It’s October and you know what time it is: time to listen to October Rust 💚
Btw i nominated Peter and Josh for yuletide tagset! I can’t participate myself bc i can’t write in English to save my life, but for ones who consider signing in - please keep in mind that you very much can request this fandom now and there is an audience for your works for sure!
@/Phoenixwrites partakes in and encourages Erica Sinclair smut. As a decent human being, and an autistic black woman who is the a survivor of CSA by someone who targeted me because I am a black girl, this shit is NOT okay with me and I'm not about to let it fly. Please reblog to spread this message.
Erica Sinclair is an 11 year old in Stranger Things, and phoenixwrites 'ages her up' to excuse her pedophilia. FAR TOO OFTEN are little black girls sexualized and assualted from early childhood onward, this is NOT going to be the case online. In no way should this writer be utilizing ANY of these children for their sexual gratification, but the fact that she singled out the only black girl to do so is absolutely disgusting and we need to protect black girls from this shit. It means she thought she could get away with it because no one's gonna say shit about the 11 year old black girl being sexualized. No one would care.
Well, I fucking do. Because that little black girl you violate in your writing and what you read is portrayed by a real life black girl who is still very much so not of age, but I know how badly you're waiting for her to be so you can try to get away with your sick little fantasies. You weren't shy to post this stuff and lie about some of it, so I'm gonna go ahead and share it with everyone as you obviously wanted it to be shared. I'm expecting to be immediately blocked and attacked by your supporters who don't care about what you're doing to a black child, but I'll be happy to let everyone know they're encouraging the pedophilia and facilitating racism, too.
To readers, please note Hellcheer is mentioned in some of these screenshots as this writer seems to use the ship as a scapegoat for why they're receiving hate and not the Pedophilia they're encouraging. This post is NOT about hellcheer, so if anyone tries to take it over with that bullshit excuse, I won't hesitate to put you in your place, this is about how this writer is a pedophile targeting a black girl and her young actress and that's obviously a fucking problem. You will find that this writer has also recently wiped traces of this from their account, as they know they're wrong yet still pretends they have done no wrong and no harm.
Here we have an anonymous person coming forward with a disgusting fantasy for Erica x Eddie Munson, and they make sure to point out they’re a pedophile within their parenthesis as they’ve come up with an age gap suitable for them, a 20 year old and an 11 year old girl. It is apparent why they remained anonymous. Phoenixwrites then provides a link to an Erica Sinclair x Eddie Munson fic that they state they believe is phenomenal—which means they read it though they also to try to deny reading it by stating they only pair Eddie exclusively with Chrissy. This is obviously not the case since she had a phenomenal pedophilic recommendation for the pedophile anon, just ready to go.
Now here we have Phoenixwrites LYING about having never posted the above screenshot.
In the screenshot below, some good Samaritan(s, as phoenixwrites implies they have been approached about their content and behavior by multiple people) had a problem with the open pedophilia. Phoenixwrites, however, chose to double down and imply she was being attacked for being a CSA victim and a disabled person [this is not why people were outraged, again, it is because of the PEDOPHILIA] and what she writes/encourages people to read doesn't matter on the basis that it's okay to be a pedophile because it's regarding 11 year old Erica Sinclair and she doesn't exist (please note: priah ferguson, erica's actress does exist, and she is 16 years old. It is her and her body phoenixwrites─and whoever consumes this pedophilic content─ imagines in these disgusting scenarios.) People are approaching you about this because you're a pedophile and your friends don't care but people are going to protect this little black girl from you.
And here she is trying to excuse what she does because these characters are fictional so she can't be a pedophile. And it's okay because she is going to take it upon herself to age that 11 year old little black girl up so she can imagine her having all the nasty sex she wants and it'll be alllll okay then because she aged her up so she could violate her. Wrong. This is disgusting, it's vile, it's rancid and you trying to make your pedophilia "appropriate" by aging Erica (AND PRIAH, Erica is still portrayed by a living breathing black girl no matter how much you pretend she's not) up is UNACCEPTABLE. Had this been Max or Eleven she tried this with, she would have been immediately shut down.
Now, for the the people trying to give her the benefit of the doubt thinking Oh, she ages her up, she's not a pedophile! She's not actively trying to write/encourage disgusting things about an 11 year old! Here we have her confirming the basis of what she writes is to consume/for consumers of underage fics. Pedophilia. And she's got her keyboard ready to go and write more pedophilia content about Erica Sinclair AND Dustin Henderson out of spite over being called out for it. She knows very well what she is and what she's doing.
Please be aware of her, she's dangerous, appears to use and weaponize her trauma/conditions as an excuse and as scapegoats to get way with this. I imagine she will attempt to vilify me to continue getting away with this but I don't care, what she imagines for Erica Sinclair and what she does has happened to me as a child, as a preteen and as teenager. I have been violated and assaulted by people with the same twisted mindset as her. I am going to protect Erica and Priah, even if no one else wants to.
Please, please protect Erica Sinclair. Please protect Priah Ferguson. Please protect black girls. People like this and her supporters are the people who victimize us, who violate us and get away with it. There is not a whole lot of black people in this fandom but I am begging you to protect black girls from monsters like this.
And Phoenixwrites, you should be disgusted and ashamed with yourself. Whoever supports this behavior and vile mindset should be too. You need help.
Summary: Will's birthday party brings back some familiar faces and gives Eddie the perfect opportunity to make amends with Corroded Coffin, but an unexpected interruption might have him hurtling towards his old ways.
Warnings: some dirty talk (18+ only just in case), drinking/drunkenness (everyone is over 21), pregnancy and labor complications, mentions of past bullying
WC: 8.2k
Chapter 14/20
Divider credit to @saradika
Special shoutout to @storiesbyrhi and @corroded-hellfire for helping with the fluffy sections and making this piece strong.
--
Afternoons at Hawkins Preschool are predictable: storytime on the carpet is followed by the kids’ pack-up routine, and once all belongings are shoved into their proper backpacks, they file out the door to go home.
Predictable is good. It’s safe. And it certainly doesn’t include a fire drill half an hour before dismissal.
Herding nine children through the bustling hallways and trying to ensure no one is left behind is overwhelming enough. Factor in the ear-splitting alarm and the surge of adrenaline pulsing through your students once they re-enter your classroom, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for chaos.
Instead of fighting a losing battle to keep the kids calm and quiet, you’d opted to plunk them down with myriad art supplies and called it a day.
Now, after the last student had been picked up, you and Will are left cleaning the mess they’d made. Broken crayons are scattered across the tabletops, there’s Play-Doh of various colors stuck to the floor, and gold glitter—when did you even acquire glitter?—dusts every surface.
“Seriously…who thought that that timing was a good idea?” Will grumbles, tossing a Crayola stub into the crayon basket. He adopts a nasal, mocking tone. “‘What would help out our teachers? Oh, I know—let’s interrupt their dismissal routines!’”
You laugh despite your own exhaustion. Somehow, you’ll have to muster up the energy to tutor Harris tonight.
Will reaches into the cupboard to grab his car keys, turning back around with a smile that he only offers you when he needs something. “Could I ask you for a little favor?”
There it is. “How little?” You cock one brow as you clip a stack of papers together.
“Eensy weensy. Miniscule. Microscopic–”
“The more you say it, the less I believe you.”
“Okay, okay,” Will acquiesces, twirling his keyring around his forefinger. “So, for my birthday thing on Saturday…a bunch of my childhood friends are gonna be there. Mike, Dustin, Suzie, Lucas, Max, Jane…” he lists them, ticking off each name on his fingers. “Anyway, I was hoping that maybe you could talk to Eddie about a Corroded Coffin reunion? I know they’re on a hiatus or whatever, but if anyone can convince him to play, it’s you.”
He’s not wrong; you’re the most likely person to get Eddie to do, well, anything. But asking him to make amends with Danny and Gareth and getting their band to play a gig three days from now seems like a mountainous task.
Will is staring at you, hands clasped together pleadingly. He’s too optimistic for his own good, and you can’t help but give in.
“Fine, I’ll try. But–hey, don’t get excited yet,” you warn when he pumps his fist in celebration. “‘Try’ is the key word here. I’m not making any promises.”
Your admonition goes unheeded as Will already considers it a victory. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You give him a small, tight-lipped wave as he dashes out the door. You and Eddie were already planning to attend the party; you’d spent part of last night scouring an art store for the perfect gift. And he and Jeff were back to being thick as thieves…maybe this could work.
“All right, Mr. Harris,” you say with a laugh, hurriedly placing tiles of various shapes in front of him. You need to make the most of the few minutes you have left until Eddie arrives. There’s a soft, familiar flutter in your stomach as you think about seeing your boyfriend, but you know you can’t compete with him for Harris’s attention. “Can you find the…trapezoid?” The inflection in your voice makes it sound like a much more exciting task than it really is, and you hope it’s enough to wrangle his focus.
Harris pokes out his tiny pink tongue as he assesses the tiles. He initially reaches for the blue rhombus, but as soon as his little finger touches it, he pulls away as though it’s on fire. “No…that’s not it.” You tuck your lips into your mouth to suppress your amusement as he thoughtfully taps his forefinger on his lips. A solid ten seconds pass before he triumphantly snatches up the correct tile. “Got it!” he beams, showing off the red trapezoid in his hand.
“You did! You got the trapezoid!” You hold up your hand for a high-five, frowning when he shakes his head. His overgrown curls brush along his eyebrows, and you wonder if it’s your place to suggest that Eddie take him for a haircut. “No high-five?”
“Nuh-uh,” Harris protests, now swiveling his whole body in defiance. “I want…tickles!” He holds his arms out, leaving his torso wide open.
Lips pursed in faux consideration, you lower your voice to a hushed whisper. “Hmm…I think that warrants a visit from the Tickle Monster!” You flex your fingers so they resemble claws; he instinctively scrunches up in anticipation, arms tucked into his stomach. You let out your silliest wicked cackle as your fingers dig mercilessly into his sides in pursuit of his most ticklish spots. Delighted peals of laughter emanate from his chest, and you don’t stop until the buzzer rings, signaling Eddie’s arrival.
Harris’s eyes get wide, mischief dancing behind his pupils. “Do you think the Tickle Monster should get Daddy?” he asks, keeping his voice low despite it only being the two of you.
“Oh, absolutely.” You buzz Eddie in while formulating the game plan aloud. “I’ll grab the pizza and you go on the attack. Once the food is secured, I’ll join you.” You stick out your pinky, and he wraps his own around it.
“Ms. Sweetheart?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
His words turn your heart into a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven, ooey gooey and destined to crumble if handled too harshly. “I love you, too, Harris,” you manage, blinking back embarrassing tears. The flood of emotion is absurd; he probably tells his stuffed animals that he loves them with the same fervor, but you can’t deny the adoration with which he looks at you.
He flings his arms around you in a hug, squeezing tight. Face pressed to your ribs, his words are muffled but still audible when he says, “I don’t know why Daddy says it’s hard to say ‘I love you.’”
He doesn’t have time to further elaborate before Eddie’s knocking on the door. “Special delivery for my two favorite people!” Your heart beats faster with the knowledge that he’s on the other side, that you’ll be able to sneak in a kiss or two.
You and Harris share devious grins, the little boy emulating your monster-esque stance from earlier. He creeps behind you on his tiptoes, and bites back a giggle when you slowly open the door, counting down from three under your breath.
“Hi–whoa!” Eddie stumbles back as Harris barrels into him, little fingers dancing across his lower stomach. You quickly snatch the pizza box from Eddie’s grasp and place it on the table before darting back to where his son has ambushed him. You start on his bicep and let your nails travel upwards until they reach the crook of his neck.
“I’m under attack!” Eddie yelps, twitching this way and that way in a meager attempt to protect himself. “I bring you pizza and this is how I’m repaid?” He easily scoops Harris into his arms, flinging him over his shoulder. Harris lets out an exhilarated squeal, carelessly kicking his sock-clad feet into his dad’s chest. “Jesus, little dude. You’re getting too strong.” Wincing slightly from the pinch in his back as he places the boy on the floor, he gives his tush a little pat and tells him to wash up for dinner, reminding him to use soap and water.
As soon as Harris scampers off into the bathroom, Eddie’s grabbing you by the belt loops of the wide-leg jeans you’d changed into when you got home. One hand slides around your waist and the other finds purchase on your cheek as he kisses you deeply, keeping a listening ear out for the telltale pitter-patter of Harris returning.
“Missed you,” he murmurs into your mouth, and you shiver at the intimacy this closeness brings.
You laugh quietly, biting your lower lip. “We just saw each other this morning,” you remind him, sneaking in another quick peck.
Eddie shakes his head. “Y’know what I mean. Can’t do this while you’re on the clock,” he counters, shifting his grip so both hands rest on either side of your face. You think he’s going to kiss you again, but he just gazes into your eyes. “Shit, you’re so fuckin’ pretty. Couldn’t stop thinkin’ about you today.” He rests the slope of his nose on yours, only snapping out of his trance at the sound of Harris rapidly switching the faucet on and off. “Let me go check on him before this place is underwater,” he whispers, giving your own ass a smack as he shuffles towards his mischievous son, a cheeky grin deepening his dimples.
You do your best to compose yourself, heat creeping up your neck and into your face. Busying yourself by placing pizza slices onto paper plates does little to distract you; it’s as though every neuron is dedicated to flooding your brain with Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.
The way the pads of his fingertips brush against your cheeks when he holds your face. The plush moisture of his lips when he kisses your forehead. The tickle of his brown tresses when he nuzzles into you and takes a deep breath, finally able to relax after a long day.
“Are you expecting a guest?” Eddie pipes up from the kitchen entrance. A perplexed frown overtakes your lips until he gestures to what you’ve laid out in front of you: four slices of pizza, two plain and two with olives, on four plates.
Your vision gets a bit fuzzy with tears when you realize what you’ve done. “No, it’s, um…” Nostrils flare as you huff out a short puff of air, hot under your nose. “Force of habit, sorry.” You’ve been so diligent about only serving three slices, but your preoccupation with his touch had your mind drifting from the task at hand.
It takes him a moment to process what you mean, but when he does, his face falls. It was for Grandma. “It’s okay,” he says, cringing as the words leave his mouth. Because it’s not okay that you’re sad; it’s normal, but frustration still tugs at his heart that he can’t take it away.
It feels wrong to return the slice to the box, so you leave it where it is. Eddie balances the three plates, sliding a plain one in front of Harris. The boy digs in hungrily, sauce caught on the edges of his smile.
“How was work?” you ask Eddie, grabbing a napkin from the pile in the center of the table. It’s a simple question, one that people ask each other all the time, but it stirs up a warmth inside of him. It’s you asking him, fostering a domestic routine that he could follow for the rest of his life. He’d walk through the door of your house, wiping his shoes on the welcome mat you two had picked out together. The kids–Harris, plus another Little Munson or two–would practically knock him down trying to greet him, and he’d engulf them in bear hugs before reaching out to you, kissing your forehead with a murmured, “there’s my girl.”
“Eds?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, it was good.” He stumbles over the words, trying to clear his head of the fantasy he’d conjured up. “Lotsa paperwork, y’know.” He takes a bite of pizza, chewing thoughtfully. “What about you?”
You shrug, watching amusedly as Harris sinks his teeth into his slice and manages to pull all of the cheese off of the crust in one fell swoop. “The usual. The kids are learning about springtime, so Will decided to do a craft making flowers using finger paint and their handprints.”
“Sounds messy.”
“Oh, absolutely,” you agree with a weary grin, “but it was super cute, and Will is great with all that art stuff.” You excuse yourself from the table to get the water pitcher and three glasses, stopping when you remember your TA’s request. “He also asked me if a certain local metal band could play his birthday party on Saturday…?”
Eddie pauses mid-chew, nearly choking on his food. The cheese seems to congeal in his mouth when he tries to speak. “Um, I don’t know about that,” he finally manages, nervously massaging the back of his neck. “I haven’t talked to Danny or Gareth since…”
“I know, but you said you wanted to make things right with them,” you point out. “Maybe Jeff can test the waters? See if they’re ready to talk to you?”
“Maybe.” He averts his gaze, staring at the pizza slice without taking another bite.
You don’t want to further push the subject in Harris’s presence; instead, you turn your attention to the little boy. “Anything fun happen at school today, Har?”
“Nah,” he responds automatically just a half-second before his eyes light up. “Actually, yeah! My friend Charlie ate a bug at recess today!”
“Ew!” you exclaim, wrinkling your nose in pure disgust, as Eddie simultaneously poses the question, “what kind of bug?”
“An ant,” Harris answers his dad nonchalantly, as though ant-eating is an everyday occurrence. Perhaps it is, which is even more unsettling.
“Did you eat any bugs?” You’re afraid of his response; you’re unsure why you even asked in the first place.
To your relief, he shakes his head, a forlorn look on his cherubic face. “No, I couldn’t catch any in time.”
“Thank God for small miracles,” you mutter, turning back to your original task of getting something to drink. Though if the topic of bug consumption continues, you’ll need something much stronger than water.
Could Corroded Coffin play again?
It’s a thought that consumes Eddie for the entirety of his drive home, barely able to listen to Harris yammering about how there’s a coin in his jacket pocket that he doesn’t remember putting there. He throws a few lackluster mhms his son’s way and hopes he’s too distracted by the mystery coin to catch on.
We’re getting the band back together. Well, if Jake and Elwood Blues could swing it, maybe he could, too.
He waits until Harris is asleep to call Jeff. Getting his son to do his bedtime routine is easiest on Wednesday nights; he’s usually exhausted after a full day of school and tutoring. The one time that Eddie could use an excuse to procrastinate, Harris is out like a light.
Go to voicemail go to voicemail go to—
“‘Lo?”
Shit. “H-Hey, man,” Eddie begins awkwardly. “How’s it going? Viv doing okay?”
“We’re good. She’s ready to have this baby already. I reminded her, ‘just two more weeks,’ but then she told me to ‘fuck off’ until I’m the pregnant one, so…” he chuckles, more nervous than amused. “Everything good with you? Harris?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Just, um,” he struggles to find the words, blurting out the first ones that enter his brain. They come out in a rush before he can stop them. “Do Gareth and Danny still hate me?”
Jeff takes a sharp breath in; his reaction does nothing to temper Eddie’s nerves. “They never hated you. They were just…disappointed? Jesus, I sound like my mom.”
Eddie misses his friend’s anecdote, too wrapped up in his head to fully pay attention. Somehow, disappointed stings worse than the prospect of being hated, especially when the people he’s let down are ones who used to idolize him. “Do you think there’s a way they could be…undisappointed in me? Like, enough to forgive me and maybe play a gig this weekend?”
There’s an extended pause, and then a one-word response: “Christ.”
Eddie can picture Jeff rubbing his eyes in exasperation, and he scrambles to explain. “Will Byers–you remember him? He was in Hellfire; had that weird bowl cut thing going on?”
“Mhm.”
“He’s having a birthday thing at the Hideout on Saturday and asked if we could play. Just a coupla songs.”
Jeff thinks for a moment; Eddie can hear him drumming his fingers on a nearby surface.
“Why don’t you come over tomorrow night around…6?” he ventures. “I’ll invite the guys and we can…I dunno, figure something out.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.” He’s about to hang up when he remembers to ask, “Can I bring Harris?”
“Of course.”
“Har, slow down!” Eddie’s barely unbuckled his son’s car seat before Harris has wriggled out of the sedan, bolting straight for Jeff’s door.
“But I haven’t seen Uncle Danny and Uncle Gareth in forever!” he laments, reaching the house far faster than Eddie. He stands on tiptoes and rings the doorbell like a madman, forefinger jamming into the button at warp speed. “Uncle Jeff! It’s me!”
Jeff opens the door with a huge smile. “Mini Munson!” He scoops the boy up into a hug. “What’s new with you, little dude?”
“I got a wiggly tooth!” Harris exclaims, jutting out his jaw and pressing his tongue against the front center of his mouth. Sure enough, the baby tooth moves slightly forward, and he giggles. “Daddy says the Tooth Fairy’s gonna come and leave me a dollar,” he matter-of-factly reports. He peeks his head over Jeff’s shoulder, squealing and squirming out of his grip when he spots the two men sitting on the couch. He flings himself onto the sofa and plunks himself down into Gareth’s lap. “Hi!”
“Hey, kiddo!” Gareth chirps. “You’re getting so big.”
“‘M five now. I had a birthday party because I turned five.” He splays out his palm to offer five fingers.
“Did your friends go?”
“Yup!” Harris beams at the memory. “An’ Daddy an’ Grampa Wayne an’ Ms. Sweetheart.”
Danny furrows his brows. “Who’s Ms. Sweetheart?”
“She’s my almost-mommy. Daddy has to fall in love with her first.”
“Is that so?” Gareth smirks at Eddie. His teasing look is the first crack in the wall that has separated the men for the last six months, and though Eddie is thoroughly embarrassed, it alleviates some of his anxiety.
“Uh, Har Bear, why don’t you go hang out with Auntie Viv while I talk with the guys?”
Viv holds out her left hand, looking utterly exhausted. Her right hand rests on her bump, eyes sending a telepathic message to Jeff that they have five minutes—ten minutes, if Harris behaves well—to come to a solution before she needs a break.
Silence filters into the room as Eddie fumbles to address the mess he’s made. If Danny and Gareth are here, they’re at least willing to listen to him, which is honestly farther than he’d assumed he’d get.
He remembers what Harris said about apologizing; technically, what you’d taught him about apologizing: the act of saying sorry, not merely implying it, makes a world of difference.
“I was an asshole,” he starts. It’s not his most eloquent statement, but it certainly gets the point across. “Not just that night at the Hideout, or at our last practice. I was an asshole for a long time before that. And…I’m sorry.” It feels good to say it; it feels even better that they’re nodding, seeming to believe him. “You guys didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
Of the rest of the band, Gareth is the one to speak first. “I guess I’m just wondering, why? Why be an asshole to us? We’ve always been there for you.”
“I know.” Eddie fiddles with a thread hanging from his t-shirt, pulling on it until it snaps off. He shoves it in his jeans pocket, not wanting to mess up Jeff and Viv’s place. “Honestly…I’m not sure, but I think it’s because you guys are everything I’m not.”
“What are you talking about?” Danny asks, tone heavy with disbelief.
“In high school, I was the one you looked up to. The person you wanted to be like. And then I had a kid with some random chick I thought I knew but barely did, gave up my dreams of being a musician, and started selling weed again just to scrape by. And here you guys are. Jeff,” he motions to the friend leaning against the sofa’s arm, “you have a baby on the way with the love of your life. And all of you have goddamn college degrees and jobs that you don’t despise and don’t require you to hide from the law.” He shoves his ringed fingers into his jacket pockets, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. “And I was nothing.”
Gareth scratches at the upholstery with one finger, absorbing everything he’s just heard. “You know we never stopped looking up to you, right?” He gives a short laugh when Eddie’s eyes widen. “Yeah, man. Leaving Chicago so you could take care of Harris? Putting your kid before yourself? That’s pretty badass.”
Danny nods. “Ed, if there’s someone here to look up to, it’s you.” Both he and Eddie visibly relax. Shoulders drop from their hunched positions, thin lips unfurling into smiles. “No matter what you went through, you never gave up. Even if it almost killed us,” he adds wryly, referring to all of the sleep-deprived Corroded Coffin practices fueled by black coffee and pure adrenaline.
“No fancy diploma can teach us how to stand up for ourselves, or how not to take shit from people, or how to be a dad,” Jeff pipes up from where he’s standing. “We learn from you, man.”
Eddie’s cheeks burn at the compliments, unsure how to accept them. He’d walked in expecting to have to beg for forgiveness, and they were the ones reassuring him. It’s now or never, and he forges ahead while he still has the courage. “Do you…can we get the band back together?” Can we be friends again is the underlying plea, but it’s too vulnerable a statement to make. “We’ll keep it low-key, I promise. Work, family, anything comes up…we can cancel or reschedule. And I won’t be a dick about it.”
The three other men look at one another, nod and turn back to Eddie with smart grins and mischievous glimmers in their eyes.
“On one condition.” Gareth crosses his arms over his chest, smirking as he sinks back against the couch. “You tell us all about this ‘Ms. Sweetheart.’”
The Hideout, normally dingy and coated in a film of sticky ale, has been decked out for Will’s birthday party. Helium-filled balloons in every color bob along the low ceiling, vibrating with the thumping bass of the old sound system. Crepe paper streamers–purple, Will’s favorite color–sway gently with the air that rushes in from opening the door. This has to be Marshall’s handiwork, and it brings a smile to your face. If anyone deserves a partner who fawns over him, it’s Will.
You spot him surrounded by a group of people as the bartender slides a row of tequila shots across the bar and into their eager hands. While they’re distracted by alcohol, you take the opportunity to dart towards the backstage area.
Eddie’s there, digging around for his lucky pick. You wrap your arms around his waist, fingers pressed into the soft dough of his tummy.
“Hey, Rockstar,” you murmur against his neck, kissing just below his earlobe.
He turns around, jaw dropping when he sees you in a maroon slip dress. The heels on your feet have you two inches taller than usual, and he has to shift where his gaze normally lands to meet your eyes.
“Fuckin’ Christ, baby,” Eddie practically growls, kissing you deeply. One hand presses against the small of your back while the other grabs the plush of your ass, kneading it in his palm. “You’re so fuckin’ sexy. How’m I gonna go out there and play with you looking like that?”
“I’ll make it worth your while.” You giggle when he offers up a bemused smile. “If you do a good job tonight, I’ll give you a reward.” You let your fingertips graze over the metal teeth of his pants zipper, feeling him twitch at your light touch.
“You’re dangerous,” he winks, delivering another kiss; this time, he gives your lower lip a little bite when he pulls away. His kohl-rimmed eyes draw you in just as they did that first night you’d met, but now you dive into them without the fear of drowning.
A tactful “ahem” from the now-open doorway startles both you and Eddie, having been floating in an embrace that’s equal parts comfort and desire.
“Sorry to interrupt the lovefest, but we’re on in five,” a man’s voice calls from the doorway. You turn around to see the other three Corroded Coffin members standing there, amusement evident in their expressions.
“You must be Ms. Sweetheart,” one of the guys, soft curls resting atop his head, pipes up. His tone is teasing, but not mocking; the nickname is said with admiration and affection. “I’m Gareth, by the way.”
“Danny,” the one with tight, wiry curls offers, giving a small wave.
Jeff just shrugs. “You know me.”
Eddie grabs his guitar, slinging the strap across his body. His pants’ fly is tight, and he wills himself to calm down before it’s time to perform. He hasn’t worried about being hard on stage since he was nineteen, but thoughts of your bodies perfectly melding into each other has him subtly adjusting himself as he turns his back to his bandmates.
“See ya out there, baby,” he says before pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. The brief contact between you has you biting your tongue in self-beration for suggesting that the band play tonight. All you want is to dance with him, allowing the steady flow of alcohol to dull your inhibitions as you pull him impossibly close. Not caring who sees or what they think.
But this night isn’t about you or Eddie. It’s about Will, your TA-turned-friend who has kept you sane amidst your adorably chaotic students and their decidedly less adorable and more chaotic parents. He wanted Corroded Coffin to play his party, and that’s the least you could do for him.
Will’s already teetering between tipsy and inebriated, breath tinged with the scent of tequila as he introduces you to his friends.
“This is my amazing boyfriend, Marshall.” He smacks a wet kiss to the man’s cheek. “And these are my friends from growing up: Dustin and Suzie, Lucas and Max, and Mike and Jane.” His face melts into a sappy grin as he leans on Marshall to hold him up. “You guys! We’re all in looooove!”
“Jesus Christ,” Dustin mutters, rolling his eyes and shaking his head before turning his attention back to you. “Can we get you something to drink?”
Will raises his empty glass. “I’ll take another–”
“Not you.”
You manage to sneak in a quick conversation with Max, Suzie, and Jane before Corroded Coffin starts their set. Max is finishing up her Masters in English literature at New York University, set to graduate in two months. Suzie programs for NASA, and though Florida is a far cry from her home state of Utah, she loves her job. And Jane is a social worker at a local adoption agency, the cause close to her heart, as she was adopted by Chief Hopper years ago.
“Damn,” you laugh, taking a small sip of your vodka soda. You’re having so much fun that you don’t even care that it’s been watered down. “You’re all such badasses!”
Your admiration of their collective girl power is cut short by the sound of Corroded Coffin taking the stage. It’s as though they’d never taken an extended break; just picked up right where they left off. You cheer so loudly that there’s a pinch in your throat, but you push past it. It’s more than applause. There’s so much tucked away in your yell: I’m proud of you; you’re a rockstar; you’re my person forever, if you’ll have me.
“Hello, Hawkins!” Eddie bellows into the mic. There’s no missing the grin on his face. He’s happy. He’s in his element. He’s where he belongs.
“No way!” Lucas exclaims, awestruck as he turns to Will.
“Dude, you got Corroded Coffin?” Mike mirrors his friend’s excitement. He slings an arm around Will’s shoulder and pulls him in for a side hug. “This is fuckin’ awesome!”
“The first song of the night goes out to our guest of honor, Will Byers!” Everyone hoots and hollers as Eddie plays the opening chords to The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go. Eddie told you he remembered that the song was one of Will’s favorites growing up; his older brother had gotten him into the band. Sure enough, Will’s bopping to the rhythm, singing every word, albeit quite off-key.
Corroded Coffin plays a few more songs from their usual setlist, nerves dissipating with each note, before Eddie speaks into the mic again.
“This next one is for my beautiful girlfriend,” he announces, eyes gazing into yours. “Baby, if my teachers looked like you, I actually would’ve gone to class.”
He nods at Gareth, who starts playing an incredibly complicated beat. As soon as you hear it, you feel your cheeks heat up. The rest of the guys join in on their own instruments, and Eddie oozes bravado as he sings.
“T-Teacher stop that screamin’
Teacher don’t you see
Don’t wanna be no uptown fool.”
Max leans in to you and whisper-shouts, “I’ve known Eddie for years, and I’ve never seen him so…happy.”
Lucas overhears his girlfriend and adds his two cents. “That’s because we’ve never seen him in love.”
Warmth spreads all over your body, but it’s not from embarrassment. Allowing yourself to believe that Eddie loves you—is in love with you—opens a door you’d deadbolted until the time was right. You hadn’t wanted to rush things, but the jolt of exhilaration following Lucas’s statement means you can’t deny it any longer: you love Eddie Munson. You’re in love with Eddie Munson.
“Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad
I'm hot for teacher
I've got it bad, so bad
I'm hot for teacher.”
Will takes the opportunity to twirl you around, and you laugh as you spin amongst new friends, your drink threatening to spill over the sides as he turns you faster.
“Hey! Thank you, by the way!” he shouts, probably a bit louder than he needs to.
“For what?”
“For getting Corroded Coffin to play!” He jerks a thumb towards the stage, stumbling a bit as he does. He’d managed to sneak another tequila shot when his boyfriend left him unattended to use the restroom, and it definitely shows. “And for, like, being there for me.”
You give him a hug, immediately understanding the full implication of his statement. “I’ll always have your back,” you promise, filled with the mingled buzzes of alcohol and belonging.
“I think of all the education that I've missed
But then my homework was never quite like this!”
Eddie jumps off of the tiny stage and into the crowd of nine twenty-somethings, each at various levels of tipsiness, and reaches for you to pull you close to him. He’s sweating from constantly moving around and the stage lights, his fingers slick with perspiration as he laces them with yours. Jeff picks up the rhythm for the lead guitar while Eddie kisses you, soft and slow and sensual. He loses himself for a moment before hopping back up to join the rest of the band.
As Corroded Coffin wraps up their Van Halen cover and stops for a quick sip of water, there’s a small commotion behind the bar.
“Is there a Jeff Reynolds here?” the bartender calls out, phone receiver in hand.
Jeff gives a little wave, eyebrows raised in surprise. “That’s me.”
“Someone named Jess on the line? Says your girl is in labor and you need to get to the hospital.”
“Holy shit!” Danny claps a hand to Jeff’s back and grins. “C’mon, man! Let’s get you outta here!”
Jeff freezes up; hands clammy as he grips the guitar’s neck. “Can you drive?” he asks Eddie.
Eddie recognizes the fear in his friend’s voice. The selfish part of him wants to refuse to take Jeff to Hawkins General. He could easily plant his feet on the stage and keep playing, claiming that ‘the show must go on.’
No, he silently chastises himself, Jeff needs me. He needs me and I’ll be damned if I let him down again.
“Of course,” Eddie says, trying to force a relaxed disposition. It doesn’t matter; Jeff is too overwhelmed to notice the obvious effort.
“Take my car,” you offer, keys already dangling from your fingertips. “Eds, I can take yours and pick up Harris from Wayne’s tomorrow.” It’s easier to swap rides than to uninstall and reinstall the carseat, so you’re perplexed when Eddie shakes his head.
Two words slip through his lips, soft but pronounced: “Need you.”
Dustin catches wind of the situation and insists on watching Harris until you and Eddie can come back home, claiming he needs to squeeze in as much uncle-nephew bonding time as possible before returning to Florida.
“Henderson, it’s late; don’t let him stay up,” Eddie warns as he tosses over his car keys.
Dustin tries catching them in one hand, but they hit the center of his palm and fall to the ground. “But the best part of being an uncle is breaking the rules!” he laughs as he scoops the keys off of the floor. “By the way, I’m not drunk; just a shit baseball player.” Still, Eddie’s sigh of relief is audible when Suzie plucks the keyring from Dustin’s hand.
With Harris taken care of, you turn your attention to your boyfriend. Eddie’s face is flushed pale, and you’re worried about him behind the wheel. “Want me to drive?”
He nods and grabs onto your hand as you lead the two men to your car. Eddie’s doing his best to keep Jeff calm, reminding him that the doctors and nurses have everything under control until he gets there.
“I’m gonna be a dad,” Jeff murmurs, a disbelieving chuckle permeating the otherwise silent car. “Holy shit.”
Eddie can’t help but smile back. “It only gets crazier from here.”
The bright lights of the hospital’s waiting room are anything but soothing, especially compared to the dimly-lit bar you’d just left. You speak to the receptionist, an older woman with a tired smile and red-rouged cheeks, explaining the situation as she pages Jess while Jeff and Eddie take a seat.
Jeff’s voice is nearly impossible to hear despite the stillness of the room. “The baby was breech at Viv’s last appointment.” He clocks Eddie’s confusion and elaborates. “Feet first, instead of the head. If they didn’t get into the right position and the doctors can’t, I dunno, flip ‘em around? They’ll have to do a c-section.” Long overdue tears spill over his lash line, and he makes no attempt to swipe them away. “I just wanna fix it and I can’t.”
Helplessness. It’s a feeling Eddie knows all too well. He spins a ring around his finger, exhaling softly as he considers a response. He can’t say it’ll be alright, because he has no idea whether or not it will be. He and Jeff both know that.
“No matter what, I’m here for you.” Eddie’s gaze flits over to the receptionist’s desk, where Jess has now arrived and is waving her brother-in-law over. “You’re up.”
But Jeff remains in his chair, hands shoved under his thighs as though they’re glued to the seat. “I…I don’t know if I can do this. What if something happens to Viv or the baby? How can I…?” He doesn’t allow himself to complete the sentence, to finish the thought.
Instinctively, Eddie puts his hands on Jeff’s shoulders. He can feel them trembling slightly as his friend heaves another shaky breath. “Listen to me. You’re gonna do this. You’re gonna go in that room and watch your girl give birth to your baby. Because if you don’t, you’re gonna regret it for the rest of your fuckin’ life.” He glances around and lowers his voice. “I know you’re scared, okay? I get it. And once your kid is safely here, we can talk about it. But right now, you need to pull it together and go be a goddamn dad.”
Jeff nods, finally acquiring the physical stability to stand. “Thank you,” he whispers, clearing his throat and wiping the wet stains from his cheeks. He starts towards Jess before turning back to Eddie. “Could you stay until the baby’s born? If you have to get home to Harris, I understand…”
There it is: his out. He can easily use his son as an excuse, despite the fact that Dustin and Suzie were perfectly capable of babysitting him. He can hightail it out of here and never look back. He can crawl into bed and feel sorry for himself for having to step foot in a godforsaken maternity ward again.
“Yeah. I can stay.”
Nearly an hour passes with Eddie’s head resting on your shoulder, relaying what Jeff told him. Identical knots form in your stomachs as the seriousness of the complications sets in. You don’t say a word as he speaks; you just try to shift without disturbing him. The cushion on the chair back, worn thin, digs into you uncomfortably, but you don’t dare move too much. His vulnerability is a deer that will scamper away at the slightest startle.
You think he’s fallen asleep until you feel his soft lips on your cheek, a muffled, “mine?” against your skin. You note his phrasing; it’s careful and unsure, a symptom of being in his own head for far too long.
“Of course I’m yours,” you whisper back, pressing a kiss to his scalp. “What’s got you asking such silly questions?”
“I don’t like this.” It’s an answer and non-answer all in one.
“Being in a hospital?”
He shakes his head, frizzed curls tickling the crook of your neck. His forehead is sticky with cooled perspiration. “Waiting to see if the baby is okay.”
The realization hits you like a punch to the stomach, immediately hollowing you out. The last time he went through this, it was when Harris was being born. You can’t think of anything to say, so you just nuzzle in closer to him and exhale.
“Why do I feel like this?” Neither of you are sure if he’s asking you, himself, or the universe. “‘S not the same. Viv’s not using drugs; Jeff stuck around the whole time…”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s not how this stuff works, y’know?” You adjust your position so you can look into his eyes. The whites are stained red with worry and exhaustion. “Your gig got interrupted, just like when Harris was born. And there's uncertainty now, too. It’s normal for these kinds of memories to get dredged up.” Your palm rests on his cheek, thumb gently stroking the skin as you ask, “can you try to get some sleep?”
“But what if Jeff needs—”
“I’ll wake you up if he needs you,” you reassure him, settling back into the chair. You lean your head against the wall; the heaviness in your eyelids battles the anxious fluttering in your stomach, but it seems as though sleep is winning.
Eddie’s hand finds your forearm, rubbing up and down the gooseflesh that has appeared courtesy of the air conditioning blasting through the building. Shrugging off his jacket and resting the leather fabric over your shoulders, he can relax once he’s reassured that you’re comfortable. He assumes his previous position, using your shoulder as a pillow and falling asleep gradually, body jostling itself awake from the unfamiliar sleeping arrangement. Eventually, you can hear his soft snores; for the first time tonight, he’s peaceful.
You could tell him now, a whisper under your breath that he’s unlikely to hear. I love you, Eddie. I’m in love with you. Your lips part in anticipation, but you snap them shut. You’re delirious and overwhelmed; Lucas’s throwaway comment about Eddie being in love is rattling around your brain. If you say it and Eddie hears you…
You keep it to yourself for now, letting your body rest while still supporting Eddie’s head. Tomorrow is a new day, with a new life brought into the world. Love—if that’s even what this is—will have to wait until then.
The soft pink of breaking daylight streams through the windows when Jeff wakes Eddie up six hours later, shaking him by the shoulders.
“What the fuck?” Eddie grumbles, wiping the sleep from his eyes. When he registers where he is and the potential urgency of the situation, he sits up straight, head filling with fuzziness from the sudden movement. He wouldn’t call the evening restful, but he’d managed to doze off for longer than he’d expected.
“It’s a girl!” Jeff announces, beaming from ear to ear. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, bursting with enthusiasm and emotion.
As soon as Eddie’s vision clears, he’s on his feet and pulling his best friend in for a giant hug. When he steps back, he realizes that he and Jeff sport matching misty eyes. “Dude, you’re officially a dad now. You have a daughter!”
“I have a daughter,” Jeff repeats incredulously. His eyes cloud with tears, and he blinks them away as he peers over at the empty seat next to Eddie. “Did your lady go home?”
Eddie swivels around, so caught up in the moment that he hadn’t realized he was alone. She left. She left without me; she didn’t want to stick around and deal with–
“Did Viv have the baby?” Your excited voice penetrates through his intrusive thoughts as you stroll in from the hallway. The makeup around your eyes is smudged; you’d tried to wipe some of it off in the bathroom, but water and thin hospital paper towels are no substitute for makeup wipes. “Sorry, I had to pee.”
Eddie smiles at the sight of you, still wearing his jacket. He hopes his sigh of relief is concealed by Jeff’s exuberance. “A girl. Six pounds, ten ounces.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Wanna meet her?”
“Of course!” You and Eddie begin following him down the corridor. “Wait, is Viv feeling up to having visitors?” You’re mildly ashamed to admit that, in your eagerness, you’d forgotten about the baby being breech and the possible c-section.
Jeff nods. “I think my daughter’s gonna be a gymnast, ‘cause she’d flipped herself back around between the appointment and last night.”
There’s no masking Jeff’s pride when he says my daughter, and it makes Eddie want to hug him again. “That’s amazing,” he murmurs. There’s a small pang in his heart, a bead of resentment that Harris’s birth didn’t go so smoothly, but it’s unimportant right now. His best friend just became a father, and he refuses to let his own hang-ups take away from this moment.
“Hi,” you whisper when Jeff opens the door to room 1007. Viv is propped up against pillows, exhausted but happier than she’s ever been before. Your gaze is immediately drawn to the hours-old bundle in her arms. “How are you?”
“Sore,” she replies truthfully, brushing her forefinger against her baby’s closed fist, “but the epidural was a lifesaver.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” you tease, unaware that your words have Eddie’s heart skipping a beat at the idea of you bearing a little Munson. “Is it okay if I hold her?” You don’t want to intrude on the new mother’s bonding time, but your insides turn to mush when the baby opens her tiny lips and yawns.
Viv carefully places the newborn in your arms, and you gingerly adjust to support her head. Eddie swears that you holding a baby, in that dress, wearing his jacket, is the prettiest thing he’s ever seen. “Did Jeff tell you her name?” Viv asks, stifling a yawn. When you and Eddie both shake your heads, she smiles and glances at her partner.
He clears his throat, suddenly bashful. Eddie forces himself to tear his gaze from the way you smile and coo at the baby and look over at Jeff. “Her name is Nicolette,” he starts, “but that’s a big name for a little girl, so we figured we can call her Ettie, and she’ll kinda…share a nickname with you.”
Eddie’s eyes go wide, convinced he heard incorrectly. “You…I’m her namesake?”
“Mhm,” Jeff confirms, the grin never leaving his face. What neither you nor Eddie know is that they had had a different name picked out, and had fully intended on using it until the first time Jeff held their daughter. It filled him with a feeling of wholeness, of being complete, and it strangely had him thinking of his best friend. Without Eddie taking him under his wing, he might not even be here to experience this.
It was only by chance that he had stumbled upon Hellfire Club during his freshman year. He was running from Billy Hargrove and his posse, who were determined to beat the hell out of him simply because they could, and had ducked into the drama room to protect himself. Eddie had taken one look at his face and immediately recognized the expression of fear and defeat from being incessantly bullied. “You know how to play Dungeons & Dragons?” he’d asked, and when Jeff had managed a nod, he’d pulled up a chair and motioned for him to sit down.
Being Eddie’s friend, being part of something, gave him a reason to keep going. To live. And in that instant, he vowed to teach his child to extend kindness toward any misfits who need a place to be themselves.
“What about Nicolette?” he’d asked Viv. “Ettie for short.”
You turn to Eddie now, continuing the steady rocking rhythm that keeps Baby Ettie calm. “What do you say, Mr. Namesake? Wanna hold her?”
There’s a brief flash of panic that floods through his veins; he hasn’t held a newborn since Harris. He’d always worried about dropping him or tripping and falling. Truth be told, he was terrified until his son could hold his own head up.
It’s similar, but not the same, he reminds himself, shuffling even closer to you so you can safely transition Ettie into his arms. She stirs slightly in her swaddle but doesn’t cry.
“Hey, little lady,” he says, a delicate smile dancing on his lips. “I’m your Uncle Eddie. The coolest uncle you’ll ever have, for the record.”
“Harris is gonna love her,” you add, heart swelling at the imagery of him cuddling up to his newest cousin.
“Babe?” Viv pipes up from the bed. “Can you grab me something to eat? ‘M starving.”
“Yeah, of course.” Jeff turns to Eddie. “Come with me? I think Viv needs to feed Ettie, anyway.”
Viv extends her arms and Eddie begrudgingly hands the baby to her. Ettie’s so adorable and small, and it makes him yearn for the days when Harris was that little. Maybe not the sleepless nights or the lack of head control, but the scent of baby powder, the toothless smiles, the way he would fall asleep in Eddie’s arms to whatever song happened to be on the radio. Harris Munson might have been the only infant to be soothed by Twisted Sister.
The two men make their way to the hospital cafeteria, sneakers squeaking along the freshly-waxed linoleum tiles.
“I, um, I’m really proud of the way you stepped up for Viv,” Eddie says, eyes trained on the floor. “You’re a great partner. I feel like I should be taking notes.”
Jeff laughs, shaking his head. “That's where my expertise ends. I have no idea how this whole fatherhood thing works.”
“Wanna hear a secret?” Eddie leans in, shifting his weight onto one foot. He doesn’t wait for his friend’s response to divulge, “none of us do. We’re just…” he waves his hand aimlessly, “…figuring it out as we go.” And making plenty of mistakes along the way, he silently adds.
“I don’t know how you did this alone,” Jeff puffs out an incredulous breath. “I mean, I know you had Wayne’s help…” he trails off, not needing to further elaborate on the missing parent.
“Yeah, me either, man. I’m just glad I’m not alone anymore.”
Jeff stops walking, turning to face him. There’s the unmistakable look of pride that manages to make itself prominent despite his evident exhaustion as he says, “You really want this with her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, man,” Eddie chuckles. “It’s like, for the first time, I’m not just thinking about just me or just Harris. I’m thinking about us as a family.” The dinnertime conversations, the gentle ribbings, the tenderness that seamlessly weaves itself into vulnerable conversations.
“She’s good for you,” Jeff agrees. “And you love her.”
“I mean, I—”
“That was a statement, not a question. You love her.”
And in a single breath, Eddie lets go of the fear he’s been clutching to like a life preserver. The one thing he hasn’t allowed himself to say aloud because it makes it so real, so fucking real.
TITLE: lobsters (4)
WORD COUNT: 2k
SUMMARY: it's like the most cliche of teen movies: boy likes sisters friend, boy gets over sisters friend, sisters friend likes boy, boy comes home from university with a girlfriend... [loosely based on scenes from friends]
CHAPTER WARNINGS: swearing, reader gets drunk
PREVIOUS PARTS: [series masterlist]
NOTE: this is a rewritten version of a fic i wrote (and never finished until now) for another fandom.
FOUR: THE ONE WHERE YOU’RE OVER HIM
“Steve!” You squeal, louder than you realise as see you see your friend from school sitting an in an armchair drinking a beer. You don’t realise how loud you are, don’t see the way the girl standing next to where you are covers her ears and mumbles. No, you’re too busy tottering over to him -- trying to at least, your legs and brain are not working as well in tandem as you’d like to them be.
Mostly you’re focusing on trying not to spill your beer… you think this is your sixth, maybe? You lost count a while back and as soon as you’re in front of him you let yourself collapse in his lap and he makes an ‘oof’ noise, but puts his hands up to steady you, shooting a look to the boy sitting next to him.
You don’t care though, you’re just happy as a clam to see him. It’s been a whole ten minutes since you left him!
“Careful,” he moves his hand down from your lower back when he’s satisifed you’re not going to slip out of his lap. “You were about to spill.”
An overdramatic gasp passes your lips. “No!”
“Yes,” Steve nods at you. “So I think you’d better stay on your cute little butt for the rest of the night, okay?”
You frown at him. “You’re no fun, I might want to dance later.”
He just pats you on the head and turns back to the conversation he’d been having with the boy sat next to him before your rude interruption, so you just sit in his lap and sip the bitter, hoppy drink from the plastic cup in your hand. You don’t pay much attention to what the two of them are talking about, mostly because they’re hissing quietly but you hear your number one pal, Michelle’s name mentioned as few times and then with a final hiss from Steve, Steve’s friend gets up and leaves the two of you alone.
“You okay?” he asks you.
You blinked up at him. “Did I tell you about Tommy’s stupid girlfriend?” You ask him, eyeing him over the top of your plastic beaker and he pulls a face, but manages to pull it into a little smile.
“You might have mentioned it once, or twice, or… seven times tonight already.”
“I don’t know who she thinks she is,” you launch into another rant about her and Steve winces, already have heard this speech many a time tonight. “I don’t know who she thinks she is and why she can’t just go back to her stupid life at her stupid university and get out of my stupid life.” You pause to knock back some more of the beer in your beaker. “They’re getting a cat together, did I tell you that?!” you gesture your cup wildly and and brown liquid threatens to slosh over the top of the cup and onto you.
Steve reaches out and takes it from your grip. “I think we’ll put this down for now.”
“Who gets cats these days?!” You ask, angrily. “Do people still like cats?!”
Steve is trying hard not to laugh as he discreetly tips the contents of your beaker into a decorative plant pot on the floor near the chair you’re both sprawled out in. “Yes, quite a lot of people do. Most of the world, in fact.” he sighs at the look on your face. “That doesn’t mean that Tom should get one with a girl he hasn’t known that long. Has mentioned cats before?”
“He likes ‘em,” you hiccup pathetically. “But he’s ‘llergic.”
Steve bites down on his lip to suppress more laughs, both at the look of your face, all red and pouty, with your cheeks puffed out in annoyance, combined with the way that your words are starting to blend into one and not sound like they’re supposed to. Yeah, if you try and get another drink tonight then he may need to tackle you, you’re too far gone and you’re really going to be feeling it in the morning and he does not pity who’s going to have to look after you -- Michelle and Paul most likely. “Oh.”
“But, d’you know what, Ste?”
He cringes at the nickname. “What?”
“I don’t care,” you hiccup again. “I don’t care, Tom can do what he wants and if what he wants to do is… is… get killed to death by sneezing at his cat, he can go and do being killed to death by sneezing at a cat!” you make a slashing motion against his neck with your hand and he grabs it, again trying to suppress a laugh. “I don’t care, I’m over it.”
“Yes, darling. You said you were over it half an hour as well, babe. So glad to see that’s sticking.”
“Noooo!” You shake your head. “Ste, I’m really, rally over it now! And you know what else I’m over? Stupid Tom Grant and his stupid face and his stupid cute freckles too because he sucks and so the freckles suck too because they’re on his face.” So, pretty much every one at this party must know you have a thing for Tom now, because you’re speaking at tannoy announcement levels.
“Yeah,” Steve nods. “You’re over him.”
“I’m over him,” you repeat. “Because he’s stupid and I need another drink now,” you start to try and get up off of Steve’s lap.
Steve grips your waist. “Because he’s stupid,” he parrots back at you. “Bur you don’t need another drink.” he moves his arms, wraps them around you and puts his chin on your shoulder to secure you in place.
“Do.”
“Don’t,” Steve tells you and tries to think of a way to keep you distracted. “Are you going to tell him?”
“Tell who what thing?”
“Tom.” Steve says. “Are you going to tell Tom that he sucks?”
“Yes!” You nod enthusiastically. “He sucks doesn’t he?! I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who can it!” You pause and then you let out an overdramatic gasp and Steve immeaditely gets a feeling of dread. “Steve!” You pull away from him, wriggling out of his grip.
“...What’s up?”
You ignore him though, looking around wildly until you spot what you’re looking for tucked down the side of the chair. Your handbag. The very one that Tom had bought out to you when you’d left the Grant’s place angrily. And then with a grin, you pulled out what you’d been looking for. Your phone.
Yeah, Steve has a bad feeling about this.
“I’m gonna call him.”
“...Maybe that’s not something we should do right now, okay?” Steve tries to pull you back into his lap but you resist. “Why don’t we see if we can find Michelle, or Paul, or one of the others, okay? I sent my mate to go and find her, but it seems like he’s gotten lost…” There’s a tone of irritation in his voice and you flinch, thinking he’s annoyed at you.
You wave your hand at him, your phone already pressed against your neck. “Don’t need Michelle, oh! It’s voicemail!”
Yeah.
Steve really doesn’t pity those who are going to be looking after you in the morning.
****
You open your eyes and immediately shut them again as a ‘fuck!’ falls from your lips. What’s with all the bright lights? Did someone put a spotlight on over your head while you were asleep and a better question is why did someone put a spotlight over your head while you were asleep?
There’s also a minimum -- an absolute minimum -- of four miners digging into your brain and a flying fish flapping about in your stomach so excessively you think it’s making pancakes.
You do not feel good.
You tug the duvet cover up over your head. Absolutely nothing in this world is making you get out of bed today. You’re staying here until you need to pee at least. Or maybe vomit, if Flappy the Stomach Fish doesn’t chill out. You wriggle down a little bit, the duvet falls off your head and yoy pull your legs into yourself, allowing yourself to crack one eyelid open to see if the spotlight has been turned out yet.
And -- ooh! -- there’s a glass of water on your bedside table. You feel self congratulatory at how smart you were last night when you got home to bring a glass of water up with you because as soon as you see it you realise just how incredibly thirsty you are. You slowly inch towards the bedside table and hey… there’s a couple of asprin with the water too!!
God, you are the smartest drunk you know.
You shove the pills into your mouth and then greedily drain the glass of water, wishing there was more of it as you allow your eyes to open fully and you you blink a few times as they adjust to the light.
It’s the sun, not a spotlight.
And…
Where.
The.
Fuck.
Are.
You.
This is not your room. You don’t know where you are, or how you ended up here but this is not your room. You grip the duet cover closer to you as you slowly look around the room and try and piece together where you are and just how you ended up her. You wince and look under the covers, just to check, but you’re fully clothed.
There is something familiar about this room though, you feel like you’ve been here before.
You rake in your surroundings, the duvet cover you’re under is navy blue and covered in stars, there are dinosaur figures on top of the chest of drawers and there’s a bookshelf in the corner that’s falling apart but it looks like the books are about football and a couple of joke books too.
And there are framed pictures.
Framed pictures that all seem to follow a pattern.
Tom and Kai in front of a plastic T-Rex.
Tom and an elderly man who you recognise as Tom and Michelle’s dead Grandfather who was always really nice to you.
Tom, his sisters and his parents at his graduation.
It all comes back to you as to why you know this room, you’ve been in here dozens of times after all.
You blink at the book shelf taking it in again and something catches you eye -- there is something between two books that doesn’t appear to be another book… it looks like another frame almost.
Caustiously you edge your way down to the bottom of the bed, every movement sending waves of dizziness through your body until you’re in reach to lean over and pull it out. It’s another framed photo, one that’s clearly been shoved out of the way almost as if he’s hiding it from someone, but not so much that he felt the need to completely put it away.
You gather it’s so Nicole didn’t see it… why didn’t he put it away entirely? Your heart twinges as you wonder if maybe -- just maybe -- he was going to get it back out when she was gone.
It’s another picture of Tom, but this time… he’s with you.
His arm is around you and you’re leaning close to him as you both pull stupid faces for the camera. You both look so happy. You remember this day, you’d gone on a daytrip to the beach with the Grant family and Michelle had bought her camera with her and demanded the two of you pose and so he’d grabbed you and dragged you as close to him as he could get you.
A lump forms in your throat as you stare down at it. It isn’t fair. It isn’t fair that you missed your shot at happiness with him. Yeah, it’s your own fault for not locking to down when he wanted you in high school, but you’re allowed to feel hurt, it’s valid.
And if Nicole gets her way he’ll be gone from your life soon enough for good.
And you are nowhere near over him.
You are undeniably, unequivocally, unabashedly head-over-heels in love with him.
This is a collab with @kayleee16- Thank you for always being my sounding board and for all your great ideas.
Eddie x reader
Summary: Life after the Upside Down is a roller coaster. Follow Eddie as he navigates new friendships, relationships all while trying to follow his dreams. Will he be able to navigate who to trust and make the right decisions for himself or will he run away?
Warnings: Angst, Trauma, Heart break, Alcohol consumption, mentions of death, mentions of drug use, smut (Under 18 do not interact)
Authors Note- I wanted to clarify the events of Chapters 2-5 take place before Chapter 1. I know there was some confusion. We will get back there soon. This is just establishing the world and their dynamic. This is a long one, which is part of why it took me so long to get out. We covered a lot of ground and tried to fulfill everyone's requests. As always, I appreciate feedback and reblogging means the world. If you like what I wrote, please share it!
Masterlist for Disenchanted
Chapter 4
The next morning you awoke tangled in each other. The loud clanging and padding down the stairs had jolted you both awake. As much as you wanted to lay there and revel in each other’s company the noise surrounding you did not sound like that would be possible.
“Good morning beautiful,” Eddie praised as he kissed your shoulder.
Before you could even respond to him there was a loud banging on the door.
“Rise and shine love birds breakfast is ready and we have a busy day ahead of us,” Steve demanded.
“So much for a romantic morning,” you joked as you started to get out of bed. Eddie encircled your waist pulling you back down to him enveloping your lips into a searing kiss.
“They can wait a few minutes more!” Who were you to argue?
Those few minutes turned into a solid half hour. You began scrambling to throw clothes on before someone banged on the door again. As you opened the door you came face to face with Dustin as his hand was poised to knock.
You couldn’t help but blush under the boy’s knowing stare. “Sorry I know we are late, just needed a little extra time to wake up,” you cautiously said.
“Wake up huh, is that what we are calling it,” Dustin chuckled.
Eddie who was following closely behind you grabbed Dustin’s shoulder. Squeezing it in warning, “Yes that is exactly what we are calling it if you know what’s good for you. Remember I have a sadistic campaign planned when we get back.”
Dustin’s eyes got wide, “Oh come on man, you know I was just joking!”
The three of you padded downstairs to meet up with everyone else. As you grabbed a few pieces of cold bacon you felt everyone’s eyes on you. Uncomfortable in the moment you offered to do clean up since you were late coming down. Everyone gladly accepted your offer. While you cleaned Steve began going over today’s agenda.
“We have a big day planned today! First will be the scavenger hunt. I’ve printed off lists of things to look for and collect. Each team will have 2 hours to complete as many tasks as possible on the list. Eddie and I will be a team leaders and will each have one of the polaroid cameras to document some of the tasks. Teams are as follows: Eddie you will be in charge of the blue team which is Dustin, Max and El. I will take the red team which will be Lucas, Mike and Will.”
“What about Robin and I? Who will we be with,” you questioned as you put the last dish in the strainer.
“I need you two to stay back and set up the relay race and lunch for this afternoon. Eddie and I can handle them on our own for this. The tasks are pretty simple.”
“Which is Steve’s way of keeping any hanky panky from happening during the scavenger hunt,” Mike proclaimed with a laugh. Only to have the back of his head swatted by Eddie.
“Mike, they don’t call it that get it right. They call it waking up,” Dustin laughed before he earned a swat of his own from Eddie.
“That’s enough you chuckle heads! Go get your gear and meet out front in 5 minutes,” Steve commanded.
Eddie took a quick moment to give you a kiss goodbye while the boys cat called. Breaking the kiss he reached out grabbing both Lucas and Mike by the shoulders ushering them out the door. “You are so lucky Steve put you both on his team,” Eddie playfully sneered. With that they were gone, and you and Robin began the easy prep that was left for you. Honestly you were a little thankful for the extra down time. You wanted to clean up the room a bit and take a shower.
You reeked of lake water, sweat and sex. Which may seem appealing to some but not to you. When you were done you came back downstairs to help Robin prep the sandwiches for lunch.
“Do you feel better after the shower,” Robin asked politely?
“Yea, I probably should have showered when we got out of the lake yesterday but got wrapped up in getting to know everyone. Plus, I was in a bit of a pissy mood if I am being honest.”
“Good to know you and Eddie have that temperament in common,” Robin laughed.
“Usually I am pretty easy going, but I really like him, and I feel like I am constantly having to chisel away at walls. Before you say it, I get it he has been through a lot. I have been told numerous times already. I am just thankful he is starting to let me in a bit finally.”
“Not to be all Debbie downer or anything but sex is the easy part. Opening up is the hard part. I don’t know what all you know or what all you think you know and it’s not my place to tell you, but what he has been through…..Hell what we all have been through was really fucked up. That kind of shit leaves deep scars. When he decides to fully open up to you just keep that in mind and try not to judge or read into him too much.”
After that you got really quiet. Your thoughts running a mile a minute. What the hell had they all gone through that was so traumatizing? The rest of the afternoon you found yourself overthinking every interaction. Even when Eddie got back and wrapped you in a tight hug proclaiming how much he missed you, you found yourself wondering what lurked below the surface in his mind and if he would ever deem you worthy of sharing it.
After the relay races were done Steve asked you to go with El and Max to collect wood. You had thought it odd because the boys hadn’t required a chaperone the day before, but it wasn’t your place to question it. Steve probably had his reasons. You had no idea that Robin had asked Steve to divert you so that they could talk to Eddie alone.
Eddie was upstairs gathering his stuff to take a shower when Steve and Robin entered his room shutting and locking the door behind them.
Eyes wide at their actions, immediately filled with dread about whatever they had decided to corner him about, “Well this seems ominous.”
Robin got straight to the point, “Look I don’t know how much time we have before she gets back so just shut up and listen until we are done talking.”
Eddie nodded anxiety bubbling up with each shake of his head.
“Good, you wanted our advice about her. Well, we think she is amazing and probably exactly what you need, BUT if you want this to be more than a hook up, she deserves to know EVERYTHING. She is not dumb and if you don’t tell her then she will continue to misread everything you say and do. Which will only cause this to end before it has even fully begun. Take it from me bottled up trauma can really screw up a relationship,” Steve noted his voice filled with his own vulnerability and regrets. Desperately trying to save his friend from a similar fate.
Eddie opened and shut his mouth three times. Each time thinking, he had the right words and then deciding against them.
Robin could see him struggling and interjected, “I know this won’t be easy and if you want, we can do it with you. We probably should be with you, because it’s going to dredge up a lot.”
Eddie sighed feeling overwhelmingly hopeless. He couldn’t help but wonder what he did in this life or the ones before to deserve so many karmic lessons. Why wasn’t he allowed to be happy for more than a few moments? Internally he knew they were right and that they were just looking out for him, but selfishly he just wanted more time to feel normal. More time to just revel in your affection. Assuming as soon as you heard everything you would want to run away as fast as you could. I mean he had come to expect nothing less in his life. Then the realization came to him that he couldn’t tell you without talking to Nancy first. It wouldn’t be right to blind side Nance with that.
“It’s not just that. She is also Nancy’s friend and roommate. Nancy hasn’t told her yet either and I don’t feel like it’s fair for me to tell her about this without talking to Nancy first. She is probably going to think we are all certifiable when she hears it. Which could affect Nancy as much as it does me if not more,” Eddie lamented.
“Maybe, but I don’t think you are giving her enough credit. Especially if we all tell her together. If it makes you feel better, why don’t you call Nance and talk it through with her. Since she knows her the best. Then we can go from there. There is a phone in our room you can have some privacy in there to talk to her. Then just let Rob and I know what you need from us. We agree though that this is important if you actually want a relationship with her.”
His call with Nancy went better than expected. Telling him that she had thought about telling you numerous times herself. Agreeing that it was the right thing to do, especially now that you were getting so close to everyone. She wanted to be there though, so her and Jonathan would head over to the cabin.
Once he filled Steve and Robin in, they went to work on a plan. Pulling the kids aside one by one and letting them know that they would be telling you everything tonight. So, when he told them to go make dinner, they needed to make themselves scarce until told otherwise. Knowing that having everyone there may be intimidating for you.
When you saw Nancy and Jonathan pull in while you were helping set up the fire you were puzzled to say the least. Even more odd was how Steve told the kids to go get started on dinner duty and ushered them inside. The whole mood changed drastically. Nancy came up and gave you a tense hug before asking you to sit down. You did as she asked but looked at her filled with confusion and trepidation.
Nancy had requested to lead the conversation since she had known you the longest. “I am sure you are wondering why we came out here tonight.” You nodded and found yourself looking at the serious faces surrounding you feeling completely anxious.
Nancy continued, “I have always said that Hawkins was not your average town to grow up in. That was an understatement. Each of us have gone through some very traumatic experiences while living there. Since you have become more than just my roommate and are building relationships with others in the group, we all decided we needed to let you in on our secret. That way you can understand when we do things that may seem a little out of the ordinary.”
Robin interjected, “More than that we like to think that you have become one of us and we don’t want any secrets between us.”
With that they each of them took turns explaining their unique experiences. Spinning a tale that could easily have been the plot of a tragic sci-fi horror movie.
They told you about a lab that experimented on kids that they believed had abilities since the 50’s. That El had been bread there to see if they could create people with “powers” that they could explore and potentially weaponize. About kidnappings and faked deaths and government cover ups. Russian involvement and imprisonment. Witch hunts and false accusations and mind control. All of it culminating in the capture of a man named Henry Creel and a young girl named Kali who were the cause of it all. Placing visions in people’s minds making them kill and act out. Making others experience horrific events and even death. All because they felt that the system had failed them. They had been products of that lab and of a man named Dr. Brenner who had eventually died protecting El. El had been experimented on as well, but when she escaped, she had found a family within the group. Which kept her from becoming as jaded as Kali or Henry.
Your heart broke for them. Hearing all of this you understood why the dynamic had been so confusing between Nancy, Steve and Jonathan. The things they all went through made you wonder how they were still standing before you. The kids, my god what these kids experienced in a time where they should have been carefree. Your heart shattered for each and every one of them.
Eddie’s portion of the story played like a horror movie in your mind. The image of tears streaming down his face as he told you of the horrors he had experienced would be burned in your mind for eternity. He had bottled it all up for so long, that each word felt like razors slicing him back open.
His vulnerability and fear apparent in each word he said. Reminding you of how he had been a drug dealer. Explaining that Chrissy (the girl from the party at Steve’s the night you met) had been having visions that were troubling her, so she had come to him for “something” to help her through it. When he told you about the night, he thought she had died viciously in front him you couldn’t help but gasp. How after that he had been essentially framed for her murder and the murder of two others.
No wonder he had been so adamant that there was nothing romantic between them. She was the reason his nightmare began.
Telling you how people had hunted him because he played D&D and thought he was sacrificing kids to Satan because of it. How they all believed that they were fighting monsters that had come to life straight from D&D lore. How Henry then set his sights on Max, she managed to fight his control at first. Utilizing music and happy memories as if they were weapons.
How they created a plan to take back power they all lost. Yet Henry (Vecna’s) control had been too strong, and they all experienced more loss. Henry’s control had even put Max in a coma, trapping her in her own mind.
Then Eddie became overwhelmed, literally shaking as he recalled the feeling of being torn apart by bats in that fight. Dying in Dustin’s arms. Steve could see it was too much for his friend, so he took over. Eddie stood letting go of your hands and Robin wrapped him in a tight comforting hug.
Then they all experienced what they thought was an earthquake that ripped Hawkins apart. Only to later find out it was a vision that Kali had created as a sort of mass hallucination. Finally letting you know that in the end with the help of a Dr. Owens and El they were able to capture Henry Creel and Kali. They were now both being held in special rooms in Hawkins Lab and under armed guard. The government put a chip in them and El to keep them from being able to use their powers.
Eventually they found Eddie, Chrissy, Fred, Patrick and Max’s brother Billy all alive. Hidden by Henry and completely confused over what was real and what was part of the nightmare they had all been living. Unfortunately, some weren’t so lucky Barb, Benny, and Bob had actually died, and their loss wasn’t part of the visions that had been placed in everyone’s heads. They occurred due to the hallucinations they had experienced or as part of the government cover up. Chrissy’s boyfriend Jason never came out of the mind control and was now residing in a mental hospital. Believing he is a vigilante avenging the deaths of people he cared about.
They all looked at you intently waiting for your reaction to what they told you. Tears flowing down your face at the thought of the horrors they had all lived through. Never a doubt in your mind that what they had just shared with you was the truth. Hearing all of this had explained so much to you. It didn’t matter how fantastical the story may have sounded, knowing them it all seemed plausible and heart breaking. You knew that sharing this with you had to have been excruciating for them. Ripping scabs off wounds that were barely healed. Overcome with the desire to wrap them up in love and comfort taking you over. You thanked them for trusting you with the truth.
Eddie didn’t expect you to be empathetic as he was telling you the story. Realizing in that moment how terrified he was to lose you. How much you had come to mean to him in a very short time. Certain that this would be more than you could possibly handle. That was if you believed them at all. All his feelings of insecurity and inadequacy bubbling to the surface.
Yet as he saw the tears glistening down your cheeks, he realized that Steve had been right, and he hadn’t given you enough credit. Assuming the worst because that had always been the hand he was dealt. Your eyes were filled with compassion and sympathy and not fear and disgust. In that moment he realized how special you were. Realizing that maybe for once luck was on his side.
You made your way through the group thanking each of them for their candor. Embracing them trying to at least slightly offer comfort for the wounds that they had opened for you. When you reached Eddie, you enveloped him in a tight embrace. Rubbing his back and peppering his face with kisses. Letting him know between each kiss just how strong and brave you thought he was and how thankful you were to have found a man like him.
The rest of that night was about being together as a group. Releasing the past now that it had been purged. Each person sharing their hopes for the future and promising to be there for each other.
When it came time for bed that night all Eddie wanted was to be in the comfort of your arms. Relishing the feeling of having someone who knew everything and yet still wanted to be with him.
The rest of that trip had felt like a dream. Filled with stolen moments, cuddles by the fire and maybe a few instances of skinny dipping once you were certain the kids were asleep. It had also been a great opportunity for you to get to know almost everyone that Eddie cared about.
Your opinion of Steve had completely changed. Although you would never know exactly what happened between him and Nancy, you knew now that it wasn’t because he was a bad guy. That was obvious by the way he cared for everyone. How he time and time again put everyone’s needs and even happiness above his own. One night you had been lamenting about your lack of an internship and he offered to talk to his parents to see if they could help find anything for you. He barely knew you, yet was willing to vouch for you, which only further proved the nature of his true character to you.
You dreaded going home, wishing you could stay lost in this little bubble with Eddie forever.
For the about 6 weeks after the camping trip, you and Eddie had been inseparable. Spending most of your free time with him in Hawkins. Having movie nights, swimming in Lover’s Lake or just hanging out with him and his friends. You had even got to watch him run a campaign. Which if you were being honest was way more interesting than you had anticipated.
He also introduced you to his Uncle Wayne. Saving the most important person for last. Knowing how much Wayne meant to him you knew that was a huge step for him. The fact that he thought you were special enough to meet him meant the world to you. Wayne was a sweet man with simple needs, but most importantly you could see the pride and love he had for Eddie. He was also very welcoming, every time you came for a visit, he treated you as though you were family.
Each day you spent with Eddie you grew closer and closer. You dreaded any time that you were forced to spend apart, feeling as though a piece of you was missing.
Nancy had made a comment at one point about Eddie being your boyfriend, but you quickly corrected her. You and Eddie had not necessarily defined what you were. Yes, you were together, but you had never discussed boundaries or titles. You didn’t want to push because you respected his space and his time after all the traumas he had experienced. Besides the insecurities from before were gone for you after everything that you two had shared. You didn’t need a title because when you were together you felt special.
Finally, you were able to get a night off to see Eddie perform. You had expected that to be the highlight of your current visit. Yet that night went from exhilarating to daunting in a matter of minutes. Steve and Robin had been unable to come, so Eddie had tried to get you to watch the show from backstage. You had politely declined because you wanted to experience it the way it was meant to be experienced in the audience. Reluctantly he gave you a kiss and reminded you to be careful out there, that this wasn’t like a college crowd.
Watching him perform started out as the most sensual foreplay. Seeing the sweat glisten on his arms and knowing that you were the one he would be wrapping in them at the end of the night was a whole new form of arousal. He literally oozed sex appeal when he was on stage. His gravelly voice was mesmerizing and watching him play his guitar you realized exactly why he was so talented with his fingers. Which then led you to thinking of him using those fingers on you. If your thoughts kept up this way you knew that you wouldn’t make it back to his place before you needed him to fill you up.
Even though he had warned you that it was a seedy dive bar. You had assumed that there probably wouldn’t be much of a crowd with it being a Tuesday night. Yet there were more people there than you had anticipated. You had to gain your bearings as the crowd pushed towards the stage. Seeing Eddie’s eyes on you, grounded you. Made you feel for a moment as if you were the only one in the room.
Knocked out of your reverie by a man jumping around and flinging his head moshing. He pushed you back and you almost lost your footing. Eddie saw it and moved closer towards the edge of the stage, prepping to jump down if he needed to. You caught yourself and seemed to have your bearings.
Then you saw a woman reaching up to stroke his leg on stage. That instantly unleashed a green-eyed monster within you. It only increased as you watched middle aged women clamor for his attention. Some even had the audacity to throw their underwear at him. The reality was the arousal his performance evoked in you was also riling up the many women in the audience. Eddie didn’t play into their attention at all but for the first time in weeks you felt that insecurity bubbling up inside you again. He played here regularly, and it made you wonder what happened when he got off stage each week and you weren’t here.
Then you saw HER swaying unrhythmically to the music by the side of the stage. Her pink top wrinkled and haphazardly hanging from her body as if she had just done the walk of shame. Her eyes looked dead and empty. Knowing what you knew now you couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She didn’t ask for the hell Henry Creel had put her through any more than the rest of Hawkins.
You assumed that her appearance was due to using substances to numb the pain and terror. Not even able to wrap your head around the nightmare she endured. Initially you didn’t feel jealousy watching her eye Eddie as if he was a meal made only for her. Not like you did the other women there. You felt sorrow for her because you knew she was seeking him out for comfort. She had trauma bonded with him during a terrifying time because he was the only light she saw while suffering through all that. Knowing that he had told you that he only saw her as the source of all his pain you knew that his resistance towards her had to make her feel utterly alone.
Feeling sorry for her you went to the bar and got a bottle of water and a few napkins to bring over to her. As you approached you saw her expression change from lost to that of an animal being cornered and that only made you sympathize with her more. Knowing that a stranger walking towards her was probably intimidating.
“Hi, I know you don’t know me, but I am a friend of Eddie and Steve’s,” you smiled trying to let her know you weren’t a threat before continuing, “I saw you over here and thought maybe you could use this.” Reaching out to hand her the water bottle.
Her brows knit and her lips pursed, “I know who you are you stupid whore! You are the girl who comes into town to just fuck Eddie and then leave. Thinking you have him wrapped because you allow him to get his dick wet. Just like you probably do with every other man back home. He deserves better than you!” She spat as she knocked the water bottle out of your hand and began stumbling away from you. The set had ended, and the lights came up and the floor became quiet except for the crowd rumbling. You became anxious as you saw people turning around to watch the spectacle she was creating. She turned back around to face you and hissed, “I don’t need anything from a tramp like you and neither does he. So why don’t you go back to whatever hole you crawled out of! Or better yet find someone else to fuck for sport! Maybe now you will finally realize that you are just a placeholder that is only postponing the inevitable. Fate pulled Eddie and I together. You can’t compete with that no matter how many times you spread your legs for him. He and I are destined to be together!” With that she staggered towards the bathroom.
You just stood there with your mouth agape wondering how she knew that much about you and Eddie and why her reaction was so visceral. You knew she had issues. You even knew she was probably a bit delusional after everything that had happened, but how could she so vehemently believe they were meant for each other? Eddie had made it clear to you that he wanted nothing to do with her, but could that have been a front? Was he lying? Were they seeing each other when you weren’t there?
He had been so excited to have you watch him perform. Wanting to show off for you and make you proud. When he lost sight of you in the crowd, he became concerned. The last song he couldn’t even focus on his performance. When he went off stage Jeff questioned him about his change in demeanor, but Eddie was too anxious to find you and just walked away.
When he came off stage and finally found you, he could see that something was wrong. Your reaction to seeing him was underwhelming to say the least. You were there with him physically, but your mind was somewhere else, and he couldn’t reach it. That scared the shit out of him.
He tried multiple times to snap you out of it or get you to talk to him to no avail. You would brush him off saying it was a great show and you were just tired. Your behavior only confirmed to him that his gut wasn’t right. What the hell could have happened to illicit such a strong reaction from you.
The rest of the night you found yourself lost in thought. Not knowing what to say to Eddie and choosing not to tell him about your encounter with Chrissy. You were suddenly questioning everything you had grown so confident of with him.
Desperate to snap you out of it. To feel connected again and bridge the distance he tried the physical route. Knowing that sometimes between the both of you sex could say what you couldn’t. He tried to initiate intimate moments multiple times that night. Only to have you roll over saying you were tired and not even cuddle with him.
He tried again before you went home the following morning, but his efforts were fruitless. You gave him a lax hug and soft peck before leaving which only further concerned him. What the hell could’ve happened? Why weren’t you talking to him about it?
When you got home you talked to Nancy. Told her about your interaction with Chrissy. Hoping she would tell you that you something that would reassure you and make you stop overthinking things. Only what she told you didn’t help at all. She explained that before everything happened Chrissy was a sweet girl who was under a lot of pressure to be perfect. She had even developed an eating disorder. That was how Henry got control of her by feeding into that pressure. When she came out of it, her family was a shambles. Thinking she did all of that for attention and of course that didn’t live up to their perfect standards. With Jason being in a mental institution she didn’t really have anyone but his friends. They spent their time passing her around and keeping her doped up. Eddie being the guy he was still tried to stay friendly with her in the hope that he could bring her out of her spiral. He refused to sell to her and even offered multiple times to try to get her help.
Part of you was proud of him for putting his own demons aside to try and be there for her. Yet the other side of you could see that no matter what he said there was always going to be bond there between them. Making you wonder if you ever really had a place with him after all. Maybe Chrissy was right, and they were destined to be together.
About a week later you got the call from E Entertainment TV, a new fledgling entertainment news channel. They had gotten a glowing recommendation from Mr. Harrington, who was one of their investors and wanted to fly you out to LA to intern. Even with all your new insecurities Eddie was still the first person you wanted to tell.
When you called to tell him the amazing news, you expected him to be excited for you. Yet you could hear the trepidation in his voice. Where you saw an open door into a potential dream job, he just saw more distance between you. With how strained things had been since that night at The Hideout he feared it would be the beginning of the end.
The next few months had been a whirlwind to say the least. You spent all of August in LA training and learning what they expected of you. Learning the appropriate way to behave and respond to the celebrities you would be interviewing. Understanding that before each event you would be given a press packet with basic information about the event and its entertainers as well as topics that were off limits to discuss with them. You would be going to launch parties and red-carpet events as their on-air correspondent. Even though it wasn’t hard hitting journalism, you were still thrilled for the opportunity. Since most of the events happened on weekends it also worked perfectly with your school schedule and in the end would look great on your resume. You had to quit the coffee shop, but the money that E was paying you more than made up for it. The bad part was you and Eddie were lucky to get to see each other once a month now.
The distance had been good for you. Allowing you to gain more self-confidence through your internship. In turn giving you more perspective that instead of being insecure about him helping Chrissy you should be proud of the selfless individual he was. Finally coming to that realization also made you more aware of just how much you missed him.
For Eddie he hated every moment that you were in LA. Feeling as though each day that passed pulled you further away from him. Yes, he was proud of you. So, fucking proud that he never missed an interview, clamoring for any opportunity to see your beautiful face. He had even started recording them to watch when missing you got particularly painful. However, he felt like the Grand Canyon was literally separating you two. Here you were at swanky Hollywood events while he was working his normal job, desperately trying to save up to make his dream come true. Which if he was being honest felt like yet another dead end.
When you got chosen to work the premiere of Fatal Attraction you were exhilarated. It was a huge assignment that many others had clamored for. They were flying you out to LA and putting you up in a beautiful hotel for the weekend. They were even providing a stylist to ensure you represented them perfectly. Having hardly seen Eddie over the last few months you took some of your earnings and got him a plane ticket to join you. Thinking you could use some of the perks of your job to create a much-needed romantic weekend for you both.
Eddie had been reluctant to accept the gesture when you called to tell him. Feeling guilty that you would be spending money on him like that. He already felt like you were too good for him, but now here you were having to pay for him to come out and see you. Steve had to talk him down. Reminding him that time away together would be good for you both and that the fact that you even wanted to do this showed how much you really cared. Eventually agreeing with Steve and raiding his closet so he would have something suitable to wear when he accompanied you to the event.
When he arrived in California that Thursday afternoon, he had to get a cab to drop him off at the hotel because you had been in a meeting when he landed. Eddie could not have felt more out of place. The Beverly Hills Hotel was a well-known elegant hotel, and he was walking in with his ripped jeans, band T-shirt and dirty duffel bag. Just as he anticipated the attendant stopped him immediately. He was instantly kicking himself for not borrowing clothes from Steve for the whole weekend.
The attendant looked down at him with judging eyes, “Excuse me sir, but can I help you?”
Eddie rolled his eyes at the man’s hoity tone, “Nah man, I’m good. Just heading up to my girl’s room.”
The attendant put out his arm to stop Eddie and cautioned, “Well this establishment is a secure location. Any visitors have to be vetted before being permitted up to the guest room floors. IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY visiting someone we would need to call and verify with them first!”
Eddie rolled his eyes and huffed. Giving him your name and room number. The attendant called up to your room and Eddie stomped outside. Not in the mood to stand there and look foolish.
Before long you came running down to greet Eddie and try to clear up the misunderstanding, but he was nowhere to be seen. Asking the attendant where he went, he pointed out the front door. You ran out looking for him, upset that this trip was starting on a sour note. Finally finding him standing on the side of the hotel furiously puffing on his cigarette.
“Hey baby, I am so sorry for the confusion. I should have changed your flight, so I could’ve come and got you from the airport,” you hesitated as you approached. Immediately seeing his face flush and brows furrowed in anger. You extended out your hand to brush his arm in comfort, but he bristled away.
“I fucking knew this was a bad idea. I should have trusted my gut, but no I had to fucking listen to Harrington,” he growled.
Your heart shattered at his words. You had been building up this trip in your mind for weeks and now he was standing here telling you he had never even wanted to come. “Well, I guess I am sorry for that too. I just missed you and I thought it would be fun. I never meant to pressure you to be somewhere that you don’t want to be.” You could feel the tears building up in your eyes threatening to spill over.
As he heard the grief in your voice, he finally looked up at you. Seeing your sad eyes, he instantly regretted his words. You had done nothing wrong; it was that stupid judgmental attendant. You had planned this whole thing and even paid for it and he in a split second made you regret it by taking his anger out on you.
Throwing his cigarette to the ground he reached for you, “No I am sorry baby. I was pissed at the attendant, and I took it out on you.” He pulled you to him by your waist and holding you tight. Wishing desperately, he could take back his words.
Now the tears were spilling over, and you couldn’t hold them back. God, you had missed being in his arms, but you couldn’t shake what he had just said. “But you said you didn’t want to come that you only did it because Steve told you to. Not because you wanted to see me or missed me.” Shaking your head as you pulled away from him.
Grabbing your face in both of his hands and peering deep into your eyes, “Baby I promise I didn’t mean it like that. I fuckin missed you so much! It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with feeling like a fish out of water here. I don’t fit in places at fancy places like this, that attendant made that pretty clear. I don’t want to get in the way or make you look bad with your classy new job. Instead, I ended up hurting your feelings, which is a thousand times worse. I am so sorry sweetheart!” he was flushed, and his eyes were darting back and forth between yours anxiously hoping you would forgive his outburst.
You could see in his eyes he was being genuine and kicked yourself for not considering how he may feel in this world. You wrapped your arms around him and nuzzled into his neck peppering a few soft kisses. “I’m sorry I didn’t think of it like that. I wanted you to come here and get a taste of this life, because I firmly believe you and Corroded Coffin will make it big someday. When you do, I wanted you to remember that your first time here in California was with me.”
He fully melted at that. Lifting your chin to make you look in his chocolate eyes before his lips engulfed yours. You could feel his smile as he broke the kiss. “You believe in me that much?”
You nodded furiously, “Of course I do! I’ve seen how you command a stage! Its only a matter of time.”
“Wow, you have no idea how much that means to me! Well then big shot, let’s start this trip over. How about you show me our swanky digs for the weekend? We can test how sturdy their expensive furniture is.”
Winking at you as a devious smirk cracked his face. Interlacing his fingers with yours pulling you towards the front door. This time the attendant did not stop either of you as you sprinted towards the elevator. You couldn’t help but giggle at the change in demeanor of the attendant. You had barely made it inside the elevator before Eddie pinned you against the wall.
“I am going to show you just how much I missed you, over and over again.” His hand reached for the emergency stop but you swatted it away. Pulling it back to your waist and taking his lips between yours once more.
When you reached your floor, you couldn’t get to your room fast enough. Every part of you was aching to be with him again. To forget all the things that kept pulling you apart. Be lost in the moment. Lost in him.
As soon as you were inside, he nudged the door shut with his foot and tossed his duffel bag down. He didn’t even look at the room, you were the only thing he wanted to see in this moment, and he yearned to see all of you. Pushing you against the wall he dropped to his knees making quick work of unbuttoning your jeans and yanking them down in a flash. You gasped as his lips cascaded up your legs and his fingers looped through the waistband of your underwear yanking them down and tossing them into the abyss of the room. He hadn’t even brought his lips to your aching mound yet and you were already breathless. Soaking wet and burning for his touch.
He lifted one of your legs resting it on his shoulder to grant him better access before his mouth began its glorious assault on your weeping core. Sucking and licking and devouring you as if you were his last meal. Your body was erupting with pleasure making your knee weak and began to quake.
“I’ve got you baby let go and cum for me, let me feel just how much you missed me.” As he purred those words against you, sliding two fingers in rocking them at a ferocious pace. You felt the waves of euphoria beginning to crest and your pulse began to race. You knew you were toying on the edge of heaven. Then it hit you all at once. You could’ve sworn you lost consciousness with the ecstasy of that moment. Your knee must have given because as you slowly came down from your high you felt Eddie pick you up and carry you to the bed. His huge grin glistening with your essence.
Your breath was labored from the awe-inspiring orgasm he had just pulled from you. Yanking your shirt from you as he started to crawl over you, and you tutted. “Sir you have far too many clothes on to come in this bed.”
With a light chuckle and a silly grin, he complied, “Yes ma’am.”
Ripping his shirt off followed quickly by his jeans. He smirked at your glowing cheeks and flushed skin. He could see you were enjoying every moment of watching him undress. As he slid his boxers off his hardened cock slapped against his stomach. God he was a beautiful man. All fine lines and inky art against a pale backdrop. You crooked your finger beckoning him to join you. Not wanting to waste a moment more.
As he went to crawl onto the bed you flipped to your stomach coming up on all fours. His eyes widened at the sight of your plush ass in the air waiting for him. Sliding back off the bed and pulling you to the edge he wasted no time. Burying himself within you and rocking at an animalistic pace. His tight sack smacking against you with every thrust.
“Fuck baby, do you have any idea how hot this is?”
You could feel the knot building in your stomach with each thrust and it was making it hard to respond to him. You managed to sputter, “Just needed it rough.”
“Oh, my big shot wants it rough huh? Sweetheart your wish is my command.” With that his arm wrapped around your waist pulling you up not once faltering in his fierce pace. His other hand came around and applied delicious pressure on your neck. Oh, it felt so fucking good. Eddie knew exactly how to give you everything you desired. “Fuck yes that’s it Eddie,” you moaned. So many sensations assaulting you all at once, it was raw and sensual at the same time. Then he pushed your senses to the brink.
Ever the multitasker his lips began caressing that special spot right behind your ear. The one he knew drove you mad. You could hear his panting between each thrust. When he shifted to your ear lobe sucking it softly you saw stars. “Oh my God, Eddie I’m cumming,” you whined.
“I feel you baby, you are squeezing me so fuckin tight. Come on baby give it to me, soak my cock. Let me feel how much you missed me,” he panted.
Waves of ecstasy washed over you. Ebbing and flowing as he continued to work you through it. Your whole body began to shake releasing embers throughout your body from the explosion filled desire. As you languidly came down from your high your body felt like jelly. As if he had literally fucked the bones out of you.
He held you tight as his thrusts became sloppy, signifying he was at his peak. Then you felt him release rope after rope of cum within you. Slipping out and kissing your neck.
“My God baby, you have no idea how much I needed that!”
You had no words, limp and sated he help shift you to lie on the pillow. Then he crawled on the bed pulling you to his chest. Your hand softly began tracing his tattoos as he caressed your back helping your soul slowly descend back to your body. You laid there comfortably in his arms for what felt like forever. Relishing the moment and being back with him.
The rest of that night you two didn’t leave the room. Using every free moment to make up for all the time you had missed.
The next day you took him to all the touristy hot spots. From the beach to the walk of fame to the Chinese Theater. You wanted to make sure he experienced it all with you. You kissed and cuddled and all that had been plaguing you both seemed to disappear even if only for the day. It was exactly as you had dreamed it would be.
The morning of the event. He helped you go over your packets, studying the topics. When it came time to go down to the stylist he stayed upstairs in the room and took a nap before getting ready himself. He had been so wrong about this trip. It had been just what he needed, he finally felt connected to you again.
When it came time to head to the event, he met you downstairs. He had made it to lobby first and as he saw you walking up his mouth dropped. You were absolutely stunning. Wearing a floor length Navy dress with lace cut outs and your hair pinned up with soft curls cascading your face. Damn he was a lucky man to have you on his arm. When you reached him, he held out his hand and spun you around to get a look at every inch of you.
“Sweetheart I think you just might outshine the people you are interviewing tonight you look gorgeous.”
Smiling sweetly, you replied, “You don’t look so bad there yourself Munson, you clean up pretty well.”
Taking in his appearance you knew he was uncomfortable in his grey button down and black slacks, but he looked so damn handsome.
When you reached the event Eddie stood off to the side watching you in action. Completely in your element you ruled the interviews. Cracking jokes, making small talk and putting the actors at ease. He couldn’t have been prouder watching you work. Yet in the back of his mind that nagging voice began rearing its ugly head yet again. Reminding him that he wasn’t good enough for you and whatever happiness he had right now would only be fleeting. He was cursed and heart break was his only destiny. You looked over at him and blew a kiss. He reached out as if he caught it and pulled into his chest forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He was determined to shake the voice off and just enjoy whatever time he had left with you. These were the moments that would help get him through the inevitable.
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