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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

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Chapter Five: Match Made In Music

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

Word Count: 3.3k

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N

Witnessing you sing and create music was quite the sight to see, and to be a part of that process so intimately set alight something inside of Eddie. His last full day in New York was spent as many others before. He loved being able to be so domestic with you. He woke up to a sleepy you, usually in the kitchen already trying to wake yourself with morning caffeine, or, if he was lucky, he'd meet you right at the bottom of the stairs, still half asleep and yawning. The ‘bottom of the stairs’ you was the closest he'd been to waking up next to you, and it made his heart burst with happiness every time he'd see you like that. He was never really a morning person before, but that experience got him waking up early. Only if Wayne could see him now.

You were currently in the booth with your headphones on and your eyes closed, bopping to the music playing. This song was heavily inspired by the 80s, mixing together a darkwave synth sound with a classic rock sound. It had grown to be one of yours and Eddie's favorites. You and Eddie had completely written and composed the song yourselves. The lyrics told a story. It was a story of heartbreak and of letting go. It held everything you never got to say to your first love. It pictured all the pain and betrayal you'd felt, the love you still held, but in the end, it was a story about how you realized to let go of something that wasn't meant to be.

You were adding the last few ad libs to the song. Your voice was struggling not to break. It was clear that you were lost in emotion, but it was so powerful. It was anger. It was pain. It was relief. Eddie had chills.

The music ended and there were a few seconds of silence between you two. You were struggling to keep it together, brows furrowed together, your eyes squeezed shut, and your breath heavy. Eddie stared at you through the glass with wide sad eyes. A tear that escaped your eyelashes broke him from his trance. He was quick to jump up from his chair and rush into the booth. He maneuvered around the equipment to get too you, taking off your headphones, placing them on the stand next to you before encompassing you in his warmth. “No no no. Don't do that.” You protest, trying to push him off, but he doesn't let go.

“Why not?” He asks, confused above all else.

“I'm trying really hard to hold it together and you hugging me is just going to break the damn.” You have a determined look on your face, but Eddie doesn't care. He pulls you back into him, resting his cheek on the side of your head. Until this moment, you never truly realized how much taller he was than you. You've always kept a safe distance, making you believe you were close in height but being buried in his chest made you feel overwhelmed. It was safe.

“Let it out.” He says, barely above a whisper. It takes a few seconds. You try your hardest not to cry, but eventually, you just break down, sobbing and gasping for air against his chest. He only holds you tighter.

In any other circumstance, Eddie would've taken flight at the sight of someone breaking down. He usually felt awkward in these moments, like he had no idea what to do, but right now, he knew he just needed to hold you. His own brows furrowed, and his jaw clenched. This was new to him, but he couldn't run away from you, not now. You needed him. It burned inside his chest. He would never leave you like this.

Your sobs eventually turn into wet sniffles. Eddie runs your back, gently rocking you side to side. “I've got you.” You sniffle and pull back a little to look up at him.

“Sorry.” You say. He looks down, confused.

“Sorry for what?”

“For this. You don't need to see me like this. Plus, I got your shirt all gross.” You say looking down at the tear stains on his chest. Eddie shakes his head with a soft chuckle.

“My shirt doesn't matter. Like I said, I'm here for you. Always. Through all the ups and downs from now on. Don't be sorry for it.” You practically go lump against him, leaning your weight on him, basically cuddling each other while standing at this point. You let out a deep sigh.

“I hate crying.” You pout. Eddie chuckles again, kissing your temple, causing a fire to start at the pit of your belly.

“I know. It sucks, but it's needed.” You two pull apart after a few more seconds. He leaves his arms loosely hanging around you, staring into your eyes. “I think we got enough takes for this one.” He starts to drag you out of the booth and to the other side of the glass.

“I think we may need to re-record it.” You scoff. He shakes his head.

“Nope. It was perfect.” He states. You look at him with furrowed brows. “You wanted to story tell, and this is a song about letting go of your first love. Besides the fact that you can clearly hear your emotions in your voice, it also sounds really good. Super metal.” He says with a comforting smile. You shake your head with a soft chuckle and look down at the computer screen. Your eyes widen, and you hideously hurriedly click the mouse a few times.

“You left it recording, dumbass.” You glare playfully. He avoids your eyes and shrugs.

“It's fiiine. Ain't nothin’ we can't fix.”

“I can fix.” You tease, raising a brow. Even though you've been down here for damn near a full week, Eddie still hasn't quite gotten the hang of the computer program, not even the basics. He shrugs again with a cute, childlike expression. You roll your eyes with a small grin and face the computer again to fix the prolonged recording.

After another 30 minutes of back and forth, cleaning up parts of the demo you'd just recorded. You spin in your chair to turn to Eddie. “Should we work on el finale?” You widen your eyes at him playfully with a small grin.

His brows raise, and he sits up straighter. “Already?” You let out a soft chuckle.

“Yes, we are already almost done, and it's only,” you look at the clock on your computer, “2:16. If we get the bones of this last song done, we'll still have the rest of the day to get in a final dinner out in town or something.” You wiggle your brows, swaying back and forth on your swivel chair. Eddie shakes his head in disbelief.

“I can't believe it.” He groans and flops back in his chair, throwing his hands over his face, middling his next sentence. “It's almost over.” He pouts sadly. His hands fall from his face, arms falling limp on either sides of his chair. “I can't believe I go back tomorrow. This week has gone by so fast, too fast.” His pout grows as he lifts his head to look at you with sad eyes. You give him a sad smile.

“Yeah, this week has been awesome.” You sigh and turn away from him. “Sucks that it has to come to an end.” You mumble more to yourself. You inhale deeply, clapping your hands together and rubbing them against one another. “The sooner we get this last demo done, the more time we'll have to ourselves before you go.”

Eddie's heart clenched. He wished time would just slow down or stop. He had Wayne waiting for him back home, all his friends, but if he could just stop time, he could ignore his responsibilities and live on in this blissful world with you. He sighs quietly at the unfortunate fact that he does not have that power. He claps his hands together in an attempt to hype himself up, “Alright, then, let's get her done.”

You guys had spent the next three hours recording and spiffing up your final demo. Thankfully, you’d gotten your more emotional songs out the way, so this last one left you both on a high. You looked at the clock on your computer. “5:30. I think we should call it.”

“But-”

“But nothing. Trust me. We could both spend the next 12 hours working on this song and even then it won’t feel ‘done’.” You raise a brow, daring him to continue protesting. Eddie sighs, letting you win. You are first to stand from your chair, Eddie following suit. “I say we leave it there. It’s definitely more than good enough to show the big wigs. Let’s go spend your last night outside my basement.” You smile. Eddie hops up.

“Let’s.” The remainder of that night was spent in that same blissful ignorance that Eddie longed to stay within. Hours spent simply talking, laughing, and existing with you. Eddie couldn’t recall the last time he ever felt so comfortable, so safe with someone. It was like he was around the one person he was missing his whole life. Everything that existed before you ceased to exist. Nothing else mattered. You were it. Quickly, Eddie couldn’t imagine his life without you in it, and, unbelievably, you felt the same.

You had experienced this before or so you thought. You never go into any relationship without the intention of it being life long. That’s one reason why your previous love hurt so much. It crushed you, destroyed your future. With Eddie, that familiar feeling of eternal bond loomed over every conversation. It was like the feeling you had with your bandmates, your family, but more. It left a bittersweet sting in your chest. Every glance, every smile, every touch was seared into your mind, branded on your soul. You couldn’t help but wonder, would he leave just like her? Would he one day realize that you were not meant to be a part of him forever?

That night was spent wordlessly dancing around feelings and questions.

The next morning came all too quickly. The drive to the airport was almost eerie. It was near silent. Neither of you wanted to speak, fearing that it would taint the perfect world you’d created over the last week. Thank heavens for the Black Sabbath album that filled the void.

Now, you silently stood in front of each other, just before the entrance to the TSA line. You inhale sharply, being the first to break the silence and the illusion. “Well,” You start, not really knowing what to say.

“Thank you.” Eddie buts in. His earnest tone grabs your attention. You look up to find nothing but longing and adoration. You wished you could be invisible at that moment. Why’d he have to look at you like that? Was he trying to get you to buy a plane ticket for yourself? You would if he asked.

You tilt your head curiously. “For what?”

“For everything. I…” He trails, “I have had the experience of a lifetime with you. You have no idea how much you’ve impacted me.” He places a hand over his heart. Those eyes.

“No.” you shake your head. “I don’t think you realize how much you’ve impacted me, Eddie.” His name falling from your lips was music to his ears. “You… I…” You sigh a humorless laugh, shaking your head at your failed attempt to find the right words. “I feel like I have so much to say, but I don’t know how to say it.” A calm grin grows on his lips.

“I know exactly what you mean.” He grabs your hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. He could confess everything to you right now in the middle of the airport, but he’s stopped short by the obnoxious sound of a boarding announcement.

He bites his tongue, looking down then back up. His eyes tell the same story, but his smile is now a tight one, one you’d give to hide behind. “Until we meet again, Superstar.” He gives your hand one last squeeze before he lets go. The internal struggle with pulling away leaves his arm physically aching. You already miss the absence of him. You sigh and nod.

“Hopefully, it won’t be too far from now.” Your apparent dejection oddly fills Eddie's heart while simultaneously stinging his chest. You exchange a final sad smile before he rips himself away with much effort.

You stand there, watching him go through TSA, leaving you. Once he’s finally through, he turns back to you, waving wildly from the other side. His antics make you laugh. You have back just as wildly, his laugh just barely above the sound of the busy airport, but your ears instantly focus on the beautiful sound. You wait until he’s out of sight before frowning slightly, turning to leave.

Three weeks. Three whole weeks go by without a single call, without the sound of your voice speaking to him. He felt like a damn child the way this separation anxiety was hitting him. Three weeks later, you’d think the longing would pass, but here he is, blankly staring out the backseat window of Steve’s car. “What the shit, dingus!” A yell and a pothole knock Eddie back into reality.

“Hey, don’t blame me! Blame the asshole who chooses not to fix the roads in this damn park!” Steve and Robin bicker.

“If you know the roads are shit, why the fuck did you go out of your way to hit the damn thing!”

“It’s not like I was trying to fuck up my car!” Steve retorts just as he pulls up to Eddie’s trailer. “Here’s your stop, Munson.” He says, turning his attention to Eddie. Eddie opens the door, muttering a ‘thanks’.

“Jesus Christ, will you just call her already?!” Robin interjects before Eddie can leave. He gives her a look with a raised brow.

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t ‘excuse me’ at me! You have been asking like a kicked puppy all week! It’s such a downer. Grow a pair and give Dream Girl a damn call.” She glares back at him. Eddie rolls his eyes.

“I can’t just call-”

“Like hell you can’t.” Steve joins in. “You’ve talked non-stop for months and stayed at her place for a whole week without making a move. If you want to miss out on your chance,” Steve raises his hands dismissively, “By all means. Drop the ball, Munson, but at least give her a damn call. Without her, you’ve been miserable and bottled up.”

“Call her.” Robin adds firmly. Eddie groans, all too eager to leave the car and this lecture.

“Good-bye, dickheads.” He slams the door closed. The muffled sound of Steve’s yells about ‘slamming his car doors’ could be heard all the way up to the trailer door. Eddie opens up the door and is met with the sight of his uncle, looking like he was just about to leave.

“Hey, kid.” Wayne greets.

“Hey, Wayne.”

“I was just about to head out to work, but I left some food for you in the fridge for when you get hungry.” Eddie walks a little further into the trailer, shrugging off his jacket.

“Thanks, Wayne.” he says as he tosses his jacket over the arm of the recliner sofa in the living room. “I swear to god, I’m gonna find something that will actually allow you to get a normal work and sleep schedule one day.” Wayne chuckles and shakes his head, his exhaustion and age failing to hide behind his small smile.

“Don’t worry about me, kid. You do what you can to have a happy life.” Wayne pauses just as he reaches for the handle to leave. “Oh, by the way, you got a voicemail.” The older man winks at his nephew and exits the trailer. His words and expression makes Eddie’s eyes widen. Eddie rushes into his room and goes straight for his phone, picking it up and dialing for voicemail as he takes a seat on his old mattress.

“Hey, Ed! Guess who.” Your soft laugh rings in his ears like the sweet reverb of a guitar. “Hey, uh, give me a call when you can. I got some good news! I want to hear your voice- Uh… Sorry, hope that isn’t weird, but, you know, I- I miss you, Rockstar. Anyway, yeah. Give me a call. You know the number. Beep.” The voicemail ends, and Eddie can’t help but feel as though his heart is going to break through his ribs and out his chest. You miss him. You want to hear his voice. You miss him.

Eddie quickly dials your number. Ring. Ring. Ring. The silence only heightens his anxiety. Shit, how long ago did you call? Were you even home? Was that from today or- “Hello?”

“Superstar!” Your laugh comes through the receiver, making quick work of a smile on Eddie’s face.

“Hey, Eddie.” Holy shit, he was going to burst. “You get my message?”

“Yes I sure did, beautiful. You miss me already?” As if he wasn’t dying without you by his side. He couldn’t see you, but he sure as hell felt your eyes roll.

“Shut up.” You pout. He could see the image of your face so clearly in his mind.

“What’s the good news?” He continues with a chuckle.

“Well, first off, I’m sorry I’ve been completely MIA for the last couple weeks. I genuinely had zero concept of time since you left.” Your confession causes his heart to grow painfully.

“It’s okay, love.” It wasn’t, but you were calling now, so the absence of you was completely erased.

“Besides that, I was finally able to play the demos we did for the band. Everyone loved what we did.” Your smile was evident in your voice. “We just presented the second draft of it to the big wigs this morning.” You pause for dramatic effect. “They also loved it.” Eddie cheers, jumping up from his seat position. He jumps up and down a couple times. He yells your name into the phone, causing you to laugh.

“That’s- Oh my god, that’s awesome!”

“Yes! I also told them about you, and you’re officially going to be listed and a writer and co-producer of the album!” Eddie feels like he’s going to faint. This is all too good to be true.

“You're kidding.” He sighs out in disbelief.

“Nope.” You drag out the ‘N’ in the word. “With 100% honesty.” Eddie lets out a shocked chuckle, speechless. “Speaking of album credits. We’re going to be having an album release party in Cali on the 15th. Will you come? All paid. You can invite friends, if you want.” As if he needed any convincing.

‘Yes! Of course! I’ll be there!” He falls backward onto his screeching bed. He sighs happily. “I can’t believe this is happening right now. You have no idea.” You chuckle.

“Trust me. I do, in fact, have an idea.” You both pause in a comfortable silence. “Hey, Eddie?” You know he’s still on the line, but you ask anyway.

“Yeah?”

“I-” The silence is loud and long, so much so that Eddie’s brows furrow, heart absolutely pounding in his chest.

“Superstar?” He pulls the phone away from his face, looking at it confused. “Angel? Hello?” He waits a few more seconds but is only met with more silence. He sits up. “What the fuck?” He puts the phone down in its base, hanging it up, before picking it back up, only to be met with silence instead of the usual dial tone. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He says, angrily slamming the phone down before throwing himself back on the back. Either the phone just so happened to break at the worst possible moment, or, more likely, the phone bill had gone unpaid for too long. Great, this was now going to eat him alive. What were you about to say?

Life Eternal Taglist (OPEN): @ali-r3n @starmilks @madelynraemunson

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

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Chapter Four: Day and Night

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

Word Count: 5k

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N

The next morning, Eddie wakes to the shining of the sun through the curtains, the sliver of light hitting him perfectly on the eyes. He groans as he regains consciousness. He goes to move his head and spare his eyes from the sunlight but realizes his face sticking to something. He squeezes his eyes shut before forcing them open, blinking a few times to adjust them to the world around him. He soon remembers how he fell asleep. He must’ve passed out while he was writing lyrics. The pages of his note book were now glued to the side of his face. He lifts his head and pulls the book off his cheek, moving it to the side before slamming his face back on the blankets below him. Eddie then registers the smell of breakfast being cooked and muffled noises coming from the kitchen. He moves his head to the other side to look towards the bathroom door. With sleepy blinks, a lazy smile finds its way onto his face. He rolls over onto his back with a groan and a stretch. His body aches from the odd sleeping position, but he ignores it, sliding off the bed and onto the floor. He kneels next to his still open suitcase and grabs the generic brand toothbrush and toothpaste still in its new packaging. Wayne bought him these new for his trip.

Eddie stands slowly, stretching again when he reaches the top. He lazily makes his way to the bathroom, accidentally knocking his shoulder on the door frame and letting out a whiny groan as he makes his way in. After he finishes his morning routine, he heads back to the room. Just as he makes his way out of the bathroom, a knock raps on the bedroom door. “Eddie?” The sound of your voice puts a jolt of electricity in his body. He’s over at the door within two seconds. He swings the door open, startling you with the unexpected burst of energy. You look up at him with wide eyes.

“Goooooood morning, sunshine.” He says with a minty fresh smile, drawing out the ‘O’s in ‘Good’. You let out a small laugh, drawing your brows together in confusion.

“Buenos Dias, Senor Munson.” You reply with a skeptical smile. “You seem wide awake.”

“What can I say? I’m a morning person.” He lies. You squint up at him with a teasing smile.

“It’s nearly 12:30 in the afternoon.” You reveal with a chuckle. You turn on your heels and head back towards the kitchen. “I just figured you’d still like breakfast when you woke up.” Eddie can’t help but smile as he watches you walk away, despite the obvious white lie he was just caught in. He’s quick to follow, jogging up to close the distance between you two.

“Soooo, what’s the plan for today?” He asks. Once you both round the base of the stairs, Eddie finds two plates sitting on a small table with two chairs in a little breakfast nook outside the kitchen. You motion for him to take a seat, which he ignores and continues to follow you into the kitchen and up to the fridge.

“Well, after breakfast” You grab a drink carton from the fridge before closing the door and turning to Eddie. “I’ll expose my not-so-secret, secret home studio to you,” You wiggle your brows, “Then we can get to work.” You finish, walking around him and heading back to the table with your breakfast and empty cups. Eddie follows closely behind you, quickly moving to pull out your chair for you before you can take a seat. You give him a suspicious look, but the smile growing on your face is difficult to hide. He pushes your chair in as you go to take a seat. “Thank You?” You say, a bit confused at his manners. He quickly goes to sit across from you, accidentally bumping his knee on the table leg. You both reach to grab the glasses on the table to make sure they don’t fall. Once the table and everything atop it stops shaking, you both go back to your conversation.

“This is exciting.” He says without acknowledging his clumsiness. You let out a laugh.

“Uh-huh.” You agree.

“Bone apple teeth.” He mimics before lifting his fork and digging in. You shake your head with a smile and follow his lead.

That was the last mundane conversation you two had for three days. After breakfast, you two had cleaned the dishes like you had done the night before, then went straight to the studio. Turns out the door next to the guest bathroom that was across the hall from his bedroom led down into the sublevel of your house. Your basement studio setup was like a dream for Eddie, an assortment of instruments all over. His favorite was your guitar wall. Though some were practical to have, different acoustics and electrics to produce a specific sound, there were some that were just for show. You’d gone through and gave him the details of each one, because he asked. The white and cream Stratocaster was one of your most prized possessions. You’d gone on about it being a treasure. It was just like Jimi Hendrix’s iconic guitar. You desperately wanted to get a Rusan Cloud guitar like Prince’s in Purple Rain, but you couldn’t bring yourself to spend upwards of eight grand on it. “In the grand scheme of things, it might not be that much, just growing up with nothing changes your perspective on a lot. I’m still a bit stingy with my money.” You’d laugh.

Once you two got started, there was no stopping, even bathroom breaks were few and far between. Naps were all taken on the couch or leaned over on the desk in the office chairs. The chemistry between you two made making music so easy. It took so much pressure off of your shoulders and brought back all the fun you were missing. By the end of that third day, you had recorded two new songs, written and demoed three, and finished tweaking six others that you’d narrowed down to from the original batch of songs you presented.

This last 30 minutes of going back and forth on the computer was the first time there’d been an actual silence between you two. Eddie let out a huge sigh and stretched so far that it caused his chair to squeak in protest. He leans back, starting up at the ceiling and swiveling side to side in his roller chair. “These last couple days have been an experience of a lifetime, you have no idea.” You laugh, still staring at your computer screen, messing around with the sequence of different tracks.

“I agree. You have no idea how much you’ve helped me already.” With your eyes still trained on the computer, you could hear the squeaky protests of Eddie’s chair again. His sudden presence behind you causes you to jump.

“We’re a great team, superstar.” He says, one hand on the back of your chair and the other resting next to you on the desk. You sneak a quick glance up at him. Even sleep deprived and in desperate need of a break, he still had a determined look in his eye. He was still beautiful. Your head whips back to your computer screen at that thought. Did you just call him beautiful? Still beautiful? Your heart pounds in your chest. He was so close that you could feel his warmth. You desperately needed a shower. How the fuck does still he smell so good? Still? Girl, get yourself together.

“Play this real quick.” He points to the screen, knocking you back to reality. You relax your furrowed brows, not realizing you brought them together. He had no idea you were experiencing such inner turmoil. You click a few things on screen before playing the clip he asks. He takes a step back to turn and start pacing the room, listening intently with his eyes closed. You turn in your chair to face him as he walks back and forth, studying the music. You lean back and just let him focus, waiting for what he’s going to say. He uses his hands to follow the music and your vocals. His brows furrow like he’s concentrating really hard. He stops in his tracks. You could practically see the wheels turning in his head. He snaps, opening his eyes and turning to you. You raise your brows and wait for what he’s going to say. “Here!” He says, and you quickly pause the song as he silently instructs. He takes two long strides up to you to lean back over and point at the computer again. “Can we add a little more here? Like I need a guitar solo or some extra vocals or something.” You look up at him with a small chuckle.

“Of course, whatever you want, big guy.” You raise a brow and swivel your chair back to face the computer. Eddie looks down at you through the corner of his eyes, smirking a little at the pet name.

You two continue working through another night. This time when you see midnight roll around, you stop what you’re doing and spin your chair around to face Eddie. You stop and bite back a smile. He was leaning back in his chair and spinning in circles while staring up at the ceiling. “I think we should call it good for now.” He stops abruptly in his chair once he’s facing you. He leans forward a bit, swaying dizzily. You give him a few seconds to gather himself.

He lifts his head up to look at you once he’s better. “I think we still have a few more hours before we’ve reached burn-out.” You shake your head and stand up, making your way over to him.

“We don’t want to reach burn-out.” You say. He looks up at you with wide puppy eyes. You put a hand over his face and push it away gently. “No, no, no. Don’t try it.”

“Try what?” He faces innocence. You glare down at him.

“You know what. Those eyes aren’t working this time. Come on. It’s time we get out of this basement.” You say. He tries to give you sad eyes again, adding an extra pout for good measure, but you turn on your heels. “Nope!” you start walking up the stairs, “Come on.” He whines dramatically but follows anyway. Once you reach the top of the stairs and hear Eddie’s footsteps catching up with you, you speak up again. “We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, so you better get some good sleep.” You turn to him and start walking backwards down the dimly lit hall. He cocks his head and gives you a curious look.

“Are we not continuing on the album tomorrow?” You shrug.

“Nah, I have some surprises for you. It’s gonna be another busy day, but different.” You reach the doorway to his room and lean on the door frame, just like you did three days ago. “We’ve already spent four out of your seven days here cooped up in my basement-”

“I wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else.” He interrupts with a smug grin. You roll your eyes. He leans on the door frame across from you, mimicking your cross armed posture. “Now, what’s happening to-”

“Ah, ah, ah. I just told you.” You cut him off and stand up straight. “It’s a surprise.” You say sternly. “Now, go on. Off to bed. Tomorrow is a big day ahead.” You state, lifting your head confidently with a knowing look. Eddie squints at you as if he’s trying to read your mind. You two have a stare down before you lift yourself off the door frame and turn your back on him, walking down the hall and hedging up the stairs, Eddie’s eyes following you the entire way.

“Goodnight, superstar!!” He yells obnoxiously. You turn to lean over the railing.

“Goodnight, rockstar!!” You yell, matching his crazed energy. You two smile at each other before disappearing into your respective rooms.

》》》

This morning, actual morning, Eddie woke up before you. He looked at the bedside table to check the time, 10:07AM. He got a full nine and a half hours of sleep. He doesn't remember the last time, if ever, he had slept so well. The combination of minimal sleep over the last 72 hours and the large luxury bed might’ve had something to do with it. Eddie rolls out if bed elicited for the day. He didn't know what was coming, but he knew it was going to be spent with you, and that was good enough to make him move with purpose.

He made sure to take extra care during his morning routine. He changed into his best jeans, put on some socks, and was in the middle of trying to decide between band shirts when he heard light footsteps pattering down the stairs outside his door. He quickly grabs a shirt without looking and rushes to the bedroom door, slipping an arm through a sleeve as he walks. “Morning, beautiful!” Just as you reach the bottom of the stairs, the bedroom door swings open. You jump, startled and turn to the direction of Eddie’s voice. Your eyes widen and you immediately avert your eyes to the very interesting blank wall just next to the door frame.

One thing you were not expecting to see this early was the half naked torso of Eddie fricken Munson. Your freshly awoken form could not properly function under these circumstances. Your expression couldn’t go unnoticed. Eddie smirks playfully, leaning against the door frame with crossed arms once he’s done putting on his shirt. Without another glance, you continue on your path to the kitchen, “Nice shirt.” Eddie’s eyes quickly look down at himself, now his turn to be flustered. Proud and loud on his chest was one of your band’s t-shirts. He bites back a smile with burning cheeks.

He is quick to follow your slow moving form to the kitchen, hopping up to sit on the island as you make your way to the fridge. “Sooooo,” He starts, swinging his legs back and forth like a toddler, “What we doin’ today?” You start to gather some ingredients out of the fridge.

“Well,” You start with your back still facing him, “We’re gonna get in a quick breakfast. Then in about,” You turn to squint at the oven clock for the time, “an hour and a half, we’re going to get picked up.” You close the door and turn to face the island, laying out your ingredients. “We’re going to be taken to an undisclosed destination, and your best day ever begins!” You say enthusiastically cryptic and start preparing your breakfasts. Eddie’s brows draw close, and he squints, pointlessly trying to enter your mind. Instead of breaking, you only tilt your chin up and give him an unwavering grin. He only glares harder before sighing and admitting defeat. Your grin widens, and you playfully widen your eyes at his lack of success, scrunching your nose. Eddie can’t help but let out a small laugh at your cute, maniacal expression. He is starting to get used to this little morning routine.

The next hour and a half goes by with ease. You two spent that time eating breakfast and goofing off. You prepared yourself for the day and dressed yourself in your favorite black pants, a matching black t-shirt and a biker jacket. You put on your most comfortable black shoes and headed down the stairs to meet a waiting Eddie. He was lounging out on the couch in your living room tossing one of your miscellaneous trinkets up in the air and catching it before it fell on his face. “All ready.” You say, announcing your presence. Eddie catches the trinket in his hand once more, turning his head to look at you. He pauses, arm still up in the air from his last catch. His brows shoot up ever so slightly. He watches you in awe as you close in on him. You give him a small smile. ~beep beep~. The short honks of a car out front interrupts his focus. You break eye contact to look towards the source of the sound before turning back to him, giving him a smile. “So it begins.” You start walking away from him and towards the front door, “Come on, lazy bones!” You call. Eddie is quick to hop to his feet, putting the trinket down on the coffee table in front of your couch and following you out the door. You both head to the all black vehicle in your driveway and get in.

“Headed to the city, yeah?” The driver asks through the partition. You lean forward and give him a smile.

“If you please, Danny Boy.” Dan, a driver you’ve come to trust, throws you a smile over his shoulder back at you.

“You got it, sweet cheeks.” You lean back in your seat with a smile, buckling up. Dan closes the partition, and you look over to Eddie. He’s giving you a curious look. “Dan’s my go to driver whenever I need to go into the city. He’s the best.” Eddie raises his brow.

“Going into the city? We’re going into the city for something?” You give him a huge grin.

“Yeah.” You shrug sheepishly. “For your best day, I figured we could have a proper New York day. I know you’ve never been before, and you talked about how badly you wanted to experience the city for-ev-er when we would talk on tour. What better tour guide than yours truly?” You say with a small smile. Eddie returns your small smile with a huge toothy grin. He leans his head over like a puppy in love, resting his head on the cushion next to your shoulder.

“You’re the best, you know.”

“I know.” You reply with a growing grin, his smile contagious.

You two spent the drive from your home to the city enjoying each other's company and jamming to the low volume tunes, you two whisper singing to one another, Eddie playing air guitar every so often. “Here we are!” Dan announces, pulling over for you both to get out at your first destination.

Eddie leans over you a little to get a better look at what's outside. “A bus stop?” You chuckle a little, opening your door to get out.

“Thanks, Danny!”

“No problem, kiddo! Just give me a ring when you're ready to go!” Eddie scoots over to get out the same way, closest to the sidewalk. You hold the door open for him as he gets out then close it behind him. Eddie looks up at the tall buildings all around. Dan drives off, and you just stand next to Eddie as he takes in the wild bustle of the inner city. You throw on some dark shades, more so to obscure your face a little. You bring down a hand on Eddie's back, grabbing his attention. You whips around to face you, his expression of wonder and overstimulation calming to one of security and adoration. You give him a small smile.

“You ready for your formal tour?” You ask, motioning widely to the big red, double decker bus that pulled up. Eddie looks up at the bus behind you, that star dazed look returning.

“Just for me?” He asks in a dramatically high pitched voice. You let out a laugh.

“Royal treatment.” You lead him one to hop on the bus. You both find seats together at the open top to ensure the best views. The first “stop” is a drive through Time Square.

Even though you have a tour guide, you can't help but quietly add in your little bits by leaning closer to Eddie and telling him about the time you did this, ate that, shopped there. No matter how small, Eddie always gave you his full attention. Your shoulders were practically glued together in the small seats, so the way you leaned in even closer to him when talking made his heart race. “Ooo, come on. This is our first stop.” You say, hopping up to make sure you guys make it off in time, Eddie running quickly behind. One you two are of the bus, you throw your arms up to motion to the tall building in front of you. “Welcome to the Empire State Building, Rockstar!” Eddie is amazed by the sheer height of the skyscraper. You grab his hand and lead him towards the entrance.

The further up the elevator you go, the more Eddie starts to bounce in excitement and the more quiet you start to get. The doors separate and you two finally reach the platform. It's incredibly chilly so high up, the wind whipping hair like mad. Eddie is quick to run out and take in the view. You slowly trail behind him, careful to stay as close to the center of the building as possible. Eddie nearly walks a full lap around with you tailing him. You watch with a nervous smile on your face as Eddie goes over to one of the viewing points, looking through the binoculars. He calls out to you, “Come over here, superstar! You gotta see this. It's crazy!” He backs away just long enough to look over his shoulder at you then immediately goes back to looking. You left out a soft laugh and shake your head. When you don't meet him at the edge, he looks back up from the binoculars and turns to get a proper look at you. He has a bright smile on his face, but as soon as he sees you it falls ever so slightly. His brows draw close the tiniest bit and his head tilts. He walks away from the edge and closes the distance between you two. He reaches out for you, putting his hands on your arms and looking deep into your eyes. “Hey, you okay?” He asks, concerned.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” You lie, “I've seen it before. Go on! This is your day! I want you to enjoy all the city has to offer.” You give him a smile, but he sees through it. He raises a brow with a knowing look.

“It's our day. You are what makes this enjoyable.” He throws an arm around your shoulders and starts walking with you, away from the edge. “I can get a pretty awesome view from here too.” He gives you a wide grin. You two continue to walk back around to the elevators at a leisurely, cautious pace, enjoying eachothers company. Eddie takes in the view from all sides as you walk. The weight of his arm on you ground you and provides a sense of security, so much so that you're able to enjoy the view as well, kind of.

After the Empire State, you two take a cruise to see the Statue of Liberty. It's just as cold as just as windy on the water as it was on the building, but it gave Eddie good reason to initiate physical touch and gave you good reason to lean into him.

You made sure to take photos of and with Eddie every big so you made sure you two could cherish these moments forever. For lunch, you took him to your favorite pizza restaurant, Margarita's. “You can't come to New York without getting a slice of pizza.” you'd tell him. You luckily got a good picture of him first bite. Absolutely mind blown. You two had stopped a few more times to ensure he got in all the tourist spots. You even made a stop at a jewelry “making” store that allowed you two to put together your own necklace with a small assortment of charms that reminded you of one another.

As the sun sets, you two now found yourselves waking through Central Park, sharing dumplings and sesame pancakes. “This has been such a great day.” Eddie says with full cheeks. You laugh at him, mouth equally stuffed. You swallow your food before replying.

“The best day, wouldn't you say?” You say with a sly grin. He gives you a close mouthed smile as he chews, nodding, chuckling a bit. You two continue to walk around the park until you've finished eating. You find a trash can to throw away your wrappers and take a seat on a bench.

Eddie throws his arms behind to rest of the back of the park bench, perching up his right ankle into his left knee. You're seated with your hands in your lap at his right. Both of you sit and people watch, gazing out at the park around you. A few moments of comfortable silence go by before Eddie leans his head back to stare up at the warm sky. “You know, superstar, you sure know how to treat a guy to a great time.” You scoff with a smile.

“I don't just treat any guys.” You reply, leaning into the bench and resting your head back to look up with him, your head slightly resting on his arm. Eddie looks at you through his peripheral before going back to gazing at the sky with a goofy grin on his face.

“I'm special?” he asks, grin evident in his voice.

“Yeeeuuup.” You draw out, popping the P at the end. Both of you are now grinning like idiots up at the sky.

As the sun starts to turn the sky into an angry orange, you give Dan the call to pick you guys up. When you finally make it home, you exit the car giving him thanks. “Yo, kid.” He says before you can walk away. You walk to the driver's side window.

“Yo, old man.” He scoffs at you, sucking his teeth. You give the balding, beer-bellied man a teasing smile.

“Nevermind, asshole.” You chuckle as he continues, “I just want to wish you a nice night. I'm glad you're back in town, safe and sound. It was nice seeing ya, baby girl.” He says like the caring uncle he is. You give him a genuine smile.

“It was nice seeing you, too, Danny. Thank you for the ride as always. Get home safe, and tell the girls I love them!” you wave, walking the rest of the way up the driveway with Eddie.

“I will! You gotta find time to come over for dinner. The missus misses you!” You shouts through the now rolled down passenger window.

“I'll give you a ring!” you shoot back.

“Take care and remember to wrap it up, kids!” Dan yells as he drives off.

“Assface!” you yell back. though he's already driving away, you could still hear the faint sound of his loud cackle. Eddie chuckles beside you. “Sorry bout him. He's you know…” You unlock the door and start waking in, “a bit much.” your face a heated a little at the implied actions Dan yell halfway across your lawn.

“He's not wrong.” Eddie laughs. Your eyes widen but it goes unnoticed as Eddie has already passed you and made his way to your living room couch. “Don't worry about it. He seems like my kind of people.” He plops down in the couch with a loud oomf. “Man, today was awesome, but my feet are numb.” You turn to lock the door behind you and chuckle.

“Told you it was gonna be a big day.” You walk over to his sprawled out figure on the couch, throwing one of his long legs off. “Don't get too comfortable. Get changed. We're having a movie night to finish it off.” You walk away, heading towards the stairs. You hear Eddie getting up with a dramatic groan, footsteps dragging behind you.

“What movie are we gonna watch?” he asks, curiously.

“One of my favorites.” You say with a grin, turning to glance over your shoulder at Eddie. He tilts his head, stopping at the bottom of the stairs once you start to ascend them. “Get in some pjs and you'll find out soon enough.” He groans.

“You always have to string me along?” He pouts like a baby.

“You always have to be so impatient?” you throw back playfully, disappearing into your room.

You both get changed into your pajamas and get some snacks and drinks going. “Can I know now?” Eddie moans out like a toddler.

“Just look at the screen.” you say just in time for the title screen to pull up.

“You like The Dark Crystal?!” Eddie asks loudly, surprised at the movie choice. You chuckle, giving him a curious look.

“Yes, you've seen it?” Eddie scoffs.

“Like a million times. It’s a classic!” He boasts. Your face lights up at his reaction. You rush to the couch to plop next to him. He has his legs kicked up on the extended portion of the L shaped couch and one arm draped against the back of the couch and the other resting on the arm rest. You lean against him and bring your feet up to hug your bent knees. Eddie's face warms at the feeling of you cuddled up against his side. You press play on the title screen, and it begins.

The opening credit song gives you chills, filling you with nostalgia. You couldn't stop yourself from whispering along to the opening monologue. Eddie peers down at you. Regardless of how many times you've seen the movie, the magic of it never dies. The wondrous expression on your face can attest to that. Eddie's face breaks out into a wide grin, and he takes over, joining you in reciting the words in his best narrator voice. As soon as he starts, your attention is immediately brought to him. You find him looking down at you as he talks. It makes your heart flutter, and your face breaks out into a huge smile. That look, that wide-eyed innocence, admiration. That look brought him to his knees. There was no doubt in Eddie's mind that you were his person. He'd do anything you'd ask of him, anything to keep you in this space, feeling warm, happy, secure. From that moment on, he knew. You're his everything.

Life Eternal Taglist (OPEN): @ali-r3n @starmilks @madelynraemunson

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

Text

Chapter 3: Time of My Life

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

Word Count: 5.6k

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N.

“You excited, man?” Steve asks while he drives. Eddie scoffs.

“Excited feels like an understatement. I get to go to New York AND visit the best person ever? Yeah, there's no words to describe.” Eddie replies happily.

“Hey!” Dustin pipes in from the backseat. “Best person?” Steve rolls his eyes at Dustin.

“Dustin, Sometimes, when a man loves a woman-”

“Woah!” “Woah!” “Woah!” Dustin and Eddie shout over each other simultaneously. Steve smirks.

“No one said anything about love.” “I don't wanna get that talk from you!” They talk over each other again. Steve scoffs in disbelief.

“You're joking, right? Helen Keller could see what's going on here.” Steve says to Eddie, ignoring Dustin. “You two have been talking on the phone damn near daily for months, and now that rockstar is inviting you on an all expense included, paid trip to visit them at their house in New York.” Eddie rolls his eyes at Steve's correct assumption. “Don't act like you aren't pining over her. Did you forget I was there when you two talked for 4 hours straight at a bar where all of your respective friends were, yet you ignored everyone around you? You can thank me for the help at your wedding.” Steve dismisses. Eddie couldn't ignore the thumping in his chest. Steve wasn't all wrong. He was definitely crushing on you, hard, but he be damned if he admitted that right now. It was too early to call. He was falling too hard too fast. If he were to get rejected…

“Oh, mind your business, Steve. Eddie hit it off with a famous rockstar who sees his talent. This is a great opportunity for him! He gets to see the Big Apple AND write music for a rock album that's bound to be album of the year!” Dustin exclaims, only adding to Eddie's racing heart.

Dustin and Steve continue bickering as they drive up to the Departures curb. Steve throws the car in park and gets out with Eddie, Dustin not too far behind. Steve opens up the trunk, still bickering with the kid. Eddie grabs his suitcase and guitar case from the trunk. “Will you two shut up already!” Eddie yells, grabbing their attention. Dustin's expression changes as he focuses in on Eddie, and he rushes in to engulf Eddie in a hug. It shocks Eddie at first, but he is soon to give in and return the hug. “Don’t forget to bring me back something.” Dustin says. Eddie chuckles and pats his back.

“Will do, little man. Will do.” They pull away from each other, and he and Steve make eye contact.

“I’m not hugging you.” Steve says, holding up a hand and turning his head. Eddie rolls his eyes with an amused scoff.

“Whatever, pretty boy. I wouldn’t want to mess up your hair.” Steve rolls his eyes. “Thanks for the ride.” Steve softens and shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my job as chauffeur.” He shrugs. Steve gets taken off guard as Eddie gives him a quick side hug, before running off into the airport.

“See ya!” Eddie calls back, waving as he disappears into the building, Dustin waving wildly in return.

Eddie gets through TSA as quickly as possible. Since he was flying out on a Wednesday afternoon, the airport was near empty. As he sits at his gate, awaiting for his plane to board, he pulls out his old walkman. He would sometimes get looks when he pulls out the thing, but since his van only reads tapes, using Wayne’s old walkman was most efficient so he wasn’t buying doubles of every album he listened to.

He digs through his backpack, finally reaching what he was looking for, Cydonia’s debut album, Martian. He smiles at the tape, running his thumb over the cover art. Ever since your concert in Indiana, he has been listening to your two albums religiously. It was almost addicting. He loved the sound of your voice. He loved how your music introduced him to new sounds. Listening to your debut album intrigued him. It was a message for all those who were at the bottom of the food chain. It was a call to let your darkness shine, and he already proudly wore the word ‘Freak’ on his back. It would have definitely been his anthem in his high school days. His music induced trance was slightly broken when he noticed the gate doors open and the attendant started calling out for those to board.

Eddie collected his carry-on, his tattered red and black backpack, and stood to start boarding. He was one of few on the plane. As he made his way down the aisle, everything just became more and more real for him. He was suddenly struck by a hard pounding in his chest. His first time flying anywhere was going to the festival performance with metallica. That time he had Dustin to distract him. This is his first time flying solo, and he was really starting to feel his anxiety peak. He gladly sat in an empty row, halfway down the plane, and took a window seat. He figured sitting by the window would make him feel less suffocated. As soon as he was seated, he turned on the little fan above him and closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat, gripping the arm rests. He started taking big deep breaths and focused on your voice in his ears. He gripped the arm rests until his knuckles were white and squeezed his eyes harder when he felt the plane rattling during take off, but as soon as they were in the air and everything became near weightless, he relaxed a bit. He held the thought of seeing you in his mind to keep him calm. Eventually, he opened his eyes again and dared to look out the window, met with a serene view of the sun dancing along the clouds. He started to smile to himself. ‘I’m on my way, Superstar.’

》》》

As soon as Eddie landed at Newark, he felt like he was able to breathe normally again. He quickly filed off the plane and made his way to baggage claim. As he rode down the escalator, he was met with a sight he didn’t expect. In the middle of the floor was a hooded person with sunglasses on holding up a black poster board with red writing on it. ‘Eddie Munson (aka Rockstar)’ it read, and you were holding it, a smug grin on your face. Eddie smiled widely, deciding the machine was moving a bit too slow for him and began quickly walking down. “Pick up for Eddie Munson?” You said in a dramatically deep voice as he got a little closer. Eddie laughed and took four large steps over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you up into the air, spinning around with you in his arms, causing you to shriek in surprise. “My glasses!” you yelled as they fell off your face and to the floor with a clack.

“Hey there, Superstar.” He laughed out, finally setting you down. “I wasn’t expecting to get picked up by the one and only.” He says with a big, happy smile. You scoff with face offense.

“I’ll make sure to send a limo next time.” Eddie shakes his head.

“No, I quite like getting to see you first thing.” He squats down to pick up your dark sunglasses. Instead of handing them back, he slides them onto his own face, grabbing your hand and leading you over to his baggage claim terminal.

“Excuse me, sir. I kind of need those.” He ignores you. “Okay, but it’s your vault if we get mobbed.” You respond, causing him to chuckle. He shrugs.

“It’ll be good practice for the,” pauses to turn around and hold up his hands, wiggling his fingers, “zombie apocalypse.” he finished in a deep, dramatically ‘spooky’ voice. You roll your eyes with an amused expression. He smiles and turns back around to search for his guitar and suitcase. You quickly miss the warmth of his hand as soon as it’s gone. You watch as Eddie waits and scans the circling conveyor belt for his luggage. You stand back not wanting to get in the way of others searching. As you wait with crossed arms, two teenage looking girls are walking passed, one of them lifting their head from the magazine they were both gawking over. She does a double tak, slapping her friend’s arm several times before nodding in our direction. You watch on through the corner of your eye, knowing what’s coming.

“Hi, sorry,” One of the girls with tricolor hair, dyed pink, purple, and blue, looked up to you with starstruck eyes, “You’re the lead singer of Cydonia, right?” You look to the other girl who had glasses, dyed black hair, and a pink, white and blue pin on the strap of the backpack on her shoulder.

“That’s me.” You say with a small smile. They look to each other for a moment, trying and failing to contain their excitement.

“Oh my gosh, we saw you in concert last year when you performed at Terminal 5-”

“You guys were awesome-”

“We love you music-”

“You inspire me so much-”

“You are a queer icon-”

“We love you-” They talk over each other, back to back. You chuckle, holding up a hand to slow them down.

“Thank you for your support. It means a lot.” You smile. They squeal like little piglets.

“Can we get a photo with you?” “Can you sign my CD player?” They say, again talking over one another. You chuckle and nod.

“Sure.” The girl with the dyed hair reaches into her crossbody purse for her disposable camera as the girl with glasses reaches in her large hoodie pocket for her CD player.

“I can take the photo for you.” A voice interrupts, Eddie. The girls look over their shoulder at him, looking at each other with a look, then both nod their heads.

“Yes, please!” They say simultaneously. You look at them suspiciously, wondering what that look was for before they turn to stand on either side of you, readying for the photo. You drape your arms over the smaller girls’ shoulders, and they lean in to hug your middle “Oh my gosh, you smell good.” “I knew it!” they say over each other, causing you to shake your head and chuckle at their antics. Eddie brings the camera up to his face. You can’t help but think how cute it is when he scrunches his face up to peek through the lens. It brings a genuine, soft smile from you.

“Say cheese!”

“Cheeeessseeee.” The two girls repeat, causing your smile to get bigger as you release another small laugh through your nose. Eddie snaps the photo. He lifts his head quickly to raise up two fingers.

“Another one just in case.” They stay holding your middle in a hug, but instead of smiling, you scrunch your nose and hold up rock-and-roll signs with your hands. The two girls do their respective ‘funny faces’, and Eddie snaps the second photo. “Nice.” He lowers the camera and the two girls release you, backing away a little. The one with glasses brings up her silver CD player and a red sharpie to hold in front of you. You grab the sharpie from her and help hold the CD player stable in her hand. You do a quick autograph.

“Can you also sign my magazine?” the tri-colored hair girl asks, holding up a copy of the same magazine you caught Eddie with all those weeks ago. You nod, giving her a ‘no problem’ and signing your name on the cover. They both struggle to hide their excitement.

“Thank you!” They both repeat over and over.

“No problem. Have a great trip or welcome home.” You smile as they give goodbyes and walk away holding onto each other. You look at Eddie. He has a smug look on his face, eyes hidden by your dark sunglasses.

“Don’t look at me like that.” You roll your eyes. “Let’s go.” You turn, and he just smiles, grabbing his things, jogging to meet up with you.

As soon as you both make it outside, Eddie is greeted with a crisp gust of wind through his curls. It’s chilly but sunny out. He follows you across the few lanes to the parking lot. Once in the parking garage, he lifts the sunglasses from his eyes and uses them to push back his bangs. You lead him across a few isles. In the middle of the empty lanes, away from the few cars parked closer to the entrance, sat a shiny, black beauty that is a-

“1967 Ford Mustang Fastback?!” Eddie nearly drops his guitar. You smirk, your back to him as you continue to walk to the backside of the car, unlocking the trunk. You look over to him. Eddie still stalled a few feet away from you.

“You comin’?” You tease. He scoffs, speechless.

“No fucking way this is your car.” He says in disbelief, starting up his walk again, closing in on you by the trunk.

“No, we’re stealing it. I actually pickpocketed those girls earlier.” You quip sarcastically, popping open the trunk.

“Well, in that case, can I drive?.” He quips back, stowing away his luggage into the empty trunk.

“No.” He pouts, and you both round the car and get in on your respective sides. Eddie is equally entranced by the all black interior as he was the exterior, “Can you even drive stick?” He whips to look at you, clearly offended.

“Can I even drive stick?! What do I look like?!” You laugh at his dramatic response. “I drive a ‘78 van for god’s sake.” He turns in his seat and mutters to himself, “‘Can you drive stick?‘ Pfft.” He mocks. You continue to laugh, turning over the ignition. Eddie takes your sunglasses off his head and puts them on the dash.

“Okay, okay. Sorry. I shouldn’t have poked the bear.” As soon as the car starts, the song you were listening to on the way to the airport continues. Eddie’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.

“You listen to Slayer too?! Jesus Christ I’m gonna combust.” He reaches for the grab handle above his window. He looked like he was going to pass out, sinking down into his seat. You laugh.

“You are so dramatic, Eddie Munson.” He pulls himself up, sitting properly.

“I was rejected from drama club for being too good, you know. That’s why I had to start my own cult.” He wiggles his brows.

“I doubt it was for that reason.” You scoff, a small smile playing on your lips. “Yet, I believe it.” You shrug. “Eddie Munson, the theater kid reject.” You say, lifting your hand and gesturing as if reading off a sign. He plays fake hurt, clutching his invisible pearls.

“Never have I.” He says in a posh, feminine accent. You laugh at his forced accent.

“Alright, Queen Elizabeth. Let’s go.” You both buckle up before you switch gears and start pulling out of the parking lot.

》》》

On the drive to your home in Nyack, you ensure to take the ‘long way’, going through the city a little bit. Eddie spent the entire two hour drive looking out the window in awe. The drive was silent between you two, the only noise being your music and the humming of your engine. It was nice. Eddie’s childlike wonder brough the magic back to New York. Not even the bits of traffic you hit could dull the mood.

When you were on the open freeway, leaving the city, you were able to speed up a bit. Eddie made an off-handed comment about how sexy the car sounded, bubbling a laugh out of you. You exited off the freeway early, again, not bothering to take the quickest route as you silently let Eddie sightsee through the car window. When you’re finally pulling into your neighborhood, Eddie speaks up. “Ho-ly shit.” He sighs, gaping through the front windshield. “This is where you live?” He asks breathlessly. You let out a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, not too bad, is it?” you ask rhetorically.

“It’s alright.” He fires back with a smirk, playing along. You spare him a quick glance. He goes back to watching the beautiful houses go by. “Not gonna lie. I mean, I didn’t know what I was thinking, but I wasn’t expecting this.”

“What? Were you expecting a 5 story, 200 bedroom luxury castle?” You ask. He scoffs.

“I don’t know, but this is even better.” He looks over to you, “It fits.” he says with a small smile, staring at your smiling profile for a few seconds too long. He turns his focus out the window as you turn into your driveway. “It’s nice, obviously expensive, but cozy.” The barrier separating your driveway from the street was a long row of trees that created a natural gate around the property. You drive in a little, passing through an actual gate, metal and gothic. The house could finally be seen in all its true glory.

The old stone driveway led to a two story, brick house with red accents and black shutters. The house was in the middle of a five acre lot surrounded by a thick, tree fence. The old brick structure stood strong, slightly overtaken by the nature around it, vines climbing up the walls. The lot itself was well-maintained but not artificially manicured. Clearly someone cared for the land, but they ensured not to kill the native vegetation around it for the sake of neatness. It was far from cookiecutter. It was unique and well-loved. It fits you well.

You drive up to the top of the long driveway, parking your prized vehicle in the two car garage next to the house. Though it was an obvious post-construction addition, it was clearly made to replicate the historic home’s aesthetic. “Home sweet home.” you say as you unbuckle your seatbelt, Eddie unbuckling soon after. You open your door and make your way to the trunk of your car. Eddie gets out of the car and looks out the open garage door and takes in the view of the front half of your property. Jesus, this place was amazing. The pop of the trunk lock grabs Eddie’s attention as you open the lid and go to grab his bags.

“Ah ah ah!” he stops you. “I’m a big boy. Let me get it.” You raise your hands in surrender and back up a little. “What kind of man would I be, letting you take my bags.” You shake your head.

“Okay, fine. I get it. I was just trying to be a gentleman.” you let out a soft laugh. Eddie shakes his head as he loads himself up with his backpack, tattered suitcase and solid guitar case.

“Not on my watch, superstar.” he tilts his head and gives you a big grin. You roll your eyes and close the trunk door.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get inside.” You close the garage and lead him to the side door. The side door opens to an enclosed, glass corridor that attaches to the house. You open the door that leads inside, holding it open for Eddie. It leads straight into the kitchen. The kitchen kept the same cohesive aesthetic as the outside of the house, dark, warm, cozy. “I’ll show you to your room, and while you settle in, I can start getting dinner ready.” You smile at him over your shoulder as you make your way around the kitchen island and into the open living area. You then lead him down a hall next to the set of stairs leading the the second floor. There are four doors down this hall. One at the end of the hall leading to the back yard, on to the left, under the stairs, the guest bathroom, you acknowledge. The first door to the right is the guest bedroom, where Eddie will be staying. The bedroom is huge compared to his back at home. It’s at least worth two of his bedroom plus an ensuite. “Here we are.” You say with arms wide open as you walk through the door. You walk further into the room, Eddie standing by the door. You spin and face him with your open arms. “This is you.” You drop your arms to your sides with a smack, before looking over to the bed. “I put on fresh sheets and blankets. Even got you some new pillows. I don’t have guests that often, so I hope everything is okay.” You say a bit shyly and shrug. Eddie walks in to rest his guitar case on the nightstand next to the bed and drops his backpack. He then rolls his suitcase up to the empty space next to the nightstand and rests it against the wall. He steps back and walks around the room in awe. “Well…?”

“This place is amazing.” He sighs out. He chuckles and then focuses his attention on you. He gives you a big smile from across the room before running and diving onto the bed. He bounces a few times from his hard landing then lays on his side, bending one of his legs up and resting his head on one hand. He wiggles his brows at you with the same goofy grin on his face. You shake your head with raised brows and a small laugh. Eddie then plops back, spread out over the king sized bed. He sighs heavily, “This is amazing. I don’t know how to thank you.” Your smile grows, and your eyes find the ground below your feet.

“No need. You’re here to help me, remember? It’s the least I can do.” Eddie pops up to rest on his elbows, but you continue before he protests. “I’ll be out in the kitchen cooking us dinner. Make yourself at home, rockstar.” You turn to walk out the door, “Let me know if you need anything.” you call out over your shoulder, disappearing around the corner. Eddie continues to watch the spot where you once were. He smiles to himself before plopping back down.

“This is the best day ever.” He whispers to himself before cloning his eyes, accidentally dozing off.

》》》

“Eddie?” You call out before rounding the corner to his room. You stop in your tracks when you notice him sprawled out, exactly where you left him. Soft snores echo in the room, causing a subconscious smile to break out on your face. You walk up to the bedside with soft footsteps. “Eddie?” you say softly. He stirs a bit in his sleep. You reach out to shake his shoulder, and he pops up. You jump back, startled. “Eddie.” He whips his head to look at you with wide eyes. You smile and let out a small laugh. “Dang, there goes my surprise attack.” You say sarcastically. He raises a brow.

“Can’t sneak up on me.” He says with a yawn. You let out another small laugh and push him.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Dinner is ready. I hope you’re hungry! I brought you some house slippers.” You lift up a pair of dark gray slip-on shoes and place them on the floor next to his luggage. “I hope they fit okay. Now, wash up and get changed into some PJs. We’re having a chill night. Sunset looks amazing in the sunroom right now.” You turn to walk out.

“Yes, ma’am!” Eddie calls back as you round the corner. He hops up off the bed and walks over to his suitcase. He lays it out and opens it up, pulling out some black pajama pants and a Blastoff Festival t-shirt he got from the night he met you. Eddie stands and goes into the ensuite to change and wash his hands. He splashes some water on his face to rid himself of any evidence of his nap. You had an entire guest basket of toiletries next to the sink. He smiles at how thoughtful you are. He spots a new pack of black, silk scrunchies and pops one out its packaging, throwing his wild hair into a bun at the crown of his head.

Eddie walks out of the room, down the hall, and rounds the stairs, heading to the kitchen. You could be heard rummaging around and grabbing dishes. He just about enters the kitchen right as you’re exiting. Thankfully, you both catch yourselves before running into each other. “Holy fuck.” You breathe out a little laugh as your heart starts to calm. Eddie looks down at the plates in your hands with wide eyes.

“Holy Shit!” You laugh nervously, not knowing how to take his reaction at first. “You made this!?” His gaze switches to your wide, innocent eyes.

“Yeah?” You laugh out.

“This looks amazing!” He takes a big whiff, “And it smells even better!” A huge smile forms on his face and you give him a proud smile, blushing ever so slightly.

“Thank you.” You reply with your head held high.

“Here, let me help you.” He says and goes to reach for the plates but you move them away.

“No, no. I got these. Grab the drinks?” You say with a small smirk. He drops his hands and bites back a smile. He makes his way around to the two cups and larger glass jug that waited on the kitchen island. You wait for him in the archway as he grabs everything else and starts following you. You lead him to a room at the back of your house, on the opposite side of the stairs than his room. You pass through the door frame that leads to the open space and gently place the two plates on the table. Once again, Eddie pauses for a little after walking into the new room, taking it in.

The walls and ceiling were all panes of glass like a greenhouse. Inside, there are a few plants littered around and a comfy looking couch in the middle with a wooden coffee table just in front of the couch. In the corner of the room was a plush sofa chair that had a small table next to it and a pretty, royal blue, semi-acoustic guitar leaning up against the table. Due to the time of day, the sun was setting perfectly over the trees and field that is your yard. It creates a warm glow in the room. The sight is surreal, ethereal, calm. “This is like my safe space.” You break his trance. “Especially this time of day.” His eyes find you. You’ve taken your seat on the couch and were waiting for him to sit down next to you.

You had a soft smile and were looking up at him with the most warm eyes. The warmth of the sunset made you glow. Eddie nearly dropped everything he was holding at the sight of you, finally taking you in. Half of your hair is tied back with a few shorter pieces falling onto your face, the rest cascading down your back. The sun brought out the lighter shades in your hair and the richness of your skin. The slightest bit of mascara and eyeliner you had on was now a little smudged, smoking out around your eyes. You had changed from your airport clothes to black and dark gray, plaid pajama pants and a black, pullover hoodie that was about 3 sizes too big. You had taken off your slippers to sit cross legged on the couch, revealing a pair of brightly colored, patterned socks, the best contrast to your outfit. You pat the empty spot next to you. Eddie smiles wide and quickly makes his way over.

He sets down the cups on the coasters you have out and takes it upon himself to pour your drinks. “I hope you don’t mind just sitting and eating. I don’t have a TV in here.” Eddie shakes his head, still holding his smile.

“I don’t mind. We can just talk and eat.” He places the glass container down and smiles over to you, infecting your face with a big smile. You nod in response before breaking eye contact and looking down at the food. You reach down to grab your plate and silverware.

“Bone apple teeth.” You say before digging in, Eddie laughing and doing the same.

You two talked for hours even after you finished eating, well after the sun went down. You went back and forth talking about everything, as you normally would. Eventually, you both started talking about music and the album. It was clear you both had similar tastes in music, but one thing that neither of you weren’t expecting was the understanding you both had about what you wanted to write. Every idea, every concept you went back and forth on was never shot down. You would build up on each idea and create a story. “I am not letting you let that fantasy, Lord of the Rings inspired album slide under the rug.” Eddie said, holding up an accusing, soapy finger. You shake your head and laugh, drying the freshly cleaned dish in your hand.

“I don’t know how, but I promise I’ll make it happen.” Eddie goes back to rinsing off the last dish. “But, you have to keep your half of the bargain and actually release your own music.” You say raising a brow at him. He tilts his head and hands you another dish with a wide grin.

“Anything for you, baby.” He teases. You take the dish, biting back your smile as your cheeks burn. Eddie rinses out the sink and runs his hands under the water a final time before turning the faucet off and drying his hands. Eddie turns to lean his back against the counter, and you put down the final dish as you finish drying it. You look at the clock, and it’s almost midnight. You turn back to him. He still held a cheesy grin on his face.

“We should probably call it a night, hot shot.” You say, leaning on your arm that rests on the edge of the counter. He sighs dramatically and rolls his head.

“So soon?” He pouts. You smile a bit at his childish antics.

“Well, We have a busy day tomorrow. I don’t want you complaining about being tired while we work.” He groans and lifts himself up, leading the way around the island and out the kitchen.

You walk him to his bedroom door. “If you need anything, my room is at the top of the stairs, first door on the left.” You lean against the door frame, resting on your shoulder. Eddie stops from walking any further into the room and turns to face you. He places a hand just above your head on the door frame, leaning against it. He looks down at you with a small smirk.

“Dinner was amazing. Thank you, dollface.” You cross your arms and roll your eyes.

“‘Dollface’? Really?” You look back up to him with a less than impressed expression but biting back a smile. He shrugs, his act not wavering in the slightest.

“Heard Steve say it. I should’ve known it wouldn’t work on you.” His smirk grows into a grin. “But, seriously, thank you. Today has been amazing. I love getting to spend time with you, especially in person. You’ve definitely given me a night to remember.” His honesty makes your heart flutter, releasing your smile from its cage.

“I’m glad. You’re stuck with me for a whole week.” You scrunch your nose. Eddie finds it absolutely precious. You turn to walk away, “See ya in the mornin’!” You say without sparing him another glance. He watches you make it to the top of the stairs before yelling back.

“Goodnight, superstar!” He smiles up to the top of the stairs.

“Goodnight, rockstar!” You shout back before your door clicks closed. Eddie continues to smile up at the stairs for a few seconds before making his way into the room, closing the door behind him. He sighs happily and looks around the moonlit room letting his happiness build. He then jumps, punching the air with a huge smile on his face. He wants to let out a loud yell to release the pent up energy he has, but he restrains himself. He quickly makes his way over to the nightstand and turns on the bedside lamp, illuminating the room in a soft warm light. He reaches down to his backpack and grabs his tattered notebook and a pen. He jumps onto the bed and situates himself to lay on his stomach. He flips through a few pages of words and doodles to get to a blank page and starts writing furiously.

“Hey, girl, I’m in love with you.”

Life Eternal Taglist (OPEN): @ali-r3n @starmilks @madelynraemunson

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

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Chapter Two: Rebel Tour

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC!

Word Count: 3.5K

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N.

It’s been 2 months since the band’s stop in Indiana. You’ve called Eddie from every Hotel and Motel you’ve stopped in. Each call lasted no less than an hour. It never seemed like you ran out of things to say. Whether it was updates on your tour, or updates on his dreaded job search, you guys always had something to say to each other.

Your stop in Nashville was how you found out about his first guitar, an acoustic Wayne found at a garage sale for $15. Your stop in Atlanta was when you told him about your first performance, a middle school talent show. You were so nervous that you forgot the lyrics to the song you were performing. You can’t listen to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” the same anymore.

Your stop in Houston was when he shared his first crush, a cheerleader he met in middle school, and when you found out that it took him three tries to graduate. Dallas was where you shared that you dropped out in your freshman year. “I ended up getting my GED once the band had enough money to get comfortable.”

Denver is when you told him about your heart breaker phase as a teenager. “Well, that’s not hard to believe.” He would smile into the phone.

“Yeah, had all the curious chicks crawling to my door.” You’d tease back.

Phoenix was mainly spent talking about the vibe you were going for in the band’s next album. “I want to tell a story, you know? We’re two albums in, now, and I feel like it’s time to come out with something that embodies this current era of my life. I want to listen back on this album in 5 years and know exactly what I was thinking, what I was feeling, hell, what I was eating in these very moments.”

L.A. and Sacramento were spent bouncing off ideas for the next album, coming up with concepts, even sharing quick, off-the-dome lyrics.

Your current stop is Seattle. You were posted up in Washington for a few days. All the band’s family and friends were here, so a point was made to allow time to visit loved ones. Earlier this day, you were able to see Mr and Mrs. Hemming, Marley’s parents. They were always such a loving, open-minded couple. They were the ones who took you in all those years ago. They were big hippies back in the day, huge Hendrix fans, so they never judged you and always made you feel welcome, like you belonged. They were the closest thing you had to a family, a home.

It’s been a good three days since you last talked to Eddie. You've yet to make the call from your Washington hotel room. Most of your time here was spent in bittersweet sentiment. You got to see people who cared and supported you, old faces, but it also brought back lots of unwelcome memories. Right now, you were huddled up in your lonely hotel room. It was fancy, basically a luxury one bedroom apartment. The tour budget had extra money for a nicer room since you were the only one needing to be housed on this stop.

You were laid out on the bed, the TV playing some random sitcom on low volume as background noise. You had been laying like this for at least an hour, staring into the void that is the golden lined ceiling. You let out a big sigh, and prop yourself up on your elbows. You glare at the TV, before caving in and grabbing the corded phone on the nightstand just left of you. You have his number memorized by now.

“Hello?” a raspy voice says.

“Eddie?” you ask a little confused.

“Superstar,” he says a bit more enthusiastically but still a bit groggy, “what’s up? Everything okay? How’s Seattle?” He asks, you can hear some shuffling around in the background. This is the point when you look over to the clock on the bedside table to your right. Your eyes widen.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry. I didn’t realize what time it was.” It was midnight, 3AM his time. He chuckles.

“And here I am thinking you just wanted to hear my sexy morning voice.” He teases. For the first time ever, you are so glad you weren’t seeing each other in person. Your face burned. “What’s got you up so late? Were you out partying like an animal?” He asks sarcastically. You scoff.

“Yeah, partying like the world’s ending.” You reply, equally sarcastic. “I’m sorry,” you apologize earnestly, “I just wanted to talk with you, but I should’ve looked at the time before calling. I’ll let you go back to bed. Sorry.” You say, almost hanging up.

“Woah there. Hold on, now. I was just taking a little nap.” He lies, “I’m up. Let’s talk.” He says, more shuffling could be heard, probably him sitting up. “What’s on your mind, princess?” He ask, making your heart jump. You honestly don’t have much energy to tease him over the pet name. You sigh.

“Well, being back here, it's just,” you pause, “It’s bringing back a lot of memories, a lot of emotions I thought I left behind. In all honesty, I’m struggling here a little, Eds.” You admit, a bit shaky. There’s a short pause on his end.

“You want to tell me about it?” He asks gently. You pause, thinking.

“I don’t know. I don’t wanna bore you back to sleep.” You joke, deflecting.

“I’m listening.” He says without missing a beat, stern yet comforting. You sign and lay back down on your back, staring up at the ceiling again. For a few breaths, all that could be heard was staged laughter and shitty sitcom jokes from the TV.

“I’m not originally from Haven.” you start. “Growing up, I bounced around a lot. Home to home, state to state, until I eventually went out completely on my own and just kind of landed in Haven when I was 15… When I got there, I spent an entire year by myself. I found this small, abandoned neighborhood on the outskirts of town. It was overgrown and pretty hidden, perfect for a runaway. I lived in the one house that still had most of its furniture and the least pests issues.” You chuckle. “I was getting so used to being by myself until one day I ran into this kid, this little girl with curly hair down to her knees. She didn’t look older than 12 years old, but she had flashy, bedazzled makeup and the cutest little sundress on.” You reminisce on the memory with a smile. “She was riding her bike around her trailer park and stopped when she saw me passing by. Told me her name was Marley, like Bob Marley. Said that her parents told her to always help someone who was in need, and told me that I looked like I needed a friend.” You laugh, hearing her childish voice clear as day in your mind. “Who knew that in that moment, my life would change forever. She would go on to introduce me to her parents, two hippies straight out the 70s, and her neighbor, this dark haired nerdy kid with glasses.” You couldn’t see it, but Eddie was smiling at your recounting of some sweet memories. “Charlie was so short back then. We’re the same age, but he didn’t even look older than Marley at that time. The little dweeb didn’t really hit puberty till we were 17.” You pause, smiling at the past. “Adam joined in after that, being somewhat of Charlie’s mentor and protector during the dork’s freshman year. We met Stacy when she was babysitting one of the other kids in the park. Adam had a crush on her from the start, but he was too shy. She knew, but she was playing hard to get.” You roll your eyes. “Somehow Rick weaseled his way to befriending Charlie, and the rest is history.” You pause, loads of memories of how far you’ve all come flashing in your mind all at once. You shake your head. “These are the memories I never want to forget. We built a family, you know? It's crazy to think about it. They’ve all been so important to me for so long that I forget I had a life before them.” You close your eyes.

“That’s beautiful, hun.” He says, sighing into the receiver.

“Yeah.” you say with a short laugh.

“But that’s not why you called me.” He says softly, knowing you have more to get off your chest.

“Yeah…” you trail.

“I’m here.” He says, trying to comfort best he could over the phone. You take a deep breath.

“Yeah,” you start back up, “good memories are not what I’m struggling with.” You clench your jaw, furrowing your brows in frustration. “Everything was going great after I met the band. We even became a damn near town legend. The satanic teens living out in the ghost town in the woods.” you state dramatically and laugh. “Everything was great, best I ever thought my life would get, until it got better.” A sad smile creeps into your face. “We used to hold ‘concerts’, if you could call them that, out in the woods. We called them ‘seances’, really leaning into the whole antichrist thing we had going on. We did it for three years. Some times we’d perform, other times we just threw parties. One day, Summer of ‘97, we were throwing an ‘End of Summer’ party. I met this girl.” you pause. “She was gorgeous. She had curly, blonde hair, big brown eyes, and this big, bucked tooth smile that lit up the world.” You smile the entire way, thinking back fondly, “She was so short and skinny and innocent looking. You would’ve never guessed she had such a powerful singing voice. She was perfect.” You sigh. “She was a theater kid with a dad who worked for this music production agency based in Seattle. She was insanely smart, and you could tell just by looking at her that she was really going places. That’s what really made her stand out from the hundred other kids there. She wore this oversized, black leather jacket, light wash jeans, and a hot pink top." Your eyes dance around the ceiling as you remember the details of that night. “Me being me. I toyed with her my entire performance. I was desperate to get her to notice me, but I wanted to play it off like she was just another pretty face in the crowd. I was really driving that heartbreaker thing I was going with.” You laugh. “I don’t know how, but my little facade worked. Turns out she had a little sister around Marley’s age, Peyton. Man, that little girl was a riot. She matched Marley’s wild energy perfectly… Somehow the stars aligned for my ratty ass, and I got the girl, against all odds.” you chuckle dryly. Your eyes begin to sadden as you pause, running through the end of that story. “I just… couldn’t keep her…” You feel your eyes begin to burn and your nose tickle. You huff a humorless laugh from your nose, shaking your head, frowning.

“You alright, hun?” Eddie breaks your silence. You breathe in sharply, getting your bad thoughts and pushing them aside.

“Yeah, I just… hm…” you sigh, trying to gather yourself. “Mariana.” You pause again, a name once so familiar, now almost feeling foreign on your tongue. “That was her name… She was someone I thought was going to be my forever person, you know… But things change. People. People… change. I was young and naive. I should’ve known better than anyone that things too good to be true don’t last, at least not for me. I feel so incredibly lucky I’ve even made it this far with the amazing people I have.”

“It’s not luck.” He interjects. “It’s talent. You deserve it.” He brings back, “Remember, that’s what you said to me when we first met.” he pauses, “People… People like us? We don’t get by on luck. We get by because we work for what we deserve. Sometimes, when we get what we’ve been aiming for, it doesn’t feel deserved. It feels like luck, but not this time. You are the reason for your success. You’ve earned it, babe. Don’t sell yourself short for that.” He speaks earnestly. You laugh.

“Maybe one day I’ll believe that, Eds. Things haven’t always been this high. I haven’t always done this well. I’ve fallen, Eddie, hard and flat on my face, and I’ve nearly fucked up everything for everyone else. I don’t know if I can confidently say I’m completely out of the pit, now, but I’m definitely not where I was. I’m glad you didn’t have to see me at my worst.” You confess. There’s a silence between you two. It doesn’t last long, but it lasts long enough for you to get nervous and doubt whether you should've said what you said.

“That don’t change my mind about you, kid.” Eddie’s voice rings through, determined. “You… I… You and I have more in common…” He sighs, trying to find the word. “Look, I get you. I see you. I hear you, and I will never judge you.” He says truthfully. “I’m here for you, always and forever. I hope you understand that.” You smile sadly. “I will always be there. I’m here to support your right and wrongs.” He jokes, bringing a small laugh out of you. “And I promise to be here for you whenever you need, whether that's a shoulder to cry on or an alibi.” He smiles through the phone.

“Oh my god, I didn’t kill anyone.” You interrupt, laughing.

“I’m just sayin’” He laughs back, “I got a shovel and a van whenever you need, babe.” You share a good laugh.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You continue as the laughter dies down, “Thank you, Eddie… really.” You pour out, hoping your sincerity and gratitude come through the phone clearly. He lets ou a soft chuckle.

“I gotchu.” He yawns out, causing you to yawn as well. He chuckles, “I think you should get some rest, superstar.” He says gently. You turn to look at the clock again, its passed 1AM. You sigh.

“Probably.” you yawn again. “I love talking with you, Eddie.” He smiles on the other end of the call.

“Me too. I was starting to get a little nervous there. Haven’t heard from you in a couple days.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. As soon as we got here, we performed, then after that, I went around with the band and saw old friends. Today was the first day I had to myself and it was really getting me down. Sorry, again, to call and wake you with blues.” You pout, he chuckles tiredly.

“No problem. I’m glad you called. Will you be there for much longer?”

“Well, this is our last stop on the tour. Final show is tomorrow… or tonight.” you correct. Eddie scoffs.

“You really need to rest then-”

“Yeah, I know. I know.” You cut in. “Hey, are you gonna be busy in three weeks?” There’s a pause.

“Uh… I don’t think so…?”

“Good, come out to New York to visit me. We can do some proper song writing, finally.”

“Oh, um, I don’t know about that, sweetheart.” He says. Your brows furrow. “I mean, I’m still job hunting and, you know, I gotta help Wayne out as best as I can, and I don’t know if I can make that trip happen.” He stumbles awkwardly.

“Nonsense. Just keep your schedule free, I gotchu.” You say, mimicking his words from earlier. You can’t see it, but his sleepy brain is struggling to pick up what you're putting down. “Get back to sleep, rockstar. I’ll talk to you later, alright?” Right on queue, he yawns. “Stop that!” you yawn back. He laughs.

“Alright, alright. Talk later.” He says with a smile.

“Bye, Eddie.”

“Bye, Superstar.”

》》》

Three days pass after your last conversation with Eddie. You had given Eddie a call the morning after your final show before you left your hotel. “Tour’s finally over! I’m flying back out to New York this afternoon.” You would tell him. You would talk for the entire morning until you received a knock on your door to let you know that the car was there to take you to the airport. You promised to call him when you got settled back home.

“You got mail, Ed!” Wayne called out to him from the living room. Eddie hops up from his desk and out of the stiff chair.

“Coming!” He swings open his door and walks down the hall to find Wayne in the kitchen sorting through envelopes.

“From someone named ‘Superstar’?” He says as Eddie grabs the envelope off the counter.

“Thanks, old man.” Eddie grins widely and walks to the living room, plopping down on the squeaky couch. He rips the envelope open with his dull pocket knife, flipping the envelope over and pulling out its contents. He stills in shock.

“Everything alright?” Wayne pipes up, realizing Eddie freezes. He holds up two plane tickets with his name on them and a thick paper check addressed to ‘Wayne Munson’. Wayne’s brows crease, enhancing the wrinkles on his forehead. “What’s that?”

“I gotta make a call.” Eddie says abruptly. He hops up off the couch and runs to his bedroom, half closing the door just as he picks up the phone, he pauses. “Shit!” He says as he realizes you’ve never called him from your house before. He doesn’t have your number. “Shit!”

“What?!” Wayne yells from the kitchen.

“Nothing-” he’s cut off by a ring. Eddie puts the headset down and picks it back up. “Hello?”

“Hey, Rockstar.” Your voice comes through the line. He yells your name. “What? You get your mail, finally?” He yells your name again, causing you to laugh.

“You couldn’t possibly be serious right now!” He yells into the headset, looking down at the mail in his hands.

“Don’t be mad, but I couldn’t just stand by as you and your uncle struggle. Plus, you promised to help me write this album. No take backsies.” Eddie is speechless, yet again. He says your name a bit softer this time.

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything, just don’t miss your flight, pretty boy.” You say, smile evident in your worlds. He chuckles in disbelief, shaking his head.

“It’s already paid for. There’s no going back.” he said.

“Exactly.” You respond.

“Thank you, truly. I can’t thank you enough.”

“No need. I’m here for you just as you are here for me. I’m just grateful to be in a position where I can finally give back to those who give to me.” You say truthfully with a smile. Your smile is contagious through the phone, Eddie’s face breaks out in a huge smile. Wayne leans back curiously to get a glimpse at Eddie down the hall and through his cracked door. He gives Eddie a confused look. Eddie gave him an ‘okay’ sign with a big smile. Wayne nods, leaning back up and busying himself in the kitchen.

“You know, you’re too good to me, princess.” He chuckles. You giggle, blushing on the other end of the line. Eddie can almost see it.

“See you soon, pretty boy.” Eddie’s bright smile grows impossibly wider, hurting his cheeks.

“See you soon.” You both hang up at the same time. As soon as the phone is down, he jumps up and down like a madman, nearly hitting his head on the low ceilings in his room. He runs out of his room, startling his uncle at the burst of energy. Eddie hugs the older man in a big bear hug, grabbing his balding head and plants a kiss on the top of it. Wayne, completely bewildered, looks at Eddie like he’s grown two heads.

“Boy, what is going on?” He asks suspiciously. Eddie holds up the tickets and check for Wayne to get a good look at them. Wayne furrows his brows as he reads what's on the pieces of paper.

“I can’t accept this, Ed.”

“Listen, the angel who sent this to us is more stubborn than me, so you’ll have an easier time just taking the check and using it to pay those.” he points to the growing stack of overdue bills. Wayne looks back at the envelopes adorned with red writing. He sighs, giving in. Eddie hands him the check.

“If she’s as stubborn as you say, good luck.” He takes the check from Eddie’s hand and grabs his coat and keys, “I’ll be back.” He says before heading out. Eddie watches him leave through the screen door. As soon as he’s driven away, Eddie starts jumping up and down again, letting out a gleeful cheer.

“Thank you.” He says, giving a kiss to the plane tickets.

Life Eternal Taglist (OPEN): @ali-r3n @starmilks @madelynraemunson

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

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Chapter 1: Things Will Never Be the Same

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

(Word Count: 10.3k, a big boi)

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N.

Eddie runs off stage, adrenaline high. He gets a couple ‘good job’s from different people as he walks passed and is then ushered to the side. The lady from earlier comes up to take his guitar. “She’ll be waiting for you in the room you and your friend were in earlier. Go enjoy the rest of the concert, kiddo.” She gave him a smile with warmth only a mother could give. Eddie’s eyes light up as he jumps up and down trying to rid some of the adrenaline from his body.

“Yes, ma’am!” He begins running away, “Thanks.” He shouts behind him, narrowly missing a stage tech.

As soon as he makes it to the pit, he passes by the band, all of them giving him pats on the back and congrats. Dustin spots him and starts screaming at the top of his lungs, jumping, his excitement passing along to Eddie, causing him to mimic Dustin’s actions. They hold onto each other as they scream and jump. “Sooo Epic!!!!” Dustin yells over the crowd.

“Yah!!!” The only response Eddie can muster. The band next to him laughs and smiles at their reactions. The last half of Metallica’s set was equally as energized. The entire group all rocked out together, headbanging. Hair flew in all directions as they 'played' instruments along with the legends on stage. After the set, the group was corralled and pushed backstage, the band greeting and taking photos with fans as they passed.

Once backstage, Eddie, Dustin, and the band caught up with the guys. They all talked over each other, insisting that the older rockstars' performance was the best of the night, causing the guys to chuckle and laugh at the group's reactions. “This never gets old.” Kirk says with a chuckle.

“Group photo!” A random staff member shouts, a photographer. Everyone calms enough to look over to the guy then huddle together. The large group takes a few photos together.

“Wait, Can we get one to take home?!” Dustin shouts over everyone, handing his film camera over to the photographer. He swings his camera to his back and kneels to take a couple more photos of the group for Dustin.

After they all talk a bit longer with each other, the guys get ushered off, leaving the band with Eddie and Dustin. “What are you guys doing after this?” The drummer asks. Eddie and Dustin look at each other and shrug.

“Don’t know.” Eddie replies.

“Honestly, I’m too hyped up to just go to the hotel and go to bed.” Dustin says.

The keyboardist, Marley, pipes up. “Well, if you guys don’t have any plans, we’re going to an arcade further in town. Wanna tag along?” Dustin and Eddie look at each other again, before nodding and looking back to the group.

“Hell Yeah.” Dustin responds for the both of them.

》》》

As soon as they walk in, Dustin and Eddie look around in amazement. The room seemed to go on forever, rows and endless rows of flashing screens and beeps. “Ho-ly shit.” Dustin mutters.

“Uh-huh.” Eddie replies, dazed in wonder.

“Alright, boys,” A loud clap jumps Eddie and Dustin out of their trance. They both turn to face the imposing drummer whose hands are clasped and rubbing together. “Adam, Stacy, and our almighty leader are the lame ones that secure a booth for us.” He places one hand on each of the boys’ shoulders before turning them back to face the rows of games. He leans in, draping his arms over their shoulders. He leans down to bring his head closer to theirs, “You two are joining me and Charlie boy on the floor.”

“What did I tell you about personal space, Richard.” A dark haired guy with glasses walks up behind the drummer, grabbing the back of his collar and pulls him away from the two. Eddie turns to look at him as they all start walking side by side through the arcade floor. This guy had a 90s heartthrob look. His fluffy hair was pushed back. It reminded Eddie a bit of Steve’s but darker and a tad shorter. He had thick dark brows and dark brown eyes to match. This was the guy he saw in the crowd earlier.

“That it is meant to be infiltrated.” The tall man replied, causing the other’s eyes to roll. “You know you love me in your personal space, Charles.” He teases, now throwing his lanky arm around the glasses wearer.

“I will rip that arm out of its socket.” He shoots daggers up at his friend.

“Will you boys calm down? You’re going to scare the kids.” Another girl walked up from behind the bickering two. “Charlie, stop threatening murder. Rick, stop making out with Charlie.” Two two boys scoff.

“I was not making out with four eyes.” “I was only going to maim.” They said simultaneously, causing the blonde to roll her steel blue eyes. She had a sweet face, contrasted with dark makeup. Eddie recognizes her as another band member, the other guitarist. She glared at Charlie and Rick with crossed arms.

“Sorry, mom.” “Sorry, Stacy.” The two apologized with their heads down. She smacks Rick's arm.

“I am no one’s mother.” Rick snickers, holding onto his stinging arm.

“Stace!” A guy yells, the bassist from earlier. They all turn their heads to see him on the platform that held some tables and booths. He waves to make sure he’s seen then points down to a corner booth with a rounded table. Stacy lifts an arm, giving him a thumbs up.

“Whenever you guys are ready for a break, we got a table over where Adam is.”

“Oh really.” Rick responds sarcastically, earning another glare from Stacy. “Come on, when have you known us to need a break.” He says.

“I was more so referring to them.” She says, gesturing to Eddie and Dustin. “Food and drinks are on us, and here.” She hands them two heavy bags of coins. Rick gasps, placing a hand on his heart as he watches Stacy give Eddie and Dustin tokens.

“What about us?!” He asks dramatically.

“You can get your own.” She turns on her heels, flipping her hair in Charlie and Rick’s faces, causing them to flinch.

“You guys are hilarious.” Dustin laughs.

》》》

It’s been two hours, and Eddie is starting to feel the aches of standing on his feet all day, his adrenaline well worn off by now. As soon as he dies in the game, he announces, “I’m gonna grab some food.” He ruffles Dustin’s curls.

“Tired already, Old Man?” Rick teases. Charlie takes this opportunity to push Rick, causing him to trip up and start losing in the game the three of them are still playing. “No, no, no, no, no! You, dick!” His focus was brought back. Eddie laughs. Charlie gives him a nod as to say ‘I got your back.’

Eddie makes his way around the huge arcade floor, heading towards the front where the concessions were. He waited in the short line for a minute before ordering, “Can I get, uh, some mozzarella sticks, a hot dog, and a pepsi?”

“Make that two orders of mozzarella sticks and some chili cheese fries. Oh and a medium Dr. Pepper.” Eddie turns to find none other than the metal angel themselves standing beside him.

“16.87, please.” You hand over a twenty dollar bill, and tell the clerk to keep the change.

“You didn’t need to pay for that. I could’ve gotten it.” Eddie says as you both walk over to the ‘pick-up’ counter to wait.

“It’s all good. We invited you guys. What kind of person would I be to make you pay for anything?” you dismiss, hushing Eddie. Jeez, did you know how to make him at a loss for words. Not two minutes go by before the silence is interrupted.

“2 Mozzarella Sticks, 1 Hot Dog, Chilli Fries, and Two Drinks?” Another worker comes up to the counter, dropping off a tray full of items, before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“Well, that was fast.” You reach to grab the tray, but Eddie beats you to it.

“I got the tray. Grab the drinks?” You raise your brows at him with a barely there smile, nodding in response.

You grab the two drinks and lead Eddie to the booth where Adam and Stacy are seated. Stacy squeals, “Chilli Fries!!” Eddie places the tray down on the table, and Stacy immediately goes in with a fork to the smothered fries.

“Where’d Marley go?” You ask as you slip into the booth.

“She went to go play.” Adam piped up. His arm was draped over the back of the booth behind Stacy. He sat smiling at his girlfriend scarfing down fries. Eddie, still standing, tries to contemplate where to sit. Should he pull up a chair in case you’re saving the seat for Marley? You catch his attention by patting the empty space next to you.

“Sit down. Unless, you’re planning on standing while you eat.” Eddie quickly scoots into the seat next to you. You smile over to him and grab a mozzarella stick with your right hand, throwing your left arm over the back of the seat behind Eddie, leaning back, munching on the cheese stick.

Just feeling the presence of your arm behind him heats his entire body. “This brings back memories, huh?” Stacy says once she’s swallowed her bite of fries, wiggling her brows at you. Eddie looks at her confused. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see you roll your eyes, annoyed. You reach to grab another cheese stick.

“So, Eddie, right?” Adam pipes up, breaking the tension before it starts. “Where you from, man?”

“Indiana.” Eddie replies before taking a sip of his soda, washing down his food. “Hawkins, Indiana.”

“Hawkins, huh. Is it a small town? I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, yeah. You could say that. It’s small enough to be stuck two decades in the past. Not too many open minded people there. I was labeled the goddamn antichrist, because I wore a Black Sabbath shirt to school one day.”

“I get that.” Adam chuckled. “We all came from a town called Haven up in Washington. It’s a pretty small valley town. When we were all growing up, we were the town’s source of satanic panic.”

“We almost named the band that, actually.” You add.

Eddie looks over with raised brows. “Really? Not gonna lie, that’d be a pretty sick name.”

You chuckle, “Yeah, in the end we landed on Cydonia. ‘Satanic Panic’ didn’t give us the right image. A little too ‘hometown rebel band’, you know. Plus, Cydonia rolls off the tongue nicer.” you shrug, Eddie staring at your profile as you speak, looking down, playing with the paper cup on the table in front of you. You lift the cup and take a sip from the straw. Eddie’s jaw goes a bit slack, watching. After a few seconds, you set the cup back down, and Eddie is knocked back to reality, picking the conversation back up.

“So,” he starts, trying to busy himself with his food, “you all grew up together?”

“Kind of.” you start before Stacy takes over.

“We all met around 10 years ago as teenagers.” She started, “We formed our band almost immediately.”

“Marley was just a baby back then.” You reminisce, a pouty smile dancing on your lips.

“I’d been taking guitar lessons since I was a kid. Adam here played bass guitar in Jazz Band at our highschool.”

“That’s where I learned.”

“Rick was in the marching band, and Marley came from a musical family, teaching herself piano. Charlie was a choir boy and played sax in band. And our little musical genius over here,” Stacy gestures to you, “Picked up a guitar one day and turned into Mozart overnight.” You scoff at her comment, “Oh, come on now. Don’t be modest.” She says in response to your eyeroll before turning back to Eddie. “Can you believe that before meeting me, this little freak of nature had never picked up a single instrument? Now they write and compose nearly every song we have! I practically have to be taught all my parts as the lead guitar. I was surpassed long ago when it comes to skill and musicality.” She turns to you, “If it wasn’t for their angelic pipes keeping them in check, I’d be on tambourine.” She jokes, yet praising and boasting in all seriousness. You look down, trying to hide behind your hair.

“That’s crazy.” Eddie states looking at you, your eyes still focused down. “You know, your music really resonated with me. Genuinely struck a chord with me.” He places a hand over his heart. “Like I said earlier, I went in blind and came out a huge fan.” He says grinning, leaning down to try and catch your gaze. “Trust me, it’s not easy to leave such a lasting impression on me or Dustin.” You look up, wide, innocent eyes staring back at him. Eddie’s knees would’ve buckled on the spot if he wasn’t already sitting down. You offer him a small smile in return, his grin widening to a toothy smile.

Stacy and Adam share a look. “You know, we’re actually going to be in Indianapolis in a couple weeks for one of our tour stops. You should come see us! We each get tickets saved in case we want to invite people. That gives us six free spots if you wanna invite some of your friends back in Indiana.” Adam speaks up. Both you and Eddie look away from each other to face Adam as he talks.

“Yeah, It’d be awesome! You’d get to experience a lot more songs since it’s just us playing. We can mail some VIP passes to you, and you can choose who you want to join!” Stacy adds. Eddie nods with a bright smile, looking from the two seated across from him then over to your leaned back form. Man, the way you look at him really makes him lose all thoughts he once held.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He replies, mainly saying it to you. The way his words roll off his tongue causes your body heat, and you bite back a smile, avoiding his intense gaze. Eddie smirked to himself. He was already growing a crush on you without you even knowing or trying, so it made him feel extra special to know he was starting to have some sort of effect on you too.

》》》

Two weeks had gone by since Eddie and Dustin arrived back in Hawkins. After Steve and Robin met them at the airport, they immediately caught up with the Hellfire crew and updated everyone on all the juicy details. “Eddie even made buddy buddy with one of the biggest headliners there.” Dustin would say, wiggling his brows and nudging Eddie’s arm. The first week back, Eddie and Dustin were still on cloud nine the whole time. The high of their trip takes its time to wear down.

In the second week, things began to wind down a little bit. Eddie brought up the idea of going to the Cydonia concert with him and Dustin to everyone, but so far, only Steve and Robin confirmed their attendance.

The concert was now 4 days out, and Eddie was in town now, shopping of all things. He decided to make a drive further into the city in hopes of not having to run into anyone he knew. He would rather be caught dead than shopping at Starcourt.

He stopped by Testament Records, the store he and Dustin usually go to when they’re in need of anything band related, and invested in some Cydonia tapes to play in his old van. He had a very different feeling when seeing the band’s display at the front of the store this time. He had a huge smile as soon as he walked through the door and was greeted by cardboard standees of the band, specifically yours. He chuckled to himself cause the standee made you look so small and a little too perfect. Eddie felt it didn’t compare to the real life you. He liked the wildness of your hair sticking up in all directions. He liked the rich color and texture of your skin. He liked the way you looked at him and saw him. The two dimensional version of you didn’t compare. Not at all. Not by a long shot.

While he was at the register, he couldn’t help himself but grab a magazine that had you front and center, the rest of the band standing in a V shape behind you. He was looking through it as he opened the door to walk out. As soon as he swings the door open, it stops a little short, hitting something. “Motherfucker!” A voice catches his attention. Eddie shuts the magazine closed and throws it in his plastic bag, realizing he just hit someone.

“Holy shit! Sorry! Fuck, I’m so sorry.” He reaches for the stumbling person. Eddie catches their arm, holding them up as the writhe and rub their aching head. Their head was covered with a baseball cap, shielding their face from view. “Are you okay?” Eddie ducks down to try and get a good look at them. His eyes widen in realization and he shouts your name, shocked.

“Shhhhh!!” You hush. He repeats your name in a softer tone. You look up at him finally, still holding your head. “Eddie?”

“Oh, fuck.Shit.Fuck.Shit.Iamsosorry.JesusChrist.Sorry. Are you okay?” He rushes to aid your head.

“I’m okay. The bill of my hat is what actually hit the door. It just hurt my head a little.” You wince, an amused ghost of a smile growing on your lips. Eddie’s worry doesn’t cease.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry.”

“Honestly, it’s okay. You didn’t do it on purpose, and I probably shouldn’t have been walking so close to the buildings. Anyone could’ve swung open a door.” You laugh a little, looking at the ground beside you, “I’m more so sad about my wasted coffee.” Eddie follows your eyes and sees a paper cup with what looks like spilled coffee all on the sidewalk. Eddie looks back up to you with a guilty face.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. I told you it’s okay. I can always get another.” You shrug it off.

“My treat.” He says standing upright.

“No, no. You’re running errands.” You point to the plastic bag in his hand. “I was already halfway done with it, and I was mainly using it to keep my hands warm.” He moves his hand from your upper arm to your cold hand.

“Oh, come on. I’m just having a day about the town, and I want you to join. Don’t turn me down.” He pouts, giving you his best puppy eyed look. It doesn’t take long for you to give in, rolling your eyes with a smile.

“Fine.” You sigh, looking at him. His pouty lips grow into a big smile.

“Okay, let’s start by getting you a new coffee.”

》》》

You both have been walking around and exploring the town for hours. By now, both you and Eddie have a couple bags for things you’ve bought, you’ve shared a snack, and now are about to grab a proper meal as 5:00PM rolls around.

Eddie opens the door to the dinner and bows, exposing the top of his curls to you, “M’lady.”

You chuckle at his antics, returning the same energy, “Why, thank you, kind sir.” You reply in a dramatic accent. He looks up with a cheesy grin as you walk passed and into the restaurant, asking for a table for two. The young waiter seats you both at a booth, handing you menus, and takes your drink orders. You and Eddie place your bags on the inside of the booth, sitting across from each other.

“Now that we have a chance to sit and talk a bit more, can I ask, do you usually wander around cities alone?” Eddie asks with a smirk and a raised brow, leaning forward, resting his forearms on the table and clasping his hands. You shrug and lean back into the leather seat.

“Sometimes. Usually, when we arrive in a town and have a couple days to spare.”

“Yeah, you’re here quite ahead of schedule.” You nod.

“We have some press things tomorrow and Thursday, then a sound check on Friday. I was getting bored sitting up in a hotel all alone and it wasn’t inspiring much, so I thought I’d take a walk around, maybe find a muse.” You shrug again, “At least keep my brain from rotting while watching TV all day.” Eddie nods with a bright look on his face.

He lifts a hand to rest his chin on before speaking up, “Well, luckily you ran into the local cult leader to keep you company.” He wiggles his brow, bringing a laugh out of you. You shake your head.

“Oh yeah? What’s the name of your cult, oh holy one?” You raise a brow and lean in, resting your forearms on the table, now mimicking his similar posture.

“Hellfire.” He says without missing a beat. You raise both brows.

“Hellfire…okay,” you nod, “And how many followers have you collected so far?”

“A modest eight members thus far, including myself as the almighty leader.” He starts,”But, we are always on the search for more willing to join our cause.”

“Is that so?” You smirk, “Well, you’re going to have to do a bit more pitching, cause I’m not too convinced right now.” You say, testing him. He returns the smirk, opening his mouth to start-

“Are we ready to order?” The teenage waiter asks with a smile, placing down your drinks before taking out a notepad and pen.

The two of you lean back in your seats and grab your menus simultaneously, sharing a mischievous gaze. You break the stare first, looking up at the waiter and quickly ordering something. Eddie is soon to follow your lead. “I’ll go put this in for you. Thank you.” The waiter takes your menus and walks off, both you and Eddie giving him a quick ‘thanks’.

You lean forward to take a sip out of your drink straw, “I see you were doing your homework.” You say, pointing to the magazine poking out of one of his bags. Eddie looks at you confused, but as soon as his eyes catch what you’re pointing at, his eyes go wide and his face heats up. He quickly shoves the magazine further into the bag. You chuckle, “Hey, don’t worry about it. If I randomly met a musician I’ve never heard of, I'd pick up the magazine too.” You shrug. “Let me see.” You say reaching out for him to hand you the waxy paperback. Eddie is slow to take it out, embarrassed.

“Look, I stopped by the record store to pick up some of your tapes in preparation for the concert and couldn’t help myself when I saw this at the register.” He states truthfully.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. It’s all good. Hell, I’m curious about what they say about me.” You start nonchalantly flipping through the pages, not really reading anything, just looking through. You see one page of ‘Fun Facts About The Band’. You couldn’t help but stop to read it. “What the fuck. They got my favorite color wrong.” You say dramatically. Eddie laughs.

“What is it?” He asks.

“Isn’t it obvious?” You say pointing to your matching hat, jewelry, and shoes.

“Dearly noted.” He nods.

“‘The small town garage band turn international rock stars give us the inside scoop about their future music and projects.’” You look up at Eddie with a fake impressed frown, him watching you intently with admiration, “‘This next album will be reportedly ‘heavier’, ‘darker’, and more experimental than their past two albums, according to the band. How will fans react?’” Eddie’s brows raise.

“‘Heavy and Dark’, huh?” You close the magazine and set it on the table.

“Apparently,” you chuckle, “the damn thing isn’t even done yet, but good to know I now have a certain expectation to reach.” You fall back into your seat. Eddie keeps a relaxed smile.

“Not to put you in interview mode, but if I may, you said you were looking for a muse earlier. You having trouble writing?” You close your eyes and sigh at his question.

“Maybe.” you pout. “I’m probably about halfway through. I still have like 4 months till I need to present anything, but I’m just not quite in the same headspace as I was when I started writing this album, and I’m starting to feel like I want to scrap some of the songs we’ve done so far.” you start fiddling with the cup in front of you and sigh.

“Maybe I can help?” Eddie offers, you halt your movements and look up with a cocked brow.

“Help?” You ask.

“I mean I don’t want to impose,” he raises his hands in surrender, leaning back in his seat, “but I have a pretty creative mind.” He taps his temple, “and I’m a bit of a musician myself, obviously.” He crosses his arms, “I don’t like this look of stress you have.” He waves a hand toward you, “It troubles me.” He places the same hand over his heart and looks at you with dramatically sad eyes. You scoff and roll your eyes at his pitiful expression.

“I don’t know…” You look down, contemplating, “I’ve never really co-written anything before.” You look at him skeptically. He leans forward with his hands in his lap, his chest pressing against the table. There are those pleading puppy eyes again.

“Pleeaassee? I promise I can help. If you don’t like it, no hard feelings. You can always scrap them later.” You have a brief staredown, glaring into his puppy eyes, before you give in.

“Okay. Fine…” You point a stern finger at him, “I’m trusting you.” He smiles brightly and does a little happy shimmy.

“Oh yeaaaahhh.” He says in a sing-songy tone, causing you to giggle. Your little giggle catches Eddie off guard for a second, but it only spurred him full force into his goofy antics. He didn’t know what he was missing out on until you erupted into a fit of giggles, and suddenly the overcast skies cleared to beam rays of delightful sunshine. He stops shimmying and starts laughing along with you.

“Alright, here we are.” The waiter comes up with two plates on a big tray. He places your respective meals down, ensures you’re all set, then disappears again.

You two smile at each other as your giggling fit ceases, looking deeply into each other's eyes. As you begin scarfing down your food, you could've sworn you saw a flash of light out of the corner of your eye.

》》》

“Showtime!” The mountainous drummer shouts, third in line behind Charlie, the dark haired glasses wearer flinching at the booming voice behind him, rolling his eyes. First out is Adam to his bass on the far side of the stage, next Charlie to his platform, then follows Rick to his drum set, Stacy to her guitar, and Marley to her platform. You are the last one to walk out, guitar already strapped over your shoulder. As soon as you walk out the cheers go even wilder. The dim lighting allows you to see the packed venue. You can’t really see because even the dim spot light blinds you, but you can tell the place is sold out. It makes your heart flutter, knowing so many people support and believe in your dreams. You walk up, front and center, smirking at the crowd before turning your back and facing your band, everyone standing at attention, waiting for your call. Your eyes dance to each member. Rick could be seen on the edge of his seat, leg bouncing, twirling around a drumstick between his fingers, anxiously waiting to let loose his pent up energy. Charlie has a power stance behind his mic, Marley mimicking his posture behind her mic. Adam and Stacy are staring deep into eachothers eyes from across the stage, competitive smiles on their faces. For a second, the world goes silent. Closing your eyes, you breathe in deeply then breathe out. You open your eyes and look to Rick, giving him a small nod.

As soon as you give him permission, he releases all his energy out on his set, having a mini solo before Stacy is brought in, you and Adam joining shortly after. You all head bang, whipping your hair around to the fast paced beat before you turn to your mic last minute.

“Driving through this world unknown, I've built my life on broken bones” You lean back to focus your eyes on your fast moving fingers.

“Not living for this anymore, you want a fight I'll bring a war” You lean around your mic, pointing your guitar’s neck to the crowd, still focusing your eyes down, bringing in the pre-chorus.

“I feel alive inside,

I won't be terrorized,

I'll take all the blame.

This heart of fire is burning proud

I am every dream you lost and never found

This heart of fire is stronger now

Build your walls but you can't keep me out

I'll burn 'em down.” You and Stacy swap quick solos, mirroring each other’s tunes.

“I am every vow you broke, they left for dead and turned to smoke.” You keep the melody while she continues to add her flares.

“Arm yourself with words of hate, I'm ripping through the souls you take.” She walks up next to and lightly behind you. You lean back a little, careful not to disturb her playing, but enough to acknowledge her presence.You both rock out next to each other through the pre chorus and chorus.

“This heart of fire is burning proud

I am every dream you lost and never found

This heart of fire is stronger now

Build your walls but you can't keep me out.” You and Charlie harmonize metal screams at the end before you and Stacy step back together, facing each other to harmonize your guitar solos. You kneel down, eye-level with the body of her midnight black guitar. You lean your head back, shaking your head side-by-side, closing your eyes and getting lost in the music. You open your eyes to make eye contact with her, the crowd going wild at the naughty implications. You slowly stand back up, closing the gap between you two and leaning your foreheads together before you give her a big smile and twist away, heading back to your mic.

“This heart of fire is burning proud

I am every dream you lost and never found

This heart of fire is stronger now

Build your walls but you can't keep me out.” You stop strumming for a short few seconds to point ahead blindly to the crowd, before returning to your rhythm. Though Charlie and Marley are echoing you in the last few lines of the song, they are nearly drowned out by the crowd singing their parts. You all headbang for the last few measures, the crowd doing the same. You all end the song together, symbols and strings ringing out until silenced.

The crowd roars as you all stand in your finishing poses. You held your guitar with one and and the other was raised into the air. You all let exactly 16 measures go by, just enough time for the crowd to slow its cheers, just like you’ve practiced a million times. Adam, Charlie, and Rick all begin the devilish chant of the next song. The crowd’s screams pick back up in realization. You and Stacy maneuver to either side of the stage, starting your guitar rhythm in time with Marley’s keys, Adam’s thumps, and Rick’s beat. This time away from the center allows you to get a better look into the crowd.

You see a few fan-made signs littered around the crowd, some making you smile with their clever ways to ask you on a date, a few making you laugh and shake your head at the naughty words.

You begin a slow trek back to your mic as the chants start back up. As you start walking, you hear a group in front call your name in sync. You squint to try and get a better look at the crew. You notice a shorter, curly-haired boy with a big toothy grin. Man, his smile was contagious. Next to him was none other than Eddie Munson. His concert attire made your heart flutter. He wore one of your band t-shirts, a blood red bandana, and the patched up jean vest you first met him in. One of his toned, bare arms waved up to you, Dustin waving next to him to say ‘hi’ as they got your attention. You stopped strumming for a quick second to give a small wave back.

You get back to your mic in time to harmonize with Marley and Charlie. You stop strumming your guitar and lift your hands to your mic as Stacy takes over. As you sing, you notice a cute girl with short hair and a bright smile next to the two boys. This girl was jumping up and down and dancing with Dustin to the beat. The girl looks up to the stage and catches your gaze. You lock eyes with her, and she calms her dancing to a shy shimmy as she looks up to you with wide, innocent eyes, realizing you’ve noticed her.

“Count down together now and say the words that you learn.” You raise your brows and widen your eyes in a slight, teasing way, breaking eye contact with her, just as you get into the chorus.

“Hell Satan,

Archangelo.” The crowd chants accordingly, in sync with you, the band behind you harmonizing like a dark choir. You pick up your guitar and join Stacy in strumming as the chorus builds, before calming and starting your opening riffs again. The remainder of the song is spent eyeing the short haired girl, singling her out every chance you could, closing in on her when you had your hands around your mic in the verses and when you got a chance to step away from the mic during the guitar solos. It was easy to spot someone who was new to your sound, your type of music, especially during your more satanic sounding songs. You played this part of currupter, edging her to the dark from the light. She was entranced by you. To you, this feeling was thrilling, familiar, nostalgic. As the song ended, you immediately went into the next.

This next song was an old one of yours, having written it at the very start of your band’s formation, back when you guys were still performing at hidden locations around the outskirts of your old town.

This song never made it to an album. Being a female lead singer, a sexy song about a girl didn’t make the cut when you first debuted, but every time you performed it, the crowd would erupt with high-pitched screams. You smirked as you began the first few measures. You loved your little gays.

“Last night a little dancer,” You looked to your right, making eye contact with the cute short haired girl.

“she came dancing to my door.” You winked at her.

“Last night, that little angel,” You shifted your squinted gaze to another girl to your left with platinum dyed hair and a crop top.

“she came pumping on my floor.” You looked her up and down, flirting with your eyes.

“She said, ‘Come on, baby, you got a license for love,’” You sway, bouncing side to side with the beat.

“‘And if it expires, I pray help from above.’

Because

In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more, more

With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more

In the midnight hour, babe, more, more, more

With a rebel yell more, more, more

More, more, more!” You wind your hips around, grinding against your guitar, seductively dancing through the chorus best as you could from behind your mic.

During the second verse, you ramp up the sexuality with your words and movements. Every gentle, suggestive caress of your guitar or mic stand makes the bodies in the crowd hot with lust. During Stacy’s guitar solo, you make your way away from your mic and go to stand behind her as she stands at the edge of the stage. You keep rhythm with your guitar strums as she goes off. Still mindful of both guitars, you get as close to her as possible. You lean down to the shorter girl's height, burying your face in her neck and hair from behind. She leans her head back to rest on your shoulder, exposing the skin of her neck. You run your nose up her jaw and side of her face, planting a sweet kiss on the side of her temple before backing away, denying the crowd of a further show. She turns to share a smirk with you, loving the little games you play with the crowd.

You make your way back to your mic, controlled, hot breaths falling into the mic as you caress the metal head with your lips. You lower your guitar and start working your fingertips up the stand slowly.

“I walked the world with you, babe

A thousand miles with you

I dried your tears of pain, babe.

A million times for you.” You hold your hands up next to the mic as if holding an invisible face, looking down.

“I'd sell my soul for you, babe.” You look up, making eye contact with invisible eyes in front of you.

“For money to burn with you,” You reach a hand out to the crowd, your guitar pick still held between your index finger and thumb.

“I'd give you all, and have none, babe

Justa, justa to have you here by me

Because” You bring your hands down in time to strum through the remainder of the song. You add a git more growl and rasp in your voice for the last lines, ad libbing at the end. When the song comes to a close, the wild cheers of the crowd start back up to overpower your senses.

Your heavy breathing could be heard faintly through the speakers. You chuckle into the mic, trying to calm yourself down by taking a few deep breaths. “How are we doin’ so far?” you ask the crowd with a small smirk. You look over to Stacy, and she shrugs, lifts a hand and tilts it side to side as if to say so-so. You laugh at her actions. “Apparently, we’re just ‘okay.’” The crowd gives a disapproving mixed chorus of ‘i love you’, ‘you guys are awesome’, ‘fuck me’ and every variation in between. “Thank you for the love, Indiana.” The crowd melds back into one huge cheer. “We have a sold out show tonight. Thank you.” The people in the front row are packed in, almost moving the metal fencing separating the stage from the crowd. “I need you guys down there to be safe, now. Don’t hurt yourselves.” You point to the first couple of rows. “I have a few friends up here, so look after them for me.” You look over to Dustin and Eddie, they both hold up rock and roll signs with their hands and give a nice ‘woo’, causing you to laugh at the two boys.

“Now, this is our first time in Indiana, and you’ve all given us such a warm welcome, so it’s only right that we give you the night of your lives.” You motion to the crowd. “I hope you enjoy these next few songs. Let’s go.”

》》》

Eddie and Dustin turn to each other once the house lights come up and scream at each other, something that’s becoming an “after concert” ritual for them. Their two friends next them watch on in amusement. The crowd started to disperse by now. The black haired girl Robin made silent acquaintance with during the concert turns to Robin as she’s walking out, “I would kill to get eye contact like that.” She wiggles her brows. “You are so lucky, girl.” She gives Robin a wave good-bye and walks off.

Eddie catches this small interaction and starts to feel a fiery bubble fill his chest. He gives a barely noticeable glare to the stranger as she walks away. Robin turns back around to face the group, looking at no one in particular, with a shocked expression on her face. Eddie’s face quickly switches to a wide grin that doesn’t meet his eyes.

“Munson?” A deep voice calls from behind him. He turns and sees a rather large man on the other side of the fence.

“That’s me.” He replies. The big security guard cracks open the fence at one of its connection points gesturing for him to walk through. “They’re with me too.” Eddie says as he scoots through, pointing behind him to his friends. The guard nods and waves for them to come through as well. Robin looks back at Steve with a bright, in awe expression.

“Special treatment.” she half-whispers to Steve.

“We’re officially groupies, now.” He offers a big grin and wiggles his brows.

The security guard leads them all backstage. They follow behind like ducklings all the way to the empty green room. “Wait here. They’ll join you in a second.” The burly man says before exiting, closing the door behind him. Dustin goes to plop himself down on one of the bean bags next to the nice couch.

“Ahhh, I could get used to this.” He says, clasping his hands behind his head and relaxing like he’s a mega

star, already getting too comfortable with the ‘more than a fan’ treatment. Steve shakes his head, putting his hands on his hip like a scolding mother.

“This is only the second time you're meeting these guys. At least pretend like you're not a spoiled little shit.” Steve says half teasing, half mothering. Dustin rolls his eyes and puts his hands down, resting them on the sides of the beanbag instead.

“You must have really flattered someone behind the scenes to get treatment like this, weirdo.” Robin cuts in, making her way passed Eddie and Steve and to a beanbag next to Dustin, plopping down in a similar manner to Dustin. She wiggles her brows at Eddie with a slanted grin. Steve shrugs and makes his way over to the couch, taking into it. Eddie walks over to a table in the corner, picking up what he assumes is a complimentary water bottle.

“Of course, I'm as charming and handsome as they come. You shouldn't be surprised, Bowie.” Eddie responds to Robin, holding his hands out as if to say ‘look at me’. “Plus, I saw you dancing with Dustin and the goth chick next to you. You're officially just as weird as me, now.” He takes a sip from his water.

“I'm sure getting eyed by the lead singer helped, too.“ Steve interjects in a singing tone as he leans further into the couch, throwing his arms across the back of it, crossing one leg over the other, resting an ankle on the opposite knee. Robin blushes. Eddie chokes on the water he sipped. They all look to him with varying looks, but before anyone could speak up the door bursts open as a noisy crew comes in.

“Yoooo!! What's up, my dudes!” Rick barges in, holding his lengthy arms up high. The rest of the band filling in behind him with various greetings.

“You alright?” You ask Eddie with a concerned and confused expression.

“Yep,” cough, “Yeah,” couch, “all good.” He struggles to get out, beating his chest a few times with his first, trying to get himself together.

“You guys were totally rad. A good 2 for 2!” Dustin interrupts, thankfully taking most of the attention off of a wheezing Eddie.

“Thanks, kid. Glad you made it!” Rick says as he struts over to give Dustin an exploding first bump. “Who'd you bring with you?” Rick motions to Steve and Robin.

“This is Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington and Robin ‘Bowie’ Buckley.”

“Was that part really necessary?” Steve rolls his eyes exasperated.

“Don't worry about it. If he didn't already have ‘Ray Charles’, ‘The Hair’ would be a close second for his nickname.” Rick says, pointing at Charlie who crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

“Bowie, huh?” Stacy asks, catching Robin's wide eyed attention.”You a musical genius, too?” Robin scoffs.

“No, no, no, not even. I- I'm just a Bowie fan.” She stammers, sitting up to the best of her ability in the awkward beanbag, fidgeting a little more that the attention is on her.

“No shame in that. He's a legend for a reason.” Stacy replies, trying to put the awkward girl at ease.

“It's nice to meet you two. I'm Adam. This is Charlie.” He ruffles the shorter guy's hair, much to his dismay. “This is Marley. That dickhead over there is Rick-”

“Rude!”

“- This is my girl, Stacy.” He throws an arm around her. “And I'm sure you may already be familiar with our lord and savior, Judas Christ herself,” You roll your eyes as Adam motions to you, telling them all your name in introduction. The band shares a short laugh at Adam's teasing.

“It's nice to meet some more of Eddie's friends. Good to know he actually does have more than one.” you tease, nudging his arm with shoulder now that he's composed himself. He gives you a goofy smile.

“Rude.” He mimics Rick, sassy.

“We've got a car that'll be picking us up in about an hour, so I hope you guys don't mind hanging out here until then.” Stacy smiles, her and Adam making their way to share the sofa chair next to the couch. Rick makes his way to sit in the middle of the couch, next to Steve, Charlie sitting on the far left, next to Rick. Rick throws his arm around the back of the couch behind Charlie, Charlie leaning as far left as he comfortably could, resting on the arm rest. Marley pulls up another beanbag and sits it next to Adam and Stacy on their sofa chair. This leaves the plush loveseat for you and Eddie to share. You walk in first, sitting across from Steve and next to Robin. Eddie then slid in next to you, throwing his right arm on the couch behind you, smiling like the dork he is.

“We were planning on hopping over to this bar Charlie and I scouted out earlier this week, The Hideout, I think?” He looks over to Charlie for confirmation, getting a wordless nod in response. Eddie had whips around and his face falls. Before he could get the attention of the others, Dustin pipes up.

“No way! That's crazy! You guys are going to The Hideout?” Rick and Charlie look to Dustin with a confused look.

“Aren't you a bit young to know about local bars?” Charlie responds.

“They allow minors in during certain hours, but that's irrelevant. You hear that Eddie?” Dustin turns the attention to Eddie who was pleading with wide eyes for Dustin to drop it, but to late now.

“What's up with The Hideout?” You ask him gently with a curious smile.

“You a karaoke champ or somethin’?” Rick asks, half teasing.

“Before they started doing karaoke nights, they used to have an open mic night, which eventually turned into Corroded Coffin ni-”

“Thank you, Steve!” Eddie interjects.

“Corroded Coffin nights…?” Marley asks innocently, you still looking at Eddie with a curious expression.

“Eddie's, used to be, band.” Steve completes. Eddie leans forward, hiding his face behind his left hand, resting his elbow on his knee. You lean down a little, trying to look at his face through his hair.

“You have a band?”

“Had.” He corrected, sighing before lifting his head and shaking his hair out of his face, still avoiding your gaze. He leans back into the couch again.

“They were absolutely metal.” Dustin adds, smiling with a look of admiration.

“Let me guess, Lead guitar?” Adam asks knowingly, pointing at Eddie.

“And lead singer.” Robin adds. Your brows close together, a slanted smile playing on your lips.

“You sing, too?” you ask. Eddie sighs, leaning his head back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“Don't be so ashamed about it, man. Not every band works out. Doesn't mean you're any less talented or worthy.” Adam speaks up, offering a supportive smile.

“I mean you had a regular gig at a town bar. I wouldn't say that's an easy feat.” Stacy backs up.

Eddie chuckles, humorlessly, “Thanks.” He grumbles.

“Well, we were trying to wind down the night with a couple drinks and some karaoke, if you guys wanna join.” Rick changes subjects, saving Eddie from the unwanted spotlight.

“Shit yeah!” Dustin says.

“Uh-Uh, you got a curfew, child.” Steve buts in, wagging a finger at Dustin, getting an eye roll in response.

“Come on, momma Steve. It's just a couple extra hours, and it's not even a school night.” Robin states, pleading Dustin's case. Steve rolls his eyes.

“Whatever,” He's quick to give in with a dismissive wave of his hand.

You all continue to chit chat, exchanging old stories while waiting for your ride. Soon enough there's a knock on the door and a staff member pokes their head in to let you know the van is out front. Everyone stands, “Well, I'm assuming you don't need directions?” Rick asks Steve.

“Nah, it's been a while, but we'll meet you guys there.” Rick pats Steve's shoulder before heading out, following behind Adam, Stacy, and Charlie.

“Karaoke time!” Marley exclaims, dancing or the door, turning to wave art the second group.

You pat Dustin on his curly head, give Eddie a warm smile. “See you there.” You say, looking at Robin for a second too long before waving to Steve and exiting out the door.

Steve and Robin make eye contact, sharing a look. Eddie squints suspiciously, that burning sensation in his chest returning.

“You guys comin’?” Dustin asks already halfway out the door. Steve is next to follow out the door, then Robin, Eddie glaring holes into the back of her head as he walks out behind her.

》》》

“Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah Stayin’ Aliiii~hhiiiii~hiiiiiiiiivvee!” A drunk Rick, a dancing Dustin, and a very tipsy Charlie sing into the mic, somehow doing an amazingly terrible impression of every Bee-Gee at the same time. The bar is pretty sparse for it being a Saturday night, but it just so happened to be the perfect place for the crew to be able to wind down and have some dumb fun at the same time. Besides them, there were maybe 10 other people there, including the bartender, and the old man passed out at the end of the bar.

Eddie was say at the in a circle both with Steve, Steve flirting it up with Marley. Adam and Stacy were over at the bar, cuddling up and talking sweet nothings to each other. All Eddie could focus on was the way Robin was giggling at something you said. You are leaning back against the bar with a drink in your hand, standing next to Robin who was sat on a stool. You two were talking, and from the looks of it, cracking jokes. Eddie was mindlessly twirling the bottle in front of him, glaring daggers at Robin.

“Excuse me.” He vaguely heard, seeing Marley get up and walk off or off the corner of his eye. Eddie's burning gaze was interrupted by Steve.

“Are you going to go up to her or are you gonna pussy out?” Eddie's eyes are ripped off of you and Robin and are now focused on Steve.

“Excuse me?” Eddie asks, slightly offended.

“You heard me, Munson. You giving up so soon, no balls?” Steve smirks. Eddie scoffs and rolls his eyes.

“I have no clue what you're talking about.” He states. It's now Steve's turn to roll his eyes.

“Oh, please. You're painfully obvious. Painfully. It hurts me to see you drop the ball on this one. Just go fucking talk to her. You obviously didn't before. Why now?” Steve interrogates. Eddie's eyes sadden as he looks down at his now lukewarm beer bottle, still twirling it around. He shrugs.

“I don't think she's… interested.” He says, defeated. Steve scoffs, rolling his eyes again.

“Are you kidding? Did you not see the way she looks at you? This is what? Your second encounter, and she already looks at you with all the care and attention in the world. You seriously don't think she's interested?” Steve says in disbelief. Eddie looks over at Steve, confused.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He shakes his head and looks back over to you and Robin at the bar, “Plus, it doesn't even matter. Just look at her. Robin is obviously smitten about something.” Steve looks over to you two, studying you. He takes a deep breath in before taking a big swig of his beer. He gets out of the booth and grabs Eddie, dragging him along despite his protests.

“Yo, yo!” Steve says enthusiastically, getting yours, Robin's, Adam's, and Stacy's attention.

“Yo, yo!” Adam greats, repeating Steve with a big smile.

Steve starts up a random conversation like the master of charisma he is, sneakily shoving Eddie out of the group huddle he's made and to the other side of you, successfully cutting you two off from him, Robin, Stacy and Adam. At first you try to listen in on whatever Steve was talking about, but when you notice Eddie awkwardly shying away, you switch your focus to him.

“Being here bringing up memories?” You ask him, turning around to face him, leaning your elbows on the bar top. He chuckles, letting his head drop forward, his hair falling into his face.

“Yeah, kinda.” He turns to face the bar, leaning down and mimicking your posture. “It's been ages since I've been back here, but it's like a time capsule.” His eyes wander around. “Nothing's changed.” His features hold a small, bittersweet smile. You nod.

“I get that. Last time I was in, what I guess you can call, my ‘hometown’,” you lift your fingers to do air quotes, “It was like I was my teenage self again. I don't necessarily know if that was a good or bad thing I was feeling, but it was definitely emotional.” You share a wordless pause, the obnoxious singing of the three boys on stage filling the silence. You look over at him, contemplating your next sentence before just letting it fly. “You don't have to share if you don't want to, but what happened to your band? Corroded Coffin, was it?” He nods. “The whole time we were together a couple days ago, you didn't mention it at all. I mean, not that you had to, but with reverting we talked about, music, writing songs, musical inspirations,” you trail off, “You didn't mention it.” Eddie sighs and shrugs, playing with the bottle in his hands.

“Things with the band just never…panned out how we planned, you know…” He lifts his eyes to meet yours briefly, finding he has captured your full attention. He shys away, looking back down at the bartop. “As the years went by without any ‘big break’, things just kind of died off. The guys started losing hope and started to pursue different avenues, while I… I was just stuck in the past.” His brows drew together as a frown forms. “I couldn't just give up, you know? It didn't sit right with me.” He shrugs, “I don't blame the guys. I mean, I did at first. I was bitter. How could they just give up like that? I couldn't see it from their eyes… but I've grown. I know that we couldn't realistically perform here,” he gestures to the old building, “for our entire careers, if you could even call them careers. As we aged, it became less of a career option and more of an expensive and time consuming hobby.” He sighs and closes his eyes for a long blink, dejected. He turns to you and puts on a brave smile to hide behind though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “So, you know, being here is just kind of a mixed bag, but not all bad.” He turns around to lean back on the bar like you were doing earlier. He lazily points to the boys on stage, “Plus, I think these are some pretty good, new memories to make here.” He chuckles. You look over your shoulder towards the stage.

“Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na kneesss kneeeeess.” You shake your head, turning back to the bar and laughing to yourself. Eddie looks over to you and smiles, a gentle but genuine one.

You and Eddie end up talking for the whole night, lost in deep conversation. Some others come and go, having their turns up on stage. Now that the clock was hitting 1:30AM, things were winding down for the most part, and it was now only your crew and one or two other patrons.

“I’ve seen a lot of blabbin’ and not enough drinkin’. It’s your turrrnn to kara*burp*okeee!” Rick stumbles up, his shimmy knocking him off balance.

“Really sorry to interrupt you two, but Rick is plastered and I already called the car.” Adam says, struggling to keep Rick off his ass.

“Plus, Dustin is drunk off Shirley Temples and is now passed out in the booth.” Steve adds, pointing over his shoulder at the sneakered feet poking out from the circle booth Eddie and Steve one sat in earlier, Marley, Stacy, and Robin sitting on the other end of that same booth chatting.

“Okay, I guess it’s a good time to call it a night.” Eddie says a bit sad. Steven nods and goes to collect Dustin while Adam is chasing a stumbling Rick around trying to herd him out the door.

“Let go!” He calls out, finally managing to coral the lengthy drummer out the door. Everyone starts to make their way out. You and Eddie continue to sit at the bar for a little longer, not really wanting to leave. You’re first to get up, slapping your hand in the corner of the bar and pushing yourself up.

“Alrighty, Rockstar, let’s get a move on.” You bring your hand down to pat his back, stepping back and giving him room to follow suit.

“I don’t wanna.” He pouts like a child on the verge of a tantrum. You smile and roll your eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go, baby.” You say, lightly grabbing his jacket collar and pulling him towards the door. Though it was clearly meant to be derogatory and teasing, Eddie couldn’t help the flips his heart did when you called him ‘baby’, a dopey grin playing on his lips.

As soon as you guys make it outside, you are immediately met with Adam now trying to herd Rick into the side doors of the black van you all came in. The girls were all chatting on the curb. Steve was dragging Dustin into the backseat of his car. Charlie was leaning against the van with his head in his hands, most likely trying to get ahold of his tipsy dizziness. You and Eddie stop not far outside the door.

“What a show.” You comment watching the mess that was the boys. Eddie chuckles.

“You know, you are really easy to talk to.” He says, shoving his hands in his jean pockets, turning to you. You look up to him out of the corner of your eyes, giving him a little smile.

“Oh yeah?” You turn to him, “And why do you think that is?” You tilt your head. His eyes fall from yours and he reaches out, grabbing the two front sides of your leather jacket, busying himself with zipping it up.

“Don’t want you to get sick in this crisp Indiana air, Superstar.” He says lowly, dodging your question. Your smile widens at his actions. You eyes meet again as soon as he takes his gaze off of your jacket zipper. Justas you were both going to speak up, you’re interrupted by a high pitched whistle. You whip your heads towards the sound and see Adam standing on the edge of the van, ducked down and waving you over, everyone now in their respective cars.

“Come on.” He says.

“We gotta go, lovebirds!” Stacy can be heard calling out from inside the van. You look everywhere but at Eddie, awkwardly, blushing. Eddie smiles at your flustered expression.

“See you around?” You ask timidly. Eddie nods.

“You know where to find me.” He raises a brow with a grin. “Give me a call some time?” He asks with, what you’ve now known as, his signature puppy eyes. You let out a short breathy laugh through your nose at this internal realization. You nod.

“Let’s Go!” Robin shouts from the backseat of Steve’s car.

“I’m Coming!” He yells back at her, before softening his voice again to give you a good-bye. “I’m expecting a call. Don’t forget.” He jogs off. You begin walking to the open van doors.

“Hurry up. It’s fucking freezing.” Charlie mutters from the back. Before you get in fully, you turn to get one last look at Eddie. He does that same as he’s halfway into Steve’s car. He waves at you with a big smile. You wave back with a small smile, disappearing into the van, Adam sliding the door closed behind you.

The band heads out to their next tour stop tomorrow, or rather later today. There’s no telling when you’ll see Eddie next, but you know something for a fact. You feel like you're tethered to him. You’ll definitely be staying in touch.

Life Eternal Taglist (OPEN): @ali-r3n @starmilks @madelynraemunson

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

Text

Intro: All Access Pass

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

Word Count: 3.3K

Synopsis: Eddie couldn’t just NOT enter the contest. With the help of his younger, tech savvy friend, Eddie and Dustin created a mini music video of sorts, showcasing how skillful of a guitarist he is, filmed atop his trailer. This is how he got to where he is now, backstage at a Blastoff Summer Fest, the summer's biggest, outdoor rock festival!

All writing is in second person unless clearly stated otherwise. No Use of Y/N.

Cydonia Set List

Eddie seriously couldn't comprehend his current situation. He was really about to perform with Metallica… in a couple hours, but still, holy sHIT!

He and his plus one, Dustin, had spent the last few hours exploring the festival, and now they were backstage. The band currently on stage was in the middle of their last song. After them, there was only one more act before Metallica, and Eddie, was on.

Eddie's heart hasn't beat at a normal pace all day. It didn't matter the amount of sound checks he'd already gone through, he was still nervous as all hell to perform with his idols.

They were in a green room, watching a monitor that was displaying the performing acts. "You're gonna be up there, man! Can you believe it?!" Dustin exclaims excitedly.

Eddie shakes his head 'no', still in disbelief. “Nah, man. I really can't. This all feels so surreal.” Just as the current band can be seen vacating the stage, the spotlights turn on and the massive screens on stage change to start displaying a pre-show trailer of sorts for the next band. The crowd was cheering so loud, the two boys could hear the screams from backstage. They were chanting the entire way through the video for the next band. Eddie’s brows crease, “For a band I’ve never heard of, they are quite popular. Cydonia?”

“Oh yeah! That’s the band with the huge display in the front at TR.” Dustin said, referring to their favorite music store back in Hawkins.

“Hm.” Eddie nods. He recalls the fiery display next to the register, but he didn’t buy into it, skeptical of the stars.

Though the stage was blacked out, he could still see shadows of people walking onto the stage, the crowd roaring impossibly louder. The sounds of a resonating guitar could be heard as the band readied, counting down, before starting their opening song with a guitar riff. The crowd went completely feral at that moment.

Eddie studied the screen. The camera was zoomed out, showing the full band on stage. They really had a full band. There was a keyboardist, a drummer, a bassist, two guitarists, one being the lead singer, and a backup singer who had a multitude of instruments around him. Each member was dressed in all black with the lead standing out in blood red. They had a vaguely 1800s aesthetic, very theatrical. Each outfit was slightly unique, but all of them came together to create one cohesive look.

The intro to their opening song lasted a full minute, the band showcasing their musical talents using their respective instruments alone. It was truly amazing to hear and see so many musicians playing together in sync. Each musician was facing each other as if in a large jam circle, the only one truly facing the crowd being the drummer. Eddie felt a pang in his heart watching them. He wanted nothing more than to be performing like them, in a band with such musical chemistry.

After the first minute, the circle was broken by the lead singer turning to walk up to the microphone at the front of the stage, allowing Eddie to get a full view of the person. They adorned long, wild locks that fell into their face, giving them a grungy yet ethereal look. Eddie didn't know what to expect, but whatever came out of the lead vocalist's mouth was not it. The vocalist sang in a lower register, for a girl that is. He was used to most popular female vocalists of the time focusing on their higher vocal range. To him, those singers he’s heard of, though impressive, became annoying over time. This singer's voice was different. It melded with the music perfectly. Eddie could immediately understand the incredible hype from the crowd. They were utterly unique from most radio bands and artists, and they brought a sense of nostalgia, keeping the sound of rock and metal, the sound Eddie loved with all his heart, alive.

After their first song, they immediately went into the next. Their melodies were dark, and their lyrics were cynical, but listening to their music created an almost spiritual experience for Eddie. Both he and Dustin were completely entranced.

“Do you want to go watch the show in the pit?” A woman’s voice broke their intense concentration on the screen. They both whip their heads and look at the graying woman with wide eyes.

“Can we?!” Dustin screamed excitedly.

“As long as Shag here is back in time for his queue.” The production crew member replied, motioning towards Eddie.

Dustin jumps up, “Yeah, sure. Let’s go!” He grabs a hold of the jean vest on Eddie’s shoulder, pulling him off the couch and out the door. The heavy bass of the drums and muffled guitar riffs could be heard echoing through backstage as they ran through the halls. They could hear the clear melodies being sung by the band and crowd alike, sounding like a choir. They had to ask a few random staff members to point them in the right direction as they went, but eventually they made it, getting to the pit just in time to catch the tail end of the guitar solo.

It was weird to be on this side of the fence at a concert, but it was exhilarating. The sun was almost fully set by now, so every light and effect on stage was magical, especially so up close and personal. By the time Dustin and Eddie the perfect spot, the final bit of the band's second song was ending.

The lead singer stepped back up to the mic, “Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. You’ve already shown us so much love.” They spoke directly into the mic, lips caressing the metal cover. Their voice was a little raspy, but soothing, the complete opposite of the usual energetic shouts singers give when addressing the audience. Just as they began to speak, the backup singer picked up an acoustic guitar, and began playing the opening riff of their next song. “It’s such an honor to be able to play alongside such talented artists and legends. For those who don’t know, we are Cydonia,” Another feral cheer from the crowd caused the lead to smirk and let out a small chuckle into the mic, girls and guys alike could be heard screaming at the top of their lungs in reaction to the singer's smirk. “And this next song is called Cirice.” Just on queue, the drummer hit two symbols, bringing in the keyboardists. A few more beats pass, before the electric guitars join in, mimicking the original riff played on the acoustic. The lead backed away from their mic and closed the space between them and the other guitarist. They both played in perfect sync with each other. It was genuinely mesmerizing. The next minute and a half was spent with Dustin cheering in Eddie’s ear along with the crowd, headbanging to the heavy music.

“I feel your presence amongst us,” The lead points out to the crowd,

“You cannot hide in the darkness.” Their hand made its way back to strum the guitar in time for the next beats.

“Can you hear the rumble?

Can you hear the rumble that's calling?” The world felt as if it was shaking. If it weren’t for the thunderous crowd and earth shaking music, Eddie would’ve thought the earth was quaking.

“I know your soul is not tainted

Even though you've been told so

Can you hear the rumble?

Can you hear the rumble that's calling?” Eddie was starting to feel a pressure in his chest. The singer’s gaze was taken from their guitar and out to the crowd.

“I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart

I can see through the scars inside you

I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart

I can see through the scars inside you.” It was as though the song was being sung directly to him. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to move. Everything around him went dark, and the only thing in focus was the band playing on stage, the singer calling out to his heart. All he could do was stand there and watch as the lead focused their eyes back down to their guitar.

“A candle casting a faint glow

You and I see eye to eye

Can you hear the thunder?

How can you hear the thunder that's breaking?

Now there is nothing between us

From now our merge is eternal

Can't you see that you're lost?

Can't you see that you're lost without me?” Eddie's eyes were wide, full of emotion. His lips were beginning to form a pout. He watched as the singer reached out to the crowd as if offering a hand. During the second chorus, Eddie’s mind was somehow both blank and running wild. It felt as though multiple people were screaming in his head at once. It was loud, but he couldn’t distinguish a single thing, rendering the voices void.

The lead walked back and stood right next to the other guitarist, the bassist walking up to stand on the other side of them. They all stood in a line as they rocked out together, the bassist keeping rhythm as the guitarists swapped solos. Eddie felt a strong pull on his heart watching the musicians get lost in the music together. Even the keyboardist had a solo to shine, just before the arena went nearly silent, save for the three notes played on the keyboard and a symbol hit.

“Can't you see that you're lost without me?” The lights flashed with two beats.

“I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart

I can see through the scars inside you.” Eddie could have sworn the lead’s eyes fell upon him in this moment, looking at him with sadness and understanding.

“I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart

I can see through the scars inside you.” The singer closed their eyes and belted out the last word. Eddie felt like crying, his breath hollow and shaky. The backup singers repeat the chorus lines.

“I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart

I can see through the scars inside you.” The last notes of the instruments rang out, the crowd going wild at the end of the song. Dustin’s loud cheers and voice crack brings Eddie back to reality. Dustin bumps against Eddie as he jumps up and down. For the first time, Eddie’s eyes are ripped away from the stage. He blinks away the wetness collecting in his eyes as he takes in the enthusiasm of the crowd and his friend. He was already emotional from the song and its lyrics, but now that pressure in his chest returned for a different reason, the burn of desire and pull of longing. He longed to be the one they were cheering for, God, was he a mix of emotions right now. His eyes were now wide with wonder. The environment was thrilling.

The end of the song leads directly into the next, the drummers hi hat counting the guitarists off. The next song was also emotional for Eddie. The last song made him feel vulnerable, as if the darkness and pain he felt was being called out in front of thousands. This song made him feel almost hopeful. He didn’t feel alone. He was able to enjoy the excitement of being front row at a concert. He bounced along with Dustin, headbanging and dancing around with his curly-haired friend. He felt good. He was smiling, wiping his curls around. He and Dustin played air guitar during the solos without even knowing the song. The bright smile on his younger friend’s face brought joy to his heart. It was like Eddie got to share an experience he wished he could’ve given to his younger self. They shared a crazed laugh after the song ended.

Every song after that was full of highs. Some performances were erotic, pleasing the crowd with the sensual roles the band played. Some were emotional, raw, songs of pain, songs of love, and songs of heartbreak. Overall the concert was euphoric.

Eddie and Dustin spent the few final seconds of the concert screaming at each other, jumping up and down. The band was leaving the stage, and the lights began to dim. Just before it went completely dark, the same lady from earlier came out of nowhere, causing both boys to jump in surprise at her sudden appearance. “Come on, hot shot! We need you backstage!” She shouts over the crowd. Eddie looks back at Dustin.

“I’ll stay here! I have the best seat in the house!” He shouts with a big gummy grin.

Eddie nods, “Wish me luck!” He said as the lady began pulling him away.

“You got this!” Dustin shouts after him.

Just as Eddie made it backstage, the lady let go of him, giving him instruction to stay close before she disappeared into the many moving pieces of staff. Eddie wandered a bit closer to the stage’s artist entrance/exit. As he got closer to the stage, he caught a glimpse of the band members he just watched perform. His heart stopped, a wave of excitement and nervousness washing over him. Eddie didn’t know where his confidence came from, but he walked right up to them, “You guys rocked!” He says enthusiastically, catching the attention of the few band members closest to him. He recognized them to be the drummer, the bassist, and the keyboardists. The three turned to him and smiled.

“Wow, thanks man!” The towering, slender drummer said with a big smile, nudging Eddie on the shoulder with his fist. “Means a lot.” Eddie returned a smile up to him.

“Hey, you were in the pit right?” The bassist points out, pointing a finger in Eddie’s direction. Eddie turns his gaze to the strawberry blonde and nods in response. “You looked really into it.” He chuckled.

Eddie’s face warms up a bit, and he shrugs, “I mean you guys were awesome. You all have great chemistry. I came in blind and was blown away.” The taller bassist raises his brows and nods with an impressed frown.

“Well, thank you.”

“Hey, aren’t you that guy who did that cover of Master of Puppets?” The drummer chimes back in, grabbing Eddie’s attention again.

“You’ve heard of me?” Eddie asks, shocked.

“Of course, we’re all big Metallica fans. Marley was the one who showed you to all of us.” He says pointing to the keyboardist on the opposite side of the bassist.

“Yeah! I knew you looked familiar!” The shorter, brunette says, snapping as her memory is jogged. “Great video! It was like a proper music video. I loved all the special effects. It looked like you were literally rocking out in hell.” The three bandmates shared a laugh, agreeing.

“Wow, thanks! I’ll have to pass that down to Dustin. He’s the tech genius.”

“Did you win a backstage pass or something?” The drummer asks.

“Yeah, the video was actually my submission to a contest we found in a magazine. I won and got invited to play with Metallica!” Eddie says proudly. The three band members all dropped their jaws, looking at him with wide eyes.

“No fucking way!”

“That’s fucking awesome!”

“You are so lucky!” Eddie boasts in pride as they all praise him.

“What happened?” Another chimes in. Eddie’s eyes follow the source of the voice. A figure walks around from behind the short keyboardist, now known as Marley. It's you. Eddie felt time slow as he took in your appearance.

Your dark hair was wild, curling every which way, some shorter strands sticking to your damp forehead. The hair on the left side of your face was tucked behind your left ear, the strands on the right side falling in front of your right eye. You were just tall enough to look Eddie right in the eyes but were still just an inch or so shorter. Your blood red coat was now undone, exposing the black undershirt. Eddie had to keep himself from staring at the exposed skin of your neck like a deprived little boy.

“Remember that video of the guy shredding Master of Puppets? He got invited to play with Metallica tonight.” The bassist states, pointing at Eddie. Eddie’s eyes make their way back up to your face. You were turned to look at the bassist as he spoke, giving Eddie a perfect view of your profile.

“Oh, really?” You turn to look at Eddie. He nods, unusually speechless. “That’s so cool, congrats, dude. You’re really talented. You deserve it.” You offer him a small smile. He returns the smile ten fold.

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, from you guys. You’re the real rockstars.” Eddie replies, rushed. You let out an amused huff through your nose.

The small keyboardist interrupts the small moment between you two, “Well, we’re all going to the pit to watch. We’ll see you out there!” The rest of them nodded. The three start to walk away, heading to their dressing room to change out of their stage outfits. You stay behind for an extra few seconds. Eddie felt as though you could see right through him. He is snapped out of his little trance when he feels a pat on his upper arm.

“Knock ‘em dead, rockstar.” You narrow your eyes and give him another small smirk, before walking away in the same direction as the others.

Eddie felt electricity running through his entire body. He stood there for an extra few seconds after you disappeared. A toothy smile crept onto his lips, and he slowly began jumping up and down, fanboying a little. He lets out a yell. Some of the staff in his immediate vicinity turn to give him weird looks. He stops making a scene and lifts a hand in a small wave as if to say ‘sorry, carry on’ to those who stopped to look at him. He smiled to himself.

“Eddie Munson?” He turned to find a guy with a headset and a clipboard scanning the area. Eddie raises his hand.

“That’s me!” The mustached man motions for him to come. Eddie jogs up to them, and they start listing off instructions.

“Alright, the guys are going to go out first. A few songs in, they will give you a queue to join them on stage. You’ll play then run back off stage in time for them to play their next song, just like you practiced. Got it? Good.” This guy was pretty cut and dry which Eddie raised a brow at, but he nodded none-the-less. Shortly after their one sided conversation ended, Eddie was ushered to the edge of the stage entrance. He still couldn’t get over being in the same room as his idols. They all turned to him and cheered.

“There he is!” THE James Hetfield said loudly. Eddie gets a couple pats on the back.

“Let’s go rock the house down, kid.” Lars said, giving Eddie a fist bump before the band heads out and to their places on stage. Eddie watches from the side, in complete bliss.

As the first song begins, the older lady from earlier hands him his guitar, smiling sweetly at him before walking away. He gives the guitar a kiss, “Can you believe this, sweetheart?” He throws the strap over his shoulder.

Eddie peeks out into the crowd and quickly spots Dustin losing his mind, bringing a laugh out of Eddie. Not far off from his friend, he could see a couple of the band members from before. He recognizes the three he met backstage. They were standing with another dark haired guy and a dirty blonde girl he didn’t meet earlier, but Eddie assumed they were in the band too. Eddie observed them all cheering for the legends on stage, then his eyes landed on you. You were singing and dancing with the dark haired guy he hadn’t met. The anxiety Eddie was feeling about his upcoming performance was quickly swapped with a pang of jealousy. He wanted to be the guy dancing and having fun with you.

“Eddie Munson!” Eddie’s head snaps back towards the stage to see James raising a hand in his direction.

“You’re on, kid!” Someone yells.

Eddie takes a deep breath. “You’re on, Munson.” He whispers to himself before running out on stage.

Welcome to Life Eternal!

All related content can be found under the #Life Eternal Swiss Fic tag or exclusively at @lifeeternalseries

Life Eternal Taglist (OPEN): @ali-r3n @starmilks @madelynraemunson

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

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lifeeternalseries · 1 month ago

Text

Chapter Six: California Girls

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

Word Count: 4.7K

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N.

“Hello California!!” Steve exclaims as soon as they’re out of the airport doors and on the street.

“Was that really necessary, dingus?” Robin raises a brow behind her sunglasses, her suitcase dragging behind her. Steve turns to face her, walking backwards.

“Yes. Yes, it was.” Steve smirks, peering over his own dark shades with a teasing gaze. The larger man in a black suit opens the backseat door for Steve and Robin. Just as Steve goes to lift his suitcase, the man puts a hand out.

“Leave your bags on the curb. I’ll put them in the back.” He then gestures for the two to get in the backseat before opening the passenger door, nodding cordially at Eddie. Steve and Robin share a surprised look, nodding with impressed frowns.

“Wow, I could get used to this.” Robin says with a grin and pushes passed Steve, climbing into the backseat. Steve rolls his eyes and climbs in after her. The driver moves to close the door behind them, grabbing their backs and heading to the trunk of the black SUV.

Eddie wordlessly moves to climb into the passenger seat. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit disappointed when the trio got to baggage claim, and you weren’t there. He knew it didn’t make such sense for you to be the one picking them up. This was official business after all but still. He was itching to see your face, give you a hug ‘hello’, and hold you tight.

Steve and Robin were having a conversation amongst themselves, deaf to Eddie’s ears as he stared out the window during the drive. You haven’t been able to talk since your last conversation a week ago. You’d been busy with the band, and you weren’t home. ‘I really need to get a job.’ Eddie thought to himself. Maybe that would keep him busy, occupy his mind while you weren’t there.

The car stopping and shifting into park brings Eddie out of his daze. “Wow…” Robin sighs out in awe. The driver gets out of the car and rounds the vehicle to open doors and start unpacking luggage. The three slide out of the SUV and stare up at the massive hotel.

“Wow.” Steve repeats once they’re lined up side by side on the curb. This had to be the fanciest hotel any of them had ever seen, in person at least. It was countless stories high and had a castle motif. No doubt those inside were probably actual royalty.

“I didn’t know we’d get it like this.” Robin follows. Just then, a hotel hostess walks up to them.

“Good Afternoon. Party of three for Mr. Munson, correct? Right this way.” She says with a polite smile, leading them inside.

Impossibly, the interior seemed even larger than the outside would lead one to believe. The floors were marble, the ceiling might as well be none existent with how high it was, and there were matching marble columns as wide as the trunk of an oak tree. “Jesus Christ.” Steve blurts out as soon as they get into the lobby. The hostess then turns to look at them over her shoulder as she walks.

“Welcome, we have your rooms already prepared. Please continue to follow me to the elevators, and I will show you where you’ll be staying.”

“Um, what about our bags?” Robin asks. The hostess smiles at Robin over her shoulder.

“No need to worry. They will be brought to your rooms.” The trio continue to follow the hostess all the way to their rooms. She gives each of them a key to their respective suites, Steve and Robin on one side of the hall and Eddie on the other. “Someone will be back to escort you to the rooftop for the event at 7:30 PM. Please don’t hesitate to call down to the front desk if you need anything.” She gives them another polite, customer service smile, before disappearing back to the elevators.

“See you guys at 7:30!” Steve says as he enters his room. Robin followed Steve’s lead by entering her own room, a faded ‘Holy Shit!’ could be heard as soon as she entered, the door closing behind her. Eddie chuckles and shakes his head at the two, being the last to enter his room.

As soon as he opens the door, he immediately echoes Robin’s shock. “Ho-ly shit.” He breathes out. His suitcase was already in his room at the base of the short steps down into the living room. Yes, the living room. The hotel ‘room’ was basically a luxury apartment. It had its own kitchen connected to the living room, only separated by a marble top bar. To the left was a small corridor that must be the bathroom and bedroom.

Eddie walks down the two steps, grabs the handle of his suitcase, and heads left. He slowly opens the door to the bedroom as if afraid to reveal a surprise. Peering his head through the door, he’s welcomed with a bedroom damn near the size of his entire trailer. On the far wall, there were ceiling to floor windows with long, burgundy curtains opened and resting on the sides where the glass met the walls. In the middle of the room was a large king bed with posts that almost hit the ceiling. There was a couch near the windows and a huge walk-in closet and bathroom to the left.

Eddie lets go of his tattered suitcase and drops his backpack on the ground, running to the bed and diving into it. The linen was incredibly soft and pristine, and the entire bed smelled like fresh laundry. Eddie sighs into the mattress, fighting the sleep that washed over him. He turns his head to look at the clock on the bedside table. 5:14 PM. He had a little over two hours until they had to be at the release party. He could take a nap. He sighs again, closing his eyes.

This bed was just so damn comfortable. He wouldn’t even know what to guess when it came to the price of just two nights here. Hundreds? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? He’s just glad he doesn’t get to see the bill. Regardless, he would probably faint at the sight of that many numbers on a receipt.

The overall experience reminds him of his New York visit. The first time seeing your home, feeling the blankets of your guest bed. Does your bed feel as soft as the guest bed? Softer? What did your room look like? Did you have posters on your walls like he did or did you have a more ‘mature’ decorative theme? What would you think of his room? Everything of his is old, half of it outdating Eddie himself. Would you be grossed out by the amount of dirty laundry on his floors seemingly at all times? Would it change your opinion of him? What do you think about him? Do you think of him?

Great. Eddie sighs heavily, exasperated. Now, he can’t sleep. His mind is running rampant with thoughts of you. He turns his head to shove his face into the duvet, letting out a muffled groan. After a few seconds, he decides he should probably come up for air. He pushes himself up and off the bed, heading over to the bathroom.

Eddie leans over the bathroom counter, resting his hands on the cool marble top. He stares at himself in the mirror, analyzing.

It's almost strange looking so closely at himself in the mirror. It's rare for him to just sit and stare. The more he stares, the further into his head he gets. Could you ever feel about him the way he feels about you? He's just him, and you're you. You're amazing, talented, beautiful, all the things he wishes he could be. Everywhere he ever dreamed of being, you've accomplished. The records, the game, the stardom, the escape, you got out. Would you even want to backtrack for him off all things?

Eddie wonders, did you feel sorry for him? Is that why you were doing all of this? Did he remind you of you? Was this… pity? That had to be it. You saw too much of your past self in him and just couldn't help but intervene.

He wasn't complaining, by any means, but that would make the most sense. You were just being nice, and he was mistaking it for something else.

Eddie could see his reflection’s brows furrow and his jaw tighten. Of course, he was getting too far into his head. He can't know what you're thinking. He needed to stop beating himself up and just let things flow as they go.

He turns on the faucet and splashes his face. “Relax, Munson. Get out of there.” He says to himself as a small peptalk. He closes his eyes and lets out a big sigh. “Okay, okay.” He starts bouncing up and down, shaking his arms out beside him and stretching his neck by tilting his head side to side. He opens his eyes to look at himself once more in the mirror. “You,” he points at his reflection, “Don't fuck anything up.”

Before Eddie knows it, 7:30 rolls around. Though he spent the last two hours getting ready and mentally psyching himself up, as soon as he hears a knock at his door, the effects of every pep talk he repeated over the last 135 minutes evaporated and the blood drained from his body. Eddie freezes, staring at the door from across the living area. “7:30, Munson!” Steve's voice could be heard from the otherside of the door. “Let's go!” Eddie takes a few seconds to scramble around for nothing. He'd already ensured he had everything he needed 30 minutes ago. He rushes towards the door but stops to look at himself over again in the full body mirror next to the entryway.

He messes with his hair again, meticulous moving around the hairs of his bangs, unable to get them just right. “You better not be sleeping, numbnuts!” Robin yells.

“Coming!” He shouts back, smoothing down the fabric of his black blazer and fixing the already perfect collar of his matching black dress shirt. He fiddles with the top buttons, ultimately deciding to leave the top few unfastened. Before he can do anything else, he sighs, stopping himself and turns to the door. He takes one step forward before pausing, turning back to the mirror and pointing at his poor reflection just as he did in the bathroom earlier. “No. Fuckups.” He glares before his eyes look up and spot a flyaway hair. He goes to reach up and fix it but another, more stern knock wraps against the door.

“Eddie!” Steve shouts again. Eddie rushes to yank the door open.

“I'm here, Jesus!” He rolls his eyes as he pushes passed the two, pulling the door closed behind him. A different hotel employee stood a few steps away from the trio. His hands are clasped in front of him as he waits with an amused grin.

“Good Evening. If you will follow me…” The uniformed man gestures with an open palm towards the direction of the elevators before leaning into his gesture and leading the three to the same elevators they arrived in.

As they step into the elevators, Steve breaks the silence. “You two clean up pretty damn well, I must say. Why haven't I seen this side of you before?” Eddie and Robin throw glares simultaneously, but Steve ignores it. Robin smooths down her tailored suit jacket with her chin up high.

“Why would I waste my good clothes on you?” Robin shoots back, undoing the front button of her almost black suit jacket to reveal a matching button down vest, the deep V of her vest exposing the pale freckled skin of her sternum. Her suit pants were tailored slightly shorter to stop near her ankles, exposing the bright red boots that add a pop of color to her otherwise monochromatic outfit.

Eddie glances over at Steve, “I’m more so surprised to see you own this much black.” Eddie shoots back, eyeing Steve's attire. His light weight, button down shirt was unbuttoned just enough to show off his hairy chest. Eddie reaches out and picks at the shoulder seam of Steve’s jacket. “Leather? Who are you?” Eddie teases with a raised brow. Steve rolls his eyes and jerks his shoulders forward to adjust his jacket before smoothing his hands down his gray and black pinstripe trousers.

“This is a famous rock band’s album release party. I have to fit the part, don't I?” He rebuttals, running his hand gently through his styled hair.

“I never thought I’d see the day The Steve Harrington wore anything outside of his usual jean and crewneck slash polo combo.” Robin teases with a wide smile. Eddie huffs out a small chuckle through his nose as he fails to contain his amused smile. Steve rolls his eyes again, head rolling around to turn his body away from the two to face the elevator doors just as it beeps. He pulls out his old faithful pair of sunglasses from his shirt, placing them on his face.

“Whatever.” He grumbles as the doors open to reveal their rooftop destination. As soon as the trio exit the elevator, they’re met with loads of wealthy looking artist types, the party seemingly in full swing. Eddie let out a small sigh of relief to know that the three of them weren’t the first three dorks to arrive, but he also couldn’t help the anxious feeling building in his chest.

Eddie was always a designated loser in school. He only started to get invited to parties when he started dealing in his Junior year. Even then, he mostly hung out outside, away from the crowds. One, to keep a low profile, and two, to avoid the hoards of teens.

Now, he was invited as a proper guest to do neither of those things. He wasn't just any guest either. He was a VIP, an honored guest. He was one of the celebrated, at least that's what was said on the card he got in the mail with the tickets and event info.

Steve let out a low whistle, lifting a hand to tilt his sunglasses down his nose, eyeing the party and its female guests. “Down, Dingus.” Robin pipes up, reaching forward to slap a hand down on Steve's shoulder.

“Who knew Eddie would be the one to get us here?” Steve said, smirking and waving at the model types glancing over at him from the bar. Eddie scoffs, the anxiety calming for a split second as his friend ground him.

“Thanks, dickhead.” Eddie purses his lips and rolls his eyes.

“I don't see your girl here, yet, so I say let's grab some drinks while Dingus reserves us a table.” Robin states while shoving Steve towards the small round, bar height tables, the opposite direction from the actual bar.

“Hey!” Steve shoots, offended by the push.

“I think I deserve a fair chance before you embarrass us all.” Robin raises her brows with a teasing expression. Steve scoffs and rolls his eyes, putting his hands on his hips and shifting his weight to one side.

“Please. Coming from the person who thinks eye contact is flirting.” His expression is pure sass. Robin turns her back on him and starts walking away.

“Better than shitty pickup lines.” She waves him off. Eddie gives Steve a pursed lipped smile and lifts his brows, shrugging before catching up with Robin. Steve sighs, turning to properly walk to an empty table to keep warm for the trio.

Eddie lets Robin order the three of them drinks while he scopes out the event. As expected, the rooftop party was both gorgeous and obviously expensive. The view alone was to die for, but the subtle gold and black decorations, the complimentary drinks and food, the well-dressed and pretty faces all oozed Hollywood. It was a far cry from the small town house parties. The party was not nearly as loud or as unhinged. Everyone seemed a bit more reserved, mature. That was to go without saying as Eddie, Robin, and Steve were amongst the youngest attendees.

Taking in the decorations and the party’s guests were only a byproduct of Eddie’s search for a familiar face. Obviously, you were going to attend your own album release party, but Eddie was internally starting to panic. He couldn’t find you anywhere. Matter-of-fact, he couldn’t spot any of the band members. “I’m sure they are going to make some sort of grand entrance.” Robin interrupts his silent thoughts, looking at him through the corner of her eyes with a raised brow and a slanted grin. Eddie sighs, rolling his head dramatically while turning his body to lean his elbows on the bar. Robin gets him a little too well at times. He still has yet to decide if he likes it or not. “It’s crazy how much she has a chokehold on you.” Robin chuckles out, turning her body to assume Eddie’s previous position, leaning her weight backwards on her forearms. Eddie just sighs a bit louder, letting his head drop hair falling around his face. Robin lets out another small chuckle. “It’s honestly kind of weird to see you like this. I didn’t think Eddie Munson was the type to ‘crush’.” Eddie lifts his head and looks over at Robin, slightly offended.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She shrugs.

“Well, since I’ve known you, you’ve never given off the… vibe of, you know,... ‘a romantic’.” He scoffs.

“I wouldn’t really call myself ‘a romantic’. I think I have too much awkwardness to sweep anyone off their feet.” Robin shrugs again.

“There’s different types of romance, bird brain.” She turns a little to face Eddie, still leaning on one elbow. “You’re no Steve.” Both her and Eddie look over at Steve’s location across the venue. He was leaned up against the table, obviously talking up some random girl. “But honestly, for your girl, they don’t seem like the type to be ‘wooed’ by a Steve.” She laughs again, but Eddie only grimaces.

“I mean he makes us cringe, but he does have the kind of unwavering confidence that we lack.”

“Hey, don’t sell us short, now. There are plenty of hot girls who are into the whole ‘shy charm’ thing.”

“Okay, but,” he leans up to mimic Robin’s posture, facing her, “how do I even know she’s, like, into me. Like, sure, she’s my type. Hell, she’s the one who made me even realize I have a type.” He looks up at the orange sky, letting out another exasperated sigh. “She’s literally perfect, man. I’m letting myself fall way too hard when I don’t even know the first thing about,” He flails his hands around, gesturing at nothing, “this.”

“To be honest, dude, I wouldn't call myself the best person to be giving any type of advice on confessing to crushes,” she pulls a face, “but I will say, a blind man can see you’ve got something between you two. It’s kind of painfully obvious.” Eddie looks over at Robin and raises his brows, his eyes widening.

“You sure?” Robin lets out a little huff, her face flattening as she lifts a brow.

“Yeah, doofus. I’m not an idiot.” Eddie lets it sink before leaning in a little towards Robin, lowering his voice.

“Okay, but,” Robin rolls her eyes, “Hey, hear me out.” Eddie gives her a serious look.

“Okay, okay, what?” She caves. Eddie fixes his jaw, not really sure how to ask what he wants to ask.

“So, you know, you’re, like, a girl-”

“Last time I checked.” She interrupts. Eddie gives her another look. She raises a hand in surrender. “Sorry, sorry.”

“As I was saying, you’re a girl who's, like, you know, into girls...” Robin squints, fighting the urge to interject with something sarcastic.

“Mhmm…”

“And, well, she’s also into girls.” Robin’s brows shoot up.

“Really?!” Eddie is quick to shush her. “Sorry.” She quiets down, “Really?!” she whisper yells. “Well, shit, maybe… fucking hell.” Robin sighs heavily. Pursing her lips to one side as her brain racks. Eddie winces.

“Does… Does that change things?” Robin looks up at her friend’s face. Her heart aches for him. His eyes wide and nervous, the one look deaging him to a boy. She looks away from him.

“Well, kind of?” She says, also a bit nervous, not knowing how to really navigate the situation. Eddie’s jaw tightens, his shoulders hike up, the actual visual representation of bundled up nerves. His eyes close as his hand comes up to smack his forehead. Robin puts up her hands as if trying to damage control. “Okay, but wait. Is she, like, exclusively, you know, girls only or is it more half-half?” Eddie drops his hand and shrugs.

“I- I don’t know. How do I even ask a question like that without being too, you know,... revealing?” Robin sighs.

“I mean you could just ask.” She winces.

“You can just ask that? I- I don’t want to be, well, is that not, like, offensive?” His inner turmoil is quite evident in his physicality. Robin shrugs.

“I mean, times have changed. It’s obviously not, like, widely accepted, but in my opinion, if she was comfortable enough to tell you that, I think she may be comfortable enough to let you know if she’s, like,... exclusive or not.” Robin herself was obviously not trying to hide her own preferences while out and about, but she still had trouble when it came to talking about sexuality. She sighs and turns to face the bar again, “I think it will be a lot worse for you to go on like this without knowing for sure if you have a chance, trust me.” She looks down, speaking from experience. Eddie nods subtly. Just then, the bartender brings them their finished drinks. Robin mutters out a small thanks before standing up straight and turning to face Eddie with a drink in each hand. “Let's get to the table. Maybe we should fill in The All Knowing Hair.” Robin says tipping her head to the side to gesture for Eddie to grab the last drink before walking off in the direction of Steve.

Eddie stands at the bar for longer, staring down at the drink glass, so deep in thought the ringing of a microphone turning on doesn’t reach his ears. “Ladies and gentleman!” A voice announces. Eddie’s head lifts as he lazily turns his head in search of the source of the voice, finding a guy across the rooftop with a curtain behind him. “It is my honor to present the stars of the night, or, more accurately put, rockstars of the night.” Eddie grimaces at the guy, but he still managed to get a few laughs at the poor joke. “I present to you all, Cydonia!” He steps aside in perfect time for the band members to emerge from the curtain. Applause erupts from every party guest, Eddie’s hands moving by their own fruition as his brain is in a completely different place and time.

Adam walks his way up to the microphone stand as the applause dies down. “Good Evening, Everyone! How’s everyone doing?” Another eruption of cheers comes in response before Adam continues with his introductory speech.

To Eddie, the world quieted and time slowed. It was as if everyone disappeared and there was a spotlight on you in an empty void. You were dressed head to toe in black leather. The seams on your leather pants, gloves, and jacket all coordinated to create an almost armor-like illusion. Each member was dressed in a similar fashion, with only slight differences in fits and seamlines. Your hair was braided away from your face with various silver metal pieces interwoven. Everyone had silver details to keep the theme consistent. The band looked like one big, futuristic, badass biker gang (who were also probably mercenaries). It must have something to do with the concept of the album, Eddie thought. “With that being said, enjoy your night!” Adam’s conclusion brings Eddie out of his head as he claps along with the rest of the party guests.

Once the band steps off the stage, they are bombarded with different groups of people wanting to converse with them. Eddie can see you trying to make your way to him, but you continuously get stopped by different guests who want to say something. Though he can’t hear what you say, he can tell you must be cutting each interaction short as you give each person a fake smile and head nod before walking off to the next interruption. Between each guest you make eye contact with Eddie, making it obvious you’re coming to him specifically, not just the bar.

The longer your eventual meeting gets dragged out, though, the worse Eddie feels. He finds himself running through every possible scenario of what could happen, thinking about what Robin told him to ask. As you get closer and closer, he can feel his heart rate increasing. When you’re just a few feet away, he feels like he’s going to faint as he tries to keep himself from panting.

Just as you’re reaching him, a girl with bright red hair styled to look perfectly messy steps between you and Eddie, stopping you right in your tracks. She obviously catches you off guard a bit as she gets right in your face, causing you to finch back a little. “Hey, there, hot stuff.” She says in a sultry tone, her red stained lips curling into a smirk as she runs a finger down your front.

“Uh, hi.” You offer a small smile with a curious brow. For the split second your attention is taken off Eddie, he quickly disappears, nearly running over to Steven and Robin.

“Jesus christ, I’m gonna pass out.” He blurts out as soon as he reaches the little table. Steve is still too wrapped up in the girl he’s talking to, but Robin looks over to Eddie a bit confused and concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder as he heaves.

The girl in front of you keeps talking your ear off. You pay no mind, grabbing her by her upper arms and gently moving her to the side so you can try to sneak passed her, but as soon as you successfully maneuver her, you realize Eddie is gone. You are taken aback, immediately questioning your sanity. He was just right there.

The entire inner conflict you had does little to interrupt the girl and her advances. She immediately reaches up to place a finger on your cheek to manually turn your head, forcefully bringing your attention back to her. She continues to talk nonsense and flirt, and all you can do is nod and offer a polite grin as your eyes wander to try and find him again. “So how about a drink?”

“Um, yeah. Sure, whatever.” You say as you look around. You both lean against the bar, and she starts ordering. Your head remains on a swivel, but you can’t find Eddie anywhere.

Eddie was hunched over the table, forehead against the table top with his arms surrounding his head. Robin rubs his back to try and help whatever he’s going through. “Dude, what just happened?” Eddie mumbles something she can’t quite hear. “What?” She leans in further.

“I chickened out!” He says, lifting his head but still shrunken in on himself.

“Oh my god.” Robin says annoyed, rolling her eyes. “You fucking shithead! I thought you were going to say she was…!” she lowers her tone, catching herself, “exclusive.” She leans next to Eddie. She glances over to the bar to see you drinking with a redhead girl and sighs. He groans and plops his head back on the table.

“What the shit, man.” He groans. “Why am I such a coward?” Robin shakes her head, rolling her eyes again.

“All you gotta do is ask, dude. I told you, the longer you wait-”

“The harder the rejection will hit. Yeah, yeah, I know.” He finishes, lifting his head. Robing smacks the back of his head.

“There hasn't been any rejection yet. You still don’t know, numbnuts.” She glares at him, obviously annoyed with his antics, acting like she wouldn’t be doing the same thing in his position. “Stop moping like it’s already happened. You’re just going to make shit worse for both of you.” Eddie sighs, pouting.

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