YOU'RE SUCH AN EGG HEAD
This is an Original Character fanfiction. All Stranger Things characters and content are owned by Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.
a/n: I wrote this in 2023; it was the first one shot (?) I ever wrote and first fic related to the rewrite. I didn't have a name for Diana yet, which is why it is in first person. My writing schedule didn't go according to plan with my dwindling mental health, but I wanted to post this as a thank you for everyone who continues to read my Stranger Things Rewrite!
This takes place after the events of Season 2 after the Snow Ball but before Christmas.
Please let me know what y'all think :) Happy Holidays!
Warnings: Extra Fluff
Word Count: 4483
Masterlist
Sunday December 23, 1984Â
There was an unspoken rule in our house: No Christmas music before December 1st. Although I donât know who made the rule but part of me thinks it was Dad because he doesnât like the holiday season. He thinks itâs too stressful with all the decorating, baking and gift wrapping. Dad hates gift wrapping. He says thereâs no point when it will all be torn to shreds anyway. Christmas is my favourite holiday. I love everything about it. The Christmas music, gift wrapping, decorating, but especially baking.Â
Every year for as long as I can remember I would help Mom bake Christmas cookies for the family and our neighbours. Gingerbread cookies, peanut butter blossoms, molasses cookies, sugar cookies, white chocolate and cranberry cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies and classic chocolate chip cookies. As of three years ago, Mom gave me the responsibility of doing all the Christmas baking. A responsibility I hold near and dear to my heart. This morning, I woke up bright and early to start with chocolate chip cookies for the Byers family, they are on the cooling rack. Now, I am scooping the dough of the peanut butter blossoms for Dustin and Miss Henderson onto the parchment paper. I count a total of 12 evenly divided circles.Â
To me, baking is an intimate activity. A love language. A meaningful relationship between a person and food. It helps me relax; the process time consuming. I am undisturbed and in a different world. The doorbell ringing pops my domestic bubble. I frown peering down the foyer at the front door. Mom, Dad and Lucas wouldnât ring the doorbell. Erica wasnât expecting anyone. I wasnât expecting anyone either. Eddie was busy running errands for his uncle Wayne. It couldnât be him. I freeze feeling a shiver run down my spine. The past year has been filled with monsters and alternate universes. I take a deep breath and remind myself that the Hive was gone. Steve, the kids and I burned it down last month. Will was safe with my brother at Mikeâs house. Billy will never come near me or Lucas ever again. It was all over. A Demogorgon cannot knock on a door and wouldnât. Not even if it were D'Artagnan.Â
I walk toward the front door, wiping my hands on my apron before slowly turning the handle opening the door a smidge so only my eyes can be seen by the stranger. To my surprise and relief, I am met with beautiful dark brown eyes and a dazzling smile.Â
âEddie?â I say, opening the door wide. A cold breeze blows past making me shiver. âWhat are you doing here? I thought you were running errands for Wayne?â
âI finished them early thought Iâd stop by to say hi.âÂ
Dark brown eyes pan down my body. I look down instantly wanting the ground to swallow me up. Not expecting company, I threw on one of the sweaters my Grandma Giselle âGGâ sent from Virginia. Beneath my powder blue gingham print apron with white ruffles (also from GG) Iâm wearing a baby pink sweater with baby kittens all over. The collar of the sweater is embellished with white lace ruffles making me look like Queen Elizabeth I. Erica, Lucas and Dad laugh at it anytime I put it on (Dad tries to cover it with a cough, but I know heâs laughing). Itâs okay if my family sees me and laughs at me, I donât care. I think the sweater is cute and cozy. But never did I think my boyfriend would see me in it.Â
Eddieâs smile widens to a grin. Displaying his deep dimples. âI love this,â he gushes pointing at my outfit, eyes twinkling.Â
I quickly cross my arms over my chest feeling my cheeks grow hot. I scrunch my nose looking down at my socked feet. GG also sent me matching socks to go with my sweater. I have two more sets in baby blue and lavender.Â
âNo, no. Donât hide from me. Ever,â he says, uncrossing my arms and holding my hands. âYou look cute.âÂ
I peer up at him through my lashes. Eddie leans back observing me once again. He sniffs the air peering around the front door. Â
 âAre you baking?âÂ
 âYes, I am.â I reply happily.Â
Eddie stares at me, his grin unwavering. I feel myself growing shyer under his intense gaze and I want to cover myself again but heâs still holding my hands.Â
I tilt my head to the side, blinking up at him. âWhatâs so funny?Â
âNothing.â he shakes his head, chuckling softly. âIâm not laughing. Iâm smiling.âÂ
âWhat are you smiling about?âÂ
Eddie leans forward and my heart beat picks up speed because I think heâs going to kiss me, but instead his lips graze my ear.Â
âJust happy to see you,â he murmurs. ââŠand your sweater.âÂ
âEddie!â I exclaim wiggling out of his hold, walking back inside my house. I am never wearing this sweater again.Â
âWhat? I love it.â Eddie laughs, closing the door behind him. âWhat are you baking?â Â
âIâm baking peanut butter blossoms for Dustin and Miss Henderson.â I answer returning back to the counter. âI was about to put them in the oven before you rang.âÂ
Eddie hangs his coat neatly on the coat rack in the mudroom and pads through the foyer in his socks. A smile tugs on my lips at his ease around the house. Dadâs military training and Momâs propriety kicked Eddie into a straight line early in our relationship.Â
âHave you been baking all day?âÂ
âYes. I started with chocolate chip cookies which are on the cooling rack. I finished the peanut butter blossom cookies and once they are in the oven, I am going to start making white chocolate and cranberry cookies.âÂ
I take the pan of dough and put them in the oven, setting the timer to 10 minutes. I turn around to find Eddie sitting on the stool in front of the counter observing the organized mess of ingredients. I place the timer on the counter.Â
âWhere is everyone?â Eddie asks, looking around.Â
âMom and Dad are out shopping for more Christmas lights. Erica is in her room and Lucas is at Mikeâs house probably playing Dungeons and Dragons with the rest of the boys, El and Max.âÂ
âAnd he didnât invite me,â Eddie says, holding his heart.Â
âHe didnât know you were coming,â I say shooting him a playful glare.Â
I clean off the counter to have a fresh surface for the white chocolate and cranberry cookies. From the corner of my eyes, I see Eddie reach towards the direction of the cooling rack. I whip my head around catching him in action. Â
âHey!â I scold, running around the counter. âNo touching! Those are for Miss Byers.â I block his access before he can touch the cookies. âAnd you didnât wash your hands!âÂ
Eddie smiles, dimples deepening on his cheeks. He looks so cute I have to resist the urge to kiss each dimple and put on my best disapproval face.Â
âMy hands are clean, I promise,â he replies, reaching over my barrier.Â
I smack his hand the way my mom does when she catches Dad trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar before dinner.Â
âEddie!â I reprimand. His eyes widen, baffled by my seriousness.Â
âI swear,â Eddie assures me, eyes twinkling with amusement. âYou baked so many. Iâm sure Miss Byers wonât realize one is gone.âÂ
I look at him for a few seconds and slowly remove my hand. Â
âOkay, fine,â I admit. âBut you can only have one.âÂ
Eddieâs smile turns to a smirk. âHow about two?â He quickly picks up two shovelling one in his mouth. Â
 âEddie!âÂ
His loud, boisterous laugh is muffled by the cookie in his mouth. In seeing the look on my face his laughter dies down to a light chuckle.
âTheyâre so small. One wouldnât be enough,â he reasons, licking the oozing chocolate off his fingers.Â
I cross my arms above my chest, walking back to the counter. I wasnât really upset with him. I did make a lot of chocolate chip cookies for the Byers Family. I just took baking very seriously.Â
 âAw, sweetheart,â he coos, walking towards me.Â
I feel his arms wrap around my waist and his chin on my head. I imagine how hunched over he must be because of our height difference. He nudges by head to the side, kissing my temple. A small smile forms on my lips at the gesture. Eddie was so loving and caring. It was one of the many things I loved about him.Â
 âIâm sorry,â he mumbles. ââŠbut they taste so good.âÂ
I look up at him and roll my eyes playfully. The rumble of his laugh makes me giggle.Â
âIâm serious,â he says shovelling the last cookie in his mouth. âThese are the best cookies ever!â Â
I scrunch my nose looking down. âThank you,â I murmur.Â
Eddie kisses the top of my head. âYouâre welcome, cutie.â Â
Eddie sits on the other side of the counter watching me set up. He told me about his day and the errands he had to run for Wayne. I listen nodding my head and asking questions as I multitasked. Eddie has been over many times since we started dating, my house being a second home to him. But heâs never watched me bake before. I feel like we unlocked a new level in our relationship. Domesticity.Â
âWhat kind of cookies are you making again?âÂ
âWhite chocolate and cranberry.âÂ
âWho are these for?âÂ
 âMe. Theyâre my favourite kind for the holiday season.âÂ
âI canât believe Iâve never asked you this question before, but whatâs your favourite kind of cookie?âÂ
âWhite chocolate and macadamia nut cookies,â I replied.  âWhatâs yours?â
âChocolate chip,â he responds, grinning. I roll my eyes fighting back a smile.Â
âEddie, can you check the timer and let me know how many minutes are left?âÂ
âAye, aye, captain,â he salutes, squinting at the timer, âSix minutes left.âÂ
âThank you,â I answer scooping brown sugar into the measuring cup.Â
âHow do you know how much to put without looking at the recipe?âÂ
I shrug my shoulders. âIâve made these cookies so many times it all comes naturally to me.âÂ
I start to pat down the brown sugar, levelling it with a spoon. Eddie leans forward on his elbows watching me work. In getting to know Eddie I notice he doesnât like to sit still for too long. Always looking for something new to do. There were few things Eddie could sit down and pay attention to for long periods of time. I mentally compiled a list: Planning Dungeons and Dragons Campaigns, reading fantasy books, Corroded Coffin band practices and gigs, eating, cooking (a pleasant surprise), and now, watching me bake.Â
âDo you want to help me?âÂ
Eddie scratches the back of his neck, shaking his head. âI donât think you want me to help you. Iâll ruin it.âÂ
âNo, you wonât. Iâll help you!âÂ
âOkay.â Â
I squeal excitedly. âLet me get you an apron. In the meantime, wash your hands,â I say giving him a warning look.Â
Eddie laughs. âAlright, Alright.âÂ
I go to the pantry where we kept all the kitchen stuff. On a rack at the corner of the small room I find all the aprons. Most of them had stains on them, the cleanest one was Ericaâs old apron. It was blue with polka dots on it. I smile taking it off the rack. This would barely fit Eddie but I think he would look adorable in it.Â
âI could only find Ericaâs old apron,â I call out walking into the kitchen. âI hope itâs okay.âÂ
Eddie looks over his shoulder throwing a rumpled paper towel into the trash can. He throws his head back shaking with laughter.Â
âIs this payback?âÂ
âNo, the others were dirty, I have to wash them. Ericaâs old apron was the cleanest out of the bunch.âÂ
âThis is hilarious,â he chuckles, taking it out of my hands. âI donât think itâs gonna fit though.âÂ
âYou have such a tiny waist. Iâm sure it will.âÂ
I giggle at the pink tinge on Eddieâs cheeks, walking behind him to tie the apron around his waist. Eddie was a little self-conscious about his waist, often commenting on how he needs to go to the gym to bulk up. I always reassure him that I love his body the way it is and he doesnât need to change a thing. Eddie ties the string around his neck first, hoisting the fabric high on his chest. The waist string moved up to his stomach. I pull on the string tying it around his stomach instead. Peering over I look at him, snickering quietly. Eddie looks like an overgrown pre-schooler. I have to take a photo.Â
âDonât move. Iâm going to get the camera!âÂ
âDiana.â Eddie groans. He always acts like he hates when I take photos, but I know secretly loves them. Eddie is just like Erica in that sense. Lucas and I love taking photos. Erica complains but always asks to take another one just in case the first one isnât good.Â
âThese are memories, Eddie!â I say, grabbing the camera on the kitchen counter by the refrigerator.Â
 âUh, uh,â he refuses crossing his arms.Â
 âNo, donât hide from me. Ever.â I uncross his arms.Â
Eddie rolls his eyes and I kiss his knuckles taking a step back.Â
âNow say cheese!âÂ
Eddie smiles wide, dimples making an appearance.Â
âAw, you look so cute like that!â I squeal, looking through the viewfinder. I snap the picture, waiting for the photo to develop. âCan I take another photo?â
Eddie grabs a whisk holding it in his hands like Julia Child. I take another picture laughing at his antics.Â
 âYour turn,â he spoke, reaching for the camera.Â
He takes it out of my hands peeking through the viewfinder. I close my eyes sticking my tongue out just as the light flashed out the camera.Â
 âOne more. Smile and point at your sweater,â he smirks.Â
I gawk at him just as the camera flashes. Eddie cackles behind the camera pulling the photo out of the slot.Â
âEddie!â I shout, running to him.Â
I try my best to grab the photo out of his hands but he was long and lithe for my short stature. Eddieâs laugh echoes through the kitchen as he squirms out of my reach.Â
âLook at your face!âÂ
âIâm trying to!âÂ
Eddie hides the photo behind his back. âIf I show you this photo, do you promise not to throw it out?âÂ
âYes, I promise.âÂ
Eddie arches his brow skeptically.Â
âI promise,â I assure, holding my hand up like a girl scout taking a pledge.Â
âOkay.âÂ
Eddie shows me the photo in his hand not letting go when I try to pull it out of his grasp. I huff looking at the picture. I look as shocked as I felt in the moment. You can tell I was looking at him over the camera. I didnât look as bad as I thought.Â
  âSee? You look so cute.âÂ
âCâmon,â I say handing him the rest of the photos. âYou have work to do.âÂ
 âYes, maâam.â Â
He sets the camera and photos on the farthest edge of the counter before joining me. I smile feeling his lips on my temple. Another thing I noticed about Eddie, he canât go five minutes without touching me in some way. Whether itâs holding my hand, playing with my hair, touching my cheek, standing beside me, or my personal favourite, kissing me. Eddie bends forward resting his elbows on the counter. He gazes at me with warm affection, waiting patiently for instructions. I take a deep breath trying to rid the pink fog in my head. Over a year later and Iâm still not used to the way Eddie looks at me.Â
âO-okay,â I stutter, breathlessly. The corners of Eddieâs lips twitch but he doesnât say anything thankfully; âweâre gonna start with the butter and white sugar first. I already finished measuring the brown sugar. Now youâre going to measure œ cup of butter and ÂŒ cup of white sugar. When youâre done, put them all in this big bowl, okay?âÂ
âYes, maâam. Can I use the same measuring cup for both?âÂ
âYes.âÂ
âOkay.âÂ
I watch Eddie pour the brown sugar in the large glass bowl; He then proceeds to measure ÂŒ cup of white sugar and add it to the bowl. I hold back my smile as he hesitates with the butter, a line appearing between his brows as he thinks about what to do next. Eddie makes the cutest faces when he is concentrating. I adore the way he frowns, the way his eyes narrow at the task at hand, when his tongue pokes out between his lips. I busy myself with the eggs so it doesnât feel like Iâm hovering. From the corner of my eye, Eddie scoops the butter with a spoon knocking it against the measuring cup. He does this until half the measuring cup is full.Â
âSweetheart? How do you make brown sugar?â he asks, making sure there was half a cup of butter in the measuring cup.Â
âBy mixing molasses and white sugar together. If you want to make the brown sugar darker, just add more molasses.âÂ
âHmm,â he muses, scooping the softened butter into the mixing bowl. âOkay, Iâm done. Whatâs next?âÂ
âNow this part is very important, Eddie,â I voice, handing him the electric mixer. âYou are going to use this to beat the ingredients together until they are creamy and smooth.â Â
âCreamy and smooth. Gotcha.âÂ
I leave Eddie to mix just as the timer set went off. Quickly shoving on the oven mittens, I open the oven pulling the steaming hot cookies out. The smell of warm peanut butter and sugar floats around the kitchen mixing in with the scent of chocolate. I set the tray on the top the stove and take off my mittens before taking the small bowl full of Hershey kisses on the counter. I begin to carefully place one kiss in the centre of the cookie having already unwrapped each chocolate prior.Â
âBaby, is this creamy and smooth enough?âÂ
I walk over to him peering into the bowl. âIt looks great, Eddie,â I respond with a smile. âIâm going to add egg and vanilla quickly and then you can continue to mix. Use this,â I hand him a spatula, âto scrape the sides of the bowl.â
After I add the egg and vanilla, Eddie mixes the ingredients as I work on the flour. We work in comfortable silence and I feel happy and light thinking about all the pastries Eddie can help me make. He was already a great cook; baking was natural to him although he didnât know it yet.Â
âBaby, can you check this again?â I peer from my spot.
âItâs perfect. Change the speed to low. Iâm gonna add flour.âÂ
âIs it only flour?â
âI put cornstarch, salt and baking soda.â
âHmm,â he hums.Â
âKeep mixing. We want soft and thick.âÂ
âSoft and thick,â Eddie nods. âComing right up.â
Eddie mixes the dough together and smile at him. Â
âYouâre a natural, Eddie.âÂ
Eddie blushes, turning off the mixer. âI have a good teacher.âÂ
I scrunch my nose, adding white chocolate and cranberries into the bowl and set it aside too distracted to continue. Â
âYouâre so cute when you blush.âÂ
âHow do you know Iâm blushing?âÂ
âYou scrunch your nose and look down,â he answers, mimicking me.Â
You could fry an egg on my face the way it felt so hot.Â
âI do that when Iâm embarrassed,â I point out.Â
âBut you add a giggle like,â he imitates my giggle.Â
I hit him softly fighting back a smile. Eddie was right about everything. He knows me so well, better than I probably know myself. Â
âYouâre such an egg head,â I comment. Â
Eddie leans close. I can smell the chocolate chip cookies on his breath.Â
âIâm not,â he replies, shaking his head.  Â
I open my mouth but couldnât find the words to say. The corners of Eddieâs lips turn up to the familiar confident smirk he wears when he knows Iâm flustered. I canât give him the satisfaction. Not this time. I turn my head peering at the open carton of eggs on the counter. I pick up an egg, biting my lip to conceal my laugh and quickly jump up breaking it over his head. Thick, sticky globs of egg yolk and tiny egg shells slide down his dark brown curls, seeping through the strands. Eddie opens his eyes as I wipe what was left on my hands on his white t-shirt, smearing the dark yellow residue against the cotton fabric.Â
âSmooth,â Eddie mumbles, nodding his head.Â
My body shakes with silent laughter. Eddie reaches over to the pile of leftover flour on the counter, flicking it onto my face before I could turn around and dodge the attack. I gasp, eyes widening in disbelief, yet I am unable to contain my growing laughter. I flick flour on him as well challenging him. Eddie scoops a handful with both hands and drops it all on top my head.Â
âEddie!â I scream.Â
I grab whatever I could find on the counter throwing it on him. Salt, sugar, flour, baking soda, brown sugar. Eddie wraps his arms around my body to hold me still, smearing what smelled like egg yolk all over my face.Â
âWhoâs the egg head now?â Eddie shouts. My scream turns into loud cackling.Â
âItâsâItâs stillâyou!â I shout back through uncontrollable laughter.Â
I try to escape from his hold but Eddieâs much too strong easily overpowering me. He spins me around laughing at my face. I must have looked as crazy as him. Flour and egg yolk with sprinkles of brown sugar on my face and in my hair. Eddie picks me up placing me on the counter, both our laughter dying down to hushed giggles. He brushes my hair out of my face gazing at me. I scrunch my nose, bumping mine softly against his before looking down.Â
âThatâs a new one. What does that mean?âÂ
âI donât know,â I shrug looking back at him. âYou tell me.âÂ
Eddie grins scrunching his nose, bumping it softly against mine.Â
âIt means,â he pauses, thinking. His eyes convey vulnerability that I only saw when he was with me. âI love you.âÂ
The butterflies in my stomach flutter around uncontrollably. Itâs been one week since Eddie and I confessed our love for each other and weâve said it to each other every day since. Each time either of us said it, which was plenty, my heart skipped a beat.Â
âAnd this,â he rubs his nose against mine making me giggle and hold his face still. âMeans, I love you too.âÂ
âIn that case,â I scrunch my nose again, bumping it against his.Â
Eddie rubs his nose against mine before closing the distance between us. His lips are soft and powdery. My heart feels like a jack hammer in my chest adrenaline coursing through my veins. Ever since the Snow Ball, I craved the feeling of his body close to mine in the most intimate of ways. I open my mouth deepening the kiss wrapping my arms around his neck pulling him closer.
 âUm?âÂ
I flinch startled by Ericaâs voice, quickly grabbing onto Eddieâs shoulders to jump off the counter. The remaining flour, sugar, and baking soda fell onto the floor onto Eddieâs socks.Â
âH-hey monster,â I stutter, putting my hands behind my back.
Eddie snickers from behind me and I elbow him softly in the gut. My face feels like itâs on fire and I hope Erica didnât see anything. She was my little sister after all. Based on the bewildered expression on her face, she was more concerned about the mess in the kitchen than the fact Eddie and I were making out.Â
âWhat are you guys doing?âÂ
Eddie and I look at each other grinning like Cheshire cats from ear to ear.Â
âWeâre baking,â I say, cheerfully.Â
Erica arches her brow eying our appearance. âI can see that,â she said, observing the state of the kitchen. âYou better clean up before Mom and Dad get back.â
âYes, Erica,â I sigh. Sometimes it felt like she was the older sister.Â
âDo you wanna helpââ Eddie began.Â
âNope,â Erica cuts him off swiftly, taking a peanut butter blossom from the cooling rack on the adjacent counter.Â
âErica! Those are for Dustin and Miss Henderson!âÂ
âIâm just testing the product,â she explains, with her mouth full breathing heavily. The cookies were still hot. âHmm, too much flour.âÂ
I gasp rushing beside her to inspect the blossoms. There couldnât be too much flour. I know the recipe like the back of my hand and always put just the right amount of flour.Â
âThatâs impossible!â I exclaim snatching the piece of cookie in her hand to check the consistency. Â
âSheâs only joking, babe,â Eddie chuckles. I frown at Erica who was laughing hysterically at me.Â
âThatâs not funny Erica!âÂ
Erica takes the rest of the cookie out of my hand with a mischievous smile. I gently push her out of the kitchen so she doesnât add to the mess. I turn to Eddie with a sigh looking at the mess we made in the kitchen. We really needed to clean it up before my parents got home.Â
âIâm going to mix the rest of the cookie dough together. In the meantime, you can clear the counter and then we can tackle the rest together before my parents come home.âÂ
Eddie grabs the polaroid camera on his way to me. I catch a whiff of the raw eggs and flour on him and laugh scrunching my nose faking disgust.Â
âYou smell like egg!âÂ
Eddie tilts my chin up with his finger. âWell, whoâs fault is that?â
I grin reaching up on the tips of my toes to close the distance between us. The kiss was intended to be chaste but the feeling of Eddieâs arm snaking around my waist pulling me against him wonât allow it. I try to pull away but that only makes him tighten his hold on me. I giggle against his lips holding his cheeks, our noses press together. A flash of light and the shutter snapping sounded in the background. Eddie pulls away taking the photo out of the camera.Â
âThis is amazing!âÂ
 âWe look insane!â Â
âWe look likeâŠâ his eyes crinkle despite the softness in his smile. ââŠWeâre in love.â Â
I smile, even with tears running down my cheeks. I go up on the tips of my toes scrunching my nose bumping it against his. Eddie smiles rubbing his nose against mine, closing the distance between us. In love we were.Â














