#staffi | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

seidenbros · 2 years

Text

The Stars Remind Me of You

Requests are open | prompt lists for inspiration | Stranger Things Masterlist

Pairing: Eddie Munson x (fem) Hopper!Reader Word count: 8767 Summary: El asks her older sister Y/N to help Hopper come around to Mike and her dating. Y/N’s solution to this? Get Eddie to pretend to be her boyfriend and act way worse than Mike. What starts as a joke, ends up being something very real. Warning/Tags: fluff, sooo much fluff, fake-dating, falling in love, first kiss (let me know if I missed anything) Author’s note: Congratulations to the wonderful @loveronlineee on 10k followers! What a milestone and so well deserved. So, this was a prompt from their 10k Celebration and I immediately fell in love with the Hopper!Reader prompt, so I had to write it down. And in all honestly: it's long but I could have written even more, because I love that dynamic. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it 💚

Read on AO3

“Y/N, you need to help me!” El proclaimed as she walked into your room, leaving the door wide open because your Dad wasn’t home, he was at work. Immediately, you lowered the volume of the music and put your book aside, laying it face down on your bed.

“What’s wrong, pumpkin?” You couldn’t even remember when you’d started calling her that, but it had stuck, because she’d liked it. It always reminded her of fall, of Halloween, when the two of you carved pumpkins with Hopper - a tradition El had quickly learned to love.

“It’s Dad.” She heaved a sigh and sat down next to you on the bed. It had been just you and Hopper until El had appeared, but you’d quickly opened your heart to her, made her part of your family. She was your sister, and you introduced her like that to everyone.

“What did he do this time?” Oh, Hopper was protective, always had been, and you still remembered how he scared your first boyfriend away with all his questions. In the end that had been better for you, because that lying, cheating bastard hadn’t deserved your time of day. Still, in that moment, you’d been so angry with your father that you hadn’t talked to him for nearly a week. He always wanted what was best for you and El, but sometimes, he had questionable methods.

“That stupid three inch rule he has for one.” El leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “And he always interrupts and calls Mike’s Mum to tell her he’ll pick me up. I’m not a child anymore!”

That much was true, but you still had to chuckle. He’d had that three inch rule since you could remember, even though you hadn’t really brought that many guys home, at least not boyfriends, but he’d made sure that the door stayed open even when you’d only had a friend over to study for a test together.

“You’re lucky he actually likes Mike. You don’t want to know what he’s like when he doesn’t like the guy you’re going out with.”

“Why?”

“Because he goes full on cop-mode on that poor guy. I mean, in the end it was good, because Trevor had been lying to me the whole time.” You shrugged your shoulders, because it had been quite some time ago, and every guy after that hadn’t really seen your home. You’d done your best to keep your dates away from your home, but Hopper had found out nonetheless. Oh, all the talks you’d had with him, but they’d at least paved the way for El a little bit. You hoped.

“Mike is not lying to me.”

“I wasn’t implying that. I know that Mike is a good guy.” You really did. You’d known him for years now, and the way he looked at El was the way you wanted someone to look at you one day. Not that you were actively looking, because you were completely content without a boyfriend by your side - especially because most guys were rather superficial and just wanted to get you in the sheets.

“We can’t even go and watch a movie without him waiting for me as soon as the movie is over.” El pushed herself up on her elbows, her eyes on you. “Can you help me? Get him off my back?”

“I might have an idea.” Slowly, a grin started forming on your lips. You loved your sister enough to help her, and in addition you could play a little prank on your Dad. But therefore, you needed someone else, and that would probably take a little bit of convincing.

“Really?”

“Yeah… but we need Mike for this and we have to talk to his friend Eddie Munson.” You knew Eddie, but not that well, but you knew the rumours - and you also knew how much of that was true - and Hopper knew about them as well. So coming home with Eddie Munson by your side would definitely take your father’s focus off your sister.

“What do you want to talk to Eddie about?” El scrunched up her nose, her eyes fixed on you. The way you grinned at her, though, made her slowly realise what was going on. “Oh… Oh!”

And that was what brought you here, to Eddie’s trailer, Mike in tow. It was still warm enough to sit outside, at least as long as the sun was out. Once the sun was gone, you’d need a sweater, but you always had one in your car just in case.

“You’re kidding, right?” Eddie asked with a laugh, shaking his head, after you’d told him your idea.

“No, we’re completely serious!” Mike looked at Eddie, El’s hand clutched in his. These two were desperate, you could tell, and it wasn’t because they wanted to sneak away to do whatever… it was all so innocent.

“Would it be so bad to pretend to go out with me?” You chuckled to cover up insecurities that were bubbling up. At least your words managed to shut him up. Eddie looked you over, before he started to smile again.

“That’s definitely not it. I mean, it’s more that nobody would believe that someone like you is actually going out with the likes of me.” Eddie winked at you, covering up his own insecurities with that. He knew what people saw when they looked at him, and it was okay. He’d grown accustomed to that, because he had a couple of people in his life who knew him, who liked him for who he was.

“Well, but what if that’s exactly the kind of guy I like?” you challenged, crossing your arms beneath your breasts. “I haven’t dated anyone in a while because I don’t want one of these stuck up idiots that are overwhelmed when you ask them what the last book they read was. And then they answer with something like does this or that sports magazine count?” You rolled your eyes, because you’d really had these conversations.

Eddie looked at you for a moment, his lips slowly curving up into a smile. He liked your answer, liked the way you’d just described the majority of the guys here.

“Fair enough,” he said, trying to hide the smile behind his hair. “On one condition… Mike, you’ll take care of cleaning the room when we’re done with Hellfire for let’s say… two months.”

“Deal!” Mike pretty much jumped at this, grinning like a lovesick teenager - which he was - because this hopefully meant that he’d be able to spend some time alone with El, without Hopper waiting around every corner.

“So… what do you need from me, sweetheart?” Eddie focused his whole attention on you now, taking a step closer. After all, if you were going to pretend to be dating, you’d need to get accustomed to each other, get used to being close to each other.

“I need you to face my Dad,” you said with a laugh, because you knew just how many guys were afraid of him.

“So, you need me to piss him off?”

“More or less. Though I think just the fact that we’re dating will be enough to get his attention of these two.” You cast a quick look at El and Mike who were already deep in conversation again, before you turned back to Eddie. “He knows all the rumours about you, so that will be enough. Not that I believe all that’s being said about you, couldn’t care less about some stupid rumours people put out there because they’re not happy with their own lives and need to put others down to not deal with their own problems… But he knows about them and he’ll keep a close watch on you when we’re together.”

“Mhm,” Eddie hummed, his grin growing bigger the more you talked.

“I’m rambling, aren’t I?” You asked, shaking your head, because you knew that you could talk a mile a minute when you got agitated, and the people of Hawkins with all their prejudices really managed to bring that to light.

“Don’t worry, it’s cute!” Eddie cocked his head to the side, reaching for your hand. He was impressed with what you’d just said, because you’d said just what he was thinking about Hawkins, about the people here. “So, when do we start this?”

Eddie pulled you a little closer by the hand and you smiled. It was unusual, but it felt good, even though this wasn’t real. It was just pretend, like everything else that would happen between you from now on. You had no idea how far you’d take this, how much you needed to do to convince Hopper, though you were pretty sure that it was enough to show up with Eddie at your cabin.

“Tonight? We could go watch a movie, my treat. You pick me up and take me back home? Hopper should finish work in a bit, so he’ll be home when you pick me up. Only if you’re free of course.”

Eddie chuckled, before he raised his head to look at the sky. “Let me check…” Then he looked back at you. “I can make that happen. Pick you up at seven. And wear something nice!” He said it with a wink that made you smile. Of course you’d planned on dressing up for the occasion, because you Dad needed to get the right picture.

—

While El was preparing dinner with Hopper, you got ready to go out. You’d chosen a dress that didn’t reveal too much, just the right amount, showing off a bit of cleavage, and you’d opted for some red lipstick that went with the colour of the dress.

“Oh you look so pretty!” El immediately said with a smile when you entered the kitchen. It brought a smile to your lips, and you remembered that you wanted to show El a thing or two about makeup the next time you did this. You usually didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but it was good for the effect you wanted to achieve.

“Thanks, pumpkin!”

“Where’re you going dressed like… that?” Hopper scanned your outfit before his eyes bored into yours.

“I’m going on a date.” Your outfit was not the least bit inappropriate, you weren’t a kid anymore, so he couldn’t tell you what to wear. If he could, he’d probably shove a big ugly sweater at you that hid your whole body.

“What date?” That got his attention, drew it away from the outfit you were wearing. A good sign.

“I’m going to watch a movie with Eddie.”

“Eddie who?”

“Does it really matter? Dad, I’m nineteen!”

“Of course it matters!” He got up from the chair where he’d been cutting up vegetables to walk over to you. “So…?”

“Eddie Munson.” You crossed your arms and didn’t look away.

“Oh hell nah! You’re not going out with that guy.” Hopper shook his head violently, and you had to do your best not to laugh, because this was just the reaction you’d predicted. El was watching in amusement, only because Hopper couldn’t see her.

“Yes I am.” You could hear the car pull up in front of the cabin. “And I am leaving now!”

“Y/N! He’s trouble!”

“Well, maybe I like a little trouble.” You had the audacity to smirk at him, before you grabbed your keys and pretty much bolted out of the door and ran towards Eddie’s van.

“Hello sweetheart,” he greeted you, because he’d just gotten out of the car to pick you up at the door, but that was apparently not what you wanted.

“Get in and let’s go!” You commanded him and quickly got in the car, because you heard the front door open behind you again.

“Y/N!” Hopper yelled after you, stepping out onto the porch.

“Oh shit,” Eddie mumbled and followed your orders. Before Hopper could get to the car, the two of you were on your way to the cinema.

“What did you tell him?” Eddie asked on the way.

“Just that I’m going out with Eddie Munson.” You turned in your seat to look at him. “And then I kinda went gotta go and bolted for the door.” A chuckle followed your words.

“He really thinks that highly of me, yeah?”

You could see the corners of his lips twitch up only for a moment, but then his lips set in a firm line. He was used to people assuming the worst about him, but sometimes, it still hurt.

“It’s not exactly that.” You reached out your hand to lay it on his forearm, give him some reassurance. “He’s just extremely protective of us. He’s usually not someone who believes in a lot of rumours, but when it comes to his daughters, he’ll listen to everything people say just to figure out if it’s true or not to protect us. He scared my ex boyfriend off with his behaviour. I mean, I’m glad he did, because I didn’t need that rat bastard in my life cheating on me, but I guess that’s one reason why I didn’t date that much after that.”

“Makes sense… I mean that he wants to protect you.” Eddie could get behind that, figuring that Hopper was someone who did everything for the ones he loved, and that included checking out the guys you went out with. “What’s another reason?”

“Well… I already told you that I think most of these guys are extremely superficial.” And that annoyed the hell out of you, because they judged others by what they wore, by their outer appearance, and didn’t care one bit about the person. “And when I tell them that I want to go on adventures one day just like Bilbo did seemingly out of the blue, you can see their eyes popping out of their heads because they have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“Or it’s because they think you want to go on an adventure with a couple of bearded men and a wizard.” Eddie chuckled, but his answer made you look over at him again, surprise written all over your face.

“You’ve read the Hobbit!” Excitement was audible in your voice, because you hadn’t found anyone to talk to about this so far.

“Sure have. And The Lord of the Rings… not just once.”

“Finally someone who knows just how good these books are. I mean, I still need to read the last one, but I love them already.” And you’d read The Hobbit three times now, because it alway catapulted you into a completely different world. Because it was written as a children’s book, it was easier to read than the other ones, but you loved them all equally.

“I can say the same. I haven’t met anyone who’s read them all. Gareth started but alway complained because they were too descriptive, so he stopped halfway into the first one.” Which was a shame, but Eddie couldn’t force him to read a good book.

You kept on talking about the books until you were at the cinema. You really enjoyed the movie, and so did Eddie, because you kept talking about it animatedly on your way back. Once he parked the car, though, you felt your pulse pick up, because the lights were still on - just like you’d expected.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to the door,” Eddie offered, opening his door.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to.” Because you didn’t know how Hopper would react, what he would do. It would be a shame if he just chopped off Eddie’s head now that you were getting to know him, and realised that you had a lot more in common than you’d expected.

“Of course. This is a date after all, right?” Eddie winked at you through the open door, before he walked around the car to take your hand and lead you to the door.

“I had a really great evening. I mean it!” You still held his hand, smiled up at him, because this had been the best date you’d ever had, even though it wasn’t a real date. But you could say that it was going out with a friend maybe.

“So did I.” And Eddie wasn’t even surprised, because you were an interesting person, easy to talk to, and didn’t give a shit about everything people said about him. Eddie leaned forward, raised his hands to brush your hair away from your ear. “And you look really nice in that dress…” His breath tickled your ear, making you shiver involuntarily. “Hot even…” He grazed his lips over your cheek, but then the door flew open.

You jumped, because you hadn’t expected it to happen right that moment, but your Dad always had impeccable timing.

“It’s late,” he simply said, arms crossed over his chest, eyes staring daggers into Eddie, and he didn’t even glance at you.

“We came here right when the movie was over. I could have stayed away all night if I wanted to.” You rolled your eyes, but weren’t sure whether Hopper was even listening to you.

“Evening Mr Hopper,” Eddie said, grin still in place. He was intimidated by Hopper, but he would do his best not to let the man see it.

“Get inside!” Now, Hopper looked at you, pointed with his thumb behind himself.

“Alright…” You went to take Eddie’s leather jacket off that he’d given you after the cinema because it had gotten a little cold.

“No, no, keep it till our next date.”

You could swear that you heard a growl from Hopper, but he didn’t move.

“Thank you.” You put your hand on Eddie’s shoulder for leverage, then leaned in to kiss his cheek. “You better go before we get inside, otherwise he’ll give you a talk.” You whispered the words into his ear, making him chuckle. But he followed your advice and got going, waving to you from the van before he drove home.

“What is this, y/n?”

“It was a date, and a great one at that, thank you very much.” You walked past Hopper, who followed you, closing the door behind you.

“You realise that I’m just worried about your well-being, right? Because I love you!”

“Dad…” Your sigh was followed by a smile and you stepped up to him. “I know… But Eddie is the first guy that doesn’t look at me like I’m crazy because I read fantasy books. We actually have a lot to talk about, a lot in common. He’s not as bad as people say he is.” Honest words, because you’d really enjoyed your time together. Not just because everything you’d talked about, but also because Eddie had been the perfect gentleman for the whole evening.

“Right…” Hopper ran a hand over his face before he sighed. “I’ll still keep an eye on him!”

“I know you will.” You leaned up to kiss his cheek before you walked to your room. “Night Dad! Love you!”

“Love you too, kiddo.” He did, he really did, but right now, he didn’t know whether to shake you or lock you up to keep you from making stupid decisions like dating Eddie Munson.

—

Your next date happened a couple of days later. Of course, your Dad had tried to talk to you about Eddie, had asked you whether you really thought that it was a good idea to go out with him, but you’d told him that you really liked Eddie, and enjoyed spending time with him, that he was the most interesting guy that you’d met in this god-forsaken town - and that was true, because while you weren’t really dating, you still spend time together even when Hopper couldn’t see it. Because Eddie and you had a lot in common, conversation flowed easily between the two of you, and he made you smile and laugh so much that you found yourself looking forward to seeing him more and more each day.

Today, Eddie would spend some time at your cabin so that he’d be there once Hopper got home. At least your plan worked, because El was able to spend time with Mike without Hopper being on their backs the whole time, and even when Mike was here, he didn’t check up on them every five minutes. Sure, the three-inches-rule was still active, but they had a lot more time to themselves than before.

“I actually have an idea what we can do,” Eddie said once the door was closed behind him, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

“Judging by the look on your face…”

“Nah, it’s completely innocent, I promise!” Eddie pulled a book from his backpack and held it up for you to read the title. “Since you said you hadn’t started the third book I thought we could read it together.”

“Oh!” That was a surprise, but it definitely made you smile. “I’d love that! It’s been a while since someone read to me.”

“Thought so… And I got you something else.” He reached into the backpack again and presented a Hellfire Shirt to you. “I made you your own shirt… I mean, if you’re my girlfriend, you should have one, right?”

“Are you serious?” Your eyes lit up when you took the shirt from him. You pressed it to your chest, before you leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. “This is great!” Such a wonderful idea, but that also made your heart beat a little faster. Not that this meant anything of course.

You walked with him to your room, pulled your own shirt over your head on the way, giving Eddie a glimpse of your bra. You didn’t think anything of it, but you just wanted to swap your own shirt for the one he’d given you, so you pulled that over your head right away.

Eddie’s eyes were fixed on your back in the moment, on the skin that looked you soft and begged to be touched, but he quickly shook his head. This was just pretend, right? Didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy it, enjoy your presence, talking to you and whatever would happen. But it meant that this was just for some time and not forever, so he had to remind himself of that every now and again, before he really fell in love with you.

“How do I look?” you asked as you twirled around to him, a big smile on your face.

“Ravishing!” Eddie dropped his backpack, eyes fixed on you. Heat rose to your cheeks, because you hadn’t expected that kind of answer from him. “You really look like my girl now.”

My girl… It sounded so good, but you couldn’t allow yourself to get used to it. This wasn’t real after all, but you already knew that you didn’t want to let him out of your life again, keep him as a friend of course.

“It’s really cosy here… I like the decor.” Eddie looked around, a grin on his face. You’d really made it your room, had put up quite a lot of photos on your walls, from your family, friends, parties you’d attended. Eddie stopped in front of some pictures from your last Christmas, El, Hopper and you smiling like idiots with a big cake in front of you, Santa and his reindeer on top of that.

“El wanted a real christmassy cake, and she loves reindeer, so I made that for her.” A fond smile was playing on your lips, because you loved your sister so much, both of them. It had been a lot of work, but it had been worth it.

“You made that?” The astonished look on Eddie’s face made you giggle. “That’s impressive!”

“Thank you. It’s a lot of fun actually… Exhausting, but baking is soothing for the soul. At least for me.”

“So, if I ask reeeeeaaaal nice, will you make me a cake for my birthday?”

“Mhhh I could maybe arrange something. I already have an idea.”

“You gonna tell me?”

“Nope. You’ll just have to wait.” You winked at him before you got on your bed, patting the spot beside you so that he would join you. “But you’re a clever boy, I think you’ll figure out what kind of theme I have in mind.” Especially considering what you’d talked about most, and what you were about to read.

“Maybe,” Eddie said with a grin before he joined you. He took off his shoes so that he wouldn’t get your sheets dirty, then he scooted up so that he could rest his back against the pillows and get comfortable.

As soon as he’d opened the book, though, you changed your position and lay down, resting your head in his lap. When your Dad came back, that would look more convincing than both of you just sitting next to each other, bodies barely touching. Of course, you’d left the door open a bit, because you didn’t want to break your Dad’s rules, even though he wasn’t even home yet.

“Is that okay?” you asked when you felt Eddie stiffen slightly. Maybe you should have asked beforehand.

“Perfect. Was just a little surprised.” Eddie’s smile reassured you, but it also did things to you that you didn’t want to think about too much.

“Okay… but you need to tell me if something’s not okay with you, right?” You had to make sure that he knew that, because you didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable in any way.

“I don’t think you could do anything to make me feel uncomfortable, sweetheart, but the same goes for you. ‘Kay?”

“Yeah, but you’re making me feel really safe with you, so I think I’ll be alright.” You’d thought that from the first moment on, and you had to let him know.

“Good.” Eddie cleared his throat before he opened the book to the first page. Your confession had flustered him a little, but he tried to get some distraction from the book now. “Pippin looked out from the shelter of Gandalf’s cloak. He wondered if he was awake or still sleeping, still in the swift-moving dream in which he had been wrapped so long since the great ride began.”

As soon as he started reading, you closed your eyes. Eddie’s voice was soothing and enthralling at the same time, especially when he made different voices for different characters. He held the book in one of his hands, while the other started playing with your hair, gently massaging your scalp now and then. It had surprised you at first, because it was such an intimate gesture, but you found yourself really enjoying this. It felt good, familiar even though it was the first time the two of you were this close.

The front door opened and then closed with a loud noise. Yep, Hopper had seen Eddie’s van outside of the cabin and he all but stormed towards your room, ready to tell you again about his rules, but he couldn’t say anything, because the door wasn’t fully closed. Still, he shoved it open and stared at the two of you.

“What are you doing?” His eyes scanned your room, your body, and he was relieved to find you still dressed. He trusted you, he just didn’t trust the guys around you, especially not Eddie Munson.

Slowly, you opened your eyes and sat upright. Eddie had nearly gotten you into some trance like state listening to his voice, but that was over now.

“Reading? What does it look like?” You leaned up against Eddie, put your hand on his thigh.

“Reading… That’s what you call it now?” Hopper filled the whole door frame when he crossed his arms, trying his best to calm his own breathing.

“Yes. Reading.” Eddie held up the book he was holding, putting his free hand on top of yours to keep it in place. “Y/N said she hasn’t read The Return of the King yet, so I thought we could read it together.”

“Right…” Hopper sighed, but he narrowed his eyes at Eddie. “And I won’t find any drugs if I search your stuff?”

“Dad!” you gasped, making a move to get off the bed, but Eddie held you back.

“No, you won’t.” Eddie stayed completely calm, and his presence calmed you as well. “No drugs anywhere here. Just my cigarettes.” And that was something Hopper couldn’t say anything against.

“Alright.” Hopper cast a glance at Eddie’s backpack, but thought better of it. After all, he trusted you and he didn’t want to overstep this line. “But the door stays open.”

Eddie stayed for another hour, but then he said that he had band practice, and you didn’t want him to miss that.

“Next time, you read to me, alright?” Eddie said at the door, leaning towards you to kiss your cheek. A real kiss would have made your father believe this even more, but it didn’t feel right.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Goodbye Mr. Hopper!” Eddie called out to your Dad, but only got a grunt in response, because Hopper was glad when Eddie was gone now. He’d been staring at your door pretty much the whole time, and with Eddie’s departure, he’d be able to relax a little bit.

—

The next weekend, Eddie spent time at your cabin again. This time, you wanted to cook dinner together, surprise your Dad with that, and have dinner together. El would come home with him as well, so you were cooking for four people. Eddie had made you a mix-tape that was playing in the background. It was a mixture of his music and yours.

“What do you need me to do?” Eddie asked, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt. “I need instructions, ‘cause I don’t really cook.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you.” You laid out the vegetables, a cutting board and a knife. Eddie Could take care of chopping everything up for the salad while you took care of the chicken. “You have to cut them into small squares.”

“Do they have to be the same size? All of them?” Eddie took the knife in his hand, hoping for a moment that he could stare the vegetables down so that they’d just fall into pieces by themselves, but that wouldn’t work.

“Of course not,” you said with a laugh. “Just bite-sized I would say.”

“Alright. I can probably do that. I’ll try.” And he did. He started with the first bell pepper, his tongue sticking out between his lips in concentration. He took his time, because he wanted to do it correctly and not cut his own finger off. Meanwhile you were ready with preparing the chicken breasts and put them in the oven.

“That looks good!” You leaned over to look at his work, making Eddie chuckle.

“You think so?”

“For someone who doesn’t usually cook, it really does!” You stole a piece of the pepper and popped it into your mouth. “You just need to hold the knife a little differently, that makes it easier. Here, let me.”

You ducked beneath his arm to stand in front of him, your back against his chest. You could feel the heat radiating off him, seeping into your own skin. Your heart reacted immediately, picking up its pace. On the one hand, you didn’t want this, because this was just make believe, but on the other hand, you wanted to know if you were really developing feelings for him. Your own reaction right now, the urge to lean into him more and relish the feeling of being this close to him, spoke volumes.

“Here.” You put your hand on top of Eddie’s, adjusted his grip and then moved his hand to cut the cucumber. “Can you feel how easy this is in comparison to before?”

“Mhm,” Eddie hummed, his head now right next to yours, his chin resting on your shoulder. The hand that wasn’t occupied with cutting up vegetables came around your body, holding you to his chest, his fingers splayed out over your stomach. “You’re a good teacher.” He turned his head towards you, his nose brushing your cheek, before you could feel his lips against it.

“You’re a quick learner,” you contered, a smile spreading on your lips, while your hand stopped moving with his. Eddie put the knife down, before he put his hand on your waist to slowly turn you around to him. Your hands ended up on his shoulders, your heart in your throat by now, and you didn’t trust yourself to say a word.

“Y/N…” his eyes dropped to your lips, but before he could do or say anything else, the door opened.

“Y/N! We’re back!” El exclaimed, the biggest grin on her face that grew even wider when she saw Eddie and you together like this. You quickly scrambled out of his embrace, but Hopper had already seen the two of you together. Which was perfect! At least it should be, because it was proof just how much you liked Eddie, how serious this was, right? Right. And that was the problem for you. This was supposed to be a pretend relationship, not a real one, but your heart had already gone down that road, otherwise it wouldn’t be hammering in your chest. And your skin wouldn’t be tingling everywhere. But what did Eddie think? All of a sudden, this was becoming a bit too real.

“What’s going on here?” Hopper took off his hat, eyes fixed on your flushed face.

“We’re making dinner,” Eddie chipped in, leaning his hip against the counter. “Thought we’d surprise you.”

“Hm.” Hopper nodded, looking from Eddie back to you. “Smells good already.” He didn’t address the situation, just went on to get changed.

“How are things with Mike?” You asked El before she could ask you about what she’d just walked into. You knew that she was capable of something like that, and you didn’t really have an answer. Not one that you wanted to say out loud anyway.

“Good.” El put down her bag and went to set the table. Eddie was busy chopping the rest of the vegetables, grin still in place. “He’s really happy, and I think Dad is getting more… okay with the situation.” Hopper would always have an eye on the guys in his daughters’ lives, but he knew he had to let go eventually.

“I’m happy for you, pumpkin!” You pulled your sister into a hug, glad that your plan had worked.

“Thank you!”

“Set the table, wash your hands, and then we’ll be able to eat, I think.” Eddie was done with the veggies, so you just had to get the dressing ready and the chicken out of the oven, and you were good to go.

Conversation flowed easily over dinner, though Hopper didn’t talk much. He listened in while enjoying the meal you’d cooked. Eddie and El were talking most of the time, and it was heartwarming to see them get along so well. Not that it should matter in the end, but you really enjoyed watching them together. Eddie told her about the next campaign he was planning for Hellfire, but made her promise not to tell Mike anything, a little secret between the two of them.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening, and even your Dad managed a smile of two. But after dinner, it was time for Eddie to leave, because he didn’t want to impose on you, give you some family time. He was always very considerate, which was something your Dad definitely hadn’t expected, and when he offered to walk Eddie out, you wanted to protest, but Eddie said that it was okay. He leaned over to you to kiss your cheek before he waved at your sister.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Eddie gave you a wink before he put his shoes back on and walked outside, jangling the car keys in his hands. Hopper made sure to close the door behind them, because he didn’t want either of you to listen in on his conversation with Eddie.

“So, you’re giving me the talk now?” Eddie asked, turning to face Hopper. He’d never been any parent’s favourite, he knew that, because of his looks, because of the rumours, so he was prepared to be told to stay away from you. In the beginning, he wouldn’t have minded hearing that, in fact, it would have spurred him on to spend even more time with you in order to make Hopper believe that the two of you were head over heels in love with each other. By now… he cared about what your father thought of him. Because he liked you. More than that actually. He’d felt it before today, but after getting so close with you in the kitchen, when he’d wanted to kiss you so badly before you’d been interrupted, he knew that it wasn’t just a pretend situation anymore. At least not for him, and so Hopper’s opinion mattered.

“Look…” Hopper started, rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin before he sighed. “I don’t give a fuck about the rumours. Hell, they say all kinds of stuff about me, too.” But he knew about the drugs, at least that was what he believed to be true, so they wouldn’t talk about this. “All I care about are my daughters. And if you ever… ever hurt y/n, I will make your life miserable.”

Eddie had to admire that kind of attitude, because his parents had been the complete opposite, and hadn't cared about him at all. Wayne on the other hand was more like Hopper, even though he’d never threatened to hurt someone on Eddie’s behalf.

“I’m not planning on doing that.” Eddie sighed. “I know I’m not exactly the person anyone envisions for their daughter… but I like y/n. I really do. It frightens me just how much I like her, because I haven’t felt like this before.” Eddie was pouring his heart out, was being utterly honest, because he knew that if he wanted to have a chance - a real chance - with you, he needed Hopper’s approval. You were doing all this for your sister, because you loved her, but you loved your Dad as well, and you needed his approval, whether you were aware of it or not.

“Alright.” Hop said after a moment, nodding his head. “That’s all I wanted to hear.” Now, that really took a big load off Eddie’s mind. “But the three-inch rule still applies!”

Eddie had to stifle a laugh.

“That’s alright with me, Mr. Hopper.”

“Just… Hopper or Hop. No Mr this or that.”

“Alright.” Eddie couldn’t hide the smile that was breaking out on his lips. Maybe, he really did have a chance.

“You like him, don’t you?” El hugged you from the side while the two men were outside, which took your mind off things at least, because you were a little bit worried about your Dad talking to Eddie all alone.

“Hm?” You looked at her, smoothing a hand over her hair. “He’s nice. He’s a friend, I guess.”

“You look at all your friends like this? I don’t think so.” El chuckled, leaning her head against your shoulder. “And he looks at you the same way.”

“You sure?” Hope bubbled up inside you, but you tried to push it away. It wouldn’t be good to get your hopes up right now. “I don’t know.”

“He looks at you like Jonathan looks at Nancy.”

“Now, that’s a comparison.” You had to laugh, but it was actually a little reassuring, because you’d seen the way Jonathan looked at his girlfriend, like he was constantly in awe of her and wanted to lay the world at her feet. “But we’re just pretending, and I don’t think that he wants more than that. I mean, I really enjoy our time together.” Which was an understatement, and El knew that, because you’d told her all about your dates.

“Maybe, it’s not just pretend anymore?” El’s words left you speechless. It wasn’t just pretending on your part anymore, that was for sure, but you didn’t know what Eddie thought. There was only one way to find out, but you weren’t sure whether you were ready for that.

—

“That’s your ride,” Hopper said a couple of days later when you heard Eddie’s van pull up in front of the cabin. You had no idea what he was doing here. When you’d talked earlier that day, he hadn’t mentioned that he’d come visit you, especially not when it was already that late. The last time he’d been here, he’d forgotten his sweater, and you hadn’t told him or given it back, because you liked wearing it around the house, kind of parading it in front of your Dad, but you also liked to be enveloped by the faint smell of him. If you’d known that he’d come by, you would have taken off his sweater. You would have put on at least a bit of makeup after the shower or styled your hair, but you were in comfortable, cosy clothes that kept you warm.

“What do you mean?” You cast a glance at Hopper and El, who were grinning at each other.

“Eddie’s picking you up!” El provided, but that didn’t tell you much.

“A date?” Hopper’s words made your eyes widen, and he chuckled. “Don’t worry. Your outfit is perfect for what he’s planned.”

“What?” You were trying to wrap your head around what the hell was going on, but couldn’t really figure it out. “Did you… Wait, did you plan that together with him?”

“Maybe?” Your Dad got up from the sofa and walked over to you. This couldn’t be happening, could it?

“What happened to he’s trouble?” You could still hear him say that, could see the look on his face when you’d told him that you were going out with Eddie.

“I changed my mind.”

“Why?”

Hopper stopped in front of you and put his hands on your shoulders, a gentle smile playing on his lips - one that you saw way too little of, but that you adored nonetheless.

“Because you like him, y/n.” He leaned down to you to place a kiss on your forehead. “And he really cares about you. I’ll still keep an eye on him, just so you know, but I have to give you a little more freedom.”

“I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone.” You couldn’t help but laugh, when you hugged your father. “I can’t believe you planned this behind my back!” You turned your head around to look at your sister, who knew just how much you liked Eddie. “And you!”

“We just want to see you happy!” El got up to snuggle up to the two of you and press a kiss to your cheek. “Sometimes you need a little nudge.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hopper looked down at El, because she was referring to taking a step from the fake-dating to real dating, but your Dad didn’t know about all of it being make believe.

“I’ll tell you later. Y/N has got to go now, or Eddie will leave without her.”

“Right. Have fun and make sure he brings you home safely in the morning.”

“In the morning?” That made your heart beat faster, but Hopper just nodded, and if he was okay with that, it was definitely something completely innocent. He wouldn’t have agreed otherwise.

“Yes, now get going!”

And you did, you put on your shoes and your jacket, before you left the Cabin. Eddie was standing by his car waiting for you.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come out.”

“I would have come out sooner, if I’d known about this.” “What, do you not like surprises?”

“I do!” You stopped in front of him, a smile on your face that reached your eyes and lit up your whole face. “But if I’d known, I could have changed into something else.”

Eddie held you at arm’s length, lips slowly curving up into a smile.

“I think you look cute. My sweater looks so much better on you!”

“Yeah, I… wanted to give it back, but kinda forgot about it.” A blatant lie, but you didn’t want to tell him why you’d kept it. Not now anyway.

“Don’t worry, I quite enjoy seeing you in my clothes.” Eddie winked at you, before he got in the car with you and started the engine.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“Patience, darling. It’s a surprise after all, right?”

“I know, but Dad said you’d bring me home in the morning, and that made me really curious.” And a little nervous, so you couldn’t keep your legs still, bouncing them up and down. Eddie noticed that straight away, so he put his hand on your thigh. That managed to stop your movements, but it also made your skin tingle beneath his touch, spreading out through your whole body.

“If you don’t want that, just say the words and I’ll take you back home.” Eddie looked at you for a moment, gave you a reassuring smile before he turned his attention back on the road. “D’you trust me?”

“Yes.” No hesitation, because it was what you felt. In his presence, you’d always felt safe, and right now was no exception.

“Good, then… just a little patience. It won’t take long to get there.”

You placed your hand on top of his on your thigh and ran your thumb over his skin again and again, because you needed something to do. Eddie drove out of Hawkins, but you kept quiet, knowing that he wouldn’t answer your questions. Another ten minutes and he stopped the car on top of a hill overlooking the city, but when you turned to the other side, mostly darkness welcomed you, but that assured that you had a great view of the sky, of all the stars that were shining. A breathtaking view already!

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Eddie asked, opening the back doors of the van to get some stuff out.

“It really is.” You turned towards him, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “You need help?”

“No, no, I got it.” He carried everything over, laid out a big blanket, put down some containers, bottles and whatnot. “Come on, sit down.”

“You know, we could have had a picnic during the day as well.” “Sure, but that wouldn’t have been anywhere near as romantic as this is, right?” The hopeful look in his eyes made you smile. He seemed almost nervous, and apparently he was, judging by the way he twisted one of his rings around his finger.

“That’s true.” Slowly, you sat down next to him. “So, you wanted to stargaze with me?”

“Yes.” Eddie reached for another blanket and put it over your lap. “Ever heard of the Orionids?”

“I think I heard that before. Why?”

“They’re an annual meteor shower, so we can watch some shooting stars tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I hope so. But that’s why I brought you here, to watch the Orionids with you.”

“I never pictured you as someone who liked to stargaze, Eddie Munson.” “Oh, I’m full of surprises, darling.” Eddie chuckled, before he wrapped one arm around your shoulder, pulling you close.

You talked for a bit about the stars, about books, all the topics you’d talked about before, and it was so easy with him, so… natural that you lost track of time completely. At one point, you’d both laid down on your backs, staring up at the sky, Eddie’s arm wrapped around you to keep you close, your head leaning against his shoulder. The blanket was wrapped around both of you, but being this close to Eddie provided enough warmth already, so you were all cosy.

“There!” Eddie pointed in one direction, your eyes immediately following, and you saw the first shooting star.

“Quick! Make a wish!” you said, getting all giddy with excitement.

“Why don’t you make one?”

“You saw it, so you get to make a wish. I don’t make the rules.”

“I actually only have one wish right now. And that’s not something any shooting star can make come true.”

“Why?” You turned your head towards him to look at him. Your faces were mere inches apart, noses almost touching.

“Because that’s not in the stars… it’s in your hands.” Eddie tightened his hold around you, fingers fanning out over your back. His other hand came up to cup your cheek. You felt your breath hitch when he bumped his nose against yours. “Because I’d really, really like to kiss you now.”

You wanted that as well, but were incapable of forming words right now. The butterflies in your stomach were ready to burst at any minute, but he was still waiting for your okay. A smile spread on your lips when you put your hand on his chest and leaned in, hoping he’d get the hint. And he did.

Eddie’s lips met yours in a soft, languid kiss. You ran your fingers up his chest, to his shoulder, but Eddie quickly grabbed your waist and pulled you on top of him, making you giggle and break the kiss.

“I’ve been dreaming of this ever since we started dating.” He ran a hand through your hair, putting his hand at the nape of your neck, his thumb brushing over the skin just beneath your ear. A sigh escaped your lips when he did that.

“Really?” You couldn’t believe his words, but knew that he wouldn’t lie to you about something like this. You wiggled around a bit to get more comfortable until you found the perfect position, his thigh between your legs,and in turn your leg between his.

“I was always intrigued by you, but never really got the chance to talk to you. And you blew me away on that first date.” Eddie chuckled, running his hand up and down your back, but when he reached the hem of the sweater, he slipped his hand beneath the fabric, warm hands meeting your bare skin, resulting in another happy sigh.

“I actually felt the same way,” you admitted, “And… I actually didn’t give your sweater back because I liked wearing it. Made me feel like you were around.”

“That’s really cute, sweetheart!” Eddie pecked your lips again, before he had to chuckle. “And your Dad actually approves of this.”

“Yeah, how did you manage that? I mean, he even helped you with this?”

“He did.” And Eddie was still a little surprised, but also rather proud that Hopper had offered him his help, after El had talked to both of them about your feelings. Eddie didn’t know whether she’d told him about the whole fake-dating thing, but in the end, it didn’t matter. “When he walked me out of the cabin… I was just completely honest with him.” Eddie stopped his hand at the small of your back, fanned out his fingers to cover as much skin as possible. He used his other hand to cup your cheek once again.

“I told him that I like you… and that I’ve never felt like this for anyone else.” Your heart skipped a beat when you heard that, and now you were the one to initiate the kiss. It started out just like the first one, but got more heated rather quickly. You opened your lips to him, explored his mouth with your own tongue while you felt his hand tangle in your hair. You felt warm all over, and your lips were a little swollen from the kiss when you eventually broke apart.

“I like you, too, Eddie Munson… a lot actually.”

“Well, that sounds promising. So we’re taking our fake-dating up a level to real proper dating?”

“I think we’re already kinda past that dating-stage, don’t you think?” After all, you’d been on a couple of dates, had gotten to know each other quite well, and Eddie had prepared the most romantic date you’d ever been on.

“So, you’re gonna call me your boyfriend in front of your Dad now?”

“If that’s okay with you?”

“Okay?” Eddie said, leaning in for another quick kiss. “Sweetheart, I’ve been waiting to hear you call me that. ‘Cause now I can tell everyone what a wonderful, gorgeous, smart girlfriend I have, so that they can all get jealous.”

Before you could react in any way, Eddie kissed you again, and you forgot everything that had been on your mind, everything you’d wanted to say. You were happy, and that was all that mattered.

Tag-list: @violetpenguinkris @tellhound @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @spideyanakin-interacts @bellamy-barnes @beepisbeep @snapefiction @hardysbitch @give-em-hellfire @sadbitchfangirl @ravenclawkimmi @lacrymosa-24 @ruinedbythehobbit @samlealea

Let me know if you want to be tagged for the Promises-series, Eddie stuff in general or Steddie-fics 💚

#Willow’sWonderful10kCelebration #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie x reader #eddie munson x hopper!reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fluff #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfic #stranger things x reader #stranger things fluff #staffi writes #jim hopper #eddie munson

1K notes · View notes