Summary ~ When a new girl in Hawkins strikes the younger members of Hellfire as one of Eddie’s ‘lost sheep’ types, he’s encouraged to reach out. She’s standoffish, for the most part, but Eddie manages to break the ice with a genuine admiration of her art. It’s a start, but by the time the bell rings, he’s thankful to have at least gotten a foot in the door...
Warnings ~ Profanity; bullying; Tolkien lore(?); use of she/her pronouns, though the main character’s details are kept to a minimum, only being plus-size is explicitly stated - so I hope it can still be enjoyed as a “reader” experience!
Author’s Notes ~ So, I’ve been messing around with this one for a while, and it really just started off as some private comfort drabbles for myself. I connected with Eddie’s character almost immediately, especially since I went through some similar experiences in school - up to and including some unflattering rumors. Some of the main character’s details, interests, and expressed sentiments may be specific, but all-in-all, I wanted to keep it a “reader” friendly experience for my fellow Eddie lovers. I'm disabled, so I can't promise a consistent posting schedule, only that they'll arrive as soon as I can finish them - that said, my addled brain can sometimes overlook some editing errors. If it's glaring, I don't mind being notified, but if it's passable, let it pass~
I did make a small time adjustment to be able to (time appropriately) include some themes and media I plan to reference in the future - so the year is 1987. Enjoy!
“Trees of Valinor” photo by Aronja-Art!
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It was a long-awaited Friday, one of the first of the new school year, and the cafeteria buzzed with electricity. Mostly due to the anticipation of some sports ball game, or another, but in a friendly corner, toward the end of a familiar table, a group of voices clamored amongst themselves, excitedly, blissfully ignoring the energy generated by the rest of the room.
"New semester, new campaign! C'mon, Eddie, man!" A scrawny sophomore groaned. "We've been doing nothing but one offs for weeks now!"
Sliding a pretzel between his lips, the head of the rattling table lifted an eyebrow with a coy smile.
"By failing to prepare, Wheeler, you're preparing to fail. S'not my fault if you've refused to see my, mmh, readiness exercises as anything more than mere placeholders." He chuckled with all the sinister theatrics he could muster, bringing a laugh to the table, and gasps from a cluster of girls seated nearby.
"My sincerest apologies." Eddie gave them a cordial half-bow from his seat, which garnered him only a few odd looks and an eye roll. ‘Can't win 'em all.’ Though he'd grown quite used to that, thinking nothing of it as he turned back to his flock. "...a-a-anyway, we'll see how that lack of preparedness serves you in your daunting trials ahead."
"Daunting trials, he says. This guy!" A heavy-set boy to Eddie's other side droned in a tone half in disbelief and half in delight.
It was Hellfire Friday, once again.
"Indeed, and I expect you, one and all, to come prepared. Each of my, ahem, 'one offs', came packaged with a lesson." He rolled his head toward Mike with a smarmy grin. "A clue, if you will, that will aid you in your arduous tasks. An' no repeats if you weren't paying attention, been writing that shit for weeks. Not my fault if you refuse to appreciate it."
"At least give us a hint, man!" Gareth pleaded over the rim of his soda can.
"'Fraid not, my little adventurers! All will be revealed in due time, now huddle up; got a few things to keep in mind, yeah?"
In his best commanding voice, Eddie began to ramble a bit, seemingly enjoying the sensation of spinning an intricate tale - or the sound of his own voice, it was hard to be certain sometimes. All heads leaned in, hanging on his every word, save the far-gazed Dustin at Mike's arm who continued to gaze, curiously, out the window.
He sipped chocolate milk through a straw, idly, as he sat pondering something in the courtyard. For a moment, he looked as though he might get up, but quickly sunk back down into his seat. He had seemingly gone ignorant to the hum of voices around him, until he was snapped out of his daze by a pretzel grazing the tip of his nose.
"Am I borin' you, Henderson?" Eddie asked, another pretzel between his fingers, ready to be flicked.
"N-No, it's just-" Dustin began, grabbing for a napkin.
"Then why, oh why, is my little sheepie looking so lost again?"
"Rude, dude." Gareth mumbled under his breath.
Dabbing at his chin, and a few spots on the table, Dustin looked to Eddie apologetically; nodding, reflexively, if only to keep peace at the table for the time being.
"S-Sorry man, I just… n-noticed something, that's all." He gestured toward the window he'd been staring out.
"Well, clearly it wasn't all the effort I've been puttin' in for you guys, eh?" Eddie eyed him for a moment as he got to his feet, turning on his heels toward the row of windows behind them; the smirk on his face betraying the fact he was hardly upset at all.
A few short strides, and Eddie pressed his nose flat to the window pane, dark eyes scanning the busy school yard for whatever could have pulled Dustin's attention away from the gory details of their impending campaign. For several long moments, he noticed nothing particularly out of the ordinary, just the regular passing of the odd group of students here and there.
"Not sure what's got you so utterly transfixed out here, Henderson." His voice was slightly muffled as he comedically kept his face pressed to the glass, gathering him more than a few strange looks.
"So, as I was saying-" Eddie began again as he started to turn around, stopping only when his gaze crossed with that of a group of wild jocks.
Rather, he noticed them as they continued to enjoy pretending he didn't exist, lest it suited them - all the better for him, really, when it came down to it. Though their utter unawareness of the twisted, mocking face he made at them against the window pane was, admittedly, a bit disappointing. Content that whatever had been interesting had passed, and his antics would go unnoticed, Eddie made to turn around once more, before spotting what must have surely been the point of Dustin's fixation. Maybe?
At the far side of the yard, a girl sat hunched intently over a broad sketch pad, utterly engrossed in her task. Her ample thighs giving support to the wide, thick paper as she rested her back against the warm bricks - an array of fine colored pencils sat upright in a pouch by her knee, along with several others spread out within easy reach.
"Whoops!" An unfamiliar voice bellowed overhead. The girl barely had a moment to look up, before catching sight of her pencils scattering across the pavement and grass, neatly punted by one of the boys as they passed.
"My bad!" Said another, purposefully skipping a step to ensure his heel came down hard on the few that remained at her side, splintering the wood, and crushing the soft cores to a useless dust.
Snickering to themselves, the group didn't even take a moment to break their passing stride as the girl, with more patience and grace than the situation deserved, placed her work aside to gather her belongings back, before more were carelessly ruined underfoot by students scurrying by.
"Should be more careful!" A cocky blonde at the head of the group called over his shoulder with a mock tone of concern.
Jason Carver. Eddie was unfortunately familiar with the popular, well-liked, golden boy. He could almost remember a time when the two of them might have been friends, or at least not so stereotypically the antithesis of one another, but that time had long passed. Though Jason rarely participated, actively, in the antagonistic antics of his peers, he was woefully slow, if not completely unwilling to stop it.
Eddie grimaced sympathetically as he watched the girl gingerly weave her hands between passing legs, trying her best not to get her fingers stepped on. Holding his tongue between his lips for a long while, his train of thought was broken only when Dustin's gently inquisitive voice beckoned to him.
"I mean, I'd just never seen her before. Out there, by herself, never talking to anyone, and it's been that way for days. Weeks? I don't know, I guess I was just thinkin', y'know… little lost sheep?" He grinned and shrugged, unsure if it was his place to make such a suggestion. Eddie spoke often of passing the mantle to his younger group members but, at present, seemed rather content to be in the position of decision making.
Turning back toward the table, his face stern, Eddie opened his metal lunchbox and swept anything he hadn't finished, inside and slammed it closed. Lacing his fingers he cracked his knuckles, and nodded to the group members in turn, wordlessly. He hadn't anticipated playing shepherd today, on this, the day his longest and most brutal campaign yet began, but when had anything expected ever really happened to him? He'd made it his duty to look after people like those he called friends, those like Dustin, Lucas, and Mike - and they were the ones for whom he strived to set an example.
Besides, Higgins couldn't keep him here forever. Right?
"Good lookin' out, Henderson." Eddie clapped an amiable hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hellfire's gonna need people like you, when the rest of us ascend to the great beyond, eh?"
"Like that'll ever happen." Gareth snorted at him.
"Never say never, big boy." Eddie pointed a finger under his nose, giving it a friendly flick before skipping a few steps away.
"I'll catch up with you all tonight, same time, same place. Come prepared." He tossed a wink in Mike's direction.
Eddie had never considered himself much of a hero; it was easier to play one behind an inch tall figurine. Better even yet, to devise the machinations that would drive little would-be heroes toward their goals. On paper anyway. Damsels usually found him a cause for their distress, or at least tended to cross the street or double check their car door locks when he passed by.
Yet there he stood, a few bold strides away as Dustin's Damsel gathered the last of her sullied supplies, looking rather helpless, knees down on the sidewalk. Yeah, that looked enough like distress… and there was a first time for everything. Usually.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted one of her pencils that had likely been scattered in the brief fray and stooped to pick it up. Letting it roll across his palm, he admired the deep red hue or "crimson lake" as the silver, inlaid label called it - he knew next to nothing about art and what supplied it, but it was clear these were no discount bin Crayola. ‘Crimson Lake’ he thought to himself, lost briefly in thought; almost worthy of being the name of a campaign landmark. Leaving his dungeon planning for tonight’s festivities he finally stepped toward the girl, who'd yet to get to her feet, and held the pencil down to her eye level with the most genuine smile he could muster.
"Missed one!" He tried to twirl it, smoothly, between his fingers like a baton and only succeeded in sending it clattering onto the concrete. Critical miss.
"Ugh." The girl cringed at the sound and snatched the scuffed pencil off the sidewalk, securing it before more damage could be done. "Thanks, I guess?"
“Oof, hey, that’s not usually how that trick goes, my bad.” Eddie grinned, trying to smooth over his moment of embarrassment, quickly looked for any distraction from his fumble, a segue back to his trademark charm. Scanning for any additional pencils she might have missed, his eyes instead fell on her sketchpad and he was immediately, unabashedly, drawn in.
“Oh, this, th-i-i-s here? This is sick!” Resisting the childlike urge to snatch the paper up for a better look - he figured her belongings had been mishandled enough for one day - he crouched over the drawing she'd been working on and rubbed his hands excitedly. He licked his lips, eyes scanning the page back and forth, taking in the level of detail she’d managed already, and even he could tell it was only half finished.
"Sweet! It's… it's the Trees of Valinor, right? Oh man, this is so wicked. A lady of culture and taste, I see, to suffer the Silmarillion." He mimed tipping a hat, cordially, in her direction before turning back to admire the piece once more.
The girl was quiet for a few long moments as she got to her feet and dusted herself off, hopeful to preserve any shred of dignity she had left. Eyeing the strange boy for a moment she was flattered at his admiration of her work, to be sure, though curious as to what had drawn him to it now.
"Yeah… yeah it is. You, um, you recognized it? Just like that?" She asked gently; her encounters thus far at Hawkins High, including today, had seemingly left her unsure of who could be easily talked to.
"Oh, hell yeah!" Eddie lit up again, with no small amount of enthusiasm.
He'd been a rabid fan of Tolkien since he could remember knowing how to read. Even if the text didn't always make sense to his young mind, he'd devoured them again and again, enamored by the high fantasy lore. He could probably quote them by page number at this point, but one step at a time.
"Look at that, Laurelin, there…" His fingers traced the curve of golden boughs on the paper, again, careful not to actually touch it. "...and Telperion. Oh man, how'd you get it to look like true silver like that? I know, I know the magician never reveals their secrets but, damn, this is bitchin'!"
She watched curiously as he pored over her drawing, like a frantic boy, never having seen someone so enamored with art derived from, what most would call, nerd literature. Nevermind being able to recognize it at first sight. It brought a tentative smile to her face for a moment, before she laid eyes on the remains of a pale gray pencil, now mostly splinters.
"Doesn’t matter how, guess it'll never be finished." She bent to pick up the pencil, surprised at how well it still clung together, even if it was entirely useless now.
"Huh?" Eddie broke his gaze with the drawing and glanced up; he was fairly sure whatever was in her hands used to be a pencil. "Ah, damn, ruined, huh? Those dudes are such pricks, let me tell ya', don't feel too special, they pull that kinda’ shit with everyone who doesn't fit their mold."
"I'll try not to let the royal treatment go to my head?" She raised an eyebrow, knowing he meant well, but it was difficult to see much good, given the circumstances. "Fuck, these are expensive. Ack, uh, excuse me."
"Far be it from me to judge the speech of a woman scorned." He raised both hands with an unapologetic grin, though behind it lay a bit of an empathetic gritting of his teeth. Something in her voice told him they wouldn’t easily be replaced - a feeling he knew well.
She sank in on herself for a moment, and he couldn't tell if she was simply embarrassed at the outburst, or if something else was eating at her entirely. He knew the cost to have and keep something important to you, and the fear of having it ruined or lost… so quite likely the latter.
"I'm Eddie, by the way." He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the awkward silence blooming between them.
"I know."
"You… know?" He tilted his head to one side and studied her profile as she set about packing her things. His uncle had always warned him overindulgence in the herb would stunt his brain, but he was certain he'd never spoken to this girl before today.
"We have chemistry together. Though, you tend to spend most of it asleep, yeah?"
"Ohh, yeah that's right after lunch! Full tummy, it's nap time for growing boys, you know?" He patted his belly, hoping to elicit a laugh - but understood her sustained silence, all things considered. "Those who know me, call me ‘The Freak’, those who love me call me The Dungeon Master."
She tilted her head in his direction with a slight eye roll and a smirk. It wasn't the laughter he had hoped for, but it was a start.
"I see, and which would you prefer I call you?" She studied him for a moment as she hoisted her bag onto one shoulder, just in time for the bell to ring.
"We-e-ell, that remains to be seen. Right now, I figure you're hovering pretty close to 'freak', but if you churn out sick pieces like that?" He gestured to her sketch pad again. "I'm hopin' we eventually land at Dungeon Master."
His infectious grin failed to rouse her, yet again, as she pointed to the bound drawing book just behind him.
"Mind handing me that?"
"Oh, yeah, sure, sure, here…" Tenderly, he wrapped his fingers around the edges of the paper and handed over her collection of masterpieces. Clicking his tongue as he watched her fold it closed and tuck it under her arm, wondering what other treats for the eye it held. "Eddie. Eddie is fine for now. We can work with that, yeah?"
"Right. Well, 'Eddie Is Fine', I've gotta' be off. We, uh, both do… I guess."
"Yeah, right, 'cause the bell… oh, wait, I had something for you. Red, red, your red." He patted his pockets a few times, remembering vividly picking up the pencil he'd used to break the ice between them. Ice that was rapidly reforming.
"You… you gave it to me already." She wiggled her fingers, teasing him about his prior, pencil twirling mishap.
"That I did!" He said with feigned, and utter confidence. "Just makin' sure you remembered, you know? Sweet shade of red, by the way. ‘Crimson Lake!’ Hey, so listen…"
He looked up to see she'd already turned and begun to walk away, and he hadn't even made his proper pitch yet. Not a man to take no for an answer, at least not the first or third time, he jogged boldly to her side, trying to stoke the embers of conversation again.
"So, listen, mind if I talk while we walk?" He grinned down at her as his presence parted the hallway crowd for them.
"I don't think you've stopped talking yet. You pour all your points into charisma? I'd say that investment isn't paying off."
"Whoa! Attack of opportunity, and she knows when to strike. I like it… so uh, you're new, and I've got this thing I'd be interested in you being interested in…"
Hopefully, he could get his spiel out before they reached the door; not that he was averse to talking through another boring lecture, of course. It’d be a refreshing change of pace for his typical nap period, anyway. Still, she at least seemed to be listening, so far, and utterly unashamed to be seen walking with him; he'd thank a lucky roll for that.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Since the beginning of the year, my best friend and I decided to stop sharing our ideas on air to little by little structure something that we had in mind, but with time and the hustle and bustle of our adult lives it prevented us from moving forward as we wanted.
As the year progressed and we took time to start our hobby project, there were more ups and downs thanks to us straying from the original plan again due to a lack of proper communication. It wasn't until we reached an agreement more in line with our time and ideas that we finally started this and have followed it to this date.
We know that on the platform there are quite a few writers with very good stories - some that are no longer there but served as inspiration since we adored them - which made us a little terrified to be able to launch our own, this because of the idea that maybe we wouldn't get that far. or the reception would be less than the first published draft.
For better or worse, we continue in this more than anything for the mere pleasure of sharing something to which we have put love and dedication, a project that has had its ups and downs and debates, but has kept us entertained more than for others, for we. A sign that we can really do something great together.
Anyway, I know that publishing this here, having been on the ao3 platform for some time, would be pointless, also due to the poor reception I have here, but it is more another way to share this on behalf of both of us.
Without further ado, we leave this here, it may or may not attract attention, in the end we appreciate the time you take to read this or take a brief look at it.
Summary ~ After failing to bring his new acquaintance to the inaugural night of Hellfire's new campaign, Eddie crosses paths with her as he returns home; surprised to find he also has a new neighbor. He's pleased to find, with a little herbal remedy, she's more willing to relax and make conversation with him. Less pleased is he to find why she's so typically on edge in the first place.
Warnings ~ profanity; smoking, marijuana; implication of drinking; (blink and you'll miss it) negative self body image; implication of past abuse; abusive commentary from a parent; use of she/her pronouns
Notes ~ Reader/Main Character now has a hometown from a neighboring state! [Edited!] My medication-addled brain can sometimes overlook some editing errors. If it’s glaring, I don’t mind being notified, but if it’s passable, let it pass~ Reminder the time is adjusted to 1987 - enjoy!
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Requested tags: @eddieswifu @missfangirl-slightly-obsessive [To be added for future updates, shoot me an ask!]
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Under the flickering of a dying street lamp, Eddie crouched some dozen or more feet behind his trailer, prodding and scraping at the remnants of some failed culinary endeavor, mostly shrouded by the dark of the evening. It, once upon a time, had been something his uncle had left for him before heading out to work. He thought, anyway. Wayne had always looked out for him the best he knew how, but when it came to domesticity he left something to be desired.
"Rest in beans, for we hardly knew ye." He groaned sarcastically under his breath turning the saucepan over and letting the contents flop, unappetizingly, into a shallow culvert. He stumbled slightly in the dim light cast from the back door, cursing to himself silently for having promised he'd replace the burned out bulb on the porch. He would of course, that is… eventually.
Almost sure the burnt abomination had been properly banished to its swampy demise in the ditch, he turned to head back inside; just as the acrid stench of burnt food was replaced by the smell of something just as pungent but much more familiar. For a moment, he grumbled at the thought of having left his freshly rolled joint slowly burning, wasting, in the kitchen ashtray, but, no this wasn't wafting from the back door he'd left haphazardly askew. Eddie had been known to be careless from time to time, but certainly never wasteful, at least not when it came to letting his own things go, literally, up in smoke.
Placing the ruined pan on the rickety boards of the back landing, he scanned the hazily lit roads and side yards that wound between the motley assemblage of the trailer park. His nose twitching a bit, his eyes came to rest on the dull glow of a lighted window, in a home he'd been sure that up to… maybe two or three days ago had been dark. From it spilled light enough to illuminate a vaguely familiar silhouette; at least it should be, having just become acquainted with it hours before.
"That you, Sweet Red?" He called, loud enough for her to hear, but hopefully not to disturb the neighbors. Ah, but what did he care? There wasn't a person in this place who hadn't become familiar with his shenanigans, save perhaps the newcomers. Licking his lips a bit, he felt a little awkward calling out to her by no name more than the thing that first introduced them: her sweet shade of red pencil. A real charmer.
Leaning against the back bumper of a beater with rusted out siding was the slumped and diminished form of the new girl Dustin had pointed him toward earlier in the day. She sighed, nearly exasperated, while exhaling a slow stream of white smoke. Pretending for a moment not to hear him, her eyes watched him all the while he approached; placing an animated hand over his eyes, as if it could at all help him see better.
"So, you really do live here in our little slice of heaven, huh?" He rocked back on his heels, close enough now she could see the broad and genial grin on his face in the milky light of the window.
Scoffing slightly, she took another long drag off the joint pinched between her fingers, gazing hard into the sky and blowing a small, deliberate cloud between them. Eddie only returned her mock amused look and took a deep breath amid her smoke, like he was taking in the smell of fresh roses on a summer breeze.
"What, you think I’d lie about something like that? Looking to impress you?" She spoke finally, her voice a bit hoarse; besides, she knew he didn't mean it, not in any way that mattered. "Not much to brag about is it? Living in a place like this?"
"Oh, and sour, I see." He chuckled, sidling up next to her and resting his elbows on the trunk of the car. Her eyes fell on him again, and she couldn't help but half-heartedly return his infectious smirk. "Don't worry I'll be careful not to scratch the paint job." Spreading his fingers wide he rapped his heavily ringed knuckles against a particularly rusted portion of metal, producing a dull, monotone melody to fill the growing silence between them.
"Quite the lair you have." She spoke again, after a long while, turning her gaze in the direction Eddie had come from; not entirely sure which trailer he'd come out of, but they all looked the same in the dark.
"You know," Pausing to take yet another drag, she coughed a bit, halfway toward a laugh as a playfully mocking tone rose in her throat. "...for a Master and all. The Dungeon Master."
"Well the thing is, this is all just temporary, y'see?" Eddie smirked slightly, though his tone conveyed all seriousness, at least as much as his Munson charm could manage. "Yeah, my uh, Fortress is under renovation right now. My Fortress of, uh, you know, Solitude. Should only be a little while longer, and I'll be back on my throne, deep in my l-l-lair. " He threw up his fingers into a pair of teasing air quotes.
"Heh, s‘that so?" She couldn't suppress a laugh at the way he wore sarcasm like a well-tailored suit; and oh, how well it fit him.
“I was hopin’ to see you there tonight, y’know? I think Henderson was, too, but hard to tell with him sometimes.”
“H-Henderson?” She cocked an eyebrow at him, hardly knowing anyone in this new place by name.
“Ohh, right, right, you didn’t get a chance to meet the guys yet. Y’might see him on my heels sometime, ah, kinda’ short, dorky lil’ shrimp of a kid, curly mop top, insufferably nerdy. Too smart for his own good and boy will he never let you forget that… infectious little smile, though, give the little shit that much.” Eddie clutched his fist dramatically as if he'd been robbed of some rightful achievement. "He, uh, spotted you first."
“Hmh, sound kinda’ fond of the kid, if I didn’t know better.”
“I mean, yeah, but I’m fond of all my lil’ lost sheepies. Y’know, in their own special way.”
“Sh-sheepies?” She chuckled, not even sure if she was amused, shaking her head a bit. “The hell?”
Eddie scuffed the toe of his shoe against the gravel between them, looking a bit awkward at having to explain himself. It was a patronizing little pet name, to be sure, but no one had ever really questioned him on it before - to those he’d reached out to it just made sense.
“Yeah, you know, those who don’t really fit in anywhere, separated from the flock, or maybe never had one to begin with? When you don’t shape yourself how society says you should, you get squeezed out, gets lonely. I guess I just like lettin’ people know that being themselves ain’t a crime, and there’s a seat for you at the table, I dunno’...”
“No, no, I… I get it.” She said softly, nodding. The sense of calm brought on by the joint she’d been nursing really seemed to open her up a bit more than she’d been earlier in the day. “The opposite of courage isn’t cowardice, it’s conformity.”
Eddie jumped slightly on the spot and clapped his hands once in, what appeared to be, excitement. “See? You do get it, you really get it! Damn, that’s poetic, you wanna’ help me write a campaign?”
“Heh, I got it from some book of my dad’s I found layin’ around in a box years ago, it just really stuck with me is all. Besides, I still haven’t decided if I’m into your little… club, or whatever.”
"You should really co-o-ome," He echoed their earlier conversation, "visit my lair and all. Have fun, make friends, and torment tiny adventurers in a labyrinth of irony and plo-o-ot twists."
"Need ogres to man your dungeons so badly?" Her tired eyes glanced down at herself, without so much as a hint of hiding what she meant.
"Hmm, all full on ogres I think - too demanding, and they keep wrecking the plumbing, you know how they are." He faux pouted for a moment, skirting around her feeble attempt at self-deprecation. Not on his watch.
Drawing himself up to his full height he eyed down at her with a grin, standing nearly two full heads above her. "How about a halfling to fetch my ale and tend my… uh, tomes and such?" Smooth.
"Will quest for food." She chuckled without missing a beat.
Eddie let his head fall back as he laughed, feeling as though the tension between them had finally begun to break. Shaking his mop of loose waves he caught another whiff of the ribbon of smoke swirling from her fingers.
"A toke for the needy, m'lady?" He put on an exaggerated frown and a ridiculous peasant accent to go with it; cupping his hands between them as if he genuinely expected her to oblige.
"Nah, this is about the last of my stash from home!" She hissed softly, carefully extinguishing the joint, and tucking it safely into a small, silver cigarette case she produced from her back pocket.
"Classy. Knew it didn't smell familiar, it sure isn't my stuff, anyway. Besides, I can get you more if you need it, but..." He raised a finger with a saccharine grin. "Only Sweet Girls get a discount."
"Thought I was sour, now." She crossed her arms, looking as though she were trying to protect herself from something; Eddie perked an eyebrow, as it certainly didn't escape his notice.
"Ah, I’m beginning to think you're like one a'those Sour Patch Kids. You know? First one, then the other?" Smiling softly he returned her cross-armed gesture. "Fortunately, I like both."
Her eyes grazed him up and down for a moment; his expression oozing with confidence she wasn't used to men like him wearing - then again, she wasn't used to men like Eddie Munson.
Averting her eyes for a few painfully long moments, she avoided his charming gaze. There was always something waiting behind a smile like that, at least in her experience; something waiting to take advantage of, or make a mockery of her. The least she could do for herself in this forced fresh start would be to never get swept up like a fool again.
"No, no, I get it." He spoke, cutting through the stiff silence like a knife. "It's special, y'know, a little bit of home and all. So, uh, where is 'home', if a displaced Dungeon Master may be so bold as to ask?"
Relaxing her shoulders a bit, her eyes traveled back to him and he nodded reassuringly. He'd noticed her apprehension and though he still wanted to offer a hand of friendship, he respected the time she'd need to open up, or tried to, at least.
"No place you ever heard of." She muttered toward him, fishing in her pocket for a pack of Tic Tacs to cover the smell of stale smoke on her breath. This time, without hesitation, she shook the pack in his direction with an offer to share.
"Ohh!" He placed his cupped hands out again and readily accepted as she shook a few out for him, grinning comically like a goblin at his hoard.
She couldn't help but laugh as he chuckled, making exaggerated lip smacking sounds as he poured the mints into his mouth. Good lord, he hoped his pathetic attempts to get this poor girl to relax were working; he hadn't felt like this much of a ridiculous ass in so long.
"Now, even as a three-peater, geography never tripped me up that badly. Y’know, you got your six cardinal directions, fifty-two states, but…" He paused his antics to roll the Tic Tacs around with his tongue. "You're gonna' have to be a lil' more specific than that for me, I'm afraid."
"Kentucky." She said with a bit of a dejected tone; Eddie couldn’t figure if it was just a bit of homesickness, or she expected him to make fun of where she came from. Instead, he only leaned back, lounging lazily against the back of the car again, and turning his eyes toward the sky.
"Ahh, yes, Kentucky. Home of the, uh… colonel…" Puffing out his chest he spoke of a place he'd never been as though it were both familiar and mystical, though it was clearly neither. "The Colonel and his mighty army of Fried Chickens !"
Ah, she'd expected that one, too but with his shameless delivery she laughed, truly this time; a warm laugh that resonated in her chest, clear and genuine, that brought a smile of relief to Eddie's face.
"Y-yeah?" He sputtered incredulously, surprised she'd found that amusing, much less laughed.
"Is, heh, is that all you know about it?" Her voice was more even, less guarded now. "I'm not surprised."
"Well, yeah… until now." He righted his posture, keeping a respectful distance between them as he rested his hands in his pockets and gave her the best smile he could muster to match her warm, candid laugh. "Now, I know you."
There was another silence between them, though this time it was tinged with the comfort of familiarity, rather than the pang of awkwardness. There was some, as of yet, unknown camaraderie between the two of them, some understanding that only those who'd experienced it could see behind the eyes of another. Maybe he'd just been imagining it, wanting to see it, like he wanted to see the comfort and relief in the eyes of every lonely soul he tried to reach out to. Still, he'd like to think not, maybe it was different this time. He wasn’t sure if she felt the same budding familiarity between the two of them, but he could only hope.
There was no way to tell if he'd successfully opened the door of friendship or not, but he'd certainly been knocking until his knuckles were raw. He was at least able to release a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she finally smiled softly and nodded. If the door wasn't open yet, he could hope it was at least unlocked; it was a start.
"Yeah, Dungeon Master, I suppose you do." The tension in her voice had faded to a comfortable warmth and he grinned without realizing. With an exaggerated flourish of his hand, Eddie bowed so deeply his hair nearly brushed the ground.
"Now, now, enough with the formalities m'lady. Merely 'master' will suffice."
Suddenly she reached up to cover her mouth, and he half expected her to feign some sort of retching at the audacity of his display. His smile only widened as he realized she was suppressing a laugh, her arms shaking slightly at the effort - as if she couldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing she'd finally succumbed to his humor.
"Wha-a-at? That? C'mon, I only just… wait what was that?" He stepped a bit closer and cocked his head to one side as she muffled a small sound behind her hand, and he giggled with delight.
"Did you just? Little snorties? Oh nooo, my heart, little piggy laughs!" He clutched his chest dramatically, swooning as though her embarrassed laughter was all it took to pierce his heart.
"N-No, stop it!" She wheezed, waving her free hand at him. "It's terrible!"
As if on cue, the door to her trailer snapped open with an unflattering clatter. Out stepped the silhouetted form of a staggering woman who, had she not been clinging to the door frame, surely would have tumbled face-first onto the gravel drive below. Eddie jumped slightly, turning toward the noise as he saw all sense of life and joy drain from the girl beside him.
"You makin' all that goddamn noise out here?" The woman's raspy voice echoed into the night, before taking a long drag off the cigarette resting between her fingers. "I'm lockin' this door in ten seconds, and yer ass ain't in here it's sleepin' on the porch."
Before Eddie could ask or say another thing, he looked back on her suddenly deflated form which, moments ago, lit up the dull night; all vibrancy and life in her extinguished like a wet match.
"Gotta' go." She muttered, trying to duck past him and make her way inside.
"W-Wait a sec!" Hands faster than his brain, Eddie leapt forward a bit and grabbed gently at her arm. He immediately regretted it as he felt her body stiffen and jolt at the sudden contact, knowing he'd made a mistake. Quickly he let go, hands raised in clear view, in hopes of letting her know he'd had no ill intent.
"Was…" She began roughly, stopping herself to briefly soften her tone. Perhaps it wasn't him she was annoyed with after all. "Was there something you wanted from me, Eddie?"
"Listen, I just… you seemed, a-and I wanted…" He began several times, but nothing seemed to come out just right. The sudden tension turned his tongue sideways in his head and he sighed deeply, trying to gather his thoughts.
Waiting a moment, she turned and headed toward the front door, with intent that told him right away that the half-lit woman's threats weren't merely idle. She'd acted on them before, and would again.
"Look after yourself, little lamb. These don't have to be the worst years of your life…"
He wasn't sure, but he liked to think she'd heard him before the sharp slamming of the front door behind her left him standing, alone again, in the chilly night.
Huffing, he puffed his cheeks and sauntered back toward home. Wondering if he'd made a friend or closed a door forever, he kicked at the loose gravel on the main drive; snickering sardonically as one skipped a few times and collided with the weathered "Forest Hills" sign just off the path.
Summary ~ Two weeks of silence following a tense departure has left a disillusioned Eddie ready to write his attempt at friendship off for good. That is, until she reaches back - giving him a glimpse at why she hesitated, and hope for the future.
Warnings ~ profanity; marijuana (mentioned); implications of past abuse; Eddie looks disrespectfully 👀; more Tolkien lore(?); implications of Bi!Eddie (if you squint, but I'm all for it); use of she/her pronouns
Notes ~ Look, I just can't stop adding Tolkien references - I loved Eddie from the outset, but when he was a confirmed Tolkien nerd I was smitten. Sorry for the wait! My medication-addled brain can sometimes overlook some editing errors. If it’s glaring, I don’t mind being notified, but if it’s passable, let it pass~ Reminder the time is adjusted to 1987 - enjoy!
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Requested tags: @eddieswifu @missfangirl-slightly-obsessive [To be added for future updates, shoot me an ask!]
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An echo of excited voices could be heard from one end of the abandoned halls, to the other; muffled only slightly by the moth-eaten curtain of the cafeteria stage. Evidently, it hadn't been moved since the school had the budget for a theater department, however long ago that was, and all showy gatherings were relocated to the stuffy gymnasium. All for the better, Eddie figured; it added a certain air of mystery to the dungeon-like atmosphere he'd created for Hellfire in the abandoned space.
Sure, the school paper and yearbook acknowledged they existed, after some repeat convincing, and the administration was vaguely aware of a fantasy game club among their roster of art, sports, and other socially acceptable hobbies. None of them, though, could likely point out where the club met exactly, aside from their begrudging permission to use school facilities. It worked out, though, giving the club members free reign to root through the stacks and boxes of abandoned set dressings to cater the space to their specifications.
Mirrors and lazily painted backdrops draped with dusty, costume cloaks gave the small space the eerie feel of a long forgotten manor. Vaguely medieval props of wooden shields and painted foam swords alluded to the trials and tribulations of adventurers of ages past. Still, Eddie's favorite find, a leftover from some Shakespearean production or another, was his throne-like seat: crafted by a theater student long before Hellfire's time, who had no idea the new purpose it would eventually adopt. Not that he'd ever admit to it, but he was sure it was rather obvious to the other club members the subtle sense of enjoyment he got from heading the table in it; well, that and a few well-placed candles for ambiance.
Eat your heart out, King Lear - the Dungeon Master is here.
"That's bullshit!" Dustin roared across the table, slamming his fist. "Lemme see your dice!"
"It's a nat 20, Henderson, deal with it!" Gareth snorted back at the boy, scribbling something down on a piece of scrap paper and whisking it out of sight.
"With that, the hall falls eerily quiet; there's no sound but the pounding of your own racing heart in your ears…" Raising his hands to quiet the table, Eddie leaned in to pour his trademark theatrics over the game space. Everyone leaned in, without hesitation, hanging on his every word. "With your enemies driven before you, a sense of uneasy calm washes over the party. Victory, we have victory!"
A small cacophony of joy erupted around him, each player happy to have survived yet another encounter. Barely, anyway; the battles had only proceeded to become more and more difficult, even if the campaign was still rather new. They knew Eddie prided himself in providing engaging, and challenging content, but this was a new beast entirely.
"BUT!" He began again, eliciting a small gasp from the huddled table. There was a pause, as he looked at each player in turn, before his eyes fell on an empty chair to his left. He'd put it there two weeks ago, the last time he'd invited a new sheep into his fold, and there it stayed with no occupant ever since. Furrowing his brow, he scolded himself silently for worrying about it so much - so she hadn't wanted to play with them, big deal. At least, that's what her actions up to now had implied. It wasn't the first time he'd been turned down and it certainly wouldn't be the last, and yet…
Having barely spoken to her since the night they'd bonded, if it could be called that, over pot smoke and laughs he couldn't help but wonder. Or, was it a worry? Sure, he'd feared his bold assertion at the end of the night might have alienated her a bit, especially since they'd only just met, but Eddie had been socially rejected before. In fact, he probably had an Olympic gold medal in it by now. Maybe Guinness could come and verify him for a world record if he wrote them politely enough.
Still, even if he'd accidentally kicked closed the door of potential friendship, he knew something other than his own, pushy awkwardness had to be at the heart of it. He hadn't seen her at her usual place in the courtyard during lunch, working on her drawings; she'd been missing from several chemistry classes, and when she had been there, she'd been so heavily invested in trying to keep her eyes open, she couldn't have talked shop with him if she'd wanted to. Even through all that, and knowing full well it was none of his business, Eddie knew he was being haunted by the cruel remarks of who he could only assume was her mother. It wasn't his place to ask, hell, it wasn't his place to worry, all the while it felt like some kind of classic morality riddle.
"...but? But what, man?" Mike leaned into the table a little as Eddie's prolonged, distracted silence became more noticeable.
"Eddie, dude, everything okay? Ding-dong, Earth calling!" Dustin reached out to wave a hand toward his face, good-naturedly.
Snapping back to his senses, Eddie scrunched his nose at the intrusion of his personal space, swatting at Dustin's hand like a fly.
"BUT!" He started again, with a renewed sense of urgency and dramatics. "The calm air around you begins to stir with an unfamiliar energy. It's dark, sinister, and impossible to trace the source of-"
"I wanna' make a perception roll to find the source!" Jeff fumbled for the correct die before Eddie stomped once, flustered, taking back control of the narrative.
"Ack, tsk, tsk, tsk! It is impossible! Impossible, as you currently are, to trace the source of this terrifying power! It pulses around you, like a heart beating, buh-bum, buh-bum…" He flexed his fingers in the light of a flickering candle, imitating the sound. "It's ali-i-i-ive almost! And before you can even lower your weapons a voice, unlike any you've ever heard echoes out, the sound like it's coming from everywhere all at once. From inside your own minds!"
Pausing for dramatic effect Eddie grinned, turning suddenly and leapt into his chair. From his new position above the table, he stretched out his arms, pulled in a deep breath, and bellowed over the room.
"BOLD OF YOU TO HAVE COME THIS FAR, LITTLE HEROES!"
The players seated closest to him recoiled slightly, jumping as they were startled. Eddie fed on the energy, bracing himself on the table with one foot, cupping his hands around his lips.
"But bravery alone will not save you from what is to come! If thou wouldst face me, take up arms and heart, show me that you are made of sterner spirit, than the mettle of those who have come before you!"
The room below him was silent, as he swept into a self-congratulatory bow, jumping down from his perch with a loud thud.
"Glad you all could join me, and one another, again this week. Whe-e-ere will next week's travels take us? Welp, gotta' show up to find out; now get outta' here!" He laughed with the group as he feigned disdain. "Drive safe!"
"You're just gonna leave us in the dark like that?" Gareth let his head fall back dramatically.
Leaning over to fold his notebook and screen, Eddie blew out the nearest candle with a teasing bit of a wink.
"Not enough upper body strength to dangle on a cliffhanger that long? You'll tough it out big guy!"
The others talked among themselves as they gathered their things, chattering animatedly about the night's adventures and what was to come. Eddie leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, wishing sorely for a bit of herbal relaxation after all the excitement. Oh, but the closest stash was in his van, and he’d yet to summon the strength to drag himself out. Still, he smiled slightly to himself, listening to the others talk as they filed out of the room; it was an art, the ability to weave a compelling story together. Sure, he didn't fancy himself a Dickens or Twain or whatever people considered peak literature, but so few would consider his medium worthy of admiration anyway.
Basking in a few moments of pensive silence, Eddie leaned forward and began stacking his books, shoving them haphazardly into his backpack - where they warranted somewhat more space than his school work. His time of private reflection was broken when he heard the door open again, and the sound of someone shuffling inside.
"Not giving you a ride, tonight, Henderson. I got two joints and my sweetheart waitin' on me at home." He grumbled without looking up; though there was no response and he rolled his eyes as he lifted his head. "What did I just say, I- …oh."
Before him, back nearly pressed flat to the door from his outburst, was the last person he'd expected to see. Well, maybe not the last, but certainly one he'd been willing and prepared to write off after tonight. Even so, like an oddly welcomed vision, there she stood, and Eddie felt so very suddenly like a complete moron.
"You!" He jumped to his feet, wearing an incredulous grin. "You, uh, finally came, huh?"
She approached the opposite end of the table, eyes scanning the empty room anxiously. There was a bag slung over her shoulder, and something held carefully in her hands. Eddie couldn't help but notice how dreadfully tired she looked; even so, he breathed an unconscious sigh of relief as he felt his fears were slowly assuaged. Some of them, anyway.
"Terribly late, it seems." Her voice was soft, and slightly hoarse.
"I mean, yeah, maybe, if you wanna look at it that way. Maybe you're right on time?"
She perked an eyebrow at him, curious, as she'd watched the others disappear down the hall, and he'd clearly been packing to leave as she came in. Not exactly what she'd call a timely arrival, but, it was at least an answer to his inquiry, long overdue: she wanted to be here, perhaps in spite of her better judgment.
"C'mere, sit for a while, no sense coming all the way down here just to turn around and go back, huh?" Eddie beckoned her toward the head of the table, where he still sat perched on his throne. He leaned back and opened his arms, gesturing broadly to the space they'd created for themselves. "What do you think?"
"This your other-other lair, huh?" Walking slowly around the table, she eyed the strange assemblage of items strewn about the room. Gingerly, she placed a small tupperware container on the table and let her bag rest, dangling off the back of a chair. Snorting to herself, she eyed his questionable choice of seating. "I think it looks like a Ren Faire garage sale. Er, tavern sale? That the auctioneer's throne you have?"
"Hey, we worked with what we had, and one does not argue when things are given freely. Admittedly, it's just a bunch of old play props, but you know, whatever. …and I'll thank you for recognizing this is the Dungeon Master's throne, yeah?"
"Oh, is that so? Does the bidding start at ten shillings?"
"She's priceless, smartass." Eddie caressed the arms of the chair, defensively; trying not to give her the satisfaction of his laugh and failing miserably. "I thought you were determined to avoid me, er, us, forever, you know?"
"I hadn't been avoiding you, I just…" She trailed off, taking a seat and rifling through her bag. After a few seconds she produced a familiar sketch pad and laid it on the table between them. "I've just been tired, I guess, had a lot of work to do."
"I could tell! You snoozed through more chemistry lecture yesterday than I usually do! That's saying something you know, 'cause that's my dedicated nap hour. You're usually all diligent and shit, taking notes. Bleh." He grinned, hoping to help her feel at ease. Maybe she was too late to join them for the night's session, but he could at least get her to feel compelled to come back.
"Heh, yeah. Kind of embarrassing actually, I usually fly under the radar with teachers, too. Not used to being called out in the middle of class like that."
"Bah, it's nothing. You're smart, and pay attention otherwise, they'll forget about it by next week. So, um, what brought you to Hellfire, finally?" Legs crossed as he leaned back in his seat, he fiddled with one of his rings, absent-mindedly.
"I…" She began, but trailed off, quiet for several long moments. "I'm not sure. Last time I tried to play with a group, you know back home and all… it, um, didn't exactly turn out the best. I figured it was worth another chance, I mean, you were so insistent, after all."
Reaching for a heavy, metal thermos she’d been holding between her thick thighs she unscrewed the lid and took a sip of whatever was inside, shivering slightly, as though struggling to warm up.
"What's in there?" He nodded quizzically to her drink, licking his lips a bit as he watched her open it. ‘Eyein' her, tongue waggin', like a damn dog boy, for Crissakes.’ He could hear his uncle’s chiding in the back of his mind already.
"Oh, um, a bit of hot cocoa. It's chilly after dark this time of year, and it's no short walk, you know?"
"Wait, you walked all the way here? No wonder you were late, Jesus Christ, doesn't that beater of yours run?"
"On the days it wants to. I guess today wasn't my lucky day, huh? You, uh, want some?" She tilted the thermos in his direction and he took in a whiff of the rich, chocolatey concoction. If she hadn’t noticed him practically slobbering on the table while watching her a few moments before, he feared she might now.
"If the lady would be so kind." He managed, smoothly, dragging his gaze away from her hips and soft-looking stomach. He cleared his throat and wanting, for a moment, to kick his own ass as she flipped the top of the thermos over and poured it to the brim for him. He hadn't realized until then he hadn't eaten since lunch, and the sweet smell set his stomach to rumbling.
Taking a deep drink, grateful for the distraction, he savored the indulgent beverage as it warmed him from the inside out. It didn't take him long to realize this was no supermarket powdered mix, and he eagerly took another gulp; painting his upper lip intentionally well.
“Oh man, that’s the stuff. Anyway, I don’t wanna’ catch you walking your ass here on our account again, at least ask me for a ride if we’re goin’ the same way, huh?”
Smirking, eyebrows wiggling ridiculously, he eyed her with a faux look of stern authority; offset of course by the chocolate, milk foam mustache settling under his nose. She watched him for a moment, a smile creeping onto her face before she dropped her eyes and covered her mouth, muffling a wheezy little laugh.
“Hmm, I’m recalling something about not getting into cars with strangers?” Her voice trailed off into a grin, eyeing the deliberate mess under his nose.
“Hey, c’mon, we didn’t get off on the best foot, but we’re not strangers, are we? Damn, it’s the mustache isn’t it?” He deepened his voice comically, wrinkling his nose and wagging a finger in her direction as she started to laugh so hard her entire body shook with the effort to keep it contained. Something about seeing her relaxed like this and enjoying herself, if only for a moment, set Eddie at ease. At least compared to how he’d been feeling since the night he’d seen her nearly collapse on herself in fear, become a completely different person, and disappear into the unknown.
"Not strangers, I suppose, no. But still…" Catching her breath, she sighed, leaning into the table, eyeing him warily for a moment. She only just caught his gaze before looking away suddenly, as if the vulnerability of direct eye contact was too invasive. "I haven't quite figured you out yet, I don't think."
"Hah!" Eddie scoffed, good-naturedly, as he licked his lips and wiped them on the back of his hand. "I wanna' be able to say 'sure, good luck with that', bu-u-ut I'm a simple man, what can you do? I enjoy a cold beer, good music, fantasy freak games, and long conversations with cute folks."
"Everyone has an angle, something they're after. Whether they're up front about it or not - something only experience can teach you, y'know?" Her voice fell as far as her eyes, and she squirmed somewhat in her seat. She seemed to be studying the bat tattoo on Eddie's forearm to keep herself distracted, or maybe to maintain her focus and avoid saying something too scathing. "So, you gotta' know what they’re about, before they turn you inside out."
"That's no way to be, sweetheart. Livin' life assuming everyone has it out for you? I mean, sure, I get it, trust is hard to give and easy to lose. Hell, I've never met a person who hasn't been stabbed in the back before, but…" Pausing, tongue caught between his teeth, he suddenly realized he knew next to nothing about what this girl had been through, yet. Maybe he was being a patronizing jerk, maybe he was preaching to the choir.
"Useful as long as you're useful." She struggled to get out, as if trying to protect herself while risking opening up to someone new. It was a tightly locked door, he could tell, that hesitated to budge.
Eddie shrugged, nodding, and knowing she was right. Even if there was a part of him that wanted to find that seed of doubt in everyone like her, like him, and root it out he knew he couldn't change her mind in a single night. Maybe he couldn't in a dozen, even a hundred, but in spite of knowing he felt no illusion of heroism there was an inkling in him that yearned for it, even if it was only a fanciful delusion. So, if it took him a thousand nights, ten thousand… Desperate to break his mopey and aggrandizing trail of thought, and keep the conversation going for a bit longer, his eyes fell on the sketch pad between them.
"I see the master has brought her tools of the trade! Now, I've never posed for a portrait before, but, I think you can capture my good side, let me just turn around."
"Ah, that's your good side? I could hardly tell the difference between the two, what with all the shit you like to talk." Grateful for the change in topic, her wit returned with a smirking vengeance.
"Oof! Critical hit!" He fell limply into his chair, "I'm gonna' have to be careful around you, if you keep throwing out whips like that. Seriously though, I hope this doesn't sound weird, but I kinda' wanted to see what else you've got in your magic sketch tome there."
Her hands spread out, protectively, across the cover of the drawing pad. She wasn't used to sharing her art with others, much less being asked explicitly about it. Remembering, fondly, his childlike glee at her Trees of Valinor drawing she smiled gently, knowing he was at least safe to share that much with.
"Well, I finished it. This one, and thought maybe you might want to see the end result." Opening the cover, she revealed the finished piece: two majestic trees on twin cliffs, one gold, the other silver, their glowing boughs reaching for one another as a city of pure white sat nestled in the distance behind them.
Eddie got slowly to his feet and gently turned the paper toward him so he could see it properly. Bracing himself on the table, he fanned out his fingers and tapped his knuckles noisily against the wood. His head bobbed a few times as he'd lean in to observe a small detail then lean back to take the whole image in again; his body vibrated excitedly on the spot all the while.
"Listen, I gotta' know what entity you sold your soul to, to be able to make…" He pointed exaggeratedly at the drawing several times, a look of pure glee on his face. "This! All this! Oh, shit, you gotta' be a warlock, this is so incredibly bitchin'!"
"The entity of practice and nothing better to do, honest!" She chuckled, face flushed as she wrung her hands; unsure of what to do with such praise.
"Okay, okay I believe you." He raised his hands in acquiescence. "But I'm watchin' you, and the fi-i-irst hint of magic I sniff out… ohh, hey, I know!"
Dropping suddenly to his knees, ever the showman, he elicited a small gasp as his friend leaned over the table to make sure he hadn't actually hurt himself. He tore open his backpack and began rooting deeply through the books and wads of crumpled paper.
"Saw you eyeing my tatt, earlier. Dunno' if you've got any ink, but you appreciate art enough, yeah? So… I figured… you just might… ah!" Thrusting his arm into the air, sudden and triumphant, he waved his prize a few times before tossing it onto the table. In the brief silence, she laid eyes on a well-loved copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.
"I, uh, well…" She looked between him and the book a few times. "I mean, I've done a lot of Tolkien art-"
"I know, I know, and believe me I'm gonna' squeal like a girlie on prom night about all of them! You know, when you're comfortable enough to show me and all, bu-u-ut!" Leaning over the book he began flipping pages until he found what he was looking for - a break in the walls of text with a simple, black lined drawing they were both familiar with. The Doors of Durin.
Peering over the pages, she could see he'd gazed at this particular passage many times. The fraying paperback's spine cracked along the edge, almost permanently bookmarking itself.
"Think you could do it? I mean, yeah, of course you can, but, would you? I'll pay, I'm no cheapskate, I appreciate art." Eddie slid the book across the table to her, leaning in with a warm, excitable grin. "...and the artist."
She peered at the book as though it were her first time seeing it, even though her own worn out copy of the epic tale waited for her at home. Giving the hard, black illustration a once over, she noticed the faint appearance of overlapping lines between the ones inked on the page; he'd definitely tried tracing this before.
"It's just some simple line work, I mean… sure I could replicate it, but, what for?"
"Yeah, yeah but you and your pencil magic? I thought if anyone could jazz it up a little bit, give it some edge? I've been wanting to get it tattooed for ages now, but I didn't wanna, you know, just have someone copy a book page onto my ass."
"Wait, what?" She grinned at him, halfway amused that he'd want to permanently emblazon her work on his body, and at the thought of him face down in a tattoo chair. Maybe that was more of a blush, now, as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
"Uh, of course, was thinkin' about ri-i-ight here?" He struck an exaggerated pose as he struggled to lift his shirt and gesture excitedly at the bare skin of the middle of his lower back. Now she couldn't help but imagine he was pulling her leg, urging her to laugh any way he knew how.
"Oh, right above your own mineshaft. Very classy, sir."
"Well, do you know of any better place to advertise 'speak friend, and enter'?"
The pair burst into laughter, hardly able to take the other seriously in the moment. All the anxious churning in her stomach had finally given way and for the first time the entire night, she felt relaxed. Admittedly, it was far more difficult to do when she wasn't on the better way to being stoned, but Eddie made himself a comforting presence no matter the strange theatrics he injected into the situation. She wasn't used to people trying so hard to make her feel welcomed and at ease, but in that moment she imagined she could… and that she'd very much like to.
"Uhm, am I interrupting anything in here?" Their bouts of uncontrollable laughter were suddenly silenced by the intrusion of a third voice. Eddie turned suddenly to spot Dustin lingering by the door, a charming grin on his face as he eyed the two.
“Christ! Henderson, you sneaky little shit!” Eddie snapped as Dustin didn’t wait for an answer, strolling casually into the midst of their conversation; smiling all the while like he’d caught them in the middle of something scandalous.
“I’m levelin’ stealth.” He shrugged, looking over everything on the table like he was trying to piece together some mystery or another. “Listen, man, think you could drop me by my house on your way out? My mom’s with her book club or something and I don’t wanna’ sit outside all night.”
“No, look, I already told you - okay not you, but I thought it was you, and… no, no I’m not givin’ you a ride home; I got stuff to do!”
“Cle-e-early. C’mon, I’m along your way anyway… ohh, brownies!” His hands wandered the table as he spoke, and found the plastic container Eddie’s company had set down earlier and nearly forgotten about. Without asking, he pulled one out and took an eager bite. Recognizing the girl across from Eddie as the one he’d spotted weeks ago he waved politely before tipping his gaudily colored baseball cap. “M’lady.” His grin speckled with crumbs.
“Gross.” Eddie sneered at Dustin’s awkward introduction, teasing, ignoring the fact he’d done the same thing in front of her at least half a dozen times by now.
“Glad to finally meet you, I figured Eddie had scared you away when you didn’t show up two weeks running! I mean, you missed the game but… mmfh, oh man, these are so good. You make these?”
Not sure what to make of the scathing, but good-natured, banter between the two she finally snapped out of her daze with a shy smile, tickled at his offhanded enjoyment of her baking which Eddie had, thus far, failed to notice.
“You’re Henderson, right? Ah, Dustin, sorry. Eddie’s told me a bit about you.” She spoke, her tone much more subdued now.
“That would be me!” He brushed a few falling crumbs off his over shirt before taking another bite. “Only good things, I hope?”
“Oh, only ever good things…” She winked in Eddie’s direction, prompting Dustin to narrow his eyes, skeptically.
“She’s a great baker, an artist - damn, Eddie would NOT shut his mouth about your drawing for days - and tells little white lies for you when you’re bein’ a dick. Can we keep her?”
Eddie’s upper lip curled, though he tried his best to make it look more like a grimace than the creeping smile it was. He swatted at the boy’s arm like a scolding parent before turning to gather his things back into his bag.
“Don’t talk to the lady with your mouth full, sheesh. Tellin’ me you have a girlfriend, and you act like this in front of women? I’m callin’ your bluff again, big guy.”
“My Suzie adores me as I am, what can I say? Our love is the armor that protects me from your jealous barbs, oh, Eddie the Lonesome.”
“I’m not lone- stop it! This, see this? This is why you’re walkin’ home!”
“Oh you’re not? I se-e-e-e…” Dustin looked to the quiet girl with a knowing grin, though their insults flew so quickly, she could hardly make heads or tails of what he meant. Rather, she preferred not to dwell on the idea.
A strained silence grew between them, broken some moments later as Eddie’s new friend cleared her throat as she adjusted a pair of headphones dangling around her neck. He just realized he hadn’t even asked her what she liked to listen to; a classic ice breaker he’d nearly forgotten about in favor of slipping around aimlessly, hoping it would crack on its own.
“Get this sweet fella’ home safe, I’ll catch up with you later.” She smiled kindly at Dustin, and offered Eddie a shy wave.
“Wait, wait, you’re not walkin’ all the way back! What did I say earlier? It’s cold as balls and you live two doors away!” Eddie huffed, knowing he’d prefer to share his drive with a sweet girl than listen to Dustin’s teasing the whole trek across town. Even with both of them in the car, he could rest in knowing the inquisitive little sophomore would keep most of his snark to himself.
“Don’t you worry about me. It’s time for me to reflect and clear my head, anyway, I’ll be careful - besides, he needs you more than I do right now.”
“Mmhm, oh man.” Dustin’s base enjoyment of another brownie broke the tense silence in the room. “Can I take a couple of these home with me?”
“Sure, hon, take the whole thing if you want. Just bring the container back to me next week.” She gestured generously, not sure where her sudden maternal instinct had come from, and hoped it had gone unnoticed. Dustin’s chocolate-stained smile let her know it, in fact, had not.
“Hey, wait, next week? D-Does that mean… you’re comin’ back?” Eddie perked up at the prospect, dark eyes alight with tentative hope.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think I will.”
“Hot damn! Welcome to Hellfire!” Dustin exclaimed, pausing mid-sentence to swallow.
Eddie reached over and gave a small pinch to the tender skin just behind the boy’s elbow before snatching at the tupperware in his hands.
“That’s my line, kiddo. …and gimme’ one of those!”
“Oww! Hey, she said I could have ‘em!”
Smiling to herself she drowned out the last strains of their playful arguing with her headphones, disappearing down the hall and into the chilly Hawkins night.
