zzokks

[zzokks]

THE SHRIEKING QUEEN'S CATACOMBS

— Session 1: Friday, May 23, 1980

summary: on the first day of scott sloman's infamous summer D&D campaign, you're excited to showcase your original character and sorely disappointed by eddie's lack of creativity. you promised chrissy you would be nice to eddie this summer, but...

seriously, that's the best you could come up with, munson?

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 8,450 warnings: middle school; young!eddie; insecure!eddie; secret crushes; the unnamed freak is named grant in this series; inaccurate d&d gameplay; seriously, I'm taking a lot of creative liberties here; eddie has a tiny crush on chrissy

This is a fic in the Dancing with Myself series. It can be read as a standalone, but it's more enjoyable with the full context. At the very least, I recommend reading "Bad Omens" because it's essentially the prequel.

“Okay, should we go over the rules one more time?”

“No… I think I got ‘em down pretty well.”  

“Let’s go over them one more time.”  

Chrissy Cunningham paced the floor of her bedroom with an authoritative stride, her arms folded neatly behind her back, chin held proudly in the air. Standing at only five-foot-one, she looked like an adorable little drill sergeant… until she looked over at you, sitting on her bed with your chest puffed out and hand raised in mock salute; then her composure shattered and she reverted back to her goofy, giggling, eleven-year-old self. 

“Don’t make me laugh,” she said. 

“What? I’m showing you respect.” 

Chrissy raised her eyebrows in friendly disapproval. “Stop,” she said. “We need to be serious.” So she donned an expression of stern command and resumed her stride. “Okay, repeat after me: I will not be mean to Eddie.”  

“I will not be mean to Eddie.”  

“I will not mock him.”  

“I will not mock him.”  

“I will not tease him.”  

“I will not tease him.”  

“I will not call him names.”  

“I will not call him names.”  

“I will laugh only when it’s appropriate, and in a good-hearted manner.”  

“Wait, how are we defining appropriate?”  

“Just repeat it, please.”  

You sighed in surrender and echoed your best friend’s words dutifully: “I will laugh only when it’s appropriate, and in a good-hearted manner… even though I don’t really know what that means.” 

Chrissy shot you a strict glare and continued: “I will not let my anxiety make me forget rules one through five.”  

“I will not let my anxiety make me forget rules one through five.”  

Chrissy stopped in front of you, put her hands on your knees, and smiled warmly. “I’m gonna have fun this summer.”

“I’m gonna have fun this summer.” 

“I’m gonna show Eddie what a smart, creative, and wonderful person I am.” 

“Well…” You looked away, embarrassed. 

“Come on, say it.” Chrissy started shaking your knees gently. “C’mom, c’mon, you gotta say it.” 

Her words made you squirm a little. Timidly, you looked at her and said in a bashful voice, “I’m gonna show Eddie what a smart, creative, and wonderful person I am.” 

“Because you are.” 

“… Because I am.” 

Her smile grew. “Good!” She drummed her hands on your knees and stepped away from you. While rifling through her desk drawers, she said, “So what game are you playing exactly? Is it like a board game or something?”

“Uh, no… it’s like this fantasy roleplaying game. I don’t really know how to describe it.” 

“But you know how to play it, right?” 

“Yeah, for the most part.” 

“For the most part?” Now Chrissy sounded worried. “I thought you had been practicing. Isn’t that what you spent the last two weeks doing?”

“Well, yeah… but it’s a surprisingly complicated game.” 

“You weren’t paying attention, were you?”

“No, I totally was, I promise.” You had put in the time and the effort. Every day after school, you rushed home, hopped on your bike, and peddled down the street to the Wheeler house. You sat in that stuffy, smelly basement for two hours while a group of third-grade boys explained all the rules and then bickered over said rules. “There was just a lot of information being thrown at me in a short period of time. And I guess not everyone plays the game the same way, either, so even if I learned how they play the game, I still might not know how they will play the game, so… I’m just gonna wing it and hope my creativity saves me. Dustin said I made a pretty cool character for my first try, so…”

“Who?”

“Dustin Henderson. Third-grader. Doesn’t matter. The point is…” 

Mrs. Cunningham poked her head into the room and said brightly, “Chrissy, dear, don’t forget we have to leave in twenty minutes.” Then she saw you and her whole demeanor frosted over. “Oh… I didn’t realize you had company.” 

You had been Chrissy’s best friend for five years and Mrs. Cunningham still referred to you as “company.” It was like she didn’t even see you as a person. You were just this disgusting blob that took up space in her daughter’s life. 

“I just stopped by for a minute,” you told her. “I’ll be leaving soon.” 

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she said. “You know you’re always welcome here.”

(But were you, really?)

Mrs. Cunningham lingered in the doorway for a moment longer, smiling at you and restlessly wringing her hands. Before leaving, she tipped her head toward her daughter and said, “Chrissy, stop slouching, dear.”

Chrissy heaved a frustrated sigh. Then she padded across the room and closed her bedroom door. When she turned around, you both said in perfect unison, “Chrissy, stop slouching, dear,” and broke up into giggles. She was still laughing as she hopped onto the bed and sat down cross-legged beside you.

You turned around to face her. “So where are you going in twenty minutes?” 

“Just the salon,” she answered uncaringly. 

“Oh, please tell me you’re not getting a perm like your mother. I’ll hold you down and shave your head if you do.” 

“If she makes me get a perm, I’ll shave my own head. It’s just a trim. She makes me get one every three weeks; otherwise, I’ll get split ends.” 

“Oh, split ends… the scourge of society.” 

“Shut up,” Chrissy said, giving you a playful swat. “Be nice or I won’t give you your present.” 

You perked up. “A present, you say?”

“Mhm.” Chrissy flashed an excited smile, then reached behind her back and pulled out a colorful woven bracelet. “I made this for you.” 

You raised your eyebrow curiously. “Another friendship bracelet?” 

“No, this one’s not a friendship bracelet.” Leaning forward, she carefully tied the bracelet onto your left wrist. Its vibrant color perfectly complemented the other bracelet she had made for you. “This one’s for good luck.” 

You admired the bracelet for a moment, thanked her for making it, then felt your stomach bubble and churn. “Okay, now I’m getting anxious.”

“Don’t be anxious,” Chrissy said. “You’re gonna be fine.” 

But you still weren’t convinced.

“What time is it?” you asked. 

Chrissy looked over her shoulder and glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. “Nine thirty-five.”

“Oh crap,” you said, and got up. “I better get going.” 

You grabbed your backpack off the floor, slung it over your right shoulder, and exited her bedroom. Chrissy followed you downstairs and opened the front door for you.

Before heading out, you turned back with sudden panic and said, “Should we go over the rules one more time?”

Chrissy shook her head. “No, you know the rules. Just be your normal charming, delightful self and you’ll be fine, okay? I promise.” 

She sent you off with a gentle shove, and you went uneasily: down the porch steps, down the cobblestone walkway, and found your bike sitting beside the garage. You put up the kickstand and swung your leg over the seat, but just as you were about to push off, a dreadful thought came to your mind. You replanted your foot and looked up at Chrissy with a worried frown. 

“Hey, what if it doesn’t work?” you asked. 

“What do you mean?”

“Like… what if I do all this and Eddie still hates me?” You shrugged, demoralized. “What then?”

Now Chrissy was frowning, too. “Well, at least you’ll know you gave it your best shot.” 

Four blocks away, Scott Sloman was dressed in his Sunday best and restlessly pacing his basement, which was now pristine thanks to his diligent efforts the day before. 

On that morning, Scottie had woken up early, consumed a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and French toast (all prepared by his lovely mother, of course; Mrs. Sloman was an excellent cook), pulled on his rubber gloves, went downstairs, and got to work. It took him hours, but it was worth it. Every crumb, every cobweb, every splatter, every stain had been expertly tracked down and eliminated with the toughest chemicals money could buy. Now every surface sparkled radiantly, and the air carried a whimsical, woodsy scent that transported you to the crisp forests of New England—not that Scottie had ever been to New England, but he imagined that’s what its forests smelled like. 

He grabbed the can of EVERGREEN Air Freshener and gave it a vigorous shake.

“Do not spray that again,” Jeff told him. “You’re gonna give us all cancer.” 

“I’ll stop spraying when you guys stop smelling.” 

He pressed down hard on the nozzle and sprayed a thick cloud of EVERGREEN mist into the air. It showered over the table like a light drizzle of rain, getting on everyone’s hair, everyone’s clothes, and speckling the open page of Eddie Munson’s notebook. 

Eddie, who had been tuning everyone out and listening to music on his Walkman, now looked up with bewildered annoyance. “Dude, come on…” He fanned the remaining mist away with his hand and immediately went back to his notes. 

Observing him, Grant said to Jeff, “Damn, Eddie’s really in the zone today.”

It wasn’t exactly unusual for him to be this withdrawn. Eddie Munson took his D&D very seriously—perhaps a bit too seriously, although no one would ever dare tell him that. Before every session, while everyone else joked around and snacked on donuts and muffins (also prepared by Mrs. Sloman), Eddie sat quietly in his chair, the same chair he occupied for every session, and gradually slipped further… and further away. The Walkman, a gift from his uncle for his fourteenth birthday, only accelerated his emotional departure.

But he would return eventually. He always did. 

“You think he’s anxious about her coming?” Grant asked.

Jeff frowned guiltily. “Probably.” 

Beside Grant, Gareth was sharpening his pencil with a small metal pocket sharpener. From the look on his face, you would have thought he was honing a warblade. 

“He’s preparing his mind for battle,” Gareth said, his blue eyes burning with a ferocious and frightening intensity. “The enemy draws near. She will soon be at our gates.” He withdrew his pencil and blew fiercely on the pointed tip. “We must be ready to meet her.”

Jeff and Grant rolled their eyes. It was way too early in the morning for this. 

“She’s not the enemy,” Jeff said.

“Well, you’re a traitor,” Gareth replied. “Yeah, Eddie told me you’re the one who invited her, you Judas.”

“What? Oh c’mon, man, don’t start that now.” 

“How’d she do it?” Gareth asked. “Did she blackmail you? Bribe you? I didn’t realize your loyalty could be so easily bought, Jeff.”

“Dude, what are you talking about?” 

Grant, ever the rational one, said, “Ignore him. Gareth’s just mad she beat him in the spelling bee last year.”

And that’s when Gareth fired back with unseemly anger: “She did not beat me in the spelling bee! That whole competition was rigged right from the start. Every round, she got the easiest words while I got stuck with all the hard ones. It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I’m telling you, the whole thing was a sham!”

Jeff and Grant exchanged an amused glance. “My mistake,” Grant said while Jeff snickered. “Clearly you’ve moved on from this.” 

Gareth waved him off. “Oh shut up, Grant. Look, this is about way more than a spelling bee, okay? That girl is a heartless, horrible devil-woman. I will not break bread with her. I will not fight alongside her on the battlefield. I won’t, I won’t, and neither will Eddie.” Gareth clapped Eddie on the shoulder and said, “Right, Eddie?”

The older boy flinched, looked up, and pulled the left speaker box away from his ear. “What?”

“We’re standing together, right? Against our common enemy?”

Eddie’s eyebrows knitted together. “I dunno what you’re talking about.” 

And now Scott Sloman had heard enough. “Are you guys even listening to me? Come on, this is a huge moment for us… for me, especially. I need you all to be on your best behavior today. No burping. No farting. Sit up straight and keep your elbows off the table, gentlemen. Today, we have a young lady gracing our party.” 

Gareth sneered. “She’s no lady. She’s a hellbeast.”  

Scottie slammed his fist on the table. “See, this is the kinda shit I’m talking about! You psychos are gonna scare her off before she even—” He saw that Eddie had already put his headphones back on, an act of subtle but profound defiance. Scottie’s jaw dropped. “Eddie… Eddie… Hey, Eddie, I’m talking here.” 

“Leave him alone,” Jeff said. “He’s getting into character.” 

Scottie scoffed at that. “Oh please… Eddie uses the same character for every campaign. If he doesn’t know his character by now, he never will.” 

He snatched the Walkman off the table and yanked it away, viciously ripping the headphone jack from the plug. 

Eddie’s head jerked up in startled surprise. “Dude, what the fuck—” 

“I’m doing this for your own good, Eddie. It’s about time you learn how to socialize with the fairer sex.”

Eddie glared at him, exasperated. “I know how to talk to girls.” 

“Really?” Scottie shot him a dubious look. “Okay, Eddie… how many words have you said to that cheerleader you think’s so cute?” 

“Zero,” Grant answered for him. “He’s said zero words to her.”  

Eddie just sighed miserably. “Can I have my Walkman back, please?”  

“No, Eddie, you can’t,” and Scottie set the cassette player on the shelf behind him. “See, this is exactly my point, you guys. We have a huge opportunity here. A girl is coming to play D&D with us. And not just any girl. One of the popular girls! Do you guys understand what this means? If we play our cards right, maybe she’ll start bringing her friends. Her popular friends. Her pretty friends.” 

“Is that what you think’s gonna happen?” Jeff asked. “You think a bunch of cheerleaders are gonna wanna play D&D with you?” 

Scottie shrugged and said in a waning voice, “Well, you never know…”  

Eddie put his head in his hands. “I knew this was gonna happen. I knew this was gonna happen. She’s not even here yet and she’s already ruining the game.” 

“Hey, where is she, anyway?” Grant said. “It’s already after ten. Are we sure she’s even gonna show?” 

“She probably won’t,” said Gareth. He leaned back in his chair, satisfied and smug. “Yeah, I bet she chickened out like the coward she is. Screw her, I say we start without her.”  

“We’re not starting without her,” Jeff said. “Look, she’ll be here, okay?”

“Spoken like a true traitor.” 

“Dude, stop calling me a—” 

Suddenly, the doorbell chimed. The sound echoed over their heads like a distant warhorn on a cold, fog-covered battlefield. Gareth reached for his newly sharpened pencil and held it like a knife. 

“She’s here.”

You stood on the front porch with your backpack hooked on your shoulder and your arms crossed tightly in front of you, shivering uncontrollably in the sunny, seventy-nine-degree weather. 

Almost a minute had passed and nobody was answering the door. This made your stomach flutter nervously. You looked around and wondered if perhaps you were at the wrong house, (and wouldn’t that be lucky? Oh well, looks like I better give up and go home…) but you weren’t. The number displayed beside the door matched the address Scottie had given you. This was Scott Sloman’s house. You were at the right place. And now you had no excuse to leave. 

You stepped forward and—oh, how your hand trembled!—rang the doorbell again. The sound made your heart jump in panic. It started bucking wildly in your chest, desperate to break out of your ribcage and escape. Excuse or no excuse, you wanted to get the hell outta there!

“Calm down,” you kept telling yourself. “Calm down. Calm down. You’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be…”

(But what if it doesn’t work?)

“… fine,” you whispered, except now you only half believed it, and that half wasn’t strong enough to keep your feet on the porch.  

You shuffled back a step, then another, looked over your shoulder, and stared longingly down the street.

From here, the road seemed so endless, so… tempting. You could see yourself on that road, on your bike, peddling fast and far away. Back to your house. Back to your bedroom. Lying on your bed, opening your favorite book, and escaping into a safe, snug little world. You could spend hours hiding in there. It would be perfect. Then, eventually, you would have to face Chrissy. She would be a little frustrated and disappointed with you, but she would probably forgive you in a day or two. Chrissy was compassionate like that.

Yeah, Chrissy would forgive you. She would forgive you, and hug you, and tell you that everything would be okay. 

Okay… 

Okay… 

Okay, I’ll just go home then. It’s probably for the best, anyway. 

You fled down the stairs and ran to your bike. It was sitting on the front lawn with everyone else’s, Jeff’s standing upright on its kickstand, the others lying on their sides in the grass, their painted steel frames glimmering in the sunlight… all but one, anyway; one was too dull to properly catch the light. You had recognized Eddie’s bike as soon as you arrived at the house. His stood out because the frame was oddly bent and most of the paint had been scratched off. It was an old bike, purchased secondhand from secondhand at a yard sale two years ago. To you, it might as well have been brand new.

“He’s here,” you whispered, and felt your face get delightfully warm. 

Eddie was here, he was here, finally within reach. All you had to do was walk through that door. 

Excitement swept through you, girlish and unaffected, and now you were smiling ridiculously to yourself, all your fears forgotten… for now, anyway. You pressed your palms to your overheated cheeks and thought, This is my chance. This is my only chance. 

Nervous as you were, terrified as you were, you had to see this through. 

Determination burned inside you. You stepped away from your bike and—  

“Hey, you made it!” Scott Sloman was standing on his front porch with his hand raised high in a friendly wave. He frowned when he saw that you were beside your bike. “Where are you going?” 

You looked at your bike, then back at Scottie. “Oh, well… I was just, uh…” You forced a laugh and feigned embarrassment. “I'm so stupid, I thought I was at the wrong house for a second.”    

“Oh…” Scottie’s face brightened instantly. He laughed along with you. “Nope, you found us just fine. C’mon inside, everyone’s waiting for you.”  

Everyone? you thought for a second, hopeful, but then you realized that probably wasn’t true. Eddie wasn’t waiting for you. He wasn’t eager to see you. He didn’t want you there at all. But that was okay. 

You took a deep breath and started walking toward the house, Chrissy’s good luck bracelet dangling from your wrist. 

All right, I’ve got a huge uphill battle ahead of me. Now I’m probably gonna fail miserably, but… at least I’ll know I gave it my best shot. 

“Sorry I’m late,” you said to Scottie. He was leading you through the house to the basement, where everyone else was waiting… where Eddie was waiting. You could hardly believe this was happening. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Scottie replied sheepishly. He was feeling a little awkward after his earlier faux pas at the front door. When you walked in, Scottie greeted you with this dramatic, over-the-top gentleman’s bow. Unable to hide your discomfort, you grimaced and drew away from him. Scottie’s face turned beet red. He said, That was really weird, wasn’t it? And you replied, Yeah, it was. Please don’t ever do that again. Now Scottie felt a little self-conscious around you. He could barely look you in the eye without blushing.      

“Of course,” he went on, “if it happens again, I’ll have no choice but to imprison you.”

That caught you off guard. You almost tripped over your own foot. “Wait, what?”  

Scottie’s eyes widened. His face flushed a deep pink. “Oh, your character, not you. Sorry, that sounded a lot creepier than I intended. Yeah, usually when someone’s late I punish them by having their character ambushed early in the game and thrown into some sorta prison. Then they have to find a way to escape on their own. It sounds really cruel, but it’s actually a lotta fun. Like last year, Gareth was late and I threw his character into the fighting pits and he had to fight for his freedom. He didn’t make it out, though.” Scottie laughed to himself, remembering. “Yeah, Gareth dies a lot in the game. You’ll see. His deaths are pretty legendary… Oh, hey, that reminds me, have you made a character yet? It’s no big deal if you haven’t. We can help you make one today.”  

“Thanks,” you said, “but I already made one.”  

“Oh, sweet, awesome. Wait, you didn’t make a magic-user, did you?” 

You shook your head. All those spells seemed too complicated to you. 

“Okay, good. I only ask ‘cause we try to keep the party as balanced as possible; otherwise, the story really suffers. Plus Eddie’s kind of our resident spellcaster, and he really hates it when people use the same class as him. He’s pretty weird about it, actually. But then again, Eddie’s pretty weird about everything. I don’t think I need to tell you that, though.”  

You smirked, understanding. “Yeah, sounds like Eddie’s a big baby.”  

(Shit, was that mean?)

Scottie looked at you in surprise. His face broke into a huge grin. “I am so glad you’re here,” he said, chuckling. Then he walked through the kitchen and opened the basement door for you. “Ladies first,” he said, and you moved past him and slowly began your descent. 

For as long as you lived, you would never forget that walk downstairs. You could recall every detail perfectly. The way the wooden railing felt under your fingers—smooth yet rough in certain places. The way the steps creaked as you put your weight on them. The hushed voices that emerged from below: Gareth’s, Jeff’s, Grant’s… Eddie’s. The scent of pine, pungent and overwhelming. It smacked you in the face as soon as you took your first step, and it only got stronger the further you went. It was such a strange smell. Initially, it made you think of those little tree air fresheners that everyone hung in their cars. Now it only made you think of that basement, that weirdly clean basement, and the first time you saw Eddie sitting at the table.

His dark brown eyes found you instantly, but they didn’t look at you—they didn’t see you—not really. Like always, his eyes just sort of hovered on you for a second and then darted away. Eddie was always running away from you. It was hard not to feel a little disheartened after that. 

So this is how it begins, huh? Wonderful. 

You found your seat next to Jeff and sat down. He turned to you with a smile. 

“Cutting it pretty close there, huh?” He was laughing, but you could hear the concern in his voice. “For a second, I seriously thought you were gonna bail.” 

“Honestly, I almost did,” you confessed quietly, keeping your head low and your hand cupped over your mouth. “I’m kinda freaking out here, Jeff.” 

Being seated directly across from Eddie certainly didn’t help. How were you supposed to keep your composure with him so close? The second he made eye contact with you—if he ever made eye contact with you—you were gonna blow like a geyser, like Old Faithful, and there was no telling what kind of scorching hot insults were gonna come spewing out of your mouth. You could already feel them bubbling inside you, dangerous and unpredictable. You were a powder keg of emotions right now. One good spark and, boom, you were gonna explode. Oh, this is gonna be bad. 

Jeff nudged your arm gently with his elbow. It disarmed you a little. “Relax,” he said. “You’ve got this, okay? Just, you know…” 

“Be nice,” you said. “Yeah, I know.”  

Jeff’s eyes softened. “I was gonna say be yourself,” he said. 

But what if “yourself” wasn’t all that great? 

Taking his words to heart, you leaned over and smiled at Grant, ignoring the image of Eddie that haunted the outermost edge of your vision. He wasn’t looking at you, anyway. 

“Hey, Grant.”  

“Hello,” Grant replied neutrally.

“I heard you got a perfect score on your English final. Very impressive, sir.”  

Grant shrugged modestly. Perfect scores didn’t excite him as much as they used to. “How’d you do?” he asked. “You usually test pretty well, don’t you?” 

“Eh, well enough,” you said, still very aware of Eddie’s presence. You were dying to have him look at you. Actually, you would have died if he looked at you. “I got all the multiple-choice questions right, but by the time I got to the final essay, I just really wanted to go home, you know? It was my last test of the day. My grade was pretty much set. I wasn’t in the mood to write this long, boring essay, so… yeah, I kinda half-assed it. Oh well. Still got an A.”

“God, you are so full of yourself,” Gareth said. His voice was acidic and dripping with disdain. 

Unbothered, you faced him with a smile. “What’s up, Gareth? Long time no see. How are you doing?”

“Stupendous,” he blurted out with a fierceness that was borderline comical. Boy, if you weren’t trying so hard to be on your best behavior right now, you would have had some colorful words for him… words he probably couldn’t spell.  

Smirking, you said, “So did your mommy pack you a juice box?”

Gareth scoffed. “Did your mommy pack you a…?” He closed his mouth, grabbed his sharpened pencil, and started violently hammering the tip into his notebook: WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Your eyes widened with surprised glee. Then you turned to Eddie and all your confidence splintered like Gareth’s poor pencil. 

Just say something to him. 

Say something.

Anything! 

Hey, Eddie, how’d your finals go? Are you excited for high school next year? I’m not. It’s gonna be the worst day of my life. I dunno how I’m gonna survive two years without you. In fact, I’ll probably cry every day. Please look at me. I’d give anything to have you look at me. You’re the weirdest, most fascinating person I’ve ever met in my life. I’m obsessed with you. I think I might even be in love with you. 

Shit. 

All of a sudden, your face felt unbearably hot. You hid it before anyone else could see and started digging through your backpack, pulling out all of your supplies and stacking them on the table in front of you: a leftover notebook from school, a purple folder containing your character sheet, a few pencils, an eraser, a slightly worn, dog-eared copy of The Players Handbook, and a small drawstring bag of dice. You grabbed that last and tossed it on top of your pile. When you sat up again, you found five pairs of eyes staring at you… including Eddie’s, which were suspicious but also curious. You didn’t know whether to be delighted or offended. 

You went with offended. 

“What?” you snapped, causing everyone to immediately look away. It was an instinctive reaction on your part. You didn’t like people staring at you. 

A voice spoke from your left. “The lady comes prepared,” Scottie said, smiling at you from behind his screen. 

“Huh?” 

“Eddie said you weren’t gonna be prepared.” 

Eddie jumped as if struck from the side. “What? I didn’t say that.” 

“Yes, you did,” Scottie told him. “You said exactly that. You said she wasn’t gonna be prepared and we were gonna have to let her borrow our stuff. Isn’t that what he said, Grant?”

“Yes, it is. That’s exactly what he said.” 

Eddie looked around, dumbstruck. Then he slumped back into his chair like a sullen child. “Hey, where’d you get all that stuff, anyway?” he asked, mumbling the words into the table.  

It took a second for you to realize Eddie was speaking to you. As soon as it clicked, your whole body froze with panic. “Umm, I borrowed it…?” 

“From who?”

“From whom,” Grant corrected, and Eddie just rolled his eyes. 

You crossed your arms protectively over your chest. You should have been happy that Eddie was talking to you. No, you should have been thrilled that Eddie was talking to you. Yeah, you should have been doing cartwheels and somersaults and sobbing with pure joy, but for some reason you weren’t—you couldn’t—because there was something in his tone that really rubbed you the wrong way. Already, you feel your claws coming out and digging into your bicep. 

“Are you seriously interrogating me right now?”

Eddie’s eyes widened. “What?” he said, almost swallowing the word. “I’m not interrogating you, I’m just… I’m just curious who loaned you all that stuff, that’s all.”

“What difference does it make to you?” 

“It doesn’t make any difference. I’m just asking you a question.”  

“Well, you’re coming off pretty aggressive right now.” 

“She’s right,” Scottie said. “You are acting a little aggressive, Eddie.”

That, of course, was when Gareth decided to tag in. “What?” he cried. “He’s not being aggressive. She’s the one being aggressive!”

Grant said, “Honestly, you’re all being a little aggressive right now.” 

“Hey, Eddie’s the only one yelling here.” 

“I’m not yelling. I’m defending myself!” 

“You sure?” you said. “‘Cause it kinda sounds like you’re yelling.” 

To your right, Jeff was rubbing his forehead in frustration. “Stop it,” he muttered under his breath. 

“Wait, why are you telling me to stop? He’s the one acting like an asshole!” 

Eddie’s face turned bright red. He threw up his hands and shouted, “How am I being an asshole? I’m asking a perfectly valid question and you’re biting my head off for no reason. Seriously, am I the only one hearing this? Oh my god, I feel like I’m going crazy right now!” His mouth opened and closed wordlessly. “I… I just… I… I… I give up. I give up.” He fell back into his seat, closed his eyes, and took a deep, deep breath, nostrils flaring as he released all of his tension. “Can we just start the game, please?”

“Yes,” Scottie took over. “Yeah, let’s get started.” 

Your heart was pounding as you settled back into your chair. What the hell just happened? you thought, mortified. You felt like you had woken up to the aftermath of a violent massacre and discovered blood all over your hands. 

Across from you, Eddie was sitting with his forehead propped on his fist, still steaming from your brief but catastrophic interaction. Next to him, Gareth was glaring at you while he savagely sharpened his other pencil.  

“You proud of yourself?” Jeff asked. 

“Nope,” you said. “No, I’m not.” 

Scottie stood up and clapped his hands together. “Okay,” he said excitedly, “now that we’ve all had a chance to collect ourselves, I’d like to officially welcome everyone to The Shrieking Queen’s Catacombs, my third annual summer campaign. Welcome, everyone.” 

Grant started rubbing his chin skeptically. “The Shrieking Queen’s Catacombs… so that’s the name you went with, huh?” 

“You don’t like it?”  

“It’s not your best.”  

“Goddammit,” Scottie said under his breath, but he shook it off and carried on. “All right, whatever. We have a new player with us today! Welcome, Y/N, we’re all very excited to have you here.”  

“Speak for yourself,” Gareth muttered, and Scottie shot him a venomous glare that said, I will destroy you!

Then he turned back to you with a smile. “Since you’re still new to the game, I don’t want you to feel nervous or anything, okay? There’s no pressure here, seriously. We’re all a bunch of idiots, especially Gareth. So feel free to stop and ask questions whenever you need to. Take your time. Make mistakes. Make twenty mistakes. We don’t care. All that matters is that you have fun. All right?” 

Gareth leaned over and whispered to Grant, “Dude, why is he being so nice?” 

“Cheerleaders,” Grant replied. “Because of cheerleaders.”  

Gareth groaned and sat back. “Man, this summer’s gonna suck.” 

Scottie went on talking: “All right, before we officially begin, how about we go around the room and introduce our characters a little bit? Normally we would incorporate this into the beginning of the story, but I don’t wanna overwhelm you on your first day, so let’s just keep it casual and have a fun little meet and greet.”  

“What?” Eddie said. “Why are we doing a meet and greet? Just start the damn game.” 

“Eddie, I’m trying to ease her into it. I want her to feel comfortable.”  

Honestly, none of this was making you feel very comfortable, but after what happened earlier, you decided it was better to keep your mouth shut.

“Well, what about the rest of us?” Eddie said. “I don’t feel comfortable with this.”  

“Well, Eddie, you never feel comfortable. You’re uncomfortable in your own damn skin. Now shut up and stop undermining me!” Exhausted, Scottie turned away from him and said, “Jeff, how ‘bout you start? You’re the least problematic person here.”

“What am I doing?” Jeff asked. 

“Just introduce your character.” 

“Yeah, but you guys already know my character. What am I supposed to say?”

“Just say anything! My god, you guys make everything so damn difficult.” 

Jeff’s hands flew up defensively. “Okay, okay, jeez… I feel like I’m giving a book report. Umm, what should I say? I’m playing as Jaheem Evenstar. He’s a level six cleric, born into the church of Selûne—that’s the goddess of the moon, for the uneducated.” Jeff playfully elbowed you in the side as he said this. “He wears purple robes, silver-plated armor, and has a circle of seven silver stars tattooed on his forehead. The nature of his birth is surrounded by scandal, secrecy, and shame. His mother died on the birthing bed and her dying wish was that her son be raised in the temple. Being one of few males in a female-dominated religion, Jaheem spent most of his life feeling ostracized and is determined to prove his worth. At night, you’ll often him sitting under the moon and the stars. He hasn’t spent much time outside of the temple, so he’s a little naive in the ways of the world. Cities pose a special challenge for him because he’s easily tempted by vices.”

“Oh…��� you said, grinning. “Looks like Jaheem needs to stay away from the brothels.” 

Everybody (except Eddie) laughed. Jeff’s ears flushed with embarrassment. “That’s not what I meant,” he said.  

“Oh, I think it is,” you replied, giggling. “Your character is a man born into a religion full of beautiful women? I see what you’re doing, Jeff.” 

By now, everyone except Eddie (Why wasn’t he laughing?) was in stitches. Jeff had both hands over his face as he wheezed. “Okay, I’m creating a new character now.” He pretended to crumple up his character sheet and throw it over his shoulder.  

Then Grant took his turn. “All right, I’m playing as General Gudrun Havenbrooke, former commander of The Last Legion. He’s a fighter, obviously, also level six. He’s an expert in two-weapon fighting and possesses a vast knowledge of swordsmanship and battle tactics. During his service in the military, he led countless victorious battles but remains haunted by his one crushing defeat. This is reflected in his wardrobe, as he still wears the same dented armor from that ill-fated battle, and his cloak is stained with the blood of his lost comrades. He keeps fighting because it’s the only way to appease his ghosts, and he drinks heavily after every battle because it’s the only way he can sleep.” 

A shiver ran down your spine. “Damn,” you said, awestruck, “you guys are hardcore.” 

That's when Eddie decided to interject like a referee on a basketball court. “Hey, you can’t do that,” he said. “You can’t make fun of other players’ characters.” 

Stunned (and a little irritated), you said, “I’m not making fun. I’m impressed,” but Eddie didn’t seem to believe you. His eyes remained guarded and untrusting. 

Was there no winning with this guy? 

Next, Scottie turned to Gareth. “All right, buddy, you’re up.” 

“Me?” Gareth blushed deeply, an uncharacteristically boyish gesture. “Umm, okay! My character is Brumnur Wildrock. He’s a dwarf and a master bladesmith. In fact, many of you are using his blades right now. As a bladesmith, he has a fondness for all weapons, but axes and hammers are his preferred tools. He fights to test the strength of his weapons, and he has yet to meet a worthy opponent. Brumnur is headstrong, battle-hungry, and easily provoked to violence.”  

“So basically you made yourself,” you said, snickering. 

Eddie shot you an annoyed look. 

What? you thought, secretly loving all the attention he was giving you. Come on, that was perfectly harmless…

Behind his screen, Scottie raised his eyebrows tauntingly. “So what level are you, Gareth?”   

“Level one,” Gareth answered, a little ashamed.  

“Why are you only level one, man?” 

Gareth sighed. “Because I had to make a new character.”  

“And why did you have to make a new character?” Scottie put his fist over his mouth in an attempt to control his laughter. Jeff and Grant weren’t so successful.   

“Because I died,” Gareth said, seeming oddly proud of this morbid feat. Then he started to laugh himself.   

“How’d you die?” you asked, enthralled. 

Gareth sliced his hand across his neck.

“Oh my god, you got decapitated?” 

“Yeah,” Gareth said, positively beaming with self-satisfaction. “It was so awesome. My body moved on its own for another turn and killed two more monsters.” 

(“He didn’t, really,” Scottie would later tell you. “We just said he did to make him feel better.”)

You sat back and smiled, amazed by everyone’s creativity. “Wow, what a motley crew. We have a bloodthirsty dwarf, a disgraced war general, and a lecherous priest. Yeah, this campaign’s gonna be fun.” 

Eddie lashed out angrily: “Oh, would you stop already?”  

“What?” you said, startled. You were glad for his attention, sure, but all this needless aggression was really starting to grate on you. Could he not recognize your effort? Was that too much to ask? I’m trying to be nice here, Munson, but you're making it really fricken difficult! 

And now he was doubling down. “You’re being facetious,” he said. 

“Facetious,” Gareth began suddenly, completely unprompted. “F-E-C-E-T-I-U-S, facetious.” 

“Not even close,” said Grant, and Gareth smashed down his fist in defeat.

Ignoring them, you glared directly at Eddie. “I’m not being facetious. I’m just having a little fun. You know what fun is, right? That’s what normal people do when they’re playing a game. They laugh. They joke around. They have fun. Maybe you should take that giant stick out of your ass and you'll have fun too, you self-righteous prick.”   

(Now that was mean. Yeah, you definitely took a few steps back with that comment)

(right off a cliff)  

God dammit, you thought, feeling utterly defeated. If you weren’t surrounded by so many people, you would have been crying right now. You didn’t know what you were doing wrong. You didn’t know why Eddie was attacking you so viciously every time you opened your mouth. 

Shit, maybe he just hated you. 

(Could you blame him?)

Scottie’s voice cut through the silence: “All right, Eddie, you’re up, man.” 

By now, Eddie had completely withdrawn into himself. He sat hunched over in his chair with his palm pressed against his mouth, looking more and more like he wanted to leave. “I don’t wanna go,” he said. 

Scottie breathed an aggravated sigh. “C’mon, dude, everyone has to go.”  

“Well, I don’t want to,” Eddie said, and you knew it was all your fault.    

Guilt turned in your stomach. Timidly, you raised your hand. “I’ll go,” you said. 

Anxious as you were, you figured it was the least you could do. 

You pulled out your character sheet. “Umm… okay, I’m playing as Elaria Quint. That’s not her real name, it’s just her most recent identity. Nobody knows Elaria’s real name. Honestly, I don’t even think she knows anymore.” You laughed a little as you said this. That wasn’t something you had originally written on your sheet, but it seemed to fit in a strange way. Clearing your throat, you continued: “Um, Elaria’s a thief and a con artist. She moves from city to city, from scheme to scheme, never really settling anywhere. Having spent her entire childhood in poverty, Elaria dreams of living a life of luxury, and she came really close once. Unfortunately, she was betrayed by her old partner and mentor, and he took every penny she ever stole, so now she knows better than to trust anyone. To be clear, Elaria’s in this solely for the money. She doesn’t care about anything else. She’ll use you until she doesn’t need you anymore, and if the moment should ever come, she’ll have no problem betraying each and every one of you. You’re all disposable to her.” 

“So basically you made yourself,” Eddie muttered spitefully. 

He thought you hadn’t heard him, but you did. 

Okay, you thought, wounded, I guess I deserved that. 

Beside you, Scottie was eagerly rubbing his hands together. “Holy shit, I love it! This campaign’s gonna be pure chaos, and I can’t wait to get started.” He made a motion toward Eddie. “Hurry up, Munson, introduce your character so we can start.” 

“I don’t want to,” Eddie said again, and that was Scottie’s last straw. 

He squeezed his hands into tight fists and yelled, “Oh my god, would you just go already! You know, the more you put this off the more time you waste, and you’re the one who was dying to get to the game, so… god, just fucking go.”

Scottie’s outburst made everyone flinch and go quiet. Eddie looked like he wanted to disappear. 

“Fine,” he said bitterly. He opened his binder, flipped to his character sheet, and started reading directly from the page, his voice flat and listless. He might as well have been reading from a textbook. “Uhh… my character is a level fourteen spellcaster named Castinus. He was born into a disgraced noble house that has since fallen into ruin. His father was once a well-respected wizard, but his quest for knowledge and power drove him to madness. One day, he mercilessly slaughtered everyone in the castle as well as the neighboring village. Only Castinus survived the attack. As he lay dying, he made a pact with a powerful demon. As a result, he was granted great power but lost his humanity.” Eddie shrugged and pushed his binder away.

You looked around the room, beside yourself with disappointment. “Wait, that’s it? That’s all you could come up with, Munson?”

Your comment was punctuated with a moment of surprised silence, as if an ancient taboo had just been broken. Everybody’s jaws dropped. Eddie’s eyes widened in baffled hurt.

Oh my god, stop talking, you thought. Stop talking right now. 

And yet you kept going. Like an idiot, you kept going.  

“So let me get this straight, Munson: your character is a spellcaster named Castinus. Castinus, the spellcaster.” You cringed out of sheer frustration. “God, you didn’t reach very far for that one, did you?”

Gareth dropped his pencil. 

“Oh shit,” said Grant. 

Meanwhile, Jeff was giving you a pleading look. “What are you doing?” he whispered. 

“I don’t know,” you said, sickened and ashamed of yourself. 

You put your head in your hands and tried to squeeze some sense into yourself, but it just wasn’t working. 

“I’m sorry, this isn’t coming out right. I swear, I’m not trying to be mean or anything; I’m just so… so confused. I refuse to believe this is your character, Eddie. I’m sorry, but I refuse to accept it. Come on, a spellcaster named Castinus? A son getting vengeance on his evil dad? It’s just so unrealized and uninspired. I mean, my god, no wonder you sound so bored when you’re talking about him! Do you even like your character, Eddie? Because it doesn’t sound like you do. In fact, you know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like you started creating a really cool character, but then you hit a wall, gave up, and decided it was good enough. Except it’s not good enough, Eddie. For anyone else, it would be good enough. For me, it would be good enough. But you… I just know you can do so much better than that!”

Finally, you fell silent, panting. Eddie’s eyes narrowed into a hateful glare. 

“You know I can do better than that? You don't even know me!"

You winced at those words. They pierced right through your heart. 

Well, I’m trying to, you wanted to say, but maybe it wasn’t worth it. 

This wasn’t why you came here. You didn’t want to make Eddie hate his favorite game.

Now he was ripping out his character sheet, crumpling it into a ball, and whipping it at the floor. “This is exactly why I didn’t want you here,” he said, and that’s when you realized this was all a huge mistake. 

“Okay,” you whispered. 

Quietly, you gathered your things, dumped them into your backpack, and went upstairs.

Scottie sighed heavily. “That wasn’t very gentlemanlike, Eddie.” 

“I know,” Eddie mumbled back, staring at your empty chair. 

How did you know he was struggling with his character?

You only made it as far as the front porch. 

Now you were sitting on top of the stairs, weighed down by guilt, drowning in grief, and fiddling with the rainbow bracelet Chrissy had made for you—the one she had probably spent days working on. What a lovely waste of time that was. 

Sorry, Chris, you thought ruefully, looks like all the luck in the world can’t save me from myself. 

A sad, surrendering sigh escaped your lips. You tried to take the bracelet off, but the strings were tied way too tight. It was as if Chrissy herself was struggling against you. You could practically see her beside you, wrestling against you, glaring at you with those bright blue eyes and urging in that sweet, sweet voice: You said you wouldn’t give up, remember? You pinky promised! Oh, curse Chrissy Cunningham and her annoying, unyielding optimism. Couldn’t she see the game was already over?

Desperate now, you put the bracelet between your teeth and started gnawing at the strands. You were prepared to chew off your own hand if you had to.  

Still, the bracelet wouldn’t budge. It was incredibly stubborn, just like its maker. 

You promised, Chrissy said. 

I lied! you yelled back. I can’t do this, okay? I tried and I failed and

That’s when you heard

“Uhhh…” 

a voice beside you. You turned toward it and saw Eddie standing in the open doorway with a look of bemused horror. You couldn’t imagine what he must have been thinking right now, seeing you sitting with your left arm locked in a tight vise grip, savagely chewing at the inside of your wrist like a coyote trying to escape a hunter’s snare. Why, he probably thought you were an absolute lunatic. 

(Was that better or worse than the Antichrist?)

Shame engulfed you. You spat the bracelet out of your mouth and lowered your wrist to your side. 

“You left your dice,” Eddie said, still a little wary of you. 

“Oh,” you said quietly. You hadn’t realized you’d forgotten it. 

Cautiously, Eddie stepped toward you and dropped the bag into your open palm.

“Thanks,” you said, and put it away.

You figured Eddie would head back inside after that, but he didn’t. Instead, he lingered pensively on the porch for a minute, his body hunched forward slightly, hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans. 

“Hey, I’m really sorry,” he began in a low voice, “for the way I’ve been acting today. I haven’t been very fair to you.” 

Eddie’s spontaneous apology caught you entirely by surprise. You sat there speechless for a second, blinking at him. 

“I’m sorry for calling your character uninspired,” you said. “That was really mean, and I only kinda meant it… I mean, Castinus is a terrible name, I stand by that completely, but the rest of the character isn’t that bad.” 

Eddie raised his eyebrow dubiously, unsure of what to make of your apology.

(if you could even call that an apology)

He sighed and shook his head. “Look, how ‘bout we just start over, okay? Clean slate.”

He leaned forward and extended his hand toward you. Blushing, you drew away from it, your hand instinctively rising to cover your face. 

He wants me to shake his hand? you thought, terrified and astonished. Eddie Munson, the boy who hated you, the boy who was always running away from you, was now standing in front of you and offering you his hand. The sight alone sent your mind into a frenzy. You could feel your heart hammering against your ribcage. What was going to happen when you…?

“Okay,” you said, and slipped your hand into his. As soon you did, your heart skipped a beat… but then it slowed unexpectedly, falling into this strong, steady rhythm that made you feel strangely, beautifully, at peace.  

Could he feel this too, you wondered? 

No, probably not. 

But when you lifted your eyes, you thought you saw a glimmer of something in Eddie’s stare. Maybe it was the same calm quiet you had experienced. Maybe it was just the sun catching briefly in his eyes. Whatever it was, it was gone before you could really see it. Then his hand disappeared and returned to the pocket of his jeans. 

“C’mon,” Eddie said. He went to the front door and held it open for you. “Let’s head back inside and start the game.” 

Nodding, you grabbed your bag and went with him, but before walking through the door, you stopped and said, “Dustin Henderson.” 

“Huh?”

“You wanted to know who loaned me all that stuff, right? It was Dustin Henderson. He loaned it to me.” You went inside.  

“Oh,” Eddie said as he followed you in. “I have no idea who that is.” 

taglist: @loserxdenbrough @sweetpeapod @videogamesandpoorlifechoices @andromeda-andromeda @holdonmars @ramona-thorns @jules-tv @munsonbb @lagataprrr @secrethologramflower @lostinwonderland314 @unknidthots @to-the-world-kpop @neewtmas @aheadfullofsteverogers @aizawash0e @allie-smiles @ameliachs @anxiousstark @apolixyan @chesirehaz @cinnamoonsworld @coldspoons @coryisagee @devilsadvcte @diloconelchocho @disneyloverjaime @dulce-incitacion @elleeeee21 @eternal-fangirl @felteppsters @flyxfall @freeshavocadoooo @friednickelfestivalwolf @gloomiigloom @henhouse-horrors @ilikegecos @iamvalentinaconstanza @kailynn-exe @kastleandmurdock @kpoplover-19 @luhvbot @m-rae23 @marisurmommy @marsenbie @mixchum @morganasimp26 @mrsannahotcherweasley @my-tearsricochet @neenieweenie

taglist reblog to follow

STORY MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

#eddie munson x reader

[zzokks]

Feeling the compulsive urge to post about my oc's as if they have an established fanbase and aren't actually from wips I haven't even introduced on tumblr yet

[zzokks]

Tag People You Want To Get To Know Better

three ships: mike wheeler and eleven hopper, jonathan byers and nancy wheeler, lucas sinclair and max mayfield (all stranger things)

first ship: i dont even remember 😭😭 probably blue and magenta from blues clues

last song/album: detroit rock city by kiss

last movie: i believe in unicorns (starring natalia dyer 🫶, theres some tw for this so go into it with caution)

currently reading: inheritance book series

currently watching: not watching anything atm

currently consuming: nothing

currently craving: teriyaki fried chicken and a mcdonalds sprite mcfloat

no pressure tags: anyone can do it <3

Tag People You Want To Get To Know Better:

Thanks for tagging me @midnightswithdearkatytspb and @runnning-outof-time

three ships: Stella Kidd and Sam Carver (Chicago Fire), Hangman and Phoenix (Top Gun: Maverick), Olivia Benson and Hank Voight (L&O: SVU & Chicago PD)

first ever ship: Simba and Nala (lol - I can't think of one)

last song/album: Cupid, Twin Ver. - FIFTY FIFTY

last movie: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

currently reading: Nothing right now.

currently watching: I'm catching up on Chicago PD

currently consuming: Nothing

currently craving: McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and Burger King fries with sweet and sour sauce.

no pressure tags: Anyone who wants to do this.

[zzokks]

eddie using wayne as a dnd prop

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3topDo/

consider me inspired.

𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

(dad!eddie munson x mom!reader)

dad!eddie masterlist

Summary: When his newborn baby keeps distracting the Hellfire Club during a session, Eddie gets a little creative with keeping them on track.

warnings: this body of work may give you baby fever. viewers are reminded that eddie munson cannot be your baby daddy. discretion advised. which just means this is fluff.

“. . . You approach the shopkeeper, wary of the many skeletal remains hanging from the ceiling. You’re not welcome, it’s apparent from the menacing look on his face, not helped by the flicker of the burning candles. Sir Soren notices the shopkeeper’s arm reaching slowly under the table—’’ 

  “AWWWWWWWW!” 

  Eddie snapped out of his revery, stuttering as the rest of Hellfire cooed and Dustin even squealed. He followed their gazes, to the newborn in his lap, weighing no more than six pounds and smaller than most of his big sister’s stuffed animals after his early arrival into the world, and he could see why they reacted like they did.

  His son was mid yawn, plump little lips stretched into a wide ‘O’, eyes squeezed shut.

  Once he was done yawning, the baby blinked owlishly, staring at nothing in particular with heavy lidded eyes.

  “Oh my god, he’s so cute.”

  “He’s so little! Look at those teeny tiny feet!” Dustin was making weird faces at baby Wayne, trying to get some sort of positive reaction out of him. 

  “Forget the feet, look at his hands!” Eddie glanced down to see what Erica was talking about, the newborn had somehow managed to link his  squishy fingers together. “He’s so distinguished! What a proper little gentleman!”

  “FOCUS!” Eddie snapped, sighing when his bellow spooked the baby in his hands. Not enough to make him cry, but Eddie had felt his little body go stiff. He placed one hand over his baby’s front and used the other to rub his back. Sure enough, Wayne relaxed into his hold, leaning forward onto Eddie’s forearm.

  “You can’t tell us to focus on what you’ve been bragging about is the most terrifying part of our campaign when you’ve got cutie patootie front and center.” Dustin argued.

  Eddie rolled his eyes, “I can put him down for his nap—’’

  “NO!”

  “What? Why?”

  “Don’t do it!”

  “That’s illegal!”

  “That’s what I thought,” Eddie was smug, leaning back into the recliner. 

  Since his graduation, Hellfire continued both as a school club and out of school with most of the members perfecting their characters and strategizing during their school meetups. Sessions took place on fridays at the Munson trailer.

  Normally, you’d use the Hellfire sessions for some mommy and daughter bonding time with Penny or on occasion, Penny would sometimes stay with him and cheer on the group.

  Bad daddy! Very bad daddy! She’d scolded him after a session a couple of months ago for a different campaign in which Will’s character was killed.

  You’d been low on groceries so you’d planned on running out for more while Hellfire took place but neither you or Eddie had taken the kids out solo yet.  

  It was easy when both of you went, but a routine trip to the grocery store seemed intimidating if you’d be trying to juggle a newborn and mischievous toddler. 

  Eddie convinced you to leave Wayne with him. It’d be easy, he was used to Penny’s crazy antics during those times she stayed with him during Hellfire, so a newborn who was barely active if he wasn’t sleeping would be a walk in the park. He was much more confident as a father this time around, actually knew what he was doing.

  There was only one problem: his baby was just too damn adorable.

  You’d found Penny’s old Hellfire onesie and while it was too big to button, you’d put a pair of baby sweats over Wayne’s little legs, tucking the onesie in. 

  Every single member had promptly lost their shit after seeing Wayne in his arms when they walked in.

  In fact, the session had started late as Wayne made his rounds through their arms. Amy—a new member, a freshman and a cheerleader (she was a little annoying with how often she brought it up)—hadn’t wanted to give him back but none of the party could focus with the baby in such close proximity so Eddie had reclaimed him. 

  If Wayne did anything remotely baby like, they’d go off course. Half an hour had passed and they’d barely made it from the town entrance to a single shop. An astounding amount of progress.

  “Get those big heads of yours back in the game,” Eddie cleared his throat, Dungeon Master persona taking over again. 

  “You enter the shop─”

  Wayne hiccuped against the skin of his arm where he was drooling, it was low and probably would have gone unnoticed had the party not already been paying an intense amount of attention to him. 

  Did you hear that?!

  Oh. My. GOD!

  Eddie, let me hold him.

  “That’s it, the shop is rigged with homemade explosives, Sir Soren triggered them, the shop blows up. You’re all dead. Session over.”

  They all groaned and protested.

  “Okay—okay! We’ll pay attention.”

  Hiccup.

  “OH MY GOD, HE DID IT AGAIN!”

  They all went into baby talk mode, each of them trying to grab his son’s attention, who managed to somehow avoid looking at any of them while staring off into their general direction.

  Eddie sighed, shoulders caving under defeat as he readjusted his hold on his baby, hands grasping his sides and supporting Wayne’s head as he lifted him to eye level.

  Wayne’s big, brown eyes focused on him immediately, making almost silent baby noises. Eddie softened, corners of his lips twitching out of endearment. 

  “You gotta help me out here, kid.”

  Hiccup.

  Eddie lowered him, pressing a kiss to his soft little nose.

  The baby let out a sharp squeak, thrusting his head forward. Eddie raised his chin to avoid the collision as his sons’ head nuzzled and bumped against his collar, almost as if he was physically trying to seek more affection, encourage Eddie to give him more kisses.

  Baby neck control, man. So bobble-head like.  

  “What am I gonna do with you?” Eddie mumbled, bending to smother the lower half of his face into the fuzz on his baby’s head.

  It was then he noticed how silent the party was, attention finally focused on him. Amy practically had hearts in her eyes (though she had a crush on Will, who was too kind to burst her bubble), “Can I hold him again? Please?”

  “No way! That’s not fair, you already got to hold him!” Lucas argued.

  “Yeah, well so did you!”

  “I meant during Hellfire! You were holding him when we first came into town!”

  “That doesn’t count, Eddie took him away!”

  And so came another argument. Eddie wasn’t even slightly amused as he watched them go back and forth. Until, he had an idea. 

  Maybe they could focus with Wayne in close proximity after all.

  He shielded the back of his baby’s head with his hand, palm covering one ear and his fingers covering the other.

(a/n: yeah, his hand is bigger than Wayne’s head, go ahead and swoon)

  “SHUT UP!” The voices of the party died down immediately. “New rule…”

  ─

  You parked alongside the trailer, right next to Eddie’s van and unloaded your groceries. It wasn’t too much, three bags. 

  “I help, mama! I can cawwy!” Penny had insisted, leaning her body against your legs with her arms stretched up and you relented, taking out most of the items save for a few rolls of toilet paper from one bag to hand her. 

  “Such a good helper, thank you so much!”

  “Yes.” She hummed, a satisfied smile stretching her face. 

  The two of you climbed up the steps—you’d had to shift both the grocery bags in one arm to help her hop up the steps and unlock the door—and entered your home, immediately noting the tense atmosphere. 

  Lucas stopped his dialogue and the entire table turned to you with Eddie grinning from his place, lounged back in the recliner, “Hey, baby. Welcome home.”

  On impulse, your eyes scanned the room for your actual baby, spotting him in Lucas’ arms as the rest of Hellfire greeted both you and Penny.

  Penny put her bag on the ground near the counter and ran over to Eddie who helped her into his lap before his arms wrapped around her little frame to hold her in place while he smothered her face in kisses.

  She squealed and wiggled until he released her and she immediately slid out of his lap in favor of Will’s.

  “Sorry to interrupt, you won’t even notice I’m here.”

  “I always notice, why don’t you join us for this last bit?” Eddie asked, beckoning you over with his forefinger in a come hither gesture. 

  “I will as soon as I’m done putting this stuff away—don’t you dare,” You nearly glared at him as he began to rise in order to assist you, “I’ll be right there, it’ll take me like two minutes and you always put stuff in the wrong place.”

  Eddie smirked, “You say this, yet you find it every time.”

  Your glare was a playful one and you shook your head, gaze flickering back over as Lucas handed your baby over to Mike.

  “No, dude, it’s Gareth’s turn.”

  “Oh my bad.”

  Then the oddest thing happened. Mike handed your baby over to Lucas, who passed him to Amy, who then placed him in Gareth’s waiting arms.

  “Is there a reason everyone is playing hot potato with our child?”

  “He’s my potato…” You heard Penny mumble.

  “Outside of Hellfire he might be our son, but inside the Realm of Asmodeus, he is the Ioun Stone of Language Knowledge, a gift bestowed upon the party by King Wolfgang,” Eddie informed you, casting the teens before him an amused look.

  “Because no one could pay attention, the shopkeeper was able to curse them with different languages to create a communication barrier. Whoever holds the stone is understood by the members in their new respective languages. In other words, everyone gets to hold the baby, and move beyond just several feet. Everyone’s happy.”

  Dustin huffed, “Not me, you all left me for dead in the tunnels!”

  Eddie shrugged and checked the time on his watch, “Well, don’t spend your turn with the stone talking about how you want to eat its fingers and toes and maybe you’ll see the trap next time. It’s late anyways, pack it up. We’ll pick up here next week.”

  Without standing, Eddie made grabby hands in Wayne and Gareth’s directions, with the latter handing him over.

  You quickly put your groceries away while everyone stored all the props and joined Eddie, seating yourself on his lap, mindful of the baby resting on his chest.

  Penny was running around after them, trying her hardest to be Lucas and Will’s helper and the two of you watched her until Dustin piped in.

  “You’re not really gonna let them leave me in a ditch though, right?” 

  Eddie smirked and remained silent, one hand moving to slip behind you and rest against your hip while the other played with his son’s wrinkly fingers. 

  “Right, Eddie?”

  “Can’t understand you, you’re not holding the stone.”

#other peoples works

[zzokks]

I need a part in the penny verse where the whole Eddie telling baby bump penny that her mom is going to be a MILF comes into play.

Like one we day the reader is picking up penny from school and maybe another kids dad flirts with her or like a new neighbor of theirs does and maybe Eddie’s reaction to that

Not even gonna front with you, I've been sitting on this for a min because I wrote it and then freaking forgot about it. I did take some creative liberties, but I think you'll like what I got for ya. Ps, ‘baby bump penny’ had my heart throwing up, I always forget that we get her in different phases of her existence and she was once in reader’s belly 🥹💘

to everyone else, sorry, I can't link shit but this is a follow up to a ton of other pennyverse entries so you can search that on my tumblr until the links work again. and i'm trying the keep reading cut again, let me know if it fucks up the post.

(dad!eddie munson x mom!reader)

Summary: Something's been bothering you these last couple of weeks and you won't tell Eddie what it is. Like that'll stop him, he's determined to figure it out.

warnings: a creepy (and freaking terrible) dad hits on reader, implied unwelcome advances, crude comments about reader and the female body (eddie sets this fucker straight), protective!eddie :)

Eddie knew you. He knew every fiber of your being, every marker in your past, all the ways you liked to style your hair, how you decided on what makeup to put on that day—if you even wore any—,the different types of silence you’d sink into and what they meant, your body (god, he was intimately in tune with it), and every different smile you wore. Eddie knew you.

  He just didn’t know exactly what went on in that beautiful head of yours. Eddie was positive he had a sixth sense catered only to you, it’d let him know whenever there was something wrong, something bothering you. It prompted him to approach you, watch you even more than he already did. Putting himself metaphorically in your shoes usually helped him figure it out the rest of the way, but for this particular occurrence, he had nothing to go on.

  For the past couple of weeks, since Penny had started preschool, you’d moved your work schedule around to go in earlier so you’d be out in time to pick Penny up from school and snag the baby from Maude and Wayne, who watched him while you and Eddie were at work.

  Eddie noticed a change in you. It was minor at first, a little frazzled when he’d get home, but you hid it well. Now, you looked bothered. Always zoned out, with a frown on your face. You never left the house like that, always gave him and the kids kisses before you went on your merry way (well, as happy as you could be going to a desk job), so it had to be something that happened after you left home that bothered you.

  It wasn’t work, you’d rant to Eddie about it if you had a bad day but you liked to leave work problems at your desk when you left it, something about not being paid to worry or think about work after hours.

  It bugged the fuck out of him. He’d tried to approach the subject before, leaving you openings to tell him what was going on but you always shrugged it off and went on about your day as if you hadn’t been upset over something. You couldn’t hide it completely, though. Not from Eddie, he could still see those split seconds where your mind wandered off and the corners of your lips twitched down.

  Given how stubborn you were, Eddie decided he’d need to take a more hands on approach. Since he suspected something was happening after you left home in the mornings and before he got home from work, he’d have to be present for that timeframe. 

  He’d left work around lunchtime, Norm was understanding about it and didn't really care all that much since it was a relatively slow day for business.

  His son had been delighted when he picked him up from his Grandpa and (grandma) Maude’s, squirming and wiggling in her hold until Eddie got a hold of him. Baby Wayne had immediately placed his hands on Eddie’s jaw, urging his dad to bend his head so he could rest his forehead against his own, those big eyes of his fluttering shut the moment they connected and soft coos of dada mumbled in between them, unlike Penny had, Wayne caught onto the baby babble of mama and dada. Penny hadn’t because one of you was always helicoptering around her so Princess Penny hadn’t felt the need.

Eddie would never get over how much his baby seemed to love cuddling with his parents, everytime baby Wayne was affectionate, he turned into goo, melting in his chubby hands. They lingered in the trailer for a couple of minutes while Eddie and big Wayne discussed how things were going in the apartment, though it had been more than a year since they’d moved in. Naturally, Wayne had asked why he was stopping by so early to pick up the baby so your change in demeanor came up in conversation.

  “Mmm, I been noticin’ ‘er actin’ odd whenever she comes to pick up little man. Seems fine when she gets ‘ere. ‘S when she leaves, she seems a little…”

  “Hesitant?” Eddie supplied and Wayne nodded, mouth pressed in a firm line.

  It was then that Maude Maple spoke up, something the widow rarely did in the presence of anyone other than Wayne, and it was with great hesitance.

  “She—she mentioned something once, about the pick up at Penny’s preschool. She didn’t go into too much detail, I think she’s bothered by it.”

  “Looks like I’m on pick-up duty today.” 

  After leaving Wayne and Maude’s and asking the latter to give you a call at work to let you know he picked the baby up, Eddie spent the rest of the afternoon with baby Wayne. It involved a food fight—yes, Eddie flung some back at him, he had it coming, when Wayne had decided he was done being fed and done with food that wasn’t coming from your boob so he’d thrown the macaroni at his dad’s face—a shared shower to rid evidence of said food fight, jamming out (terribly) on toy musical instruments before Eddie gave him a bottle and some cuddles while he put Wayne down for his nap. . . And fell asleep with him. 

  You came home to a suspiciously quiet apartment, a little too clean, save for a couple of toys in the living room. You found your boys in Wayne’s nursery, both of them in the crib. 

  It was a heartwarming and comical sight, Eddie’s legs were dangling outside of the crib and the baby was curled up on his chest, though he stirred at the sound of the door opening, pushing himself up off his dad as he blinked lazily at you, mouth parting to reveal a couple of little white nubs in his gummy smile, teeth coming in.

  He cooed softly, once. When you didn’t immediately go pick him up, he let out a stream of coos, loud and demanding but still loving as he tried to entice you over. When you still stood there giggling, he got mad, seemingly joining you in your laughter with his fake and very forced sounding baby laugh which quickly morphed into fake cries as he pushed himself to his feet and stood on Eddie’s chest, clinging to the bars of his crib as though he were a locked up criminal.

  Eddie groaned, hands moving to grab your son and you finally made your way over, picking Wayne up—much to his utter delight—to relieve Eddie of his weight.

  “Ouch, dude. You can’t just stand on people like that, it’s rude.” He croaked out, as his son’s weight was lifted off of his chest.

  Eddie couldn’t even be annoyed, not when he could see Wayne scrambling eagerly in your arms, face rubbing into your neck, chest, cheek, anywhere the little guy could reach in his desperation and excitement to be as close as he could to his mama.

  After giving Wayne’s tummy some tickles, amplifying his excited wiggles with a few ‘so excited, so excited’s, you leaned over so the both of you could stare down at Eddie, amusement cloaking your pretty features.

  “I think it might be time to get you a big boy bed.”

  Eddie huffed out a laugh and then groaned once more as he tried to sit up as much as he could, which wasn’t a whole lot given the fact half of him was hanging out of the crib.

  “This is gonna be fun,” he mumbled, but eventually he was able to maneuver himself out of it without breaking. He placed his hands on his lower back, arching until it gave away to a satisfying pop.

  “Oh, yeah. That’s good.”

  “Daddy’s so silly, huh?” You asked your son, bouncing him in your arms as you placed a kiss on his curly head before directing your next question to Eddie, “Is everything okay, baby?”

  “Just peachy, honey.” He was definitely gonna have to ask you to rub his back tonight. “Wanted to have some one-on-one time with him, even if he regularly abandons me the moment you’re in sight.” 

  Eddie reached a finger out to tickle Wayne’s stomach, smirking when he laughed and tried to hide further in your hold.

  You smiled at their interaction, though the joy quickly flitted from your expression, “Do you want to watch him? While I go pick up Penny?”

  Another obvious tell something was wrong: you’d chosen to come home, put an intentional stop between getting off of work and picking up Penny. It was almost as though you needed time to prepare yourself, which was a giant freaking red flag to Eddie considering you used to drive straight over to her school and wait for her. 

  “Why don’t you stay with him? I can go pick her up.”

  The light returned to your eyes.

  “Really? I mean—I don’t mind, I don’t want to get in the way of your bonding time.” 

  “He’s clearly over me,” The sentence was whispered at his son with fake aggression, which left Wayne a giggling mess once more, Eddie chuckled and gave his son’s chin an affectionate squeeze and wiggle, “I’ll pick up Princess Penelope, she loves the disapproving looks people give me.”

“Shut up!” You laughed, leaning up to give him a kiss before he snatched his keys off the counter.

“I’ll see you soon, beautiful.”

“Say bye-bye to daddy!” You encouraged your baby, bouncing him a little against your hip. “Buh-buh.” He waved his chunky little hand, smiling wide for his dad. 

When Eddie collapsed into the door, hand clenched over his heart, you added, “Blow daddy a kiss!” Baby Wayne lifted his palm to his mouth briefly before extending his arm out in Eddie’s direction, “Mah!” Eddie pretended to catch it, smacked the invincible kiss over his mouth and blew one right back at his baby before he forced himself out the door.

   His kid was so cute, it was a federal offense. The drive to Penny’s preschool was short, thanks to living close by. Eddie hopped out of the van–he and a couple of the guys from the shop installed a backseat prior to Penny’s birth–and made his way to the waiting area. Eddie had never gone to a preschool as a kid so he couldn’t exactly judge the pick up and drop off routine, but Penny’s preschool rarely allowed anyone in. They simply walked  up to one of the entrance doors, rang a special doorbell attached to the building, and one of the teachers or aides or whatever would verify the adult picking them up if they didn’t recognize them and then bring the kid out.

  Which meant Eddie had to stand around with other adults. There’d been a couple of them already waiting when he’d arrived, so he’d made himself comfortable on a nearby column as he waited, mind once more preoccupied with reasons as to why you didn’t seem to enjoy picking Penny up anymore. You liked Penny’s teacher, could it be one of the aides giving you a hard time? No. That’s something you would have told him.

Eddie was so distracted, he hadn’t noticed another body settle against the wall across from him.

“You a new dad? Haven’t seen you around before.”

  “What?” Eddie blinked, roused from his thoughts. The guy across from him looked like he was in his mid thirties, dressed in a skeezy suit that looked like it belonged on a car lot rather than an office, and had really big, overly white teeth he couldn’t seem to put away.

“Not a new dad, a new dad to this school. Although, you do look a little young.” The stranger clarified with a shrug.

There was something about him that Eddie immediately disliked. He could tell this was not only their first interaction, it would also be their last.

“No, I usually do the drop off.” Eddie stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, eyes flashing back to the entrance door just in time to make eye contact with one of the aides, he saw the recognition in her eyes before she closed the door again and felt less annoyed with the situation knowing she’d be retrieving Penny. 

  He hadn’t really left room for conversation, but the guy still continued.

  “Gotcha, gotcha.” His head bobbed around, Eddie thought if he listened carefully enough, he could hear his brain rattling in there, “I used to be on drop off duty myself, but I hated getting the kids ready. I’ve got four of those little monsters, every little task takes goddamn near twenty minutes.” Oh, no. This guy didn’t say it with annoyance, no, he seemed contemptuous when he talked about his kids. Eddie didn’t like that.

“Wouldn’t be so bad if my wife could just get a grip on them,” Maybe she could if she had help, you’re clearly useless, “Name’s Neil, by the way.” Eddie just raised his chin in acknowledgement. One would think ol’ Neil would catch on to Eddie not wanting to talk to him, but one would be wrong. “Yup. ‘S why I’m not on drop off duty. Sure, the pick up has its faults, kids always smell like a stale fart from all that running around and they’re babbling non-stop the whole ride, but I think you’ll find you’ll like being on pick-up duty,” Then he leaned in, like he was telling a secret and whispered out, “Most of the hot moms do the pick-ups.”

  That sixth sense Eddie had for you? Yeah, it was on freaking fire, hot red and jumping around. He was positive he now knew the reason behind your discomfort with picking Penny up. 

  Some fucking creep wouldn’t leave you alone. Eddie’s jaw ticked, hands clenched into fists from the insides of his pockets. He didn’t say anything, but that wasn’t necessary with this guy.

“Man, you should see some of them. You gotta wonder why they only have one kid, I’d be all over that.” He gave a low whistle before he let out the most unflattering of cackles.

  “You missed most of the show, but there’s this one mom–god, the body on this one. . .and she’s always done up, think she works in an office or something, but she’s a sight for sore eyes. A real MILF. She’s only got one kid, too. Little girl she picks up, so you know she’s tight.”

Eddie would be committing a crime, because he knew he was talking about you. He was going to murder this asshole. He was gonna strangle Neil with his own intestines and get rid of the body in the town dump where he belonged.

  He must have not noticed the crazed glint in Eddie’s eyes because the idiot kept going, “I know what you’re thinking, I’m not actively planning on doing anything. Haven’t seen her in a couple of days, pretty sure she’s working late or something because she’s gotta be snatching this kid up late. Heard she’s married to some greasy mechanic and a pretty little thing like that coming to pick up her kid with these dads around? Shit, I wouldn’t be letting her out of the house. He’s signing her up for this. You gotta wonder if she likes the attention. She’s got this shy thing going on, though. Always so meek when I’m chatting her up. No like my wife.” Neil’s face contorted in disdain, “Four fucking kids, man.” Okay, Eddie would be murdering him on behalf of you, and his wife. And the rest of the human population. He’d had enough, it was time to make sure this shit wouldn’t be continuing. “You got any pictures?” Eddie asked, feigning interest for the first time since he’d come up to him. Neil scoffed and dug around in his pocket, “Wife won’t let me go anywhere without them, you know how it is. Constant reminders and all that, like she doesn’t trust me to not forget.”

Eddie tried not to snatch the photo out of his slimy hands, frown deepening when he realized Neil’s story about having a wife and kids was not in fact made up. Four beaming little faces stared back up at Eddie, with a pretty fifth smile in the picture. She was severely out of her husband’s league, seemingly juggling all the responsibilities on her own, all of them underappreciated and unfortunately stuck with him.

“Beautiful family,” He commented, eyes flashing to the door just as it opened to reveal Penny and the aide. He returned the photo and pulled out his wallet from his pocket by its chain. Eddie flashed the photo inside to Neil, who immediately looked like he was going to shit himself. The photo was of you sitting on the couch, Wayne sitting between your legs and Penny standing on the cushion next to you, clutching your shoulder as you all smiled for him.

  Eddie slipped the wallet back into his pocket, and just as Penny began to run over, he leaned in to whisper like Neil had earlier, “Here’s what’s gonna happen: you're not ever gonna talk to my wife again or I’ll fuck you up. If you so much as look in her direction, I’ll kill you. If you think about her, I’ll beat you 'til the bones of my knuckles break through the skin. I’ll make sure you experience pain like you’ve never felt before. Bones can heal, but I promise you they don’t grow back, you pathetic fucking worm. You don’t deserve your wife, who gave you four fucking beautiful children, and you don’t deserve your kids, either. If I ever see her in public, I’m gonna tell her that so you’d better start appreciating her now. I’ve got a friend who wants a ton of kids and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me sending him their way. Got it?” Neil, good ol’ clammy, pale faced Neil swallowed hard and silently nodded as Penny finally reached him, arms already outstretched. Eddie swooped her up before she ran into him, relishing in the way her arms wrapped tightly around him in a hug. And this fucker was annoyed to have four little people who gave him these.

“Hi, sweet pea! Daddy’s just gonna finish up this conversation with Neil here and we’ll head home to mama, okay?”

Penny nodded eagerly, turning her head to stare inquisitively at the man she knew was her friend Izzy’s dad.

  Eddie took Penny’s backpack off of her with her help and slid it over his free arm, “I’m glad we understand each other, Neil. And if we don’t, my buddy Steve’s on speed dial.”

  He smirked as he walked away, leaving both Neil dumbstruck and terror stricken. Eddie didn’t even stop when he recalled a small inaccuracy Neil had mentioned, calling over his shoulder, “And we have two kids!”

What a jerk.

“Tell me about your day?” Eddie asked as he slid open the backseat door and leaned forward so Penny could climb into her booster seat. “Oh, boy, daddy! It was long! First, teacher said we were gonna draw with crayons but she change-ed her mind and we got to paint with our fingers instead!” She displayed her clean, paint free fingers for him as Eddie buckled her in, “Oh, yeah? Did you paint me a picture?” “Yeah, ‘s in my pack pack. But we only gotted to paint for a little while ‘cause Stanley tried to eat it.” “Not again, Stanley.” “I know!” Penny filled him in the rest of the drive home, while he got her out of her seat, the entire walk into the apartment building, only stopping when he opened the door for her and she caught sight of you. “MOMMY!” She let go of Eddie’s hand to run into your waiting arms. “Hi, baby! Did you have a good day at school?” You asked after you’d gotten in a good cuddle squeeze. “Uh huh! I painted with my fingers!” Penny ran back to Eddie and dug around in the backpack now dangling at his side until she retrieved a very poorly folded piece of thick paper. “I gotta show Waynie, first!” She bypassed you and ran straight for her baby brother, who was clutching the seat cushion of the couch and bobbing up and down. He’d be walking any day now. Eddie set Penny’s yellow backpack down on the counter as he closed the distance between you, arms wrapping around your middle to pull you flush up against him. “I don’t know how you do it, they make you wait forever.” He groaned, pressing his forehead to yours as you laughed. “It’s not that bad!”

“Yeah, well, regardless, you should be having a much easier time picking her up.”

It was easy for you to read between the lines and pick up his real meaning. Your eyes widened in surprise for a moment before they softened, and you leaned further into him, hands resting on Eddie’s shoulders. “Thank you.” You’d been afraid to mention the invasive and unwelcome attention you’d gained from one of the dads. Ashamed. He’d been vulgar, blatant and creepy. Even on the days he wouldn't approach you, you could still feel his eyes on you, on your body. It made you feel gross and cheap, even though you hadn’t done anything wrong. You’d politely tried to get away from him when you’d find yourself in that situation, but where you went, he followed. Soon, you’d begun waiting in your parked car until Neil left, and when that wasn’t good enough, you’d either go home and wait until just before they closed–which you hated because you didn’t like to keep Penny waiting there when she could be at home–or wait in the parking lot at work until you’d make it when all the other kids were mostly gone. It was draining, and made you dread the end of the work day. 

“You never have to thank me,” Eddie leaned down just as you leaned up to kiss him, mouths mingling a little more on the wet side since you knew neither of your kids’ attention was on you. When you finally broke away, Eddie licked his lips and sighed. “Seriously, though. I don’t know how you do it. Men are gross and creepy, I wanted to deck him before he even really said anything. And what he did say–ugh. Let me know if you see his head turn in your direction, honey, ‘cause I made a promise I’m eager to not break.” You hummed appreciatively as you leaned up for more kisses, “My hero.”

#other peoples works

[zzokks]

Well…Shit | Finale | Part 3

Summary: Dustin and Mike bring Erica to the rescue….at least that’s what you hope. The next session of the campaign has you and your party scrambling to resurrect your fallen character. Meanwhile there’s a glimpse at how you and Eddie came to be. (DnD campaign parts loosely based on Critical Role C1E44)

Part One | Part Two

A/N: for the sake of correct DnD play through I’m making Dustin a Druid…. I have absolutely no idea if that’s accurate or not but oh well. Also I’m only really familiar with DnD 5e so I’m not too sure if the items or rules used are accurate for the time period in which stranger things takes place.

Eddie x Reader mostly fluff very nerdy.

Y/C = your class (Druid, cleric, etc…)

Y/C/N = your character Name.

*THEN*

It was the fourth time you were meeting for Hellfire. Everyone so far had been really welcoming of you despite you being the new girl. You weren’t sure if it was because they all were genuinely just nice or if it was because their “leader” had threatened them into being nice. Either way you were thankful.

This was the first time you could remember feeling a genuine sense of acceptance from your peers. You had become so accustomed to being the outcast, the new girl, the freak.

He never made you feel like a freak.

He always greeted you with a huge smile and sparkling eyes every-time you walked into the drama room.

He offered to walk you home after every session even though it was just up the road and he had his own vehicle.

You couldn’t help feeling yourself become more and more enraptured with the young man. What went from an anxious first meeting to a welcome friendship had quickly been turning into a deeper more meaningful feeling for Eddie Munson.

It honestly wasn’t that surprising, he was good looking and charismatic. What really captured your heart was what had drawn you to him in the first place. 

It was his kindness.

The same kindness you saw in his eyes the first time you met.

Your admiration of the fun loving dungeon master has been building by the moment until the point where tonight you had planned to ask him on a date.

You were nervous through the entire session and you’re pretty sure Eddie could tell. If you weren’t positive before you definitely were when he decided to speak up on your walk home.

“So you hiding some big dark secret? Am I going to have to bribe it out of you?” Eddie starts with a light tone hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“W-what? No!” Your face starts to grow warmer as you absentmindedly hope it was too dark for him to notice.

“Well that’s a lie. You messed up your modifiers like four times tonight.” He called your bluff immediately, turning and walking backwards moving his hands to his hips.

“I did not! It..it was like three times.” You grumbled crossing your arms over your chest.

“Nope you can’t fool with dungeon master ma’am. It was four so, spill what’s got you so distracted hmm??” He moves his face closer to yours cause you to take a giant step back.

“N-nothing!!! I just .. I was just ..” you stuttered panic slowly creeping up. Eddie immediately drops his goofy tone and smile.

“Hey. Hey it’s ok. If you don’t want to tell me or talk about it. It’s ok. I was just messing around. It’s alright.” He tries to reassure you noticing the panic that had started to form.

This just made your face grow even more red. You were in front of your house now, it was now or never.

“I wantedtoaskyououtonadate!” You rush out before covering your face in your hands.

A moment passes.

Another moment.

You peak through your fingers to see Eddie staring dumbfounded at you. His face a beautiful shade of crimson all the way up to the tips of his ears.

“E-excuse me?” He squeaks out.

“Never-mind forget it. It was stupid I’ll see you on Monday!” You immediately swivel and start marching towards your house. Tears forming in the corners of your eyes.

You were so dumb, he only knew you for a month, he only was nice to you because you were the new girl who liked DnD. He was just being a good friend.

As you fabricated reason after reason for his supposed rejection Eddie rushes forward.

“WAIT!” Her grabs your hand careful not to grip too tightly.

You freeze, refusing to turn around.

“Wait please. I just …I wasn’t sure this was real.” He spoke softly as if not to startle you more.

“I had only dreamt about this moment for like a month straight.” He chuckled trying to ease your tension.

“W-we only just met a month ago.” You protest weakly while turning to look at the man that made your heart beat fast and your palms sweaty.

“Yeah well I was smitten as soon as our hands met on that DnD issue. You absolutely captured my heart right then and there babe.” He smirked trying to put on his best smooth talker face.

It completely failed, he was just as red and nervous as you were.

It was then that you realized how stupid you were being. What were you even afraid of? Being shunned, picked on, rejected and made fun of?

Eddie would never treat you like you were less than. He would never make you feel ashamed.

“S-so did you want to maybe go on a date then?” You asked voice quivering slightly but overall the panic subsided.

“How do you like concerts?? See, Corroded Coffin is playing at the hide out tomorrow. I can give you an all exclusive backstage tour.” He grins while holding both of your hands in his.

You pull him down to your level, his eyes sparkling and ears growing more red. You place a quick soft kiss to his lips before whispering against them.

“I would really really like that.”

★彡

*NOW*

“All right nerds let’s fix your mess”

Erica immediately plops down next to you opening her binder. Which you notice is impressively detailed and packed full of notes and number sheets.

You snicker at the shocked looks the older Hellfire members have plastered on their faces.

“Before we start I just want to say I’m truly excited to have another member with an actual brain around here” you quip while shooting the younger kids a wink.

“Yeah well us girls have to show the boys how to do anything am i right?? Now let’s save your ass” Erica also sends a smile in your direction.

“Enough chit chat let’s save the DM’s girlfriend before he brutally murders all of us in horrific and terrible ways.” Mike grumbles while Gareth and Dustin follow in pulling their character sheets and dice out.

Eddie had set out the map and placed the party’s figures in their correct spaces. His hand lingered on the prone figure that was yours, placed on its side next to a drawn out sarcophagus.

Looking up at him as he sat back in his throne your eyes meet for a brief moment. You try your best to appear reassuring. He schools his features before pulling his hands up to his mouth.

“Last we saw, our dear heroes in a panic as their loving Y/C fell to the ground lifeless. Now how do you wish to proceed?” You loved watching Eddie switch from loving boyfriend to all powerful Dungeon Master. It always brought a smile to your face seeing how seriously he takes his role, knowing that you were free to act out and play without the constant worry of being judged or laughed at.

It was truly amazing how Eddie could create a safe space for all those who wish to just be unequivocally nerdy without the prying eyes of those who would judge them. It was one of the main reasons you loved him so.

You sat back, waiting, you wouldn’t be able to participate until someone brought you back anyway. Your hand found Eddie’s under the table giving it a light squeeze. His immediately gripped yours back, running a thumb in slow gently circles over your knuckles. You were pulled out of your daze by Erica.

“I sneak up behind the sarcophagus and cast hunters mark on Dustin who is closest to me. As I do this I call out from the shadows “looks like you have quite the problem…I can fix it. For a price.” And then I grab my kukri and grip it at my side while still staying shadowed ending my turn.”

“Wait. A price?! That’s not what you said on the way over Erica!” Mike loudly whispers through clenched teeth.

You laughed at that, Erica was smart to ask for some form of payment. If whatever she brought was powerful enough to resurrect you without a cleric then it was nearly priceless.

“Fine take whatever you want! Hell Take me instead you bitch!” Dustin speaks over Mike’s complaints before looking over to Eddie. “I move to stand in front of y/c/n.”

Your eyes shoot over to Dustin, protest on your lips but you stop as Eddie squeezes your hand. His face is completely emotionless as he moves Dustin’s figure but his hand continues to rub circles on the back of yours under the table.

“Interesting, my god may take you up on that.” Erica flips through her playbook before looking back up at Eddie. “I step forward out of the shadows holding the Rod Of resurrection.”

Immediately Eddie and about half the party shoot to their feet all talking over each other.

“What!?” “How did you even get that?!” “That’s a legendary item how the hell-“

You are whooping and raising your fists, “WOOO LADY APPLE JACK!”

Eddie takes a moment to school his features or at least tries to, “sweetheart you’re dead still, no talking.” He chastises you but you notice his lips firming a smile despite his best efforts.

“Heh sorry DM” you apologize while sitting back down, knee bouncing.

“Well Henderson offers his life for y/c/n’s and a new player joins the fray. Dustin make a persuasion check and Erica a intelligence check.”

You hold your breath as you watch the two younger kids roll. Dustin passing with a solid 19 but Erica had rolled a 2, you anxiously wrung your hands before placing them over your mouth. 

“Ok Lady Apple Jack it seems your god doesn’t answer your call to see if Dustin’s offer pleases her but the desperation the young Druid has moves you. Do you wish to ask for another form of payment?” Eddie asks trying to give her another option without breaking the role of DM. You hadn’t noticed before but beads of sweat were forming on his forehead cause his bangs to slightly stick. He was nervous, that realization instantly warms you. You stare at him, hands placed firmly on the table holding his weight as he stands over the map focused completely on Erica and Dustin. Man you loved this doofus.

“Turns our my god doesn’t want your crusty ass Druid boy. How much gold do you have on you??” Erica quips while looking at her nails.

“Uhhh …uhhh….2,570” Dustin frantically flips through his notes before blurting out.

“Fine. I toss the rod over to Dustin” Erica rolls her eyes, that rod is worth SOOO much more that that. You almost interrupt again before Erica shoots you a look and the protest dies on your lips. That kid is one scary little eleven year old.

“Make a dex check.” Eddie turns to Dustin eyes shining with mischief.

“Shit fuck you couldn’t just hand it to me?!” Dustin complains while rolling, slightly worried since the last roll he made was devastatingly low.

He holds his breath, the dice lands on a natural 20 and you along with the rest of the party all let out an obnoxious sigh.

“Nice catch could you imagine if you didn’t grab that haha your pal would be deader than dead.”

“Shut up Lady Apple Jack.” Mike grumbled.

“Ok Henderson. The rod has 5 charges. While you hold it, you can use an action to cast one of the following spells from it: heal or resurrection. Jeff your up.” Eddie glances over to Jeff who digs through his dice pouch.

“While they are doing that I’m going to gather as many healing potions as possible for y/n when she wakes up.”

“Ok, Gareth?” Eddie turns his head to the other older member. Shoulders taught hands still clenched on the table top.

“I am going to hold my turn to see if the kids fucks this up.” He sneers while putting his arms over his chest. You kick him under the table earning you a yelp.

Eddie ignores looks over to Mike and before he even asks mikes talking. “I am also going to move behind lady Apple jack to make sure she doesn’t run or trick us”

“Really wheeler??” Erica asks, hands on her hips a scowl on her face.

“What?! First rule I learned from Lucas is to NEVER trust you you sneaky little demon!”

Mike hisses out which makes Erica roll her eyes and you just chuckle.

“Enough! Dustin it’s back to you…” Eddie waits with baited breath.

“ I use the rod of course!” Dustin stands eyes locked with their imposing DM.

“Alright….” Eddie sits back down slowly. You watch as he marks a few notes down, rolls twice and knit his brows. You find yourself holding your breath for what feels like the hundredth time this night. Eddie won’t meet your gaze and instantly your stomach knots.

Your hands still rest over your mouth, knee bouncing, you stare at your boyfriend waiting.

“You feel a slight buzzing from the rod before it grows white hot in your hand. Your grip tightens as the rod begins to glow and a figure can be seen appearing over your fallen comrade.” Eddie narrates while looking at Dustin.

“Oh I don’t think so take me instead you Raven Bitch!” Dustin shouts at Eddie mirroring his words to Erica earlier. Maybe this god will take his offer.

“The figure straightens before turning to you. She silently moves forward drifting across the floor like a fog. She looks from you to the rod and then back to you. Make a persuasion roll.” Eddie’s tone is deathly serious, so different from his usual goofy nature and loving words you’re used to.

“Ok come onnnn! ….11?” Dustin pleaded and reluctantly speaks his voice going up an octave in trepidation.

Eddie stares, tension building.

The entire room is silent.

Waiting.

“The dark figure reaches forward, placing a hand on your shoulder. She nods and in that instant the rod in your hand shatters in a burst of radiance. You all shut your eyes from the light only to be met with an empty space where the goddess stood before.” Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Did it work?

Nobody dared to speak, waiting to see what Eddie had to say.

“Silence fell as the lights fade and the fog disappears.”

At this point your shaking, a few tears have already escaped. This moment decides if you can continue to be a part of the amazing campaign. It determines whether or not you will get the opportunity to surprise your boyfriend and party members with a particularly powerful attack. If you can join in on the final battle that Eddie had spent MONTHS planning. If you could help your friends defeat the big bad that you know Eddie had planned.

“A moment passes, then another.” Your face begins to fall and you move to cover your entire face. The sound of a dramatic gasp of air pulls your hands down.

“Breath fills y/c/n’s lungs as she begins to cough.” Eddie looks over to you, eyes slightly misty, smile on his face.

You and Dustin leap up shouting in joy! You fist bump before pulling the smaller curly haired boy into a giant bear hug.

“Your eyes open the members of your party coming into focus.” Narrates with a huge smile on his face as he watches you ruffle Dustin’s hair, tears streaming down your face.

“W-what happened? I feel so cold. Did we get anything??” You ask wiping the tears away, your voice wobbling.

“You fuckin DIED!” Mike shouts while Dustin releases you.

“so eloquently put Wheeler.” Erica speaks up and you couldn’t help rushing over and pulling her into a tight hug as well earning you a slight pat on the back. “Ok ok put the rogue down” she grumbles through clenched teeth.

“Thank you lady Apple jack. Now… What’s next??” You all turn to Eddie who has sit back down elbows resting on the table. Fingers met in a point in front of his mouth, a smirk just barely visible.

“You hear a chanting from outside the tomb…looking through the door you see a swarm of hooded figures chanting as the fill the room outside.” Eddie’s voice drops, telling the events with a deeper more foreboding tone sending chills down your spine.

“You all just manage to hear what they are chanting.” Eddie finally looks over to you. A moment passes between the two of you, as if all your feelings in the past weeks have bubbles over, the two of you just stare at each other. The moment is shattered by the words that Eddie hauntingly recites.

“Hail Lord Vecna”

☆彡★彡☆彡★彡☆彡★彡☆彡★彡☆彡★彡☆彡

A/N: AAAnd that’s a wrap. I really wasn’t sure how long I wanted to make this or what direction to take this. Finally I came up with this. I hope it’s not too disappointing for y’all. This was the first fic I’ve ever written and I had such a good time writing it! I deeply apologize for any mistakes I’ve made. This was so fun I am positive I will write more. If anyone has an request please feel free to shoot me a message or something. I really had so much fun writing this and would love to work on some more.

Thank you to everyone encouraging me and to everyone who shared such kind words.

Tag list | @mizelophsun11 @ali-r3n @jadeylovesmarvelxo @agentyuna @yokaimoon @ruinedbythehobbit

#other peoples works

[zzokks]

Paper Men: Ch. 27 Preview #2

With the full release just days away (I'm gonna try to have it up by Sunday, but worst-case scenario, it'll be up early next week, and it'll be totally awesome!), here's a special preview featuring Belch and Vic.❤️

The afternoon hadn’t gone so well for Victor Criss, either. 

Thanks to Henry Bowers and his little lunchtime temper tantrum, Vic was almost twenty minutes late for his sixth-period government class. He walked in just as the last two students were turning in their quizzes, and when he asked Mr. Briggs if he could take the quiz during the second half of class, Mr. Briggs said no because he didn’t want Vic to miss his lecture: “These lectures are crucial to your understanding of the course.” 

No, Vic wanted to say to him, your lectures are unresearched, uninspired, and taken directly from the textbook. Half the time I don’t even listen to you. 

Instead, he just glared at his teacher with an exhausted, exasperated stare, which he supposed delivered the same message. 

Judging by his teacher’s expression, it had. 

“Look, I’m sorry, Victor. If you want to make up the quiz, you’re going to have to come in early tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to give you a zero.” 

Come in early? On a Tuesday? 

Screw it, Vic thought, my GPA can afford the hit, so he accepted his goose egg and chucked it over his shoulder.

He spent the rest of the afternoon going through the usual motions: go to his locker, switch books, go to class, sit down, zone out, wait for the teacher to give the assignment, start said assignment, zone out again, brace himself for the loud

BRRRRRRING!

The final bell burred directly over Vic’s head, making him flinch in his chair and drop his head into his hands. The damned thing was so loud, it might as well have been rattling around in his skull. Then came the excited chatter of thirty students talking all at once. Vic didn’t care how excited Kelly was to go to the mall or how “totally bummed” Mark was now that he had to go to detention. Vic had detention too, but you didn’t hear him complaining about it (although he was, constantly, in his head). He closed his notebook and textbook, stacked them into a pile, and tucked it under his arm before heading out the door. 

The hallway seemed to go on forever. Classroom doors whipped open and closed, open and closed, releasing hordes of rowdy teenagers eager to leave. Vic kept his head down the whole time, staring at his boots, counting his steady, silent footfalls, and with each door he passed, the sound swelled around him. Every little noise—a cough, a laugh, a swish-swish of fabric—crashed together into a raging wave that flooded Vic’s senses. He could hear everything. He could hear nothing. His head throbbed and his body ached. His skin felt prickly and tight. When Vic finally reached his locker, he whipped it open, shoved his head inside the dark space above the shelf, and took a few slow breaths through his nose until he started to calm down. 

Then he felt someone slump down beside him, and a grating, feminine voice said, “No offense, Vic, but your little girlfriend’s kind of a major bitch.” 

Vic breathed out a sigh and even that was too loud in his current state. He buried his head deeper into his locker and wondered if she would just go away if he ignored her long enough. 

But then again Christie Gibson was awfully persistent, like a fly that refused to buzz off. 

“I don’t know what that means,” Vic said, annoyed, his voice echoing inside his metal cave. 

“Tozier. I tried talking to her today and she totally wigged out on me! Like, I dunno what was worse: that fake nice bullshit—that was totally transparent, by the way—or her frantic babbling about coffee or whatever the fuck she was going on about. I dunno, I couldn’t make out a word of what she was saying. She said she wanted to give me advice or something, and I was just like, What? What are you even talking about? You know, she should be thanking me! I totally kicked her ass in the student council vote, but someone made me drop outta the race…”

“You don’t care about student council,” Vic said, his voice a low rumble. 

“So? You never know, I might’ve been good at it.” 

“Trust me, you wouldn’t have, and besides, you don’t care about student council.” 

“Whatever… still might’ve been fun.” 

Her hand landed on his shoulder like a slithering worm. Vic shrugged it away. 

“Look, here she comes now. Watch this, Vic.” 

Vic reluctantly pulled his head out of his locker and turned around, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the change in light. Evelyn had just come around the corner in his mother’s bright yellow dress, her arms crossed in front of her, right hand rubbing and squeezing her left bicep. When she got within earshot, Christie said, “Hey, Tozier!” and Evelyn turned her head to acknowledge them. By now, it was practically an instinct for her, like muscle memory or something. Whenever someone said her name, Evelyn sprang to life like a wind-up doll, just like she was doing now. Her eyes popped open a little wider and brightened. Her mouth transformed into a picture-perfect smile, began to deliver an enthusiastic “Hi!” but then it just stopped and hung open, as if a pebble had gotten stuck in one of her gears. Evelyn drew back a step. Her eyes darkened, went to Vic, then to Christie, then back to Vic, and she gave them both a polite but noticeably stiff, “Hi,” before shuffling past them.

Christie snapped her fingers and pointed at Evelyn’s back. “See? Bitch!” 

“Don’t call her a bitch,” Vic said, but even he had to admit that was a little odd. “Hey, what were you talking to Evelyn for, anyway?” 

Christie raised her eyebrows at him. “Huh?” 

“Why were you talking to Evelyn?”

Christie shrank away from him, then folded her arms over her chest and burrowed inside her oversized denim jacket. “Hey, I can talk to whoever I want, Vic. It’s not like I need your permission.” 

Vic’s eyes hardened. “Why were you talking to Evelyn?” 

“I just wanted to say hi and compliment her dress, that’s all. What? I’m not allowed to be nice to my fellow classmates?” She stuck her thumb between her lips and started chewing on her nail. Under her breath, she said, “Jeez, I was just trying to do you a favor…” 

“You wanna do me a favor?” Vic said. “Stop talking to Evelyn.” 

“Oh, fine! Not like I’m dying to talk to her again, anyway…” Christie took her thumb out of her mouth and shoved both hands into her pockets. “So you got my Green River CD?”

“Yeah. Here.” 

Vic pulled the CD out of his backpack and handed it to her. 

“Well? Thoughts?”

“Uh… not really my thing,” Vic said, but honestly, he couldn’t even remember what the band sounded like.

Christie clutched her chest in distress. “Really? Green River isn’t your thing? Boy, you are a tough nut to crack, Criss… but I’ll getcha, oh, I’ll getcha. I will find your music soulmate and you’ll live happily ever after, just like me and Stevie Nicks.” 

She clasped her hands together in a silent prayer of thanks. Right now, Vic was saying a little prayer of his own: to be rid of Christie Gibson and have a few seconds of peace and quiet. 

“Y’know your roots are startin’ to show,” Christie said. “You want me to touch ‘em up for you?” 

Vic ran his hand through his hair, thinking. 

It’s weird, and it’s ugly, and it doesn’t suit you at all!

“I dunno.” 

“Oh?” Christie tipped her head curiously. “What, you thinkin’ about goin’ back?”

“I dunno… maybe.”

“‘Cause I can take you back if you want. Won’t be quite the same as your natural color, but I could probably get it pretty damn close.” 

“Maybe,” Vic said, and they both turned to greet Belch Huggins. 

He walked up to them while shaking his head, looking tired and frustrated, but he perked up a little when Christie Gibson’s eyes met his. Her smile was like sunshine. It always made his stomach flutter.

Nevertheless, he said, “Can you believe I got another day of detention over this bullshit?” 

“Yup,” Vic said. He had gotten another day added to his sentence too, and all so he could watch Henry Bowers sulk in the front seat like a three-year-old until Evelyn Tozier gave him exactly what he wanted: attention. “I don’t even care anymore. They already gave me three weeks, what’s another day?”

Christie scoffed at them both. “God, you two are poster boys for the dangers of peer pressure… Hey, why’d you boneheads take her shirts, anyway?” 

“I dunno,” Belch moaned. “Why do we do anything?”

It was just supposed to be a harmless prank, something to get Henry and Evelyn talking again. The last four months had been unbearably tense. Henry had been strangely quiet and extra irritable all summer, and Belch knew it was because of Evelyn (because somehow it was always because of Evelyn). He thought if he took her shirts, Evelyn would go to Henry to get them back, and they would finally squash whatever happened between them. He wasn’t expecting Henry’s temper to flare up and explode like it did, and he definitely wasn’t expecting Patrick Hockstetter to pour more gasoline on the fire. Lots of mistakes were made that day. Belch Huggins regretted every single one of them. 

Because, boy, did it put a damper on his sex life. 

Now Christie Gibson was turning to him with that familiar twinkle in her eyes. “Hey, can you give me a ride home from work tonight?” 

“I can’t, remember? I’m not allowed to take the car out without my mom’s permission.” 

“Oh, come on, please!”

“I can’t!” 

“You’re really gonna make me walk home by myself that late at night? Past that creepy house? Reggie, I thought your mom raised you better than that.” 

“Oh, don’t pull that card…” 

“I’m just saying… next time I see your mom, I’m gonna tell her you made me walk home and I don’t think she’s gonna be very happy with you. I mean, what’s more important? Blindly following some rule? Or being chivalrous and seeing a young lady home?” 

“Chris…” 

“Please, Reg! I’ll even call your mom and tell her if it’ll make you feel better.”  

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll pick you up.” 

“Oh my god, thank you!” Christie lunged toward him, caught herself at the last second, and rocked back onto her heels, a deep blush rising to her freckled cheeks. She pressed the CD case to her nose in a vain attempt to hide it. “So, umm, I should probably get going, huh? Okay, well… have fun in detention, you guys!” 

She spun around and sped off down the hallway. 

Vic shot Belch a little smirk. “So you’re gonna give her a ride, Reg?”

“Shut up,” Belch said. He took off his cap, swiped his hand through his hair, and put it back on.

Now he was looking at Vic with a troubled frown. “Hey, what are we gonna do about Henry and Evelyn? ‘Cause what happened back at lunch, that was really freaky, wasn’t it? I mean, I’ve never seen him like that. Never. Not even at his worst. He was just… gone, man. You could see it in his eyes.” 

Vic shrugged. “I wasn’t really planning on doing anything, honestly.” 

That was Henry and Evelyn’s problem. It had nothing to do with him. 

“Okay, yeah,” Belch said with a nervous chuckle. He started rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, this will all blow over, right? Patrick had his fun. He pissed Henry off, got him to explode. Now we just gotta wait for the dust to settle and things will eventually go back to normal, right? ‘Cause things will go back to normal. They have to, don’t they? There’s no way Evelyn would… She wouldn’t actually…” He broke into a confident, almost cocky laugh. “No… No way! I’ve seen Patrick pull off some crazy shit with the girls here, but Evelyn’s way too smart to fall for his bullshit. Yeah, there’s no way she’d ever…”

Silence fell around them. In it, they were both thinking the same thing: 

She didn’t push his hand away.

Vic slammed his locker shut. The sound made Belch jump. 

“Hey, I gotta go, man.” 

“Huh?” said Belch. “But we got detention.” 

“Yeah, I know. I’ll be there. I’ve just, uh… I’ve got some shit to take care of, that’s all.” 

Now more than ever, Victor Criss needed to release some tension. 

After throwing Belch a quick nod goodbye, Vic went down the hallway, marched straight through the junior locker area, and briefly locked eyes with the quivering, whimpering Seth McFadden. 

Without breaking his stride, Vic said, “Let’s get this over with, Seth.”

#other peoples works

[zzokks]

[zzokks]

𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀

(eddie munson x secret admirer!reader)

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Summary: After four long years of pining, it’s high time you tell your crush you like him and quite possibly your last chance to, luckily there’s no better time for love confessions than Valentine’s Day. If only you hadn’t chosen to do so anonymously, because you’re pretty sure Eddie Munson is hoping his secret admirer is someone else.

Warnings: pining, angst, misunderstandings, very brief (blink and you miss it) descriptions of oncoming panic attack (doesn't happen), Heather Holloway being a sweetie, and a whole lot of fluff

authors note: no, you're not imagining things. i'm reposting a story i already have up. unfortunately, i seem to have an anti who has been flagging anything of mine that gains traction as content that it is not so it's hidden to those who don't have the settings on (most people) and goes to die away, never to be interacted with again. they're attempting to do the same to Magical Mysteria, as they had the original flagged and, therefore, hidden. because everyone seemed to really relate to reader and enjoyed reading this particular fic, i've decided to give that anti the finger, so here's a repost.

word count: 10k (sorry again for this, i can't use the read more feature as it rearranges the content in the post but it reads quick! or you can scroll)

You stood posted by a row of lockers, peaking around the corner of the hall to watch as the longtime object of your affections laughed at something one of his friends said.

“Are you stalking him again?”

You jumped, clutching your biology book to your chest as you swiveled around to face Heather, your best friend.

“Geez!” You hissed out, voice low as you checked to make sure you hadn’t attracted his attention.

But it’s you, so of course you hadn’t. Eddie was still leaning up against his locker and chatting away, face framed by the mane he called his hair. His curls were defined much more than usual—clearly he’d washed his hair before school which meant he must have been up early. Why did you know that????

“I’m not stalking him,” you grumbled and Heather giggled. “I’m just observing him.”

“Well, stop observing him and go talk to him.” She nudged your shoulder, giving you a reassuring smile. 

“I’m gonna—,” You answered with false bravado that soon wavered, “. . . eventually. Look, I have a plan. Okay, today is a new day, Valentine’s Day and the perfect day for romance. No more watching from the sidelines─”

Heather coughed out a stalking, followed by another cough, all of which you ignored.

“No more quietly pining, I’m telling him how I feel.”

Heather raised her eyebrows, tongue clicking. 

“Let me get this straight, you’re not only going to actually exchange words with him, you’re actually going to tell Eddie Munson about your feelings?”

Your heart fluttered just at the mention of him.

Edward Wayne Munson. Eddie.

You’d had a crush on him since your freshman year of high school, and contrary to your best friend’s earlier statement, you had exchanged words with him already. Sorta. Basically.

Freshman year you’d ate shit in the hallway, tripping over literally nothing and all your belongings had scattered, he’d stopped walking to help you pick your things up before he was off again. It wasn’t much conversation, but he did say something about those invisible rocks people left lying around.

Then your sophomore year, he’d sat behind you with his club at the school’s mandatory pep rally. One of his friends had accidentally jostled you and Heather a little too roughly when he was finding his seat and Eddie had apologized on his behalf.

Then last year he’d held the cafeteria door open for you and your friends when you slipped in. That time, you’d been the one to thank him and he had said you’re welcome. Almost unprompted!

So, yeah. Maybe you were a little delusional, it didn’t matter though. What mattered was you were running out of time. 

Somehow, Eddie had managed to fail the past two years, allowing you to catch up to him but that meant you were now a senior as well. You’d let the other chances to approach him pass you by because you were too scared of rejection, this was your last chance.

The college acceptance letter you’d received at the start of the week also spurred your bravery, if he rejected you, you only had a few months left until you were on your way to California, there’d be all those states between the two of you. 

You had nothing to lose, so today was gonna be the day.

“Yes,” you took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as the determination sank deep into your bones. “I’m gonna tell him.”

“How are you gonna do that?” She cocked her head, the curls of her side ponytail bouncing.

“I’m glad you asked, my friend.” You grabbed her hand, dragging her down the hall to your partially opened locker. You pulled the door open fully to reveal a bouquet of roses, set on top of your books.

Her face wrinkled up in confusion, “You bought yourself flowers again?”

“No.” You glared at her, a hand scratching your head as you hissed out through gritted teeth, “And we promised not to bring that up anymore—these are for Eddie.”

Heather perked up at that, a hand resting over her chest as she fawned, “Dude, that is so cute! When are you gonna give them to him?”

“That’s the thing, I’m not actually going to give them to him directly. I need your help. You’ve got history with him, yeah?”

You already knew she did so it didn’t surprise you when she nodded. You slipped one rose from the bouquet and handed it to her. 

“Can you leave this on his desk?” 

“Sure! Wow, I can’t believe I get to be part of your love story,” she marveled, twirling the stem between her fingertips.

God, you hoped it’d be a love story and not a tragedy.

“And these are for you.” You pulled out a smaller bouquet of pink roses, and Heather just about burst into tears.

The two of you had been best friends since middle school, and often spent your free time watching corny teen movies, usually living through the main characters of the romance ones. You’d had a couple of almost-boyfriends, in the end you hadn’t been interested in them enough to accept when they’d try to make it official. And Heather simply hadn’t caught the eye of anyone, which was ridiculous to you considering how pretty and nice she was, so you were usually her valentine on Valentine’s Day. This was the first time you actually got her flowers instead of a bunch of chocolates to eat the night away, you’d figured she deserved them. 

She’d had a crush on Steve Harrington, but he hadn’t noticed her and ended up dating and getting dumped by Nancy Wheeler. Then he’d dated every other girl except her. You feared your non-existent relationship with Eddie might go the same way.

“Dude,” Heather yanked you in for a hug, squeezing you to the point you thought your ribs might be bruised.

“Uhm. Heather. Ow.”

“Oh, sorry.” She released you, holding you by your shoulders, “Okay, so I just give it to him?”

“No, no, no, no, no. There will be no interactions. Just leave it on his desk.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

You were about to reply when the first bell cut you off and threw you into a panic, nudging Heather in the direction of the classroom so she could beat Eddie there. Heather took off running once she realized the reason for your worry, only you both failed to remember Eddie was late to everything. 

You reluctantly made your way to your first period, plagued by thoughts of Eddie’s reaction to the first rose.

Would he like it? Oh, you hoped he liked it.

What if he thought it was some prank? What if he threw it away? Would he do the same to the rest?

Oh, well. There was no backing out now.

Your carefully thought out plan was put into action. You’d made sure to play sick the last 15 minutes of every class to get an excuse note to the nurse, only you didn’t go to the nurse. Instead, you ran around leaving a rose in Eddie’s various hang outs. One at the creepy old bench you knew he did business at. Two roses with the stems placed through the slits of his locker, three on his windshield wipers, one of the younger students in your art class was in Hellfire with him and after swearing him to secrecy, Will had promised to deliver three to Eddie personally, without revealing your identity.  

During lunch, you found yourself behind the stage of the cafeteria, in part of the drama department. It’s where Hellfire took place. 

You’d been there a handful of times, only when your curiosity for the metalhead got a little too overwhelming for you and you wanted to feel closer to him without having to face him. It was only ever set up on Fridays, the day Eddie got to school early enough to do so. 

You made your way over to sit in the chair closest to his throne, casting it a couple of nervous glances.

This would be where you left the last rose, so of course, everything about the set up, the throne had to look daunting to you now; a representation of how you were seeing Eddie as your confession grew nearer. If things didn’t go as planned, it’d be the last time you could come here.

The thought made your stomach hurt, a large void beginning to form there. 

The last rose was much too personal to leave just anywhere, where someone without a key to the room would find it. No one but the Hellfire club would occupy this area today. Attached to the rose with a ribbon was a note with a simple message that meant more to you than you cared to admit. You’d written it when you first came up with your plan at the start of the week and had been debating on whether or not to sign your name since then. 

The answer should’ve been obvious, right? This whole thing was to let Eddie know how you felt about him, and your romantic intentions were clear with the red roses. This note would finish implying the rest. And if you wanted Eddie to know it was you who admired him,  you just had to write your name.

Yeah, simple as that.

You clicked the pen in your grasp, placing it just over the paper. 

You wavered, licking your lips as you tried to convince yourself to just own your goddamn name. That’s all you had to do. Write on the paper.

Just write on the paper.

Your hand was beginning to shake, and with a heavy heart, you realized your name wouldn’t be going on this note.

You weren’t brave enough for that. You set your purple pen down, staring down at the words written in pink ink before you rolled the paper up, making sure the ribbon was secured (you’d used a hole puncher to slip the ribbon through) and left it on the seat of the throne before scurrying out of the room as fast as you could.

—

Eddie was at a loss, completely stupefied.

When he’d arrived at his history class, after having mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of boredom he’d face, he was surprised to find a single rose on his desk. By surprised, he meant incredibly suspicious. A glance around the room confirmed he wasn’t being watched, everyone was gossiping about Emmy Switcher’s upcoming party, so he’d settled into his seat and marveled at it.

Eddie wasn’t one to ever really get things on Valentine’s Day, not counting the mandatory valentine’s cards in elementary and middle school. The last time he’d gotten a card was his first senior year, and it had been a prank by a couple of girls on the softball team and their boyfriends. Embarrassed the shit out of him. The following Valentine’s Day he’d faked being sick to avoid falling victim again—god, he craved affection so much it made him pathetic enough to still hope for something gross and cheesy to happen to him. 

A rose was harmless though, right? Unless it was poisoned or something. Eddie lifted it to his nose, but all he could pick up was the seductive floral scent and when he didn’t immediately pass out from chloroform, he figured it was just a rose.

He glanced around again in vain, hoping someone would somehow stick out and when no one did, he held it in his grasp, rough fingertips stroking over the soft petals for the duration of the class.

He’d been stunned when he arrived at his locker to find two roses hanging out of it. A few people were staring at him as he carefully pulled them from their place, but they looked more curious rather than shy or mischievous. He had a feeling whoever was leaving the roses for him wasn’t around. 

He refused to leave them in his locker, the stems clutched in his hand as he went about his day and found more. Eddie was more than proud to display them, somewhat smug at the attention they were garnishing him.

Yeah, fuckers. Someone finally liked him. Eat shit.

He’d spent his English class convincing himself he’d never find out exactly who this someone was. He was pretty fucking stressed after that. He tried to come up with a roster of sorts, girls he thought might be interested in him enough to maybe leave him pretty flowers and woo him right out of his Reeboks.

He’d only been able to come up with four—impressive—but his first pick he was quick to scribble out. He hadn’t had a decent interaction with her and he figured it was creepy of him to put her at the top of the list all because of his wishful thinking. 

The second girl listed was possible, maybe. Chrissy Cunningham. He’d had a crush on her for as long as he could remember since she was always nice to him. She’d dumped Jason a couple of months ago and he’d been dealing to her for a short amount of time, but she seemed pretty flirty to him. Although, flattery did work on him.

The third name made him nervous, and not in a good way. Tina Sawyer. They’d both got pretty drunk at her Halloween party and hooked up in her bathroom but she avoided him like the plague afterwards, obviously embarrassed about interacting with him, which was typical for the lot of Hawkins.

He’d been sure it was a drunken mistake but sometimes, he’d catch her staring at him, and she didn’t look all that disgusted with him.

The last name on the short list was that of Tammy Thompson. She had made her interest in Eddie pretty clear his junior year, always trying to sit behind him in classes so she could play with his hair. Unfortunately Tammy was very, for the lack of better words, aggressive with her affections. He’d made out with her once and it had been sloppy and messy in the most unattractive of ways. It was like tonguing a dog.. Then he remembered she’d actually been able to graduate, unlike him, so he was spared. 

By lunch, Eddie was ready to try to figure out who his secret admirer was. Out of the two remaining girls on his list, he was leaning more towards Chrissy, who he felt wouldn’t be ashamed to hold his hand in public. 

He and his lunchbox full of drugs—and some snacks—made their way to the Hellfire lunch table where he spent a significant amount of time studying the two girls.

“Uh, are you okay, Eddie?”

Eddie glanced up at the concerned face of Will Byers, who’d arrived much later than the rest of the guys and Stephanie, one of the two girls in Hellfire. The question drew the attention of the rest of the table and Eddie internally sighed.

“Yeah, I’m fine—what are those?” Eddie asked, eyes honed in on the roses resting on Will’s tray.

The younger teen handed them over, “A girl told me to give you these.”

Eddie felt his heart skip a beat, “You know who she is?”

Will nodded and before Eddie could demand a name, he rushed, “I’ve been sworn to secrecy!”

Eddie scowled, carefully setting aside his roses so they wouldn’t be involved in his annoyance. 

“Byers, I’m gonna level with you. I’ve been in this miserable prison for six long years. While I’ve had my fair share of hookups, I have not ever had a girl like me enough to leave me roses and do cute shit before. And I fear I never will again. That’s why I’m actually gonna need you to tell me who it is so I can have a girlfriend by the end of what is supposed to be the most god awful romantic day of the year. ‘Kay?”

Eddie’s eyebrows dart up, face set in an intimidating glower but Will remembers how scared you looked when you trusted him with this task. He also knows, very well, how it feels to love someone without them ever knowing because you fear what their response will be. He’d also seen Eddie eyeing both Chrissy and Tina.

Will knew what it was like to have that special person interested in someone else, too. So, he’d protect your secret.

“I swore.”

Eddie groaned, head dipping forward in a brief moment of defeat before he slammed his fist on the table, making the other occupants jump. 

“Whatever, I’ll find her myself.” Just as Eddie stands, an idea occurs to him. Will said he wouldn’t tell him who it was, but the youngest Byers hadn’t said he wouldn’t tell him who it wasn’t, “Is it Tina?”

Will shakes his head, nose wrinkling. Nothing against her, she just wasn’t the nicest to him or his friends. Not the meanest, still.

Eddie breathes out a sigh, mumbling an oh, thank god as he makes his way to the cafeteria doors. That only left one possibility, and he was due to meet up with her in just five minutes. He couldn’t fight the grin off his face.

── 

Your heart was racing a mile a minute, having witnessed everything transpire at the Hellfire table.

You’d selected your lunch table four years ago because of the perfect view of Eddie it provided you, but right then it was killing you. You’d ruined your manicure, picking aggressively at the polish as you watched Will and Eddie, breathing out a sigh of relief when it looked like Will hadn’t revealed your identity.

Eddie hadn’t seemed too happy about that.

Then he stormed out and you fought very hard with yourself to not follow after him because then Heather would be right and you’d be a stalker.

“Regret it yet?” Heather asked after she’d swallowed a bite of her sandwich. 

“No.” You sorta lied. Yeah, you kind of regretted it but at the same time, knowing Eddie wouldn’t have to let you down gently made you less anxious. Besides, it wasn’t like you could just climb up the stage and duck past the curtain leading to the hellfire room without one of it’s members spotting you from their table. They’d tell Eddie in a heartbeat, especially if they found out the last rose and that damn note was there.

“Sure,” Heather drawled, glancing over her shoulder as you picked at your food, appetite suddenly gone. 

Maybe you really should have written your name on that love note. 

“Well, I hope you mean it, because Dream Girl is on her way to meet Ice Cream.” Your head snapped up at the mention of Chrissy Cunningham and Eddie’s code names you’d given them so both you and Heather were free to talk without either of them suspecting anything. You referred to Chrissy as Dream Girl because you’d known all about Eddie’s crush on her (while Heather had been depressed about Steve and Nancy, you’d eaten your weight in ice cream over Eddie and Chrissy’s more than friendly interactions with each other, which had nothing to do with Eddie’s code name—he was ‘ice cream’ because you wanted to lick him all over).

Sure enough, you looked over Heather’s shoulder, following her gaze to see Chrissy bidding her friends goodbye before she walked right out of the doors Eddie had pushed past minutes ago and as you watched her exit through the double doors, something inside you withers and dies a bit.

You knew Eddie sold to her (gave her a discount because she was pretty and because of their flirting, hearing him say that made you want to drive a knife right through your chest), you and Heather had followed them out a couple of times which is how you were both aware of the flirtationship.

After the first time you’d spied on them, the two of you had gone back to your home where Heather held a mock funeral for you. Now, you wished it had been a real one because you were sure Eddie had not only loved your roses, he also assumed they were from Chrissy. They would send him right into her arms at that shitty ass bench. And when he’d get a hold of the love note, well, you’d be the reason behind why Eddie and Chrissy would be hand in hand come Monday, canoodling by their lockers and kissing like no one else was watching. All the things Eddie should have been doing with you.

You should have signed your name on the fucking note.

─

Eddie had paced a pathway, disturbing the mounds of fallen leaves surrounding the picnic table. 

His stuff, another rose he’d found waiting for him included, were on the table and he’d taken off his jacket, despite the chill of the February air. He was working himself up in his head, overheating in the process.

“Eddie?”

His head shot around, grinning as Chrissy—who apparently left him roses—approached him, face broken out in a smile.

“Hey, Chris.” Eddie’s heart was racing a mile a minute, palms sweaty as he rested them over his hips, then quickly realized he looked stupid so he crossed them instead.

She laughed at his nerves with absolutely no malice and they sat down at the bench, getting down to business. She’d been about to hand him a twenty dollar bill after he slid her the ziploc bag of nugs, but he held up his hand.

“On the house.”

“Eddie, it’s always on the house. I feel bad.”

“Then stop.” He emphasized the demand with bulging eyes, smirking when she giggled. She had to like him, right?

Eddie tried to be discreet about it, plucking one of the roses from his growing pile. He played with the stem, even sniffed the petals again in hopes she’d comment about it, maybe look a little excited about it or just give him any sort of reaction to indicate it had been her.

Chrissy was too busy moving things aside in her backpack to make room for the baggy. When she finally did look back up, she smiled, but gave no hint she was even familiar with them.

“Ooh, pretty flowers. Where’d you get those?”

Was she playing coy?

“Uh, someone’s been leaving them for me all around school.” Was it you?

Chrissy’s face lit up and Eddie thought it was finally the moment of truth.

“That’s so sweet! Do you know who it is? Or is it like a secret admirer sort of deal?”

Evidently, not the moment of truth. She had to be toying with him, trying to prolong the reveal. Because if it wasn’t her, he was out of ideas. And he really, really didn’t want to be out of ideas. Not when there was someone out there, maybe thinking about him.

“I actually have no idea who it is,” he sighed out, hoping, if it was her, she’d just put him out of his damn misery already.

Chrissy, glanced down at the table and Eddie perked up. Nerves? Was she finally gonna come out with it?

“It wasn’t me, Eddie…but, I wish it had been.”

Eddie didn’t know what to say, mouth dropped open a little as his eyebrows quirked up in surprise.

Okay. Hadn’t been expecting that. He was expecting a yes it was me or a no it wasn’t me but not Chrissy confirming it hadn’t been her while also telling him she liked him. 

“So, you haven’t been leaving them for me?”

Chrissy shook her head and reached across the table to place her smaller hand over his, palm warm against his skin. Eddie’s eyes squeezed shut as he groaned, head falling forward to rest against the table.

“Eddie?” Chrissy asked, concern lacing her voice.

He let out a very long sigh, a little miffed at how messy this whole thing had gotten. Now, there was his, Chrissy’s and someone else’s feelings in the mix. Christ.

“‘M’sorry, Chrissy.” Eddie sat up straight, face grim as he slowly pulled his hand out from underneath hers. “You’re great, fantastic, actually. You’re really nice and really pretty, but… I’ve been going crazy all day, trying to figure out who’s behind these.”

He gestures to the roses at his side, the sight of them filling him with an intense wave of longing.

“It’s been like years since I’ve gotten anything with real meaning behind it for any occasion—” he wasn’t counting the hellfire club or Wayne, referring to romantic intentions—“let alone Valentine’s Day, and someone in this school seems to be thinking about me.” 

Eddie thought about what it must have taken to do something like this, it may have seemed like a trivial thought, something simple to others. He knew it wasn’t. He had no idea who it was, but he put himself in their position. They had to know enough about him to know his schedule, where he spent time, and then make the time to leave them in those spots just before he got there. 

He’d spent the time waiting for Chrissy considering the anonymity of it. On the chance it wasn’t her, there was someone else in the school who was too afraid to approach him directly. He’d thought it might be out of fear of being seen with him, seen doing anything remotely romantic with him. Then, why even bother? They had to be afraid of his reaction, it’s what he would be nervous about if the positions were flipped.

And god, he’d never felt more alive before, more seen and all it took was a couple of roses. He felt like those fawning girls in John Hughes movies. 

“Before today, I never would have approached you about this, you know? I know we flirt, but I never would have been brave enough to cross that line.” He admitted, looking into her shiny blue eyes. Aw, man. Eddie hated making girls cry but it was true, he would have been waiting for her to make a move, or for Tina to make a move. Any of his past hookups, really. He’d have been with any of them—having craved affection and everything that came with it so bad—if they had just been the ones to initiate things on a more permanent basis. 

He would have. Past tense. They could all form a conga line and confess their undying love for him but, unless they were the one who left him the roses—the one who made him brave enough to actually go around confronting people in an attempt to seek her out—he’d let them down. 

“She made me brave, makes me feel really wanted and I don't even know who she is. It’s not you, it’s just─”

“I’m not her.” Chrissy finished for him, wiping under one of her eyes. “It’s alright, Eddie. I mean, I’m obviously a little sad, but it’s not your fault or hers. I do hope you find her, though. She’d be lucky to have you.”

She gave Eddie a sad smile, making him feel even guiltier but it’d be pretty shitty of him to try to be with her when he’d be thinking of someone else.

“Thanks, Chrissy.” Eddie stood up and gathered his things. It was clear she was upset and would probably need some time to gather herself, he didn’t want to force her to leave first or linger around and make it awkward.

He left her with a small, parting smile, relieved that he hadn’t charged her. Would have felt like a douchebag to make her pay for weed and turn her down in the span of five minutes when she’d been nothing but pleasant to him.

Eddie shook it off, determination setting in once more. Sure, he was back to the drawing board, but if all else failed, he could corner young Byers again until he finally gave him a name.

He’d come up with a pretty good list of ways he could force Will to give up the name by the time school let out and he got to the Hellfire room.

It wasn’t until he set his little bouquet and the lunchbox down (he didn’t bother with backpacks, just shoved whatever he needed in his pants pockets or the box), walking around the throne in a circle like some fucking animal because he was so restless, that he saw the rose.

The flash of white had caught his eyes and he dove down to grab it, trying to be as careful with pulling the piece of paper away from the stem of the rose, only he realized whoever left it had hole punched the thing together so he ripped the ribbon with his teeth rather than rip the note.

The ribbon was stuffed into his back pocket as he eagerly sat himself down, rose clutched in one hand and the note in his other.

Eddie,

Please excuse my lack of eloquence in this note and also in our real life encounters.

Eddie felt a shiver of excitement wash over his skin, cheeks a bright shade of pink at the confirmation he’d indeed interacted with his secret admirer before. Fuck, she’d talked to him! It made her feel even more real. 

She was a real person, someone he could probably hold hands with and kiss. Unless, this was done in a purely platonic way which would be a little fucked up. Red roses to be friends? C’mon. He read on.

I hoped you liked the flowers. I was actually debating on getting you different ones, something a little more personalized to you, but I ended up going with roses because, well, they convey romance better.

Eddie leaned over the arm of the throne, sagging back as he allowed himself to completely collapse with relief. Just for a few seconds, then his eyes were glued to the pink penmanship.

I’m trying really hard not to sound creepy because I’m totally not creepy and I know what you're thinking, ‘that’s what a creep would say’ but I swear I’m not, I just. I admire you. A lot. I have for so, so long. I admire the way you keep going, even when things are absolute shit for you, I like how you watch out for the younger classmen that come in and don’t really have anywhere to go. I like the way you dress, how pretty your hair is (even when it’s frizzy which is so unfair), how passionate you get with your rants (even though sometimes you’re an asshole about it). 

And I like your laugh I LOVE your laugh. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had what feels like the worst fucking day of my life and I’m ready to breakdown and cry and scream, but I don’t. Because I can hear you laugh your ass off at something one of your friends said in the cafeteria, by your locker or even when you’re just walking past me. And I wish I was there, laughing alongside you or making you laugh. I don’t know how your laughter makes me feel better, it just does. I get all smiley and I feel warm inside and I want to give you a hug for it, for making me feel better without even trying. 

But I can’t. You kind of scare me. Not in the mean, scary way, I’m just not sure you’ll like me. Or that it’ll go anywhere, or even if it should. 

You’re so confident, Eddie. And you’re stupid attractive (you are, and I’m sure you’re aware but I’ll go ahead and tell you I’m also physically attracted to you) and it’s so overwhelming that I can’t contain it anymore and I don’t really want to. We only have a couple of months before we’re out of here (I have a feeling this is gonna be your year, you’ll be free of this sentence, too), and I don’t want to have any regrets. The only way I’d ever regret you is by not telling you how I feel. 

So, here I am, Eddie Munson. Never thought I’d ever be confessing like this, but for the first time in my life, I feel brave. And it’s all because of you. Thank you, Eddie. I’ll be running around— dodging teachers and detention write ups— like Rocky in his training montages to get these roses to you because you deserve your flowers and I’d be delighted to give them to you today, and every single Valentine’s Day after. Actually, I want to give you even more than that. If you’ll have me.

Love,

What the fuck?

Eddie hastily searched the bottom portion of the back side of the paper, where the note ended for a signature, a name, initials, something but that’s where it ended.

 There was no name.

“NO! FUCK! NO! No, no, no, no, NO! I’ll have you, take me, just tell me who you are!” Eddie groaned out, note dropped into his lap so he could clench the roots of his hair with both fists as he doubled over.

This had to be a nightmare. It was the only reasonable explanation for someone to say all those wonderfuckingful things, just for them to disappear. 

His heart hurt and he blinked frantically to ward off the onslaught of water and sniffed to deter the tingle in his nose. 

The unmistakable sound of his own little rat pack making their way towards the room wasn’t enough to get him to pull himself together.

“Eddie, dude, are you okay?”

Eddie recalled his final option, head shooting to glance around at their faces in search of one in particular. 

“Byers. Where’s Byers?”

“His mom picked him up after lunch, wasn’t feeling good,” Mike informed him, completely unaware his grand Valentine’s gesture for Jane had been the cause of his sudden illness. 

It was the final straw for Eddie, he snatched the lunchbox and flowers and grumbled out, “Sessions canceled.”

He must have looked pissed as none of them protested, probably having something to do with most of them having dates afterwards. 

He almost made it out of the room when Gareth called him back, holding up a purple pen he’d found on the table and figured Eddie was about to forget.

“Is this yours?”

Eddie scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

“No.” Then he walked out.

Before promptly storming back in, swiping the pen out of Gareth’s meaty hands. Eddie clicked the pen and scribbled furiously over the side of his fist until the ink finally ran. It wasn’t purple. The ink filler was pink.

His secret admirer’s pen.

“What a cruel parting gift,” he sighed, shoving the pen in his pocket before making his exit. Again.

The really sad thing was Eddie couldn’t even sink into depression in the peace of his room. Emmy Switcher had approached Rick about wanting some herbal refreshments at her party and since he was still under house arrest (how Rick managed to deal and supply in his circumstances baffled him) the job fell upon Eddie. He’d driven to Rick’s restocked, then hit the party. 

It was a horn fest, couples everywhere he looked. All heart-eyed and attached at the tongue. It was disgusting.

Eddie was pouting, quietly fuming that it wasn’t him and his secret admirer making out or cuddling or doing something equally romantic but noooooo. Just had to take the ‘secret’ aspect to its extreme. 

He banished himself to a dark corner, only interacting with people when approached for drugs or weed. He’d caught sight of Chrissy and it had looked like she wanted to come over but he’d purposely shifted his gaze. Despite the gaping hole left where his heart was, it wasn’t Chrissy or Tina, or the girl in the upstairs restroom, who’d thrown herself at him when he’d been searching for a free bathroom to piss in, that he wanted. Eddie wasn’t in the mood to rebound.

Which was kind of crazy considering he hadn’t even been in a relationship, hadn’t been dumped. He wanted everything in that note, especially the promise of more and only with its author. 

Now, Eddie hadn’t been in love before. Some serious lust and want, yeah, however, reading that note made him feel like he was falling a little bit in love and he wanted, very badly, to dive headfirst the rest of the way. Clearly, that wasn’t going to happen.

Once he’d sold out the rest of Rick’s inventory, he stole a beer and headed for the front door. 

Once outside, Eddie took a minute to breathe. He hadn’t realized how stuffy it had been in there until he was no longer engulfed by the claustrophobic displays of affection. 

He trudged down the pathway and paused when he saw the figure of a girl sitting on the lawn. Her head was directed down towards the ground and she was most definitely not wearing the right clothes for the outside weather.

Eddie cursed under his breath, plans to immediately drive home and get crossed put on hold as he walked over, noting the dew already coating the grass.

“Hey, you okay?”

─

Drinking your sorrows away probably wasn’t the best idea, considering how much of a lightweight you were. 

Originally, you’d wanted to lock yourself away in your room for the night—and probably the rest of the weekend as well as maybe the next school week; nothing wrong with playing sick to avoid facing reality and your problems─to cry and pass out. Heather, on the other hand, had plans for you. She’d dolled you up, having to force you to wash your face and re-do your makeup once when you had started crying—put you in a cute outfit and dragged you to Emmy Switcher’s party. 

You knew her intentions were pure—as pure as underage drinking could be—but she knew her mistake when the party started to couple up. You’d been approached multiple times and she’d try to encourage you to go for the decent acting ones, you just hadn’t wanted to. When Chrissy Cunningham showed up, you’d gone for shots of the hard liquor (over the sink of course in case you gagged it up, which you did a decent amount of), sure that Eddie would soon follow and you’d be forced to witness their affection.

Obviously, you ended up shitfaced and somehow lost track of Heather. Or maybe she lost track of you. You’d very briefly attempted to find her, accidentally spotted Chrissy, now making eyes at Eddie who’d shown up, and you’d promptly headed outside, eager for some fresh air and an escape from the madhouse. The high alcohol level in your blood kept you from feeling how chilly it really was and you settled into the grass, twirling strands of it around your fingers.

You weren’t sure how long you were out there when someone approached you.

“Hey, you okay?”

You looked up, ready to ask them to just leave you when you locked eyes with Eddie Munson. Most of the liquid courage coursing through your veins evaporated, you couldn’t look at him for long, gaze moving back to the grass. What a way to start sobering up.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure? ‘Cause,” Eddie sat down next to you, one leg crossed and his other, knee up with his arm resting over it. His unopened beer was at his side, “You’re outside, alone, in the cold and you look pretty fucking sad.”

You scoffed, fingers still playing with the strands of grass as you tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t make you seem pathetic. In that time, Eddie took you in.

He knew you, he’d seen you around school and you were nice enough to greet him. Pleasantries in passing. Pretty Hallway Girl, as you’d been dubbed—though never referred to as—until he knew your name. It had been the first one he had jotted down on his list for his secret admirer’s identity, of course he realized with your lack of interactions, it wasn’t likely. He entertained the idea of dating you often, you’d just never shown any real interest in him. Eddie thought about it a lot. Anytime he caught sight of you, really. Your pretty face didn’t make it easy for him to stop. He was a really, really big sucker for your eyes and that smile you’d give him during those brief interactions; like the two of you had some sort of secret between each other. Warmed him up inside.

And here you were, all sad at a party. He didn’t really mind not getting crossed if it meant he got to comfort you, keep you company.

“I’m just drunk,” you finally blurted out, unable to come up with anything else, “And bummed.” 

Try devastated.

“You look it,” he joked, nudging his shoulder against yours.

“You don’t look that much better.” You shot back.

“That’s fair,” he sighed, breath visible in the night air as he tilted his head back. “I’m pretty bummed, myself.”

You really didn’t want to ask, figuring he’d already had some sort of lover’s quarrel with Chrissy and you didn’t want to get in the middle of it. 

But you were an idiot, so you asked, “Why are you bummed?”

You watched him dig around the pockets of his leather jacket, pulling out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out of the pack, clenching it in between his teeth as he shoved the pack back into the pocket before he shrugged off the jacket entirely—denim vest included—putting it around your shoulders.

It caught you off guard but you were grateful, your body having decided to become once more susceptible to the chill of the air and dewy grass. Eddie must have been a freaking space heater because the lining inside was blissfully warm.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, shimmying around in it until you could slip your arms into the long sleeves of it, your fingers barely poking past the hem.

“You’re welcome,” he shrugged, flicking the lighter to life as he lit the cigarette. After he’d taken a drag, he answered you. 

“Love,” Eddie blew out along with a wispy plume of smoke, “Didn’t expect it to be so complicated.”

You wanted to mime the action of staking yourself in the heart. Of course he was in love with her. She was wonderful! And on top of that, he thought she’d been the one leaving him roses! Had he read the note? Assumed it was her, too? DUH! You were definitely playing sick next week.

“Yeah, well. Join the club,” you grumbled, hugging his jacket around you. It was as close as you were ever gonna get to actually hugging him. 

Eddie raised an eyebrow, hoping to school his disappointment. While he wasn’t looking for anyone else tonight, it was still displeasing to hear you were taken but of course you were. He couldn’t imagine you dating sporadically, you seemed much too wonderful for someone to even consider giving you up. No, he was gonna hurt himself with ideas involving you and a high school sweetheart stemming back to your freshman days, probably.

“Ah, I see. Is he here?”

You froze for a moment, “Uhm, yeah. He is.”

“Then why come? Or did it happen in there?” He jabbed a thumb behind him, gesturing to the party inside.

“No, it didn’t happen tonight, it was earlier. In the day. I didn’t really want to come but my best friend dragged me out here. I thought I was doing good, apparently not ‘cause here I am. I’m mostly bummed because of myself, though. I didn’t follow through on something I sort of promised myself and I messed everything up. For me. Not for him. I think he’s pretty happy, so I don’t want to ruin that. He deserves to be happy.”

Eddie could tell you meant it, you were vague as hell but whatever you’d done, however it ended, you genuinely seemed to want your boyfriend (ex-boyfriend?) to be happy. He hoped it wasn’t something you had to cave into for one of those meatheads. You deserved better than those jerks.

“That’s pretty selfless of you if you ask me,” Eddie raised the cigarette to his lips, admiring you.

“Eh, I guess. I fully plan on punishing myself for it, though. Really make sure to rub the salt in there, you know?” You finally turned to grin at him, despite the sinking feeling in your stomach.

Eddie thought about how he couldn’t just stop going to school so he could avoid having to look at all the faces in the crowds and wonder if his admirer is one of them.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m right there with you.”

Sweetheart. He really was trying to kill you.

“Eddie, get your ass in there and make up with her.” You lightly slapped his arm and jabbed your finger in the direction of the house. You were not about to let your sacrifice be in vain and he’d better stop unknowingly torturing you like this.

“I can’t!” He laughed, amused with your sudden bossy attitude.

“Why not?” You whined, eager to just get him away from you. It wasn’t fair, he wasn’t being fair.

“Because I have no idea who she is.”

Once again you froze, eyes widening. Luckily for you, Eddie didn’t look too much into your reaction. He figured most people would be surprised over him nursing a heartbreak from someone he didn’t quite actually know, or was aware that he knew.

“What?” You asked, trying to seem as uninterested as possible as you played with the ends of his jacket sleeves.

“Fuck it. Someone left me roses all around the school and this really amazing love note.” For a moment, Eddie entertained the idea of trying to convey exactly what it meant to him, then he thought better of it. He’d either seem crazy, desperate or like some pathetic guy in love (which, he kind of was on the cusp of), “Pretty sure it was a girl.”

Not a single dude in the high school was romantic enough to pull it off, maybe leave him an entire bouquet, but not expand upon it like she had.

Eddie licked his lips, raising the cigarette to them once more and ready to admit that he had no fucking clue who she was, but he figured he might as well make one last rally.

“Wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?”

“Not me,” you lied flawlessly, with a gentle shake of your head. “Sorry, Eddie.”

Sorry I’m a big liar because HOLY FUCKING SHIT, wasn’t expecting that. 

“I figured. Still had to try, your boyfriend probably would have kicked my ass, though.” Yeah, Eddie hated Valentine’s Day.

He stubbed the cigarette out into the wet grass, and laid the rest of the way down, hands covering his eyes as the back of his head met the ground.

You frowned down at him. 

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Hello. 

Eddie peaked at you through his fingers, “No?”

You shook your head and as Eddie moved to push himself back up, he yelped.

He shifted onto his side, digging around his pocket for whatever it was that stabbed him.

“Ouch,” He hissed, yanking the purple pen out. “Damn, that hurt like a bitch.” 

Your eyes squinted at it in suspicion.

“Is that my pen?”

“Huh?”

“My favorite—and pricey—pen. I lost it at school today.” In fact, you were sure you had and you were sure that was your pen. You’d broken off the clip of it by accident and you recognized the large crack in the body of it, having once given into an intrusive thought regarding whether or not you had the strength to break it while you were bored in class. You did have the strength and luckily for you, it still worked. 

When Eddie made no move to give your pen back, you figured he didn’t believe you so you added, “The ink is pink, right?”

Eddie continued to stare at you, mouth slightly parted in awe, and you suddenly felt very nervous, glancing behind you to see if there was something that caught his attention but all you could see were the empty lawns.

“What?” 

He finally blinked, licking his lips again. 

“You’re a really good liar.”

“What?” You repeated, this time your question was laced more so with confusion than panic. He was right, but why was he saying that?

His lips slowly parted up at the corners until he was grinning at you so wide, his dimples were showing and you could feel your heart beating wildly against your rib cage, as if it was trying to break free to fly right over to him.

“This is your pen?”

“Yes!” Is that what his happiness was about? That he was holding your prized pen hostage?

“This is your pen?” You could tell he was having fun at your expense now, getting more giddy by the minute.

“Yes!” You laughed out, his joy contagious even if he was teasing you with your own belongings. “That is my pen. Give me my pen!”

He clicked it closed with his thumb, “I found it where we hold Hellfire sessions, same pen that was used to write my love note.”

And just like that, your heartbeat seemed to stop all together, smile dropping instantly as you wished a giant hole could form in the ground below you and swallow you up.

“That’s not my pen,” you denied, shrugging off his jacket as you quickly rose to your feet. “I gotta go, bye, Eddie.”

When you saw him starting to hastily rise, you bolted, literally running back into the house to try to find Heather and get the hell out of there.

You heard Eddie frantically calling your name but you didn’t stop, forcing your way through the bodies as you desperately searched for your best friend.

Luck was finally on your side because you were soon smashed into her back by a passing group.

“Whoa,” she laughed, turning to steady you, “There you are, I’ve been searching for you everywh—hey, what’s wrong?”

You were sure she must have noticed the panic on your face, eyes shiny with tears you refused to let fall in public. 

“I wanna go home, we have to leave.” You grabbed her hand, pulling her into a secluded corner as your head darted in the direction of the front door. You wanted to make a run for it but you feared running into Eddie on the way.

“What happened?” Heather asked, voice initially soft before hardening as her protective nature came out, “Did someone do something?” 

You shook your head, chest heaving with your breaths. You were so close to having a panic attack. 

“Eddie. He knows. He knows, Heather.” And because she was your best friend, she understood, mouth and eyes going wide.

“Holy crap. Wait—isn’t this what you wanted?” 

“No—yes—I don’t know! I can’t face him!” There was a reason you hadn’t written your name down on the note, regardless of how badly you wanted to. You were just scared.

“Why not?” She bent down, leaned in closer to hear you. This girl and her twenty questions.

“It doesn’t matter, he didn’t want it to be me, anyways. He would’ve asked earlier, and he only did it now because of that stupid pen!” You should have kept your mouth shut and just gone to buy another over the weekend, “Can we just please get out of here? We can try the side gate in the backyard.”

“Is Eddie looking for you?”

“Yes, that’s why we have to leave!” Whatever Eddie had to say, you didn’t want to hear it. Yeah, maybe he could want you but if he didn’t, was searching for you to let you down gently you’d be heartbroken. 

“He knows and you don’t think he wanted it to be you?”

“Yes!”

“Then why would he be looking for you?”

You refused to answer her, pushing her towards the back door instead. She went willingly for a few steps, then Heather stopped and you bumped into her back again as she craned her neck to look over her shoulder. 

“I think it's too late for that.” She pointed at something behind you and you followed her finger. 

Eddie was standing on top of the kitchen table a bunch of guys had carried into the living room to play beer pong on, eyes searching the room with his lips set in a frown.

He was attracting attention, a multitude of heads turning to peer up at him in curiosity.

Oh, god. He was looking for you, you were probably going to get rejected at a fucking Valentine’s Day party in some stranger’s living room.

Eddie must have caught the attention of someone near the sound system because the volume of the music was lowered and you could hear everyone muttering amongst themselves, asking what had happened to the music before they noticed Eddie.

He glanced around, not even a little nervous at the amount of people staring at him. He hadn’t planned on making a huge show of it, figured they were all too drunk to pay him any attention, luckily he was used to being a spectacle. 

Eddie used it to his advantage, calling out your full name.

The crowd muttered, everyone looking at each other in confusion or maybe trying to catch sight of you. 

It wasn’t long before someone recognized you, head turning in your direction, followed by many more—a domino effect—until just about everyone was staring at you, including Eddie.

He hopped off the table and made his way towards you, crowd parting to allow him. Heather slipped her hand into yours at your side, giving you a reassuring squeeze before she too stepped away, leaving you to finally face Eddie.

Eddie didn’t look at anyone else, gaze trained solely on you.

“Hi, again.”

You blinked, unable to keep yourself from glancing at the crowd around you, curious—nosey—to see what would happen next.

Guess you were going to have to finally face reality, no more running. You didn’t think you could break through the crowd, anyways.

“Hi,” you whispered but you knew Eddie had heard you, his lips pursed into a smile, eyes lighting up when you didn’t shut down.

“You ran away before I could tell you how I feel.” Eddie took another step, pretty much invading your personal space but he was desperate to be close to you and maybe body block you in case you tried to flee. He didn’t want you to run away again, to disappear like he feared you had when you hadn’t left your name on the note.

“It’s only fair, right? Since I know?”

You nodded again, the drum of your heartbeat loud in your ears. You were surprised you could hear Eddie over it.

Eddie stared down at you, lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t look upset or frustrated. It looked like he was thinking about something.

Little did you know he was reciting the note in his head to give him some courage, he’d memorized it.

He didn’t leave you waiting for long. 

“I admire you. A lot.” Your breath hitched as the words you’d jotted down were repeated to you, “So much that I want to stand on expensive looking, antique tables and crash parties for you. I like the way you get animated when you talk, the way you give into your intrusive thoughts at the most random of times—yeah, I saw you trying to see if your finger fit in the pencil sharpener in the library once—I like how kind you are, even when people don’t deserve it. 

“I like how you’ve never made me feel ostracized, never made anybody feel like that and I like how dramatic you are—storming off, making an exit, falling flat on your face in hallways then staying there like a dead body before you decide to reanimate again once you’re done being embarrassed. I like how you beat up your locker when it won’t open and then you give it a couple of pats to apologize once it finally does.”

Eddie chuckled at those particular memories, having been thoroughly amused when watching you and you feel your face get hot at being the cause of his cute laugh.

“And I really like your face, your pretty eyes, all of this,” Eddie gestured to you, to all of you from head to toe, “… you’re beautiful. Although, I gotta say, you drove me really fucking crazy today. Made me feel emotions I didn’t know I was capable of feeling and you scared the shit out of me when I thought I’d never get to know who the person I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with is.”

Okay, maybe you didn’t want the ground to swallow you whole.

“I know we only have a couple of months left of school and you’re probably going off to continue being amazing at some college in some big city a million miles away—‘cause that’s my luck—but I’m willing to work with that. I want to drive those million miles to give you flowers and hold your hand, kiss you, listen to you complain about your bad days, hear you brag about your good ones, kill all the bugs you’re afraid of—even though some of them freak me out, you make me feel brave, too—and just be all around disgustingly domestic with you. 

“And yes, that includes all the not so fun domestic stuff like fights—which we’ll get over, I’ll do just about anything, even cave first, if you give me those big, coy eyes of yours—and taxes. I want to do it all with you. If you’ll have me.” Eddie ended, eyes wide and just a little out of breath. 

There it was. He’d thrown it all out there, everything he wanted to offer (because he wanted to give you everything, even though it kind of terrified him).

And you—you were just staring at him, left to gape at him since you’d expected… well, you hadn’t really known what to expect since you usually ran from the consequences—be they good or bad—of your actions. 

He wanted to be with you. Holy crap, Eddie Munson wanted to be your boyfriend. Wanted to do boyfriend things like visit you at college and hold your hand. You’d thought, the whole time, it had just been you observing him. You never thought he’d be observing you, too. It all sounded too good to be true, you couldn’t really think, couldn’t really form words.

You didn’t have to, Eddie grew anxious, maybe even a little impatient despite having decided the moment you’d run away from him in the front yard that he’d chase after you for as long as it took him to get you to give him a chance.

He found himself blurting out his strongest desire, “Can I kiss you?”

This was it, you were faced with another opportunity, and this one was the actual last opportunity you had to tell him how you feel, without any anonymity. No more hiding, no more running.

“Yeah,” you breathed out and he was on you before you’d even finished saying that singular word, his surprisingly soft lips pressing desperately against yours as his hands moved to frame your face, one of his thumbs stroking along your cheek.

Your eyelids fluttered shut as you returned the kiss and just like that, what he intended to be a simple but firm kiss, turned into your lips moving against each other, a little wet and enough to have Eddie want to pop his leg up like in the fucking movies.

The only reason he kept himself from introducing his tongue to yours like he so badly wanted to was the sounds of encouragement around him; cheering and hollering. You broke away, having also heard your peers whooping and wolf whistling, to hide your face in his chest, bashfulness returning full force.

Eddie laughed and kissed the top of your head, unable to contain his grin and joy. He definitely wasn’t used to this, more accustomed to jeering, not cheering. A couple of people even clapped him on the shoulder.

“You know what, I think they’re rooting for us, sweetheart.”

You pulled away just enough to look up at him, offering a small, pleased smile of your own.

“They’re not the only ones.”

Well, he had to give you some tongue for that one. The cheering and sounds of excitement got louder as he did.

— 

You hadn’t walked into school hand in hand with Eddie when Monday came around—though you’d spent pretty much the entire weekend with him, driving around town, lounging around your room (he’d come in through your window) and making out—he hadn’t mentioned anything about meeting up in the parking lot and you weren’t offended in the slightest. While you wanted to see him, you appreciated the extra time to calm your excited nerves before you did. 

Heather ran up to you the second you made it to your locker, grin stretching from ear to ear. 

“I still can’t believe it. It didn’t even happen to me and I’m pinching myself because of how romantic it was!”

“Imagine how I feel,” You were all smiles as you turned the combination for your locker. But of course, since it was openly known as one of, if not, the shittiest of lockers in the school—having belonged to several wrestlers and football players before you, who’d evidently cared for it on the rough side—it didn't budge when you tugged at it.

You wouldn’t miss it when you graduated. 

With a sigh, you pulled the straps of your backpack off of your shoulders and handed it to Heather. Then, you yanked aggressively at the small locker handle. It was your routine though, so you knew it wouldn’t open then, either. It was only when you slammed your fist against it, after all the yanking, that it opened.

Roses immediately flooded out of it, piling onto the ground at your feet. You and Heather watched with open mouths, glancing at passersby, who also looked on in surprise, until your stuffed locker finally finished its floral avalanche.

“Like ‘em?”

You jumped up, and then internally scolded yourself for almost trampling a couple of your flowers. You carefully twisted around to face Eddie, who was leaning back against the row of lockers behind you, smug smirk on his handsome face.

“Yeah, what are all of these for?” You asked, still marveling at them as he pushed himself off the lockers to wrap his arms around your middle and press a kiss to the side of your head.

“I realized I never got to ask you to be my Valentine or give you flowers. So, I bought some Saturday morning,” They were on sale so he’d gone purposely overboard, “used my uncle’s collection of mugs as vases to keep them alive, then woke up at the asscrack of dawn this morning to get here before you did. I probably broke your locker even more, by the way. So, be my Valentine?”

“I’m pretty sure it was part of the terms and agreements of our relationship, but yes. I’ll be your Valentine.”

Eddie closed your locker for you, pressing his weight against it to make sure it was secure and no more roses would escape before he scooped up the ones that had fallen out, arranging them into a large bouquet which he handed to you, leaning in to give you a kiss.

You hummed happily against his lips, nose wrinkling in glee when you felt him smile.

Eddie let out a content sigh when you parted before glancing to his side at your gawking best friend.

“Hey, Heather.” Eddie wasn’t at all bothered by the audience. “Nice shoes.”

“Thanks! They’re new. You done sucking face?”

“For now,” he promised, then turned his attention back to you. “I’ll see you later, beautiful. I’ve got a test to barely pass. Gotta make sure I walk that stage with you.”

Eddie pinched your cheek, pressed another kiss to your forehead and rushed off down the hall. You’d barely locked eyes with Heather when Eddie came running back, taking your face in his hands as he muttered something about one more and gave you a kiss that had you a little shaky on your feet.

‘One more’ actually turned out to mean a couple more pecks before he really forced himself away, blowing you a kiss just as he disappeared around the corner.

“He’s whipped,” Heather stated.

“Pretty sure I’m falling in love with him.”

“That’s appropriate.” You both nodded before you turned to face your closed locker, arms full of sweet smelling roses. 

“. . .  You still need to get your books, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Heather slid her arms through the straps of your backpack, over her front, so she could hold your flowers for you as you prepared to battle your locker again. It was totally worth it.

—

Eddie never ended up giving you your pen back, it’s the one he used to write love letters to you while you were away at college.  

#other peoples works #THIS ONE THIS ONE THIS ONE #i LOVE it

[zzokks]

calling dr love / eddie munson x oc

wrote a little scoops snippet for my oc, michelle henderson 🫢

summary: michelle is bored at scoops and needs some entertainment. who better to enter the stage than the local metalhead?

notes: pre s3 events but with eddie involved, eddie works at tapeworld, my oc is a henderson (cliche but i like it), idiots in love 🫶🫶

For a Saturday Afternoon, Scoops Ahoy was surprisingly quiet. Steve and Robin were in the back of the shop, rearranging and reorganising stock for the hundredth time. At the front counter, Michelle sat with a frown, trying to get rid of their only customer as politely as possibly. Mark Davies, the guy she had sat next to in Junior Mathematics, had been a regular customer at Scoops ever since she'd started working there. Of course, it was great for the shops cash register, but the novelty of entertaining him had worn off. At that moment, he was leaning on the counter eating the fourth free sample Michelle had offered him in an attempt to shoo him away.

"So what time do you get off work?" Mark said.

Michelles face was blank. "Late. Super late."

"How about tomorrow? You have a day off?"

"No. I work all week."

Mark lowered his head. "Bummer. Surely you have a break soon? I mean there is no one here."

Michelle sighed loudly just as the window to the back room opened up. Steves head poked through and he looked just as annoyed as Michelle. "Piss off Davies, shes not interested!"

Mark gave Michelle an amused look. "You're dating Steve Harrington?"

"No," Michelle rolled her eyes. "But you're finished your sample right? Great."

Michelle took the sample cup away and quickly moved Mark out through the door while he was still distracted. As soon as he left, (wiggling his fingers in a 'call me' motion) Michelle made her way back to the front counter with relief. Steve frowned at her.

"Its your own fault for joking around with him for so long."

Robin squeezed her head through the window beside Steve. "Hes probably just jealous you attract more customers than he does."

Steve scoffed and left the window while Robin chuckled to herself. She went to move back out, when her eyes lit up.

"Oh look, hes back again."

Steve reappeared behind Robin in a flash. Curious, Michelle glanced up at the front door, spotting Eddie Munson walking past the parlour. He was still dressed in his TapeWorld uniform with his little employee card hanging around his neck. Michelle thought it was quite nice to see him in something that wasnt leather or denim. Eddie nonchalantly peered in for a second before continuing past. Steve chuckled.

"That's like the 20th time he's passed" he said. "Do you think he wants ice cream or something else?"

Robin raised a brow. "What else could we possibly give that's not ice cream?"

Steve threw his arms up in the air. "Hello? This is an obvious 'Mark Davies' situation."

Michelle flicked a peanut at Steves face. "Dont name it after Mark."

Steve waved his hand dismissively. "Well its true. Hes probably walking past because he wants to talk to one of us, but he doesnt have the balls to actually do it."

"Do you do that?"

Steve rolled his eyes at Michelle. "No, I dont do that." Robin chuckled as he narrowed his eyes at her. "I just know what goes on inside a guys head." He tapped his temple as he looked between the two girls. Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. "Next time he walks past, we'll figure out who it is."

They all stationed themselves in clear view of the door. Michelle was cleaning the ice cream cabinet, trying to make it seem like she was doing something. Robin cleared her throat behind her and Michelle's eyes flickered up to the door. Eddie strolled past the door, humming a recognisable Kiss song in a low rumble. When he peeked in that time, his eyes travelled right to Michelles. She smiled and lifted her fingers up in a wave. Eddie looked a little taken aback, before grinning like an idiot and bumping into someone who was walking the other way.

"Ok I see, its Michelle," Steve murmured from the window. He twiddled his thumbs together. "So do you think this is actually a Mark Davies situation? Cause I can—"

"Oh stop being so dramatic," Michelle said, her muscles still not having relaxed from the smile. She stayed facing the ice cream so that Steve wouldnt see her expression.

"Well if he comes in, Im keeping an eye on him."

"He's not going to come in—"

The bell above the front door rang and they all whipped their heads around to see Eddie strolling up to the counter. Although, his stroll was more of an awkward shuffling. He was looking everywhere as if he was scared of the store.

"Hi Eddie," Michelle greeted. She'd talked to him a few times in the past, so they werent total strangers.

Eddies eyes shot towards where Michelle was standing. They glanced behind her, where Michelle could hear Robin chuckling quietly, before looking back at her sheepishly.

"Oh hey Michelle," Eddie said. "I didnt know you worked here."

Michelle smiled at him as if she hadnt just seen him walk past earlier. "Yeah. Its just a job for the summer. I see youve got one of those too."

Eddie noticed Michelle eyeing his uniform and looked down. "Oh this? Yeah, my old man, er, said a job at the new mall would be a good idea. TapeWorlds actually right above your store."

"Cool," Michelle said, leaning on the counter. "Maybe I'll come visit on one of my breaks."

Eddies face immediately broke out into a smile, before dropping as if he hadnt meant to let it show. "I could give you some recommendations too… If you want."

"Would you recommend something like Kiss?"

Eddies face reddened slightly. "You uh… you know Kiss?"

"Yeah, I heard you humming Calling Dr. Love earlier actually. Thats my favourite Kiss song."

"Really? Me too…" Eddies tone was distant as if he were daydreaming. Then he glanced at the hand Michelle had placed atop the ice cream cabinet. "Oh right, this is an ice cream store, Im here for ice cream. Got any good recommendations sailor?"

Michelle grimaced, feeling heat rising to her cheeks as she quickly snatched her sailors hat off. "Uh, nougat. Thats what I'd pick anyway."

"Nougat it is."

Michelle grabbed a cup and her scoop from the pocket in her uniform, taking care to give Eddie a larger scoop than normal. She gestured out to the toppings that lay on top of the ice cream cabinet. In the end, Eddie had caramel sauce and MnMs drizzled over too. He slid a note onto the counter and Michelle shook her head.

"Oh, no, no, this is a free sample," Michelle said. "Customers first ice cream is always free."

Eddie smiled lopsidedly and picked his tiny spoon up. "Biggest sample Ive ever seen."

Michelle smiled as Eddies eyes drifted down to his wristwatch. His eyes widened a little. "Welp, duty calls. My breaks nearly over and I'll get my ass flamed if Im not on time."

"Thats fine," Michelle chuckled. "Feel free to come get more samples Munson."

He nodded and made his way out of the parlour. "See ya Henderson!"

Michelle watched him walk off around the corner when she heard a mischevious laugh from behind her. She turned to see Robin and Steve peeking their heads back through the window. Robin looked amused while Steve was disgusted.

"What?" Michelle said.

"I heard you humming Dr. Love earlier. Thats my favourite Kiss song," Robin said in a high falsetto, clasping her hands together like she was some love-struck schoolgirl.

Michelle rolled her eyes. "I do not sound like that."

"You do however sound like a flirt with Eddie Munson."

"Its not like that."

Steve frowned. "Out of all the people I have to watch you flirt with, you pick Eddie 'The Freak' Munson?"

"Don't call him that," Michelle said, "he's actually really nice."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Steve waved his hand. "God, he might've been worse than Davies."

"What? Eddie was cool."

Steve rolled his eyes and slunk off back to the stockroom while Robin had a smirk on her face. "I bet hes jealous you would get a 'You Rule' mark."

"Please put one up just to mess with him."

Robin bowed dramatically. "As you wish my liege."

taglist: @snapefiction

#stranger things #stranger things oc #eddie munson #eddie stranger things #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x henderson!reader #michelle henderson #machete #my fics #best friend!steve harrington

[zzokks]

If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading

#johnny got his gun by dalton trumbo

[zzokks]

In The Middle Of Nowhere - Part One

Series Masterlist

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Summary: There's Only One Bed meets Fake Dating meets Friends To Lovers. We've got a blending of tropes going on in this one! When your Mom invites the family friends and their creepy son along on your vacation, you beg your best friend Eddie to fake date you and join your family to keep the handsy boy at bay.

Word Count: 1,634

Warnings: (full series, not just this chapter. Will be updated as needed) Creepy family friend, swearing, inappropriate touching, jealous!Eddie, fem!reader

A/N: This is my second Eddie x Reader series! Hope you like it 💚 this was started as an entry to @spiderrrling & @uglypastels writing challenge and will continue over the next few weeks. Right now there isn't a set plan to how many parts it is. I'm excited to share this with you all 🥺

Eddie Munson Masterlist

"By the way, we've invited the Johnson’s to join us at the cabin next week." Your mom’s voice rang out.

Walking through the kitchen door with the remaining grocery bags, you drop them on the counter. Your eyes are locked onto the back of your mom’s head, hoping you had misheard her.

"What? Why?" You can’t help but whine.

You had nothing against the older Johnson’s, but their son was a different story altogether, even the thought of him had your skin crawling.

"Because they're our friends.” She turns to face you, hands on hips, the signature mom stance. “And it'd do you good to make more of an effort with Ross, he's a lovely young boy. You could do worse, you know."

Internally you’re gagging, but outwardly you resort to rolling your eyes, earning a sharp look from your mother.

"Mom, no. That's not happening. He's not a lovely boy, he's a creep.” You shiver at just the reminder of how many times you’ve caught him looking down your top. Or the many excuses he finds to touch you every time his family visits. “And anyway, I- I have a boyfriend!” Where the actual fuck did that come from? Shit.

"A boyfriend? You've never mentioned him before. What's his name?" She’s onto you, clear disbelief in her voice. Which, ouch, that stung. You’ve always had male friends but never a boyfriend and your mom is all too aware of that fact. She’s constantly trying to introduce you to her friend’s sons, eagerly nudging you in their direction at every chance she gets.

"Name?” You say the first person you think of, without really thinking it through at all. “His name is - Eddie.” Why did you say Eddie? You clench your fists by your sides, it’s too late to back out now. “It's Eddie. You know, Eddie. He's my boyfriend now.” Even if he doesn’t know it yet. “And- and I was going to ask if I could bring him with us. You know, since he’s my boyfriend." The words were escaping you before you could capture them today, and you only hoped you were able to pull this lie off.

"Oh, well I suppose he can come. He's a nice young man, could do with a haircut and some new clothes, but he's always so polite.” Your mom was one of the few parents in this town that actually liked Eddie. She’s always more than happy with him visiting, insisting he stays for dinner and practically forcing him to take home any leftovers for himself and his uncle.

“Okay, invite him.” She smiles and nods at you, continuing to put the groceries away. With her back to you, you let out a breath, your shoulders sagging in relief. “But the Johnson’s are still coming."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Eddie..."

You hightailed it over to the trailer park as soon as you physically could after the conversation with your mom that morning.

So now here you are, standing on the steps in front of your nerdy best friend, who is leaning against the door frame looking down at you with those chocolate button eyes. His unruly hair is more of a bird's nest at this point, in desperate need of a wash and brush. The sweats he’s wearing are hanging low on his hips and he’s wearing the t-shirt he stole off you last time he was at your house. The sight begins to leave you feeling a little breathless before you catch yourself, he’s your friend. And you’re here on a mission.

"What do you want?" Eddie cuts to the chase, chewing on a slice of toast that seems to have appeared out of thin air.

"What, no hello?” You chuckle nervously, prolonging the inevitable.

“Hello kiddo.” He mocks, teasing you with the nickname he knows you hate. You’re one year younger than him and he loves nothing more than offering you ‘an elder’s wisdom’ and telling you how ‘back in his day…’. You can’t resist rolling your eyes at his antics. “So, what do you want?”

“Nothing. What do you- I don't want anything. What are you talking about?" You're fidgeting, stop fidgeting. You know he’s going to pick up on it, the way you’re pulling at your sleeve and scuffing your shoe along the ground. Eddie has always been observant, he’d know if you were lying without you even making a sound.

"You're doing that thing, with your voice. Where it sounds all squeaky." He’s got that knowing, cocky tone to his voice. You’re internally cursing him for how he knows you too well.

"I'm not squeaky!"

You are.

"What do you want, little mouse?" Eddie leans forwards as he speaks, lowering his face to yours. He’s teasing you, baiting you.

You resist, just a little longer.

"How would you like a free vacation?" You can hear the awkwardness in your voice as you ask the, almost truthful, question.

"A free vacation?" He’s twisting a strand of his hair around his finger, the same finger that was holding his toast that is now coated in crumbs and melted butter. If you were going to take him on your family holiday, you seriously needed to get him in the shower stat. He might be your best friend but he could be so gross sometimes.

"Yeah, we're going up to the cabin next week and mom said I could bring someone."

"Did she now?”

“Yeah…” You taper off seeing Eddie notice the remnants of toast on his finger, he brings it to his mouth. Your stomach clenches at the sight of him as he begins to suck and lick it clean.

Your stomach isn’t the only part of you that clenches.

Feeling a warmth settle on your cheeks, you push those thoughts aside. Eddie is your friend. Just your friend. Nothing more. You’ve never wanted it to be more. This morning is clearly just a momentary lapse of sanity.

“What's the catch?"

"No catch. None. Just, perhaps, maybe, you could do me just a little favour?" You hold your thumb and index finger out in front of you, indicating a small gap between them and smiling sweetly up at the boy in front of you.

"That's a catch, little mouse." He taps you softly on the nose, laughing as you scrunch it up.

"Eddie, please."

"What's the favour?"

"Pretend to be my boyfriend?" Your words come out a little jumbled from the way you practically vomit them at him.

"I'm sorry, what? Pretend to be your boyfriend?" That definitely caught him off guard. He goes back to standing up straight, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. You think you see a slight flush over his face but it could just be the afternoon sun catching up with him.

Time to be honest, no more beating around the bush.

"Look my mom is trying to pawn me off on this creep and I panicked okay?” Your arms are flapping by your sides, anxiety eating you up. “I kind of already said you were my boyfriend.” This time your words are muffled as one of your hands comes up to your face, beginning to nervously chew on your nails.

“Eddie please! I never ask you for anything!"

"You ask me for rides all the time. I'm basically your personal chauffeur at this point." He shrugs.

"Okay so I ask for one-"

He cuts you off, a grin on his face.

"And you asked to steal my fries just the other night at the diner."

"Yeah but-"

You’re cut off again. You can see the glint in his eyes, he’s enjoying tormenting you.

"And what about when you practically begged me to be your fake boyfriend?"

"I’m not begging, I’m asking!" There’s that squeaky voice again.

"Maybe you should, my little mouse."

Wait, what? Was he honestly asking you to beg him to do this? He was going to be the death of you. You didn’t know if you could handle a week of him. All day, every day for a week.

"I don't hear any begging. Actually, I think I'll be busy next week..." Eddie turns, moving to close the door on you.

"Ugh fine.” You grab the door, stopping him from shutting you out. “Eddie, handsome, kind, Eddie. Would you please, please do me the honour of being my fake boyfriend so that my mom will get off my back and the creep will leave me the hell alone?"

"Hmm, maybe." The metalhead shrugs, his face scrunching to show he’s not impressed.

"Maybe?" What more does he want from you? Doesn’t he realise you’re already embarrassed enough asking him to save you from some perv by pretending to be your boyfriend for a week.

"Begging normally requires some knee action right?" He gives you the cockiest grin you’ve ever seen. His finger pointing to the ground in front of you.

You sigh deeply, cursing him silently as you lower yourself to your knees. The gravel digs in through the thin denim that covers your legs, making you wince just a little.

"Eddie, you're the best friend a girl could have. And this girl, here on her knees, is begging you to take pity on her in her time of need." You’re peering up at him, giving him your best puppy dog eyes. Softly, you take his hand, bringing it to your face. "Please Eddie, oh master of the dungeons."

You finish your begging with a gentle kiss, placed on the palm of his hand.

"O-okay." You miss the way Eddie stutters, the way his adam apple bobs in his throat as your lips press against his skin.

"Okay? Yes?” Scrambling back up to your feet, you throw yourself into Eddie’s arms, not noticing the way he melts into your touch. “Thank you thank you thank you!"

× Eddie Munson: @zoeyquinn94, @grungegrrrl, @projectcampbell, @eddiesquinn, @dixontardis, @letlovelive21, @onehotgreasymechanic, @eddiesprincess86, @edsbug, @eddielives1986, @mirkwoodshewolf, @krys-orion, @m-rae23, @stiegasaw, @lmili, @reddisteddie, @boomhauer, @ethereal27cereal, @anaisweird

× ITMON - @jadeylovesmarvelxo, @sav7689

#other peoples works

[zzokks]

Anything for you, Sweetheart

Rockstar!Eddie Munson x Female!Reader

Fluff

Curled up in Eddie's bunk on the tour bus, Y/N tried to get some rest. There was a thin layer of sweat on her skin even as she shivered under the blanket that she had pulled up to her nose.

It was Corroded Coffin's first big tour and Eddie was excited to share this experience with his Significant Other. Those plans were put on hold as she fought off a nasty cold.

The door to the tour bus opened and her husband's band entered with joyous voices, pumped up on the adrenaline of a sold out show. The 3rd one she missed since she got sick.

From the bunk she could hear her husband shush them before the sound of boots thumping on the floor approached. The curtain that surrounded her to give them privacy opened and Eddie kneeled next to her with a sympathetic smile.

Y/N stared at him with eyes that resembled a kicked puppy, peaking out from under their blanket.

"Hey Sweetheart," he greeted, softly. "How're you feeling?"

"The same," she replied, her voice raspy from coughing. "How was the show?"

He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. "It was metal. We blew them away. I wish that you were there to see it."

"Me too."

"I miss having my girl out there rocking out with me."

She sluggishly blinked at him and moved to tuck the blankets under her chin to give him a small smile. "I miss that too."

"Well, I do have some good news for you, Sweetheart," he stated.

"What is it?"

"For the next three nights, we'll be staying in a hotel. Starting tomorrow."

She perked up. "Really?"

Eddie nodded.

"Thank God. I miss an actual bed."

"I know. I got us the best room. The perfect place to care for my girl and nurse her back to health. Speaking of which, did you eat?"

She shook her head. "Too tired to get up and make something."

He gave her a pointed look. "Y/N Munson, you need to eat. You're not going to get better if you don't. I'm going to get you some soup and some water, okay?"

"Okay. F/S?"

"You got it!"

With a gently pat on her head, he stood up and walked to the small kitchenette.

Eddie cracked open a can of his wife's favorite soup and dumped it into a microwave safe bowl to heat up.

"Hey Man," Jeff said from where he sat on the couch. "How's Y/N/N?"

"Still feverish," he answered.

"That sucks," Gareth said. "Hopefully she feels better for the second leg of the tour."

"Yeah. Then you can annoy us all with your obnoxious PDA."

Eddie released a deep breath as he rolled his eyes. "Hopefully and you guys are just jealous I have a smoking hot wife." He pointed a ring finger at his bandmates.

He grabbed the bowl when the microwave beeped, along with a spoon and a bottle of water before he returned to his wife.

"Dinner is served, Sweetheart."

He placed the stuff on the ground so that he could help her sit up when he saw her struggle to do so.

"Thanks Ed," she said once he handed her the bowl and spoon. He placed the bottle next to her covered lap.

He gave her a small smile and leaned in to kiss her forehead, ignoring the sweat on her skin.

"Anything for you, Sweetheart."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie Munson Taglist:

@meaganjm @sweetpeapod @eddiemunsonsfavbitch @fangirling-4-ever @zzokks @mattymurdocksbitch @fillechatoyante @luvbug4728 @doll-in-the-walls @ches-86 @shenevertricks1831 @urlocalhippie2029 @celestair @ruinedbythehobbit @purple-storm

@meaganjm @sweetpeapod @eddiemunsonsfavbitch @fangirling-4-ever @zzokks @mattymurdocksbitch @fillechatoyante @luvbug4728 @doll-in-the-walls @ches-86 @shenevertricks1831 @urlocalhippie2029 @celestair @ruinedbythehobbit @purple-storm

@sarai-ibn-la-ahad @livslifeonline

Stranger Things Taglist:

@valeriiecameron @maruushkka @rainbows-dreams @april-foolish

Stranger Things (Billy excluded) Taglist;

@sleepyhead1456

#other peoples works

[zzokks]

…or Eddie Munson vs Joseph Quinn

#joseph quinn #eddie munson

[zzokks]

Getaway Car | Jason Carver

Pairing: Jason Carver x Reader

Summary: When the Reader is attacked by Vecna and needs a driver for Lenora Hills, Jason, her childhood enemy, is chosen for the mission. Although displeased at first, feelings arise throughout the adventure of their lives.

Characters: Jason Carver, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Max Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Erica Sinclair, Eddie Munson (mentioned), Eleven (mentioned), Mike Wheeler (mentioned) Will Byers (mentioned), Joyce Byers, (mentioned), Jonathan Byers (mentioned), Chrissy Cunningham (mentioned), other minor characters are mentioned.

Word count: 14.8k

Warnings: Enemies to Friends to Lovers. Mentions of past trauma, mentions of parents cheating and parental neglect, mentions of recreational drug use (marijuana) and underage drinking, car chase, shared trauma bond (because, is it really a Stranger Things couple if they don’t bond over at least one shared trauma?), mentions of Vecna.

A/N: Since the Duffer Brothers won’t be giving Jason a redemption arc, I decided to write my own because there are very few stories written about him (if you ever wrote about him, I’m sending you a kiss) and I deserve it so here it is! It’s literally the longest piece I’ve ever written, but it felt so short that I almost couldn’t stop. If anyone reads this, I hope you enjoy it :)

Keep reading

#i must admit im a jason carver enjoyer #other peoples works

[zzokks]

The Henderson Connection

Summary: Who knew that Dustin had a sister? Well, Eddie did know about her. He just had no idea what she was like. But as soon as he met her, there was no going back.

Plus, Gareth lives to be a little shit.

Song Recommendations: You've Got A License To Drive by Miles Gaston Villanueva (from The Boys)

After finishing up at the diner, Y/N had her orders: pick her little brother up from his D&D game. It was simple. Easy. She could do that no problem. It wasn't like she disliked Dustin. She liked him. He was a nice kid. He was only four when she'd gone with their father and he had gotten stuck with their mother. Now, after dad died, she was back in her childhood home and working in the town she'd left.

Originally, she thought she'd never return. Not properly. She'd expected the occasional weekend when she was gracefully passed to her mother and Claudia made it very clear who her favourite child was. Well, it was hard for Dustin to not be her favourite. It was almost impossible.

By the time she was twelve, she got sick of it and requested that she didn't have to make these visits anymore. But now here she was. Back in Hawkins, and back to being the second favourite. Claudia had even turned Y/N's old bedroom into a craft room, so she had to stay on the sofa until the renovations were over.

Things were fine. Hawkins was fine. If you're a normal kid, Hawkins is rather boring when it's not scary. Y/N remembered her brother telling her all about the horrible things that had happened (Dustin left out some of the more gruesome bits so she wouldn't worry) and was thankful her father had moved her away.

Honestly, the only good aspect of this was that she always wanted to get to know her little brother better and now she could. He was actually rather interesting to talk to. One thing he constantly spoke about was Dungeons and Dragons, which she didn't know much about but was willing to learn more.

She pulled up to the school parking lot and parked her car, going outside to lean against the bonnet so she'd seem cooler than she actually is. That's what the popular kids used to do at her school. And she wanted to seem cool for her brother and his friends.

The Hellfire Club walked out of their room, all amped on defeating the latest foe that Eddie had thrown their way. It seemed like it would be a loss at first, but Lucas managed to come up with the idea to distract the monster as Mike's PC snuck up behind to get sneak attack and shoved a magical sword in the goliath's eye. They were positively buzzing.

Eddie was first to notice the girl sitting on the hood of - what he assumed to be - her car writing in a notebook, and he smiled at the sight of her. He pulled Gareth towards him and quietly asked, "Who's that?"

"No clue."

Luckily for Eddie, Mike overheard and explained, "Oh, that's Y/N. Dustin's sister."

All of the other boys exclaimed, "That's Y/N?" in disbelief. All except Eddie, who was trying to rack his brain for conversation starters, something to bring her closer to him without seeming creepy or weird, something to ask her how she was doing. Anything.

His eyes found her again and he realised - Jesus, had he been so stupid - that was Dustin's sister. He knew Dustin. That's the easy topic to go for. The Henderson connection.

Despite the fact that he was shitting himself, Eddie was in front of his boys so he had to act all suave and confident. They couldn't know that he had zero, absolutely zero game. No clue when it came to talking to a girl he found attractive. Other girls, completely fine. Great at, actually. Girls that made his heart beat speed up? Yeah, no fucking idea.

"Watch and learn gentlemen," he boasted as he strutted up to her. He winked back at them, and the group burst into laughter. No Moves Munson was going to give it a crack. They wished him good luck.

Shit was he going to need it.

Looking up from her notes, she tried to hide her giggle as she watched a lanky boy trip on a stone, only to regain his balance a second later and continue towards her. Her eyebrows raised, amused by this new, strange looking guy.

As soon as he reached her, he bowed to her and flashed her a charming smile. Oh my god, he's cute! she thought to herself, before replying coolly, "Hi."

And he replied. Sort of. He looked at her with the curiosity of someone looking at a surprisingly sexy alien life form and tried to say, "Wow, funny seeing you here, Ms Henderson. Crazy. Yeah, I'm actually your brother's hero, like, he idolises me and wants to be just like me, but I'm always saying - always - no, man, be yourself cause he's cool. Henderson's tend to be cool."

What he actually said was "Hmflmfm... Uhh shit, that was nonsense." That was not a sentence that was meant to happen. This was supposed to sound smooth and eloquent, not a bumbling idiot. As if realising this, he tried again, but then stuttered some more until he blurted out, "Dustin! I know Dustin."

"Oh. Are you Eddie?" she asked. It really didn't surprise her. It sounded like the kind of person Dustin would be friends with.

No way. No fucking way. The smoking hot girl before him knew his name. How could she know his name? He had a big cheesy grin plastered across his face, as he attempted to play it cool. He nodded and replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'm Eddie. Eddie Munson. Licence to thrill." Shit. That was lame. "Are you, um, are you Y/N?" he asked. He was pretty sure that his voice cracked on the last part and she smiled at him.

"Yes."

"Cool."

"Super cool," she added and had no idea why. Though she could help how wide she was smiling. Not only at the fact that this hot guy knew her name, but her brother had spoken about her. Dustin had mentioned her to Eddie, and maybe more of his friends. "My little brother speaks very highly of you."

"I'm honoured to hear that." That genuinely pleased him more than he'd ever admit. "I do have a soft spot for Henderson."

Without stopping herself, she flirted, "Which one?" and leant forward slightly., resting her arms on either side of her and beaming up at him. He gulped a little but decided not to let it show.

He laughed nervously and responded, "I'm not sure. They both seem pretty cool." That got a laugh. God, that laugh was better than any song he'd ever heard. It was light and carefree yet somehow still sounded genuine and caring. He didn't know why, but he found himself leaning in as the pair of them talked to one another and it felt like everything else stopped. He forgot everyone else and focused solely on her.

Mike, Lucas and the gang were watching them from afar, and their jaws dropped. He was doing it. He actually had managed to not scare her away. That was so cool! A nerd win! Lucas nudged Mike, pointing out, "Bet Dustin is going to be surprised when he comes back from his piss."

Speak of the devil, Dustin caught up with the boys who were just standing there, not moving to their respective cars and bikes so they could watch the scene before them. "Why are you guys still here?" Dustin asked, then noticed his buddy and his sister in some weirdly intimate position.

"Munson's trying to bang your sister."

"Shut it, Wheeler!"

From afar, they could just about hear, "I'm in a band, you know?"

"Are you guys any good?" She asked, her voice on the borderline teasing, as she gave Eddie a once over. Wow, he had nice eyes. Like really nice eyes. And the way he bit his bottom lip in concentration while listening to her voice was kind of adorable.

"Nope. If you want your ears to bleed, you should totally come to The Hideout on Tuesdays. Yeah, at -"

Suddenly, Eddie's arm was smacked and Dustin ducked under it. He paused for a moment, and looked between the pair of them. Dustin raised his eyebrow at his friend as he stepped aside to stand beside Y/N, his eyes flicking from her to Eddie.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?"

Shit. They'd both forgotten Dustin. Eddie held out his hands and helped her off the hood, hoping that she didn't notice that they were a little sweaty. Similarly, that was the same hope that ran through her head too. Did they notice? Maybe not? Either way, they both tried to look as casual as possible. She wasn't sure how successful they were at being calm and collected though.

"We were just talking..." She started, pulling her gaze away from the handsome man and onto her brother. "Got everything, Bubba?"

Moving past them and getting in the passenger's seat, Dustin called back, "Don't call me that. You know I hate it when you call me that."

Frankly, he didn't mind it. It was something their father used to call them when they were young. But, he was in high school now. He didn't want his new, cool, older friend Eddie to know all about the awkward and soppy things his family did. Eddie was cool. So, Dustin should be cool too. Or at least, he should try to be.

"Sure thing, Bubba." She waved to Eddie and let out a coy little, "Bye."

"Bye, Y/N." He replied. He just stood there, watching her in awe as she turned and got in her car. He had a little more swagger in his step as he got into his van. Lucas even gave him a high five as they passed each other. It was probably the best high five of Eddie's life.

Y/N. Y/N. Y/N. That's all The Hellfire club heard about at school the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. And... Dustin was sure his sister had cast a spell over Eddie. He was sure of it. A charm person of some sort, no doubt. That was the only explanation.

Every question about her was asked. What's her favourite song? Movie? Did she like Judas Priest? Does she like video games? Is she a vegetarian? Is she vegan or anything? What does she think about dogs? What about cats? What about rats? Was she seeing anyone? No. He's not asking that because he was interested. No way.

"Doubtful. I never hear her speak about any guy."

"But, does she have a boyfriend?"

Mike walked up, lunch tray in hand, and sat down next to Gareth since Eddie had taken his usual spot next to Dustin. He'd overheard some of the conversation and whined, "Is he still trying to pretend that he doesn't have a huge boner for Y/N?"

Gareth scoffed, "I don't think that's possible."

"Ow!" he whined in mock pain, "Damn it, man! Now it hurts! How will I survive? Dustin! Dustin, call Y/N. I need a sexy nurse and I think she'd be perfect for the job."

That earned him a death glare from Eddie, who mumbled, "Fuck you, Thomas," and threw the pen in his hand at the drummer's head, getting him straight in the forehead with a satisfying thud.

Now Gareth was getting two death stares.

With an exasperated huff, Dustin leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Can everyone stop saying the words boner and sexy when in relation to my sister?" he yelled. "She's... she's my sister!"

Jeff decided to fan the flame and added, "And she's hot."

"Jeffrey! Stop! You're not helping! I thought I could trust you." There were some sniggers around, which Dustin ignored. "Can we talk about something else?"

"What kind of flowers are her favourite?"

"Jesus Christ, Edward."

Lucas couldn't help but tease, "Never heard of Jesus Christ flowers before."

As much as he loved his friends, sometimes, they really made him want to kill them. Well, he didn't want to kill them, per say, but he could definitely imagine himself strangling one of them. Maybe Mike. That would be interesting to see. Not that he actually would want to. God no.... Unless?

Dustin looked at Mike for a moment, just thinking. It would be so hypothetically easy. He's got a long neck. No. No. No killing Mike. Definitely not.

If he strangled Eddie, he was sure his corpse would rise again to ask, "So what shampoo does Y/N use?" so that wasn't worth it.

Later on at the next Hellfire session, Eddie began describing the scene to the guys. And, he didn't stop talking until he'd laid out every single aspect imaginable, dramatically declaring, "As you enter the dungeon, you find the princess shackled to the wall, her beautiful hair cascading down her shoulders, framing her face..."

Eddie proceeded to go into heavy detail, as he often did, but this time Dustin could've sworn he'd described Y/N. It was obvious. His voice was different when he was describing her, softer and almost dreamily. As if she were his muse, his inspiration. He continued, "...and in her hair sits this crown made entirely out of pearls, the jewels reflecting against the light as she smiles at you with those beautiful eyes of hers. Her lips are parted slightly and her expression seems almost... shocked to see you."

And when he had asked Eddie what the princess's name was, he was sure the name Y/N was about to fall from the dungeon masters lips before he caught a hold of himself and changed course. It had to have been. There was no debate. That boy had it, and he had it bad.

"What the shit? Is that who I think it is?" Dustin whispered loudly to Mike and the rest of the table.

Gareth grinned. "Yeah. That's Y/N."

Mike had also gotten tired of hearing Y/N's name. Mostly from Eddie, but also from Dustin complaining about Eddie. "Can we kill the princess? She's been getting on my nerves all week."

"What? Seriously?" Dustin was in disbelief. He didn't want to kill something that resembled his Bubba, even if it was imaginary. That was his sister, for goodness sake! Killing character versions of your family is, like, not cool.

There was silence for a few moments as the other members thought about Mike's idea. Jeff was down for it and finally made a sound, he exclaimed, "Yeah! Let's fuckin' kill her!"

The rest of the table laughed - all but precious Dustybun - and shared a moment of solidarity. They were going to murder the poor princess, bound and gagged in a dungeon. Fucking murder hobos.

Eddie paused what he was describing and looked at Mike, confused why he'd want to kill such a beautiful being. When the younger brunette simply shrugged his shoulders, a fire was lit under Eddie's ass. Oh, they wanted to kill the princess? Fine. He was going to make the princess able to kill them. They wouldn't get away with it that easily. If he had to do it, then so be it.

All the boys at the table were staring at him with waiting eyes so Eddie continued, "The guards hear your whispering and prepare the gate for the monster to attack. How do you proceed?"

They all looked anxiously at each other and tried to come up with a plan.

Stomping his foot on the floor as a sound effect, Eddie's voice dropped an octave as he pivoted from his original idea. A monster can have a programmed illusion on it. Filled with a new sense to try and kill their characters, Eddie proclaimed, "You hear a rumbling beneath the maiden, the ground shaking underfoot, so I need everyone to make a dexterity saving throw to stay on your feet."

Chittering against the table, all of the PC's rolled their D20. They told Eddie their rolls and they all passed, well, all but one. Placing his hand to cup his ear, happily mocking, "What was that, Ailmer? Tell the class why don't you," to Mike, using his character's name to further annoy him.

Making a show for his friends, Mike took the D20 and presented how it fell, letting out a disappointed, "Nat one," as he did.

Karma is a bitch. And so is Eddie.

"All of you watch as your good friend and party member, Ailmer, loses his footing and falls to the ground, scraping his palms against the jagged rocky floor as they make contact." He wiggled his fingers, palm facing outwards. "But, Ailmer wasn't the only one to fail the saving throw. No. Someone purposely let the rumbling take over them."

Someone gasped. Eddie wasn't sure who it was as his eyes were trained on Mike. He continued, "The maiden now free from her shackles, slumps to the ground and cocks her head to the side, surveying you like you're her next meal."

Every movement that he described was being acted out.

"Well, that's cause you are. The gate behind you slams shut, locking everyone in with an ear piercing *chewwwt*. A finger at first. And then a hand. By the time Ailmer looks up, the princess is no more. What you've come to realise is that the guards didn't want to open the gate, they wanted to close it. They wanted to protect themselves. From what, I hear you ask?"

At this point, even Eddie was impressed with himself for this improv. This was a big side track from what he'd planned, but Mike needed to learn a lesson.

The rest of the table was silent, all anticipating what their DM was going to say next.

"Where the beautiful, show stopping (totally not Y/N) princess once stood is now occupied by a seven foot tall, scaly, fanged Basilisk. A Basilisk that has its eyes on our little paladin here." He paused for effect before ordering, "Constitution throw, Wheeler."

"What is happening today?" Mike exclaimed, looking down in disbelief at his roll. "A four + four, so eight."

"Ailmer is under the petrified condition."

Basically, Mike was out of commission for the rest of the battle. The rest of the party managed to kill the Basilisk. But, Eddie didn't care. It was a lot of fun watching Mike fail and fail and fail at hitting the DC. Hell, his character even died, which was fun. The death didn't last long as Gareth, the party cleric, managed to cast revivify. It was a close call.

When the session was over, Eddie bounced his leg up and down, impatiently waiting. Dustin had briefly mentioned that his sister was picking him up again so it was just a coincidence that Eddie waited for his buddy, ensuring that they'd walk out together and maybe, just maybe, he could escort Dustin to his ride.

"Hey, bubba," Y/N called out when she saw Dustin approach.

"Stop calling me that!" Dustin complained, although he knew there was no way he could keep the smile off his face.

The pair made it to Y/N's car and all members of the Hellfire Club watched as Eddie tried to look cool in front of Y/N once again. She'd parked next to one of the school signs so he attempted to suavely lean against it. That did not happen.

Instead, he miscalculated the distance between his elbow and the metal, causing his arm to slip and bang his wrist against the sign. "Ow!" He yelped, and cradled his injury with his other hand, wincing at the pain and embarrassment he felt.

Dustin had to hide his growing smile with his hand and hurried into the car in an attempt to not hear whatever flirting shit they were bound to say to each other.

"You okay? Let me see your hand."

"I banged it good, didn't I?" He said, rubbing his soreness. She took his hand and examined it. It was fine. A little red. Might bruise a bit. Nothing serious.

If anything, his rings had damaged the sign more than the sign had damaged him. They'd left little indents in the metal. His rings were still intact, thankfully. It would be a shame if he'd bust one of his fancy rings.

Playfully grimacing, she falsely examined it and commented, "That's unfortunate. It looks as if we are going to have to cut it off. It's the only way."

"Should I get a hook? Like a pirate?" He asked, his eyes widening at her messing with him. Teasing counts as flirting, right? Right, guys? It does. Right? It probably does...

She laughed heartily at that. Her laugh was melodic to the ears, making her whole body shake with every chuckle she let loose. It was infectious and contagious, making Eddie grin along with her.

"Pirates are sexy. You're bound to get loads of chick's with one," she joked, holding out her hand and curling her pointer into a hook shape and wiggling it at him. "Just don't get too handsy. That would hurt."

Playfully, he extended his pointer and jabbed his finger at hers like he was engaging in a duel. "Don't worry, princess. I don't get handsy unless the ladies ask nicely," he replied, putting his own pointer forward. She accepted the challenge and began their almost thumb war. Their devil finger tournament of sorts.

By now, Dustin wanted to go home. The other boys had left by now, having seen enough of the two lovebirds. Yeah, he got to admit though, there was something nice about seeing Eddie acting like a lovesick puppy around Y/N.

Then Dustin came to the conclusion, 'hey, maybe it's not so bad if my friend and sister go out together. I want what's best for her, and him for that matter. And they could give each other the best chance of happiness,' and decided to give them a push in the right direction.

Rolling his window down, Dustin announced, "Eddie, you know how you said you wanted to watch the new Friday the 13th? I was going to go with Y/N. Want to come with?"

Now, Eddie had no idea what Dustin was talking about. Going to see Jason Lives: Friday the 13th VI was the last thing he wanted to do. Ever since their adventure in the Upside Down, Eddie tried to steer clear of horror. The events that occurred there were some of the worst nightmares he had ever had. Watching the horror unfold, witnessing the monster they unleashed on others, was a nightmare unto itself. It haunted him, always would.

Still, Dustin was giving him a chance to hang out with Y/N. A chance that he had to take, so held her gaze and checked, "Is that good with you?"

"Yeah," she agreed without hesitation. It was obvious to anyone that Eddie and Y/N liked one another. It was written all over their faces. It was in their demeanour towards one another. In fact, it was physically evident too as they still had their fingers intertwined as they spoke without realising it. "That's good. That's, like, so good."

"Totally cool."

"Super cool."

Mission accomplished. Dustin cheered, "So, it's a date. Y/N will pick you up this Friday at seven." Eddie nodded at the proposal and went to give his buddy a grateful thumbs up, only to become aware that he was still touching Y/N's hand. He quickly apologised and pulled away to scratch the back of his neck.

"Uh, yeah. Totally great. We'll see you tomorrow Dustin," he stated awkwardly, walking backwards in the general direction of his van, which he found out was closer than expected as it was a surprising moment when his ass hit the bumper. "Bye, Henderson's."

When she drove away and was no longer in sight, Eddie jovially punched the air and hollered, "Fuck yeah. Oh yeah. A date. A date with Y/N. And Dustin, mostly Y/N though." He had a good feeling about this. This was going to be fun.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. His moods were all over the place. One second he would be bouncing off the walls, unable to contain his excitement. The next? Anxiously tapping his foot, worried that she might find him too strange and never want to associate with him again. That would suck. It would destroy him from the inside out, and he couldn't afford to be crippled by such a thing. It wasn't fair. Not at all.

Friday came and he found himself in a state of hopefulness. This was it. This was the day. He'd see her again and they'd spend the evening together. Sure, Dustin will also be there. A date with the Henderson's is good. Is great. He was ready.

So far, he had his nerves well in check, and he looked the part too. Well, sort of anyway. He attempted to make it look like he hadn't tried that hard, but alas, it was futile. He made sure his hair was exactly in the correct place before she picked him up. His rings were on. His jacket was around his shoulders. And he made sure his shirt had no wrinkles in it. If it did, he would have an absolute meltdown.

Because what if she saw his t-shirt and thought, 'gross, he looks so unkempt and trashy and poor. I could never go for a guy like that'? She wouldn't think that because she's not mean, he was aware of that. Meanness is not a Henderson trait. But, what if she was just generally unimpressed by him? What then? What would happen then?

Was he doomed to spend the remainder of his life alone?

Shit. He couldn't help but sigh heavily and shake his head. No. Stop thinking like that, Eddie. Just relax. Be yourself. He had to stop being so negative. He needed to be positive. To believe that everything was going to turn out alright. That everything was going to work out. He had to be positive or else he'd drive himself insane.

She was just a girl, right? Just a girl! A pretty girl who happened to be very cute, funny, and interesting...and a little weird...and hot... He was in trouble. Very much so. And he couldn't do anything to help it.

Y/N seemed to notice his nervousness as he opened his front door. Dustin had insisted that she had to be the one to greet him. That's fine. She totally wasn't nervous about doing that. No. Her brother had told her to walk up to the home of the guy she hadn't stopped thinking about since they'd met and just knock on his front door? All of her worries seemed to float away when she saw how visibly uncomfortable he seemed to be, like a deer caught in headlights.

"I like your shirt" was the first thing she said to him. Compliments make people happy and feel better about themselves. Why wouldn't she say something to relieve his stress? Plus, she wasn't lying. She did like his shirt. It was cute and she could tell he put some effort into choosing it. Plus, his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, showing off some of his arms and tattoos, which she found extremely hot. They were distracting.

A light blush appeared on his cheeks as he glanced down at the shirt. "Oh, thanks. I, uh, bought it at a thrift store," he admitted.

Oh shit. He should give a compliment back, but what part of her? It all looked so good to him that he wasn't sure which aspect to mention. He cleared his throat to say, "I like your eyes."

Eyes? That was one thing that was a constant. Clothes can change. Hair can change. Makeup can change. Eyes can't. He was being so fucking obvious. So damn cheesy, even.

"Oh," she breathed out, surprised and getting extremely excited . "Thank you," she responded, unsure what else to say or do. She felt her face flush red and her hands fidget nervously with the waist of her skirt. "Should we, uh... Dustin is waiting in the car." She gestured towards the passenger's seat, but he'd climbed into the back and was looking impatiently out of the car window.

"Are you guys done flirting and can we go?"

Both of them avoided eye contact and awkwardly got into her car. Eddie quickly followed her, only barely containing his excitement. This was it. This was his shot. He had to make it count. "Hey man, I think you got some schmutz on your cheek," Dustin teased, reaching forward from the backseat and licking the pads of his fingers to wipe them across Eddie's face when he sat down. Eddie slapped his hand away and glared at him.

Their antics were amusing, so Y/N laughed at him. Yet, Dustin was right. Eddie did have something on his face, so she repeated her brother's actions and got the mark off for him. She gently brushed his cheekbone, causing Eddie to tense up a little bit. He wasn't expecting the feeling of her soft touch, but nonetheless enjoyed it.

"How come she's allowed to lovingly caress your face and I'm not?"

"Shut up, bubba."

Mentally, Eddie was already regretting bringing Dustin along for this. There was bound to be more teasing and taunting from the younger Henderson sibling.

"This is the sixth movie in the franchise. Right? Well, Dustin said it was," she told him, looking back to see that her brother had put his headphones on and was listening to his Walkman. "It's about a guy in a mask, yeah? It's stupid, but I haven't seen the other ones. Dustin said he really wanted to see it and me, being the best sister ever, agreed to bring him. My dad and I would always go to the cinema so it's like a family thing. Dad did not like horror movies. Not one bit. Yeah, so I haven't seen a lot of them, you know."

Rambling is something she did when she was anxious. That was clear to see. Well, hear.

Luckily, Eddie had seen all of the other movies in the franchise and gave her a run down, explaining the essentials of what she needed to know. "All you need to know is Jason loves his hockey mask and murdering teenagers."

It surprised her that in a town where teenagers often were found dead that they still played movies like this. Her father would have hated the mere thought of it.

"Wait, I thought this was the one with the William Shatner mask?"

"That's Halloween. Michael Myers."

"What's the difference?"

"Honestly, not much."

Soon, they had reached the cinema car park. The pair had been talking the entire time. Dustin suspiciously watched from the backseat, headphones on. They seemed to be getting on very well, which may be beneficial to him as he was certain that Y/N was completely taken by Eddie, and that Eddie would treat her like a princess. Or a queen. Or a knight. Whatever she wanted.

Dustin smiled to himself as Eddie held the door open for Y/N they entered. "After you, my lady." He gave her a slight bow and a playful grin before letting Dustin pass too, lowly whispering, "Am I doing good?" To which Dustin responded with a firm okay gesture, creating a circle with his pointer and thumb.

Watching his buddy flirt with his sister was not how Dustin wanted to spend his evening. That's why he had insisted that Mike, Lucas and Max also 'happened' to be at the cinema, so he could go off with his friends, leaving Y/N and Eddie on their own. You know, like what usually happens on a date. Except this time it was a real date and it had to be perfect. No distractions. No babysitting.

And Eddie definitely owed him a favour now. Maybe he could swindle his way into getting a wondrous item. Who knows the possibilities?

"Uh, Dustin, you didn't say your pals were going to be here too." Eddie remarked as he saw the others waiting for them at the entrance to the theatre. Oh no.

"Relax, we are going to see Howard the Duck. Mike's dad is bringing me back."

What he'd done finally made sense to Y/N. She turned to Eddie and simply explained, "We've been set up." When he only shrugged in response, she jokingly feigned outrage, "You knew? You knew and you didn't say anything?"

Oh no. Had he fucked up? Had he blown the whole thing by not telling her? Y/N could see the exclamation mark forming over his head, so she rushed to continue, "I'm kidding. You can make it up to me by getting some popcorn for us though."

His dumb grin stretched across his face as he accepted the offer. Eddie laughed, turned back to the children and shooed them away before returning to face Y/N. "Sweet or salty?"

"Surprise me."

After getting everything, they sat down in their seats and prepared to watch the movie. Y/N leaned closer and had to ask, "So, the whole set up idea, was that you or Dustin?"

"Dustin. Yeah, I'd never get the guts to ask you out so he did it for me. God, that makes me sound like such a pussy. But you're really cool. And really pretty. And, uh... I don't know." He laughed nervously again as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the ground. "God, sorry. I'll just shut up."

"No!" she exclaimed, surprising herself with her own loud voice. She tried to calm down a bit, then decided to press the matter. "I mean, don't shut up. What you said was really nice and I appreciate it. Uh... I'd kinda like you to ask me out sometime without the aid of my little brother. If you want to. Like... If you want to."

He stared at her for a few moments before replying, "Yeah, I want to. Really bad." Her heart soared at his confession. She couldn't stop smiling as the lights dimmed and the screen flickered on. He must have noticed because he chuckled and sunk into his seat.

Throughout the first act of the film, he was ever so subtly inching his hand towards hers, but she pretended not to notice until she felt him grasp her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. His hand was warm and rough against her smooth skin. It sent sparks through her body and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Her grip tightened around his hand and she gave him a small squeeze in reassurance.

As the movie progressed, they got increasingly more comfortable in each other's presence. At the midpoint, he decided to swap the hand that was holding hers, fake yawn and place his arm around her, causing whoever was behind them to snicker at the cliche move. She glanced over at him to find him watching the screen with an amused expression on his face, so she leant against his shoulder and snuggled up against him.

Things were going really well. In fact, he couldn't have hoped for a better first date. He listened to her soft breathing and tried to enjoy the movie.

Despite how affectionate they were being and how much her touch calmed him down, he still wasn't enjoying the movie. There was a bit near the end that really shook him. The main guy was in a boat on a lake fighting Jason. Sound familiar? Instantly, Eddie was mentally transported back to the events of spring break. He remembered how terrified he was.

Eddie closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down, but it was difficult. He knew that it was only a movie. He'd seen many things like this before, but it was still affecting him pretty badly. His breathing grew shallower and faster than normal, and he clenched Y/N's hand tighter, hoping that she wouldn't notice.

She did notice. Immediately. "Hey, are you alright?" she whispered softly, concern evident in her voice.

"I-" he swallowed hard, trying not to choke on the lump in his throat. "I'm fine. It's just a movie."

There was a pause. Y/N looked at him worriedly, clearly wanting to ask him what was wrong, but that would probably make it worse. "Yeah, can we go? I don't really want to see anymore," she cooed.

Thank fuck. He agreed, getting to his feet and finding the exit quickly. As soon as he was out, he rushed to a garbage bin and threw up. He had no idea whether it was nerves or the memories, but it was too much. She held his hair back and comfortingly rubbed circles in his back while he heaved into the bin. He couldn't remember how long he stood there throwing up whatever little he had inside, but eventually, it stopped and he was able to take deep breaths. He wiped his mouth and looked at the bin in disgust.

"Fuck" was all he could mutter. Because fuck! This was not supposed to happen right now. He slowly turned around to look at Y/N who still had a concerned expression on her face. "Sorry. Fuck. Fuck, I've screwed this up, haven't I?"

"No. No, no, of course not." She reached out and placed some hair behind his ear as she joked, "Hey, everyone pukes up popcorn sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't see you spewing your guts." He chuckled before asking, "Mind if I get cleaned up."

"You must spend the rest of this date with vomit down your chin." She teased, making it incredibly obvious that she was fucking with him. "Go and get cleaned up. I'll get you a drink." He nodded and left, taking care of his business while walking backwards.

Once he found the nearest restroom, he washed up, grabbed a paper towel to clean himself off and took a look at his reflection. His cheeks were flushed red and his hands were shaking slightly. He sighed heavily before turning his attention to his appearance, brushing back his fringe and smoothing out his shirt, trying to calm himself down.

Okay. He could still do this. Sure, his breath smelt like vomit now. And she'd seen him not so gracefully stick his head into a trash can. However, he knew that he couldn't just give up and admit defeat now. Not when he'd actually come this far. He couldn't go running home crying, not when he wanted to impress her, so he put his best game face on and strutted out of the bathroom.

A Coke would do. At least she hoped the Coke would be strong enough to get the flavour of bile out of his mouth. She waited in the line and when she got to the counter, he appeared at her side.

"Feel better?" She asked, looking him up and down.

"Like a million bucks."

"Good." She grabbed a can of Coke and paid, handing it over to him. "Now, let's get out of here."

The two left the theatre, with Y/N in front leading the way with her hand clasped in his. His hand covered hers like a vice, almost squeezing the life out of her as he followed after her, but she didn't mind. In fact, she found it comforting, as if he was reassuring her that he was doing okay.

After reaching the car, he opened the door for her to slip inside, then went around to slide into the passenger's seat. "I bet you're starving now. Want to find the nearest, greasiest burger joint and stuff our faces?" She offered, looking across at him and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Hell yeah. I think it's safe to assume that I barfed up everything in my stomach, so refilling it would be great."

Finding a burger joint that was close to his trailer, the pair ordered then sat on his bed eating their meals as they talked. Everything. It was almost funny how easy it came with her. How easy it was to relax and talk about anything and everything. They even laughed together over his terrible attempt at flirting.

And of course, they eventually came onto the subject of Dustin. "As long as you don't sell my brother the hard stuff, I don't really don't give a shit," she said, taking the final few bites of her food. She knew he was a dealer. Who didn't?

"I wouldn't dream of it. Dustin has made it very clear that he only wants one of my many services."

"Oh yeah?" she grinned, "What services do you offer?"

"Well..." he thought for a moment, pretending to be deep in thought. "...Let's see.. I'm an expert at picking locks, fixing broken cars, taking care of puppies, I herd children like a master, and of course, being a charming gentleman."

Unable to stop herself, she taunted, "Yeah, and you're really good at projectile vomiting."

Playfully, he pushed her over so she'd be lying against his pillows, exclaiming, "Shut up, I -" he cut himself off as she had reached out and pulled him with her so he was about to land on top of her, but, fortunately for her, he had managed to hold his palms against the mattress to avoid crashing down on top of her.

Beaming up at him, she asked, "Am I entitled to these services?"

He gave her a teasing smirk. "Why, Ms. Henderson, what did you have in mind?"

Playfully, she pretended to pass out, placing the back of her hand to her head and dramatically sighed. "I'm in need of mouth to mouth. That was a gross way to say it," she joked, then opened her eyes and confirmed, "Just kiss me."

Shit. Fuck. Oh, holy shit. This was the moment. He knew it. So, 'going with the flow', Eddie made his move. He reached out and touched her cheek, just the barest brush of his finger. Then, he leaned in, stopping inches from her lips. Their noses touched gently as their eyes locked into each other's gaze.

"I can do that," he murmured, closing the remaining gap between them and pressing his lips against hers in a soft kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut and he cupped her face, holding her in place as he continued to deepen the kiss. It was slow and sweet, neither of them willing to hurry it up because neither of them felt like letting it end anytime soon.

Without realising he'd done it, his hand moved to slide up her thigh, pulling it over his, and soon he felt the warm softness of the skin under her skirt. She moaned quietly in response and he couldn't help smiling into the kiss before moving his mouth to her jawline. He pressed kisses along her neck, sucking lightly on the delicate skin, causing her to arch her back into his touch and moan again.

Hearing a giggle, Y/N opened one eye and took a quick glance at the window. She saw the tip of a ginger ponytail. The same ponytail she'd seen at the cinema. Max.

"Ed, we're being watched by Dustin's friend." He stopped immediately.

As she said that all four of the teens ran back to Max's trailer. All of them. She recognised that hat and checked Eddie's watch.

"Dustin Henderson, get your ass back here! Your curfew is in twenty and mother will murder me if her little baby boy is late," she yelled and opened Eddie's window further.

Sure enough, he looked like a puppy caught misbehaving. She watched as he stopped and changed direction, his shoulders hunched as he made his way towards Eddie's door.

Turning to the handsome man on the bed that she'd just jumped out of the arms of, she apologised quickly, "I'm so sorry," and returned her lips to his for a moment more. Against his mouth, she suggested, "I could drop him off then come back?"

"You're a genius." He mumbled before breaking the kiss, only to give her another peck on the lips. He couldn't stop now that they'd started.

The couple met Dustin at the trailer door and he was immediately smacked around the head by Eddie before he could utter a single word. "Ow!" He whined, rubbing his pain away as he glared at them.

"That's for perving."

"It was Mike's idea! Or was it Max's? I was an innocent accomplice."

"Still gross, Bubba."

Dustin groaned in response and climbed into Y/N's car so Eddie couldn't get him again, waiting as they said their temporary goodbyes. Honestly, by the way they'd been smooching in Eddie's room, Dustin originally thought their departure would be more - what's the words? - gross. Nope. All Y/N did was stand up on her tippy toes, kiss Eddie on the cheek and whisper something in his ear. That was it. Still, whatever she whispered made him turn red in the face.

Then she got in the driver's seat and looked at her brother, flicking him on the nose when he least expected it. "I know. I'm so sorry, Bubba," He whined and rubbed the spot she had hit as she drove him home.

On the way, Dustin kept trying to get details about their date, which she was reluctant to give. Eddie wouldn't want his friends to know that he spewed his guts everywhere, so she decided to keep quiet about it. "It clearly went well," he pointed out, looking at her from the passenger seat. She shot him a look that told him not to push it. He sighed loudly and turned back towards the window, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm never going to be able to unsee that."

"It's your fault for looking."

True.

It wasn't long before they made it back to the Henderson residence. Actually, they were two minutes late, and boy, did Y/N get an earful from her mother. She tried to defend herself, but it seemed like the words were falling on deaf ears. She had to take it, she'd rather deal with a lecture than spend another minute in the house.

Ignoring her mother was impossible as she had taken Y/N's car keys from her fingers the second she had stepped into the house, so Y/N had to pester Dustin to give her Eddie's phone number so she could pitifully explain that her mummy wasn't letting her out to play ."Hey," she greeted over the phone, twirling the cord between her fingers. "Got bad news, sunshine."

Eddie let out a sigh on the other side, "Do tell."

"I'm housebound." She saw Dustin poking his head around the corner of the door, obviously listening to every word she was saying. "Under the watchful gaze of my mother and brother, we're going to have to rearrange our..." She made eye contact with her brother and decided to give the PG version of what she was planning on saying, "After school activities until my mother gives me my car keys back."

From the other line, Ed replied, "That sucks." But, it wasn't the bad news he was expecting so that was good.

Honestly, she loved her brother. She did. But in the past hour, he was annoying her, so she waved him away, urging him to "Fuck off, Bubba," as she held the phone away from her for a moment.

"Sorry, bubba. Love you."

"I love you, but seriously piss off." What? Eddie stopped what he said since he heard a bunch of mumbling on the other side, presumably an argument between siblings, and then Y/N was laughing. "Sorry Ed, Dusty was trying to listen in. What did you say?"

"Some bad joke about me being all romantic and climbing in your window."

"So I should leave it open then?" She flirted in return, making sure her voice dropped a few octaves. Eddie groaned on the other end, making her laugh even harder. "In all honesty, I don't have a bedroom for you to climb into. I'm a certified couch sleeper."

Certified couch sleeper was a nice way to say my mother cares more about her craft room than me, and Eddie definitely noticed.

"You sleep on the couch in your own house? You don't have your own bed? You could always share mine?"

Even though it sounded suggestive, he didn't mean it in that way, weirdly. In fact, he was completely sincere. He'd spent some time couch surfing and he knew it wasn't the most comfortable night sleep in the world.

"The couch isn't so bad. It has its perks, such as having a very comfy pillow," Y/N laughed, leaning against the wall behind her.

She heard rustling on the other end of the line as if he was pacing, then Eddie's voice, much deeper than usual, cut through the footsteps. "Well, if you ever want to get comfy, you know where my door is," he said, and it sounded like he might have smirked or winked. "And my bed."

A huge grin stretched across her face, and she bit back a squeal of delight. He really liked her. A lot. She could tell. And, obviously, the feeling was mutual. There was no question of that. But it still made her feel warm inside whenever she thought about it. It wasn't often that someone gave her that kind of attention, and she treasured every moment of it.

"Y/N, get off the phone!" Her mother's angry shout snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Wow, she has a very loud yell," Eddie joked, and she shook her head in response. "Anyway, talk to you tomorrow, babe?" he added, leaving her with the promise of calling him again.

Babe. He didn't even realise he'd said it.

"Yeah, talk tomorrow. Goodnight, "babe'."

"Night Y/N." They hung up, both grinning happily to themselves and deciding to call it a night.

The next time they saw each other was on Monday. Y/N had been working all weekend and Eddie had booked that time for band practice. So once again, after Hellfire was when they met again. Weirdly, Eddie had been pretty tight lipped about their date. It was personal to him. It was just between Y/N and himself so why did Gareth or Jeff or anyone else for that matter need to know? Twas simply none of their business.

Yet, he was completely comfortable with the fact that the moment he saw her perched on her car, he didn't greet her or say hello, he went straight in for a big smooch. Y/N felt her cheeks heat at the action, but then she melted into it, kissing him back with just as much fervour. They were both giggling by the time they pulled away, unable to wipe the smiles off their faces.

"Eddie's totally going to fuck your sister, dude."

"Shut the fuck up Gareth."

#THE PART WHERE DUSTIN CONSIDERED STRANGLING MIKE CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD #other peoples works

[zzokks]

#your comfort character who is never comfortable

#eddie munson