#'but it said 'Eddie' and 'fish' in the same sentence!'

[frenchly-anxious]

Throwback to my last year of French highschool when a ridiculously large number of my fellow students absolutely bombed the first part of our final English exam because they mixed the verb "to fish" and the noun "fish", making our main character Eddie become a fish that owns an apartment, keeps crusts of bread in a tin pail and nods at the old man fishing on the other side of the river

[magicalmysteries777]

The Bloody-Handed and The Anguish of Loving Them - Chapter 5.

Summary: Almost a year has passed since Eddie Munson died and it feels like the only person that isn't moving on is Steve.

After spending the night studying a Dungeons and Dragons handbook, Steve is convinced he's figured out how to bring Eddie back. Not only that, but defeat Vecna once and for all too. Now he just has to prove it.

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Masterlist: Here.

Chapter: 5 of 10.

Chapter WC: 3538.

CW: Swearing.

A/N: (see end of chapter for notes.)

This story can also be found on AO3 here.

Taglist: @ohmeg 🖤

March 24th, 1987.

Steve had always thought that the phrase “they locked eyes and it was as though time had stood still” was bullshit, nothing more than a heavily recycled trope used by romance authors to sell their readers on the ideology of ‘true love’ - a lie, a fable, pure fiction. Yet there he was, with Eddie Munson’s fiery, red eyes locked on his while the world around them stilled.

“Eddie?” he asked, cautiously. The party spun around, a well-earned number of muffled “what the fuck?!”s and shocked gasps escaping from their lips as they too set sights on the winged man staring down at them. The younger members of the party all began asking their questions at the same time, rambling over one another in a wave of emotion. Steve couldn’t form a coherent sentence, his mouth opening and closing comically like a fish as he tried to find words. Eddie remained silent, his eyes still locked on Steve’s as the rapid-fire questions kept coming at him.

“How did you get out of the grave?”

“Why didn’t you come back through the gate?”

“I can’t believe you’re actually alive.”

“Did the bats turn you into a vampire?”

“Do you drink blood now?”

“Does this mean you can be our Dungeon Master again?”

“Wait until we tell Jeff and Gareth.”

“Wait until we tell Wayne, he’s going to be ecstatic.”

“What’s the wingspan on those bad boys?”

“Are you going to help us kill Vecna?”

Eddie didn’t answer, his eyes still locked on Steve’s with his expression blank. Dustin stepped forward to approach Eddie and his babysitting instincts leapt into overdrive. Steve’s hand shot out and clasped onto Dustin’s shoulder before he could think about what he was doing, eagerly pulling him back to the group despite his protests. “Get off me, Steve. He’s right there. Eddie’s right there,” he pleaded.

“That’s not Eddie,” Steve replied in a hushed whisper, his eyes narrowing.

“What are you talking about?”

Steve felt his stomach drop as he watched the corners of Eddie’s mouth twist into a wicked, devilish grin.

“Little Stevie is right, boys and girls,” Eddie announced, his large, bat-like wings beating rhythmically to keep him suspended in the air looking down at them. “No Eddie here.”

“I’m looking right at you, man. What the hell are you talking about?” Dustin asked.

“You left Eddie Munson to rot, in that hole right there,” Eddie spat, pointing to the ground behind them. His eyes darkened. “He sacrificed himself for you, for everyone, and you left him.”

“We-”

“Don’t try to fucking justify it!” Eddie yelled. “You couldn’t even give him the decency of taking his body back through the gate. You left him in another fucking dimension!”

“I’m sorry, Eddie. We couldn’t-” Dustin began.

“Enough!” he bellowed, silencing Dustin in an instant. “Your pitiful excuses mean nothing to me.”

The party said nothing, waiting with bated breath for him to speak again and fill the eerie silence. Steve felt Robin slip her hand into his and give it a reassuring squeeze.

“Do you know how long it takes to claw your way out of a six-foot-deep hole?” Eddie asked, his voice growing more maniacal with each syllable that ushered from his lips. “Days. It took him fucking days to get out of that stupid hole and who should he find waiting for him as soon as he gets out? Vecna. Turned out he had a little proposition for dear old Eddie. Go back to rotting in the hole or join him. Eddie refused, of course. Said Vecna was “out of his goddamn mind” if he thought for one second that Eddie would join him. Swore blind he’d never betray his friends. Didn’t need all that much convincing in the end.”

“Come on, man. What is this? Some sick joke?” muttered Mike.

“Does it sound like a fucking joke to you?!” Eddie spat furiously. “Vecna can be quite convincing, you see? He told poor, little Eddie all about how his sacrifice was useless. How he died for nothing because his precious friends failed to get the job done. How you all left him to rot while you went about your lives, letting everyone believe that Eddie Munson was the satanic cult-leading freak who killed a bunch of Hawkins High students. But Vecna could help. Vecna could make it all worthwhile. He could change him, give him power - enough power to make all those who had wronged him pay.”

Eddie’s wings slowed as he flew lower, allowing the party to get a closer look at him in the dim light. His skin was pale, almost white, void of all colour and signs of life. His once deep brown irises were now blood red, the skin around his eyes dark and sunken. The corners of his mouth twitched into another cruel smile, revealing a long, pointy pair of fangs where his canines used to be.

“Eddie Munson is gone,” he began, “and I am what remains.”

“Bullshit!” Steve cried, unaware he was about to speak until the words had already left his mouth. Robin’s grip on his hand tightened.

“No bullshit, Stevie.”

“Eddie wouldn’t do that. He’d never become a monster, he’d never join his team. I know he wouldn’t do that to us, to me,” he argued, choking on his words a little, fully aware of how in denial he sounded.

“The Eddie you knew was a scared, pathetic child who ran away at the first sign of trouble. All bark but no bite. I am not.”

“You’re Kas, aren’t you?” Dustin asked nervously.

“You always were the sharpest tool in the metaphorical shed,” he replied, gesturing to the rest of the group.

“Just answer the question.”

“Kas the Bloody-Handed, the Lich King’s Lieutenant, at your service.”

Kas flew higher into the air before lowering himself into a taunting bow. Steve let out a stifled sob, his stomach dropping further than he ever thought possible.

“Everything you’ve done so far, every choice you’ve made, every battle you’ve fought - it was all for this. This was his grand plan all along. It was me who sent the army of the undead to greet you at Karlach’s cave. Me who gave the orders to finish you all off. I’ll admit, you’ve all gotten a little tougher since last year but it’s no bother. That was just a small taste of what’s in store for you all - I’ll get you next time. We’ll be seeing each other again soon.”

And with that final taunt, Kas flew off into the dark sky and out of sight, leaving the party to ruminate on the events that had just unfolded.

Fifteen minutes passed in utter silence before Lucas finally spoke. “We’ve got to kill him too, right?”

Steve felt sick to his stomach. He couldn’t do it, couldn’t sit there and listen to them debate on whether or not they were going to kill Eddie. Eddie who they’d all come back here to save. Steve excused himself and rushed into the trailer, making a beeline for the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

Steve collapsed against the door, sliding down it and landing in an exhausted heap on the floor. Tears began flooding out of him like a burst dam, far too strong for him to keep contained. His throat burned as he wretched and choked on his sobs, his watery eyes locked on a rather distressed-looking Hellfire Club shirt strewn on the floor. He felt like he was losing Eddie all over again. Every word that Kas had taunted them with was just another knife to Steve’s heart, shattering more and more with each syllable.

“Hey, man, you okay?” came Jonathan’s voice from the other side of the door, trying the handle as he spoke.

“Go away,” Steve croaked.

“Talk to me, man. You can’t hide in here forever.”

“I said go away, I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Steve, open the fucking door.”

Steve pried himself off the ground and sat on the bed, looking like a child that had just been scolded by its parents, waiting for Jonathan to enter the room.

“You know,” Jonathan began, sitting next to Steve on the bed. “It’s okay if you’re not okay.”

“I’m fine. Just… a bit rattled, I guess?”

“Cut the crap, Steve. You’re a recovering alcoholic who just found out the love of his life is a fucking vampire, but not only that, a vampire that tried to kill us all.”

“He’s not the love of-”

“I know. Before he started with all that ‘Kas’ crap, you were looking at him the same way Will looks at Mike.”

“Oh. Does Nance know?”

“No, she just thinks you’re having a mental breakdown, and I’m about ninety percent certain most of the kids still think you’re doing this for Dustin. Will might have an inkling, though.”

“Robin figured it out too. It was only a matter of time.”

“So, are you okay?” Jonathan asked sincerely.

“No,” Steve admitted, the tears from earlier trying desperately to make a reappearance.

Jonathan pulled Steve into a hug, holding him whilst Steve let his tears fall freely once more. A couple of minutes later, Steve pulled away.

“It’s just not fair, you know?”

“I know.”

“He was supposed to graduate, he was supposed to get a record deal and go on tour but then he fucking died, and I thought I’d figured out how to bring him back but now he’s a vampire. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? It sounds crazy. It is crazy. He’s a vampire,” Steve rambled, his left foot bobbing up and down on the spot. “A fucking vampire, Jonathan. How do you cure vampirism? Can it be cured?”

“Steve-”

“Maybe Lucas was right. Maybe we are going to have to kill him. We could take the spears apart and shave them down - stake to the heart and whatnot. Does silver work on vampires? Or is that just werewolves?”

“Steve, stop,” Jonathan interjected, his hand covering Steve’s mouth. “You’re spiralling.”

The door to the trailer opened and Jonathan scrambled to his feet, ready to jump into action for another unwelcome surprise. He visibly relaxed, letting out a deep sigh when he heard Robin’s voice calling from the living room.

“Guys, Will thinks he’s found something.”

Steve sprang into full babysitting mode when he exited the trailer, opting to ignore the knowing look Robin gave Jonathan when she’d seen Steve’s puffy eyes, and began laying down the first few steps of their new plan.

“Before Will says anything, I think we need to get out of here. I don’t know about anyone else but I need a shower and a hot meal before I can do any more thinking. I reckon we go back through the gate and meet up at my place. We’ll take showers, order food, start our new plan, and get some sleep. You little ones best call your parents too, so they don’t panic. Sound good?”

“We’re sixteen, you asshole. Stop with the little ones crap.”

“Sounds like Dusty-Bun needs a nap.”

-

Steve was the last of the party to make it back to his house. They’d filtered out of Eddie’s trailer one by one; it was too risky to travel as a group until they’d showered. The sheer amount of blood, sweat, and tears that were caked onto every one of them was bound to draw unwanted attention. He wasn’t sure just how long it had taken them, but as he hung his car key onto its hook he realised it was long enough for the ‘happy families’ charade they were all putting on to break.

“What did I miss?” Steve asked in a hushed tone as he took a seat next to Dustin and Will at the breakfast bar.

“They’ve been at it for the last fifteen minutes.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Mike. Nobody does. Not anymore,” El yelled.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, I’m just saying-”

“You’re just saying what you think I should do and not listening to anything else anyone has to say!”

“It’s too risky.”

“What other choice is there?”

“We’ll come up with something.”

“There isn’t enough time!”

“Would you please help me out here?” Mike prompted, turning to them.

“I think-” Steve began.

“Don’t drag them into this!”

“I think,” Steve repeated with a little more authority, “everyone needs to take ten minutes and calm down a little bit. Mike, go outside and cool off.”

“I’m not a fucking dog,” Mike grumbled, making his way to the back door.

“You okay, El?” Dustin asked. She stormed upstairs and slammed the door behind her without saying a word.

“I’ll go check on her,” announced Will, already halfway out of the room.

Steve folded his arms on the table and dropped his head into them, both mentally and psychically exhausted. “What’s gotten into her?” Robin asked, pointing to the stairs behind her as she entered the kitchen.

“Mike doesn’t want her to face Vecna again,” Dustin answered, finally giving Steve some context clues to go off.

“Well, none of us want her to but we might not have another choice,” answered Robin.

“That’s what El said but Mike isn’t listening to her.”

“That boy is in for a harsh reality check. Anyway, the shower in Steve’s bathroom is free.”

“Dibs,” Steve interjected before Dustin could even open his mouth. “There’s some cash in the kitchen, order pizzas.”

It was the best shower he’d ever had in his entire life. Hot but not scolding and very, very long. Steve scrubbed his skin red raw until he finally felt clean and then he just stood there, letting the hot water rain down on him in the hopes that it would wash away his sadness too.

“Sadness comes in waves. If you’re scared of the wave, you can run away and wait for it to go back out - never really knowing what the ocean feels like. But if you’re brave, you can ride it out and let the wave wash over you. The water will pass and the calm will follow, as will another wave - but you’ll probably find that it won’t be so scary next time,” Robin told him. “Something my Grandpa used to tell me when I was feeling down as a kid.”

Steve’s sadness didn’t feel like dipping his toes into the ebbs and flows of a gentle wave. It felt like he was out in the middle of the ocean, treading water like his life depended on it, with no signs of land in sight.

A series of quick knocks and a muffled yell of “food!” grabbed Steve’s attention who, in turn, inhaled deeply, put on some clean clothes, and went downstairs with as much of a grin as he could muster. Perhaps he would drown those sorrows later.

-

The ten of them, significantly less cranky now they had full stomachs, gathered around the crackling fireplace in Steve’s living room, books out and ready to plan.

“Who wants to go first?” Nancy began.

“Things have gotten a lot more complicated than just killing Vecna. Kas gave us a warning and I think we need to make that our priority. If we’re going to kill Vecna, we’re going to have to kill Kas first,” Lucas answered.

“Well I think we need to cure Kas before we fight Vecna. It’ll be a hell of a lot easier to defeat Vecna with Eddie on our side than it will be to defeat Vecna and Kas at the same time,” Dustin interjected. “Any objections?”

“Sounds simple when you put it like that but what would that actually entail?” asked Jonathan.

“Most of the folklore ends in killing the vampire to cure it,” Robin answered, earning a scorned glare from Dustin.

“‘You touch a creature that has been dead for no longer than 200 years and that died for any reason except old age. If the creature’s soul is free and willing, the creature is restored to life with all its hit points.’ True Resurrection,” Will read aloud, not looking up from his handbook. “Cleric, level nine. Nancy could cast this on him.”

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” Dustin grinned, clapping his hands together.

“One small problem,” said Erica, all eyes landing on her. “The book said ‘if the creature’s soul is free and willing’ so that would mean, for the spell to work, Kas has to want to be cured. Sounds to me like he’s pretty set on being a vampire and killing us.”

“Eddie’s still in there,” answer Dustin, calmly.

“Bull. Shit.”

“We all heard him give the same speech, right?” Dustin asked, receiving a couple of nods in response. “He was talking about himself, Eddie, in the third person - as though they’re two different people. If that was the case, he wouldn’t have Eddie’s memories or anything like that, would he? He’s just a little… brainwashed. All we have to do is convince him that he wants to be cured.”

“You have a really bad habit of making complicated things sound way too simple, you know that right? He’s more likely to attack on sight rather than stand there and listen to us. We’re going to have to trap him or something,” Steve added.

“I can help with that,” El told him. “I can use the vines to restrain him.”

“Brilliant. So how do we kill Vecna?” asked Nancy.

“Will, didn’t you think of something earlier?” asked Robin.

“So,” Will began, snapping his book closed. “It was more like a three birds, one stone kind of plan. When a wizard dies any magic he cast will die along with him. So, in theory, if we kill Vecna the spell he used to turn Eddie into Kas will be null and void.”

“That’s only two birds, what’s the third?” asked Robin, stifling a yawn.

“Max.”

“How do we kill him?” asked Lucas, a look of determination spread across his face.

“It has to be me,” El announced.

“No,” Mike argued instantaneously.

“You’ve been awfully quiet so far, Mike. I don’t see you coming up with anything better,” defended Jonathan. “El’s tough, she can do it.”

“And she won’t be alone this time. She’ll have Will’s powers and the rest of us as backup,” added Steve.

“No,” repeated Mike, rushing out of the room.

“Mike, come back! I can help her,” yelled Will, following Mike from the room.

“I guess we vote, right? To make things fair?” Steve shrugged. “Nance?”

“I’m on board.”

“Jonathan?”

“Me too.”

“Rob? Robin?” Steve asked, not gaining a response. He turned to face her and found her drifting off to sleep, her head on her shoulder. “Right, everyone go to bed. We’ll carry this on tomorrow.”

-

March 25th, 1987.

Steve waited until he was sure everyone was asleep and tiptoed to the entryway, grabbed his car keys off the hook, and very cautiously closed the front door behind him. He’d tried to sleep, really he had, but the image of Kas glaring his fangs burned into his mind was too much for Steve to bear. He had only one destination in mind when he turned the key in the ignition - the twenty-four-hour gas station.

“Well, hello handsome. Hair cut suits you,” greeted the Clerk, the bell above the door diverting her attention from the magazine she had been reading at the desk. “Not seen you for a while.”

“Thanks,” smiled Steve, making his way over to the shelves. “I’ve cut back.”

He grabbed the first bottle of vodka he saw, not caring about the brand or price as long as it got him to sleep. He placed the bottle on the desk and searched his pockets for his wallet.

“Any smokes tonight, darling?”

“No, I’m good,” Steve answered. He produced a few bills from his wallet and tucked the vodka into his inside pocket before muttering his goodbyes to the woman behind the counter.

Steve argued with himself the whole way home.

He knew he shouldn’t, but what use was he to anyone if he didn’t get any sleep? He could miss something. Mess up an important part of the plan. Yes, it was vital that Steve got some sleep - even if that meant having a drink to do so. Or was it? What if he drank too much? It was hard to have ‘just the one’ these days. No, no. He’d be fine. He’d have one (maybe two) shots and go straight to sleep, wake up feeling slightly less zombie-like, and be ready when it came time to face Kas again.

With the front door locked and his keys hung up, Steve turned to make his way upstairs for a night of blissful sleep - instead, he almost jumped out of his skin. “Will? What are you doing up?” he asked in a whisper, gaining no response. “Will? Hello? You sleepwalking or something?”

He reached out and grasped Will by the shoulder, turning him around so that they were face to face.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Stevie,” Will growled, the voice coming from his lips not his own. His eyes rolled upwards, eyelids fluttering violently as he was placed under Vecna’s trance.

Author's Note: There’s a lot of dialogue in this chapter but I felt like we really needed to bond with the characters as well as have them bond with each other (and give Steve a hug, jfc) after that battle.

-

I can’t believe we’re halfway through already! Four more chapters and an epilogue to go. 😲

Just want to drop in and say a huge thank you to everyone who’s been reading, liking, reblogging, and commenting thus far. It’s super appreciated and I love finding out your thoughts on the fic. You’re all amazing.

[wellcollapse]

🎁🎁🎁 <3

hi hi daffi!! here's a canon scene from blue skies!!

He stares at the photo, bile rising in his throat. He remembers the way Shannon’s pink dress (she’d always loved bright colors) had made her look like she was glowing in the sunshine; how she’d rushed to the edge of the surf and pulled Chris into the waves with her, both of their faces alight with joy. He remembers how happy he’d been that day, how lucky he’d felt to share that time with her and Christopher.  He remembers the uncertainty, too, how it felt like his entire world had been tilted on its axis when she’d told him she thought she was pregnant; how desperate he’d been for something, anything to show him the way forward when he couldn’t trust himself to do it. He remembers how blindsided he’d been after the fact — how when he thought he’d finally done something right, finally earned another chance at forever with his first love, the world had ripped her away from him two times over. How the only forever she’d left him with was the endless grief that still stays nestled above his rib cage, clawing at his chest and demanding to be let out.  He swallows around the lump in his throat, thinking about how he’d been so hesitant to give her an answer, how he’d been foolish to think that the world would offer him the luxury of time to figure it out.  What was it that Buck had said?  I don’t think I’m going to get that lucky again. From here on out, it’s all a gift. Maybe Eddie needs to take the same approach.  He sets the photo down on the table and makes a decision, fishing his phone out of his pocket.  The phone only rings a couple of times before his mom answers with a quick, cheerful "What are you boys up to?”  “Oh, nothing,” Eddie says casually. “Just eating s’mores and watching la novela with Christopher.” 

send me a 🎁 and i'll write five sentences!

[lorifragolina]

Pictures of Us

Rating: Mature Relationship: Billy Hargrove/Eddie Munson Event: @mungroveweek Prompt: Day 3 First - Day 4 Road Trip WT: internalized homofobia, parental abuse Words: 17809

Read it in AO3 Snippet under the cut!

Billy was keeping date girls, of course. There were a lot of chicks queuing for his attention and from time to time he took some of them for a crazy ride in his car and some quick make out at the panoramic point near the lake. He really rarely went on, though. All almost those teenager had the same appearance of his stepmom, they seemed already old and retired, and he really didn’t want to remember his stepmother while fucking. 

It was enough to have a reputation though. None of those chicks would confess they failed to win over him. 

Eddie Munson kept watching Billy go away with a girl from time to time. They still hang out casually on the school parking lot or in the patio while smoking, but they never talked about chicks, of course. They had really weird conversations every now and then, Billy somehow sniffing around Eddie, like he was testing the ground, and Eddie felt rather confused in such moments. 

- You can come to my place sometime, I have better shit there- said Eddie, casually, one day, leaving early in lunch time to go deal with someone on the patio. He offered a cig to Billy and lit it, then waved and left. When he was gone, Billy saw he left his lighter on the wall near him. There was a sentence on it, and Billy read it and blushed. He hardly blushed really, but he became apple red and took the lighter in his pocket.

If you want to have sex, smile when you return this lighter. 

Eddie came to the door hearing the Camaro engine approaching at his trailer’s parking. He was surprised, after all.

- Ehi - waved at Billy, getting outside while the other took the cig packet and offered one to him, a new one already in his lips. 

- Let me- Billy fished the lighter from his pocket and lighted both cigs together. Then, with a grimace, gave the lighter back to Eddie.

Eddie took the lighter and looked at it, then at Billy’s face. 

- You have such strange smiles in California- said at Billy’s grin.

Billy scoffed and smiled openly in spite of his attitude, and Eddie grabbed his head and kissed him on the door, grinding his tight against Billy’s crotch. 

- Quite effective - said Billy when they ended it, tilting at the lighter.

- I really suck at flirting- said Eddie honestly, giggling.

- It was effective- repeated Billy, taking a drag. - So?- 

Eddie grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the trailer, then pushed him against the counter and started opening his pants. 

- You live alone? - painted Billy, quite hard already.

- No, but my uncle won't come home until… for a long time, be sure- Eddie pulled down his jeans and dropped on his knees. 

[appocalipse]

Pancakes & Secrets | eddie munson x reader x steve harrington

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Eddie Munson x henderson!reader (female pronouns used) x Steve Harrington

Words: 2.8k

Summary: After witnessing enough mutual pining from the guy you’re in love with and his ex-girlfriend, you leave under the pretense of bringing food to “Eddie the banished”, as he likes to call himself. But things take a turn for the worse when Jason and his gang finally find out where Eddie is hiding, and you have to spend the night outside in the cold, with no way to let your friends know you’re okay, and only Eddie for company....but actually, maybe he is not so bad.

A/N: hello! it’s me again. this time I bring you a new series that (if you guys enjoy it) will eventually split into two “routes” — one for Steve and one for Eddie, following the events of season 4 and beyond. I’ll try to keep from writing the scenes we already watched, though, so I’ll only briefly explain what happened in said scenes when needed and focus on the scenes that involve Eddie x Reader or Steve x Reader for this chapters. Also, IDK why, but I’m obsessed with the henderson!reader concept, so it’s here once again lmao sue me.

 ---------

You take a look at Reefer Rick’s old house, plastic bags in hand, car turned off behind you, and wonder how on God’s green Earth you ended up here.

The answer, actually, is very clear: making bad decisions.

You move straight to the door, but hesitate; should you knock? By now, Eddie has surely heard the car, or your footsteps, and you’re hardly trying to hide your presence. But after everything he’s been through, you think it’s not fair to risk scaring him anymore, since you couldn’t even let him know you were coming because the walkie-talkie stayed with Dustin at the mansion — along with a few pieces of your broken heart, most likely.

You balance both plastic bags in one hand and use the other to gently but audibly knock three times, still thinking about all the stupid things you've been doing lately. Eddie opens the door two seconds later, looking like someone who has just seen a fish climbing a tree.

“Hey,” he says uncertainly, tilting his head to the side as if trying to decipher you. “Is something wrong?”

Eddie reaches out and indicates the bags, waiting for you to give him permission to take them. When he closes his fingers around the straps and you don't protest—in fact, you look relieved; it was a little heavy—Eddie takes both bags in one hand and politely holds the door open for you to walk through with the other.

“Thanks,” you say, also walking on eggshells. Your knowledge of Eddie ends with him being the leader of Hellfire Club and the newest idol of your little brother Dustin; you’re not exactly friends, to put it simply, but now you’re also hardly strangers. “And no, nothing is wrong. I just thought I’d bring you some...pancakes.”

You realize mid-sentence how absurd that sounded. Eddie is wanted for murder, and you thought it would be a good idea to make him pancakes of all things.

By the look on his face, Eddie thinks the same, though his tone is far from judgemental. “Pancakes?” 

You take the frying pan out of one of your bags, now on the table where Eddie put them down for you. He watches you curiously as you take out all the items you would need. “You don’t like pancakes?”

“Love them,” he is quick to respond, in a tone that’s energetic and charming, very Eddie-like.

“Good.”

He sits around the kitchen table, resting his chin on his hand, trying to act casual as he watches you work. But Eddie Munson is not casual. He's not normally calm and patient, but under the current circumstances, it's a miracle he sits back and watches you long enough for you to at least finish mixing the ingredients—which doesn't take even five minutes. When you put the batter in the frying pan, however, Eddie's curiosity gets the better of him.

“So...don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have company and all, but...why are you here?”

You take a deep, annoyed breath — but it’s not his question that annoys you; it’s the answer. Because, for some reason, you end up saying the truth. Angrily.

“Couldn’t stand the mutual pining any longer, I guess.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shoot even higher, no doubt sensing something juicier behind what you just said. “Mutual pining?”

“Never mind,” your brain catches up to your mouth as you carefully flip a pancake; it lands perfectly back on the frying pan, and Eddie lets out a low whistle.

“Impressive,” he compliments, genuinely enough. When you look at him over your shoulder, his expression reminds you of that of a small kid full of joy and dreams, and somehow you know he is genuine in his attempt to cheer you up. Eddie seems to be a glass-half-full kind of guy, and for a moment, you feel tempted to forget all about Steve and Nancy.

When the first pancake is all done, the right shade of golden on both sides, you place it on a clean plate and hand it to Eddie, hiding your anticipation.

He takes a big bite, eyes going dramatically wide, a satisfied smile on his face. Eddie then stops for a second and says, covering his mouth full of pancake, “You’re my new favorite person, Y/N.”

He sees when you smile; sweet and embarrassed in equal measure; but he also notices that it doesn’t quite reach your eyes. 

“You look suddenly so sad for someone who just made the world's best pancakes.”

“I highly doubt those are the world’s best pancakes,” you say nonchalantly, but the longer his gaze lingers on you, the harder it is to keep the words at bay. There is a part of you that desperately wants to get it out of your system...Maybe it will help?

Before you know it, your mouth is opening, more than ready to spill the words way too quickly.

“Okay, fine, you win,” you shrug. “There is this guy I-” Love? “-like, but he is in love with someone else. There. Satisfied?”

There are a lot of things going through Eddie Munson's mind right now. First, you are not what he expected; of course, Dustin always made you seem nice when he talked about you, but he's your brother, so Eddie tended to take his opinions of you with a grain of salt — especially because he knew you had your fair share of admirers and you were far from being an outcast like him.

But now, seeing you up close, the smell of freshly made pancakes in the air, and hearing you confess to what is probably a big secret, he understands.

Honestly, he is glad to have something to occupy his mind with other than monsters and murder.

“Uh...would this someone happen to be his ex-girlfriend?” he asks, his curious nature once again getting the better of him.

You’re halfway through flipping a pancake over, the last one, and it almost falls to the floor as his words sink in.

“Sorry...I pay attention.”

“It’s okay,” you sigh, placing the pancakes on the table and taking the seat opposite him. “I guess it’s obvious.”

“Have you told him?”

You scoff. “No. Why would I?”

Eddie happily takes another pancake. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because. He is clearly into her and she is clearly into him...basic math there.”

Eddie smirks — he has a nice smile, you think, like sitting under the sunlight on a cold day; easy, comfortable. “You know, Henderson once told me his older sister wasn’t afraid of anything...does he have any other siblings I don’t know about?”

“Very funny,” you mock, letting out a forced laugh to further prove your point. “I’m not afraid of telling him. I just think it’ll get me nowhere.”

Eddie is going for a third pancake, seemingly very pleased with himself. “If you say so, Y/N.”

You are definitely afraid of telling Steve.

Eddie opens his mouth, and you think he's going to say more about your little crush on Steve, but then he stops; for a second you feel relieved, but Eddie freezes, trying to listen better, putting down the pancake he was about to take a bite of.

Something is wrong.

“Did you hear that?” he murmurs, color slowly draining from his face.

That's when you hear it— a car door closing, voices, loud angry voices, and then… footsteps. Eddie is faster than you. He reaches across the table to grab your hand and crouches down, bringing you with him, trying to keep you both out of sight of the kitchen window. A look outside confirms what you feared: it's not the police, but just as bad (or maybe worse): is Chrissy's boyfriend, Jason. And he's coming straight to the front door.

“Eddie-”

Placing a finger over his mouth, Eddie signals for you to follow him — although his fingers are still firmly closed over your hand, so there’s little you could do but follow behind him.

You get to the back door at the same time you hear the front door opening. Eddie points to the boathouse, all focused on the best route to get away; you nod. Then, you run — silently.

When the door is safely — and silently — closed behind you both, Eddie lets go of your hand to grab a hold of the walkie-talkie, hands shaking.

“Dustin?” he pleads, wide eyes reflecting your own as you wait. No answer.  “Dustin...please. Are you there?”

Through the small window of the boathouse, you can see movement inside the main house. Jason and the others must be searching it right now, looking for any leads to get Eddie. You've never exchanged a single word with Jason, but you know the chances of him having any sympathy for you are slim; Dustin is part of Hellfire Club, and now you’re hiding Eddie — well, more like hiding with Eddie, but still. Trying to talk to him would be simply stupid.

“Let me try,” you snatch the walkie-talkie from Eddie, who only shrugs, moving away to look around for something you could use. “Dustin, c’mon. We kinda need help over here.”

It’s funny — he is always with the damn thing on his hand when you don’t actually need him to be.

“Hey.”

Eddie is holding the tarp that covered the little — and no doubt old — boat, the same in which he was hiding when you found him the first time, broken bottle in hand and all. He extends his hand to you. “C’mon.”

You stare at him. Then at the boat. Then at his hand.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope.” He gestures towards the boat dramatically. “Your carriage awaits, milady.”

He may jest, but beneath all that, there’s the desperation, the tension, the eagerness to get away. Not that you’re not feeling those yourself.

“Also,” he adds, as if reading your mind, “please hurry.”

“I’m not a fan of boats.”

He takes a step closer to you, hand still outstretched. “I’m not a fan of getting killed by high school athletes.”

Well...fair enough, you think. And take his hand.

–

In spite of all the ways you thought your night could end, this one slipped your mind.

It's dark and cold, and you and Eddie are walking to seemingly nowhere after witnessing what is probably the worst scene of your lives — well, it sure does make it to the top three for you, at least.

You let Eddie walk ahead, hurried steps but soft gaze every time he turns around to make sure you're following. The entire path you are walking looks the same to you, but he seems to know what he's doing. You don't protest.

What was his name again? You think, trying to keep the grotesque image of the last few minutes of that boy's life out of your mind, and failing miserably. Patrick, Jason had called him. Desperately, as every bone in his body began twisting and breaking...

A hand on your shoulder startles you, and you look up to meet Eddie’s concerned gaze, only then noticing you had stopped walking. “You okay?”

That’s what Eddie saw the night Chrissy died?

“Yeah.” No.

Eddie drops his hand, nodding. “Let’s stay here for a minute. I don’t think they are still following us.”

He sits down, leaning against a big, old-looking tree nearby, slowly patting the ground beside him. The moonlight is the only thing available to guide your movements as you sit down, hugging yourself, mind anywhere but there with him. You’re both still damp from the little dive you had to pull when Vecna made another victim, and you rub your own arms to fight the cold creeping up your skin.

Eddie stares down at you, feeling anxious, worried, and guilty all at the same time.

He’s not oblivious to the way you reacted when the boat shook and you fell down to the water. You look like you’ve just been through hell, wet hair sticking to your neck and hands shaking as you hug your knees to your chest. But what really makes Eddie worry is the look on your face; staring but simply not seeing...a look he knows well.

You feel more than you register it happening; a heavy — still very damp, but kind of warm — thing being gently placed over your shoulders. Eddie’s jacket.

He gives you a nonchalant wink when you look up at him.

–

Eddie didn’t mean to leave you behind. Not even for a minute. But, once he heard voices nearby, he knew the right thing to do was investigate. You two couldn’t keep sitting there in the forest forever; he needed to find a way to contact Dustin.

And so he did.

But, he had to leave you behind in the process. You had eventually fallen asleep, head against the trunk of the tree...and he just couldn’t bring himself to wake you up. What is the worse it could happen?

Just a minute.

When he gets back — fist closed safely around a newfound walkie-talkie he proudly and subtly stole, ready to use it — you’re not fucking sleeping where he left you.

He freaks out.

There is a sane part of his mind that says, maybe she just went home. Maybe she found her way out of the woods and left you here. It’s not like she is a police fugitive; it was dark yesterday, maybe Jason and his idiots didn’t recognize her?

He keeps calling your name anyway.

“HENDERSON, I SWEAR TO GOD-”

Eddie hears rustling...and then a small hand is somehow placed over his mouth. “Jesus fucking Christ, Munson. Yell a little bit louder. I don’t think they heard you all the way from California.”

He blankly stares at you, bewildered a curse word just left your mouth. You’re now wearing his jacket properly, arms through the sleeves, he notices. You drop your hand.

“Where did you go?” he asks.

“Where did you go?”

He lifts his arm, showing you the walkie-talkie. “To get this little guy.”

Finally, good news.

“You wanna do the honors?” Eddie is quick to tune in to the correct channel.

“No, thanks.”

He wastes no time. “Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?”

Not even a second later, you hear your brother’s voice through the radio, voice frantic, words slurred.

“Eddie, holy shit, are you okay? Is Y/N with you? She said she would bring you food yesterday and-”

“Yeah, she’s here.”

“Is she okay? What happened?” a voice frantically asks from the other side, but that’s not your brother’s voice.

It’s Steve’s. Eddie notices too.

You cross your arms. He gives you a meaningful look. “She is okay, man, do you wanna-”

You shake your head emphatically, sure he's going to ask if they'd like to speak with you. Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up, but he doesn’t insist. Girls. So complicated.

“I mean, she’s uh, she is sleeping now,” he says, shrugging at your unreadable expression. “But perfectly fine, I assure you.”

There’s a collective sigh of relief from the other side before Dustin’s voice speaks again. “Where are you?”

After directions are given and goodbyes are said, you and Eddie are once again left with no other thing to do than wait, and so you sit back down, hands running through your now almost completely dry hair. It’s not long before you hear rustling behind you, and turning around, you’re faced with none other than Steve Harrington himself, half walking, half running down the hill as he spots you.

“Y/N,” he says, relief clear in his features, gaze finding yours.

“Hi,” you utter, breath caught in your throat.

Somewhere in your mind, you register that the others are following behind him, beginning to come into view. Dustin first, then Robin and Nancy, Max and Lucas...the whole gang. But that information barely has time to sink in, because Steve steps forward and wraps his arms around you like it’s nobody’s business, so fast and firmly that you stumble back one step.

What the-

You want to say something, anything, but you feel like your brain is short-circuiting now, body suddenly stiff, lips parting to say words you’re not able to get out.

“We thought one of you had died,” Robin explains, catching your gaze from behind Steve’s shoulder. “Vecna made another victim.”

He pulls back, keeping you at arm’s length, eyes scanning over your face with intent. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Then, his eyes fall over what you’re wearing — Eddie’s jacket.

“No, no, I’m okay.”

Steve may try to hide the frown that threatens to appear over his features, but Eddie himself is the first one to catch on to the puzzled look in his eyes; he could almost see the kinds of thoughts running inside his mind.

There, Eddie thinks, as Dustin is letting go of him to hug his sister next.

taglist: @sweet--em​

[iliaclwrites]

*bangs fist on desk* EDDIE AND CHEERLEADER ORIGIN STORY !!! please

here it is, kids! the first chapter of the eddie x cheerleader saga!!!

Eddie hated assigned readings. The drama kids always did too much, they always dragged out the sentences like they were fuckin' Larry Olivier, and expected applause after every word. The sports kids, on the other hand, barely spat the lines out from their troglodyte mouths. The popular kids delivered everything in monotone and willed it to be over so they could get back to giggling with their friends. The nerdy kids stuttered so much Eddie wasn't sure the lines were in iambic pentameter anymore. All in all, he had very little faith in the acting careers of any of the kids in this classroom. 

So when he'd seen who he'd been tossed together with as the rest of the Montague gang, he wasn't exactly foaming at the mouth. He had no idea why he'd been thrown into Romeo, but he wasn't going to question it, he had fun. He had about the same amount of chemistry with the Montague boys as he would've had with a wet fish wearing his grandma's panties, so when it came to his lines with Mercutio (you, some cheerleader girl with hair in space buns, mom jeans, a lace tank and a letterman thrown over your shoulders), he was practically bowled over. 

“Give me a torch: I am not for this ambling. Being but heavy, I will bear the light,” Eddie said, raising his hand into the air. 

You let out a tinkling laugh, and leaned back in your chair, grinning at him. “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance!” You gestured out into the room with outstretched hands, and smirked wolfishly when he replied with the next line. 

Eddie almost didn’t feel the next few lines go by, it felt so natural. You were laughing at his words as though they were genuinely funny, and pressing your chin into you hands while he spoke, as though you were actually considering his lines. 

His heart skipped a beat. 

He told it to fuck off.

When it came to the Queen Mab speech, Eddie nearly fell out of his seat when you hopped onto the chair, swinging your letterman jacket around her shoulders like a cape. “O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you!” you crowed, pointing at him with one perfectly-manicured fingernail. He was frozen. The speech washed over him as he stared at you, some freakish cheerleading acting angel, haloed by halogen school lights. 

“And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats,” you whispered, brandishing a highlighter like a sword. “Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades, of healths five-fathom deep–” You stalked toward him, and Eddie had to school his face into a bemused, Romeo-esque expression, smiling up at you nervously as you finally came up to him. “This is she—” 

“Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing!” Eddie sputtered out, holding a hand to keep you at bay. 

You pivoted perfectly, your letterman fluttering behind her. “True. I talk of dreams.” You grinned at him ferally, and Eddie could see his poor, rabbit heart getting crushed between those perfect teeth. 

Mr. Tracey called for a halt for the reading, to analyse the Queen Mab speech, and you dropped Eddie a quick curtsy before traipsing back to your seat. Oh, he was so fucked. So entirely fucked. 

– 

It had exploded into a fully blown pantomime performance. Eddie was crouched by Mr. Tracey’s desk, cradling your head in his arms as you hacked a dramatic death-rattle into the air. 

“Where is my page?” you demanded, looking around for the nerd boy who played the page. He blinked, looking up from behind Coke-bottle glasses. “Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.” 

Eddie huffed a laugh, and smiled down at you wanly. “Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much,” he insisted, and you reached a hand up to his face, the scratch of your baby pink nails featherlike against his cheek as you gave your next few lines. 

“They have made worms' meat of me: I have it, and soundly too: your houses!” you managed, and fell back into Eddie’s arms. He smelled of leather and ash. You smelled of caramel and hairspray. He stared down at you, despondent, before pressing a kiss to your forehead and cradling your head as he stared up at the sky. 

“I believe,” intoned Mr. Tracey from behind his desk, “Mercutio exits with Benvolio.” 

“But it’s so much more interesting this way, Mr. T,” you complained, before banging your head on Eddie’s chin as you tried to get up. “Ow!” 

“Shit, sorry,” Eddie muttered, scrambling away from you. “Doesn’t this give Romeo more impetus to be mad, though?” he asked, turning to face the teacher. “Like, if someone killed my best friend, I’d be more likely to kill their friend.” 

“Yeah!” you agreed by his side, and Eddie’s fingers itched to reach out for you. “The way I see it, this is the perfect reason for Romeo to go apeshi– crazy,” you amended, “and start killing people.” 

“That’s not how the Bard wrote it,” Mr. Tracey said, and you shrugged, returning to your seat. Eddie still had a few more scenes to go, but even when he was talking to his Juliet (a theatre kid that seemed to have an endless collection of hats, seriously this girl wore a different hat every day, Eddie just respected the hustle at this point) he found his eyes drifting over to you. 

At the end of the class, once everyone had packed up, Eddie loitered by the doorway and swung over to you when you were leaving. He took you in again – hair tied up today, cheer uniform already on for when you’d have practice later in the afternoon. “Hey,” he said lamely. 

You paused, looking at him up and down. “...Hey.” 

He held out a hand. “Eddie.” 

You shook it, and introduced yourself. You didn’t let go. “Palm to palm is holy palmer’s kiss,” you teased, and then dropped his grip, wiggling your fingers at him in a wave. 

You both stood there in the silent room. You cleared your throat. He started at the sound. “Right. Uh. I just wanted to say it’s a shame you’re dead, pom poms,” he said lamely. “Like, that was fun.” 

You smiled at him slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.” You slung your bag over your shoulder and looked up at him from under your eyelashes, extending a hand to him again. He was too polite to comment on the fact it was shaking, ever so slightly. “Give me my sin again?” 

He slotted his fingers into yours, briefly. “You kiss by the book.”

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," you shot back, and headed for the door. His breath caught when you stopped, and turned back to him, expression unsure. "Practice ends at six," you tell him, and nearly sigh with relief when his eyes light up. "I'll be the one in the cheer uniform."

"I'll be the one by the van," he said, weakly. What the fuck. Holy shit. This was not his life. "Anything in particular you want to do?"

"Oh, you know," you said, leaning against the doorframe and inspecting your nails. "Let's say we get into a messy, sloppy relationship that causes our respective houses to end a lifelong feud and learn the meaning of true love."

Eddie tapped a finger to his cheek, pretending to be deep in thought. "I dunno," he said, and his heart faltered when he saw how totally nervous you looked. "Will there be a weird apothecary to sell us a potion that's gonna make us look asleep?"

"Uh, duh."

"Then it's a date, pom poms."

[corroded-hellfire]

Sweet Amy,

Req for Eddie taking Wayne house shopping after he makes it big with corroded coffin

Dearest Shelby,

Here you are, love 💖

Words: 500

“I mean, if you don’t like this one, the realtor said she’s got a ton more we can look at!”

Eddie gesticulates around the large house, making sure Wayne takes notice of the crown molding and the oak bannister that runs up the side of the staircase.

Wayne just nods along, hands shoved in the pockets of his worn out jeans. He can hardly keep up with Eddie talking a mile a minute. He knows the boy is excited, but damn, if he didn’t take a breath between sentences he was going to pass out.

“Do you like this one?” Eddie asks. He mistakes his uncle’s silence for rejection, though he should’ve learned by now that wasn’t always the case.

“It’s nice,” Wayne says. “Too nice.”

“Too nice?” Eddie asks, scrunching his face up. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t need all this, boy,” Wayne says, gesturing to the elaborate house around them.

“But you deserve it,” Eddie insists.

Wayne smiles, a rare sight, even for Eddie.

“You know what I’d like? A nice cabin near the lake where I can step outside and already be at my fishing spot.”

“I can do that,” Eddie says with a nod. He’s already calculating who he could get in touch with to get his uncle a boat as well. “Do you want a dock? Or a pier? And how many rooms?”

Wayne chuckles and shakes his head.

“Eddie,” he says. “I’m one man. I need a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, a room for the television and a couch, and a garage to keep my fishing gear in. That’s all.”

“But I want you to have the house you’ve always dreamed of,” Eddie says. His eyes beg his uncle to understand how much this means to him. How much he wants to give back to the man who gave him everything growing up. Even forgoing having his own bedroom.

Wayne frowns at him and shrugs his shoulders. “I just told you what my dream house is. Okay, fine, maybe add another bedroom or two for the days I’ve got grandkids to come visit me.”

“Can I buy you those, too?” Eddie asks with a playful smile.

His uncle chuckles and pats him on the shoulder.

“I’m real proud of you, Eddie. Real proud. And I know you feel like you’ve got to pay me back for…something. I don’t even know what. But you don’t. Taking you in was the best thing I ever did. And you don’t need to thank me one bit for it.”

Eddie nods, avoiding his uncle’s eyes. He knows if he looks him in the eye, the tears that are building behind his eyes will spill over.

“Alright,” Eddie finally says.

“Alright?” Wayne double checks.

“Yeah.” Eddie finally meets Wayne’s eyes, but the tears come anyway as Wayne pulls him in for a hug. He thumps Eddie on the back and Eddie swallows his tears down before doing the same.

“I love you, boy.”

“I love you, too. And I’m still going to say thank you.”

[manicformunson]

eddie and the reader used to date but their feelings for each other only ever grew stronger, but nothing is able to be rekindled due to his death

i love you

pairing eddie munson x fem!reader

summary it's been years since eddie's death. everyone had moved on, but reader couldn't. they just couldn't.

note super sad and yes i sobbed writing this + shitty ending warning :')

At times it still didn't feel real, even after all these years. Sometimes Y/N thinks back to that horrible day, to the smile he had given her even when he knew he was dying. His last smile as he whispered the very words they had both been too scared to say, "I love you."

Eddie had been in her arms when it happened, and she never got the chance to say it back. Y/N had tried but her strangled sobs and hiccups had prevented her; she liked to think that he knew -- she hoped he knew.

At times she wished he never said it, so she wouldn't feel so guilty about choking up. Y/N never she could never love anyone as much as Eddie. She could never get that back, he was her one and only.

Now every day around noon Y/N visited his empty grave. It was just a simple plaque that her and Wayne had chosen, but it was enough for Hawkins teens to deface. It was part of the reason she visited so often, Hawkins didn't deserve Eddie and she hates that he was willing to sacrifice himself for the same people that named him a murder.

If only they knew the truth.

Wayne had even let her drive Eddie's van, saying it would just be collecting dust along with his other things. Y/N came around a lot, mostly when she knew Wayne was at work, and locking herself in Eddie's room and imagining that he was there with her. She pictured him annoyed with her for saying she didn't care much for Slayer when now it was all she played.

Y/N had drove Eddie's van to the cemetery today. Pulling up and powering down the engine before she realized someone was there, kneeling down at her boyfriend's plaque. Y/N had started to rush over before seeing a familiar face.

"Dustin?"

He was grown now, a senior. Y/N still remembered him as the shy kid from Hellfire who had been too scared to mumble a sentence to her and now look at him -- he had really grown up.

"Hey Y/N, I thought I might find you here."

Y/N flinched as he had awkwardly swung his arms around her in a hug. "Yeah well," She pointed at the red splotches of doodles that littered around Eddie's name, "If I don't clean this, no one will."

"You know, the gang comes up here every so often. We could do it and hey, maybe you could come with us."

Y/N physically grimaced at the thought. As much as she missed Hellfire, she just couldn't stand the thought of seeing everyone -- she couldn't even really look at them at the funeral.

"Um, no...thanks." Y/N knelt down and fished the rag out of her coat pocket, the jacket that had been Eddie's, and started to wipe off the graffiti. Tears pricked around her eyes and she let out a silent sob as Dustin knelt down beside her.

"I saw Wayne the other day. He said, he said as much as he enjoyed you company he's worried about you. You know and we all are." He had went to put a friendly hand on her back but she shrugged it off. "I'm fine."

"Sure, that why you wear his clothes? Drive his van?" Dustin realized his words came out harsher than he had intended, immediately softening his expression with a sigh, "It's been years Y/N, and it feels like we've lost you too."

That pegged her heart. Y/N wiped her cheeks clean, sniffling as Dustin reached to grab the rag from her. The silence between them was thick as they both stared down at his name.

"I love him Dustin, and I don't want to. And if I could take it back I would swap places with him in a heartbeat. I wouldn't have let him sacrifice himself for a shitty town that did nothing but mock him."

Y/N was crying now, she wasn't even sure if Dustin could understand what she was saying because she barely could. "I didn't even get the chance to tell him I love him, and it kills me."

This time she welcomed Dustin's comforting hand on her back, trying her best to calm down only to notice that he was crying too. "He's my hero, Y/N and I know he's yours too. Eddie," He's voice broke as he said his name, "Eddie wouldn't want you to live your life like this."

"I know." Y/N merely whispered. "Then come meet up with the gang, at least once. It'll be good to see everyone, and I know that they miss you." Dustin smiled down at her, grabbing her hands and helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, I mean maybe." She didn't really plan on going but if it made Dustin happy then so be it. He nodded and threw his thumb towards the street, "I'm actually on my way to see some of the guys at Mike's house, if you would want to come?"

Y/N declined the invitation, saying she had dinner plans with Wayne -- which wasn't exactly a lie, her and Wayne tried to have dinner together once every few weeks.

She waved Dustin off before kneeling back down to her lover's grave. "Can't believe you left Henderson here to watch over me you dick." She laughed a little, tears still brimming her eyes. "God."

Y/N looked up at the sky, clear and not a cloud in sight as she kissed her fingers and touched the E. "I love you. I love you and I wish I had said it when you were here." She stayed like that, leaning over the plot of grass until raindrops mixed with the tears on her cheeks. She knew she had to leave.

Shaking hands picked the rose from her jacket and placed it on the ground before turning heel and sprinting to the van. Taking one last look at the grave she sighed, of course Eddie wouldn't want her to do this to herself, Y/N thought. Maybe going by Mike's place would do her some good.

Y/N plucked one of Eddie's tapes from the glove box and slid it in, only smiling when I was a Teenage Werewolf by The Cramps started to play. She had often joked to Eddie that was his theme song, so maybe that was a sign he was with her.

Or maybe Y/N was being too hopeful.

[ronance4everbrainrot]

Stranger things incorrect quote generator (Ronance Duo, Fruity Four + Max and Dustin and a surprise kinda?.. Idk lol)

Pt 5

Ronance Duo

Robin: Are you sure Nancy's even gay? They barely even looked at me.

(She is, she just doesn't want to be distracted by staring at you or smth)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: I'm gonna get my pilot's license. I've already got a driver's license and a cosmetology license, that's two of the big five licenses.

Robin: The big five licenses?

Nancy: Driver's license, cosmetology license, pilot's license, fishing license, and… license to kill! I can't wait to get that one.

(I feel like she would have all of them for some reason, also, let Nancy kill a man 😪)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Look, I’m glad everyone’s on the same page.

Robin: But it’s the last page in a book titled “we’re all going to die”.

Nancy: That’s not even clever.

(wdym, that's the most genius thing I've ever heard)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: I made tea.

Nancy: I don't want tea.

Robin: I didn't make you tea. This is my tea.

Nancy: Then why did you tell me?

Robin: It's a conversation starter.

Nancy: It's a horrible conversation starter.

Robin: Oh, is it? We're conversing. Checkmate.

(checkmate indeed)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Nancy, you love me, right?

Nancy: Normally I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere I won’t like.

(¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Nancy is playing hard to get.

Robin: Little do they know, I'm a master at playing hard to get rid of.

(I love that incorrect quote so much, it's so funny to me)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Hey, random question, what are your favorite flowers?

Nancy: Peonies, why?

Robin:

Nancy: Were you going to get me flowers?

Robin:

Nancy:

Robin: ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᵃ ᵖᵒˢˢᶦᵇᶦˡᶦᵗʸ

(I just imagine the last sentence in that Dustin voice when he was lying to the police about "a little might swim" or what he said)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Bro, I had a dream we fucked.

Robin: Bro, relax it was just a dream.

Nancy: Huh, gay, I wouldn’t fuck you.

Robin: You wouldn’t?

Nancy: I mean, unless you want to-

(She does 👀)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: When you said 'Magic in Bed', I wasn't expecting this...

Robin: *pulls out card from deck* Now, was this your card?

Nancy: Holy moly-

(I want a Magician Robin AU)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: We’re getting married, bitches!

Nancy: And we're about to make it everybody else's problem.

(I wouldn't be a problem to me)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Nancy just realized smth big in one of her investigation while she was renting a movie at Family Video]

Nancy: I think I just figured something out. I got to go.

Robin: Aren't you forgetting something?

Nancy: Uuh...*hesitantly kisses Robin's forehead before running out.*

Robin: No, pay your bill! Damn, who raised you?

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Did you know you remind me of all 26 letters of the alphabet?

Robin: What? Like J F K W S Q X-

Nancy: No, like, U R A Q T.

Robin: Awwww!

(They both are A Q T)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin, to Nancy: I'll be under the mistletoe when you start feeling desperate!

(Christmas with Ronance)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Fruity Four]

Nancy: You ever see something that changes your life and you're just like "huh.."

Steve: I saw you.

Nancy: Honestly that's so cute and sweet but it kinda makes this awkward because I was gonna show you a picture of Robin in a turkey costume.

(sorry for the kinda st*ncy, but that with Robin is so funny)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: What are you writing?

Nancy: The government wants to know what kind of weapons we have in the house. I'm letting them know it's private information.

Robin, looking over Nancy's shoulder: This just says 'fuck around and find out' in calligraphy.

(stupid government)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: Why is it that I always lose things as soon as I need them?

Robin: Actually, it's not that you lose things when you need them. You lose them a while before. It's just that you LOOK for things when you need them.

Steve: Okay yeah thanks Robin, that's great but WHERE'S THE FUCKING FIRST AID KIT?

(I never thought about that 🤔)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: Hey Robin, have you seen the photographer?

Robin: Nope. Have you seen the meat tenderizer?

Eddie, confused: What?

Robin, grabbing the meat tenderizer out of the drawer: No reason, cute girl things!

(Yep just cute girl things 😇☺️, also is Jonathan the photographer? 👀)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: STOP!

*Everyone stops*

Robin: wAiT a MiNuTe-

(Fill my cup, put some liquor in it 🕺🕴️)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: You know what I’ve realized?

Eddie: Some thoughts are better left unsaid?

Steve: Nice try, anyways-

(I wonder what he realized)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Nancy when Steve told her about the dream with her having his 6 nuggets]

Nancy, to Steve: How do you tell someone politely you want to hit them with a brick?

(I'd also like to politely do that)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: I hate how you're just born out of nowhere, and you're forced to go to school and get education so you can get a job. What if I wanted to be a duck? No one ever asked me if I want to be a duck!

(let Eddie be a cute fuzzy duck 😔)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: How did you break your leg?

Eddie: Do you see those porch stairs?

Robin: Yes.

Eddie: I didn't.

(Oof)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: You need to be more careful!

Steve, who was dragged into Eddie's issue: Careful? CAREFUL?! I'LL CAREFULLY WRAP MY HANDS AROUND YOUR THROAT-

(that was them when they first met)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: *Gives a bouquet to Eddie*

Eddie: You know I'm allergic.

Steve: That's the point.

(They love each other very much)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: Do you want to be the Sun in my life?

Eddie: Yes.

Steve: Good, then stay 92,935,700 miles away from me :)

(that smiley makes it so much better😂)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: Deep down, I'm sure I was always pretty okay with you.

Steve: Thanks, Eddie!

Eddie: It wasn't a compliment, numbnuts.

(I feel like that's Canon but also definitely not)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: I think it’s time I get my life in order.

Robin, narrating: But they did not get their life in order. In fact, they got drunk last night and fought a raccoon.

(he lost for sure)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Honestly, I am so evil. So full of darkness. I feed of the souls of the living I strike fear into-

Eddie: You sleep with a teddybear.

Robin: He’s my sECOND IN COMMAND IN MY ARMY OF DARKNESS!

(This is basically King from the Owl house)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: If I may interject...

Steve: Oh, awesome, Robin was eavesdropping.

(Robin was probably literally standing next to him while he was talking to Nancy or Eddie or someone)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Keep it running. *Tosses keys over shoulder into empty parking lot.*

(😶 you good, Nance?)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: To everyone who has treated me poorly; I am sexier than you.

(She is)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: I keep a picture of all of us in my wallet. Whenever I face difficulties, I take it out and stare at the picture.

The Squad: Awwww-

Nancy: And I tell myself "If I can deal with these idiots, then I can deal with anything."

The Squad: Oh.

(She had us at the first half)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing. Everything is going to be fine!

Eddie: How can you still say that?

Nancy: Because sometimes, when things get tough, denial is all we have.

(✨Denial✨)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: I know every song to ever exist it doesn't matter if it's from the past, present or the future.

Steve: Oh yeah? Then continue this.

Steve: I don't cook I don't clean-

Robin: So let me tell you how I got this ring.

Robin & Steve: .....

Robin & Steve: GOBBLE ME, SWALLOW ME-

(I love their friendship so much)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: Talk dirty to me, baby~

Steve: The dishes.

Eddie: Wh-

Steve: They’ve been there for 4 days and it’s your turn to wash them. You still haven’t cleaned them and I have asked you to do so several times.

(Canon, Canon, Canon)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: What are you getting Steve for the holidays?

Eddie: I don't know. It's kind of hard buying a gift for your partner when they already got everything they could've ever wanted when they married you. So I'm not sure yet.

Nancy: I'm getting Steve a divorce lawyer.

(I think Steve was talking about you when he said "he needs to get his ego checked" or smth)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy, talking to Steve: Well Steve, whenever I’m about to do something, I think ‘would Robin do that?’ and if they would, I do not do that thing.

Steve: …

Robin, from the distance: They’re not wrong though!

(I don't know what to say)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: What time is it?

Steve: I don’t know, pass me that saxaphone and we’ll find out

Steve: *BLASTS the saxaphone*

Nancy: WHO THE FUCK IS PLAYING THE SAXAPHONE AT TWO IN THE FUCKING MORNING

Steve: It’s 2 am

(Let her sleep 😪)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: What should I do?

Eddie: *holds out hand* May I suggest dinner with a friend?

Nancy: Well, none of my friends are available, so I guess I'll have to go with you.

(Besties, also Eddie be like "You wound me, wheeler")

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Hey, Steve, are you free on Friday? Like around eight?

Steve: Yeah.

Robin: And you, Eddie?

Eddie: Umm... yes?

Robin: Great! Because I'm not. You two go out without me. Enjoy your date!

Eddie: Did they just-

(Yes she did, enjoy your date!)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: I am going to need you to swear-

Steve: Fuck.

Robin:

Robin: ...swear as in promise.

(I also love this incorrect quote lol)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: And now for a gay update with Steve and Robin.

Robin: Getting gayer.

Eddie: Thank you, Robin.

(I feel like they do that to annoy Steve for some reason)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: I think you're still suffering the effects of your party last night.

Robin: All I drank was Redbull!

Steve: How many?

Robin: Eighteen.

(I feel like she would)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[+Max and Dustin]

Nancy: So don't panic but one of us is possessed by an owl....

Steve: ....

Eddie: .....

Max: ......

Robin: ..Who?

Nancy: That's the thing we don't-

*Everyone stares at Robin*

(gasp)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker*

Nancy: So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know.

Everyone:

Robin: ...I did. I broke it.

Nancy: No. No you didn't. Dustin?

Dustin: Don't look at me. Look at Eddie.

Eddie: What?! I didn't break it.

Dustin: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?

Eddie: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken.

Dustin: Suspicious.

Eddie: No, it's not!

Max: If it matters, probably not, but Steve was the last one to use it.

Steve: Liar! I don't even drink that crap!

Max: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier?

Steve: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, Max!

Robin: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Nancy.

Nancy: No! Who broke it!?

Everyone:

Max: Nancy... Dustin's been awfully quiet.

Dustin: rEALLY?!

*Everyone starts arguing*

Nancy, being interviewed: I broke it. I burned my hand so I punched it.

Nancy: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick.

Nancy:

Nancy: Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

(Robin would be the one to take the blame, but only when it's Nancy tho)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Dustin: LOWERCASE LETTERS ARE FOR THE LOWER CLASS!

Max: And here we have a capitalist.

Eddie: Did you just-

Robin: Let us all take a moment to appreciate that all of human history, human language, and the universe itself aligned to make this joke possible.

(takes a moment to appreciate etc.)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: I'm gonna need a human skull but you can't ask why.

Max: Only if you also don't ask why.

Max: *pulls four pristine human skulls out of their bag*

Robin: ...

Robin, grabbing a skull: This one will do.

(I'm not gonna question that... Just Mother-Daughter bonding)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: I'm never having a debate with Dustin again, they literally started their argument with "Riddle me this."

(I feel like Dustin actually said that in the show 🤔 idk tho)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Dustin: A mosquito tried to bite me and I slapped it and killed it.

Dustin: And I started thinking.

Dustin: Like, it was just trying to get food.

Dustin: What if I went to the fridge and it just slammed the door shut and snapped my neck?

Robin: Are you ok?

(That's definitely a canon conversation)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: Yes, I'm adopting Dustin and you cowards can't tell me no!

(I loved when that happened in the show 🥺😔 such a precious moment)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: Have I ever told you that you cook well?

Dustin: Awww, no, you haven't!

Steve: So why do you keep cooking?

(Big oof)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Max: Why should I make my bed, when I'm just gunna unmake it to sleep in it anyways?

Steve: Why should I feed you if your just gunna die anyways?

Max:

Max: I'll go make my bed-

(Steve stop being mean 😕)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: Where are your parents?

Max: What are parents?

Robin: That’s just about the saddest thing I ever heard get said.

(And that's how Max met her new Mother)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Max, writing in their diary with a glitter gel pen: I'm losing my sense of humanity. Nothing matters. God is dead. There's blood on my hands.

(the pen is probably from a gift from El)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Max: Sometimes I wonder if I’m hearing voices.

Max: Then I remember that’s the last bit of sanity I have trying to get me to fall asleep at a reasonable time.

(those two things (the one above) are what happened in between S3 and S4)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Steve: Hey, do you know the password to Max’s computer?

Nancy: Fuck you, Steve.

Steve: Hey!!

Nancy: No, you misunderstood, the password is "fuckyouSteve".

Steve: Oh, no numbers? Not very safe.

(Lol, she did that after that "why should I make my bed" conversation)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: A pessimist sees a dark tunnel.

Eddie: An optimist sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Nancy: A realist sees a freight train.

Dustin: The train driver sees three idiots standing on the tracks.

(Dustin you smartass)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Max: Do you think sex without love is a sin?

Nancy: If it is, I’ll see you in hell.

(Nancy is a lesbian confirmed 👍, not because she'd go to Hell)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie: Do you have a self-care routine?

Max: "Keep going bitch" said to myself in different accents.

(Robin taught her the accents)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Robin: If you put a milkshake in one yard and crack open a cold one in another yard, which yard would the boys go to?

Nancy: Schrödinger's boys.

Max: FUCK!

Dustin: What about cracking open a cold milkshake?

Steve: As we all know, the milkshake brings the boys to the yard. The presence of the boys is a prerequisite for the cracking open of a cold one, but cold ones do not have any inherent boy-attracting abilities. Milkshakes, however, do.

Steve: All else being equal, the boys would proceed to the milkshake yard. While it is possible to announce the presence of cold ones in the hope of attracting some boys, the pull of the milkshake is much more powerful by comparison.

Robin: ...

Nancy: ...

Max: ...

Dustin: ...

Steve: Mind you, all of this nonsense hinges on whether or not the boys are back in town.

(Steve being 'smart')

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Eddie, to the Squad: I’d die for you.

Max: Then perish.

Robin: You will.

Nancy: Please don’t.

Steve: Cool.

Dustin: I’d die for you first.

(I'm sorry 🥺 it was just too perfect 😭 also it was from them first meeting so I think those would be accurate reactions, also Dustin 😭😭)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[Surprise!! Robin and the Wheeler Girls]

Robin: *falls down the stairs*

Karen: Are you okay?

Holly: Stop falling down the stairs!

Nancy: How’d the ground taste?

(Karen is worried, Holly is annoyed that she keeps falling down the stairs, and Nancy is just used to it now and amused)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Holly, talking about Robin: Is this a friend of yours, Nancy?

Nancy: Kind of? Not really. They're in my life and there's nothing I can do about it.

(^Nancy in denial)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Robin, what are you doing?

Robin: Making chocolate pudding.

Nancy: It's four in the morning, why are you making chocolate pudding?

Robin: Because I've lost control of my life.

Robin: Here's your pudding, Holly.

Holly: Oh that's okay, I'm not hungry anymore.

(that's cute and Robin would do anything for Holly, I love the fics with Robin & Holly bonding 🥺)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Holly: I am darkness. I am an power. I am your worst nightmare. I could kill a man in more ways than you can imagine. I am the night. I am fury, I am a weapon, I am-

Karen: A doll.

Robin: A cinnamon roll.

Nancy: A sweetheart.

Holly:

Holly: ...stop it.

(That's the cute freaking thing I've ever seen 🥺)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: Damn, the power went out.

Holly: Don’t worry, I got this.

Holly: *shakes rapidly and starts to light up*

Nancy: What-?

Holly: I swallowed a glow stick!

Nancy, on the verge of tears: WHY WOULD YOU-

(HOLLY NOO!! 😭)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: *on the phone* Just snap his kneecaps and he’ll talk, I’m at a parent teacher conference.

Nancy: Anyways, you said Holly is enjoying finger painting! That's great.

(the teacher like 👁️👄👁️)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Nancy: My life is a mess.

Karen: Nancy relax, go get a beer.

Nancy: I don’t want a beer.

Karen Who said it was for you?

(Lol)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Holly: I don't know, it's not my cup of tea.

Karen: Well then whose is it?

Holly, staring at a cup of tea: I don't know!

(this was honestly unexpected 😂)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[another Surprise?]

Argyle: If you water water, it grows.

Nancy: ...What.

Robin: They've got a point.

(so that's why Nancy said it last time)

--

Jonathan: I never tell people off the bat that I'm gay. I wait. I wait until they say some homophobic shit and then I laugh and am like "you know I'm gay right?" and watch the look of terror on their face.

Nancy:

Nancy: I like you.

(wlw/mlm solidarity)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Hope you liked it 👍, btw my posts are irregular, but rn have literally nothing to do for weeks so I may post a lot (also it's summer holidays)

Anyway, lots of love ✨🥺❤️✨

[midnightstar-90]

Disappointment

Masterlist | Taglist | Request

Eddie Diaz x Daughter! Reader | Evan Buckley x Reader

Summary: Y/N cries on Buck's shoulder, after hearing her father was shot.

Warning: slight dad! buck, angst, feelings of disappointment.

A/N: This was as hard to write as it was to watch.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N sneaks back into her house, after going to see an R-rated movie with her friends. Her father told her many times that she wasn't allowed to go to the movie, but Y/N didn't care. So far, sneaking out to see a movie is the most she ever disrespected her dad's wishes.

She took her headphones out of her ears, and she silently but quickly opened her bedroom window. Quiet not to disturb the household from their slumber, she climbs in through the window. She tiptoes over to her dresser and grabs pajamas from her drawer.

All of a sudden, a bright light blinds Y/N's vision. She turns around, scared, to see her father. He didn't look angry. No... he looked disappointed. Y/N pursed her lips at the look her father was giving her.

"If your gonna sneak out, don't do it when your ex-military father is home," Eddie told his daughter.

"Dad, I can expla-" Y/N couldn't finish her sentence before her father put a hand up. That was his way of saying "I don't want to hear it".

"What if I wasn't home? What if I went out, and something happened to Christopher?" I looked down, disappointed in my actions. I didn't think about that.

"This was the first time I've ever said "no". And just this once, you couldn't do as I say?" Eddie's voice started to get loud, but not too loud.

"I get it. I totally understand how you feel. I was your age once, and my parents were a lot stricter than I am. I'm just disappointed in the fact that I let you do your own thing, but when I ask for something, you can't obey." Eddie said, walking closer to his daughter.

"I'm sorry, dad. I won't do it again." Y/N still didn't look up at him.

"I know you won't," Eddie says, kissing Y/N's head. "Now, I have work in a couple of hours. But before I go... I'm gonna need that phone, Missy."

Y/N grabs her phone off the dresser and hands it to her father. She looks her father in the eye, but both of their hands are on the phone. They both could see the sadness in each other's eyes. Y/N gives her father a tight hug before mumbling a "thank you" and "goodnight".

Eddie walks out the door, heading back to his room. She's just how I raised her. This was just a hiccup that won't happen again. Eddie thought as he got back into his bed.

~The Next Day~

Y/N's POV

Christopher and I were in his room, playing his game. We heard footsteps, so we looked up. Buck, my father's co-worker/best friend stood in Christopher's doorway. He looked sad.

"Hey Buck," Chris looked up at Buck, then back at his game.

I gave Buck a smirk before saying, "Hey hot stuff. What's wrong? You look sad." I lightly chuckled, but Buck's face stayed the same. My smirk left, knowing something was up.

When I met Buck, I developed a crush on him. (You know teenage hormones.) Because I was 16, Buck and I could never be together. So, we made a joke out of it. I would flirt, and he would politely deny me, saying things like "I was too young for him" and "There are better fish in the sea". When Buck didn't joke back, laugh, or even smile, I knew something was up.

Buck walked towards us. He crouched down on the floor between us. You could see the tears build up in his eyes as he looked at us.

"Where's dad?" Christopher asked. He put down his game, as he waited on an answer.

Buck knew how close we were with our dad. And he knew that whatever he's gonna tell us, was gonna break us. Buck took a deep breath.

"Um... He's not coming home tonight, Chris." That was enough for me to break down in tears. The last time I saw my dad, he had given me a disappointing look. I didn't do the one thing he asked, and now something bad has happened to him.

"Why not?" Chris asked Buck.

"W-w-well, he got hurt at work today."

I silently listened to the firefighter explain to my brother why my father isn't home.

"In a fire?"

Chris is so innocent. It's so hard to explain to a 10-year-old boy that his father was severely hurt, and he might not make it through the night.

Buck got up from his crouching position, and he sat between us.

"N-no, not in a fire. The truth is... someone hurt your dad."

"On purpose?" Buck noticed how quiet I was. He looked at me. I couldn't even look at him. I looked all around Christopher's room before hearing Buck speak again.

"Yeah, I think so" Buck nodded.

"Like a bad guy?" I shook my head at what I was hearing.

I knew what Buck was trying to tell us. Kids at my school know a lot from just looking at their phones. I got looks all day. I didn't know why... because I was grounded. But hearing Buck talk about it, I could now stick the pieces together.

I finally looked at Buck to see tears run down his eyes. I'd never seen Buck cry before. I had only seen the tough Buck that would run into any danger just to save any living thing. Buck and my father are my heroes, and seeing your heroes fall is not easy.

"Will he be okay?" Chris asked, looking at Buck.

"You know, your dad is uh- he's tough as nails... He's a fighter. Right? So, he's with the doctors now."

I couldn't hear anymore. I stood up from the bed, and I walked out of Chris's room and into mine. I walked in to see the family photo of mom, dad, Christopher, and I when dad came back from the military. I cried hard. He isn't just a hero to this country. He's my hero, and the last thing we talked about was how I disappointed him.

I heard a knock on the door. Buck had a sad smile on his face as he joined me on my bed. I pulled Buck into a tight hug, and we cried into each other's shoulders. After about 5 minutes in the hug, we pulled away, still sobbing.

"I'm a terrible daughter," I told Buck.

He looked me in my eyes, shocked at my statement.

"D-d-don't say that. You are not a terrible daughter," Buck said.

"Yes, I am! The last conversation my father and I had was about how I disappoint him by sneaking out! Now, I don't even know if I will ever see him again," I say as I look down at my hands.

Buck grabs my hands and says, "Don't say that. I've had many near-death experiences. Your father has also had many near-death experiences. He's strong. He will make it out. And to say you were a horrible daughter for sneaking out is incorrect. You are the most caring, beautiful, and smartest girl I know, but you are also a teenager. You and your dad won't always agree, and that's okay. Trust me when I say, I was a lot worse than you as a teenager."

We laughed together as the tears ran down our faces. Buck pulled me into his chest. The hug made me feel safe. It felt like the one's my dad would give me before and after work. He kissed my forehead, just as my dad did last night before going to bed. He cradled my head, and I could feel his tears hit my head, but I didn't complain.

"If my dad makes it, I will never disappoint him again. You guys are my heroes. I don't want my heroes to be disappointed or hurt, because that is the worst time to see your heroes," I said, smiling at Buck before looking back down.

"You are a good daughter. And, you're an amazing sister. I love you as if you were my own." I chuckled, still looking down at my feet.

Buck got up to leave, but I grabbed his arm. He looked back at me with his sad eyes.

"Please, can you stay?" I asked the firefighter. He looked unsure. "At least until I fall asleep. My dad did it when I had a bad or stressful day," I finish.

Buck smiled, "Yeah. Sure." We laid down in my bed. He held me in a fatherly embrace, and I fell asleep. The last thing I heard was, "Eddie was never truly disappointed with you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @mrspeacem1nusone @notanordinaryprincess95 @jjpogueprincess @wiypt-writes

[dragonmuse]

The Izzy + mother's day development is so delightful I cannot cope. It made me think about the parallel with Eddy + Alma and Izzy + Charlie - would Eddy and Izzy ever talk about being adopted by kid bonnets?

(Since that drabble posted today, I've been thinking on this ask and I think it happens later on, Charlie already starting his college growing pains. Our beloved wolves at their diner after a ride...)

Izzy's phone buzzed when Eddy was mid-sentence and to his credit, he let her finish before poking at it. A name flashed up on the screen.

"Charlie?" Eddy asked with some surprise.

"Yeah," Izzy thumbed open the message, snorted, typed something back quickly then set it down. "He's sending me lines from the last book I sent him to explain why it's 'unforgivably loathsome'."

"Ouch," Eddy wrapped their hands around their mug. Vaguely, they were aware that Charlie and Izzy sometimes exchanged books, but she'd assumed that had stopped when Charlie started college a few months ago. Or maybe before. "That sounds very...Alma of him. Pretty sure loathsome was her favorite word in tenth grade."

"I'll bet," Izzy returned his focus to her. "How is the girl?"

"Applying for grad school like her life depends on it," Eddy sighed. "I dunno what to say to her half the time about it. Just let her rant. Stede keeps trying to offer advice and then she gets defensive, it's a real treat."

"Uh huh," Izzy took a sip of his coffee. "Does she text you after to complain?"

"Of course. And I tell her I don't pick sides, but in this case...dunno. She's right. Stede didn't go to grad school, none of us did. What can we tell her? Just listen to people who know something and we'll hand over the cash and hugs."

"Must be nice to have those kinds of problems," Izzy said, a little grimly. "Charlie sends me a rant about an English professor and it's...yeah okay, I punched a teacher once, does that help?"

"He complains about college to you?" Eddy frowned at him.

"Not much. Hard to get a pulse on him most of the time," Izzy said mildly. "Why? Doesn't he give you an earful?"

"Charlie? Not about anything. Possibly ever. Alma is the talker."

"Huh. Figures, I guess. She takes after Mary a lot."

"Does she?"

"Yeah," Izzy leaned back in the booth. "Mary gets on a tear about something and that's it. Settle in, cause it's class time. She says she and Alma butt heads because of how alike the are sometimes. Argue the same way."

"I can see that," Eddy could recall the few times she's seen Mary with real fire in her eyes. "Funny isn't it? We wound up on opposite sides of the same house, seeing different shit through the windows."

"Seems to be where we wind up most times," Izzy agreed. His phone buzzed again and whatever was there made him huff a laugh. "These fucking kids."

"I know," Eddy smiled. "Eat right into the soul."

"Yeah, exactly." Izzy tapped out a reply. "You ready to head out? I've got an early morning."

"Yeah, it's my week, I got it, you go."

They watched him leave as they fished a ten out of their wallet. Enough for two cups of coffee and tip. She should mention to Stede that Charlie and Izzy were apparently still in regular contact.

Or maybe not.

Maybe she'd get distracted by almost getting hit by a driver who wasn't paying attention on the way home and it would go out of her head completely. After all, it wasn't a big deal. Charlie knew Izzy, they read books. It was fine. Charlie would probably only get busier and like Alma, the adults in her life would fade further into the background.

[octoberobserver]

I saw where someone else had made a post about that vine video where the one guys wakes the other up but then a 2nd guy was in the bed as well and no one knew. yea that for adult reddie

Hi nonnie, so sorry for the late reply on this! Thanks for this fun prompt, I had a blast. It ended up being 60% Hanbrough tbh, but I had fun with it ^_^

Read on ao3 Wake Up Call for Mr Tozier

Richie and Eddie weren’t subtle.

They were handsy.

And flirty.

And drunk.

But for someone able to concoct such elaborate stories (albeit with horrible endings) and create beautiful sentences (albeit among gore and horror), Bill Denbrough wasn’t always what the Losers would call…intuitive. At least not when it came to badly-kept secrets.

Common sense isn’t all that common, Eddie would shrug.

Dumb as a sack of hammers, Bev would reply.

King of the Himbos, Richie would conclude.

Which was how, on the eve of their second annual reunion, when all the Losers, (plus Patty, Don and Adrian - all officially new members) eventually retired to bed, where they were staying with Bill and Mike in his giant, seven-bedroom L.A. home, he failed to notice Richie and Eddie’s sleeping arrangements.

He watched, bleary-eyed, as the two ‘helped’ each other up the stairs, each as drunk as the other, doing more stumbling than anything, like two hammered Bambis. Suppressing his chuckle, Bill wound an arm around Mike’s waist as leaned in close, following his eye line.

“Did we put enough pillows in the guest room for Eddie?”

A slow smile spread across Mike’s face as he watched dumb and dumber stumble on the stairs, giggling like the two perpetual middle-schoolers they were.

“Something tells me he won’t need ‘em, Bill,” he murmured before planting a kiss to the side of his boyfriend’s head.

Bill frowned, turning to Mike, opening his mouth to ask why not.

“Come to bed.”

Bill’s mouth snapped shut, transforming into a grin.

~*~

Like with endings, (at least the literary kind), mornings were not Bill’s forte. But it had to be said, waking up next to Mike Hanlon, definitely helped.

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey,” a deep, low voice mumbled into his ear, a huff of breath causing him to shiver.

With a groan, he turned over and snuggled into the furnace-like warmth of the man beside him, burying his face in his shoulder, a pleased hum escaping his lips as he felt a strong arm wind around him.

“Do we have to make breakfast for everyone?”

His question was muffled and more than a little sulky, but Mike laughed all the same.“

We wanna be good hosts, don’t we?”

Bill groaned again, his head making its feelings known on that last shot of tequila he downed because Richie had dared him. (Maybe he was still a bit of a middle-schooler too.)

“I guess so.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Mike’s tone was warm, teasing, and alluring enough that Bill just had to look up and kiss him, right on the lips, morning breath be damned.

“Don’t talk about spirits,” he mumbled against his mouth, “my head hasn’t forgiven me for last night.”

Mike raked his palms up Bill’s sides, squeezing his hips. “No sympathy,” he grinned, eyes twinkling, “all self-inflicted.”

With that he gave a hearty smack to his ass, beginning to push him out of the bed. “Go on, you go wake up the kids. I’ll get breakfast started.”

Bill moaned, and not for good reasons.

“I hate having to wake Richie. He’s like a bear in the morning.”

Mike swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching, his sleep-shirt riding up and revealing a sliver of the very tantalising skin above his belly button, making Bill freeze mid-step.

“I feel like it’s my duty to remind you on Richie’s behalf that he is not a bear, he’s a...sea lion?” Mike paused, scratching his stomach, “No, that’s not right. An otter? Beaver? I don’t know man, something that swims, I think. Adrian was trying to teach me all the different kinds of gay—mmph!”

Bill cut him off with a kiss, leaning up and dragging him down into it.

“I love you, you giant, sexy nerd,” he grinned as the kiss broke, running his thumb under the hem of Mike’s sleep-shirt.

“I love you too,” Mike winked, smacking Bill’s ass again, “but don’t think it gets you out of waking the Losers. Start with someone easy, like Eddie.”

There was something in Mike’s voice, in his smirk, that had Bill’s suspicions flaring, but he sighed, pecking his jaw before resigning himself to his fate. Out of all of them, Eddie was one of the earliest risers, usually. It was a tie between him, Ben and Stan, most of the time. Ben, a frequent morning jogger, and Stan, an avid bird-watcher. So really, Bill knew Mike was right, starting with him.

Shrugging nto his slippers and robe, he dragged a hand through his bed-head and shuffled down the corridor, making a bee-line for Eddie’s room.

“Eds?” he called out quietly as he knocked. “Mike and I are making breakfast if you’re interested?”

Silence rang out. With a frown, he turned the handle and gave a quick glance around the door, eyes falling on the empty bed, so neatly made up, it looked like it hadn’t been slept in. Huh. Eddie must already be up. With a shrug, Bill closed the door with a snap and decided that it was best to just rip the bandaid off. Richie was going to be the one that gave the most pushback, so he may as well start with him. If he was his usual grumpy self, Bill could always move onto everyone else then loop back around.

With Richie though, he’d have to try a different approach than with Eddie. Something loud and annoying to get back at him for his part in Bill’s hangover. Quickly, he got fished out his phone from his robe pocket, turning to the guest room where Richie was staying, directly opposite Eddie’s. 

Counting down from three in his head, he hit record and flung the door wide open, spotting Richie asleep in one of the twin beds. Stifling his laugh, Bill switched on the light and yelled, “Wake up, Sleepyhead!”

He watched gleefully as Richie, with a serious case of bed-head, jumped, grumbling something like, “Whoa, what’s goin—”

“The fuck, man?”

Bill blinked as Eddie suddenly popped up from behind Richie, his arm very noticeably thrown over his hip, both men very, very shirtless. The three friends stared at each other. A beat of silence passed.

Two.

Three.

Shock shot through Bill, his brain scrambling to make sense of this picture, a borderline hysterical laugh escaping his throat. He found his brain vividly flashing back to various moments, touches, shared smiles between Richie and Eddie and…oh. Then, with exactly zero input from his brain, his feet turned him around and led him right back out the bedroom door, a louder laugh bursting from him and carrying down the corridor, no doubt enough to wake the rest of the Losers.

Good. That gave him time to spill the beans to Mike.

Richie and Eddie blinked at the closed door that their friend had just bolted through.

“Well, that’s one way to tell him,” Eddie sighed, letting his head fall back onto the pillow, his arm tightening around Richie’s waist.

“Yeah, you popping up all Whack-A-Mole-style and scaring the crap outta him was one way to go, Eds,” Richie chuckled, turning around to face him and kissing him on the forehead.

“The man fought a murderous space clown. Twice,” Eddie grumbled into his neck, “I think he can survive seeing us in bed together.”

Richie snorted, settling a hand on his lower back, pulling their bodies closer together, he already in danger of falling out of the far too small bed.

“You know there’s a double in your room, right?” he murmured into Eddie’s hair. “Remind me again why we ended up squeezed into this tiny twin bed?”

Eddie poked him in the chest, prompting him to lean back to look him in the eye.

“Rich, we were so drunk, we’re lucky we didn’t end up trying to make these into bunk beds and sleeping in them, or something worse.”

Richie smirked. “That tub was looking appealing last night, not gonna lie.”

“And besides,” Eddie poked his chest again, softer this time, “I wanted to push the beds together to make a double. Like we did in middle school. But, you know, the tequila—”

“Ahh, the tequila,” Richie sighed wistfully, before leaning down and pressing their foreheads together.“Guess the cat’s outta the bag now, huh?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes before letting them close.

“All the others already know. Bill was just being slow on the uptake as usual.”

Richie bumped their noses.

“Told you, Eds. He’s a himbo.”

“King Himbo, I think you said.”

They shared a laugh before closing the short distance, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Richie hummed into it happily, (still tickled that Eddie apparently wasn’t as opposed to morning breath as he thought), brushing his tongue along Eddie’s bottom lip, the kiss deepening. Just as things were getting good, far too good for two people who were just called for breakfast, Eddie stilled, pulling away, his cheeks flushed, lips plump, and his eyes wide.

“Wait, was he recording us?”

[tinyarmedtrex]

the speechless prompt left me...speechless. can we score a part 2, or even just some headcanons about what life is like with a silent Richie?

Read Part 1 here

They rushed Richie to the hospital, of course they did. Everyone was concerned by his sudden silence, all of them throwing glances back at him. Eddie was practically hyperventilating with worry. 

“Richie what- come on, say something- this is- I can’t-” Eddie was sitting next to him in the back seat of Ben’s rental car. He hadn’t gotten a full sentence out yet, despite trying for the last five minutes.

The turtle! Richie shouted, mimicking a turtle with his hands. 

“What the hell? Is that a fish? A fish did this? Did it bite you? I’m sure they carry diseases and-”

Richie shook his head, wishing he had his phone. It had been ruined by the sewers, another thing taken from him. 

He tried to mime writing but Eddie was busy googling native Maine fishes, Ben was speeding down the street and Bev was calling the ER, frantically explaining that they were coming in and what had happened. Richie hadn’t expected to miss his voice so much already.

With a silent sigh he plucked Eddie’s phone from his hands, drawing an indignant cry, and pulled up his texts, typing as short of an explanation as he could.

“The turtle took it?” Eddie asked, reading over his shoulder. “Why?” 

Richie looked at him, his hand going to the tear in Eddie’s shirt where the talon had pierced him.

“For me?” Eddie asked quietly. Richie bobbed his head. 

“Why would you do that? Richie you’re a comedian! Your voice is your livelihood!” 

Richie’s hands trembled as he typed out the words, the ones he should have said years ago, the ones he’d never get to say now.

Because I love you. 

Eddie’s eyes grew huge as he read them. “Ben! Stop the car. Now!” 

Ben hit the brakes so hard that they all surged forward. “Why? What’s wrong? Did something else happen?”

Eddie had already thrown open his door. “You two stay here. Richie, come with me.” 

Richie looked forward, seeing that Ben and Bev were both looking back at him, wide eyes and confused. 

“Now!” Eddie called, standing a few feet away. 

He scrambled to follow, closing the door and standing just outside of hitting distance. Eddie was already pacing, his hand chopping the air. “You idiot! You- you moron! Richie you can’t- you can’t do this! You can’t give up your voice for me!”

Richie shrugged, trying to indicate that he already had. 

Eddie stopped, staring at him. “I can’t even argue with you because you can’t fight back!” Tears sprang to his eyes. “You always fought back! And now-now-” 

Richie pulled him into a hug, not knowing what else to do. Eddie crumpled against him, his tears wetting Richie’s shirt. 

It took Eddie a minute before he could speak, his voice shaky. “You shouldn’t have done that. Not for me.” 

Richie typed up another message, showing it to Eddie.

I’d do anything for you.

Eddie read it, hiccuping through his tears. “I don’t deserve it.”

Sure you do, the world needs it’s Eddie Spaghetti.

“I hate you.” 

Nah.

Eddie smiled as he read the message then he looked up at Richie, looking like he wanted to say more. He took half a step in before stopping and shaking his head. “Let’s get you to the hospital, I want to make sure the turtle didn’t take anything else.”

Like my sexiness?

“He can’t take something you never had.” 

Richie bumped Eddie with his shoulder, pretending to be hurt as they walked back to the car. Ben and Bev shot them questioning looks but Eddie just told them to drive. Richie wanted to ask if Eddie understood his confession, if he felt the same, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to be rejected in front of Bev and Ben. Instead he tried to hand Eddie back his phone. 

“No,” Eddie shook his head, curling Richie’s finger over the screen. “You keep it for now.” Eddie’s hand lingered for a second longer than it needed to and he looked like he wanted to say something but they were already pulling up to the hospital.

Richie spent the next twenty four hours being poked and prodded by doctors. They ran so many tests that Richie lost track, eventually not caring anymore. All of them said the same thing- nothing was wrong with him, it was just that he couldn’t speak. They didn’t know why but he seemed healthy otherwise.  No one had any idea how to help him and several people suggested going to New York or Boston so he could be studied. Richie didn’t want that though, he just wanted to go home. 

He was finally back in his room, trying to sleep in the lumpy bed when Eddie walked in. The losers had been coming and going from the room, all of them felt differently about what he’d done- Ben thought it was brave and romantic, Stan thought it was dumb but unsurprising. Eddie though, Eddie hadn’t come by yet.

‘Hi’ Richie wrote on the whiteboard they had given him. 

Eddie waved, walking over to the edge of his bed.

‘What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?’

Eddie smiled. Then he lifted his hands, signing something in ASL that he’d clearly memorized, squinting his face as he tried to remember all of it. Richie watched, confused but enjoying it.

‘I don’t know what that means Eds’ He wrote once Eddie finished. ‘Also u know I can hear right?’

“Shut up.” Eddie said, stepping in. “I need to learn sign language if I’m going to communicate with you.” 

Richie’s heart soared, just hearing that he cared enough to try. ‘So what did u say?’

Eddie signed again, slower this time. “I said that I needed time to think about what you’d done for me. It was a huge gesture Richie and we don’t know each other- it’s been nearly three decades! You shouldn’t have done that for me. It was stupid and reckless. You threw away your career!”

Richie sense a rant coming so he hurriedly wiped the board off, writing ‘u didn’t say all that.’

Eddie smiled, shaking his head. “I didn’t. I said, thank you.” He raised his fingertips to his mouth, then lowered them. “And I said,” He pressed his middle two fingers to his palm, leaving his pinky, pointer finger and thumb pointing up. “I love you.” 

Richie stared at the hand then Eddie, waiting for him to add ‘as a friend’ or something else. But he didn’t. Richie copied the gesture, moving his hand forward until their fingers touched. 

“Getting used to a wordless Trashmouth will be weird.” Eddie said quietly, looking at their hands. 

‘I can be just as inappropriate through drawings,’ Richie wrote and Eddie laughed as he moved closer, his hand falling to Richie’s shoulder. 

“I can help you, if you want, get you back on your feet. Maybe stay with you while you recover.”

Richie didn’t point out that there wasn’t going to be ‘recovery’, Eddie knew that as well as he did.

‘I’d like that’ he wrote. The he looked up at Eddie, seeing how close they were. Eddie was staring down at him. 

Abruptly he leaned down, brushing his lips over Richie’s before pressing his forehead to Richie’s. “I guess we don’t need words after all.” He said quietly, smiling at him. 

Richie shook his head, already tilting up for another, longer, kiss.

@chaotickaspbrak @wheezyeds  @constantreaderfool @queen-sock  @jem-carstairs-is-perfection  @reddie-to-cryy @moonlightrichie @anellope @lifesucksheres20bucks @thorn-harvester-ven @eddiefuckinkaspbrak @andaleduardo @xandertheundead @s-s-georgie @edstozler @s-onora @notmyspaghetti @twoidiotsinl0ve @spirited-marvel @lover-mouth  @roobarrtrashmouth @njess04 @reddieobsessed @gczebos @ransonelovebot @kasp-brakz @sourmoist @reddie4diaster @playing-jim @princesass-theresa @theandrewhurley @mimiharu @kaspbrak-tozier-reddie @no-she-wasnt-reddie  @oldguybones @sloppybitxch   @lumiereandcogsworth @isabelleritma @meep2004 @sedanleystanley @kaspbrak-king @ticomat @hadererer

[grifalinas]

Batter Up (Working Title) (Chapter 2)

-/-

There was a lot of work to do in getting the front room cleared out, mostly moving things back to the stockroom, though some of the equipment boxes were set in one corner of the kitchen to be attended as soon as it was clean again.

Throughout the day, Samuel and Eddie worked together, first cleaning the kitchen up after Eddie’s disastrous attempt to prove that she could totally be a good baker for the shop!!, just give her a chance to show it!!, and then getting the equipment unboxed and set up. Samuel wouldn’t let Eddie do any of the hookup, once again citing her age and the potential liability if she were to get hurt.

Flint and Radley could hear snatches of their conversation when they passed through the kitchen from front room to stock room and back, exchanging fond looks over Eddie’s endless chatter and Samuel’s low timber when he responded, almost always prompting Eddie into another string of breathless, run-on sentences.

Raphael stopped by the shop late that evening to witness the two signing their contract, and once that was done it was time to call it a night; they all went their separate ways, Flint turning down Samuel’s offer of a ride when he found out the three Meadows (and Jock) were on foot.

“It’s just a few blocks, no big deal,” Flint assured his new partner, waving him away as they headed out into the night.

Raphael walked part of the way with them, having parked in the carpark a little down the road; while Radley and Eddie chattered and compared notes on- what else- the newest addition to their circle, Raphael fell back, Flint falling into step beside her to talk.

“So what do you think of Samuel?” Raphael asked, once she was sure the kids weren’t paying attention.

Flint just groaned in response, long and drawn out. Raphael chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. He’s straight.”

“Seriously?! A man that beautiful practically lands in my lap and I haven’t even got a chance? What kinda monkey’s paw bullshit is that?”

This got another laugh out of his friend. “This dry spell is really getting to you, isn’t it?”

Flint waved that away. “It’s the kids, you know? With Les out of town for the foreseeable future I don’t really have a chance to go out on the pull, and I’m not bringing some drunk rando back to my apartment while they’re around anyway.”

“Well it’s probably for the best, honestly. You shouldn’t go mixing business and pleasure. You and Samuel will be a much better working partnership if you don’t muddy the waters with a sexual liaison.”

“Eh, I guess. Seriously though, how is he single? Straight women have taste too, they must have noticed how gorgeous he is?”

“He was married up until a year ago, actually.”

“Divorced or widowed?”

“Divorced. Between that and the accident, I imagine he hasn’t had much time to start dating again.”

“He has a daughter~” Eddie chirped, falling back enough to hear the tail end of their conversation. “He told me while we were scrubbing. Her name is Rosie and she’s my age and he’s going to take me to meet her and we’re going to be best friends.”

“Oh yeah?” Flint tossed an arm around her shoulders and ruffled her hair just to be irritating. “And if you don’t hit it off?”

“Mr. Bassington says Rosie doesn’t have many friends. So I’m thinking her standards are probably gonna be pretty low, and I can sneak in under the radar.”

“You and Rosie are going to get along very well, I think,” Raphael said. “In fact you might be just the sort of friend she needs.”

“What’s she like?” Eddie asked, as the group came to a stop at Raphael’s motorcycle.

“A little reserved. She’s been a bit sheltered all her life, but she’s a sweet girl- she just needs a little socialization. I’m sure she’ll like you just fine, low standards or not.”

Radley had been silent throughout this conversation, so once they’d parted ways with Raphael and were on their way to the apartment, Flint said, “So what do you think of Sam, then?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. When you were giving him his tour it felt like there wasn’t anything right about any of the work we’d done so far, and no consideration that we’ve only been at it a few days or a note that we did get the kitchen cleaned up and set up in that time. And he kept giving orders- you know, saying what we couldn’t do? You’re supposed to be partners but he’s already taking over.”

Flint nodded. That was about what he’d been thinking too, though he was willing to give Samuel time to grow on him. After all, he’d needed him for exactly that.

“Isn’t that what Uncle Flint hired him for though?” Eddie said, echoing Flint’s thoughts. “He was just doing his job.”

“What do you think of him?” Flint asked. “You were the one working with him all day. What kind of impression did he give you?”

“I like him! He’s really nice, he was super impressed when I told him about Jock winning the red ribbon at the dog park show last month and he didn’t even think it was a little disappointing that he didn’t win blue because second place is still extremely respectable and it just means that the dog who did win blue must be super impressive. And then he said that not getting first just meant that Jock and I still had plenty of room to grow and he was sure we’d do even better next time assuming there would be a next time because it’d be super okay if we decided not to do another dog show because of course things like that should only be done if they’re fun and if they’re not fun then we shouldn’t worry about them because Jock is only a pet dog anyway so he doesn’t need any kind of best in show ribbon to be a good boy.”

“If he didn’t run off after spending a day with this chatterbox, I think he’s worth the look-in,” Flint said, fluffing Eddie’s hair again. “His contract’s a two month trial period, by then we’ll know whether he’s a good fit for us and if he doesn’t work out, we won’t be stuck with him for too long.”

“If he doesn’t work out I can still be friends with Rosie though right?”

“Don’t you have any kind of loyalty?”

“I’m going to be loyal to Rosie, I think. I want her to like me.”

“You haven’t even met her yet.”

“Yeah but Mr. Bassington says she likes the Vampire Mummy Werewolf and Shark Teens and Cobalt and Crimson same as I do and she likes dogs and bunnies same as I do and she likes eighties rock and space stuff and museums same as I do and she likes to sew and paint and play the piano and I can’t do any of those things so I think probably we’ll get along really well cause I bet she’ll be interested in stuff I can do that she can’t and he says she can’t bake either so maybe we can learn how to bake together! And be best friends!”

She came to a halt and struck a pose that said, in flashing neon letters, ‘So THERE’. They’d reached their building while she talked; she fell silent when Flint fished his key out of his pocket to buzz them in, but no sooner were they in the elevator than she started up again.

“Uncle Flint, did I hear you say you think Mr. Bassington is handsome?”

“Handsome’s a word for it,” Flint growled. “Yes, I think he’s handsome, which is a crime, cause Raph says he’s straight.” He sighed. “What a waste of a good ass.”

“Dad says you’re not supposed to say stuff like that to us,” Radley reminded him.

“You’re seventeen, you’re old enough to hear swearwords. Just don’t repeat them,” he added belatedly. “Otherwise your dad will kick my ass.”

“I think it’s more because you’re implying the existence of sex as more than just a nebulous thing outside of our reach as teenagers, who we all know are completely unaware of anything pertaining to sex and definitely don’t have sexual thoughts of their own,” Eddie chimed in.

“Oh yeah?” Flint teased. “You haven’t been having sexual thoughts, surely? You, a teenage girl? Perish the thought.”

“Tch, please.” She scoffed and disappeared into the room she shared with her brother when they stayed with Flint, waving a dismissive hand at him while Flint stared after her. He looked to Radley.

“...she’s not sexually active, is she?”

“No, but she’s written a lot of smut fanfiction.”

“Is it any good?”

“It was written by a sexually inactive fifteen year old exploring her sexuality through a safe outlet. Of course it’s not any good.”

-/-

In her room, Eddie was looking very seriously over the selection of comic books she’d brought with her while she was staying with her uncle- not her entire collection, that was at home- and trying to decide which ones that Mr. Bassington hadn’t said Rosie was into that she could potentially interest her in.

She really wanted Rosie to like her. She couldn’t explain why; she had, as her uncle had pointed out, never met the girl, but her father had made her sound like the most amazing girl in the world, and Raphael had said she didn’t have many friends, and since Eddie didn’t have many friends either, it sounded like a match made in heaven.

It wasn’t enough to make Rosie like her; she wanted them to be best best best friends.

(Deep down in her heart, she knew this probably had to do with her own best friend drifting away from her. There was a gap in her soul that only a best friend could fill. But she wasn’t ready yet to process that, so she buried it and set herself to the task of speculating about what Rosie would be like.)

-/-

[cowandcalf]

Steve and Danny in love - 10.15

Do you remember the time as a teen or maybe even as a young adult when you fell for another person? When you had that thing going where you dropped hints and fished for little patches of words to get reassured that the other person is into you too? Do you remember how that felt? The situation where you were together and didn’t have the guts to just ask and go for broke to admit how much in love you were? You just hoped the other catches up on whatever secret hints you threw in their direction.You inched your way forward with words and hidden questions that weren’t really dectable in normal sentences...

so...

Do you know who does it, too? Steve and Danny - in absolute perfection.

It goes like this: Danny hauls himself up and onto the kitchen counter, to fake nonchalance and to keep it cool. He hums and haws and throws in the text from his contractor so casually as if it’s the most boring news ever. He tamps down the huge importance that this information carries. He bites his lips, pulls a face, purses his lips, hesitantly says how things go well at the house, stutters a bit while he checks up on Steve and how he takes the news. Steve always has his back turned to Danny, wedeling with the spatula, keeping himself busy to cook Danny’s egg the perfect way he loves them.

Anyway, Danny carries on telling how they fixed the floorboards and the running water while he always has his eyes on Steve! And you hear him biting his lips again with the soft question that’s half a fact half a question: “So, probably I can get out of your space...soon?” You hear him hold his breath! God, there’s a whole universe of emotions hidden in that one sentence!! And the lip-biting -  a clear sign how nervous Danny is.

But Steve doens’t turn around. I guess he tries not to pass out. He grunts affirmative comments, turning Danny’s eggs. Only to wiggle with his hands in the air to ask like a man who’s only capable to blurt two-word sentences. “Paint it yet? (They paint it yet?) Any paint?” (HE DOESN’T EVEN LOOK AT DANNY. HE GLARES AT THE CEILING!) And there’s Danny’s answer (I guess his heart is in is pants by now, beating like a dying mouse) no paint, nuh-huh. And it goes on with the sweet cave man talk. No paint? (some quick flash of an eye contact from Steve there). No paint. Furniture? Storage. Mm-hmm. (More fiddling with the eggs.) So, finally Steve turns around, a bit unnerved why Danny even brings this up. And with three sentences he tells him how silly it even is to think to go back living in a house full of workers. Bottom line - Steve tells him to stay forever. And most of the time as he says this he doens’t look at Danny because it’s ALL AT STAKE HERE!! And Danny doesn’t argue AT ALL!

So, Steve throws the most improtant sentence at Danny like he throws one of Eddie’s old chew-bone into the bushes. “You can stay as long as you want, you know that right?” And turns around so fast he hardly catches a glance where Danny sits. Because, dammit Steve, did you not just ask Danny to move in with you?? Of course, he did! Steve’s style. Jesus.

Danny agrees immediately and he says super politely that he appreciates it. Okay...holy shit! I mean neither of them wants their own space back. And every adult can refer to that and how important this is if you’re not living with your significant other.

And the best part of the conversation follows right after. It’s proof that they just said to each other, just using other words but the message is the same. “I’m in love with you and I want you to come living with me, staying forever and never leave again. Ever because if you didn’t get it I’m fucking in love with you, you super dork!”

Danny must be dizzy with relief because he’s got the confirmation, SEAL Steve style but nevertheless Steve’s just admitted that he loves him and that he wants to live together with Danny. So Danny dives head first into a teasing, accusing, bantering argument to rile Steve up, to throw him. To get him angry, to pull them both away from the intensity of their admitted feelings in a language that is crystal clear only to them but to no one esle.

And Steve takes the bite until they half-shout at each other with pointed fingers included and calling each other a maniac with no heat.

That’s poetic cinema guys and I’m so game for it.

This is my contribution of trying to analyze the complicated way of how Steve and Danny live their strong love for each other an how their declaration of love happens. Because they are, in love with each other, unable to be apart. McDanno is canon. You only need to read the signs in the right language. Holy shit!

[stellar-alley]

Of Scales and Sea Glass

•Chapter 4•

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

(Summary: Richie literally finds out what it's like to be a fish out of water.)

Also shout out to @ambitiousskychild on tumblr for being my beta!

~

Eddie jolted upright in bed at the sound of screaming, Richie screaming.

“EDDIE!” Richie shouted, “EDDIE”.

Eddie threw the covers off of him and jumped out of bed. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he ran to the bathroom.

Someone’s in the house, someone’s found Richie, he got out of the tub somehow, his wounds opened up again, his scales fell off, he broke his glasses-

Eddie’s entire being froze at the sight of what was in his bathtub.

He has legs. HOLLY SHIT HE HAS LEGS, AND HE’s- oh god he’s naked, so naked…

“What. The. Fuck.” Eddie’s jaw was on the floor, eyes wide with shock.

“You can say that again! I’VE BEEN DECAPITATED!” Richie shouted, obviously confused and angry.

He was still in the tub, and his upper half hadn't changed, no that was the same…. But it was his lower half. Instead of a long blue tail that flopped over the edge, Richie had long pale legs. They were as smooth as a baby’s butt, with feet and toes and everything. Eddie’s gaze flickered over to his hands that were running up and down his new legs. The human noticed the lack of claws and webbing that once connected his fingers. And there were no scales whatsoever.

“Holly shit,” Eddie gapped, unable to form any other sentence that wasn’t filled with pure and utter shock. He felt like he was gonna pass out.

Richie has legs. Like- actual legs, no tail or scales, just legs, human legs.

“Eddie fucking Kaspbrak what the hell did you do to me?” He demanded, his eyes still as blue as ever, but now there was a fire that burned behind them.

“ME? How is this my fault?” Eddie demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Something inside him warmed at the continuation of their iconic banter.

“Who else could it have been? The damn tooth fairy?” Richie ran his hands through his hair, suddenly the anger replaced by fear. “What happened to me?” His voice grew quiet.

Eddie grabbed the shirt he’d gotten from Bev and tossed it at Richie. “Cover that up,” he gestured to his privates.

“EDDIE THIS IS SERIOUS!” Richie tried to sound serious but now he was kinda over being shocked. “How did this even happen…?” He closed his eyes and pushed his glasses up his face so he could rub his eyes.

Eddie began investigating the tub for some magical crab or weird potion, instead he found the red button had been pushed. “Fucking hell…” He turned to the mer, “Did you push the button after I explicitly told you not to?”.

Richie’s face went blank, “Maybe…”.

“You dumbass! That button drains the water from the tub! The lack of water must’ve caused all this,” Eddie vagley gestured to Richie’s new legs.

“HEY! How the hell was I supposed to know what’d happen? God- fuck can you just get me out of the damn tub? I don’t wanna be in here longer than I have to be.” Richie held his arms up and did the little grabby motion with his hands.

“You’re sooooo needy,” he dragged out the O in an over dramatic tone. “First put the fucking shirt on so I don’t have to keep staring at your junk,” Eddie ordered as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked the other way to give Richie some privacy.

Richie sighed, “And you say I’m the dumbass. I’ve never worn a fucking shirt before!” Richie threw the shirt at Eddie’s head.

Eddie began to laugh as he yanked the shirt off his face, “Oh god. We’re so sad.” He shook his head.

Richie couldn’t help but join in, Eddie’s laugh was contagious. “Whatever, I’m sorry Spaghetti, just please help me,” Richie said, his tone was not serious but the message was.

Eddie got Richie to lift his arms over his head and the human pulled the shirt onto the mer. He fixed the arms as Richie looked down at the design and scoffed. After Eddie wrapped an arm around Richie and helped him up and scooped him out of the tub. Once Richie’s feet were flat on the bathroom floor, he leaned on Eddie and straightened up, standing tall. Eddie’s stomach dropped as he noticed the height Richie now had over him.

It didn’t take too long for Richie to catch on, and when he did, a devious smirk played over his lips. Looking down at Eddie he cooed, “Hey short stuff.”

“Hey chicken legs,” Eddie retorted, staring down at Richie’s bony legs.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Richie smiled at his human.

Sure it was a struggle but Eddie got Richie into his room and helped him into a pair of his bigger shorts. Even though they were big on Eddie, they were a little tight on Richie, but even if he did mind, he didn’t mention it. They were red and rode half way up the mer’s thighs. Eddie would be lying if he said he didn’t stare at the view for the first few seconds when Richie initially put them on. But he snapped himself out of his little horny trance as he knew they both needed to eat.

Let’s just say that going down the stairs while supporting someone who’s taller than you, who’s also never walked before, is hard to say the least. But once they finally made it into the kitchen, Eddie sat Richie down in a chair and went to go start making food.

After brunch, Eddie was determined to help Richie learn to walk, or at least stand on his own. Since Eddie was not going to be able to withstand much more of all this physical labour, he could already feel his bones aching from the amount of lifting he’s been doing lately. So they started with the basics: standing.

Eddie helped Richie off the chair and held onto his hands (while ignoring the heat in his cheeks) as he let Richie find his balance (which he didn’t have a lot of). The mer wiggled and wobbeled before he was able to straighten his knees and tilt his chin up. Eddie took a step backwards, in hopes of getting Richie to follow, but instead it ruined his center of gravity and Richie began to fall forward.

The two landed on the kitchen floor with a big thump. They both moaned and groaned.

“We’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” Richie mused from where he laid, on top of Eddie.

“Heh… Yeah,” Eddie agreed, but in all honesty he kinda liked the closeness (aside from the sprouting pain in his back). Richie was all warm and clingy, a new side he’s been able to experience since he’s gotten legs.

By the time dinner rolled around, Richie was able to safely say he could stand on his own, and walk slowly. This made it a hell of a lot easier on Eddie when it was time for them to head upstairs for bed. Instead of Richie leaning all of his weight on the shorter male, he simply kept one arm on the banister and the other around Eddie’s waist.

“Okay, so I’ll grab a pillow and a blanket and sleep for you for the tub-” Eddie began before he was interrupted by Richie.

“What? No way in hell am I going back to the tub,” Richie complained from where he stood in Eddie’s room, watching Eddie rifle through his closet.

“Fine. You take my bed while I go sleep on the couch in the living room,” Eddie offered, finally finding a spare blanket, he flung it at Richie.

The blanket covered Richie’s head, he yanked it off, messing up his hair (Eddie found it adorable). “What? Eddie, no. This is your house, you take the bed,” Richie insisted as he balled up the blanket in his hands.

“Whatever you say Trashmouth, you want the couch you get the couch-”

“No- holy shit you’re clueless. Eddie, sleep with me.”

Eddie stopped, dropping the pillow in his hands. “W-What?” His voice shook.

“There’s clearly enough space for both of us in your bed, so I don’t see why we can’t just fucking sleep togeher,” Richie wildly guestured to Eddie’s queen-sized bed.

Of course that’s what he meant. It’s not like he’d want to actually sleep with you…

“Oh! Um- If that’s alright with you,” Eddie scrambled to grab the pillow he dropped.

Richie scoffed, finding flustered Eddie cute. “I’m the one that offered.”

Eddie mentally slapped himself. “Yep, right, sorry,” he stumbled on his words.

I sound like fucking Bill.

With that the two boys got ready for bed, Richie simply staying in the clothes he’d been wearing as they were comfy and still clean. While Eddie scurried off to the bathroom to change into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a vintage Voltron shirt. The two shuffled into bed, Eddie stayed on the very edge as he worried he’d internally combust if he continued to be so close to Richie. While Richie tossed and turned in an attempt to find a good position.

“Goodnight Eddie,” Richie said before a yawn escaped his lips.

Eddie looked over at the beautiful boy in his bed and smiled to himself. “Goodnight Richie.”

~

Eddie opened his eyes, and he couldn’t see. The water that engulfed him blurred his vision. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he last took a breath. Maybe that’s why his lungs burned like the fires of hell. Suddenly he couldn’t stop himself, and he opened his mouth, determined to breath, but instead was met by a mouthful of cold, salty water.

“Eddie!” A distant voice called out to him.

Something glowed off in the distance, it came into view as Eddie’s vision began to haze. It wasn’t just a fish, it was a mermaid, his merman.

Richie.

“EDDIE!” The voice was now louder, closer.

Suddenly Eddie was gasping for air as someone shook his shoulders.

His vision cleared and he saw Richie leaning over him, eyes filled with concern. “Eddie! Hey, are you okay?” His voice trembled as he hesitated to let go.

Eddie had trouble forming words, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. Then, he became aware of the thick layer of sweat covering his body, and how oddly wet his face had become. He’d been crying. He didn’t know what to do, what to say. So instead of answering he simply wrapped his arms around Richie and buried his face into his neck.

Richie immitaly hugged Eddie back, rubbing soft circles into his back with one hand while the other held Eddie’s head as he softly sobbed. “Hey… It’s okay. I’m here now, you’re safe,” Riche cooed, softly stroking Eddie’s hair. The two had been sitting up for a while, so Richie slowly lowered them down to lie on their sides. The mer held his human and whispered sweet nothings to him until they both drifted off to sleep.

Eddie woke up to find an arm draped over his torso as he huddled close to Richie’s chest. As much as his thoughts told him to move, to go make breakfast, to not get attached because of the inevitable, he stayed there. He stayed in Richie’s arms and let the world turn around them.

“‘Morning Eds,” Richie croaked.

Eddie melted at the sound of Richie’s morning voice, low and gravely. He tensed, about to slither out of Richie’s grasp before he could let go, but instead of letting go, he held Eddie tighter. Eddie melted even further, thankful for the warmth the mer brought him.

“How was your sleep? Better?” Richie asked, running his hand through Eddie’s messy morning hair.

“Better” Eddie confirmed.

Eddie was a bit distant for the next couple of days. His eyes couldn’t properly focus on anything and his mind was all hazy. Richie noticed and tried to ask him about it but Eddie just disregarded him, saying he was fine even though Richie could tell he clearly wasn't.

Eddie might act oblivious but he knew well enough. He knew that everyday he spent with Richie would only make his feelings stronger, making it so much harder to let him go when the time came.

One night after dinner, Richie had fallen asleep on the couch. When he woke up again, the house was dark, and Eddie wasn't beside him.

“E-Eds?” Richie groaned as he slid his glasses on. He sat upright and looked around the silent house. “Eddie!” he called out again.

Carefully, Richie stood up from his seat on the couch and took a couple steps towards the kitchen. He was halfway there when a cool breeze blew past. He looked in the direction of the wind and saw the screen door was open. Richie let out a sad sigh. “Eddie…”. He grabbed a blanket from the couch, wrapped it around his shoulders and proceeded to shuffle towards the door.

Another gust of wind blew past as Richi stepped out onto the back patio, he shivered under the warm fabric of the blanket.

Eddie sat on the first step of the patio, knees pulled closed to his chest, his arms folded overtop and his head down. Neither of them spoke as Richie sat down beside him. He felt Richie scoot a little closer, their knees bumping against each other and their shoulders brushing each other.

Richie didn’t ask if Eddie was okay, because the answer was obvious, so instead he asked, “Are you cold?”

Eddie simply responded, “No”.

Richie huffed. “That’s such bullshit”.

In response Eddie let out a breath of air from his nose as his lips smiled a sad smile. Without another word, Richie got as close as he could, and wrapped a blanketed arm over Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie unwillingly melted into Richie’s touch, leaning a head against him.

“What’s been going on with you lately?” Richie rubbed Eddie’s arm.

Eddie didn’t meet Richie’s gaze, nor did he answer the question. Instead he looked out into the ocean that sat before them and asked, “Do you miss it?” his voice weak and distant.

“Yeah, Eddie, I do. I spent my entire life there.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “But that doesn't mean that’s where I wanna spend the rest of my life. It means that I like spending time here, here, on land, with you,” Richie elbowed Eddie slightly.

Eddie stiffened and pushed away from Richie so he could turn to look at him for the first time during their conversation.

“What does that even mean?” His face scrunched up in confusion.

“I mean what I said, Eddie! I like it here, I like you, I thought all the hints were kinda fucking obivious,” Richie turns red as he gushes.

Eddie’s breath hitched with the sudden wave of emotions that hit him. “Y-You like me…?” Eddie asked quietly.

“Yes, Eddie, I-I do. Like, a lot” Richie stumbled over his words as he began to worry that he said the wrong thing. “Sorry- I, um, that was stupid, I should’ve just kept my mouth shut-” Eddie shut him up by leaning in and kissing his lips.

The kiss lasted a couple of seconds, a spark ignited in the two as they pulled apart. “I like you too Rich, like, a lot,” Eddie admitted, quoting Richie.

Richie giggled like a little school girl, “Cool…” he blushed. “Can we uh- kiss again?” Richie requested sheepishly.

“I’d be pissed if we didn’t kiss again,” Eddie raised his eyebrows as Richie put a hand behind Eddie’s head and closed the distance between them.

This kiss was different from their first kiss, when Richie needed it purley to gather what he needed to be able to speak, but now there was more emotion in it. Something pure and raw that filled both of them with a warm feeling in their chests. Their lips moved insync, as if they were made for eachother, two puzzle pieces finally getting together.

Eddie broke away from Richie, his breath shaky as he spoke. “Richie we can’t do this. Y-You’re gonna leave one day-”

“One day,” Richie confirmed, “But not today, so please, can we just live in the moment? We don’t know when that day will come, but we’ll deal with it then. For now let’s just makeout, okay?”

Eddie thought about the hundreds of times he wished Richie would say that, and everytime he blocked the thought out, knowing one day Richie would leave. Today was not one of those days. For once, Eddie allowed himself to be happy and feel the emotions as they came. So that’s what they did, they made out.

~

“Okay we’ve gotta go shopping,” Eddie declared as he plopped down on his bed beside Richie, who was lying on his back, reading a comic book.

Richie dropped the comic onto his chest and looked over at his new boyfriend. “I have no clue what that is,” he said with a smile, excited.

“It’s when you go buy new clothes,” Eddie informed Richie as he laid down beside him.

“Why do you need new clothes?” Richie asked, turning onto his side to admire Eddie.

“Well we need to go shopping to get you some clothes. You can’t keep wearing my small clothes-”

“But I like them, they smell like you,” Richie whined as Eddie turned over.

“Well that won’t be too hard to fix now will it?” Eddie smirked as he slid closer to Richie. “I was thinking, this could also be a good chance for you to meet my friends,” Eddie suggested, nervous of the answer he’ll receive. It’s been about 3 weeks since Richie first washed into Eddie’s pool and one week since Richie got his legs. Since then, the mer has actually gotten pretty good at walking. Maybe not the best at running and dodging obstacles, but baby steps. Sure he still leans on Eddie sometimes but that’s more because he’s clingy and adores his short human.

“Wait- serious?!” Riche perked up, propping himself up on his elbows and looking down at Eddie, “That’d be so cool, I’ve been wanting to meet them for, like, ever,” Richie smiled.

“Really?” Eddie’s eyes widened in excitement.

“Yeah of course! Any friends of yours are friends of mine,” Richie smiled warmly, leaning down and giving Eddie a quick kiss.

~

The next day Eddie and Richie got ready and waited for Bill to come pick them up. Eddie wore a light blue tee he tucked into his jeans and he leant Richie another outfit of his, this time it was an old shirt his mom had bought from Freese’s that was too big on Eddie, yet it almost fit Richie like a crop top (and Eddie was loving it). Accompanied by a pair of old khaki shorts. The hardest part was when Eddie showed Richie what shoes were.

“Over my dead body,” Richie crossed his arms over his chest in protest.

“Well that can be arranged,” Eddie grumbled, jokingly.

Richie smirked and leaned down, wrapping an arm around Eddie and leaning his head on top of the short male’s. “What was that babe?”.

Eddie looked up at him. “You literally can’t go out without them.”

“I’ll wear them if I can be the small spoon tonight,” Richie stuck out his lower lip and widened his eyes, a face Eddie dubbed his sad puppy face.

“You’re so sad,” Eddie kissed him quickly before tossing the shoes at him.

It was a struggle but Eddie finally showed Richie how to tie his shoelaces. They both stood up at the sound of Bill honking his horn.

“Oh, it feels like my feet are in boxes,” Richie deadpanned as his knees wobbled again, just like they had when he first learned to walk. Immediately he stumbled, leaning on Eddie for support.

Eddie turned and looked at his boyfriend with concern. “You okay Rich?”

Richie nervously laughed and stood on his own, slowly finding his balance. “Yep! I’m all good.”

Eddie led Richie out and to Bill’s car, opened the back door, and slid in, beckoning for Richie to follow. Bev was already inside, she and Bill talking about something Georgie had done recently that resulted in him shooting milk from his nose.

“Eddie is this the dark and mysterious man you keep ditching us for?” Bev asked as she turned to face the two in the back seat.

Of course The Losers had picked up on Eddie’s constant disappearances, and Eddie couldn’t lie to save his life, so he admitted he met someone, an internet friend from out of state of course. He wanted to tell them the truth, he really did, but he didn’t feel right doing it without Richie beside him. So he did his best at lying, making up some elaborate story about how Richie was someone he’d met online and was moving to town and needed a place to stay. Also that he had social anxiety and needed time to settle in before he was ready to meet anyone. Eddie also sprinkled in the fact that said friend had some weird physical thing that meant he had trouble walking sometimes. Surprisingly, everyone bought it.

“Yep! Here he is, the elusive Richie,” Eddie laughed nervously.

Richie grinned and stuck his hand out. “Richie Tozier the honour is all mine.”

Bev reached out and shook his hand and Richie pulled her hand closer and kissed her knuckles, making her blush. Eddie couldn’t shake the twang of jealousy that shot through him.

“Beverly Marsh,” she introduced herself. “I’ve heard lots about you.”

“All terrible I assume?” Richie said in a british accent, he smirked and nudged Eddie.

Bev joined in, placing the back of her hand on her forehead. “Ah yes darling, terrible, absolutely wretched.” She swooned in a matching accent.

“I’m Bill,” the third male smiled warmly from the driver's seat.

Richie kept going, this time switching to a weatern accent. “Well howdy hey Big Bill. How’re you doing on this fine morn’?” The two shook hands.

“H-How’ve you been settling in?” Bill inquiries.

“Me? Oh I’m doin’ fine. Just livin’ my best life with my whittle Eddie.” He gave Eddie a peck on the cheek as Eddie stilled and Bev gasped.

“Eddie you didn’t tell me the site you met Richie on was a dating website?” Bev asks in shock at the sudden show of affection.

“N-No that’s not where we met-” Eddie started.

“What’s a dating webs-” Richie cut in.

“But YES! We’re dating” Eddie concluded, not wanting to dig himself into a hole or reveal too much about Richie.

“Wow E-Eddie didn’t think you were lo-looking for a relationship,” Bill winked at Eddie through the rearview mirror.

When the foursome arrived at the mall, Eddie jumped to get out of the car. He ran around to Richie’s side to help him out. Richie had never been in a car before, or in shoes. The last thing Eddie needed was for him to trip and fall flat on his face. As they walked towards the mall’s main entrance, Eddie kept a firm grasp on Richie’s hand. Yes he loved the physical affection but he was also determined to stay beside Richie so he didn’t get lost or kidnapped or something.

Let’s just say the mall blew Richie’s little fish brain. It was a little overwhelming. He almost fell over a couple of times, but he had Eddie to lean on.

As the four Losers walked into the main area of the mall, three of the four stiffened at the sound of a loud laughter that erupted from behind them. Richie almost kept walking until he felt Eddie’s hand tighten around his own. He stopped and looked around to see the other staring at something, someone.

“Well if it isn’t Derry’s resident Losers Club,” Henry Bowers called out as he and his goonies approached them.

“Fu-Fuck off Henry,” Bill hissed, steping infront of his friends in a defensive manner.

“Su-suck my d-dick Bu-Bu-Bill.” Henry’s friends laughed as he mocked Bill’s stutter.

Eddie looked up and shot Richie a worried glance.

Henry caught wind of their silent conversation and addressed it. “Well look at this, does little wheezy finally have a faggot boyfriend?”

Richie’s blood boiled at how much pleasure this brought the Bowers Gang. He drowned out their comments and focused on the drinks they held in their hands. Richie took a step back, pulling Eddie with him only moments before the drinks exploded, soaking the bullies in their sugary beverages.

The Losers didn’t wait to see Henry’s reaction as they used the explosion as a distraction to bolt from the bullies. Bill led the way with Bev in tow, Eddie pulled Richie along as they darted past stands and zig zagged between customers.

“That was amazing!” Eddie hollered, shooting Richie a proud grin as they finally slowed down.

They met up with the rest of The Losers Club at the food court.

Mike waved them down when he saw them enter. “Hey guys!” he greeted.

“Hey Mike,” Bill smiled and took the seat beside him.

Ben got up from his seat and offered it to Bev, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and took it, Ben stole a chair from the other table.

“Wait, where’s Stan?” Eddie questioned as he took a seat with Richie, across from Bill and Mike.

“He went to grab a smoothie,” Ben informed him.

“Okay I wanted to wait but guys, this is Richie, my uh-” Eddie hiestated, “boyfriend.”

“Hello,” Richie grinned and waved.

“Your what” Stan suddenly appeared behind Mike.

“Hey! Stanley’s here,” Eddie piped up.

“Yes, and he’s very curious. When did you two become an item? I thought you were online friends,” Stan handed Mike a smoothie and took the other seat beside him.

Richie opened his mouth to respond but Eddie spoke. “Yeah we’ve been online friends for a while, and when he came to stay with me, we realized we had feelings for eachother.” Eddie became tense, lying always made him nervous. Richie noticed and put a hand on his knee, relieving some of the stress. Eddie let out a breath.

The group went to various stores, Bev dragged them to makeup stores, Bill dragged them to bookstores, Mike (politely) dragged them to a kitchen appliance store (he likes cooking and needed a new whisk). Then they stopped in one of the big clothing stores and made a mutual agreement to go and look in their own sections as everyone had different styles.

For a change, Eddie let Richie pull him around as he wanted to let the mer choose his own clothes. After jokingly picking out a jockstrap and a D cup bra, he finally decided on a variety of Hawaiian shirts with loud prints, some shorts, a pair of jeans and an array of T shirts (Some plain, some graphic tees). Eddie showed him to the changing rooms and waited outside for Richie to change.

Richie carefully stripped and replayed the memories of Eddie getting dressed in hopes that he’d be able put everything on correctly. His first outfit was a Hawaiin shirt that was covered in pastel pink and blue flowers and a black muscle top, paired with a pair of black shorts. He stepped out of the changing room and shyly turned to Eddie who was now blushing at the sight of seeing Richie in something other than his own clothes.

“How do I look?” Richie asked, worried about the amount of colour.

“Richie you look really good,” Eddie smiled in approval.

Richie blushed but covered it up as he struck a pose, stroked his thigh and asked, “You like what you see?” He wiggle his eyebrows seductively.

Eddie covered his face with his hand, now red as a tomato and sighed. “You’re so weird.”

After a long Richie Tozier exclusive fashion show, he decided on the items he wanted to buy. He went back into the changerooms and put his normal clothes back on. When it came time to put his shoes on, he took a seat on the bench in the corner of the room and mindlessly itched his ankle. Something felt off.

Glancing down, Richie’s entire being froze at what he saw. A small patch of skin around his ankle had become tough, hard, and almost blue. Richie snapped his eyes shut. This cannot be happening. His breath hitched as he carefully traced the rough area with his fingers. If he focused hard enough he could feel the vague outline of scales.

He moved the hand from his ankle and raked it through his hair. He could feel tears biting at his eyes as he grimaced. “Fuck,” he weekly whispered.

“E-Eddie?” Richie quietly called out from the changeroom.

“Yeah, Rich, everything alright?” Eddie asked from outside the door.

Richie exhaled and asked Eddie to assist him with his shoes. Eddie wasted no time and slipped inside and did Richie’s shoes. Once they were both up and on their feet, Richie wrapped Eddie in a hug.

“What’s this for?” Eddie asked.

“I… I just really like you,” Richie breathed. One hand on Eddie’s neck while the other was in his hair, he held him tightly, as if he were about to pop a tail and get swept off by the tide.

“I really like you too Chee,” Eddie knew what he’d done the moment the word left his mouth.

Richie stopped and slowly, dramatically pulled away from Eddie, holding his shoulders tight. “D-Did my Eddie Spaghetti just create a nickname for me?” he gasped joyfully. He released Eddie’s shoulders and looked to the ceiling, fanning his eyes as if he was about to cry. “looks like miracles are real.”

“Oh god,” Eddie groaned as he hid his face in between Richie’s neck and his shoulder.

“Say it again! Say it again!” Richie begged as he pulled Eddie away so he could look at his face.

Eddie let the moment last, anticipation rising before letting out a soft. “Chee.” He watched his boyfriend literally melt at the words.

Richie leaned down and kissed Eddie, and in that moment there was nowhere else they would have rather been.

Word Count: 4995

Aw there's so much tooth-rotting fluff in this chapter I think I need to go to the dentist. LOL I'm a comedic god, I know. I hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter and are excited to see what happens next with Richie and that little patch of scales... Anyways until next time, So Long and Goodnight.  

~

[Taglist]

@richietoaster @s-onora @that-weird-girl-blog @beproudtozier @ghostnebula @bellarosewrites @s-s-georgie @lermanslogan @iamcupcakefrosting @madidraw @gazebobullshit @thoughtfullyyoungduck @aangzukos @ambitiousskychild @reddieonwheels @breadheadscorpius @opinions-you-didnt-ask-for @faz-se

Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list!