Additional Tags: "Unnamed freak" is named Frankie, no Vecna or Upside Down, Corroded Coffin show, Chrissy Cunningham lives, trans man Gareth, Gareth has a crush, soft Gareth, Gareth & Eddie Munson friendship, Eddie Munson lives, Eddie Munson is a sweetheart, protective Eddie Munson, soft Eddie Munson, first meetings, crush at first sight, love at first sight, teen crush, teen romance, wingman Eddie Munson, everything is beautiful and nothing hurts, alternate universe - everyone lives/nobody dies, Chrissy Cunningham is a sweetheart, Chrissy Cunningham deserves happiness, Chrissy Cunningham & Eddie Munson are best friends, Chrissy Cunningham has a crush, she/they pronouns for Frankie, awkward flirting, awkward conversations, awkward romance, Eddie Munson is a menace, brotherly Eddie Munson, supportive Eddie Munson, confident Eddie Munson, good friend Eddie Munson, anxious Chrissy Cunningham, Eddie Munson takes care of Chrissy Cunningham, autistic Chrissy Cunningham, nervous Gareth, Gareth is bad at feelings, autism, nervousness, anxiety, Gareth is a little shit, queer culture, queer themes, found family, Corroded Coffin as found family, scars, first kiss, gentle kissing, awkward kissing, dialogue heavy, POV third person limited, POV Chrissy Cunningham, Chrissy Cunningham is learning.
Just standing outside was quite a lot, she can hear the loud chatter through the doors and feel the fake ID burning a hole in her purse, but eventually, Eddie emerges from the small, hidden building with a grin, somehow already out of breath. "Okay! We're basically set up now, you have everything?"
"Mhm! Earbuds and everything." She nods along and fidgets with her clothes, nervously glancing behind him to the dark room they'll be performing in.
"Okay, great! I'll take you inside," he gestures for her to meet him in front of the door and carefully guides her inside, quickly taking the responsibility of a big brother figure, using his own body to shield her from the more rowdy of the crowd before stopping them at a less populated corner and raising his voice over the loud chatter, "you wanna stay back here or be up by the stage?" When she can't bring herself to answer verbally in the moment, Chrissy points and gestures towards the stage, hugging her purse close to her chest as a small safety blanket. With a firm nod, he guides her through the sparser sections of club-goers until they reach the front, pulling her off to the side before turning to someone nearby, their appearance, dyed and spiked hair with an abundance of piercings and an outfit that seemed more patches than fabric, immediately influencing a strange mix of reactions, first fear and uncertainty before shifting into an unusual comfort and curiosity, only expounded upon when she catches exactly what Eddie's telling them, "Keep this girl safe." He pats the stranger's back and gives them a smile before turning back to her and leaning down slightly to get to her level, "If shit gets too much, if you get scared or anything, you can go backstage, yeah? There's a band of goth girls back there that're real sweet."
