!” he shouted back, letting out a heavy sigh. “Just think about it, alright? You’ll figure it out eventually.”

Eddie didn’t know how long he’d stayed outside after Steve had left him, how many cigarettes he’d lit that burned down to nothing in his fingers, or how many times his train of thought had begun and ended with Veronica.

Tag List

@lulukings92

#ride the lightning #becca.fic #i thought dustin was annoying on the show and that absolutely will carry on into this fic #also i was going to put in a chernobyl reference in place of the Biblical bit but according to my imaginary timeline this is too early #i know where i am in this we are somewhere in december '85/january '86 by this point probably #also SOMEONE ASKED TO BE TAGGED????I HAVE A TAGLIST NOW????????#wowowowowowowowow i feel so legit now for having one :O #and yeah our boy had a dream about his girl and lost his shit over it #eddie munson #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x original female character #stranger things

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