#the ​vanishing of chrissy cunningham

[a-strange-inkling]

He pulls her into a warm, deep embrace, burying his face in her neck, her hair. Chrissy gasps in delight, holding him tight, breathing him in, feeling as though her heart could burst.

So this is what it’s supposed to feel like.

Lingering a moment more, she moves to sit up while he falls back to lay back on the mattress, arms spread out on either side of him. Some of his ecstasy still lingering apparently.

“The others will be here soon,” she tells him, glancing at the clock, only to hear him chuckling behind her.

She glances over her shoulder, habitually tucking her knees up to her chest.

“What?” she asks, giggling at the sight of him laying flat like that, all spread out, his eyes closed contentedly, laughing to himself.

“Give me a minute, okay?” he says between breaths. “I just nailed the Queen of Hawkins High last night.”

“Oh my God, Eddie,” she whispers to herself, feeling her whole body flushing so violently she has to hide her face in her hands.

He only chuckles all the louder, clearly not sorry at all. She whips around in annoyance, crawling over him purposefully, taking his chin in her hand, giving it a firm little shake. “I’ll let you have your moment, but never,” she chokes on a laugh as he feigns to listen very, very intently, a mischievous, eager glint in his eyes. She presses on regardless, trying valiantly to be serious and stern. “Ever phrase it like that again.”

“No?” he asks with a snicker, a pleasantly warm hand sliding up her thigh, all the tingles returning in full force. “How would you like me to phrase it?”

Her mouth forms a line as she tries not to give him the pleasure of a smile, releasing his chin. “I don’t know…but not like that.” she concludes snootily, swatting his reaching, grabby hand away playfully.

He leans up, snagging the back of her neck and kissing her slow and savoring. She moans in surrender, easing slowly back down against the bed as he rolls on top of her. He’s just short of crushing her, but she only revels under the weight of his body.

“I’m sorry,” he chastises himself, peppering her with doting little kisses she would have never thought him capable of all up and down her face. “I made sweet, sweet love to the Queen of Hawkins High last night. That better?”

She makes a disapproving sound in the back of her throat as she pinches softly up and down his ribs, causing him to break out into a fit of warm intoxicating laughter.

[faithfulcat111]

ST Epic Cycle AU feat. Buckingham as Menelaus and Helen

Quotes are from The Illiad, The Orestia, The Odyssey, and Helen

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

🎃 Spooky, Spooky Movies 👻

You're nursing a crush on Eddie but you're too shy to approach him. A shared love of spooky movies brings the two of you together.

❤️

You had been quietly nursing this little crush of yours for a while now, Eddie Munson was the object of your affections and your crush had only continued to grow the last month or so. Ever since school started again, you noticed Eddie more and more.

Not that he would notice you. Eddie seemed to have crushes on cheerleaders like Chrissy Cunningham, he wasn't interested in you at all.

If only you had the courage to join Hellfire Club or even something less terrifying like even saying hello to him once in a while. That could be a possibility.

You're pretty sure if you joined Hellfire you would just get all tongue tied around him. It was extremely annoying that he made you like this. If you were around people you knew then you were fine.

However being around the guy you were crushing on reduced you to mush. How you would love to make him laugh by saying something witty or just anything at all.

Secretly you watch Eddie while he's in his element, ranting about conformity, Miss O'Donnell and Jason Carver. His eyes are bright, a tiny smirk on his face as passionately begins talking about his new campaign in D&D.

After a few moments you pack away your things and head out of the cafeteria. You're not paying attention as you should and end up knocking into Eddie. Shit.

Flustered you apologise and Eddie flashes you and all dimpled smile as he gathers up your books for you.

Then his eyes trail down to your shirt and he points to it excitedly. "Jesus h Christ, that shirt is so fucking cool. I take it you're a big fan of spooky movies huh?"

You literally forgot you were wearing your favourite Evil Dead shirt today and smile up at Eddie. You were determined to at least hold a conversation with him and maybe your love of spooky movies was the key?

"Mmm, I think I've rented out every horror movie that Family Video has to offer" his eyes light up and he guides you to The Hellfire table, ignoring the rest of the members as he barked at Mike to make space for you.

The two of you spent most of lunch chatting about horror movies that you liked. When you mentioned you were planning to rent out Poltergeist and either Christine or Friday the 13th he was practically vibrating with excitement.

Then all of a sudden his usual confident demeanour vanishes and he looks suddenly shy, he tugs a piece of his hair across his face and peers at you nervously.

"Uh, I actually have Poltergeist rented out rented out ready, maybe you could come to mine and we could watch it?" Oh.

Was this like a date? No...it couldn't be right? You take a chance and ask him, completely expecting him to blow you off. "You mean like a date?"

He blushes but swiftly glares to silence the rest of Hellfire who begins to cat call and tease Eddie. The look immediately silences them and Eddie gestures for you to follow him out to the corridor. "Away from prying buttheads" he tells you and throws an irritated look at the Hellfire table.

Once you're alone he's a little shy again. "Yeah I mean like a date sweetheart" you're elated and stunned that this is actually happening and you accidentally blurt out something you've been wondering for weeks, maybe months.

"I thought you'd have a crush on Chrissy or the other cheerleaders" you admit and he scoffs.

"I mean Chrissy is sweet and all but no. Kinda got my world turned upside down by a beautiful, spooky movie loving lady" flustered but not wasting any more time, you beam and agree to the date.

"Yeah, I'd love to go on a date with you Eddie" he gawks then makes a show of clutching his heart and swooning, it makes you giggle and maybe fall a little bit more for him.

You didn't realise at the time that the date would be the start of something very special.

All because of your love for spooky movies.

Halloween 1987

Eddie is chatting to Steve as you browse through the horror selection in Family Video. You settle on The Thing, Nightmare on Elm street and Fright Night.

What you're most looking forward to is tomorrow when you and Eddie are going to the movies to see The Lost Boys. Both of you were excited for the film but you were anticipating it the most.

Vampires movies were a secret love of yours and this one looked so good. A perfect film to see before Halloween.

Once you've picked your selection you head up to the counter, Steve whistles as he eyes the titles.

"Ahh I see date night right? Munson's picks I guess?" Eddie snorts.

"My princess loves spooky movies I'll have you know Harrington" yeah you'd never get tired of hearing Eddie call you his princess.

Or for all the Halloween's together that were yet to come.

🎃🍁

[corroded-hellfire]

what about like an angst with reader, eddie, and Chrissy and maybe ends happy. like a romance type thing but lots of angst

Somehow this got lost in my drafts, so I deeply apologize it took me so long to get it out! I tried to angst it up for you.

Warnings: mentally and emotionally abusive parents, Eddie’s a jerk but he comes to

Words: 3.8k

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

Nancy’s voice betrays her worry over the phone, and you have to assure her for the fifth time that you’re all right. 

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

Annoyed isn’t a word you would’ve used to describe your mood before, but it’s certainly fitting now that Nancy keeps interrogating you. 

“You just sound different,” Nancy answers. “You sound off.”

“I’m fine,” you lie. 

“Why don’t you go and see Eddie?” Nancy suggests. It’s not a secret that your best friend can make you happier even when the world is turning to shit. His presence hasn’t been quite as helpful lately since it’s a constant reminder that he has a date with Chrissy Cunningham coming up—and not one with you. 

“Yeah, maybe I will,” you tell Nancy. 

“Good. Call me if you need me.”

“I will, Nance. Bye.”

After hanging up the phone, you stroll into the bathroom and survey the damage on your face. Digging through your makeup bag to find your trusty makeup remover, you make a mental note to stop off at Melvalds on the way home to pick up some more. The skin beneath your puffy eyes is tender as you use a cotton swab to clear away the smeared mascara. Hisses of pain leak through your teeth as you gently dab at your waterline, trying to make all traces of your sob fest vanish. 

Makeup worked for the most part when hiding your irritated eyes and the raw skin around them from crying so much. But when you cried while already wearing some, it made the evidence plain as day with the black streaks running down your cheeks. The only person who knows that your mom and her boyfriend treat you like garbage is Eddie—which means you have to take extra precautions when trying to hide the signs from him too. Eddie threatened many times to kick the shit out of your mom’s boyfriend. There have been a few times when he was high that you had to physically restrain him from heading out to find the prick. He hated how your mother treated you as well, but Eddie could never threaten a woman—even one as horrible as her. 

Once you’re satisfied with the cover the makeup has given you, you grab your keys and head out to your car. This had been one of the worst beratings you’d ever gotten and there was still a ringing in your ears from the vitriol they spewed. 

You think you’re better than us? Just because you graduated high school? Think you’re some big hot shot? You’re nothing. No one gives a shit about you. I gave birth to you and am obligated to love you—but you even make that difficult!

You imagine Eddie’s reaction if he found out. He’d again be trying to talk you into getting into your car or his van and just driving off together. Somewhere, anywhere. Most of the time the two of you said you’d drive to the beach, seeing as neither of you had ever seen the ocean before. The fantasy of Eddie kicking the ass of the douche your mom is dating and then whisking you away to the beach keeps you company on the ride over. 

Wayne’s truck isn’t parked beside Eddie’s van when you arrive, which means the older man has left for work already. The usual blaring of Eddie’s stereo that you can hear from outside doesn’t meet your ears as you step out of your car. You hoist yourself up the few stairs to the front door and rap your knuckles on it. There’s no answer. Leaning in, you definitely hear shuffling going on in there, though. You knock again.

“What?” comes a muffled bark from the other side of the door. Frowning, you push the front door open and step inside of what has become your second home. 

“Um, Eds?” His back is to you as you shut the front door behind you. By his hunched position over a lower shelf and the shuffling and scraping sounds reaching your ears, you can tell he’s looking for something. Frantically, if the frazzled eyes he gives you in the briefest of glances over his shoulder are any indication. 

“Oh, hey,” he says, turning immediately back to the task at hand. 

“Can I, uh, talk to you?” One of your hands twirls a keyring around your finger, while the other comes up to gingerly touch your swollen lower eyelid. 

“Now?” The groan accompanying his words takes you aback. There’s never been a single time that he’s made you feel like a burden or inconvenience. But the way he’s acting now is sure giving you that impression. 

“Are you busy?” you ask in a soft voice. 

“Trying to find that ring with the skeleton hands holding the stone.”

“Why?”

“Because Chrissy likes that one.” He says it so absentmindedly, like he’s giving 99% of his efforts into finding the piece of jewelry, and 1% of them talking to you. 

“What’s it matter what ring you wear right now?” Frowning, you cross your arms over your chest.

Eddie groans again and opens another drawer. “To wear on our date tonight.”

The air rushes out of your lungs faster than when your mom landed a verbal gut punch at home. You thought you had a whole week to mentally prepare for Eddie going out on a date with the queen of Hawkins High. 

“T-Tonight?”

“Yeah,” Eddie says. “Something came up for her next weekend, so we rescheduled it for today.”

“Oh.” It’s all you can say without bursting into tears or punching a hole in the wall. 

“Yeah,” Eddie says again, turning around to finally face you. “So, you know, if you could just…” Eddie gestures towards the front door, obviously hinting at you leaving. 

“O-Oh. Yeah. I-I just need to talk to you about something,” you say weakly. “It will only take a minute. I-I promise.”

Eddie groans and rubs a hand over his face. “I don’t have a minute. I need to find this ring. You and I can talk whenever. The date is tonight, though—it’s important.”

And I’m not, your mind adds. The pain in your eyes seems to throb even more, as if Eddie’s words are irritating them further. 

“Right,” you say. “Okay, I’ll go.” 

“Thanks,” Eddie mumbles as he continues his search. It burns like a branding iron down your esophagus. You can’t count all the times that Eddie said to come to him whenever you felt low or like you wanted to run away or when you couldn’t take being at home any longer. It made you feel special. Now, he doesn’t even have the time of day to listen to what you have to say. Even if you shouted, “Hey, this is about the people who I live with that abuse me!” it probably still wouldn’t get his full attention. You’re not going to use that as an excuse, either. Not going to use it to get your best friend to talk to you when he clearly doesn’t want to and has better things to do. 

An idea pops into your head and it’s planted itself before you really even have time to consider it. Slowly, you walk back to the front door. But before you open it, you turn back to face him. 

“Can I just ask one f-favor first?” you say, doing your damndest to keep your voice from shaking. “And then I’ll leave, I promise.” 

Pausing his perusing, Eddie heaves out a sigh and turns to face you, hands on his hips. “What?”

“Can I have a hug?”

Eddie takes the few steps towards you and pulls you in for a quick squeeze. It’s not exactly what you wanted, but you still let your head rest against his shoulder, scrunching your eyes closed as you try and savor this moment with Eddie. Usually, his hugs are like a balm for your soul. But this one is rushed and half-assed. It’s clear he wants you to be gone. So after one last squeeze of him in your arms, you grab the front door knob and open it to the warm late spring day outside. Over your shoulder, you look at Eddie. He’s back to shuffling things around, pink tongue poking out of his pretty lips as he focuses on his task.

“Goodbye, Eddie.”

There’s no response. You didn’t really expect one, anyway. The two of you have been best friends for years. But you know the place that Chrissy holds in his heart and there’s no room for anyone else in that spotlight. It’s not the kind cheerleader’s fault, though. All she did was agree to a date with the best man you know. How could you blame her? 

Taking a deep breath, you step out of the trailer and close the door behind you. 

The first thing you do when you get back into your car is turn up the radio as loud as your eardrums can stand. Hopefully it’ll be enough to occupy your mind so it doesn’t wander and you don’t spiral even further. Melvalds is on the way home from Eddie’s, otherwise you probably would have skipped it. But, you think, you can also grab a candy bar or two to drown your sorrows in if you stop by the store. 

Luckily, no one you know is working at the store this evening. It makes it easier for you to grab the things you need and get out without having to have a conversation with anyone. On your way back to the car, the dumpster on the side of the building catches your eye, as it’s overflowing with garbage. They must have gotten a delivery earlier in the day because empty boxes also pile high out of the large green bin, many littering the floor around it as well. Without giving it much thought, you pop the trunk of your car before grabbing as many boxes as will fit in the cramped space before shoving them inside. You slam the trunk, giving it enough oomph to make it close despite the amount of cardboard you managed to cram in.

No one is home when you get there, which isn’t a surprise. Eddie would be occupied the whole night, so you know you’ll have no interruptions. Because who else would call or show up to see you? No one, of course. So, you lug the empty boxes into your room and take a look around the small space. Most of your belongings should fit in the boxes and the small suitcase, duffle bag, and backpack you have in your closet. 

Heaving a sigh, you get to work and start to pack up your room. What’s keeping you in Hawkins anymore? High school is over and your only college plans so far were community college—and they have those just about everywhere. Family was a mark against staying in Hawkins, and your friends were either going away to college or dating pretty cheerleaders that’ll have them forgetting all about you eventually. Why not have your own new start? 

There’s not a whole lot in your room to begin with, so most everything you own ends up in a box or a bag. It’s nearing three in the morning by the time you shove the bags containing your clothes behind the driver and passenger’s seats in your car. Figuring you’d end up sleeping in your car for the foreseeable future, you pack all your bedding into the backseat, creating a nest that you could curl up into when you were tired of driving. 

The boxes are heavy, but you manage to haul them to the driveway all by yourself. After stashing most of them into the trunk, you realize they’re probably not all going to fit. Gritting your teeth, you decide to give it the old college try and force them all in. Headlights turn down your street and you have to shield your face as the beams blind you. None of your neighbors are particularly friendly, so you know none of them will stop to see what’s going on. To your chagrin though, the vehicle starts to slow as it approaches your home. The closer it gets, you begin to hear the familiar squeak that churns out as the tires roll up. Eddie. Ice floods your veins as your mind scrambles to find something to tell him. What possible explanation could you have for loading up your car with all of your belongings in the middle of the night? But how do you tell him that you planned on skipping town without giving him a heads up first? 

You run out of time as the van comes to a halt and the thump of Eddie’s boots hits the pavement.

“Uh, whatcha doing?” Eddie drawls. The lights on the front of the van finally fade out and you can see him approaching you. There’s a confused yet amused furrow on his brow as he slips his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He’s wearing the same t-shirt as he was when you saw him before, but now his leather jacket is thrown over it. 

“Nothing,” you say lamely as you throw your weight behind your attempts to close the trunk. 

“Really?” Eddie raises his eyebrows as he leans against the side of your car. “Nothing? Because you always load your car up with boxes in the middle of the night. How could I forget?”

Deciding to just ignore him, even though you know that won’t work, you put your focus back on the task at hand. Eddie gives you a few moments, watching in amusement as you try to leap on top of the trunk. 

“What, are you getting rid of a body? Come on, who’d ya kill? You know I’ll help you out.” There’s a playful smirk on his face as he pushes off of the car and his eyes catch on the bedding you have in the backseat. “Wait.” He points at your comforter and pillows bunched up on the old worn seats. “Are you…going somewhere?”

“Maybe.” It’s petty and immature of you, but you’re still hurt by how easily he dismissed you before. 

Eddie’s jaw drops and he lets out a scoff. “And what? You just weren’t going to tell me?”

“Honestly,” you huff out, momentarily giving up on closing the trunk, “I didn’t think you’d care very much.”

“Excuse me?” Eddie’s eyes practically pop out of his skull. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, forget it,” you mumble. “What are you even doing here?”

“I came to tell my best friend about my date,” he says, irritation clear in his tone. “But it seems like she’s mad at me for some reason.”

All you can do is stare at him. He seriously doesn’t know? He can’t figure out why you’re so upset with him? Anger boils your blood, thawing out the ice that previously resided there. 

“Well, I’m busy, Eddie. So, you know, if you could just…” Your eyes flicker over to his van, not so subtly quoting him from earlier in the day. 

It takes a few moments, but it finally dawns on him. He drops his arms to his side and has the good sense to look embarrassed.

“Oh, shit.” Eddie groans and rubs his hands over his face. “I’m an asshole, aren’t I?”

Some of your anger turns to irritation as you see his body deflate. You cross your arms over your chest, refusing to give up all your vexation towards him. 

“You are.”

“I’m sorry.” He steps towards you, letting out a sigh. “You wanted to talk to me about something and I just brushed you off. I’m a pretty shitty best friend.”

Not quite trusting your voice, you nod your head. Eddie comes even closer and tilts your chin up so you’re looking at him. His lower lip is jutted out and he’s made his eyes somehow even wider. 

“Can you forgive me?” he asks.

You have to bite your lip from letting a small smile peek through. Even when he’s been an asshole and an idiot, he can still find a way to cheer you up. 

“Maybe,” you say with a shrug.

Eddie heaves an over dramatic sigh that you know is meant to keep the atmosphere around you light. 

“What about we talk about whatever it was you came by for, hmm?”

The suggestion suddenly sours your mood again. You’d managed to get the venom hurled at you pushed to the back of your mind, too focused on Eddie hurting your feelings. Now the vile words come back to you and your best friend immediately picks up on the shift in your demeanor. 

“Fuck,” he grumbles under his breath. He knows the reason your body would tense up like that. It only serves to make him feel even worse about shooing you away before. Eddie lifts his eyes and scans the driveway before looking back at your house. “Are they here?”

“No,” you say softly.

“Good, I’d fucking lose it on them.” He takes a deep breath before ducking his head to meet your eyes. “How bad was it?”

The question is what gets the tears prickling in your eyes. You try to hide it, but your trembling bottom lip gives you away. Eddie doesn’t hesitate to tug you closer to him and pull you into a hug. 

“Whatever they said, it isn’t true,” Eddie mumbles against your hair. 

“D-Did you know it’s almost impossible to love me?” you say with a hoarse voice. You clear your throat before you speak again. “And that I’m a pathetic waste of space that nobody wants around?”

“I do.”

You can’t help but look up at Eddie when he says that, skepticism written all over your face. At first, the look puzzles Eddie. Then he remembers what he did when you originally came to see him and talk about the shitty things your mom and her boyfriend said to you. Eddie had just brushed you off, made you feel unimportant and that he cared about Chrissy more than you. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You mean everything to him and the fact that he made you feel anything less than is absolutely eating him alive inside. 

“I promise I want you around all the time,” Eddie tells you. “There’s never a time I don’t want you around. I’m so sorry about before, sweetheart. I clearly wasn’t thinking. Is…is that why you were leaving?”

Without meeting his eyes, you nod your head. “Figured no one wanted me around. Was tired of being here,” you say, gesturing to your house behind you. 

Eddie nods his head and presses a kiss into your hair. You think he’s going to say something, but instead he walks around you and picks up one of the cardboard boxes you were trying to get in your trunk. Instead of assisting you with it, he steps away from your car with the box, and you look at him in confusion.

“What’re you doing?” you ask.

“This was never going to fit in there,” Eddie says, nodding towards your car. “Gonna put it in the back of my van.”

This confuses you more than anything. You watch him in silence, a frown etched into your brow, as he yanks open the back of his van and slides the box inside. 

“Why your van?” you ask.

Eddie gives you a look like the answer should be a no-brainer. 

“Because the boxes weren’t fitting in your trunk, and I have plenty of space in mine.”

“What?” Your brain feels like it has whiplash from everything that’s gone on today. Maybe Eddie was the one making sense and you’re just not getting it. “How’s it going to help me in your van?” 

“Well,” Eddie says as he walks over and picks up another of the boxes that you couldn’t make fit. “We’re going to have to stop at my place, anyway. I’ll have to pack up some shit to take.”

“Take where?” Your voice sounds about as flabbergasted as you feel. The fact that you’re becoming more and more sleep deprived isn’t helping either. 

“Wherever we’re headed,” Eddie says with a shrug. He slides the second box in beside the first one in the back of the van. “The ocean, I presume.”

“What?” you practically shout into the quiet, dark night. 

“You wanna leave, right?” Eddie asks as he closes the back doors of the van. “Finally leaving these assholes you live with, yeah?”

“I, um,” you stutter, not completely sure of what’s going on or what you should say. “Yeah. I-I’m leaving.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow at you and tilts his head.

“And you really think I’d let you leave without me? Bullshit. We can crash at my place tonight then head out in the morning. Maybe plan a route over breakfast.”

“Wha—Eddie, no.” 

The refusal seems to confuse him. His brow pinches together as he leans against the side of his van. 

“What?” he asks.

“You can just pick up and leave. You have Wayne. And the Hellfire guys. And…Chrissy.”

“Sweetheart,” Eddie says with a humorless chuckle. He shakes his head and makes his way over to you. Gently, he picks one of your hands up in his own and laces your fingers together. “The Hellfire guys still have the club when they head back to school in the fall. Wayne’s been saying you and I should get out of Hawkins for months now. And as for Chrissy?” Eddie shrugs and a knot forms in your stomach. “We’ve only been on one date. And yeah, I really like her. But I’m not going to pass up being on the road with my favorite person.”

Not only does the knot untie itself at your words, but it also seems as if the rope turned into little butterflies that are spreading their wings all throughout your abdomen. 

“O-Okay,” you say, trying to fight back the tears in your eyes. 

“I’ll meet you at the trailer, yeah?” Eddie asks, slinging an arm over your shoulders. “Don’t go getting a head start without me.”

“I promise.”

Eddie holds his pinky up to you. “Pinky promise?”

Smiling, you lock your pinky with his before letting your hands fall to your sides. Eddie takes one last look at your former home before striding over to his van.

“Thank God you’re leaving this place,” he says, eyeing every little detail of the house with disdain. Memories of all the times you called him crying because of something that happened within these walls flood you. It’s the reminder of all the kindness and love he’s given you over the years that really allows you to forgive him for his rude behavior earlier. It still hurts, but expecting Eddie to be perfect wasn’t fair to anyone. 

“I’ll see you in five minutes?” you ask as you finally get your trunk closed.

“Then you’ll never be able to get rid of me.” Eddie throws you a wink before closing himself in the van.

Grinning to yourself, you slide into your own driver’s seat. 

“I’m gonna hold you to that, Munson.”

[fxckadoodledoomunson]

A Heart Divided -1-

|1| The day the mermaid got her heart broken…

Summary: You find yourself heartbroken after finding out not only that Eddie now despises you. Will you discover the truth to why and how he can date someone close to you?

Warnings: swearing, smoking, Eddie being a dick, angst.

You didn’t understand. Until recently, you and Eddie Munson had been good friends. When you first met him, you were asked by one of your teachers to tutor him, and although he had his Hellfire club and his band while you were on the swimming team, you always planned the tutoring around it.

Over time, the two of you became close. Even when your teacher told you that you no longer needed to tutor him, you continued to help him especially as it gave you a reason to spend more time with him, after you had developed a crush on him.

The last time you two spoke was before you went away to a training camp for spring break when Eddie tried to convince you to join in the campaign before you left. As much as you wanted to, you told him that you were unable to as you had to go straight to the camp after school. So, not only did you miss the campaign, you also missed the championship game.

On the first day back to school, you waited twenty minutes for Eddie to pick you up, which he never did. He didn’t even call you to let you know that he couldn’t pick you up.

“Aww…Guess Lover Boy’s not gonna show up,” you heard your older sister taunting you. You huffed as you went to grab your bike and cycled quickly to school.

Luckily, you managed to ride to school ten minutes before the bell rang. After you had chained your bike to the rack, you began to head inside when you spotted Eddie getting out of his van, along with one of younger members of Hellfire, Dustin Henderson, who was getting his bag out of the vehicle.

As you headed towards the van, Dustin greeted you as he headed into the building. You stopped and waved at him as he was catching up with Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair before you waved and smiled at Eddie. Usually, Eddie would wave back at you. However, he just glared, averting his gaze while taking a puff of his cigarette. It confused you, but then you thought maybe he nervous about finals coming up soon or maybe he wanted to make sure that he got to class in time before Principal Higgins can kick him out. Or maybe he was pissed off with you for missing the campaign, even though he knew that you had to leave for camp immediately.

You cautiously walked towards him, as he threw his cigarette, stubbing it on the ground. You flashed him a smile, as you began to break the ice, “Hey Eddie, how did the campaign…”

Eddie silently brushed past you, as you lowly continued to speak, smile vanishing. “…go?”

You turned around, following his movements, so bewildered by his silent treatment that you didn’t hear someone calling your name.

“Hey!”

You jumped in fright, as you felt a pair of hands clap onto your shoulders. You turned your head to find your neighbour and best friend, Chrissy Cunningham standing behind you, smiling as she let out a giggle whilst you huffed in relief.

“I’ve been calling out to you, did you not hear me?” She asked, as she linked her arm with yours, as she pulled you towards the school, telling you, “When did you get back? You have to tell me about training camp.”

As you both walked through the hallway, you explained that you got home late the previous night before telling her about the swimming training camp, you beating your record and how big the swimming pool was. After asking what she did, Chrissy told you how she spent spring break with her boyfriend Jason Carver and his family. You were about to ask more questions when Chrissy abruptly interrupted, “There’s Eddie.”

You turned to find Eddie standing by Jeff’s locker, talking to him, Grant and Gareth when Chrissy happily waved at Eddie as she greeted him, “Hi Eddie!”

To your surprise, Eddie waved back at her, and even smiled back at her, which caused Jeff and Gareth friends to interrogate him about his new found friendship with Chrissy when Grant greeted you, which caused Eddie to silently glare at you, as you waved at Grant. However, you quickly lowered your hand as Eddie muttered something to Grant.

You swiftly turned your head to Chrissy as you asked her, “Uh, Chrissy…Since when are you friends with Eddie?”

Chrissy had let out a small giggle, before quietly confessing to you, “Since I bought some weed from him before spring break.”

You furrowed your brow, as you both headed to homeroom, where Chrissy greeted Jason, while you couldn’t help but wonder if Chrissy was the reason why Eddie was giving you the silent treatment. Did something happen between the two of them? Did she tell him about your crush on him and it made him being off with you? You mentally shrugged the thought off as you thought, No, she wouldn’t.

You never told her about your crush on Eddie, but even if you did, she wouldn’t have blurted it out to him, especially if Jason and his friends might tease you for it.

Throughout the day, you thought you might have a chance to talk to Eddie whenever you had classes together or during your lunch break, but every time you were near him, he would either ignore you or move away from you.

Between classes, you went up to Dustin and asked him if he knew if Eddie was okay, without mentioning that he’s been ignoring you.

“He seems to be okay,” Dustin replied.

You slowly nodded, as you asked him, “Well, the next you see him, can you ask him to meet me after school? By the bleachers at the football field?”

���Yeah, sure. I’ll tell him to meet you,” a puzzled Dustin told you.

As he started walking away, you shouted, “Thank you!”

Dustin turned around as he smiled, before heading to his next class.

You had let out a sigh before heading your next class.

After school, you started walking towards the football field when you were approached by your friend and colleague, Robin Buckley.

“Hey!” She greeted you, as she approached you. “Are you coming to work?”

“I need to do something first, but I’ll be there after I’ve finished,” you replied.

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

You turned to watch Robin run to Steve Harrington’s car, as Steve got out and waved at you, before getting back inside. You waved back, as he started his car, before driving away. You took a deep breath, before heading to the bleachers and sat down, anticipating Eddie’s arrival.

While you waited, you took out your diary, decorated with stuck on drawings of mermaids. You had never shown anyone your diary before.

However, if someone was to read it, they would’ve thought that you were writing a fantasy story. Ever since you had watched one of Eddie’s campaigns, you got inspired to write your diary entries as if it was a character telling their story, even included some drawings.

You took out your pen and started writing…

After a long journey from deepest part of the ocean, the mermaid had finally returned to shore to see the valour bard once again to hear his new adventure. However, when she saw him, he never acknowledged her presence. She didn’t understand, no matter how loud she called out to him, he ignored her. Was the wind blowing so hard that he couldn’t hear her? Or did he-?

You stopped writing, as you heard two people talking before hearing a feminine giggle. You looked up to find Eddie happily chatting to Chrissy, who had lightly patted his chest. The more you watched their interactions, the more suspicious you were of their friendship.

As they moved closer, you stuffed your diary into your bag and picked it up, as you stood up before approaching them, calling Eddie’s name, which made the pair of them stop on their tracks and turned to look at you. As soon as Eddie shifted his attention to you, his smile dropped, making him dart a glare at you.

“Did Dustin pass on my message?” You meekly asked, feeling nervous as he continued to glare at you. “To meet me at the bleachers?”

He huffed, as he stuffed his free hand into his pocket, as he carried his metal lunch box.

And for the first time in a week, he began to speak, bluntly telling you, “Yeah. He told me.”

You lowered your gaze to the ground, unsure what to say to him when you heard a confused Chrissy speak, cutting the tension, “Well, I gotta get to cheer practice.”

You looked up, as Chrissy gave you a small smile, before telling you that she’ll see you at your workplace afterwards. She then turned to Eddie, saying goodbye and thanking him.

“No problem, Chrissy,” Eddie called out, as Chrissy ran towards the gymnasium, leaving you and Eddie alone together.

You shifted your attention to Eddie and you were about to speak when Eddie rolled his eyes, as he started walking away from you. You called his name, as you followed him to his van. As you caught up with him, you shouted, “Eddie-!”

“WHAT?!” Eddie bellowed, as he angrily turned to face you.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You didn’t let me know that you weren’t gonna pick me up like you said you would, and you’ve been ignoring me all day. Why?”

Tears started streaming down your face, as you waited for Eddie’s explanation when he moved closer towards you as he darkly responded, “Because I don’t want to be around a conniving bitch like you.”

You gasped, hearing those harsh words. You began to silently sob when you heard Dustin calling out to Eddie. You lowered your head, as you wiped your tears with your sleeve, sniffing sharply, holding back your tears before you brushed past Eddie, ignoring Dustin calling out to you, as you headed towards your bike.

An hour or so into your shift, you quietly stacked the returned VHS tapes into their respective shelves, as you evaded Robin’s questions about why your eyes were puffy.

As much as you liked Robin, you couldn’t bear the questions, not wanting to lash out at her. Thankfully, Steve told her to not keep pestering you with her interrogation, asking her to help serve the next customer.

While Robin served the customer, Steve kept an eye on you, as you made your way to the Horror section to put away a tape when one tape got your attention. You picked up a copy of The Omen, as you thought about the first time you and Eddie watched it together. You quickly wiped the single tear running down your cheek, before putting it back when you heard a male voice softly spoke, “Hey.”

You turned to find Steve standing beside you, holding a copy of Halloween in his hand.

As he put it on the shelf, you began to speak, “Look Steve, I just-“

“Listen, I’m not gonna ask,” Steve interjected, raising both hands in the air. “I was gonna say…if you need to go home, just go. No questions asked. I’ll just tell Keith that you’re not well.”

You gave him a small smile, before telling him, “Thanks Steve, but I think I need to work to take my mind of things.”

Steve sighed, as he patted his hand on your shoulder, before telling you, “Just do what you need to do.”

You were grateful to have Steve in your life. Ever since you two met on a double date with his ex girlfriend Nancy Wheeler and the former baseball player, Mark Warner, he had been like the sibling that you’ve always wanted.

You lightly patted his hand, before he headed back to help Robin when you heard the bell ring as the door swung open, making you turn your head.

It was Chrissy and Jason, along some of his teammates. You quickly turned away, not wanting to see Chrissy.

You heard Jason telling her that he was gonna get her favourite movie when you heard Chrissy calling you.

You swiftly moved to the other side, pretending to tidy up the shelf when you heard footsteps approaching you, before hearing the familiar sweetly voice speak, “Hey, didn’t you hear me call you?”

You bit your tongue, as you continued to tidy the tapes when Chrissy grabbed your shoulder, forcing you to face her, as she asked, “What’s wrong with you today? You’re acting weird.”

You pushed her hand away aggressively, as you retorted, “You tell me.”

A confused Chrissy furrowed her brow, as she asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Does Jason know?” You bluntly asked, as you crossed your arms. “About you and Eddie? Your secret meet-ups?”

“Well, uh…no,” Chrissy hesitated. “But you don’t-“

“Understand?” You scoffed. “Oh I understand completely. I guess one guy is not enough for the Queen of Hawkins High.”

Chrissy was left flabbergasted by your accusations.

“Wait, you’ve got it all wrong, I’m not-“

Not wanting to hear anymore, you brushed past Chrissy, as you announced to Steve, as you headed into the staff room, “I’ve changed my mind, Steve. I’m not feeling great. I’ll make up for the last few hours another time.”

Steve and Robin turned to the door, before shifting their attention to the confused and upset cheerleader, who ran out of the store in tears, as Jason followed her, wondering what was going on.

A few moments later, you were cycling through your street, heading back to your house when you spotted Eddie’s van parked on the pavement between yours and Chrissy’s house. You figured that he was either waiting for Chrissy in his van or they were together at her place doing God knows what.

Either way, you didn’t want to see either of them. As soon as you got off your bike, you took your keys out of your pocket and unlocked the door, before stepping inside. “Hello?” You called out. “I’m home.”

As you took off your bag and jacket, placing it on the sofa, you heard music coming from your sister’s room. “I guess she’s got a guy in her room again,” you sighed, being unsurprised. You started to amble up the stairs, wanting to crawl under your bed cover and forget the earlier events.

As you got near to the top of the stairs, you noticed that your sister’s door was open. As soon as you got to the top, you called out to your sister and asked, “Can you turn it down? I need to-“

You froze as you caught your sister straddling on the guy’s lap. You then noticed the familiar pair of hands clad in rings rubbing her back. That was when you realised that your day had gotten worse. You knew then why Eddie’s van was parked outside. He wasn’t with Chrissy, but your own sister.

Not only was your sister making out with Eddie, but she was also wearing his Hellfire shirt.

You sniffled, trying not to cry, as you slowly headed back downstairs when one of the steps creaked, catching their attention.

“Oh, you’re home,” you heard your sister bellowed over the loud music. You turned around to see your sister and a shirtless Eddie sitting on edge of the bed. “We didn’t hear you. Oops.”

Your sister had let out a fake giggle, as she moved closer to Eddie, telling you, “You know Eddie, right?”

Of course I know, you tramp, you thought. I’ve only known him and tutored him since the beginning of the school year.

“We have kinda been seeing each other recently,” your sister bragged, before kissing Eddie, telling him, “Right, babe?”

“Right, princess,” Eddie replied, whilst darkly looking at you, “Since…spring break.”

You felt your heart break as Eddie glared at you. You let out a short gasp, before mumbling that you were going to get some air. You quickly ran down the stairs as you heard your sister and Eddie giggle, before hearing moaning from the pair.

You swung the door open, and stormed out with tears brimming in your eyes when you saw Jason’s jeep park outside of Chrissy’s house.

You knew that you owed her the biggest apology, even if she might not forgive you for your accusations.

As you watched Chrissy and Jason get out of the jeep, you wiped away the tears, before approaching them when you overheard them talking. “Jason, can you not call Eddie a freak?” Chrissy scolded her boyfriend. “It’s not nice.”

“Why are you defending him, Chris?” Jason asked, as they walked up to her door. Chrissy was about to respond when she noticed you coming closer.

Chrissy crossed her arms, as she bluntly asked, “May we help you?”

You sniffled, before asking her, “Can we talk Chrissy? Please?”

Before Chrissy could answer, Jason scoffed, making you lower your head, “After the way you spoke to her earlier? I don’t see why she should waste her time listening-“

Suddenly, Chrissy placed her hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder, telling him, “It’s okay, Jason.”

After she told him to go, Chrissy gave him a peck on the cheek, saying goodbye.

As Jason walked back to his jeep, he shot a glare at you, before driving off.

Chrissy turned to you, before telling you, “Whatever you gotta say, just say it. But just know that I would never cheat on-“

Suddenly, Chrissy stopped scolding you, as she noticed tears running down your cheeks, as you silently sobbed.

Chrissy’s face softened, as she slowly moved closer to you, as she asked, “Hey…what’s wrong?”

You sniffled, before you began to apologise, “I’m sorry, Chrissy. I shouldn’t have accused you of messing around with Eddie behind Carver’s back. When I saw you two together and the way he acted around me, I thought…”

You started sobbing uncontrollably, when Chrissy wrapped her arms around you and hugged you tightly. She softly shushed you, as you sobbed into her shoulder, before telling you, “Come inside and tell me what’s going on.”

A few moments later, you silently sat on the couch, blankly staring at the window when Chrissy came through the living room, placing a cup of herbal tea on the coffee table for you, before sitting down beside you.

“So, what’s going on with you and Eddie?” Chrissy softly asked.

You sniffled, before telling your best friend about how Eddie had been ignoring you most of the day and how he called you a conniving bitch, even though you don’t know why he would say that.

“What?” Chrissy gasped. “I can’t believe he would say that.”

You continued to sob, as Chrissy handed you a tissue. You wiped your tears away with it, before revealing, “And the worst part…after I caught him making out with my sister, he mentioned that he’s been seeing her since spring break.”

Chrissy had put her arm around you, as she softly said, “Oh honey…”

You had let out a sigh, trying to hold back your tears when Chrissy asked, “You like him, don’t you?”

You turned to her, surprised that she figured it out your feelings for Eddie.

“That was why you thought I was cheating on Jason with him?”

You sniffled, before telling her, “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am for…”

Chrissy hugged you, before softly telling you, “You don’t need to apologise anymore. I understand where you were coming from. I forgive you.”

You returned the hug, as tears were brimming in your eyes once more when you heard voices coming from outside. You and Chrissy got up and went to the window, finding Eddie and your sister making out outside his van, before she went back inside with a smug smile on her face. At once, you went back to the sofa, trying not to cry, as Chrissy watched Eddie glancing at your sister, before noticing Chrissy standing by the window.

He smiled, as he waved at her when Chrissy glared at him, before shutting the curtains, which made Eddie feel confused.

After she sat back down next to you, Chrissy suggested, “Listen, why don’t you stay over tonight? We can watch a movie or something if you want.”

“Really?” You asked.

Chrissy nodded, before telling you, “I’ll just tell my mom that you’re tutoring me. I’m sure that she’ll let you stay.”

You smiled, as you hugged her, before thanking her. “Thanks Chrissy. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Suddenly, Chrissy pulled away, revealing a serious look on her face, before asking you, “You know I said that I bought some weed from Eddie before spring break?”

You nodded, before she confessed that she had been having nightmares for a long time, and she came to Eddie for weed, hoping that it would help her.

“Oh Chrissy…” you softly said, as you placed your hand on her shoulder. “I had no idea that you were going through something like that.”

“That’s why I’ve been to see Ms Kelly before spring break. And even though she’s been trying to help me, it still didn’t make the nightmares go away.”

You hugged Chrissy, doing your best to comfort her when you heard the doorbell ring.

“I better get that,” Chrissy said, as you let her go.

After she stood up and walked to the door, Chrissy opened it to find Eddie standing on her doorstep.

“Hey Chrissy,” Eddie grinned, unaware that you were in the house.

Chrissy sternly looked at him, as she crossed her arms and asked, “What is it, Eddie?”

Eddie’s grinned dropped, as he noticed Chrissy’s stern expression.

“Uh…I was wondering…” Eddie began to reply, as he nervously scratched the back of his head. “If you wanted to come over to Gareth’s place with me and watch us rehearse.”

“Can’t. I’m busy,” Chrissy coldly declined.

“Oh…okay. Well, you’re still coming to the Hideout tomorrow, right?”

“Maybe. Is that all? Only I have homework to do.”

Chrissy placed her hand on the door handle, as she told him, “you know, may you should focus on your studies too instead of getting your…”

Chrissy shuddered, before continuing to speak, “I can’t even say it.”

Before a confused Eddie could respond, Chrissy slammed the door in his face.

Chrissy deeply sighed, as she headed back to the couch, while you sipped your tea.

As Chrissy sat beside you, you told her, “You can go to the Hideout tomorrow if you want to. Don’t feel that you have to not go because of me.”

“Well I won’t go…without you,” Chrissy replied.

You spluttered into the cup, before you turned to face her.

“What?” You asked.

“Just because Eddie’s being cold with you, it doesn’t mean that you should stay away. Besides, the Hideout is a public place. It’s not like he can kick you out himself.”

You sighed, unsure whether or not you want to go to the Hideout and feel Eddie’s wrath.

Suddenly, you heard a car pull up, before hearing your parents talking.

You placed the cup onto the table, and stood up, before telling Chrissy, “I’m gonna speak to my parents about staying over.”

“Okay, hopefully I’ll see you later,” Chrissy replied.

As Chrissy walked you to the door, she hugged you once more, before telling you, “Everything will be okay.”

Next

[klausinamarink]

The Only Sounds Are His Heart and Music

rating: T | cw: mentions of Vecna nightmares and near-death experience | wc: 893 | tags: established relationship, canon divergence, hurt/comfort | prompt: Love is the perfect mixtape/Love is the heartbeat I can feel when I hug him

written for @steddielovemonth

-

Heavy silence filled the trailer, not even the barking of the neighbours' dogs or the rattling winds dared to break inside. It was as if all sounds from the outside world had been snuffed out, putting the residents into a solitary confinement room. It would've been unnerving if the Steve wasn't pressing his ear against Eddie's chest where his heart thudded loudly.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Eddie was still alive.

Steve swallowed another lump down his throat, wincing slightly as he did. When Eddie had gone white-eyed and later floated in the air, Steve screamed so loud out he nearly shredded his throat. He had no idea how much it hurt to speak until after the music worked and Wayne Munson demanded an explanation for his nephew's apparent possession that when Steve had tried to explain, barely a wheezing sob came out. Dustin and the other kids had taken over as storytellers of the Upside Down while Steve held a heaving Eddie in his hold.

Eddie was breathing normally now as if he was sleeping. But Steve knew from his tense body that Eddie was still wide awake. His fingers kept twitching from squeezing Steve's biceps to twisting the wires of his headphones where Dio's Hungry For Heaven blared out to gripping the blankets around them. It was close to his usual manic energy but more subdued. Terrified as if everything he touched was even real.

Whoever the hell this Vecna guy was, Steve was ready bash his brains out with his nail bat.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-babump.

Eddie's heartbeat stayed the same but Steve caught the moment it started to quicken. Steve squeezed his arms around Eddie's torso and nuzzled his face against the chest. He wanted to kiss his boyfriend so badly but Steve couldn't bare to let go and let the sound of his heart vanish from his functional ear.

He felt Eddie shuddering out a breath before his arms began to wrap around Steve's shoulders. Eddie sniffed and pressed his face on the top of Steve's head.

Nestled between them, Hungry For Heaven faded away but the Walkman kept whirring. And then, very clearly, Eddie My Love by The Chordettes started playing.

Steve blinked down at the Walkman with a mix of confusion and bubbling fear. He knew that Lucas was the one who managed to snagged the right tape to save Eddie during the panic, but for a terrifying moment, he wondered if Lucas made a mistake. "What the-"

He looked up when he heard Eddie snorting. For the first time since he had safely fell back to the ground, Eddie was cracking a smile. "I thought Vecna was going to snatch me again when that played after Dio. Turns out that it's my second favourite song." He lifted the Walkman up to the streams of the moonlight so Steve could peer closely at the cassette's label. His heart leapt up to his throat when he recognized the tiny heart doodles over his own handwriting.

Eddie's VERY METAL Mixtape

The whoosh of air escaping Steve's lips might've been a sigh or some poor attempt of a laugh. Either way, relief flowed from him, top to bottom. He dropped his head onto Eddie's chest again, almost headbutting the chin. "Jesus" he murmurs soft enough that it doesn't agitate his throat, "we should give Sinclair a fruit basket."

"A truck full of them. Freshly produced from sweet Alabama." Eddie adds cheekily.

They chuckle together before falling back to silence, barely accompanied by the faint vocals.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Steve waits for another minute before he breaks it with a quiet question, "Are you okay, Eds?"

It's a stupid question, but Steve just wanted to hear his honesty. No person can handle the massive guilt of letting Chrissy Cunningham go home after a little freakout over the drug she wanted, only for her body to be broken beyond recognition by an unseen force in front of her parents, or be tormented alone by painful headaches and nightmares before nearly dying, or the sudden revelation that your secret boyfriend and his little gaggle of kids have been fighting monsters of an alternate dimension for years.

Eddie gave out a drawn-out sigh before he answers, "Not really. Feeling like shit but I can't sleep."

The Chordettes come to a sweet end before being inappropriately followed up by Black Sabbath's Die Young. It made Steve shrivel on the inside. He wished he could pummel his past self for including that song in the tape. But if Eddie was bothered, he didn't show it. Still-

"You're going to fine." Steve whispers harshly. His face is close up to Eddie now, his hand pressing against the other man's heart. "As long as you keep listening to our tape, we're gonna figure out to kick Vecna's ass. You will live."

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Eddie's eyes glistened. Steve flipped the both of them over, careful not to crush the Walkman, allowing Eddie much more room to crawl further up and bury himself into Steve's tight embrace. Eddie's face pressed into Steve's neck, already soaking his skin with tears. It doesn't bother Steve at all. His hands rubbed his boyfriend's back in smoothing circles. Steve brought his mouth to Eddie's temple first before moving to his ear, quietly repeating "you will live" over and over.

Steve prayed for it to be true.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

[tinytalkingtina]

Illusory Courage

Written for the @steddiemicrofic July challenge prompt #2, using the word "one" and 1,111 words.

In the same universe/same characters as my other DnD microfic, but intended as a standalone story showing how they met, no prior reading required.

1,111 words | Rating: T

CW: Dead Chrissy Cunnigham, brief description of a Vecna'd body

Tags: Fantasy DnD AU, Tiefling Steve Harrington, Anti-Tiefling racism, Steve Harrington has bad parents, Half-elf Eddie munson, pre-Steddie, past Chrissy Cunningham/Eddie Munson, first meetings

Ao3 link

Stephen Harrington, heir to the barony of Loch Nora, left Lord Carver’s manor scowling. This fief was the same as the previous one. A dead body, found with the eyes gouged out and limbs twisted into unnatural angles. Except unlike the previous poor peasant boy, this time a noble had fallen victim to some sort of dark magic. It was certainly unusual for a Lord’s wife to vanish during the night, only to be discovered amidst the cows come morning. Unfortunately, Lord Carver had precious little to give them, beyond claiming the Lady Christine had been acting “distracted” as of late.   “Why are you so upset Steve? We were a full day’s travel out. It’s a tragedy for sure, but it’s not like you could have foreseen this happening.” Dustin urged his pony forward as fast as the old girl could go, laden down as she was with all of his contraptions. “Dustin, it’s Lord Harrington when we’re in public. You’re my official squire, we have to keep up appearances. And it’s not entirely that the Lady died, it’s how Lord Carver spoke about her, like she was some sort of trophy. He barely knew her. Now come on, I want to see the field she was found in before it gets too dark.”  Steve indulged in a ruffle to his squire’s hair. He reflexively pushed down the twinge of guilt; no one could possibly notice his horns hidden inside the matching decorations on his helm, or feel his claws when he kept them filed short and blunt. His tail remained tucked out of sight beneath layers of chain mail and plate. Even so, the thought of detection sent a trickle of fear down his spine. He needed a chance to perform penance for his family’s misdeeds. If he could snuff out enough evil, perhaps he could outweigh their crimes that proclaimed themselves for all to see on his body. And maybe, just maybe, his mother might look at him with something other than bitterness and disgust when he forewent his illusory magical mask at home.

Shoving his feelings aside, he herded Dustin towards the pasture as the last rays of light touched the tree tops. “Just as a precaution, you should set up an alarm spell. Don’t want to be caught unawares by anyone—or thing.”  Dustin nodded and scrambled off to set up a perimeter. Steve had sat through an explanation how the spell-infused gadget used stones attuned to the correct magical frequency before, but the engineering went over his head. He trusted his squire to do a good job though, and thanks to Dustin’s contraptions, he had an easier time swinging his weapons at monsters. Steve made his way to the center of the field, stopping short when his ears picked up someone singing. The tune, full of grief and longing, was nothing short of enchanting. He spied the singer, crumpled onto the ground next to the scorched crater marking where the Lady had been found. Steve approached slowly, one hand on his sword. But the clanking of armor alerted the singer, and he startled. Oh, the singer was beautiful. Even dimmed by tears, those big dark eyes were just as expressive as his voice. Steve caught sight of an ear that gently tapered to a small point poking out from the riot of curls atop his head. Oh, an elf. That certainly explained the features. Summoning upon long-ago tutoring, Steve managed to offer an only slightly clumsy greeting in Elvish. But the elf just blinked those wide eyes at him in confusion. “I don’t understand whatever it is you just said, but you should leave, stranger. There was a death here last night, the Lady of the manor, she—” His voice cracked. “She’s dead.” “Yes, we have been advised of the situation, my good elf. We were the ones sent to investigate.” “Of course he thinks I’m an elf,” the singer muttered to himself as he ran a hand through his hair.

As he did, a glint of metal caught Steve’s eye. Looking closer, he spied a thick silver band inlaid with a dark stone. One that looked suspiciously like the ring Lord Carver had raged about losing to petty thievery when they recovered Lady Christine’s body. “And it appears we have something to investigate. Care to explain how the late Lady’s ring ended up on your hand?” The would-be thief’s pretty face hardened as he took a challenging step forward. Steve stepped back in equal measure, a practiced look of haughty disinterest on his face. Any discomfort perfectly hidden away beneath the mask. His father’s voice echoed in his ear: Keep your distance Stephen. Despite your…affliction, you’re still of noble birth. “I know it’s hard for you nobles to consider this, mi’lord”, the thief said, spitting the word out as if swearing. “But whatever you’ve been told, not all us common folk are out to steal whatever our grubby little hands touch. Chrissy—the Lady, gave this to me. She engraved my name on it, even.” He brandished the ring, and sure enough, in delicate handwriting, an “Edward” was scratched onto the inside. “Fine then, my apologies. If you were truly close to the Lady, perhaps you can assist me in questioning the Lord further.” This Edward lifted his chin defiantly. “Don’t think I’m going to help you give that hollow bitter man any closure. Or did the noble sitting in his fine manor not tell you? He officially banished me from these lands a full month ago for ‘enticing his sweet Lady’ to wickedness. Wasn’t supposed to stick around much longer, but it seems that freaks like myself don’t get happy endings with those we love, do we. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Edward began to retreat without looking. Before Steve could warn him, he stepped directly into the crater. As soon as he crossed the boundary, a chill wind circled, carrying with it distorted bell chimes and chittering. Steve’s sword glowed: some sort of necromancy was afoot, and now this half-elf was its target. Steve gritted his teeth. “I’m not about to turn you in. But unfortunately for you Edward the Banished, you’ve just been marked by something evil, and I can’t permit that evil the opportunity to hurt you or any others. But I promise, by my oath, I’ll do everything I can to protect you and try to avenge your Lady.” Edward blinked those large eyes at him, his expression full of fear and anger. Steve sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy, adding an unwilling soul to his party. Hopefully, this man would continue to keep his distance until the evil was dispatched.

Tagging some folks who've shown interest in ST DnD AUs, feel free to ask to be removed!

@augustjustice @hornedqueenofhell @puppy-steve @devondespresso

[badfanfictionaire]

Chrissy Cunningham has lived with a secret since she was nine years old: she could talk to ghosts.  And not through an EMF device or something like that, no, she could do it just like any other conversation. It had spooked her the first time she realized her parents couldn’t see the young man who often wandered their backyard late at night.  Even at nine she knew better than to admit what she could see to her parents, who would surely have had her committed if they ever realized she believed this man was more than just an imaginary friend.  Or, that their child never lost her so-called imagination even in adulthood.  

The man in her backyard was named Henry, a troubled soul who had lost his life twenty years prior, in the woods beyond the Cunningham’s property.  He hadn’t shared his last name, not wanting her to know who he really was, but she’d been able to do some detective work anyway.  Henry Creel had not been a kind soul in his lifetime.  As a teen, in a drug-fueled rage he had killed his mother and sister, leaving his father to face the wrath of the police.  For years he evaded karma, until it caught up with him one autumnal evening, and he himself was brutally slain by a madman while walking in the woods.  

“I don’t think you’re a bad person,” Chrissy said to him one night, sitting on the stone wall behind her house, “Good people can do bag things.  You made a tragic mistake, but you’ve more than paid for your sins.”

Henry scoffed, “Forced to do nothing but wander this plane for the rest of eternity, thinking about what I’ve done.  A punishment I’ll never escape.” 

“Maybe I could help you cross over,” she said, swinging her legs and kicking at the fallen leaves below. 

“I don’t think I want to know what happens after this,” Henry said flatly, and then he was gone again. 

Ghosts, she had found, were very good at disappearing when they wanted to.  At first she thought they were finding their way to the other side without help, but, it was really just a ghostly trick. One, that as she got older, she wished she could pull too.  Her mother got worse and worse about managing Chrissy’s every step and bite of food, nearly to the point Chrissy thought maybe she would soon be able to vanish without a trace…

Things change drastically the day she meets Eddie Munson in the woods after school.  She’d gone seeking something to help her sleep off the constant hunger pains, and emerged with something far better: a friend. And not just any friend, a friend who was like her. 

“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she said tearfully. 

“Try me, Cunningham,” he’d said with a Chesire cat grin. 

“...I can see ghosts, I can talk to the dead.”

Eddie threw his head back and laughed, a merry bright sound that echoed off the trees. 

“I knew you’d think-”

“Cunningham,” he said slowly, “I don’t think you’re crazy, because I can see them too.”

Months later, they helped Henry find his way into the beyond.  As they watched his ghostly light fade into the night air, she clutched Eddie’s hand. 

“Do you think he’ll find peace?” 

“I’m not sure,” Eddie said quietly, “I hope so.”

“I know he hurt a lot of people,” she said, “But, he spent a very long time suffering.”

“I know,” he said kissing her knuckles, “If there is peace after all this, I think he’s earned it by now.”

He walks her back to the side door of her parent’s house.  “So, when can I see you again, Ghost Girl?” 

“Whenever you want,” she replies earnestly. 

“Whenever?” there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Whenever,” she replies.

He seals their unspoken promise with a kiss, and Chrissy’s heart floods with joy.  

“Thank you for helping me, for helping Henry,” she murmurs into his hair. 

“Of course,” he whispers back, “I’m just glad I’m not alone in this anymore, that we’re not alone in this.”

She smiles warmly despite the chilly air whistling around her.  “Take me home?” 

“But-”

“With you,” she adds.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” he says, his expression giddy.  

He helps her into his van and shuts the door.  As they drive away from the big white house on the hill in Loch Nora, where a timid young girl once hid in the shadows, something new and warm unfurls in her chest. She’s truly not alone anymore, and not just because of the things that go bump in the night. 

👻👻👻👻

(read on AO3)

[cyraclove]

I have mad writer’s block with all of my wips right now so please have this drabble about Eddie going prom dress shopping with Chrissy that I couldn’t get out of my head

Eddie pops another handful of M&Ms in his mouth as he glances at his watch.

He locks eyes with the same saleswoman that’s been hovering around the dressing room for the last hour, shooting her a crunchy, chocolatey grin. Eddie chuckles to himself when she purses her lips in obvious disgust and clacks away.

He’s lost count of how many dresses Chrissy’s tried on. They might live here now, in this Dillard’s at the mall. At least there’s an Orange Julius and a Mrs. Fields nearby. Bright side.

Eddie’s still not entirely sure how he ended up at the mall watching Chrissy try on dresses. For prom. The prom that she’s going to with Jason Carver, her walking wiener of a boyfriend.

It’s probably got something to do with the fact that he’s stupidly, pathetically in love with her.

Another Blondie song comes on overhead and the hiss of the same perfume sample being sprayed for the hundredth time makes Eddie’s eye twitch.

God, he’s getting a cluster headache. He needs a cigarette, like, yesterday.

“How’s it going in there, Chris?”

There’s shuffling and the soft clink of metal hangers from behind the flimsy curtain in front of him.

“This one’s too…poofy,” Chrissy says, a frown in her voice.

“The purple one? I thought you liked that one.”

“No, this is the dark green one.”

“The dark gr—I haven’t even seen that one yet. C’mon out, lemme look at it.”

“No, it’s too poofy,” she insists. “I look like…like broccoli.”

Eddie tosses his head back with a laugh despite trying his damndest not to. He can’t see her, but he knows she’s got that little crinkle above her nose that she gets when she’s grumpy. He can hear it.

“You’ll be the most beautiful vegetable at the dance,” Eddie teases. The little grumble he gets in response tugs at his heart.

Chrissy pokes her head out from the curtain to look at him, gathering it around her chest. Eddie can see just a sliver of her bare shoulder. His stomach actually flutters.

“Eddie,” Chrissy sighs, “this is serious. If I don’t find a dress this weekend, it’ll be too late.”

Chrissy disappears into her dressing room again. Eddie hears a zipper and wishes that he was made of taffeta.

“I’m gonna try on the blue one,” Chrissy tells him. “You liked that one, right?”

“Chrissy, I like them all,” he says honestly. I like them because they’re on you, he doesn’t add.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. You’re gonna look great in whatever you pick.”

There’s a pause in the rustling of fabric. Chrissy’s face appears again, baby blues rolling above a little smile. Her cheeks are pricked with the slightest hint of pink.

“You have to say that because you’re my best friend,” she says.

Eddie looks at her a minute, his eyes on hers. The tinny Muzak from out in the mall fades away and all he can hear is his blood rushing in his ears, the thump of his heart against his ribcage.

He could just tell her. Right now, with that stuffy saleswoman glaring at them from behind the cosmetics counter.

He could tell her and then he’d get to take her to the dumb prom, and it’d be the best night of his goddamned life.

But he doesn’t.

“Go on and try the blue one on before they close the mall and we get locked in here,” he jokes. He shoots her a smile that she returns before vanishing again.

His head aches.

“I’m sorry I’m taking so long,” Chrissy apologizes. “I really appreciate you coming with me.”

“Hey, of course. Anything for you, Cunningham. You know that.”

“It’s just…I know this sounds so stupid, but I really want my ‘Wow’ moment. You know?”

Eddie’s brow furrows. “Uh, you may need to give me a definition for that one.”

“Have you seen Footloose?”

“Did you forget who you’re talking to?”

Chrissy lets out a breath of a giggle. “Well, do you know the basic plot of the movie?”

“Think so,” Eddie muses. “Jesus good, dancing bad.”

“Essentially,” Chrissy laughs. “Anyway, there’s this part at the end after they finally convince the reverend to let them have senior prom. Kevin Bacon’s character—his name’s Ren—“

“Ren, okay.”

“Yeah, and he comes to pick Ariel up—that’s Lori Singer’s character. You know Lori Singer?”

“The blonde from, uh…Fate?”

“Fame. So, he comes to pick her up for the dance and he’s walking up to her front porch and he stops when he sees her standing there,” Chrissy continues, her voice airy, dreamy.

“And then he just…looks at her. Like he can’t believe that she’s real. That’s what I want.”

There’s a twinge in Eddie’s chest.

“Chris, Carver’s an idiot if he doesn’t—“

The end of Eddie’s sentence is snuffed out when Chrissy pulls back the curtain and steps out of the dressing room. His tongue is dry and his head feels fuzzy. The air leaves his lungs entirely as he takes her in, breathtaking in blue.

The neckline kisses her collarbone, sleeves fluttering at the edges at her shoulders. The shimmery fabric slopes along the contours of her body, coasting down the curve of her waist before splaying into the skirt.

Chrissy’s teeth dig into her lower lip as the corner of her lips quirk up. She shifts from one foot to the other, the wispy silk swaying gently just above her ankles.

“Well? What about this one?”

“Yeah,” Eddie breathes, his heart in his throat. “I think that’s the one.”

[lauren-no-why]

Redmayne Brothers breakdown?

Phew, okay, here we go! Three characters to answer for, I love you for asking this, haha.

Johnnie

How I feel about this character: My precious baby boy, I adore him. Reckless perfect terrible child. Pat him on the head, he brings so much joy.

Ship romantically: None in canon. Johnnie/his ego, Johnnie/hedonism, Johnnie/so many girls he doesn't remember the names of and maybe a few he does but not in a serious way. He's a ladies boy, or certainly thinks of himself that way, and none of it is romance but it is very definitely lust and pleasure.

Also thanks to some very long-running eternally-ongoing shenanigans I ship him with Chrissy Cunningham from Stranger Things. @spectromagic knows.

Non-romantic OTP: Man it's not an OTP it's just these three brothers and their dynamic. I love them all even if it's mostly headcanon (BEN!!! PLEASE GIVE US MORE). I think they've all leaned on each other a lot over the years and Johnnie looks up to Dale and Alex so much. I can only imagine how absolutely devastated they are by his death (BEN!! GIVE) and that tragedy feeds me.

Unpopular opinion: I don't care at all for the Buck/Johnnie ship. Doesn't work for me. Buck is very clearly obsessed with Lee to the point of absolute ruin. I think the cigarette scene was mostly meant as a way to show that Buck can interact with the ghosts and also that he's super freaked out by this (at first) but then later just like, accepting of it. Does not read as shippy to me.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Oh I desperately hope we run into him again, causing trouble out there in ghost form, because clearly we know he's still around. Also I absolutely MUST know more about his whole backstory and also whatever he saw in his visions and also whatever he experienced while black-brained because I live and die for cosmic horror and you know that's some really horrific shit.

Dale

How I feel about him: Without dumping paragraphs of headcanon here, good lord I adore Dale. We know he's brilliantly creative when it comes to music, and must have quite the force of personality also to be a co-leader of the gang. There's so much there to draw from, and then we also know (or it's implied, I guess) that a lot of the music that survives to the modern era via Lord Huron covers was massively inspired by Johnnie's death, maybe as a way to cope. I feel for him so much. Poor Dale.

Ship romantically: Look we have nothing to go off of, but if I had to name names I'd just go with the lovely Ms. Penny Clicks there at his side in the Fool for Love MV. In my head they had a thing once and are now buddies that absolutely lean on each other a lot, where he trusts her to get shit done that needs to get done. Big fan of the lady gang members as a whole.

Part of me also wants to ship him with Rigo but that isn't fair because it's purely invented and Rigo is like, dead or vanished anyway and so the only purpose that serves is to dump more trauma on his head.

Non-romantic OTP: See this answer in Johnnie's section.

Unpopular opinion: I don't... think there are enough popular opinions here to even go off of lmao

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Hey Ben can you give us more, thanks. I would like more. At least mention him eventually again since his name hasn't come up since Strange Trails and it's killing me.

Alex

How I feel about this character: The absolute pillar of these three, my third best boy, Alex I adore you so much. When there is no dad you must become the dad. Strength both physically and mentally. His crew has so much respect for him, Johnnie adores him, you know that he's always doing his absolute best to make sure everyone has what they need and are causing the most havoc in the right ways at all times. Champion. In my head he's almost religiously dedicated to the World Ender and has taken this leadership role very seriously. He's like a paladin but of a violent street gang that's part cult to some unearthly being. So good. So good.

Ship romantically: I accidentally started shipping him with Moonbeam in like a nonromantic but FWB way and I'm obsessed with this dynamic now. He doesn't trust many people but he does trust her, and she's more than earned it.

Non-romantic OTP: See this answer in Johnnie's section.

Unpopular opinion: Buddy who else even has opinions about Alex, we barely have anything on him, I'm glad that my head is a lively place full of extrapolation and daydreams.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: What the FUCK he didn't even get a single speaking line??? Peter Mendoza is such a sweetheart and a talented actor and he didn't even get a line??? Wasted opportunity. Bring him back. Let's see the violence he will unleash on Z'Oiseau following Johnnie's death. The man is an absolute force of nature leading LA's most feared gang. I need to see this desperately.

[a-strange-inkling]

Jason hits the brakes quick and hard, throwing them all forward suddenly. His hand squeezes her knee enough to bruise before slamming down on the horn just as the infamous brown and tan van skids and screeches loudly past the jeep with almost gleeful ridicule into the parking lot, kicking up loose gravel and dirt behind it.

“Jackass!” Jason shouts after him, standing through the window, blue veins popping out in his strained neck.

It was very clearly on purpose.

Chrissy pants from the near collision, her seat belt digging into her chest. She turns to check on Mattie in the back seat first. His blue-green eyes meet hers, shaky and wide. He’s a little startled, but otherwise fine. She then cautiously lifts her gaze back to Jason with a soundless sigh as he falls back to his seat. He’s fuming, jaw locked and eyes blazing. He finally down shifts and slowly continues on toward the front of the middle school.

Chrissy stares through the swirling dust cloud left in the wake of Eddie Munson’s reckless driving, her heart pounding in her chest, well awakened from her catatonic stupor. She barely makes out his dark figure as he kicks open the door and jumps down in all his causeless rebel glory.

“I swear that freak is going to kill someone someday.” Jason grits out in frustration and contempt, his hand finding her knee again under her skirt, smoothing over the reddened skin apologetically.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things The Voyage Review

WARNING: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the comic!

Stranger Things Reviews/Theories

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tales From Hawkins

Stranger Things x TMNT Crossover

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus

Stranger Things Lucas On The Line

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 1 of 2)

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: When Captain Jacoby Cunningham (no relation to Chrissy Cunningham) is approached by Russians for an "off-the-books, no questions asked" sea voyage to Kamchatka, he reluctantly take the job in exchange for much-needed compensation. However, tensions immediately begin to brew between his crew and the suspicious passengers. When a storm hits and a crew member goes missing, Jacoby begins to realize that not only is he way in over his head, but his employers may have brought an unwelcome and deadly passenger onboard without his knowledge.........

Observations:

Back in September (Has it really been that long?) when I did my review of Stranger Things Kamchatka, I predicted that The Voyage (which had yet to debut at that point) would likely follow the same plot threads of Ridley Scott's Alien. Guess who turned out to be right on that call?

And when I say similar plot threads, I mean eerily similar:

A commercial crew is out in the middle of nowhere (space in Alien, the sea in The Voyage) having picked up cargo they know nothing about. Said cargo turns out to be a creature (Xenomorph/Demogorgon) that gets loose on the ship and begins picking off the crew members one-by-one. The remaining crew eventually come to understand that this wasn't a happy accident, and that their employers (Weyland-Yutani/The Soviets) arranged for this to happen for their own purposes. Realizing they've become expendable, the crew is forced to fight for their lives, with their chances of survival looking slimmer by the minute. All of which culminates in a highly tense showdown.

Both the Stranger Things comics and novels have traditionally drawn inspiration from (or in some cases, paid homage to) famous movies from the 70s and 80s. Science Camp did it with the Friday the 13th Franchise. Tomb of Ybwen did it for The Goonies. Darkness on the Edge of Town drew heavily from Escape from New York (as well as the comic Batman The Cult). The Voyage follows a similar trajectory, so it's not unique in that regard, but it does add its own twists and turns (similar to the other comics/tie-ins I just mentioned) to keep things engaging without becoming a blatant rip-off. There were times I didn't know what direction the story was going, even though I had some general idea of how it might end (i.e not well). It's the same feeling I had two years ago when we were all waiting for Vol 2 of Season 4 to come out, and it helped me stay invested in this comic.

Speaking of which, The Voyage takes place between seasons 3 and 4, and acts as a prequel to Stranger Things Kamchatka. Unlike that comic, which was stylized as a Cold War thriller with science-fiction elements sprinkled in, this comic is straight science-fiction horror, with a major emphasis on the horror aspect:

There were genuinely scary moments in this comic, and a sense of dread and unease with each turn of the page. This is a comic that does an excellent job keeping you on edge.

I know I previously said that Stranger Things Kamchatka was a violent comic (even by the standards of the show) that didn't shy away from depicting graphic scenes. While I still stand by that, this comic arguably takes those graphic scenes up to eleven. Some of the deaths at the hands of the Demogorgon are the kinds of moments you'd expect to see in a gory R-Rated film:

Major props to the writers and artists for making effective use of lighting, shadows, colors, and the Demogorgon's vicious nature to truly emphasize the terror of being trapped in an isolated location with a monster that wants you dead.

On top of that, I appreciate how, even with the Demogorgon running around and causing chaos, the writers were able to keep tensions high during the scenes between Captain Jacoby's crew and the Soviets. Every interaction between these two groups was ripe with paranoia and mistrust, and I'm glad that the comic didn't beat around the bush in spelling out that the Russians were the antagonists. They even brought back a familiar face from the Kamchatka comic to emphasize this: Dr. Karine.

The moment she appeared in this comic is the moment I realized that, in spite of being the villain, this was her story. Captain Jacoby is initially set up as the main character, but the comic subverts this towards the end by turning him into a false protagonist who is doomed to die.

In fact, with the exception of one other character whose fate is left up in the air (and who could potentially appear in a sequel should the writers choose to pursue that), guess who ends up being the main survivor by the end of this?

Like I've said, the parallels to Alien (1979) are uncanny. However, instead of heroic final girl Ellen Ripley surviving the Xenomorph's carnage, we get villainous Dr. Karine managing to remain alive and come out on top. Since this comic is a prequel to Kamchatka, it isn't much of a spoiler to point out that she doesn't die (though interestingly enough, we never find out if the Demogorgon she smuggled onboard also survived the explosion).

The only other character who gets fleshed-out in any meaningful way is Captain Jacoby. Bit by bit, we are shown glimpses of his past as a disgraced military veteran, and find out he'd initially been an illegal gun-runner for the U.S. army, up until he accidentally led his men into a horrific ambush that cost them their lives:

When he tried to inquire into how things went wrong so quickly, he was dishonorably discharged (with the implication that his superiors threw him under the bus in an attempt to cover their asses), and it led to him regretting poking his nose in other people's businesses. This in turn led to him suppressing his curiosity in favor of taking shady jobs to survive. Unfortunately for him, and to the detriment of his crew, not only did this attitude cause him to take Dr. Karine's deal to ferry them to Kamchatka, but it also resulted in him missing some major warning signs that she and her people were not to be trusted. Everything went downhill from there.

Captain Jacoby and Dr. Karine's exchanges were interesting in that they provided humanizing moments for both characters, and also gave brief but unique insight into Dr. Karine's motivations:

I remember not caring that much for Dr. Karine in the Kamchatka comic since she came off as little more than a generic evil mad-scientist, but this comic turns that around with this conversation she has with Captain Jacoby. Regardless of what kind of person Dr. Karine is, she has enough self-awareness to recognize that, at the end of the day, she is merely a pawn for her government and their agenda, and that she could easily become expendable in the name of "The Motherland" or whatever self-serving cause her superiors decide to inevitably sacrifice her to. She isn't lying in this scene: You can practically sense the bitterness and resentment in her tone, intertwined with her clumsy attempt to empathize with Jacoby's backstory.

This gives more depth to her fascination with the Upside Down and the Demogorgon: It isn't just about harnessing its power; it's an escape for her. An escape from being under her governments fist, and an escape from the "forced conformity" of being an obedient citizen to a collapsing empire.

Come to think of it, when you look at many of the Russian characters in both the comics and the show, from Agent Frost to Alexei to Enzo/Dmitri to even Yuri, there's a recurring theme of these characters either growing disillusioned with the Soviet Union, or recognizing how shitty it is living in Russia, and doing everything they can to climb out of that hole before they're buried underneath.

I don't know if any of the characters in the comics will make an appearance in the final season of the show (my money is likely on it not happening), but if the Duffer Brothers are planning on bringing back the Russian arc for Season 5, and are looking for an antagonist to fill that role, then they might as well incorporate Dr. Karine. They've already written two comics around her character, establishing her as a credible threat and a compelling villain, and it would be a lot better than introducing another generic forgettable Russian Authority Figure** in lieu of what we've gotten for the past two seasons:

(**Can anyone even tell me their names without Googling them?)

I know some fans aren't eager to revisit the Russian arc return in S5, but considering the show's already spent 2 seasons on it and there are still unanswered questions (i.e. Who was the mole at Hawkins Lab that informed the Russians about El opening the gate? How did the Russians get that piece of the Mind Flayer, and what do they know about it? Are there other Russian facilities keeping UD monsters in captivity? Do the Russians plan to come back to America to either capture more monsters, or take revenge against Hopper, Joyce, and Murray for ruining their plans? Etc, etc.), they might as well wrap this up and give it a satisfying conclusion. Last thing I want to see are more story arcs left unresolved (*cough* Kali Prasad *cough*).

In regards to the other characters in the comic, I don't have much to say about them since they're not really developed. The remaining Soviets on the ship are either generic dumb-muscle or yes-men to Dr. Karine, and the rest of the crew don't have memorable personalities that make them stand out. Considering this is a monster story where most of the characters are going to be killed off anyways, the lack of development doesn't bother me.

Things That (Somewhat) Tie Into The Show:

The Voyage does provides a reasonable, albeit mundane, explanation for how the Soviets got the UD monsters out of Hawkins across the sea to Russia: They found people they could bribe to look the other way and not ask any questions while they smuggled their cargo (and presumably themselves and Hopper) to Kamchatka. Unlike Dr. Karine's Demogrogon, I'm assuming they found a way to keep the monsters anesthetized and hidden better so they wouldn't cause problems or attract unwanted attention.

On top of that, the device Dr. Karine was pursuing in the comic Kamchatka makes an appearance again, except with a different purpose: Instead of it being used to keep the Demogorgon alive, it's used by her to control the Demogorgon and hunt down Captain Jacoby's remaining crew in the climax:

While this is a Retcon from how the device was said to work in the previous comic, it's one I don't mind because the explanation here at least makes sense. The device allows Dr. Karine to mentally connect with the Demogorgon and control it, similar to how Vecna uses the Mind Flayer to possess people/UD monsters and control them. It also gives insight into how the Russians planned to weaponize the Demogorgons and Demodogs to do their bidding without having to worry about the monsters turning on them. While we don't see this particular aspect play out on the show (if anything, the Russians in S4 treated their Demogorgon like an attack dog with barely any restraint), it's an avenue the Duffer Brothers could explore should they choose to continue with the Russian arc in S5.

Overall, this was a grisly and dark comic, but one that kept me invested. For that, I give it a high recommendation.

[thaliasandy]

Hellcheer headcanon:

Warning: sexual themes but no actual sex and Jason is an asshole and no one can convince me otherwise.

Eddie came to the picnic table behind the school hoping he could make some money, he certainly didn't expect Chrissy Cunningham to be here today, especially not like this.

She sat at the table with her back to him but he could tell she was crying, not just quietly shedding a couple of tears but fullblown sobbing into the sleeve of her white sweater jacket.

"Chrissy?"

She flinched and whipped around to look at him.

"Whatever it is you want me to do, I'm not doing it."

She scrambled to get up from the bench and backed away from him.

He put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, people usually come here if they want something from me...What's wrong?" he asked when he saw the terrified look on her face.

She was still wiping at her tear streaked face.

"Haven't you heard what Jason and his friends say about me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't really engage in gossip with Carver...What are they saying?" He was confused why something her boyfriend said made her so distraught.

"He...he told everyone I've been doing...all these nasty things with pretty much the entire Basketball team and some of them are playing along..and everyone believes them..." she cried, her sobs sounding like she was about to hyperventilate.

He moved closer ,slowly , like he was approaching a frightened animal, and put a gentle hand on her arm.

"Shhh it's okay."

"No it's not!...Two guys stopped me in the hallway earlier and asked if they could "spit roast" me....I don't even know what that means but I'm sure it's something gross!"

"It's when you give a blowjob to one guy while the other-"

Chrissy stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth ajar in shock and embarrassment.

"Oh shit, nevermind...you don't want to know what it is, do you?"

"...No!" She squeaked.

"Sorry...Why is he saying those things about you?

She was fidgeting with a loose thread on her sleeve.

"I broke up with him yesterday...He said he didn't want to waste his time with a...stupid virgin like me anyway..."

"Stupid bastard" she heard him mutter under his breath as he pulled his bandana from his pocket and offered it to her to wipe away her tears.

Chrissy was carefully dabbing under her eyes and below her sweet little button nose.

"Haven't you guys been together since ...like 3rd grade?!"

He overexaggerated in an attempt to be funny.

"Mr Carver is the pastor at our church. Our parents are friends...Jason and I have been dating for two years but he's been getting very pushy lately and I didn't like that." Chrissy awkwardly tried to explain.

"That's good! Don't let any guy talk you into stuff you don't like."

"I promised I'd let him do it on prom night but he didn't want to wait that long."

"...Let him...do it? ...Are we talking about Sex in general here or is the golden boy into some freaky shit?"

"No! Just...normal sex...I guess...I don't know a lot about all that..."

"Hey it's okay, I haven't done all the stuff people claim I did either..."

"Really?! They say you're into...well...'freaky shit'." She repeated what he said and gave him a tiny smile through her tears.

"Yeah about that...They're talking a lot of bullshit...But don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to maintain."

"I won't. I promise..." her smile vanished when she remembered this morning.

"I can't go back there! Everyone's going to be staring at me."

"What do you say we skip school for the rest of the day then, princess?"

Something about him calling her that made her ears perk up, it made her feel excited and tingly.

"I've never skipped school..."

"First time for everything, huh?" He wagged his eyebrows and smirked over this play of words, considering what they'd just talked about.

Eddie led her to his van and just as he was about to start the engine, he spotted Jason and his friends on the other side of the parking lot.

"Princess, do you want to *really* piss him off?" He smirked mischieviously.

"Yes!" She answered with no hesitation what so ever.

"I have an idea...but I gotta warn you, they will think we...uh...know each other carnally..."

"Carnally?...Oh..."

Eddie instantly regretted mentioning it when he saw her hesitate.

"Forget it, it was a stupid idea."

"No,no,no, he'll absolutely hate it, I love your idea!" There was something evily determined in her smile.

"...but...how are we going to make him think that?"

"Roll down your window a bit and climb in the backseat."

Eddie tried his best to be respectful and not stare as her tiny cheer skirt flipped up, revealing the cutest butt ,clad in even tinier green cheer shorts, when Chrissy easily and elegantly climbed in the back.

The cheerleader couldn't help but giggle when Eddie clumsily flopped down on the floor of his van, all wild hair and long limbs.

The rear windows were curtained and Eddie pulled another little curtain shut that seperated the front seats from the backseats.

Chrissy was sitting shyly on one of the pillows he kept there for the rare occassion that Corroded Coffin landed a gig outside of Hawkins and he and the band had to sleep in the van, like sardines in a can.

She probably had a different idea of what this van had witnessed; In the dim light of the afternoon sun streaming in through small gaps in the curtains he could see her blushing deeply.

"Chrissy, we don't have to do this if its too weird..."

"I want to make him pay!...And I was hoping if people thought you and I were...you know...a thing, maybe they wouldn't bother me again..."

The memory of the two guys cornering her earlier made her shudder with disgust.

"It'd be my pleasure to defend your honor, Princess!"

He smirked, hoping he didn't look like the nervous, love sick fool he was.

"Really? You would do that?"

"Sure!" (I would do anything for you) he thought.

"Are you ready for the whole school to think you're banging the freak?" He joked.

She sat up straight, nodding her pretty little head, looking like she was waiting to be taught something really profound.

"So...how are we-"

Chrissy's question was cut short as Eddie knelt down, one hand on the back of the drivers seat, one on the cars ceiling, and started rocking the van back and forth.

"Wait! I don't know what to do!" She gasped as she knelt down beside him.

"Just make it sound like you're having a good time." He laughed.

"How would I know what that sounds like?!" She stared at him scandalized.

"Right.." He slowed down the movement and thought about it for a moment.

"Have you ever watched a movie with a sex scene?" She shyly nodded, her face now beet red.

"Just try to make it sound like that."

Eddie peeked out through the curtain and gleefully noticed Jason and his group of jocks staring at his van.

"Still sure about this?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"Mhhh, Fuck! You feel so good!" He suddenly groaned, loud enough for them to hear and a visible shiver went through Chrissy,  she hadn't expected him to sound this way.

"Oh Eddie, just like that!!!"

She tried her best to sound like she was in the throes of passion and Eddie was surprised how well she did it. He was so mesmerized by the crazy glint in her eyes that they almost forgot peeking through the curtain again, just in time to see Jason's head snap in their direction.

"Oh my god he heard us!!"

She giggled and excitedly grabbed his arm.

Spurred on by his shocked expression and those of his friends, who were one by one realizing who they were listening to, she really put on a show and Eddie went along with it.

While they were having fun in the van, (not quite the kind of fun it sounded like) at some point Chrissy clasped her hand over her mouth to muffle her laugh after Eddie let out the most ridiculous moan.

"Let him hear you, laughing during sex is one of the best feelings." 

Eddie grinned at her. When he looked out again he noticed Jason seemingly getting more and more aggravated and as much as he enjoyed seeing him like that he really didn't want them to come over and beat his ass so he whispered:

"Are you ready for the big finale?"

"Yes!"

She answered in her high-pitched-fake-sex voice, making them both laugh.

Eddie almost sounded like he was growling and Chrissy squeezed her thighs together tightly to get some relief from the tingling she felt between her legs.

She tried her best to immitate the sounds she normally had to hide by burying her face in her pillows when she was touching herself at night and it ended up feeling so good that her legs were shaking and she almost blacked out.

"Come for me, Princess!"

"Ah, ah, ah...ahhhhh Eddie!!!"

"Shit!...That sounded so real! You okay?"

He chuckled.

"Yeah, you?"

He nodded, grinning like a mad man. They were both flushed and out of breath as if they really just had sex.

He tried to discreetly adjust his pants and he was glad he was wearing black jeans, at least they somewhat hid the outline of his raging boner.

"We gotta look a bit more disheveled...May I?" He motioned to her hair and Chrissy wasn't quite sure what he was about to do but she agreed.

He gently pulled the green scrunchie from her ponytail, slipped it onto his wrist and tousled her hair, she inhaled sharply at the feeling of his nimble fingers playfully dancing across her scalp.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No...it feels nice."

She answered truthfully as she leaned into his touch.

He was surprised when she suddenly did the same to him and he realized just how nice it felt.

He wanted to kiss her and for a moment he wondered if she'd kiss him back; but he instantly felt like an ass for even thinking about this when he remembered how freaked out she was by those two guys in the hallway.

"Can I give you a hug?"

"Yeah" He chuckled incredulously and added "We just had sex, of course we can cuddle."

She giggled as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, Chrissy was flooded with an unfamiliar feeling of warmth and security when Eddie returned the hug and she wanted to never let go of him.

"Come on, lets get out of here before your... ex-boyfriend and his buddies come over here."

Surprisingly she liked the sound of that, ex-boyfriend.

Eddie quickly shrugged off his vest and leather jacket and Chrissy did the same with her cheer jacket. He climbed back into the frontseat first, then(like a real gentleman, not like they just made everyone listening think he rearranged her guts) helped the tiny cheerleader, even though she didn't need any help, get situated in her seat again.

Ironically when he started the engine, 'Fuck like a beast' started playing and he couldn't help but turn up the volume as they drove past Jason and his friends. If looks could kill, they both would've dropped dead. Chrissy stuck her arm out of the window and flipped Jason off with a sweet smile on her rosy lips, Eddie leaned over the middle console, flashed him a shit-eating grin and did the same thing, making sure to show off Chrissy's scrunchie around his wrist; He was so close that she could feel his breath on her skin and the tips of his wild,long hair grazing her shoulder sent a shiver down her spine.

She wanted to kiss him so badly but she figured, since they'd be spending some time together today, she'd get plenty of chances to do so without an audience and without Eddie thinking she just wanted to put on a show for Jason.

[cheerscoops]

ship: Jonathan Byers/Chrissy Cunningham wc: 0.9k A/N: their dynamic feeds my love for grumpy/sunshine so much you don't understand

“Please?” Chrissy asked. 

She was looking at her boyfriend with the most pitiful face she could possibly muster. She was all puppy dog eyes and pouty lower lip, and Jonathan Byers was not immune to the adorability of Chrissy Cunningham.

The thing about Chrissy was that she loved the snow. Winter was her most favorite season, and she was enamored by the way their town turned into a wonderland after the first snow of the season. She was the kind of girl who loved her color-coordinated earmuffs and mittens and scarfs, and she loved playing childish games in the snow no matter how old she got. Snow angels, sledding, snowball fights - she loved them all, and she looked forward to the first day that she was able to enjoy them every year. 

Today specifically, her heart was set on building a snowman, and she’d been begging Jonathan to make one with her from the moment she got to his house. Unfortunately for him, he hated the cold. He would much rather spend a day like today snuggled up with his girlfriend under a blanket and listening to whatever albums they took turns choosing. But, if she really wanted to be out in the cold, he was willing to go out there with her. Besides, what better way was there to warm back up than his ideal winter day?

“Go get your coat,” he said with a sigh and a small smile.

Chrissy's pout vanished instantly, and she was all smiles as she leaned in to kiss his cheek before leaving the couch to go get herself bundled up for the cold. In her puffy white coat and ice blue accessories, she was his tiny snow queen.

They’d only gotten two or three inches of snow the night before, and it wasn’t the best packing snow, but she was insistent that it would be good enough for them to make a proper snowman as long as they didn’t stomp through too-much of the untouched snow as they moved around the backyard. Jonathan’s job was to work on the base of the snowman, and she’d work on the torso and head.

They made quick work of moving about the yard and rolling up their pieces of the snowman, but it was soon apparent that this wasn’t going to be the picture perfect snowman that Chrissy had been envisioning. Because the snow wasn’t packing easily, the large snowballs weren’t exactly round. They were lumpy and awkwardly shaped, and they’d picked up dirt and grass from the yard leaving brown and green splotches against the white snow. And, by the time he’d finished the base and she’d finished the torso, there wasn’t really enough usable snow to make him a head.

“It’s fine,” Chrissy insisted. “He can just be extra short. He doesn’t have to have a torso.”

Jonathan lifted the head onto the body as Chrissy ran around the yard collecting little bits of nature to decorate him with. In the end, their stumpy, little snowman had a crooked mouth made out of pebbles, hair made out of weeds, one rather large pine cone eye and a much smaller one, and stick arms that were considerably different lengths.

They stood back to admire their handiwork, and both were silent for a moment.

“This might be the ugliest snowman I’ve ever seen,” Jonathan said as he tried to stifle a laugh.

“You would call our child ugly?” Chrissy asked, her eyes going wide.

“He’s our child?”

“We made him together, didn’t we?”

“Well, yeah, but look at him. He’s more of a snowgremlin than a snowman.”

“I like that he’s ugly. It gives him character,” she said, stifling a giggle of her own. “What do you think we should call him?”

“You pick.”

Chrissy thought for a few seconds before clapping her hands together.

“Mr. Grumpus.”

“You’d name our child Mr. Grumpus?”

“He looks like a Mr. Grumpus!”

Finally, they both burst out laughing with Chrissy clinging to Jonathan for support.

“Okay, maybe he is the ugliest little snowgremlin I’ve ever seen,” Chrissy said once she’d finally calmed down enough to speak. “I just think he’s neat.”

“Wait right here for a second, okay?” Jonathan said as he headed towards the house. “I’ll be right back.”

When he returned, he was carrying his camera.

“To preserve him for posterity.”

He snapped a few pictures of the snowgremlin by itself before Chrissy jumped in to pose with their creation, first smiling sweetly and then mimicking the grumpy expression on its face.

“Thank you for doing this with me,” she told him once he finished. “I know you hate being out here almost as much as I love it.”

“I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, you know. But I think you’re worth it.”

Chrissy stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around him and give him a kiss.

“How about you take me back inside and lend me some warm pajamas?” she suggested. “As a thank you for putting up with the cold for me, I’ll let you pick the first three albums we listen to as long as we can have cocoa, too.”

“That sounds pretty doable to me.”

He gave her one more kiss before leading her back into the house knowing that even with her offer, he’d still choose her favorites from his collection for each and every one of his turns.

[hellcheerficdatabase]

The Vanishing of Chrissy Cunningham

Author: @a-strange-inkling

Rating/Warning: Mature, referenced ED, past ab*se, s*icidal thoughts

Chapter Count: 1/9 (Part 1 of Old Haunts Universe series)

Description:

He’s never going to see her again.

The thought guts him, leaves him carved out, empty and hollow as he just stares into the darkness surrounding him. She was just there and now… now she’s gone.

He never got to say anything… he never got to say…

She’s gone.

Chrissy is gone.

Tags: Alternate Universe- canon divergence, everyone lives/nobody dies, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, season 4 rewrite, Eddie has a crush on Chrissy, Chrissy has a crush on Eddie, BAMF Chrissy, falling in love, eventual happy ending, Eddie POV (so far), multiple chapters, status: WIP

[foundtherightwords]

Headlights on Dark Roads - Epilogue

Pairing: Eddie x Chrissy (No Vecna/No Upside Down AU)

Summary: Eddie and Chrissy are in a relationship, having reconnected after they both moved back to Hawkins. However, Laura's disapproval still looms over them, and when Eddie has an opportunity to reunite and revive Corroded Coffin, Chrissy has to make a difficult choice between going with him to LA and staying in Hawkins to take care of her ailing mother.

Warnings: angst (oh so much angst), abuse (Laura Cunningham is her own warning), implied/mentions of ED, implied/mentions of homophobia, some smut (non-explicit)

Chapter word count: 714

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

Epilogue

One year later

Chrissy flipped through the magazine almost automatically, not taking in any of the articles or even the glossy photos. Ever since her second stroke, Laura's physical therapy sessions had been getting longer and more frequent, yet Chrissy always forgot to bring a book with her. She told herself she would not resort to crocheting or knitting. Not yet.

The music being played over a little tabletop stereo on the desk, some aggressive alternative rock station, was not helping. The receptionist looked pretty young, which probably explained the choice of music. Chrissy glanced at her occasionally, remembering her old job in Chicago. If she hadn't had to move home, she would probably be stuck there still and hating her life. Watching the girl yawning and shuffling her paper, Chrissy decided to say nothing about the music. She didn't want to make life more difficult for the girl. At least it wasn't the muzak often found in waiting rooms like this, the kind that always made Chrissy feel she was being hypnotized and tortured at the same time.

Chrissy smiled slightly, thinking how her life would have turned out if she hadn't moved back to Hawkins. The move had certainly been a blessing in disguise. Without it, she would never have gotten the coaching job at Hawkins High and rediscovered her love for cheering, never met Eddie again...

At the thought of Eddie, her smile vanished. After a year, it didn't hurt so much anymore to think of him, but the sting in her heart refused to go away.

Just then, as if summoned by her thought, she heard the DJ's voice saying distinctly, "... something new, a local Indianapolis band's got their debut record out. This is our own... Corroded Coffin!"

The magazine dropped from her hand to the floor. Chrissy sat straight up and turned to the receptionist with wide-opened eyes as a guitar riff filled the waiting room.

"Sorry, I'll turn it down," the girl said, reaching for the volume.

"No!" Chrissy yelled. She tried to calm herself and lower her voice, "No, it's fine. Actually, could you turn it up a bit, please?"

The receptionist shrugged and turned the volume up.

Chrissy was shocked to realize that she recognized the song. It was the one Eddie had been writing that day, the one he'd started right after they first ran into each other, the one he said she'd inspired him to write. So the band had made it. For a year, she had resisted every temptation to look them up, to reach out—certainly not to Eddie, and not to Gareth, or Nicole, who had given Chrissy her number before moving to LA, not even to Wayne—to ask how the new label was treating them, how life in LA was. Eddie had called a few times, but she refused to answer. It was too painful. Now she was relieved to know they had made it, and their song was on national radio—never mind the fact that they weren't actually from Indianapolis, or that this wasn't their debut, but their third album.

Then the lyrics hit her, and the initial elation and pride were replaced by a twisting in her heart. It was about her, and him, and them, all that they'd discovered together and all that they'd lost. It was unfair that it'd taken them sixteen years to find each other, only for their time together to be so short. They were like two cars passing each other in the night, headlights fleetingly illuminating one another, before they were gone and each was on their own again on the dark, endless road.

Was it enough, that brief connection, the knowing that they weren't totally alone? It was like that saying, "It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all", wasn't it? Chrissy knew what Eddie would say to that. It was bullshit. It wasn't better. It fucking hurt. But it had to be enough for her, because it was all she had.

As the last notes of the song died away, the receptionist looked at the woman sitting across from her and frowned, perplexed. It was a good song, but she'd never known heavy metal to move anyone to tears before.

THE END

I'm so sorry if this ending bums anyone out, but it's only temporary! The conclusion to the series is coming soon (it will be a separate fic though), so keep an eye out!